Like transportation itself, covering it is a beautiful thing when it works. When it doesn’t, the failures are out there for all to see. Bernie Kohn, team Leader at Bloomberg News, outlines basic building blocks for smart transportation coverage.
Reading John Fuquay’s piece in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about AMR Corp.’s pensions gave me flashbacks to my days of covering bankruptcy at Bloomberg News. His article helps readers understand why AMR’s projections of its pension obligations are 42 percent less than the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.’s calculations. Pensions aren’t the easiest topics to decipher, [...]
This night-vision footage of the evacuation of the cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Italian coast on Friday was posted by The Telegraph in the United Kingdom. After 2011 turned out to be the second-costliest ever year in terms of disasters, from tsunamis to floods to quakes to volcanic eruptions — the corporate world and [...]
Next week marks the exit of one Lunar New Year and the beginning of another — and the change of calendar might have more business and financial story possibilities than you think. Also known as Chinese New Year, the transition — based on a millenia-old tradition and reportedly the most important festival in the Chinese [...]
Journalists: Don’t forget to get input from truck drivers while you’re reporting the NTSB suggestions for banning cellphones.
I felt a bit sad when American Airlines parent AMR Corp. announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier today, because it was the last of the “legacy” carriers, joining Delta, United, Continental and US Airways, to choose this option.
As an aviation journalist for almost 20 years, I have spent more than my fair share of time in airports. It wasn’t that long ago that when you walked through a facility, you would see the bare bones – Restaurant, Snack Bar, Gift Shop and Snacks. But what a difference 20 years makes! We are [...]
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently operating under a record 22nd authorization funding bill, which is set to expire March 31. The agency even had a partial shutdown back in July, forcing it to furlough 4,000 workers after Congress failed to pass another funding extension. One of the big hold-ups in getting a permanent [...]
Ken Bensinger of the Los Angeles Times takes us into the seemingly seedy side of used-car sales and financing in a three-part series about the Buy Here Pay Here world where, as Ken writes, “they have found a way to turn clunkers into cash cows and make money off the least creditworthy customers.” Companies charge [...]
Tuning in to airlines’ earnings — here’s a great New York Times piece about how a la carte fees are helping carriers back to profitability – brought me up short with the realization that we’re only about five weeks from the so-called busiest travel weekend of the year, the long Thanksgiving holiday. The problem is, [...]
