British Airways swung to a first-half pretax loss of 292 million pounds, as business class passenger numbers continued to tumble, dashing hopes air traffic demand was recovering from the slump caused by the downturn.

The national union representing flight attendants wants Congress to ban in-flight phone calls, and survey after survey of airline passengers shows strong opposition to allowing cellphones on planes.

Lloyds Bank topped the FTSE 100 Monday, jumping 6.3 percent, with the banking sector in Europe pulling indexes up after reports that CIT Group has worked out a solution to escape bankruptcy.

The airline industry is in the midst of one of its most wrenching summers ever. And the fall and winter may be even worse - unless people start to fly again.

Hundreds of British Airways Staff to Work for Free

Carry your own luggage to the plane, slide one pound ($1.65) into a slot to use the toilet while airborne, pay more charges for fuel, have staff working for free for one month.