Low-cost carriers are eating Qantas’s lunch, taking 19.5% of the international traffic into and out of Australia and—for the first time—equaling the national airline’s market share.
US Airways said it signed a full content agreement with Expedia and that content will be offered "through the global distribution model." The move isolates American Airlines, which has sought to force online travel agencies like Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity to use its XML direct connect pipeline to bypass the GDSs if they want access to all its content including ancillary products
British Airways' and Iberia's stock stopped trading Friday as the BA-IB merger officially took effect, to be replaced in both the London and Madrid markets by International Airlines Consolidated Group stock on Monday.
Mesa Air Group's restructuring plan was approved by a US bankruptcy court in New York last week, and the regional airline company said it will exit Chapter 11 protection next month.
Germanwings and Lufthansa will launch an interline agreement Jan. 20 under which passengers can combine LH and Germanwings flights in one booking. Flydubai launched four-times-weekly Dubai-Chittagong service, becoming daily in March. It is the carrier's 30th destination. AirBaltic reached a cooperation agreement with Turkish Airlines under which it will offer connections to 11 destinations in Turkey, and 20 in the Middle East and Africa.
US House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) on Thursday named Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.) chairman of the aviation subcommittee. First elected in 1979, Petri this month began his 17th term in office. He takes the subcommittee gavel from Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.); Republicans' takeover of the House in last November's Congressional elections gave the party control of committee chairmanships when Congress convened this month. Costello was named the subcommittee's ranking member Thursday.
ANA outlined its fleet plan for its fiscal year starting April 1, noting that the delayed delivery of the Boeing 787 is forcing it to place additional 767-300ERs on international routes and 737-800s on domestic routes. For the year, it is slated to take delivery of four 767-300ERs while retiring one 767-300 that had been used for domestic flying; take delivery of two 737-800s while retiring four Airbus A320-200s and two 737-500s; and receive three Bombardier Q400s while retiring two Q300s.
American Airlines and United Airlines this week filed a lawsuit in Illinois to stop the City of Chicago from moving forward with the second phase of Chicago O'Hare expansion, arguing that the city government failed to get clearance from the carriers before approving $3.4 billion in modernization projects at the busy airport.
Kazakhstan's Air Astana said it posted an unaudited, pre-tax profit of $96.4 million in 2010, more than double a $47 million profit in 2009 that had been a company record. Full-year revenue was $656 million, up 20.1%.Passengers carried lifted 13% to 2.57 million on an 8% increase in capacity.
ATR in 2010 doubled its aircraft orders and options to 80 orders and 33 options, results that "illustrate the first signs of recovery of the aviation industry in 2010," it said. The company generated revenue of $1.35 billion for the full year, nearly three times its 2005 revenue, and delivered a total of 51 new aircraft, down from last year's 54. Sales, including options, are valued at around $2.4 billion, it said.
Alitalia executives said the airline is putting its troubled past behind and is starting off 2011 by continuing to improve its customer service image and renewing its aging fleet.
Southwest Airlines posted net income of $459 million for 2010, more than quadrupling a $99 million profit in 2009, marking the LCC's 38th consecutive year in the black.
Travelport signed a multi-year agreement with Air Canada under which the carrier will provide all Travelport travel agency customers access to all fares, seat availability, fare families and optional services that they offer. The agreement also provides the ability to purchase optional services such as paid seat assignments. Under terms, Travelport will launch an enhanced version of the travel agency desktop tool Travelport Agencia in Canada in the first half of 2011
Lufthansa said Wednesday it has reached a mediated settlement with the UFO union representing 16,000 flight attendants, that includes a 22-month pay freeze retroactive to March 2010 and concluding in December 2011 and significant improvements in working conditions. According to an LH statement, the pay accord is to "be extended and the collective wage agreement redefined." LH said the new collective bargaining agreement is in effect until Feb. 28, 2014.
US FAA on Wednesday reported that incidents of lasers pointed at airplanes in 2010 almost doubled compared to 2009 to more than 2,800 reported cases, the highest number recorded since it began keeping track in 2005. Reports have steadily risen from 300 in 2005 to 1,527 in 2009 and 2,836 in 2010.
US Air Transport Assn. said US airlines' passenger revenue increased 9% in December compared to the year-ago period, making 2010 the first year since 2006 in which US carriers' recorded rising passenger revenue in each of the 12 months. Miles flown by paying passengers aboard US airlines in December rose 3% compared to the prior-year month, while the average price to fly one mile lifted 6%.
