US FAA yesterday proposed extending the requirement that the US's 75 largest airports make enhancements to taxiway centerline markings to all 567 certificated airports as part of its ongoing effort to mitigate the risk of runway incursions.
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly told Bloomberg News that the airline will cut its 2008 capacity increase to 4%-5%, compared to 7.5% last year, and that it must realize $1 billion in new annual revenue before it increases its growth rate. The airline has, however, identified several possibilities for new revenue growth, such as marketing seats on ATA Airlines flights to Mexico and selling vacation packages on Southwest's website, Kelly told Bloomberg. "There is a $1 billion-plus potential there.
IATA blasted the Brazilian government's proposal to raise per-hr. aircraft parking fees at Sao Paulo Guarulhos significantly, asserting that the hike could cost international airlines operating there as much as $90 million per year and likely violates bilateral aviation accords. It is not uncommon for aircraft operated by international carriers to land at GRU early in the day and remain parked before departing again that night.
GA Telesis finalized its acquisition of AMT and its 19,812-sq.-m. MRO facility at Tucson International. Maintaining its AS9100 accreditation, AMT will be re-branded as GA Telesis Component Repair Group Southwest in the coming months.
Air India will launch daily Delhi-New York JFK service Feb. 8 aboard a 777-200LR. It took delivery of its fourth aircraft of the type on Jan. 2. It is equipped with eight seats in first class, 35 in business and 195 in economy. AI already serves JFK from Mumbai. It will take a sixth -200LR next month and the remaining three it has on order in mid-2009.
Austrian Airlines Group appointed Walter Reimann to the position of VP-international and aeropolitical affairs and alliances. He succeeds new COO Peter Malanik.
Rolls-Royce sold Trent 700s to Thai Airways for its fleet of eight new A330-300s scheduled to begin delivery in 2009. The engines are worth approximately $300 million at list prices, Rolls said. Contract also includes a 10-year TotalCare services agreement.
Pinnacle Airlines filed suit in US District Court against the Air Line Pilots Assn. charging the union that represents the carrier's pilots with "bad faith bargaining" in contract talks that date back to 2005. Pinnacle operates as a Northwest Airlink and Delta Connection carrier. An ALPA spokesperson told ATWOnline that the suit was "unprecedented," adding, "The lawyer who will handle the case can't remember when we were sued for failing to bargain in good faith."
Lufthansa Systems reached agreement with Turkish Airlines to implement its codeshare management solution SchedConnect featuring agreements in real time, flight synchronization technology and network expansion. Product launch is expected this quarter.
Clickair carried 4.5 million passengers in 2007, in line with its business plan, but full-year revenue came in lower than forecast, CEO Alex Cruz told ATWOnline while also confirming the LCC will scale down its planned fleet expansion this year.
Encomium Media, founded recently by former OAG VP Duncan Alexander, launched services for Athens International. Company offers consulting, public relations, marketing and research expertise.
China Eastern Airlines Chairman Li Fenghua insisted yesterday that the carrier's plan to sell a 25% stake to Singapore Airlines and its parent Temasek was not dead even after more than 77% of CEA's minority shareholders voted against the deal, effectively killing it.
EasyJet yesterday launched thrice-weekly Liverpool-Innsbruck service. The LCC transported 2.9 million passengers last month, up 9.9% from December 2006. Load factor fell 2.2 points to 78.9%.
Frontier Airlines will report a pre-tax loss for the third fiscal quarter ended Dec. 31, 2007, President and CEO Sean Menke said. A $0.78-$0.88 per share loss excluding special items, larger than forecast, was caused by "higher-than-expected operating expenses" related to winter weather in Denver and the Midwest late last month and "weaker-than-expected performance in some sun destination markets," he said. December yield rose 1.5% year-over-year to 11.55 cents and passenger RASM climbed 8.1% to 8.39 cents.
John Keells Computer Services unveiled its eCheck-in Suite technology aimed at streamlining the passenger check-in and boarding pass process. Features include BCBP capabilities and check-in via mobile phones, PDAs and other Web-based tools.
Standard Aero announced completion of a $1.6 million transformation project at its PT6A MRO facility in Winnipeg. Enhancements are expected to boost overhaul capacity and accelerate turn times.
British Airways flew 9.08 billion RPKs in December, up 1% from the year-ago month, against a 2% rise in ASKs to 12.35 billion. Load factor slipped 0.7 point to 73.5%. Northwest Airlines flew 6.27 billion consolidated RPMs in December, a 1.7% drop from the year-ago month. Capacity declined 2.2% to 7.72 billion ASMs, lifting load factor 0.5 point to 81.2%.
Rockwell Collins was contracted by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to provide primary flight control computers, pilot controls and the horizontal stabilizer trim system for the MRJ.
China National Aviation Holding Co. and Air China announced yesterday that CNAC will make its own bid for China Eastern Airlines in two weeks if the latter's stake sale to Singapore Airlines is vetoed by shareholders at a meeting scheduled for today.
Finnair shut down Estonian subsidiary Aero Airlines Sunday as part of its strategy to concentrate on its mainline business and development of its Asian route network. The closure also ends its propeller aircraft era, as the ATR 72s owned by Finnair Aircraft Finance and operated by Aero have been sold ( ATWOnline, Jan. 7). Finnair took control of Aero in 2001, hoping to develop a cost-effective model for a regional operator while increasing its market share in the Baltic.
UPS is launching a "simplified global portfolio for shipping airfreight" that appears to leverage the company's position as both a cargo airline and a freight forwarder. In recent years, UPS has built up its express delivery airline operation and its supply chain management business significantly, attempting to become a wide-ranging service provider for all forms of time-sensitive cargo transport.
News from Travel Technology Update: Social networking was undoubtedly the hot trend of the year, at least according to the people who plan travel industry conference agendas. The travel industry is still grappling with how to monetize the huge and amorphous phenomenon. "Two-thirds of online customers use social media," Cindy Estis Green, managing partner of the Estis Group, said.
US Aerospace Industries Assn. elected Rockwell Collins Chairman, President and CEO Clayton Jones as its 2008 chairman, succeeding Raytheon Chairman, President and CEO William Swanson, who held the post last year.
