Virgin America enjoyed its first profitable reporting period in the 2010 third quarter but was unable to sustain the momentum in the fourth quarter, posting a $25.1 million net loss, widened from an $18.8 million net deficit in the 2009 December quarter and pushing the company to a $68.7 million full-year net loss.
AirBaltic beginning April 26 will offer a vacant adjacent seat to its business class passengers flying Bombardier Q400 NextGen and Fokker 50 aircraft. It says it plans to make "further improvements" to its business class travelers by offering the service at "more attractive prices" to those who book early.
AirTran Airways announced its flights attendants, represented by the Assn. of Flight Attendants, ratified a new collective bargaining agreement ( ATW Daily News, March 24), which will take effect May 1. In a statement, AirTran said that 96% of its 2,200 voting members approved the agreement, which provides for “increased compensation, improved benefits and preservation of key service and reliability functions.”
Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority is investigating Tiger Airways Australia over “a variety of issues,” according to insiders at the safety regulator. Details of CASA’s investigation emerged Thursday as the airline, owing to an unrelated problem, was forced to cancel several flights, disrupting Easter travel plans for hundreds of passengers. Perth services continue as scheduled.
Boeing's troubled 787 program received a setback Wednesday when the federal National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against the company for "unlawfully transferring work to a non-union facility." The charge, brought by NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon, relates to Boeing's decision in 2009 to open a second Dreamliner assembly line in South Carolina to assemble three aircraft per month, complementing the facility in Everett that will eventually assemble seven per month.
US Airways filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Sabre Holdings Corp. on Thursday to halt what it calls “anticompetitive and anti-consumer” practices by the GDS, as well as recover monetary damages. The action comes a week after American Airlines filed a lawsuit against Travelport--parent of Galileo, Apollo and Worldspan--and Orbitz alleging similar antitrust violations ( ATW Daily News, April 14).
Alaska Air Group, parent of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, earned $74.2 million in first-quarter net income, considerably widened from a $5.3 million net profit in the year-ago period. Revenue lifted 16.3% year-over-year to $965.2 million.
Southwest Airlines earned $5 million in the first quarter, a 54.5% decline compared to $11 million earned in the year-ago period but a solid showing in view of rapidly rising fuel costs and tough winter weather.
JetBlue Airways overcame soaring fuel prices and severe winter weather on the East Coast to eke out a modest net profit of $3 million in the three months ended March 31, a $4 million positive swing from a loss of $1 million in the year-ago period.
United Continental Holdings, parent of merger partners United Airlines and Continental Airlines, incurred a first-quarter net loss of $213 million, widened from a $183 million pro forma net deficit reported by the two carriers in the March 2010 quarter.
United Continental Holdings, parent of merger partners United Airlines and Continental Airlines, incurred a first-quarter net loss of $213 million, widened from a $183 million pro forma net deficit reported by the two carriers in the March 2010 quarter.
Belavia will launch twice-weekly Brest-Kaliningrad service using a Bombardier CRJ100/200 June 10. Flydubai will launch service from Doha to Riyadh (daily) and Jeddah (four-times-weekly) May 1. JetBlue Airways will launch daily San Juan-St. Maarten service using an Embraer E-190 Nov. 17. TAP Portugal will launch thrice-weekly Lisbon-Bamako A320 service June 5.
Lufthansa Systems was selected by Malaysian regional airline Firefly to supply its Lido/FMS solution under a three-year contract. The carrier operates a fleet of ATR 72-500 and Boeing 737 aircraft. Air-Transport IT Services said it will provide its EASE shared-use infrastructure platform solution to the Sioux Falls Regional Airport. The solution allows any equipped ticket counter or gate podium to be utilized by any airline operating on the system.
Lufthansa will integrate subsidiaries Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines and British Midland into the antitrust immunized Atlantic Plus-Plus joint venture by July 1, an LH spokesperson confirmed to ATW.
Virgin Blue is set to announce another significant partnership, this time with Hawaiian Airlines. Addressing the Australian-British Chamber of Commerce in Sydney on Wednesday, Virgin Blue CEO John Borghetti said the airline was in the "process of having advanced discussions with Hawaiian Airlines" on codeshare flights to Hawaii.
The New Zealand Commerce Commission has withdrawn its claim against Air New Zealand cargo employees five years after it launched its investigation into cargo practices at the airline ( ATW Daily News,Dec. 16, 2008).
A number of unions representing workers for oneworld airlines on Wednesday announced the establishment of the "oneworld labor council," described by labor leaders at a Washington press conference as a loose confederation of work groups focused on combating threats to job security they say are posed by cross-border airline cooperation.
Etihad Airways reported a 21.2% year-over-year rise in first-quarter revenue to $770 million. It said the year's first three months represented its "most successful first-quarter to date."
Chinese carriers posted collective first-quarter net income of CNY5.73 billion ($879 million), up 31.8% over the year-ago period, according to CAAC, which credited the continuing growth of domestic market demand.
American Airlines parent AMR Corp. on Wednesday reported a first-quarter net loss of $436 million, narrowed from a $505 million net deficit in the year-ago period, and announced a further capacity reduction in the 2011 fourth quarter.
The US Dept. of Transportation on Wednesday finalized new regulations aimed at further strengthening "passenger protections," including extending the tarmac delay rule in place for US domestic airlines to foreign carriers' US operations and increasing required compensation to involuntarily bumped passengers.
American Airlines parent AMR Corp. on Wednesday reported a first-quarter net loss of $436 million, narrowed from a $505 million net deficit in the year-ago period, and announced a further capacity reduction in the 2011 fourth quarter.
