Cost reduction will be among Southwest Airlines’s highest priorities in 2013, with the goal of restoring the wide price advantage the airline has had over major domestic carriers historically, Chairman, President and CEO Gary C. Kelly told a capacity crowd of aviation professionals Dec. 13 at The Wings Club in New York City. “We’re still a low-cost carrier,” he said. “That is our brand and what our customers expect. But our cost advantage has narrowed mainly as a result of bankruptcies, and that is something to which we have to adapt.”
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) is likely to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) as the top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure aviation subcommittee next year. Larsen is lining up a number of focus areas that he says will “set the table” for the next FAA reauthorization bill. Larsen says he has talked to other Democratic members about committee leadership positions and is preparing for the new role. His congressional district includes Everett, Wash., the home Boeing’s major manufacturing facility.
Congressional pressure is mounting on the FAA to expand inflight use of portable electronic devices (PEDs). Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) urged acting Administrator Michael Huerta in a recent letter to allow PED use for the full duration of a flight as the FAA leads a six-month working group in reexamining current aircraft operator policies and procedures. Current regulations ban the use of PEDs below 10,000 ft.
That the very large aircraft market has its limits has long been recognized by Boeing and Airbus. But five years after entry into service of the Airbus A380 and two years after the Boeing 747-8F was first delivered, even their existing backlogs appear to be partially under threat.
Spirit Airlines is working with Airbus on a revision to A320 aircraft that would enable the low-cost carrier to add another row of wider, extra-legroom seats without lowering the plane’s seat count, CEO Ben Baldanza says. As it stands now, the airline would have to take some seats off the aircraft to make room for more of its relatively roomier Big Front Seat product, Baldanza said at the recent INVESTFlorida Equity Conference. However, Spirit is “not inclined” to do that, he said. The A320s currently have four big front seats with 36 in. of pitch.
President Barack Obama is expected to sign off on legislation exempting the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from screening checked baggage that arrives from international destinations that have security measures comparable to those of the U.S. Once law, the No-Hassle Flying Act of 2012 will allow the TSA to bypass the second screening if the bags originate from countries that have aviation security preclearance agreements with the U.S. Most of the preclearance airports are located in Canada and Ireland.
Southwest Airlines will have “200 to 300 airplanes worth of growth opportunities” from the planned and potential expansion of its service to Mexico, Canada and the northern tier of South America, says Gary Kelly, the chairman, president and CEO of the U.S. low-cost carrier.
Horizon Air has installed wide area augmentation system-enabled flight management systems into its entire fleet of Bombardier Q400 turboprops. The upgrade, which was completed on the last of 48 aircraft on Nov. 30, gives Horizon’s fleet access to specially authorized required navigation performance (RNP) 0.3 approaches as well as dual- and single-engine Category 3 instrument approaches.
Click here to view the pdf Mishandled Baggage Reports, October 2012 Total Baggage Enplaned Reports Per 1,000 Passengers Rank Airline Reports Passengers
US Airways plans to boost seasonal capacity by adding larger aircraft on certain international routes. The carrier will replace the Boeing 767s it uses on its Philadelphia-Barcelona, Spain, route with Airbus A330-200s in April through May 2013, a spokesman tells Aviation Week. From June 4 through September, it will use the larger A330-300s on the route. Also from June 4 through September, US Airways will replace 767s on its Philadelphia-Venice route with A330-200s.
Air Asia has placed an order for 100 more Airbus A320s. The order is made up of 64 A320NEOs and 36 aircraft with the currently available engines. The commitment has been part of Airbus’ November figures, where the order was listed for an unidentified customer. The deal takes Air Asia’s total firm orders to 475 units, among them 264 NEOs. A total of 109 aircraft have already been delivered. Airbus has recorded 1,579 NEO orders, including the Air Asia contract.
Uruguay’s government has approved the relaunch of national carrier Pluna by a group of the liquidated carrier’s employees, Aviation Week has learned. The transport ministry approved the employee group’s business plan earlier this week after the employees detailed to the ministry and the legislature’s transportation committee on how they would relaunch the carrier, a former employee tells Aviation Week. About 400 of Pluna’s 700 former employees have organized into this group, the source says.
Click here to view the pdf Fuel Watch: Global Jet Fuel Prices (midpoint) As of December 12, 2012, compared with previous week and previous year cts/gal prev. week prev.
Russia’s Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) has certified the Embraer 190 and Embraer 195, an approval that allows the aircraft to be operated in Russia. “This is a significant milestone in the program that now allows prospective customers in Russia to add E-Jets to their fleets,” says Embraer Commercial Aviation President and CEO Paulo Cesar Silva, adding that the company sees “tremendous potential” in the Russian market.
