Includes: Top 20 Airlines World Airline Traffic Jet Fuel Prices World Airport Traffic IATA Fuel Prices Exchange Rates Aircraft Data Aircraft Values Aircraft Deliveries US Major and National Airline Traffic US Ontime Performance U.S. Fuel Cost and Consumption US Mishandled Baggage US Consumer Complaints
United Airlines and Continental Airlines on Friday announced the closing of the legal merger of the two carriers, which for the time being will operate separately under a single holding company, United Continental Holdings.
AWAS delivered one 737-400 to Bangkok-based Nok Air for operation on domestic routes in Thailand. Messier-Bugatti reached an agreement with Turkish Airlines to equip new, yet-to-be-delivered 737-800s (10) and 737-900ERs (10) with carbon brakes. FLY Leasing Limited reached a sale/leaseback agreement with flydubai covering three new 737-800NGs. Aircraft are scheduled to be delivered from Boeing in October, December and February.
Japan Airlines and Qantas Airways expanded their codeshare agreement to allow JAL to place its code on QF's twice-daily Singapore Changi-Brisbane service from Oct. 1. JAL is suspending its own Tokyo Narita-Brisbane service Sept. 30 after 22 years of operating the route.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on Thursday began cutting aluminum material for the horizontal stabilizer frame on Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp.'s MRJ, marking the commencement of manufacturing on the regional jet slated to achieve first flight in 2012 ( ATW Daily News, Sept. 28).
LOT Polish Airlines CEO Sebastion Mikosz resigned from his position Wednesday, the Polish News Agency reported. Mikosz, who has held this position since May 15, 2009, told ATW recently he has worked toward making the carrier attractive for privatization. The Polish government plans to privatize the carrier next year. New Lufthansa CEO Christoph Franz was quoted by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Thursday saying, “This [LOT ownership] is a change which we cannot ignore.” LH has been named as a possible investor for LOT.
Continental Airlines announced Thursday it reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract with its 9,300 CO flight attendants represented by the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. In a statement, CO said the IAM is expected to hold a ratification vote in the coming weeks. “We appreciate the IAM’s leadership in reaching this important agreement that recognizes the interests of our flight attendants and the company,” said CO Senior VP-Human Resources and Labor Relations Mike Bonds.
China Southern Airlines announced Thursday that its subsidiary Xiamen Airlines agreed to buy 10 Boeing aircraft valued at $699 million. The information was contained in a statement by CZ to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The aircraft are believed to be 737NGs.
Boeing on Thursday said the first 747-8 Freighter will not be delivered to launch customer Cargolux until "mid-year 2011," marking the third delay for the troubled program.
Spring Airlines reported net income of nearly CNY400 million ($59.7 million) for the first eight months of 2010 owing to the “incredible Shanghai market” stimulated by Shanghai World Expo, according to Chairman Wang Zhenghua.
Kingfisher Airlines Chairman and MD Vijay Mallya announced Thursday that former SpiceJet CEO Sanjay Aggarwal would take over as CEO "with immediate effect."
Boeing on Thursday said the first 747-8 Freighter will not be delivered to launch customer Cargolux until "mid-year 2011," marking the third delay for the troubled program.
Cathay Pacific Airways announced Wednesday it will begin codesharing with Alaska Airlines Oct. 7. Under the agreement, Cathay’s “CX” code will go on Alaska flights from Seattle and Portland to three of CX’s North American gateway cities—Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver. Air Berlin will launch weekly Dusseldorf–Erbil service on Nov. 6. The carrier also will operate DUS–Sulaymaniyah service every two weeks.
FedEx said Wednesday it will raise US domestic and US export shipping rates on its air-reliant Express services by a net average 3.9% from Jan. 3, 2011. It said the "full average rate increase" actually will be 5.9%, but that figure is "partially offset by adjusting the fuel price threshold at which the fuel surcharge begins," the company explained, noting that its fuel surcharge will be lowered by 2 percentage points. FedEx said in a statement that the "pricing adjustment will allow for key investments."
Southwest Airlines' $1.4 billion acquisition of AirTran Airways will, if consummated, give it access to Atlanta for the first time, but the deal does not significantly threaten Delta Air Lines' mega-hub, J.P. Morgan analyst Jamie Baker stated in a report released this week ( ATW Daily News, Sept. 28).
China Eastern Airlines said its new subsidiary cargo carrier, comprised of the assets of China Cargo Airlines, Great Wall Airlines and Shanghai Airlines Cargo, will commence operations Jan. 1, 2011 from its base in Shanghai.
Turkish Airlines took delivery Wednesday of its first A330-300 and first A330-200F, both of which are part of an order signed in 2009 with Airbus for 10 A330-300s, two A330-200Fs and 24 A320 family aircraft.
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft President Gary Scott said the CSeries program is “going quite well,” noting that the manufacturer just “finalized the Joint Definition Phase and [is] now in the Complete Product Definition Phase.”
Ethiopian Airlines was officially invited to join Star Alliance Wednesday, and aims within 12 months to become the group’s third member on the African continent following EgyptAir and South African Airways (ATW Daily News, July 22). ET’s integration, under the mentoring of Lufthansa, will begin “shortly.”
