Southwest Airlines

Boeing says cracks in the skins of its older 737s have appeared sooner than expected. The aerospace company reported that the planes require detailed inspections of their skins after 30,000 flights -- not the 60,000 specified in earlier maintenance guidelines.

It's bad enough that air fares and extra fees have been rising as fast as a plane taking off -- now, travelers must wonder if aircraft have been properly inspected. Are the costs, pains and risks of flying reaching the point where frequent fliers should reconsider their transportation choices?

The airliner whose roof ripped open 34,000 feet over Arizona has had a busy 15-year life: taking off and touching down more than seven times a day, on average, and possibly developing microscopic cracks in its aluminum skin each time. Federal aviation officials were preparing to issue an order...

Will Southwest's passengers now be reluctant to board the airline's planes -- even if they all pass inspection? The airline, which is considered one of the best run and most innovative in the country, may discover that a good reputation and a strong brand can be fleeting.

Inspectors have found cracks in three more planes that are similar to those suspected of causing a jet to lose pressure Friday. For travelers, that equals more delays following about 600 flight cancelations over the weekend.

Now that the skies are clearing after the worst economic storm in modern history -- far more violent than the experts had predicted -- we face a surprising new roster of winners and losers, as Fortune's 2011 ranking of the World's Most Admired Companies makes clear.

Cathay Pacific CEO Tony Tyler says when airlines last raised fares in 2008, most travelers kept on flying. But as Mideast upheavals send oil prices skyward and airlines hike fares again, the impact on the bottom line could be quite different.