USA TODAY: Today in the Sky with Ben Mutzabaugh

That's the headline from a weekend story in The Grand Rapids Press, which writes that "when passenger drop-off returned to the front of the Gerald R. Ford airport terminal last month, the nearly finished $20 million glass-and-steel overhead canopy was expected to shield folks from the elements. But the wave-like structure has been leaking, leading construction crews to install temporary water-proofing fabric." Apparently a record-breaking snowfall combined with a rapid thaw that overwhelmed "the incomplete gutter-like drainage system" new canopy, the paper reports.

"The drains weren't blocked, but capacity was limited because of snow buildup," Tom Ecklund, an airport facilities official, tells the Press. "That won't happen once the gutter gets finished. It's not complete yet, and we're confident the design is fine." Still, despite the hiccup, airport officials say the $130 million project that includes the canopy remains on schedule and that the project's contractor is picking up the cost of the fix.

Here is a round-up of the aviation-related stories posted on USATODAY.com during the past 24 hours. The stories listed below include only those not already covered in the Today in the Sky blog.

Click on the headline link to see more details.

United avoids 250 flight attendant furloughs
AP: United Airlines now says it won't furlough 250 flight attendants after all. The nation's third-largest carrier avoided the furloughs because it needs more international flight attendants and will offer more special leaves, according to a Thursday memo to flight attendants from Alex Marren, United's senior vice president for onboard service.

China's struggling airlines get tax break 
AP: China is taking new steps to shore up its aviation industry amid global economic turmoil, giving struggling airlines a $360 million tax break and $26 billion in loans to its main aircraft maker, state media said Friday. The airline aid follows injections of government capital to help two of China's three main state-owned carriers through a travel slump.

Lithuanian's FlyLAL airline sold to Swiss firm
AP: A Switzerland-based firm has purchased Lithuania's troubled FlyLAL airline, FlyLAL announced Friday. "We were looking for an airline to purchase, and this is a good company to invest in. With its skilled staff and huge experience, FlyLAL can be a very strong regional carrier," said Jan Erik Jansson, CEO of SCH Swiss Capital Holdings.

Great Lakes Air to begin Kansas City-Grand Island flights
AP: Flights from Grand Island to Kansas City will start soon. Executive director Mike Olson of the Central Nebraska Regional Airport says there will be two round-trip flights daily and one on Saturdays and Sundays. The service begins Feb. 1.

Malaysia's low-cost airport evacuated due to fire
AP: Malaysia's low-cost airport terminal has been evacuated and flights delayed after a fire broke out Friday in a duty-free shop. Airport fire chief Jasni Ali said the blaze caused thick smoke at the terminal and forced the evacuation of all passengers and airport staff.

Boeing to cut 4,500 jobs as economy slows
AP:  Boeing, the world's second-largest airplane maker, is planning to cut about 3% of its work force as jetliner demand falls, hurt by the global economic downturn. The Chicago-based company on Friday said it expects to cut about 4,500 positions from its passenger jet business, which has factories in the Seattle area. Many of the cuts will be in areas not directly associated with aircraft production.

That's the word from The Associated Press, which writes: "More than 200 Seattle-bound Amtrak passengers stranded in Portland, Ore., were put aboard Horizon Air planes, as the regional carrier added more flights between the two cities because of widespread flooding in Washington. Flooding has blocked a section of Interstate 5 between Seattle and Portland, and Amtrak shut down its service between the cities on Wednesday. Horizon Air spokeswoman Jen Boyer says the airline added five flights Thursday to the 25 normally scheduled between the two cities, and will have at least two additional flights Friday. It also is offering a special flood' fare: $119 one-way between Portland and Seattle, $30 off the regular price."

But, elsewhere, some travelers ran into difficulties with the poor weather. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's The Big Blog writes that when one of its reporters –- Moises Mendoza -– "learned (Thursday) morning that flood-related road closures would keep him from reaching Portland Airport, he called United Airlines' reservations line and asked if he could switch his flight to Sea-Tac. The answer was no."

The blog quotes Mendoza as saying: "They (the airline) said, 'There are no problems. You should be able to get to Portland. Everyone else has been able to get to Portland.' They were totally oblivious to the floods." The Big Blog says Mendoza ended up spending the spent the night in Chehalis after the state closed I-5." There was a happy ending, though. The blog says Mendoza apparently was able to change his flight to Seattle the next day after "he contacted a local United Airlines representative familiar with the historic flood event."

On that note, The Oregonian of Portland writes that "United Airlines followed Horizon Air's lead today, offering a special flood fare between Portland and Seattle. Like Horizon, United dropped its one-way fare to $119 between the two cities through Saturday. There's no booking fee if you reserve today but to get the special rate you have to call United's automated reservations line at 800-864-8331." 

Here is today's "name that airport" photo.

Submit your guess by clicking on the comment link and typing your answer there.

Come back Tuesday around noon ET, when I'll reveal the airport's identity.

Good luck.

This week's SkyTips is about how to deal with a missed connection, and is inspired by a reader question from this week's air travel chat. Here it is:

Do you often book itineraries that require connections? If so, what do you do when you miss a connection? What do you think is the most effective way to get booked on another flight? Do you stand in line? Break out your cellphone? Do you try to avoid the problem altogether by traveling only through big hubs that have many other options in the event your connection doesn't pan out?

Share your tips for getting on the next flight after you've missed your connection.

Previous SkyTips
Jan. 2: Finding 'lost' luggage
Dec. 19: Reveal your airport secrets
Dec. 12: Guarding against unexpected e-ticket snafus
Dec. 5: Taking advantage of foreign airlines' frequent-flier programs
Oct. 24: Donating miles to charities, good causes
Oct. 17: Killing time in an airport
Oct. 10: Renting cars at airports
Oct. 3: How to cope when you're bumped from a flight
Sept. 26: Getting to and from the airport
Sept. 19: Share your advice on how to pack carry-on bags
Sept. 12: How to kill time in the airport
Sept. 5: Dealing with rude passengers
Aug. 29: Traveling with children and the elderly
Aug. 22: Getting work done at the airport
Aug. 18: How do you sleep on a plane?
Aug. 8: Gaining access to airport lounges
Aug. 1: Do you make contingency plans when you fly?
July 28: Using mobile devices to ease your travel
July 17: Finding the lowest airfares
June 27: How to navigate your way through security
June 20: How do you find available dates for frequent-flier tickets
June 13: Getting customer-service results
June 6: How to avoid checking a bag

Europe's unusually busy winter continues to wreak havoc with air travelers there. Snow has forced the suspension of flights this morning at Madrid, something that comes just days after an unusually strong winter storm forced the closure of two of the three airports serving Milan.

In the latest event, The Associated Press writes a "freak snowfall coated downtown Madrid in white on Friday, shutting down the city's airport but providing rare opportunities for snowball fights while intrepid golfers drove their balls into the blizzard. National Airport spokeswoman Esther Perez said flights in and out of Barajas international airport were suspended shortly before 11 a.m. local time because of the intensity of the snowfall. They were still suspended as of early afternoon. One of Europe's busiest airports, Barajas operates some 1,200 flights daily."

Read the full story online.

Photo 1:  Iberia passenger planes are seen parked up in the snow at Barajas airport in Madrid today (Jan. 9, 2009). By Chema Moya, AP/EFE.

Photo 2: A woman gets her photo taken in front of the landmark Cibeles fountain as it snows in downtown Madrid today (Jan. 9, 2009). Heavy snow closed the Madrid airport and brought its roads to a standstill on Friday as the Spanish capital saw one of its heaviest snowfalls in years. By Susana Vera, Reuters.

Things may be looking up for Frontier Airlines, a carrier that suffered through a rough 2008 that included a bankruptcy filing and questions about the carrier's odds of survival. The Rocky Mountain News writes Frontier "capped a turbulent year with a strong showing in December, filling its planes at record occupancy numbers for the month and reporting a solid increase in a key measure of revenue. … The positive results highlight the company's efforts to turn around its business as it attempts to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy by summer."

In another positive development near the end of last year, Frontier said it reported a small profit in November -- a figure the Rocky Mountain News described as "small but important." It was the carrier's first profitable month since it filed for bankruptcy protection in April. December's financial details aren't expected to be released until later this month.

Frontier also got a boost this week as its pilots union "ratified a three-year labor agreement with the Denver-based airline that includes a 10% pay cut," The Denver Post writes. The paper adds the "reductions ease to 7% after two years and 4% in mid-2011. At the beginning of 2012, pay will return to current contract levels." Nearly 85% of voting pilots voted in favor of the cuts, which are expected to help ease some of the financial concerns at the restructuring company.

"More importantly, now that all employees have agreed to concessions, this should make Frontier more attractive to potential investors," Frontier spokesman Steve Snyder says to KUSA Channel 9 of Denver. Frontier CEO Sean Menke adds that he thinks the pilots' agreement is "critical in attracting exit financing for our emergence from bankruptcy," according to MSNBC/AP.

On that note, the Rocky Mountain News says Frontier's "biggest challenge now will be surviving the slow winter months and lining up financing to exit bankruptcy. Frontier's cash balance, including short-term investments, at the end of November stood at $57.2 million, which is in worrisome territory." If Frontier can get past that hurdle, it "is expected to emerge from bankruptcy protection by June," The Tampa Tribune writes.

US Airways will begin nonstop service between Akron-Canton and Washington National on Jan. 25, according to The Repository of Canton. In November, US Airways had been selected by the Department of Transportation to begin the route from Washington National, where takeoff and landing rights are controlled by the federal government. US Airways had been required to begin service on the route by the end of January. But, the Repository says the carrier's efforts to begin the service between the cites was delayed after "Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines, which already has five daily flights to Washington from Milwaukee, appealed that decision, delaying the scheduling of flights."

The Akron Beacon Journal says the "Akron-Canton Airport, through its airline partners, has been trying for a slot for 10 years. It was denied most recently in 2003." Kristie Van Auken, senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer at the airport, says: ''This is the dream fulfilled." Fares have not yet been set, but the Beacon Journal writes "airport officials have said business fares will be charged, not discount or leisure fares." US Airways already flies from Akron-Canton to its hubs in Philadelphia and Charlotte.

The Cleveland Plain-Dealer says the route will be the first-ever between Akron-Canton and National Airport. The paper adds US Airways service "from Akron-Canton Airport will be a ... daily round-trip on a 50-seat CRJ-200 aircraft starting Jan. 25. It will leave Akron-Canton at 6:20 a.m. and arrive in Washington at 7:38 a.m. The return will leave Washington at 7:59 p.m. and arrive at Akron-Canton at 9:21 p.m."

As for Midwest's effort to contest the decision, the Plain-Dealer says that carrier hoped to win the extra takeoff and landing slots so it could add a sixth daily flight between Washington National and its hub in Milwaukee. The paper writes Midwest "argued that US Airways already operated a lot of flights into Reagan National and had not pledged to offer low fares. But the Department of Transportation determined that Akron-Canton met one of the key criteria for winning a pair of takeoff and landing slots: 'providing air transportation to a community without existing nonstop service' to Reagan National."

In case you missed this story from earlier this week, the BBC writes "the first commercial flight between Western Europe and Baghdad in at least 17 years has landed in Iraq." That flight -– operated by Sweden's Nordic Leisure -– arrived in Baghdad last Friday carrying about 150 passengers. Most of the passengers were Iraqis, according to the BBC. The news agency adds "air services to Iraq are gradually increasing after UN sanctions were imposed following the 1990 invasion of Kuwait."

Still, the BBC notes some carriers -- such as Turkish Airlines –- had already begun flying to Baghdad as early as October. Despite that, flights to Baghdad have remained largely off-limits to most Western European carriers. But, the BBC notes "while few direct flights between Europe and Baghdad are available, a number of airlines have been running services for some time to the northern Iraqi cities of Sulaimaniya and Irbil." One such carrier is Austrian Airlines, which began Vienna-Irbil service in February.

And the ramp-up of commercial service raises another issue for Iraq. The Tacoma News-Tribune writes that "Iraq officially began to govern its skies last week, but it has enough trained air traffic controllers to manage only the highest heights above the country. That leaves the U.S. still in control of everything below 24,000 feet, meaning that American air traffic controllers handle everything from the runway to 23,999 feet. U.S. and Iraqi officials say that they're hopeful that Iraq will say goodbye to all its American air traffic advisers by 2011 -- the year designated in the security agreement for the total withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq -- as Iraq's airline industry grows for the first time in decades."

Photo 1: A Nordic Leisure aircraft is parked after landing at Baghdad airport on Jan 2. It was the first commercial flight to Baghdad from Western Europe and Europe in the past 17 years. The company will operate one flight a week between Copenhagen and Baghdad, according to a company's spokesman.  By Hadi Mizban, AP.

Photo 2: A Nordic Leisure pilot waives the Swedish flag out the cockpit window after arriving in Baghdad.  By Hadi Mizban, AP.

From USA TODAY's Airport Check-in column: "Travelers at Baltimore/Washington International can now print parking coupons from the airport's website. The coupons cut the rate at the BWI Express lot or the BWI Daily Garage to a maximum $9 a day."

Here is a round-up of the aviation-related stories posted on USATODAY.com during the past 24 hours. The stories listed below include only those not already covered in the Today in the Sky blog.

Click on the headline link to see more details.

Labor board denies Delta Air Lines union request
AP: The National Mediation Board, which governs airline labor relations, on Wednesday rejected a Delta Air Lines request to review the certification of two of the unions it inherited in its buyout of Northwest Airlines. Granting Delta's request would have hastened an election for flight attendants and ground workers to decide which union, if any, will represent them airline-wide. That issue is expected to get decided eventually, but it will have to be initiated by workers themselves, not Delta, the NMB ruled.

Passengers subdue man who made bomb threat on Delta jet
AP: A man who claimed to have a bomb aboard a Los Angeles-bound airliner and lunged for a door after it landed was tackled by other passengers and held for questioning Wednesday, authorities said. Nobody was hurt and no other flights were disrupted.

Aer Lingus shareholders snub Ryanair takeover bid
AP: Ryanair Holdings revealed Tuesday it has attracted little interest from Aer Lingus shareholders for its proposed takeover of the rival Irish carrier and extended its offer period for acceptance.

Sioux Falls airport begins $7M facelift
Argus Leader: The Costello Terminal designed for air travel almost 40 years ago will be remodeled for the 21st century, beginning this year. The Sioux Falls Regional Airport Authority is seeking bids this month for an estimated $7 million project that will add about 20,000 square feet and remodel 20,000 feet of existing space. "The real objective, first and foremost, was to accommodate the Sioux Falls traveler in a better fashion," said Chris Schiltz, president of Koch Hazard, the project's architectural firm.

The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same at the troubled Italian carrier. (And, yes, that's the exact same thing you read in Today in Sky two weeks ago, when a similar crisis hit Alitalia).

The latest news comes from The Associated Press, which writes that "at least 70 flights at Rome's main Leonardo da Vinci airport were canceled (today) by a ground workers protest against job cuts that are part of Alitalia's imminent relaunch. The new, streamlined Alitalia is to start operations next week. The new airline merges the profitable assets of the bankrupt national carrier with the much smaller Air One, and will include a foreign partner. Airport officials said the protest by baggage handlers, check-in personnel and other ground staff had forced the cancellation of dozens of flights by late afternoon. Italian media reported that some 400 workers participated in the protest, reportedly upset that some of them have not been offered jobs by the new management."

Read the full story online.

That's a from a USA TODAY story today in which reporter Rebecca Heslin writes:

"When Mike Wilson joined Twitter in July 2007, he wasn't expecting it to garner him his proverbial 15 minutes of fame. But that's exactly what happened last month when the Denver native boarded the ill-fated Continental flight 1404 headed for Houston. Thanks to Twitter—a free micro-blogging service that allows users to send and read short text updates —Wilson (or '2drinksbehind' on Twitter) became a national news phenomenon as he documented his experience during the Dec. 20 plane crash."

"His descriptions ('tweets' in Twitter parlance) from the scene of the crash ranged from initial alarm to annoyance as the airline refused to serve alcohol post-crash in the lounge. 'You have your wits scared out of you, drag your butt out of a flaming ball of wreckage and you can't even get a vodka-tonic. Boo,' he tweeted from the scene."

"Wilson is being tagged as the first to tweet from a plane crash, but he's certainly not the first twittering road warrior—and those in the travel industry are noticing. Hotel brands, airlines, airports, destinations and other travel companies are joining the growing Twitter community to not only have their voices heard, but to hear what their customers in the Twitter community are saying about them. The mobile nature of the technology makes it especially attractive to travelers."

Check out the full story online.

"The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an incident Tuesday at Port Columbus in which two passengers accused a Southwest Airlines pilot of having been drinking." That's from WBNS 10-TV of Columbus, Ohio, which says the pilot in question was first noticed by passengers as they all went through security at the airport. WBNS writes on its website that "according to a report by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority police, the passengers approached the pilot shortly before an afternoon flight, saying he 'smelled and looked drunk,' 10TV's Kurt Ludlow reported."

"As we went through security, we told the TSA guy, 'Hey, that pilot smells like he's reeking of alcohol. He ought to be checked out,' " Andy Maisner, a Los Angeles resident who was getting ready to catch a flight from Columbus to St. Louis, tells the station. Maisner says he and business colleague Chan Mahon followed the pilot past security. WBNS says they "became alarmed when they mistakenly thought he was heading to the gate where their flight was about to begin boarding."

"So we went up, and Chan said to the pilot, 'Hey, you just reek of alcohol, and if you've got a drinking problem, you shouldn't be flying this plane,' " Maisner says to WBNS. "The guy just took off running. He didn't say, 'I haven't been drinking.' He just turned beet red and took off." Airport police tell WBNS they found the pilot -– sans his uniform and hat –- in an airport bathroom. Police say the pilot told them he called in sick to work. He denied drinking, though WBNS writes "he did tell officers that he 'partied hard (the night before) at the hotel,' the report said."

WBNS says Southwest officials told airport police they'd investigate and give the pilot a blood-alcohol test, though the station adds "no results were immediately available." Federal Aviation Administration rules prohibit pilots from flying if they've had alcohol within eight hours of flying.

"We are continuing to cooperate with the appropriate authorities and we have initiated an internal investigation to gather all the facts of this situation," Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz says in a response e-mailed to Today in the Sky. "The pilot is on paid leave pending the outcome of the investigation, and we'll take any appropriate action based on the facts. Obviously, we take all allegations that affect the Safety of its Customers, Employees, and aircraft very seriously."

Denver International has avoided the passenger declines suffered by other airports -– until now. Passenger traffic there fell by 4.7% in November when compared to the same month a year ago. The Rocky Mountain News says that "marks the airport's first monthly decline since a 3% drop in December 2006, when severe snowstorms forced (Denver International) to close for nearly two full days. (Denver) officials have long cautioned that traffic might decline amid economic troubles and chaos in the airline industry." Despite cuts at other airlines, the Rocky Mountain News says rapid growth by Southwest had helped the airport stay in positive territory for much of 2008. But, now, "the expected decline finally materialized" in November, the paper writes.

US Airways said yesterday it expects to post a full-year loss for 2008 and cut more capacity in the coming year. Reuters says US Airways' projected shrinkage comes "as more recession-hit travelers stay at home. The U.S. No. 6 airline suffered alongside other carriers with soaring fuel prices for most of last year and is now grappling with a dip in demand as the global economic slowdown takes its toll." The Charlotte Business Journal writes US Airways "says it expects to cut domestic mainline capacity by 8% to 10% during the year. Total mainline capacity will be reduced 4% to 6%, the airline says." Those figures exclude US Airways Express service on the company's regional partners.

Expect domestic routes to bear the brunt of the cuts. "We don't have any plans to shrink internationally. Everything that we've had on the books thus far is still there and is still selling," US Airways spokesman Morgan Durrant tells The Philadelphia Inquirer. The paper adds "it is too soon to know how the capacity cuts will affect Philadelphia." The Arizona Republic writes that looking ahead, US Airways president Scott Kirby says the airline is "cautiously optimistic about the demand environment.''

Meanwhile, on the subject of the airline's 2008 loss, the Inquirer adds US Airways "did not say how big the loss would be. The carrier ... is expected to report full-year and fourth-quarter earnings results Jan. 29." Reuters says "Wall Street expects a loss of $1.77 billion, according to Reuters Estimates, chiefly due to large fuel and hedging related losses in the second and third quarters."

Elsewhere, the Dayton Business Journal writes "the airline separately announced that December traffic dipped by 1.1% compared with the year before, bringing its full-year decline to 1.1% as well." Forbes/AP notes the drop was "a smaller decline than reported at several other large hub-and-spoke airlines. … Several larger airlines reported sharper declines in December traffic -- 8.2% at American, 11.5% at United, and 6.7% at Continental. All made significant cuts in capacity."

Air France-KLM appears close to taking a stake in perennially troubled Italian carrier Alitalia, according to various media reports. The Associated Press says the two sides appear close to a tie-up "after Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said Wednesday that its main rival, Lufthansa, never made a firm offer. Berlusconi met with the group of Italian investors who have acquired the bulk of Alitalia's profitable assets as part of plan to relaunch the bankrupt national carrier. … The Italian investors agreed to a $1.4 billion deal to relaunch Alitalia some two years after the government started the long and difficult process of unloading its 49.9% stake in the unprofitable carrier."

The Wall Street Journal also covers the story, saying that "Alitalia, dogged by political interference and strike-prone labor unions for years, filed for bankruptcy protection in August. A group of Italian investors led by Roberto Colaninno subsequently bought its potentially profitable assets in a government-sponsored rescue and merged them with Air One, a smaller Italian carrier." The Journal says the Air France-KLM deal would give the "former ailing state-controlled carrier (Alitalia) the large international partner it needs to complete its turnaround." And, after Berlusconi's latest comments about the deal, the Journal suggests "the stake sale may be finalized in the next few hours … ."

That's a headline in this morning's USA TODAY, where reporter Alan Levin writes "the captain of a Continental Airlines jet that skidded off a Denver runway and burst into flames last month attempted to steer the jet using a method linked to runway accidents in the past, federal accident investigators reported Wednesday. The National Transportation Safety Board has not said what caused Flight 1404, a Boeing 737-500 headed for Houston, to skid off the runway on Dec. 20 while attempting to take off in a brisk crosswind. But a preliminary report released by investigators offers the first glimpse of what might have triggered the crash."

USA TODAY's Levin adds: "As the jet accelerated toward takeoff, the captain attempted to keep it rolling straight by turning the small pair of wheels under the jet's nose, the NTSB said the pilot told investigators. The nose gear is turned with a device called a tiller. The captain is not named in the report. Two former accident investigators, Kevin Darcy and John Cox, who are not connected to the government's probe, said that using the tiller could cause the front tires to lose traction and start to skid. Pilots typically use the tiller to turn while taxiing at slow speeds, but once a jet accelerates, they steer with rudder pedals, they said."

The Associated Press also reports on the story, saying "the summary doesn't say whether any mechanical problems were found with the nose gear, which investigators dug out of the ground last week. Passengers interviewed after the accident reported a loud bumping and rattling noise, and plane's voice recorder also contains loud noises 41 seconds after the airliner began a takeoff roll down Denver International Airport's runway 34. But the NTSB summary suggests those noises are consistent with the noises that would be heard as the aircraft left the smooth runway surface for uneven ground. The plane rumbled over 2,300 feet of snowy fields and roadway before halting in a ravine and catching fire."

AP adds "an important question not addressed in the NTSB's summary is whether the pilot's account of his attempts to keep the airliner on the runway are consistent with information in the flight's data recorder, said John Cox, a former pilot and president of Safety Operating Systems, an aviation consulting firm in Washington." Cox tells AP: "Did the airplane respond as commanded and what were the actual commands? I believe what the pilot is saying is true to the best of his recollection, but there is sometimes a discrepancy in the flight data records."

Click on the following links to check out the full USA TODAY and Associated Press stories.

From USA TODAY's Airport Check-in column: "Starting Monday, the cellphone/waiting area at Nashville International will be closed for several months because of road construction. Those waiting for arriving passengers can use the short-term parking garage or the 10-minute waiting area on the baggage claim level. The roadway project is scheduled to be completed in the fall."

RELATED ITEM: Nashville International press release (PDF file)

Here is a round-up of the aviation-related stories posted on USATODAY.com during the past 24 hours. The stories listed below include only those not already covered in the Today in the Sky blog.

Click on the headline link to see more details.

American Airlines loses ruling on pilots' sick pay
AP: Federal regulators said Tuesday they have ordered American Airlines to reimburse two pilots who took leave but were forced to pay back the airline. American said it planned to appeal the ruling. The unidentified pilots claimed they were victims of illegal retaliation for saying they were too sick to fly out of Lambert Airport in St. Louis.

Delta in limbo on deal with airport board
AP: The commission that runs the Twin Cities airport voiced support Tuesday for a deal that would lock Delta Air Lines into keeping 10,000 jobs here in exchange for letting it out of a Northwest Airlines commitment to keep its headquarters in Minnesota. But it did not grant outright approval of the deal.

Mokulele Airlines to serve Kahului airport
AP: Mokulele Airlines says it will start offering jet service to Maui's Kahului Airport from Lihue and Honolulu on Feb. 1, a month earlier than previously announced.

What's the difference between a "non-stop" flight and a "direct" one? How is AirTran doing at Harrisburg since it began flying there in November? What's in store for 2009?  Can the airline weather the current economic crisis? What cheap-travel websites do you recommend for a guy who wants to spend his 40th birthday in Las Vegas? Any tips for finding "saver" mileage awards on US Airways?

Find out the answers to those questions -– and about 20 others -– by reading the transcript from today’s chat.

That's the headline from The Associated Press, which says "a wave of fare sales has spread across the airline industry in the early days of the new year as the weak economy continues to put pressure on carriers to fill seats even after they drastically reduced capacity and some expressed willingness to cut more."

Indeed, nearly every major airline in the USA has unveiled a winter or New Year's fare sale. The sales come on the heels of the big cuts airlines made at the end of 2008. Those cutbacks had led most industry observers to expect that fewer seats would translate into fewer fare sales. But, with the economy ailing, fuel prices down and demand weakening, carriers across the board have reacted by cutting fares in an attempt to spur travel demand this winter -– typically one of the industry's weakest periods. The rules and details of each sale vary by carrier (see below), but some sales cover flights well into the spring. Many of the fare sales, however, require customers to book their trips by or before Jan. 20.

George Hobica of Airfarewatchdog.com evaluates many of the carriers' sales on his blog at Airfarewatchdog. For example, he notes "Virgin America has coast to coast deals from $278 (round-trip), and shorter hops on the West coast at $118 (round-trip). Nothing mind boggling there. Sale ends Jan 19." But "over at JetBlue," he adds, "the fares are better. Short hops from New York JFK are $49 each way, and fares to the the West and Southwest are as low as $258 (round-trip). Their sale ends Jan 14." Another decent sale? Hobica says "Midwest Airlines is offering a few good fares, with the best deals on shorter hops around its back yard. The longer haul routes aren't anything we haven't seen before. Sale ends Jan 13."

Even a one of my quick searches last night found some rock-bottom fares from the D.C. area on Kayak.com. Among them: Washington Dulles-Los Angeles for $219 round-trip and Washington Dulles-San Jose, Calif., (one-stop) for $205 round-trip.

TODAY'S TALKER: On that note, I'd like to ask our Today in the Sky readers to share the great (or not-so-great) fares you've found so far since New Year's Day. Click the comment link to leave your thoughts.

RELATED ITEM: You can hear me talk about the subject on Washington's WTOP News Radio. (Click the "related audio" link to the left of the story).

FARE SALE DETAILS (click on an airline to jump to that carrier's' website, where you can read the fine print): Air Tahiti Nui | AirTran | Allegiant Air | American | JetBlue | Continental | Midwest Air | Spirit | Southwest | United | Virgin America

Airlines have already pushed through big capacity cuts last year, but The Dallas Morning News suggests even more cuts could be on the way. The paper writes "some industry consultants have raised questions about whether airlines may need to implement more capacity cuts in 2009 on top of the drastic reductions they have already imposed. The goal is to keep filling airplanes at profitable fares, and falling demand in early 2009 may prompt the elimination of more flights."

The paper notes that back in October, one aviation consulting group -– the Boyd Group run by aviation consultant Mike Boyd -– had predicted U.S. airlines would fly 7.8% fewer customers this year than they did in 2008. Now, the group is saying that number is more likely to be about 10.2%. "Since then, the economic and political pictures have completely changed,” Boyd tells the Morning News.

Indeed, nearly all big U.S. airlines –- Southwest is a notable exception –- are expected to shrink in 2009. That comes after last year's cuts already seem to be helping some carriers. The Morning News writes that at American, a "3.8% reduction in capacity from 2007 helped it record its second-highest load factor for a full year, 80.6%, despite a 4.8%decline in traffic. Only in 2007 did American fill a greater percentage of its seats during a year –- 81.5%."

Of course, revenue is another key component to profitability. And, even there, recent news came in better than expected. Dow Jones/The Wall Street Journal writes "the early report from Continental Airlines -- the only carrier that previews monthly passenger revenue -- came in with better-than-expected results. Continental said late Monday that revenue per seat-mile, the common industry revenue measure, rose between 3.5% and 4.5% in December. That was much better than the 1% gain he had forecast, said analyst Jamie Baker at J. P. Morgan."

In a research note quoted by Dow Jones, Baker says: "While weak, December does not appear to have gotten any weaker than November for Continental." Baker welcomed that development, adding in his note that he thinks "the potential for record or near-record industry operating profits appears" high.

That's the question asked by Matt Phillips, the lead writer of "The Middle Seat Terminal," the excellent aviation blog at The Wall Street Journal. Delta spokesman Kent Landers tells the blog that the one NWA 747-400 already repainted in the Delta colors is now flying between the USA and Asia.

What routes might you spot the plane on? Landers tells Phillips the Delta-painted 747-400 will be flying "in the coming weeks" on the following routes: Detroit-Osaka; Detroit-Nagoya; Detroit-Tokyo; Hong Kong-Tokyo; Honolulu-Tokyo; Osaka-Taipei; Los Angeles-Tokyo; Manila-Nagoya; Manila-Tokyo; Minneapolis-St.Paul-Tokyo; and Tokyo-Shanghai.

Elsewhere, Landers tells Phillips three other NWA planes already have been repainted: an Airbus A320, a DC-9 and a Boeing 757. Landers tells the blog that Delta expects to repaint about 200 NWA planes in 2009 before completing the transition in 2010.

Photo by Today in the Sky reader Steve Alhart of Mills River, N.C.

"Even as the airline industry shrinks, Dallas/Fort Worth Airport hopes to lure new service to North Texas with an old-fashioned enticement: Money." That's the lead paragraph from a story in today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which reports DFW board members will vote Thursday on an incentive program that the paper says "could give airlines millions of dollars in breaks on fees as well as cash for marketing if they start new service at DFW."

Under the proposal, the airport's biggest incentive payments would go to airlines adding new international long-haul routes. The Star-Telegram says, for example, an airline adding new service from DFW to Beijing or Shanghai could get a rebate of up to $400,000 on landing fees, as well as "marketing assistance, breaks on terminal rent and other charges."

For domestic routes, The Dallas Morning News says DFW's payouts would be good for "up to $3 million a year ... if certain conditions are met." The Star-Telegram says DFW's proposal would cap annual payouts for new service to $5 million per route and $8 million per airline. The Morning News notes that a DFW committee has already given its support to the plan, though it still must win the approval of the full board.

Air travelers are facing another messy day for flying in the Northeast and Midwest as a strong storm system moves east out of the Great Lakes region. A mix of ice, rain, freezing rain and snow is combining with gusty winds to threaten flights from Chicago to the mid-Atlantic and New England. Heavy rain and even thunderstorms are possible from Washington, D.C., south through Charlotte, Atlanta and into Central Florida.

So far, the Federal Aviation Administration is reporting average delays of up to two hours at New York LaGuardia and Philadelphia –- two airports notoriously susceptible to weather days. Earlier delays at Washington's National Airport, which is not known for frequent weather delays, have cleared, according to the FAA's website.

Things sound even worse on the other side of the Atlantic, where a rough patch of wintry weather continues for much of Europe. In Italy, heavy snow has closed two of Milan’s three area airports. The Associated Press says "officials say Milan's Linate and Malpensa airports will be closed until 1 p.m. local time Wednesday. The airport authority says flight crews and other workers were unable to reach the airports. The ANSA news agency reported about a foot of snow in Milan and Turin. On Tuesday, about 20 flights were canceled at Linate, the smaller airport closer to the center of Italy's financial capital. Delays were reported at Malpensa and other airports in the north."

Beginning June 20, Air Canada will reinstate nonstop service between Montréal and Rome. The carrier will fly one daily round-trip flight "during the busy summer travel season," it says in a press release. Air Canada will use 211-seat Boeing 767-300ER jets for its nonstop Montréal-Rome flights. The airline adds that the resumption of "Montréal-Rome service complements Air Canada's Toronto-Rome non-stop service (that is) set to resume in February 2009."

That's the headline from a Q&A in today's USA TODAY. In the Q&A, USA TODAY reporter Roger Yu speaks with OpenSkies CEO Dale Moss. OpenSkies, of course, is a British Airways subsidiary that began flying in June 2008. It offers premium-class transatlantic service that USA TODAY says is "priced to compete with the first and business class fares from its major competitors. OpenSkies flies Boeing 757s configured in two cabins — business class with lie-flat beds, and premium economy with 52 inches of legroom — with a total of 64 seats."

OpenSkies currently offers nonstop service between New York JFK and both Paris Orly and Amsterdam. USA TODAY adds: "In July, OpenSkies agreed to buy France-based L'Avion, a premium class carrier that flies between Newark Liberty and Paris Orly."

In one question to Moss, USA TODAY asks: "Others have tried the premium-class-only airlines across the Atlantic. Why do you think you will be successful when they have failed?"

Moss's answer: "There is a significant difference between us and others. There were two others that used 767s, Silverjet and Maxjet, and they were both flying to London. We chose not to fly to London. British Airways has its franchise and does a super job. No point in competing with ourselves. The 767 is very big, heavy and fuel inefficient (for) this mission. The other one was Eos and they operated with 757s. But their configuration was very rich. Their product was pitched somewhere between first and business class. They had 48 seats and had distribution issues."

"When the price of oil spiked, it had reached a level where it flushed out people who were working with 767s or a configuration that's very rich. None of them had frequent flier programs, which we do. None of them had the support of British Airways, which we do. (We set our) pricing points (for premium economy seats) same as full fare economy in other airlines. We want to position away from economy, but it's priced as full fare economy."

Check out the full Q&A online.

From USA TODAY's Airport Check-in column: "Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, the world's busiest airport, has released a list of New Year's resolutions. The airport outlines 10 goals it hopes to accomplish in 2009, including a redesigned airport website with real-time information on parking availability, security wait times and flight status; Spanish, German, French and Chinese versions of the website; more than 70 new shops opening through summer 2009; a new 68-acre consolidated rental car facility opening in November; and a recycling program that aims to reduce the airport's waste stream by up to 70%."

Also of note: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta also appears to have rolled out a new design for its website. It's worth checking out if you're a regular at the airport, or if you're just click around the Web today.

Northwest has moved most of its operations at Salt Lake City International to the airport's Terminal 2. The move is part of NWA's ongoing merger with Delta Air Lines, which operates out of Terminal 2. Previously, NWA had been operating out of Salt Lake City's Terminal 1.

The Associated Press says Monday's move "means arrivals and departures for Northwest flights are now in the C Concourse of Terminal 2. Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest says its ticket counter and baggage checking will remain in Terminal 1 until Jan. 26. A Delta spokesman, Michael Black, says most passengers won't run into many problems, besides having to add a few minutes to their walk through the airport." The Deseret News of Salt Lake City says "the changes proved to be of little consequence to most travelers" it talked to.