U.S. Airways

PRNewsFoto/AirTran Airways ATLANTA – Southwest Airlines said it is buying AirTran Airlines for $1.4 billion. “Both companies have dedicated people with kindred Warrior Spirits, who care about each other, and who care about serving Customers. We will continue to enhance our award-winning Customer experiences and high-quality operations,” Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines’ chairman, president, and chief executive officer, said in a statement. The cash and stock deal is pending regulatory and AirTran stockholder approval. The purchase

ATLANTA — There weren’t snakes on the plane. Instead, there were maggots. A U.S. Airways flight from Atlanta to North Carolina on Monday was forced to return to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after maggots started falling from an overhead bin, according to WSB-TV. “I felt like they were crawling all over me because it only takes one maggot to upset your world,” The Associated Press quoted one passenger as saying. “And as they’re telling us to

ATLANTA – Airline reward programs sound great in theory. But, the reality is, booking flights with points isn’t as convenient as airlines make it sound. That’s the upshot of a new study from Wisconsin-based IdeaWorks, which publishes the “ezRez Guide to Loyalty Marketing by IdeaWorks.” The publication is touted as the first dedicated to frequent flier programs. In fact, during February and March 2010, the company conducted 6,160 booking queries on 22 frequent flier program