Delta is fanning cash like a banker at a strip club in an attempt to woo Japan Airlines away from its alliance with American Airlines. As of now, JAL is holding hands with American Airlines -- and has been since the mid 90s, giving AA an edge in the Asian market. The partnership with JAL has allowed AA to sell JAL routes to their own customers, taking a cut of the profit as part of the deal. Delta, however, is chomping at the bit to take over this alliance because it would give them a greater entree into Asia, particularly in the hot markets of China and Japan, expanding their plan for world domination led by flight attendants in red Richard Tyler uniforms.

With Google and Virgin America handing out free WiFi this holiday season, it's making the other airlines look a little stingy. It's just not in the holiday spirit to be charging for WiFi anymore. In an effort to hang with the cool kids and the cool kids' publicity, Delta has announced they will be offering free WiFi this season too! Totally! Except not really.

In an unprecedented move, Expedia has dropped their phone fee, which is great news for those of us with complicated flight booking needs, or those of us who just prefer to actually talk to someone instead of clicking through a website. As of yesterday, the $20 fee to speak with a real, live agent has been dropped completely. This gives Expedia an edge in both customer service and in cost. Not only can you talk to someone live, it's now going to be cheaper to go through Expedia because most airlines charge ridiculous booking fees over the phone.

Airlines continue to tighten their collective belts as demand for flights steadily drops nationwide. Even with the recent decrease in oil prices, increased baggage fees, and third-quarter capacity cuts, the picture still looks fairly grim for the industry. Delta and United are considering more layoffs and more capacity cuts, Southwest is holding off on previously planned expansions, and AirTran is cutting domestic capacity 3 to 7 percent. However, lonely optimist US Airways CEO Doug Parker is predicting a resurgence in travel demands as early as January.

Screw Charlie and screw his chocolate. Ice skaters at The Pond at Bryant Park are looking to steal the mantle of lucky winner by-way-of-hidden-ticket from that Brit brat by renting a pair of skates that may or may not contain airline tickets. Delta Air Lines is giving away a pair of (read 'em) round-trip airline tickets to any destination where their fleet flies. Each Friday through January 25, when the rink closes, one lucky skater will parlay a pair of twelve dollar blades into a really, really free flight. And admission to the pond is free, for all you cheapskates out there.

Big airline carriers American and United tanked in customer satisfaction rankings in 2008. More bags were lost, more flights were delayed, and more pissed-off passengers bitched about the air giants, while low-cost carriers like Southwest and Jet Blue continue to earn high marks and happier passengers. For its part, Southwest airlines plans to offer connecting service to both Canada (2009) and Mexico (2010) and is hinting about possible Caribbean travel as well. And they're in talks to partner with Volaris for Mexico flights and WestJet for Canadian flights.

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