AirlineSector

Of all the industries that have achieved record profits recently, none have posted more remarkable results than the airline industry. For the first time in a decade, the industry is on a glide path to profitability -- but it's getting there by squeezing its customers.

After the long downturn, the coming year will be an opportunity for many industries to rejuvenate themselves. Independent researcher IBISWorld sorted through data on 711 U.S.-based industries to come up with these predictions of the 10 best.

The International Air Transport Association expects airline profit to plunge 40% this year as fewer passengers travel during the recession and as fuel prices rise. But that doesn't mean you'll necessarily be able to score a good deal: Airfares are likely to keep climbing.

Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Virgin America were among the winners in Zagat's latest frequent-flier survey. Southwest was the top-rated in categories including "best check-in experience" and "top website," Zagat said in a statement. Virgin America was rated the best midsize carrier in both premium...

American Airlines (AMR) may yank its tickets from travel website Orbitz (OWW) in a dispute over how the website gets information on American ticket prices. American wants travel agencies to access ticket prices direct from American, rather than going through middlemen called global distribution...

Continental Airlines (CAL) and UAL Corp (UAUA), owner of United, closed their merger deal Friday, creating the world's largest air carrier, called United Airlines. The new holding company, United Continental Holdings, will begin trading today on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker "UAL,"...

Spirit Airlines filed plans for an IPO worth as much as $300 million. The airline, which offers low-cost travel to and from South Florida, the Caribbean and Latin America, would retain about half of the proceeds of the IPO and use most of the rest to pay down debt, The Wall Street Journal said....

Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL) is cutting jobs and retiring planes at its Comair regional subsidiary. Comair is retiring most of its 50-seat jets in 2011 and 2012, Reuters reported, citing a Comair memo to staff. The memo did not give details on how many of the subsidiary's 2,600 workers will be cut....

Thick smoke from peat and forest fires delayed over 140 flights from Moscow airports as the city continues to battle the effects of a crushing heat wave. Visibility is below 700 meters at some airports, and was below 400 meters earlier, Bloomberg News reported. Carbon monoxide pollution is now...

Ryanair Holdings Plc (RYAAY), Europe's largest discount airline, reported a 24% decline in quarterly earnings on the impact of the Icelandic volcano that caused travel chaos in the spring. Net income for the quarter ended June 30 was 93.7 million euros ($122 million), compared with 123 million...