Southwest Airlines Co. said Friday it will require uncontested candidates for its board of directors to win a majority among shareholder votes cast to be elected, instead of just a plurality.

Holiday travelers waited a little longer to book their flights this year, likely holding out for better deals and waiting to see if they would still have a job. And some aren't going at all.

Passenger revenue among U.S. airlines fell 15 percent in October compared to the same month last year, an industry trade group said Friday.

Private equity firm Blackstone Group, run by co-founder Stephen Schwarzman, bought a $7.8 million stake in Southwest Airlines Co., cut its stake in Eastman Kodak Co. and sold its holdings in Calpine Corp. during the latest quarter.

Financial company Lincoln National Corp. said Thursday that Southwest Airlines CEO Gary C. Kelly joined its board last week for a term ending in 2011.

Two-year-old airline Virgin America touched down Wednesday in Florida, marking one of its most ambitious expansion moves yet with a lavish welcoming ceremony that included Virgin Group Ltd. founder and billionaire Richard Branson.

Southwest Airlines said Tuesday it would offer sale fares for travel in December through March, excluding the Christmas holiday season, with prices on some seats starting at $59 each way for the shortest trips.

Southwest Airlines is on its way to providing in-flight Wi-Fi access on all of its aircraft.

JetBlue said Thursday it will boost its service from Boston Logan by 30 percent by next summer, as bigger carriers pull back and competition from rival Southwest heats up.

Southwest Airlines Co. is adding flights and new destinations from Denver, where it has grown rapidly in three years to compete against United and Republic's Frontier Airlines.

An airline consulting firm says U.S. air traffic will decline through next year before beginning a slow rebound.

Southwest Airlines Co. is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings on Thursday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

Discount airlines have traditionally outflanked the big network carriers in customer service and low fares, and it appears they're extending their advantage to social media.

Airlines shouldn't be too cheap when it comes to helping customers whose bags are lost.

Lengthy airline delays are twice as common now as in 1990 and will get worse as the economy recovers, according to a Brookings Institution report released Thursday.