Sabre scored another win in the North American market with JetBlue Airways' selection of its SabreSonic CSS, comprising reservations, departure control functions, inventory and website booking engine capabilities. The announcement followed WestJet's decision to opt for the new system, which Sabre describes as a "build-out" of its passenger services system rather than a rewrite ( ATWOnline, Jan. 30). Like WestJet, JetBlue was using Navitaire's Open Skies.
SAS Group airlines flew 1.72 billion RPKs in January, down 14.8% year-over-year. Capacity fell 9.8% to 2.84 billion ASKs and load factor dropped 3.6 points to 60.7%. SAS Scandinavian Airlines flew 1.6 billion RPKs, down 15.3%, against a 10.1% fall in capacity to 2.62 billion ASKs. Load factor declined 3.8 points to 61.3%. Finnair flew 1.96 billion RPKs in January, a 6.3% increase from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 0.3% to 2.52 billion ASKs and load factor was up 4.4 points to 77.8%.
Air France's first A380, powered by Engine Alliance GP7200s, completed its inaugural test flight last Thursday, the engine-maker announced. Four-hr. flight was followed by Monday's journey to Hamburg, where it will undergo painting and interior customization ahead of October delivery. AF has 12 A380s on order.
Shenzhen Airlines reported CNY26 million ($3.8 million) in net earnings in 2008, its 15th consecutive full-year profit. It earned CNY640 million in 2007. The carrier credited "effective cost control" for the result, which contrasts with heavy losses reported by other Chinese carriers. Last year it reduced operating expenses by CNY714 million. Industry analysts suggested that a lack of fuel hedges contributed to its success. China Eastern Airlines and Air China suffered losses of CNY6.2 billion and CNY6.8 billion respectively resulting from Dec.
Sharjah-based LCC Air Arabia concluded a "landmark" 2008 with a AED509.7 million ($138.7 million) profit, up 35.6% from the AED376 million reported in 2007.
AAR Corp. announced an agreement with US FAA that "terminates" the agency's emergency order of suspension that forced the company to shut down its Miami landing gear facility ( ATWOnline, Feb. 12). AAR Landing Gear Services "agreed to a variety of revisions to its maintenance procedures and manuals, enhanced training," and will revise its method of documentation for maintenance performed, AAR said. Operations will restart "no later than Feb.
Lufthansa will operate five-times-weekly Frankfurt-Rzeszow service starting April 27 aboard a Lufthansa CityLine CRJ700. Alaska Airlines will launch daily Seattle-Austin service on Aug. 3 and thrice-weekly Portland, Ore.-Maui flights on Aug. 7 aboard 737-800s. In addition, seasonal Anchorage-Maui will become year-round. Kingfisher Airlines yesterday launched four-times-weekly Mumbai-Solapur service aboard a Kingfisher Red ATR turboprop.
Swissport International signed a three-year cooperation agreement with Lufthansa Cargo to provide freight handling services at Amsterdam for LC partner carriers including Jade Cargo (an LC and Shenzhen Airlines joint venture). Operations are slated to begin March 1.
The US National Transportation Safety Board said that its investigation into last week's fatal Colgan Air/Continental Connection Q400 crash has yet to uncover a mechanical failure and is focused on determining the severity of the icing on the aircraft.
Qantas will take delivery of its fourth A380 in late May and announced the following increases in A380 services: Thrice-weekly Sydney-London Heathrow will become five-times-weekly on June 7 and a fourth weekly Sydney-Los Angeles flight will launch on June 9. QF expects to take delivery of four A380s this year.
Qantas Group will restructure its New Zealand and China networks as it strives to remain profitable, and CEO Alan Joyce denied speculation that the moves are a portent of things to come on its Australian operations.
Republic Airways Holdings, parent of Chautauqua Airlines, Republic Airlines and Shuttle America, reported an $84.6 million profit in 2008, up 2.2% from the $82.8 million earned the prior year. Revenue rose 14.5% year-over-year to $1.48 billion against a 15.3% increase in expenses to $1.06 billion. Operating profit of $255.1 million was 10.8% greater than the $230.3 million reported in 2007.
Assn. of European Airlines' 32 members transported 355.7 million passengers in 2008, a 1.5% decrease from 2007. Traffic measured in RPKs rose 1.2% to 791.78 billion against a 3% climb in capacity to 1.04 trillion ASKs. Load factor was down 1.3 points to 76%. AEA Secretary General Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus said, "We have seen figures as weak as these on only three occasions in the last 25 years," comparing the current downturn to the impact of the Chernobyl accident and bombing of Libya in 1986, the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and 9/11.
Singapore Airlines management announced an additional capacity cut and said it has met with three staff unions to discuss its plans for "mitigating the impact of the global economic downturn." In a statement released Monday, the airline said that falling advance bookings prompted it to reduce capacity in the fiscal year beginning April 1 by 11% year-over-year. SIA will ground 17 aircraft, 13 more than previously planned. It originally planned to convert one aircraft into a freighter and return three others to lessors.
Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines announced reciprocal lounge access and baggage check-through. The carriers said a codeshare agreement covering "large parts" of their networks "is also envisaged," in addition to the pooling of LH, SN and Swiss International Air Lines loyalty programs ( ATWOnline, Jan. 27).
Rolls-Royce delivered 987 commercial aviation engines last year, up 16% year-over-year and the highest total since 2001. Civil aerospace revenue rose 11% to £4.5 billion ($6.43 billion) and the value of Rolls' order book climbed 21% to £43.5 billion. The division reported an underlying profit before financing of £566 million, up 0.4% from the prior year. The group's full-year net loss was £1.35 billion, reversed from a profit of £600 million in 2007. Financing costs and foreign exchange losses were the principal culprits.
BA CityFlyer BAe 146 skidded on landing late Friday at London City following collapse of the nose gear. Flight from Amsterdam was carrying 67 passengers and five crew and "one passenger sustained a minor injury" and was hospitalized, according to a British Airways statement cited by the BBC. Passengers were evacuated via emergency slides.
Alaska Airlines flew 1.35 billion RPMs in January, down 4.7% year-over-year. Capacity fell 8.4% to 1.88 billion ASMs and load factor rose 2.9 points to 71.7%. Republic Airways Holdings airlines flew 691.9 million RPMs in January, down 2.6% year-over-year, against a 1.7% climb in capacity to 1.1 billion ASMs. Load factor dropped 2.8 points to 62.8%. Allegiant Air flew 320.6 million system RPMs in January, up 5.4% year-over-year. Capacity fell 2.6% to 373.6 million ASMs and load factor rose 6.5 points to 85.8%.
Swissport joined Greece's Marfin Investment Group in submitting a binding bid for pieces of Olympic Airlines ( ATWOnline, Feb. 11). Development Minister Costis Hatzidakis said Marfin bid €45.7 million ($58.8 million) for OA's flying operation and €16.7 million for its maintenance unit while Swissport offered €44.8 million for OA's grand handling operation.
Stating that results for the fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31 reflect "the increasing severity of the economic downturn," Air France KLM reported a €505 million ($649.4 million) net loss compared to a €139 million profit in the year-ago period. The substantial deficit was created in part by major nonoperating losses, including a €288 million writedown on the fair value of its fuel hedges and a €103 million loss on currency fluctuations.
Oxford Aviation Academy reached a five-year deal with Jet2.com covering full flight simulator provision and ab initio training. Agreement calls for OAA to relocate a 737 FFS to its Manchester Training Center at Woodford where operations are scheduled to begin in August. Jet2.com agreed to source future cadet pilots from Oxford's training program.
