The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) reports that as few as three commercial flights exceeded the three-hour tarmac delay limit for the month of June. Last year, the number was 268 in June. Is the controversial rule working, or is its effectiveness still up in the air (or stuck on the tarmac)?

JFK International Airport in New York is testing a system that allows airlines to ask for their preferred takeoff times and then schedules them in 15-minute blocks. In an airport notorious for some of the country's worst delays, has the system helped?

Sometime this month, perhaps around 18 August, Spanish air traffic controllers may walk off their jobs, potentially stranding 2 million flyers over a three-day period. Given the issues with Mother Nature, airline strikes and controller strikes elsewhere in Europe, problem-free flying in Europe in 2010 has become a rarity.

The procedure is used in the event of an engine failure. It has successfully brought troubled aircraft back to the ground (or water) from the Azores to the Hudson River. Now, the "engine off" approach is being used to give passengers more comfort and to reduce noise and air pollution. Just to ease your minds, the engines aren't actually "off."

The airlines issued grave warnings about "unintended consequences" when the 3-hour tarmac delay limit went into effect recently in the U.S. Since then, there have been some cancellations but there have also been fewer stories of passengers being trapped in airplanes for hours on end. Still, summer weather will test the readiness of airlines and airports and will challenge the limits of this rule, as a recent incident demonstrates.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced plans to bump up the cost to airlines for bumping passengers on overbooked flights. The proposals also include greater transparency in pricing and fees as well as tweaks to the recently-enacted tarmac delay limits. The actions are encouraging for airline passengers, so how are the airlines reacting?

A reversal of an earlier court-imposed injunction against British Airways cabin crew has given the union the green light to resume its strike plans against the airline. Disruptions could occur as early as 24 May as part of a series of planned walkouts. British Airways now may look to the U.K. Supreme Court to stop the union's threatened actions.

A little bit of good news has landed for BA flyers. A court has stopped the planned 5-day walkouts by British Airways cabin crew set to begin this week. The airline is slowly trying to get its schedule back in order as the union appeals the court's decision.

Get ready for another round of service disruptions at British Airways. The Unite union has threatened more walkouts for May and June which will cause more chaos for BA flyers.

Airlines in the U.S. are facing government rules that will limit ground delays to 3 hours before passengers must be given the option to de-plane. Some airlines are already prepared for what they warn will be unintended consequences. Others are asking for an exemption from the rule or a delay in its implementation.