United Airlines parent UAL Corp. on Thursday named new vice presidents for safety and maintenance.

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.

Traffic on United Airlines fell 11.5 percent in December from a year earlier, with the worst weakness on flights in the Pacific region, according to preliminary figures released Monday.

Goldman Sachs upgraded shares of Continental Airlines Inc. on Monday and raised price targets on several other airline stocks, but lowered its target for Southwest Airlines Co.

Several of the nation's largest airlines have joined in a lawsuit to block stronger federal rules on crew rest during the longest international flights.

United Airlines says it will need to furlough fewer mechanics than it previously thought after talks with their union, the Teamsters.

The pilots' union at Continental Airlines Inc. said Wednesday they have reached tentative agreements on parts of a new contract but not on major issues including pay and benefits.

The meteoric rise and fall of the price of oil was the story for the airline industry for much of 2008, but as the year that brought big losses and hefty stock declines for many carriers drew to a close the erosion of demand for seats due to the recession was the main headline.

Northwest Airlines, due to poor market conditions in light of the weakened global economy, is the latest carrier seeking to delay or cut back long-coveted U.S.-China service.

Detroit auto makers should be rescued, but through a planned bankruptcy overseen by the federal government, according to real estate magnate Donald Trump.

Low-cost carriers top the rankings of U.S. airlines for being on-time and uniting bags with passengers, while big guys such as AMR Corp.'s American Airlines are bringing up the rear, according to a new study on airline quality.

U.S. airlines' on-time performance and baggage handling improved in September, though the carriers overall posted a higher rate of domestic cancellations compared to the same month a year ago, the Transportation Department said Friday.

United Airlines parent UAL Corp. said Friday it has canceled plans to raise its second bag fee to $50 from $25 each way.

The recent declines in the price of oil make airline stocks such as Delta and Continental attractive at current "fire-sale" prices, Ray Neidl, airline analyst from Calyon, told CNBC.

Average U.S. air fares jumped 8.1 percent in the second quarter to their highest level since the government started keeping track 13 years ago.