Airlines

Airlines continue to add flights and destinations from Baltimore-Washington International Airport, continuing a growth trend, airport officials said. Southwest opened new service to Albany, N.Y., yesterday and plans to begin flying from BWI to Houston, Austin and Indianapolis in July. An extension of Pier B will be completed soon, providing 10 additional gates for Southwest. United will add a second daily flight from BWI to Los Angeles next month and increase its number of flights to Denver this summer.

At 1,350 mph, the supersonic Concorde is the ultimate thrill ride, and now the "First Lady of the Skies" is courting new passengers with new comforts, conveniences, even a few bargain fares.British Airways and Air France are the world's only airlines operating the 100-seat, needle-nosed jetliners today. The British are pouring on the perks; the French are wheeling and dealing. The passengers -- mostly businesspeople who make every minute count -- are reaping a bonanza of benefits.Meanwhile, for travelers who want to impress their friends or customers, both airlines are now chartering Concorde for custom, exotic tours.

When the airline industry went into a tailspin after the 2001 terrorist attacks, pilots, flight attendants and mechanics at American Airlines agreed to billions of dollars in cuts in wages and benefits to keep the carrier afloat. Now AMR Corp., American's parent, is back in the black, so much so that 874 top executives will receive more than $150 million in stock bonuses this week. That has the 57,000 rank-and-file employees seeing red. "We made huge sacrifices," said Dana Davis, an 18-year American employee and spokeswoman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.

On a recent segment of the television program "Saturday Night Live," guest host Bill Murray portrayed an intense but amiable fellow simply called The Frequent Flier.Seated in coach class with his headphones on, this know-it-all kept popping up to inform fellow passengers of urgent matters such as the best music channel to which to listen, which entree was the best deal and where to stash extra bags of peanuts.The term "frequent flier" has become so common these days that it's hard to believe the concept drew snickers from industry experts when initiated a dozen years ago to lure travelers with awards for carrier loyalty.

The record growth in passengers at Baltimore-Washington International Airport will taper off this year as the nation's fastest growing airport comes back to earth.But BWI will continue to experience another kind of boom, moving forth with $400 million in construction projects over the next five years. The work -- ranging from a new international terminal to roadway expansions -- is the largest single, capital improvement program in the airport's 22-year history.After growing by more than 2 million passengers in 1994, traffic at the state-owned BWI should increase only slightly this year.

A close relative has passed away. As life would have it, you've had neither 21, 14 nor even seven days' advance notice of the unfortunate event. You have to be in Los Angeles tomorrow for the funeral.On American Airlines, the standard coach fare from Baltimore-Washington International Airport would generally cost about $1,190 round-trip on such short notice. But if you jet to L.A. on the carrier's bereavement fare of $773, you could ease some of the pain in your wallet, at least.With each new round of airfare wars, airlines bombard the public with hype on the latest dirt-cheap fares.

If you are gnashing your teeth because you bought an airplane ticket before the airlines began slashing prices last week, don't despair. There's a good chance you can fly at the new lower fares.Although many passengers aren't aware of it, most airlines will refund the difference if you ask. And many travel agencies are contacting their customers who are eligible for refunds and issuing them new tickets at lower prices, generally at no charge.Steven Durham, senior travel counselor for Ramsay Scarlett Travel Inc. in Baltimore, said, "We're very proud of the fact we give excellent service to our customers.

Unable to differentiate themselves on price alone anymore, some of the nation's rising discount carriers have begun offering satellite radio, TV and leather seats - niceties that passengers usually associate with the traditional airlines. Meanwhile, the cash-strapped traditional carriers, having long-ago eliminated more expensive extras like meals, now are resorting to steps like taking away pillows. Both say it's a matter of survival to attract passengers and pay the bills. But as they add, subtract and change, the results are leaving airlines looking more and more alike.

ATLANTA -- Delta Air Lines Inc., the No. 3 U.S. carrier, yesterday dropped its 3 percent fare increase, raising the possibility that three rivals may roll back the higher prices, an Internet site that tracks fares said.Delta rescinded its increase on business and leisure fares, said Tom Parsons, editor of bestfares.com. The increase remains in place at UAL Corp.'s United Airlines, Continental Airlines Inc. and AMR Corp.'s American, which started the fare boost late Monday to make up for higher fuel costs.

NEW YORK -- Customer service at U.S. airlines during the first quarter was the worst it has been in five years, according to a University of Michigan index that ranks customer satisfaction. Only cable television, satellite services and newspapers ranked lower than airlines in the American Customer Satisfaction Index, which also examined industries such as utilities, health care, telecommunications and food service. Among the U.S. airlines, Northwest ranked lowest, its rating falling 4.7 percent from the first quarter of last year.