Air Berlin and TUI Travel will not implement the cross-shareholding agreement between AB and TUI's German aviation business that was announced in March, although they will forge ahead on their commercial accord as planned.
bmi will eliminate service from London Heathrow to Palma (Nov. 3) and Venice (Nov. 15). Iceland Express will re-launch twice-weekly Keflavik-London Stansted service in November. It moved to London Gatwick in May and will serve both airports.
Air France KLM flew 19.34 billion RPKs in August, down 2.9% from the year-ago month. Capacity fell 4.2% to 22.81 billion ASKS and load factor rose 1.1 points to 84.8%. Delta Air Lines flew 18.73 billion RPMs in August, a 2.2% drop year-over-year. Capacity was down 3.2% to 21.64 billion ASMs and load factor rose 0.9 point to 86.6%. Air Canada and Jazz flew a combined 5.13 billion RPMs in August, down 0.9% year-over-year. Capacity fell 3.6% to 5.92 billion ASMs, lifting load factor 2.4 points to 86.8%.
Pegasus Airlines increased its order for 737-800s in June, Chairman Ali Sabanci confirmed to ATWOnline in Istanbul, although he declined to reveal the number of aircraft involved.
Aer Lingus announced the purchase of 5.6 million of its ordinary shares from the Employee Benefit Trust for just over €280,000 ($401,300). The shares were cancelled.
News from Travel Technology Update: American Airlines' decision to work with HP to build a new passenger services system -- dubbed a "bold move" by Monte Ford, the carrier's chief information officer -- took many observers by surprise. Amadeus has been courting the carrier for several years. Its Altea platform is up and running, serving several of American's Oneworld alliance partners, including British Airways and Qantas. The announcement that American would end the most significant element of its relationship with Sabre also signaled the end of an era.
Frontier Airlines will raise the fee on the first checked bag to $20 from $15 and on the second bag to $30 from $25 on tickets purchased from Tuesday and on travel from Oct. 1. In conjunction, it is reducing the change fee on economy tickets to $100 from $150. It will allow passengers to confirm a seat on a different flight the same day for $100.
AVIC subsidiary Commercial Engine Co. plans to obtain secure airworthiness certification for a domestically produced engine in 2016 so it is ready to power the large commercial jet planned to enter the market by 2020. CEC GM Zhang Jian said the company, along with CFM and Pratt & Whitney, is a candidate to furnish a powerplant for the trunk liner ( ATWOnline, March 12). "As far as I know, we will become one of the providers but won't be the only one," he said.
Boeing delivered 28 commercial aircraft in August, including three 777s to Air India and three 737-800s to American Airlines. It delivered 36 in August 2008 and 307 through the first eight months of 2009.
American Airlines flew 11.17 billion system RPMs in August, down 8.1% from the year-ago month. Capacity dropped 9.4% to 13.19 billion ASMs, lifting load factor 1.2 points to 84.7%. American Eagle flew 682.2 million RPMs, down 3.1%, against a 7.2% decline in capacity to 938.2 million ASMs. Load factor rose 3 points to 72.7%. Southwest Airlines said August passenger RASM fell 5%-6% year-over-year. It flew 6.69 billion RPMs, up 1%, while capacity dropped 6.1% to 8.34 billion ASMs. Load factor increased 5.6 points to 80.2%.
Aeromexico reportedly said it will permit passengers to make calls with their mobile phones following the Mexican government's decision last week to lift the ban on inflight use in domestic airspace, although flight attendants will be allowed to suspend the privilege if necessary.
Ryanair announced an increase in its baggage fees effective Oct. 1 on the heels of a 20% drop in the average fare this year to €32 ($45.70). It also will allow passengers to check a second bag. Each of the two bags will have a 15-kg. limit. The first will cost £/€30 if checked in at the airport or £/€15 on the Internet and the second will cost £/€70 at the airport or £/€35 online. Sports equipment will cost £/€50 at the airport and £/€40 online and excess luggage will cost £/€20 per kg.
Turkish Airlines launched five-times-weekly Istanbul Ataturk-Jakarta service. AirTran Airways will launch service to Nassau Dec. 17 from Atlanta (daily), Baltimore (four-times-weekly) and Orlando International (four-times-weekly) and to Montego Bay Feb. 11 from ATL (daily), BWI (daily) and MCO (four-times-weekly). Wizz Air will launch twice-weekly Kiev Boryspil-Treviso service Oct. 27, increasing to thrice-weekly Dec. 15. Bmibaby will operate twice-weekly Manchester-Lourdes service April 30-Oct. 1, 2010.
KD avia suspended ticket sales last week and Russia's federal air transport agency Rosaviatsiya plans to revoke the Kaliningrad-based airline's operating certificate on Sept. 14. Rosaviatsiya head Gennady Kurzenkov told ITAR-Tass that KD "has been notified in advance its certificate will be revoked.
Air France announced plans to offer employees a voluntary redundancy plan that could result in as many as 1,500 departures. The airline said it informed the Comite Central d'Enterprise workers council of the decision and intends to discuss the matter this week "with a view to presenting a project voluntary redundancy plan to the CCE on Oct. 21."
Moog said it expects to sign a definitive purchase agreement "very shortly" for GE Aviation Systems' flight control actuation product line in Wolverhampton, which GE acquired in May 2007 when it bought Smiths Aerospace ( ATWOnline, May 7, 2007). The Wolverhampton line furnishes high-lift actuation systems for the 777, 787, A330, A380 and military aircraft. It had $100 million in sales last year.
US Airline Pilots Assn., which represents US Airways flight crew, filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking removal of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. as trustee of US pilots' pension plan and appointment of a temporary replacement "to investigate the plan's financial affairs." PBGC assumed control of the pension plan in 2003 when US terminated it during bankruptcy.
China last week raised the domestic fuel price by CNY300 ($43.86) per ton, which is expected to result in a CNY2 billion increase in annual operating costs for the airline industry, according to China Securities Co. aviation analyst Li Lei. Fuel accounts for more than 40% of Chinese carriers' total operating expenses. According to Li's estimate, China Southern Airlines will suffer a CNY760 million profit reduction since 80% of its route network is domestic. China Eastern Airlines' bottom line will sink by CNY420 million and Air China's will drop by CNY460 million.
The World Trade Organization issued a confidential 1,000-page preliminary ruling Friday regarding the legality of subsidies received by Airbus during development of the A380, with statements and press reports indicating that it may have found at least some problems with the aid.
Travelport GDS signed a content agreement with Zambezi Airlines providing Travelport GDS-connected travel agents worldwide with access to the carrier's fares and inventory. Airline operates two 737-500s.
Frontier Airlines said its bankruptcy reorganization plan was approved by an "overwhelming" majority of creditors and that the deadline for filing objections has passed. A confirmation hearing is scheduled for Sept. 10. President and CEO Sean Menke said the Denver-based carrier, acquired by Republic Airways Holdings, has "been able to completely restructure our business and reduce our costs to among the lowest in the industry." Its codeshare agreement with Midwest Airlines, also bought by Republic, went into effect Wednesday.
Honeywell Aerospace was selected by Hainan Airlines to provide 131-9A APUs for 13 A320s, with deliveries scheduled for 2010-12. Contract is valued at more than $11 million and covers maintenance through 2022.
