Boeing said on Wednesday it would cut about 800 jobs, or one-quarter of the staff, from its defense unit operations in Wichita, Kansas.

Plane maker Boeing is reworking its entire production schedule, adding up to 10 weeks to original delivery dates for all 3,734 jetliners in its order backlog as it tries to recover from a machinists' strike, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the situation.

British low-cost airline easyJet said on Tuesday full year pretax profit fell 35 percent to 123 million pounds ($183.4 million), while first quarter winter bookings are ahead of last year.

The parent companies of Air China and China's other big airlines are seeking government aid as they face hefty losses this year from high costs and weak demand, industry sources said on Monday.

Singapore Airlines, the world's largest airline by market value, on Thursday posted a 36 percent fall in quarterly profit, dragged down by record jet fuel prices and slowing travel demand.

The U.S. service sector shrank unexpectedly sharply in October, according to a report released Wednesday.

The recent declines in the price of oil make airline stocks such as Delta and Continental attractive at current "fire-sale" prices, Ray Neidl, airline analyst from Calyon, told CNBC.

Delta Air Lines swallowed rival Northwest Airlines in a $2.6 billion merger that created the world's biggest airline and prompted new speculation about further industry consolidation.

European airlines took another step down the consolidation path on Wednesday and Deutsche Lufthansa seems to be leading the pack.

Boeing announced Wednesday morning third-quarter earnings of 96 cents a share on a net profit of $695 million.

U.S. companies ranging from chemicals like Du Pont, to pharmas like Pfizer and Schering Plough, and financials like Fifth Third and BlackRock, reported earnings Tuesday.

Airline customers are cashing in more frequent-flier awards this year, looking to avoid higher fares and believing that miles just aren't worth the same anymore.

Falling fuel costs took some of the sting out of Delta Air Lines third-quarter loss, but earnings were still down sharply from a year ago.

Air fares are up, right? The short answer is yes -- 22 fare increases this year. But fares in some cities are flat or even down, as fierce competition keeps airlines from charging as much as they would like.

Alitalia's biggest unions clinched an initial deal with the airline's potential buyers on Monday that raised hopes it could avoid collapse, but pilots balked and flights risked being grounded for a lack of cash to buy fuel.