Barbara Peterson

Since airlines started charging for checked bags in 2007, the industry has raked in an estimated $26 billion in fees.

It's been a rough week for Delta Airlines after a computer glitch caused chaos for thousands of travelers. But how could one glitch be responsible for so much damage? Find out here.

More than a year after Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 disappeared, officials believe that a piece of the plane may have be found.

According to reports, there was a terrifying life and death battle between members of the crew in the final moments before the crash.

A Malaysia-based AirAsia jet was flying from Indonesia to Singapore when it dropped out of contact Sunday, 6:24 AM local time. The jet had 162 people on board and is still missing.

The person in front of you has a choice whether or not to lean back and crush your legs, but it's the airlines themselves that are packing more seats closer together.

It's been a busy week in the world of aviation - MH17 shot down in Ukraine and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banning US-airlines from flying to Tel Aviv for 24 hours. Barbara Peterson, senior aviation correspondent for Conde Nast Traveler and Jacques Astre, an airline transport pilot with over 30 years experience as an aviation safety inspector with the FAA, talk about how flight plans deal with conflict zones.

It's the mystery that has captured the world's attention for the last four days: The disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 a Boeing 777 carrying 239 people on a flight from...

The Federal Communications Commission is poised to make a decision on whether to lift the ban on cell phones in flight. Now the cell phone proposition has flight crews up in arms—and ...

Following the crash landing of Asiana Flight 214 that was travelling from Seoul, South Korea to San Francisco, details are now emerging about went went wrong abroad the Boeing 777, an...

The Eurozone is in complete disarray, and the Euro has fallen against the dollar. Does that mean it will be cheaper for American to travel to Europe? Not exactly, says Barbara Peterso...

On Wednesday, American Airlines declared that it would lay off 13,000 workers or 15 percent of its workforce. The company is attempting to emerge from bankruptcy, which it filed last November. Along with the layoffs, the company is seeking to cut employee pensions and some health benefits. AA CEO Tom Horton called the decisions "painful" but said in the end, the moves would preserve tens of thousands of jobs that would have otherwise been lost.

Hurricane Irene made landfall in New York Sunday morning, downgraded to a tropical storm after hitting the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Philadelphia, and New Jersey particularly hard over the weekend. Last night, the storm reached New England, triggering floods in Vermont. At least 16 deaths have been reported as a result of the storm. This morning, after being grounded through the weekend for Hurricane Irene, airlines at New York City's three major airports are readying their planes and crews for departures.

Barbara Peterson, Conde Nast Traveler’s Senior Aviation Correspondent, discusses the trend of air traffic controllers falling asleep, problems with plane maintenance and planes losing their cabin roofs, rising airplane prices, last-minute canceled flights, and other aviation matters. She’ll also be answering questions from callers! If you have a question about air travel, call us at 646-829-3985!

After another incident of an air traffic controller falling asleep while on the job alone, the FAA announced yesterday that it will now post an extra staffer on overnight shifts in 27 control towers across the country. The incident in Nevada early Wednesday morning is the sixth time this year an air traffic controller has fallen asleep while working alone during a night shift.

A Sacramento bound Southwest Airlines flight declared an in flight emergency on Friday when five feet of paneling ripped out of the 737's ceiling. Flight 812 made a rapid descent from its cruising altitude of 36,000 feet down to 11,000 feet and later landed safely at Yuma Marine Corps Air Station.  

In the recent past, airlines have been caught being lax in their adherence to maintenance inspections. In 2008, the FAA levied a $7.5 million penalty against Southwest for its failure to do mandatory inspections for fuselage fatigue on some of its planes. Southwest wasn't the only airline.

We’ve been reporting on the devastating East Coast snowstorms all week, hearing your stories and seeing your photos. Today we take a look at how the blizzard has affected post-holiday travel. Yesterday, hundreds of passengers bound for Vancouver sat on the tarmac at JFK Airport in New York for over 11 hours — and that’s not the only horror story circulating between airline terminals.

Many air travelers, both passengers and pilots, have expressed their frustration with the full body scanners and enhanced pat-downs enacted by the Transportation Security Administration earlier this month. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano say our privacy is a small sacrifice for our safety, but many people don't think this is a tradeoff they want to accept.

The investigation continues into how Uma Farouk Abdulmutallab was allegedly able to smuggle explosives onto Northwest Airlines Flight 253. President Obama from Hawaii said in a press ...

After Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, flown by Colgan Air, crashed in Buffalo, New York, earlier this year, a federal safety inspector at Colgan Air said he had reported to his supervisors th...