US Federal Communications Commission established rules for auctioning spectrum in the 800 MHz band dedicated to commercial air-to-ground telecommunication services, setting the stage for an auction early next year, according to Verizon Airfone. Assuming Verizon acquires a license, it said it expects to be able to offer inflight wireless Internet access in 2007. It has been demonstrating the first airborne system featuring third-generation CDMA technology since September 2004 and inflight trials have achieved ground-to-air peak data speeds of 2.4 Mbps.
American Airlines started interline e-ticketing with Korean Air and Turkish Airlines yesterday. Air Canada said it has cut its base commission to travel agents from 9% to 7%.
AeroMexico will launch thrice-weekly service between Mexico City and Phoenix Dec. 15. It currently connects the cities via Guadalajara and Hermosillo. Allegiant Air will begin service from Las Vegas to Santa Maria, Calif., on March 26 and from Las Vegas to Lincoln, Neb., on Feb. 1 aboard MD-80s. Qatar Airways will increase its four-times-weekly service to Manchester to five from Feb. 11 and to daily from March 26. It operates A330-200s on the route.
Austrian Airlines introduced the United Airlines Corporate Solutions system in North America for tracking and managing corporate sales and contract information and communication with customers. New Mexico-based Prism Group provides the technology for the system. Frontier Airlines is deploying a similar system also using Prism technology.
Aegean Airlines announced yesterday a firm order for eight A320s with 12 options in a move that signals the largely domestic carrier may be primed to compete for greater market share with floundering Olympic Airlines.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo ordered the Federal Ministry of Aviation's secretary and the director of planning, research and statistics to resign yesterday following Saturday's Sosoliso Airlines crash at Port Harcourt that killed 107 of 110 onboard including four occupants who survived the impact but subsequently died of injuries, according to the Aviation Safety Network. The aircraft, a 1972-era DC-9-32, crashed during a landing attempt. It was inbound from Abuja. It was the second major Nigerian air disaster in the past two months.
World Air Holdings, parent of World Airways and North American Airlines, signed a letter of intent to lease three 747-400SFs. The converted United Airlines passenger aircraft will be delivered in June 2008, November 2008 and May 2009 and will be leased for seven years. WAH President Jeff MacKinney said the company had been looking to expand its ACMI cargo operation, "where we have seen solid growth and new long-term contracts with our existing MD-11 freighter fleet."
South Korean government ordered striking Korean Air pilots back to work Sunday, ending a strike that began Thursday and resulted in the cancellation of more than 1,100 passenger and cargo flights over the four-day period ( ATWOnline, Dec. 9). The airline and the pilots, represented by the Flight Crew Union, now will negotiate an agreement with the help of a mediator. If they are unable to arrive at an accord, the government may arbitrate a settlement. FCU originally asked for a 6.5% increase in basic wages and flight pay while the company offered 2.5%.
Carriage of 8.33 kHz radio equipment above 19,500 ft. in the ICAO EUR Region will be mandatory as of March 15, 2007, Eurocontrol said. Implementation of 8.33 kHz channel spacing above FL195 is a response to the critical shortage of channels in the VHF aerial spectrum (118-137 MHz). Eurocontrol is recommending the strict enforcement of mandatory carriage in order to minimize the operational impact of handling non-8.33 kHz-equipped aircraft. From an aircraft retrofit perspective, the main impact is on Regional turboprop fleets.
Lufthansa "will look seriously at the 747-8," Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber told ATWOnline Saturday at a Star Alliance meeting in Montreal, citing in particular the decision by Boeing to offer the GEnx as the engine for the new model.
Blue1, the SAS subsidiary in Finland, will add three MD-90s, boost ASKs more than 70% and increase its destinations from 14 to 25 with the start of the summer season in March. The Star Alliance regional member will add Athens, Barcelona, Dublin, Dusseldorf, London, Madrid, Nice, Paris, Rome, Warsaw and Zurich to its network. "This heavy expansion is our response to the market need," said Stefan Wentjarvi, president and CEO. The airline said it already is the biggest operator between Finland and Scandinavia.
Austrian Airlines Group officially began the search for a new CEO to replace Vagn Soerensen, who announced that he will leave the company by September 2006. Application deadline is Jan. 9.
Delta Air Lines and its approximately 6,500 pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Assn., announced a tentative agreement Sunday, ending several contentious weeks of threats, spin and bluster from both sides. The accord, subject to union ratification by Dec. 28, suspends US Bankruptcy Court hearings on Delta's request to cancel the current contract and will be in effect until March 1, by which time a comprehensive deal must be reached.
BAA took a 75% majority controlling stake in Budapest Ferihegy Airport after outbidding Hochtief and Fraport of Germany. The deal includes a 75-year asset management contract. The Hungarian government will retain 25%.
Amadeus signed a partnership with Travel Technology Interactive to offer passenger service and distribution solutions to Regional and small international airlines. Through the accord, the partners will offer a Web-based, end-to-end customer management solution designed by TTI, plus access to Amadeus's global distribution channel and communication network.
News from Travel Technology Update: Amadeus is beginning to "unbundle" its airline pricing so that carriers can opt out of certain features they do not require. Six yield management tools are currently available on the "take it or not" basis, said Edward Ross, Amadeus' director of corporate and marketing communication.
Frontier Airlines named Christopher Collins senior VP-operations. He came from JetBlue Airways, where he was VP-system operations. TNT Express promoted Matthew McDonough to president, North American region.
China Southern Airlines signed an agreement with Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise for the lease of five new A320s. The carrier already counts 58 A320s among its fleet of 257 aircraft. The new A320s will be delivered directly from Airbus in the first half of 2006 and will be leased for 12 years each. The deal is the largest bulk placement by SALE to date. The 158-seat, two-class aircraft will be powered by IAE V2500s.
TAM Brazilian Airlines announced it selected the CFM56-5B to power 25 new A320s. The deal is worth $300 million at list prices, according to a CFMI spokesperson. TAM placed an order for 20 A320s plus 20 options at this year's Paris Air Show ( ATWOnline¸ June 17), at which time it had a backlog of 10 A320s.
Singapore Airlines' latest bid to gain access to the Australia-US route appears to have stumbled again now that Australian Prime Minister John Howard seems to be raising the "national interest" flag. The Australian reported that senior government figures said SIA's attempt to gain greater access had "largely failed."
BAA announced plans for a £2.7 billion ($4.69 billion) development project that would add a new runway at London Stansted and expand the terminal. The proposal also calls for construction of parallel taxiways and cross-taxiways to connect with the existing runway, a new passenger terminal building and a new control tower. The second phase would include parking facilities, roads and piers. Subject to approval, the new runway could be ready by 2013, giving Stansted the ability to handle up to 76 million passengers by 2030.
Japan Airlines became the first carrier to implement Boeing's Airplane Health Management system, which monitors the condition of an aircraft in flight and relays information in real time to prepared maintenance crews at the gate. JAL uses it on 747s and 777s.
Northwest Airlines reached agreements with Airbus and Pratt & Whitney for the continued delivery and financing of the 14 A330-300s and dash 200s still on order. The deal, subject to approval by the US Bankruptcy Court, calls for Airbus to finance 10 aircraft and Pratt four. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2006 and 2007. "The continued financing agreements with Airbus and Pratt & Whitney will ensure that Northwest can continue to meet customer needs by offering a wide-ranging international route system," President and CEO Doug Steenland said.
Southwest Airlines said Friday that the 737-700 that landed and veered from the runway at snowy Chicago Midway and crashed into cars at a nearby intersection, killing a six-year-old boy, was a new aircraft delivered in July 2004 and had been released from a maintenance check at its Phoenix MRO facility on Dec. 7, a day before the accident, and there was no indication of any problems. The airline said Flight 1248's captain is a 10-plus-year veteran of the carrier.
Air New Zealand expects to make a decision on whether to outsource its widebody and engine MRO activities on Dec. 19, CEO Rob Fyfe said Friday. Speaking at a Star Alliance media briefing in Montreal, Fyfe said the airline's engineering union presented a counterproposal that is being studied by management. ANZ estimates it would save NZ$25 million per year by sending the work outside at current labor rates.
