Atlanta opens its central rental car facility, with a train
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson has opened up a central rental car facility. Passengers can get to their rental car company from the main terminal via the sky train.
Atlanta says its facility and elevated train will open together. The train ride will be five minutes to the 67.5-acre facility just west of the Airport. Atlanta Aviation General Manager Ben DeCosta says the train will take 125 rental car shuttle buses off the streets, easing congestion at the terminal. About 2 million passengers rent cars in Atlanta each year.
United orders 50 wide-body planes from Boeing, Airbus
United Airlines confirmed that it has placed a firm order for 50 wide-body planes.
United, the third-largest U.S. airline by traffic, hadn’t ordered new aircraft for 11 years. The carrier began shopping last summer, figuring it could drive a better bargain by pitting the manufacturers against each other at the bottom of the business cycle. The airline hired aviation-consulting firm Seabury Group LLC to help it negotiate.
At catalog prices, the order is valued at more than $10 billion, but major customers such as United usually win substantial discounts. These can exceed 40% off list prices, industry officials say, although actual pricing varies widely for each deal.
Airlines charging more for that sought-after seat
With airlines reducing the number of seats per flight, it’s getting harder to get that sough-after seat such as an aisle or exit row seat.
And just as surely, industry experts say, airlines are finding new ways to charge for the privilege of escaping a dreaded middle seat in the back of a crowded economy cabin. There are rows with more legroom near the front, roomier exit rows in the middle, and aisle seats. All have a price, it seems, but what you pay can vary widely by airline and by your status on a particular carrier.
(Photo: spotterjohnsen/Flickr Creative Commons)
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