JetBlue Airways yesterday launched thrice-weekly flights between New York JFK and Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. The airline plans to add a fourth daily flight on the route July 15.
EasyJet's after-tax loss worsened to £22.3 million ($40.7 million) in the six months ended March 31 from a £19.7 million net loss in the year-ago period. The carrier, which traditionally reports a loss in the first half owing to seasonal factors, said its net loss was reduced by a tax credit of £8.9 million but its fuel bill was £18 million higher than last year. In contrast to Europe's full-service carriers, the London Luton-based LCC has not implemented a fuel surcharge.
Malev has taken the first step toward joining oneworld by signing an MOU with the alliance that provides "a framework for continued discussions" aimed at inviting the Hungarian carrier to become a full member in 2006, oneworld said yesterday. The agreement is subject to Malev's meeting a number of requirements, including confirmation that it can comply with the full service delivery specifications of the alliance, full quality and safety audits, and delivery of its new business plan.
A380, which completed its ninth test flight over the weekend, has exceeded its fuel burn goals, Airbus sources told ATWOnline. While coy on confirming the results, a spokesperson told this website that the aircraft is having a near-perfect flight test program. During the flights, some of which have lasted 8 hr., the A380 has been flown to an altitude of 43,000 ft. and at speeds up to Mach 0.89.
On the strength of last week's order for five units plus three options from Air France ( ATWOnline, May 20), Boeing yesterday formally launched the 777 Freighter proposed last fall. It is based on the 777-200LR, which currently is undergoing certification testing for EIS next year. The first 777F will be delivered to AF in the fourth quarter of 2008. It "will fly farther than any other freighter and will provide more capacity than any other twin-engine freighter," said Lars Andersen, VP and program manager.
SAS has begun offering wireless high-speed Internet access on all of its intercontinental flights. The airline has installed SAS Net Access service, provided by Connexion by Boeing, on all A340-300s and A330-300s it operates to the US and Asia. The service can be accessed from all 261 seats in business, Economy Flex and economy classes.
Northwest Airlines wants to lay off 2,840 of its 5,294 mechanics and related workers under a new contract proposal designed to achieve $176.2 million in annual savings, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assn. said in a message to members on its website. According to the union, the airline's latest proposal also calls for pay cuts ranging from 25.7% to 26.1% and reductions in benefits for the remaining 2,454 AMFA-represented employees.
Island Air, which operates a fleet of eight Dash 8s, is replacing three of them with a 70-seat Q400. Delivery will take place in November. The carrier formerly known as Aloha IslandAir has been undergoing a restructuring over the past year, said President and CEO Robert Mauracher. Island Air operates as a codeshare partner with Hawaiian Airlines and recently added Continental Airlines (see above).
Air China Ltd. and Cathay Pacific Airways signed an MOU to "promote sales and marketing initiatives" between the two airlines, including a new codesharing arrangement. Under the MOU, Air China will codeshare on two Cathay Pacific services from Beijing to Hong Kong, one of which operates daily and the other three times a week. Cathay Pacific in turn will add its code to three of the daily Air China services to and from Beijing. Codeshare flights should begin in the fourth quarter, the airlines said. The partnership will include reciprocal frequent- flier benefits.
Cebu Pacific initiated its fleet renewal program by taking delivery of its first A320, which is on lease from CIT Aerospace. A second leased aircraft will arrive in June. The airline also will begin taking delivery of the 12 A319s it purchased in September. The new fleet will replace its existing 12 DC-9s and three 757s.
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings released its preliminary unaudited estimates for the three months ended March 31 and also provided guidance for the current second quarter. The company cautioned that owing to the fact that it emerged from Chapter 11 in July 2004 and at that point applied the provisions of fresh-start accounting, year-over-year comparisons are difficult.
Alitalia Express contracted Saab Aviocomp to provide component service for its ERJ-145s. The agreement includes the entire component repair and overhaul services covered by the capability of Saab Aviocomp and related engineering support. Alitalia Express operates a fleet of 14 ERJ-145s, 15 ATR 42s/72s and six Embraer 170s on a domestic and international network.
Arconics Aviation, a Dublin-based software developer, yesterday in Seattle announced the launch of its Manual Manager 1.0 graphical aviation document management package. The system automatically compares revisions in numerous manuals and operating procedure documents and either transmits the differences for automatic updating or presents them for a human editing process. The system is especially adept at simplifying the SGML updates issued by Airbus and Boeing, Arconics CEO Niall O'Sullivan told ATWOnline, and also will facilitate updating electronic flight bags.
AirTran Airways flight attendants, represented by the Assn. of Flight Attendants, overwhelmingly ratified a new collective bargaining agreement reached in April. Terms of the 42-month accord were not released, but the carrier said it includes improved compensation and benefits.
Boeing and Air France reached an agreement to turn three 747-400 Combis into full freighters as part of the 747-400 Special Freighter program. According to Boeing, AF is the first carrier to announce plans to convert its former Combi aircraft, which are currently in all-passenger configuration. For the conversions ordered by AF, Boeing said the aircraft will receive a strengthened main-cabin floor, a full main-deck lining and provisions for a new cargo handling system with an upgraded flightdeck. AF expects to receive its first modified aircraft in June 2007.
US Bankruptcy Court Judge Eugene Wedoff late last week refused to rule on United Airlines' motion to abrogate contracts covering the carrier's International Assn. of Machinists-represented workers, deferring his decision until May 31. Wedoff urged the two sides to return to the bargaining table and negotiate a new deal.
Continental Airlines' new codesharing agreement with Island Air will begin this fall. Under the deal, Continental will place its code on Island Air flights from Honolulu to Kahului, Kapalua West-Maui, Kona, Hilo, Lihue, Lanai and Molokai.
The lack of a successor for CEO Noel Forgeard, who is earmarked to move up to the position of co-CEO of parent company EADS, is starting to create a sense of unease at Airbus. "We need a compass," Executive VP-Operations Gerard Blanc said at the end of a two-day Technical Press Briefing held last week in Toulouse. "We need a new heading. We have a strong management team, we know that. We also know we're changing our heading; however, we don't know how."
Bmi is introducing at London Heathrow what it calls "Europe's first modular airline service," which will see the carrier switch to a single-class service with paid-for catering onboard and e-enabled ground services. Simultaneously, bmi will launch three fare types--tiny, standard and premium--giving three levels of flexibility and service.
Gulf Air and Middle East Airlines finalized a codeshare agreement reached last month. The accord, which will go into effect June 1, will allow Gulf Air to place its code on Middle East Airlines flights between Abu Dhabi and Beirut.
Hawaiian Airlines last week received US Bankruptcy Court approval of its reorganization plan and as a result plans to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on June 1.
Swiss International Air Lines, which is due to be integrated into Lufthansa ( ATWOnline, March 23), reported a CHF44 million ($36 million) net loss for the first quarter ended March 31, an improvement over a CHF78 million net loss in the prior-year period.
Air Bosna, a state-owned carrier from the Balkan region, plans to resume flights next month after clinching a financing deal with Hypo Alpe Adria Bank in Austria. According to several media outlets in Austria, Air Bosna, which went bankrupt with a debt of around $13 million nearly two years ago, will be renamed BH Airlines and restart services to Switzerland, Turkey and Germany using two leased 66-seat ATR 72s. More destinations will follow.
