Alitalia said it will cancel 74 flights (48 international, 26 domestic) today due to a one-day cabin staff strike, Reuters reported. The dispute reportedly centers on Alitalia's plans to acquire Volare.
AirAsia will make its fares available in the Galileo GDS through Galileo Flight Integrator, a Web-based service. The agreement also covers Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia. It marks the first time the Kuala Lumpur-based LCC has participated in a GDS.
Group of airline and airport trade groups called for establishment of a formal Industry Consultation Body in Europe to advise the European Commission and EU member states on security measures and "to facilitate dialogue in the development of new security measures." The associations behind the statement are Airports Council International Europe, Assn. of European Airlines, European Cockpit Assn., European Regions Airline Assn., International Air Carriers Assn. and IATA.
Connexion by Boeing signed a three-year deal with Korean Air making it the first authorized modification center for retrofit installation of the Connexion product. Korean intends to retrofit third-party aircraft. By mid-2007, all of its own mid/long-range aircraft will be equipped with Connexion. Separately, Japan Airlines will offer Connexion's four channels of live television ( ATWOnline, Jan. 12) to passengers equipped with compatible personal computers beginning Jan. 23. Programming will be available on aircraft equipped with JAL Inflight Internet Service.
Northwest Airlines yesterday asked the bankruptcy court overseeing its Chapter 11 reorganization to permit it to reject the collective bargaining agreements covering its pilot and flight attendant workforces and allow it to make changes to retiree medical benefits.
Israir Airlines received permission yesterday from the Israeli government to compete with El Al on the Tel Aviv-New York JFK route, according to media reports. El Al reportedly intends to seek a legal remedy, claiming the government promised it exclusivity. Israir currently operates charter services to JFK.
United Airlines and South African Airways, a future Star Alliance member, announced a codeshare and booking agreement covering SAA flights from Washington Dulles to Johannesburg. UA customers also will be able to connect from Johannesburg to other South African markets or onto SAA flights from London, Frankfurt and Paris to South Africa. SAA customers will be able to connect and book United flights from Washington Dulles to Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle.
A flurry of December activity, highlighted by an order for 150 A320 family aircraft from China Aviation Supply Corp., raised Airbus's 2005 sales total to 1,111 gross orders and 1,055 net orders, propelling it past Boeing in terms of new orders for a fifth consecutive year.
SAS was criticized by Sweden's Civil Aviation Authority for failing to carry out mandated inspections on 10 Airbus aircraft last year. CAA DG Nils Gunnar Billinger told Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet that "SAS has taken liberties with the safety margins. These airplanes should not have been in traffic," according to Reuters.
Worldspan and KLM signed a multiyear agreement making the carrier's complete content, including that offered through its website and reservations agents, available to Worldspan with no surcharges.
Qantas said Monday it signed a nonbinding MOU with SR Technics to establish a joint venture providing component management services for the A380. The new company will compete with Spairliners, formed last summer by Lufthansa Technik and Air France Industries ( ATWOnline, June 13). Qantas said it is filling a similar need in the Asia/Pacific region.
Middle East Airlines took the "first steps" toward joining SkyTeam, signing an MOU Monday with Air France, which will serve as its sponsor. MEA joins Air Europa, Copa Airlines, Kenya Airways and Tarom as Associate Airline candidates and is on course to become SkyTeam's first carrier from the Middle East. Rival alliance oneworld is set to admit Royal Jordanian. MEA operates a fleet of three A330-200s and six A321-200s to 26 destinations in 17 countries, expanding SkyTeam's reach to new destinations like Dhahran and Sharm el Sheikh. It is expected to meet SkyTeam standards in 2007.
Shanghai Airlines said it has entered negotiations to join Star Alliance, according to media reports citing board secretary Xu Junmin. The carrier currently codeshares with alliance members Lufthansa and ANA.
Emirates said it will launch six-times-weekly Dubai-Kolkata service from March 26 aboard A330-200s. Helios Airways added weekly flights from Larnaca to Manchester and from Paphos to London Gatwick, Manchester and Newcastle from Jan. 14. Southwest Airlines said it will add 18 roundtrip flights between New Orleans and Houston Hobby, Dallas Love Field and Orlando International from Feb. 24 to March 4 to support the rebuilding city's Mardi Gras celebration. Kingfisher Airlines will launch daily Mumbai-Mangalore service Jan. 20.
A fourth-quarter net loss of $43 million, representing a significant improvement over a $208 million loss in the year-ago quarter, allowed Continental Airlines to close 2005 just $68 million in the red and in far better shape than it was one year ago, when it posted a $409 million deficit. Still, airline executives said yesterday that when combined with crippling fuel prices and competition from both encroaching LCCs and revamped legacy carriers, the improvement was not sufficient to forecast a return to profitability anytime soon.
Embraer ended 2005 with 120 commercial aircraft deliveries comprising 46 170s, 14 175s, 12 190s, 46 ERJ-145s and two ERJ-135s. Two 190s scheduled for delivery in December were delivered in January and delivery of two 170s sold by Embraer's defense segment to a state-run airline was rescheduled to this year. The airframer delivered 141 aircraft in 2005 and held a firm order backlog, including defense and business aircraft, valued at $10.4 billion. It has firm orders for 45 members of the ERJ-145 family and 322 orders for 170/190 aircraft.
El Al will launch Miami-Tel Aviv service on March 28. American Airlines is ending service to Houston Hobby from April 3, according to the Dallas Business Journal. AA currently operates service to New York LaGuardia and Austin from HOU. Its Regional affiliates American Eagle and American Connection will continue to serve the airport with flights to Dallas/Ft. Worth and St. Louis respectively. Allegiant Airlines will increase frequencies between Bellingham, Wash., and Las Vegas from four flights weekly to six from April 5.
Emirates Airline said it will use Pacelab Cabin software to support refurbishment projects on its medium- and long-haul aircraft and to aid aircraft acquisition decisions.
International Aero Engines said Friday its contract with Mexican startup Volaris to provide V2500 engines for its order of up to 56 A319s ( ATWOnline, Jan. 13) will be worth up to $950 million if all options are exercised. The aircraft order consists of 16 firm and 40 options. Volaris also signed a long-term engine MRO agreement that includes comprehensive support and off-wing services under the recently launched V2500Select approach.
DGI Training Center introduced a training program that adheres to FAA's new SFAR 99, which covers airline personnel involved in dangerous goods transport.
San Francisco International Airport will begin limited testing of e-passports that include biometric information in an embedded chip. The test will apply to passengers who are citizens of Australia or New Zealand, Singapore Airlines crewmembers and US diplomatic officials holding e-passports and traveling to SFO, Singapore Changi or Sydney. The testing, which will run through April 15, will measure the operational impact of new equipment and software used to verify the embedded information.
Northwest Airlines pilots approved the freezing of their defined benefit pension plan by an 81.5% to 18.5% margin in voting by nearly 5,000 members of the Air Line Pilots Assn. The plan will freeze assets as of Jan. 31 and the interim 5% defined contribution will begin the following day, according to an ALPA MEC hotline. The agreement also includes new long-term disability and family member benefit programs.
