Embraer yesterday delivered a second 86-seat E-175 to Brazil's Trip Linhas Aereas, which last year placed a firm order for five plus 10 options and 15 purchase rights ( ATWOnline, June 20, 2008).
Lufthansa Flight Training and Vnukovo International finalized an earlier MOU to create a joint venture flight training facility ( ATWOnline, Jan. 6). The venture, called Flight Training Vnukovo, will be completed in mid-2010. It initially will house four full flight simulators and eventually will be able to accommodate as many as 20, according to LFT. FTV aims to capture business of Russian carriers "that currently train their pilots in Europe, Asia and America," LFT said.
Republic Airways Holdings continued its shopping spree by acquiring Midwest Airlines in a deal announced late Tuesday, the same day it said it would buy Frontier Airlines. The Midwest transaction, subject to appropriate regulatory approvals, is expected to close within 4-6 weeks. Republic's offer for Frontier is valued at $108.8 million ( ATWOnline, June 24).
ATWOnline is pleased to announce that a carbon emissions calculator is now available on our Eco-Aviation channel. Calculator is powered by RDC Aviation and enables users to calculate their CO2 by route and by airline for either direct or one-stop flights.
East Star Airlines may avoid bankruptcy thanks to a takeover offer from Shanghai YuField Industrial Co., which submitted its application along with airline stakeholder East Star Tourist Agency to the Wuhan court.
RwandAir is the new name of the former Rwandair Express. CEO Gerald Zirimwabagabo said the initial phase of a five-year plan recommended the name change because Express "gives the impression of a 'small' point-to-point airline." The carrier plans to implement an online reservation and payment system in August and establish a loyalty program "a few months from now."
Lufthansa Systems completed implementation of its GroundSolutions/Mobile check-in solution at Austrian Airlines, enabling passengers to check in via mobile phone.
Air India "will have to do a lot of restructuring. . . organizationally, financially and manpowerwise," Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told reporters following the airline's formal presentation requesting government aid. "There is a lot of excess flab on the entire body of Air India and it does not only mean manpower but also it means various cost-cutting measures that have to be looked at comprehensively," he said, according to Agence France Presse.
Virgin America CEO David Cush told Bloomberg News that "certainly one or more" American investors "will come to fruition before year end. . .These expressions are a lot firmer than they have been in the past. There is more capital available than there was six months ago.
ANA said yesterday that it is "disappointed" with the latest 787 program delay (see story above) and is seeking a new delivery schedule from Boeing "as quickly as possible."
Air New Zealand said May yield rose 7.1% year-over-year, due largely to foreign exchange gains. Excluding those, yield climbed 1.7%. It flew 1.72 billion RPKs during the month, down 11.4%, against a 13.9% decline in capacity to 2.28 billion ASKs. Load factor rose 2.2 points to 75.7%. Allegiant Air flew 381.1 million RPMs in May, up 23.9% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 22.9% to 420.5 million ASMs and load factor increased 0.7 point to 90.6%.
United Airlines said it will cut an additional 600 flight attendant positions this year, bringing the total number of flight attendant job reductions planned in 2009 to more than 2,000. The cuts reportedly will begin Aug. 31. "We will offer our flight attendants a voluntary package and hope to receive enough responses to prevent any involuntary furloughs," the airline said. UA and cabin staff represented by the Assn. of Flight Attendants-CWA in April launched negotiations on their labor contract that is amenable Jan.
Southwest Airlines will launch its Milwaukee service on Nov. 1 to six destinations ( ATWOnline, May 21). It will fly to Baltimore (thrice-daily), Kansas City (thrice-daily), Las Vegas (twice-daily), Kansas City (twice-daily), Orlando International (twice-daily), Phoenix (daily) and Tampa (daily).
Airbus yesterday delivered the first A320 built at its Tianjin final assembly line to Sichuan Airlines, while executives told ATWOnline that the company's effort to expand its profile in China has included discussions with Air China and China Eastern Airlines about the A380.
Boeing delayed 787 first flight, expected to take place this week, again yesterday, citing "a series of relatively small areas" on both sides of the aircraft's body in the "upper wing join area" that registered stress levels during static testing that "exceeded expectations."
Clear program, which offered passengers the opportunity to speed through designated security lanes at 18 US airports for a $200 annual fee, abruptly ceased operations Monday night. Parent Verified Identity Pass said on its website that it "has been unable to negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations" and that it "will continue to secure [customer data] and will take appropriate steps to delete the information." However, it said it could not issue refunds "because of its financial condition."
Republic Airways Holdings has offered to buy bankrupt Frontier Airlines Holdings for $108.8 million, which if approved would allow Frontier to exit bankruptcy and increase Republic's stable of carriers.
US Air Transport Assn. said yesterday that US airline passenger revenue dropped 26% year-over-year in May, the seventh straight month of decline. The number of passengers traveling on US airlines fell 9.5% year-over-year while the average price to fly 1 mi. decreased 17.6%. "Revenue declines extended beyond the mainland United States to the transatlantic, transpacific and Latin markets," ATA said.
Ryanair will "freeze growth" at its nine UK bases "with immediate effect" in response to a drop of 4.5 million passengers at BAA's seven UK airports through the year's first five months. The LCC blamed both the airports operator and the country's £10 ($16.43) air passenger duty for the decline.
SkyEurope Airlines received court permission to operate and reorganize under creditor protection, during which it will continue to fly its full schedule. CEO Jason Bitter said the LCC will operate "without disruption" and that suppliers "will be fully paid" during the restructuring period, which was not defined. It appointed Reynolds Partners to help it secure new investment.
Air Canada and flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees reached agreement on a 21-month labor agreement extension, finalizing the carrier's effort to secure "labor stability" and pension relief from its workforce ( ATWOnline, June 17). "These tentative agreements will allow us to move forward to the next milestones--obtaining the necessary governmental measures and approvals for the pension funding arrangement and raising new financing.
Singapore Airlines and Air Line Pilots Assn.-Singapore reached an agreement under which pilots will take one day of leave without pay each month and a cut of 65% from an additional day's pay effective July 1. The groups reached a similar deal in May that now is superseded ( ATWOnline, May 5). SIA plans to decommission 16 aircraft and cut capacity by 11% during the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2010.
