British Airways said Friday that it has gotten involved in American Airlines' talks with Japan Airlines as part of an effort to keep JAL in the oneworld fold, while Japan's new government indicated it may not be fully supportive of the carrier's restructuring plan.
CTT Systems announced that Jet2.com ordered seven Zonal Drying Systems for installation on its 737QCs. Magellan Aircraft Services will disassemble 10 CRJ100s and refurbish and remarket parts under a deal with Bombardier Services.
American Airlines expects third-quarter consolidated unit revenue to fall 14.3%-15.3% year-over-year, it said in a US Securities and Exchange filing Friday. Mainline RASM is forecast to fall 14.5%-15.5%, it said, and parent AMR Corp. expects to end the period with a cash and short-term investment balance of at least $3.7 billion, including some $460 million in restricted cash and short-term investments. Last week the company said it had obtained $2.9 billion in new liquidity and aircraft financing ( ATWOnline, Sept.
Southwest Airlines Chairman, President and CEO Gary Kelly said the chances of reporting a full-year profit "are better today than they were 60 days ago," Dow Jones reported. "We haven't conceded that we will lose money for the year," he said. SWA was $37 million in the red through the first six months of 2009 and said in late July that "based on weak travel demand and fuel price volatility, we cannot predict a profitable third-quarter 2009." Kelly said SWA's 2009 result will hinge on fuel costs.
TAP Portugal will launch flights from Lisbon to Valencia (twice-daily on Oct. 25) and Algiers (thrice-weekly from Nov. 25). Five-times-weekly LIS-Casablanca service will increase to 12 on Oct. 25. Blue1 will resume operating seasonal service from Helsinki Vantaa to Kuusamo (Nov. 29-April 11), Ivalo (Dec. 6-April 11), Kittila (Nov. 6-April 18) and Rovaniemi (Dec. 4-April 11) and from Kittila to Paris Charles de Gaulle (Dec. 16-April 3) and Dusseldorf (Dec. 17-March 11).
Spring Airlines plans to establish a base in Shenyang and signed an agreement with the municipal government detailing plans to build the city into an aviation hub for northeast Asia.
Jet Airways lost approximately $80 million in revenue during the six-day work action by its pilots that ended early last week, Executive Director Saroj Datta told CNBC ( ATWOnline, Sept. 15).
Southwest Airlines Pilots' Assn. board voted unanimously yesterday to endorse a new tentative labor contract with the airline and send it to membership for ratification. SWAPA members rejected a previous TA in June ( ATWOnline, Sept. 11).
United Airlines decided to return a leased 757 at the expiration of the current lease in October because it was unable to reach satisfactory renewal terms, it told employees in an internal communication. The aircraft is used on domestic routes and its departure will not affect UA's schedule or available spares.
Olympic Air, the new name of the privatized and restructured Olympic Airlines, officially will begin flying on Oct. 1 with 21 aircraft, increasing shortly to 32 (16 A319s/A320s, 10 Q400s, five Dash 8-100s and one ATR 42), according to press reports. Marfin Investment Group bought the carrier last spring ( ATWOnline, March 25), and executives said yesterday that Olympic has signed a codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines with a view toward joining SkyTeam eventually, according to Reuters.
US FAA yesterday announced measures to improve its response to safety issues and whistleblower contributions and said it is "renewing efforts to ensure consistent interpretation of agency regulations and policies" in the wake of questions regarding its relationship with the airlines it is charged with regulating ( ATWOnline, March 3) and waves of flight cancellations related to carriers' lack of compliance with airworthiness directives ( ATWOnline
American Airlines parent AMR Corp. yesterday said it obtained $2.9 billion in additional liquidity and aircraft financing while announcing plans to further downsize operations at St. Louis and Raleigh/Durham and signing a letter of intent to firm options on 22 CRJ700s for American Eagle. Capacity taken from the aforementioned airports will be spread among AA's major hubs and focus cites: Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago O'Hare, Miami, New York JFK, LaGuardia and Los Angeles. AA yesterday also said it chose GEnx-1B engines to power up to 100 787-9s it expects to order from Boeing.
Air France is working to form a committee of 5-6 members that "will have a look into the internal practices and the decision-making processes having an impact on the security of our flights," a spokesperson told ATWOnline yesterday. The airline is assessing its internal safety practices in the wake of the May 31 A330-200 accident and subsequent complaints from its pilots. The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that AF's SkyTeam partner Delta Air Lines may be represented on the committee.
FedEx Corp. reported a $181 million net profit in its fiscal first quarter ended Aug. 31, down 53% from the $384 million earned in the year-ago period, as operating income at its FedEx Express segment plunged 70% to $104 million.
StandardAero yesterday broke ground on a 27,000-sq.-ft. expansion to the Winnipeg facility where it currently performs CF34 engine MRO, growth that will enable it to begin working on CFM56-7Bs next year. The company this year inked a 12-year agreement with WestJet valued at more than $850 million to perform maintenance on CFM56-7Bs powering the LCC's 81 737NGs. It also reached an agreement with GE Aviation that made the Winnipeg facility, which currently stands at 135,000 sq. ft., a "designated fulfillment center" for CFM56-7B engines.
Spirit Airlines yesterday was assessed a record $375,000 civil penalty by the US Dept. of Transportation "for failing to comply with rules governing denied boarding compensation, fare advertising, baggage liability and other consumer protection requirements," the agency said.
American Airlines announced it will add 57 daily mainline and Eagle flights at Chicago O'Hare for the summer 2010 schedule versus the 2009-10 winter schedule, bringing daily departures at its second-largest hub to 487. New flying is made possible by the pulldowns at St. Louis and Raleigh/Durham (see story above). In addition to Beijing service set to start next spring, AA will introduce mainline flights to Honolulu, Anchorage and Vancouver while Eagle will start operating to Calgary, Allentown, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Charleston, W.
Aeroflot CEO Vitaly Savelyev said yesterday that the carrier expects to conclude 2009 in the black but that it plans to cut 2,000 jobs over the next six months and is evaluating a reduction of a further 4,000. "The trend is still going toward a decline," he said at an investment conference, according to Reuters. SU employs some 15,500. Savelyev also said the airline's interest in pursuing tie-ups with European carriers may be a thing of the past ( ATWOnline, May 5). "No one wants Aeroflot there.
KLM will equip its entire intercontinental fleet with a new "comfort zone" in economy cabins, offering passengers up to 10 cm./4 in. more legroom and back supports that can recline twice as far as standard seats. The carrier's 777-200ERs and 747s offer 31-in. pitch in economy and its A330s 32 in. The comfort zone will be located at the front of the cabin and will be available starting in December. Each widebody will be fitted with 35-40 of the new seats, a spokesperson told ATWOnline. The service in economy comfort will be identical to standard economy.
British Airways said 140 flight attendants have applied for voluntary redundancy as part of its plan to cut some 2,000 positions. "We have a small surplus in the number of our senior-grade cabin crew and, combined with our reduced flying program, we have been able to accept applications for voluntary redundancy from the equivalent of 140 cabin crew," a BA spokesperson told reporters. In addition, 125 cabin staff on temporary contracts will be released.
Ethiopian Airlines took delivery of one 737-800 from CIT Aerospace. Aircraft is powered by CFM56-7B27s and seats 154 passengers in two classes. ET now operates 10 767-300ERs, eight 757-200s, two 757-260Fs, two 747Fs, two MD-11Fs, five 737-700s, two 737-800s and five F50s.
Lufthansa Systems will provide its Lido OC flight planning solution to airBaltic under a five-year deal. Implementation will be completed in the 2010 first quarter.
AirBaltic is launching its own frequent-flyer program called BalticMiles, which is set to go into effect on Oct. 1. The airline left SAS Group in January ( ATWOnline, Dec. 19).
Macquarie Airports will sell its 35.5% stake in Bristol Airport to the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan for £128 million ($211.7 million). MAp also will purchase an additional 3.9% share in Copenhagen Airports from OTPP for DKK570 million ($111.9 million), raising its stake to 30.8%. MAp said the transactions, subject to EU clearance, will result in net cash inflow of some A$120 million ($103.3 million) and should be concluded before year end.
