Acculynk announced that AirTran Airways has started offering customers the option to pay for online purchases with its PaySecure software, which offers users a PIN debit system that does not require enrollment or a password.
Two flight data recorders were recovered but reportedly were badly damaged at the site of the Caspian Airlines Tu-154M crash Wednesday morning that killed all 168 onboard ( ATWOnline, July 16). A third recorder has not been located. A spokesperson from Armenia's General Dept. of Civil Aviation told RIA Novosti that the aircraft underwent a full maintenance check last month and was cleared to fly until year end.
American Airlines is reevaluating the future of 757-200s in its fleet, Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey revealed this week. Speaking to reporters and analysts following the release of second-quarter results highlighted by a steep revenue drop ( ATWOnline, July 16), he said the carrier is continuing to look for ways to operate more cost efficiently. While emphasizing that no decisions have been made, AA is trying to determine whether it wants its more than 120 757s to play a prominent role in its long-term future.
US National Transportation Safety Board said "no significant corrosion or obvious pre-existing mechanical damage" was found on the Southwest Airlines 737-300 that developed a hole in its fuselage Monday while flying from Nashville to Baltimore ( ATWOnline, July 15). SWA is repairing the aircraft in Charleston, W.Va., where it landed following a "rapid decompression." NTSB said the hole measured approximately 17 in. by 8 in. and that its investigation will continue.
TAM flew 1.97 billion domestic RPKs in June, up 0.8% year-over-year. Capacity rose 4.7% to 3.05 billion ASKs and load factor fell 2.5 points to 64.7%. International traffic was up 18.1% to 1.42 billion RPKs, capacity rose 25.5% to 2.08 billion ASKs and load factor slipped 4.3 points to 68.3%. SkyWest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines flew a combined 1.63 billion RPMs in June, up 4.9% year-over-year, against a 1.9% rise in capacity to 1.98 billion ASMs. Load factor climbed 2.3 points to 82.3%.
Copa Airlines signed up for 13 additional 737-800s yesterday, an order worth approximately $1 billion at list prices, while Boeing said it has inked orders for eight more 737s from unidentified customer(s). The Copa commitment also includes eight options and brings to 27 the number of 737NGs the Panamanian carrier has on firm order. Delivery of the 13 new aircraft is scheduled to run from 2012 into 2015, with the eight options available between 2015 and 2017. Aircraft will be outfitted with Boeing's Sky Interior, designed to mimic the more modern cabin of the 787.
Lufthansa is moving forward with its effort to achieve €1 billion ($1.4 billion) in cost savings through the end of 2011, according to an internal letter to employees sent by Lufthansa Passenger Airlines Chairman and CEO Cristoph Franz.
Additional East Star Airlines debtors have applied to take over the troubled carrier despite the fact that China National Aviation Fuel Holding Co. and Shanghai YuField have made no progress in their appeals to acquire the Wuhan-based airline. The newly interested debtors include five CNAF subsidiaries and airports in Zhengzhou, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Qingdao, Shenzhen and Hangzhou.
Juneyao Airlines took delivery of its first purchased A320, Airbus announced. The Shanghai-based carrier also operates two leased A319s and eight leased A320s, with 10 more due to join the fleet through lease and purchase by 2013. Juneyao ordered six A320s from Airbus in June 2007. Aircraft is powered by CFM56 engines and will seat 158 passengers across two classes.
Ryanair announced an expansion to its Oslo area service comprising new routes from Rygge to Brussels Charleroi (seven-times-weekly), Bremen (thrice-weekly), London Stansted (twice-daily) and Madrid (four-times-weekly) beginning in October and to Alicante (twice-weekly), Girona (twice-weekly) and Bergamo (thrice-weekly) in November. It also will launch flights from Oslo Torp to Paris Beauvais (seven-times-weekly) in September and to Krakow (four-times-weekly) Lodz (thrice-weekly) and Rome Ciampino (thrice-weekly) in November.
APG-GA was selected by Santa Barbara Airlines as its GSA in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the Nordic and Baltic countries, France and the UK. Aviareps was selected by Air Arabia Maroc to serve as GSA in Germany.
Continental Airlines Chairman and CEO Larry Kellner will leave the airline at year end after five years at the helm and 14 with the Houston-based carrier and will be succeeded by President and COO Jeff Smisek, CO announced late yesterday.
London Gatwick's sale by UK airports operator BAA is in doubt after the last remaining bidder reportedly refused to budge from its original £1.4 billion ($2.29 billion) offer. BAA parent Ferrovial apparently wanted £1.5 billion, but a consortium led by Manchester Airports Group and Canadian infrastructure fund Borealis declined to increase its bid, according to press reports. A second bidder, Global Infrastructure Partners, which owns about 75% of London City, reportedly dropped out after BAA rejected its £1.36 billion offer.
Air Canada said all five of its domestic unions have ratified cost-neutral agreements on labor stability and pension relief following the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers vote Wednesday. The union had rejected the deal two weeks ago ( ATWOnline, July 2).
International passengers traveling on premium tickets decreased 23.6% year-over-year in May, marking the 12th consecutive month in which premium traffic was in decline, IATA said yesterday, warning that a "de-globalization" may be occurring that could discourage international business travel and trade even as economies recover.
Singapore Airlines is retrofitting seven 777-300s with new first and business class seats and improvements to the economy cabin including new seat covers and IFE systems. It said the remainder of the 777 fleet will be upgraded "at a later date." First aircraft is due to enter service with the enhancements on July 22, with the rest introduced before year end.
American Airlines parent AMR Corp. said a "very difficult revenue environment" drove a second-quarter net loss of $390 million, narrowed 73.3% from a $1.45 billion deficit in the year-ago period when heavy noncash impairment charges dragged down the bottom line. But the loss actually was widened from a $298 million deficit last year absent special charges. The quarter was "obviously disappointing," Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey said. "We've got to continue to anticipate a tough environment."
Virgin Atlantic Airways is asking passengers to register their disapproval of the planned increases in the UK's Air Passenger Duty, set for November 2009 and 2010 ( ATWOnline, Nov. 25, 2008). "The UK government has been quietly increasing APD by huge amounts and claiming it is an environmental tax. Yet, there's not a shred of evidence to suggest the £2 billion-plus currently raised is going towards environmental or sustainable projects," Virgin President Richard Branson said.
A Caspian Airlines Tu-154M crashed yesterday morning shortly after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 156 passengers and 12 crew onboard in the fourth major fatal commercial accident this year and the third in just a little over six weeks. Caspian Flight 7908 was on its way to Yerevan but slammed into the earth near Qazvin some 16 min. after takeoff, creating a 10-m.-deep crater, according to the Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network. The 22-year-old aircraft "exploded on impact and disintegrated," it said.
Continental Airlines will record $44 million in special charges for the second quarter, $43 million of which comprises noncash impairments on owned 737-300/-500 aircraft and related assets ($31 million) and noncash charges related to the disposal of three -300s ($8 million) and "certain obsolete spare parts" ($4 million). CO decided one year ago to retire all -300s and a "significant portion" of its -500 fleet by January 2010 ( ATWOnline, June 6, 2008).
Air China expects its first-half profit to jump by more than 50% year-over-year from the CNY1.28 billion ($187.3 million) reported in the first six months of 2008. CA credited "stable growth of the domestic market" and lower fuel prices for the improvement. It transported 13.9 million passengers in the first five months of 2009, up 13.7% year-over-year, which included an 18.2% surge in domestic passenger boardings to 11.2 million. It also cited "favorable policy" from Beijing, cost control and gains on its fuel hedges.
US Air Transport Assn. took exception yesterday to a provision in the Senate FAA reauthorization bill introduced this week ( ATWOnline, July 15) that would require airlines to return flights to gates when tarmac delays reach 3 hr. to allow passengers wishing to leave the aircraft to deplane. "A hard-and-fast, inflexible timeframe for returning to the gate will have unintended consequences for customers, including the likelihood of more cancellations and inconvenience," ATA said.
Austrian Airlines Group yesterday said it agreed with all works councils to reduce personnel expenses by 5% from 2010 to 2015, saving the company €150 million ($209.6 million). "The details of the package are rapidly being negotiated by the social partners. It will not include any extra job cuts beyond the 1,000 posts already announced," AAG said ( ATWOnline, July 3).
Air Arabia Maroc will commence thrice-weekly Casablanca-Amsterdam service Aug. 3 aboard an A320, becoming four-times-weekly Aug. 24. Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines implemented a codeshare agreement under which SN will add its code to LH's five-times-weekly Frankfurt-Libreville service while LH will add its code to SN's four-times-weekly Brussels-Entebbe service. SN said the pair will enhance their African cooperation "in the future."
