Southwest Airlines , Dallas, promoted Bob Jordan to executive VP and chief commercial officer; Jeff Lamb to executive VP administration and chief people and administrative officer; and Ellen Torbert to VP of diversity and inclusion.
United Continental Holdings has unveiled a new structure for its revamped MileagePlus frequent flyer program, which integrates members from Continental Airlines’ OnePass with United Airlines’ FFP. The new program adds a new qualifying level to the old MileagePlus, and provides more rewards and incentives as the eligibility levels rise. The airline also introduces a new lifetime benefits program and adopts an auction site employed by Onepass.
Airbus is close to acquiring a 51% stake in PFW Aerospace, a German supplier that is facing increasing financial difficulties due to delays in two major aircraft programs in which it participates—the A350XWB and the Boeing 787. According to Airbus, the decision was made to ensure a continued supply of parts for Airbus programs and avoid an imminent liquidity crisis. The company is a specialized producer of aircraft parts, such as pipes and tanks. It was owned by Airbus until 2001, when it was sold to private equity investor Safeguard International.
The FBI and three other law enforcement agencies conducted searches at six locations Wednesday at the San Bernadino International Airport, which has been under fire by a county grand jury alleging mismanagement and poor oversight. In addition to the six airport sites, a search was carried out at a residence, according to FBI spokesman Laura Eimiller.
Sun Country Airlines, which emerged from bankruptcy protection in February, made a $9 million operating profit in the first quarter, according to financial data released this week by the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT). The data from the DOT also show the carrier made an $11.9 million net profit for the quarter. Its parent company at the time, MN Holdings, sold it in July to Cambria Holdings, a private company owned by the Davis family of St. Peter, Minn., for $34 million.
The largest Boeing 787 system suppliers say they laid out aftermarket support programs years ago and are ready for aircraft operations to launch. In fact, “We’re better prepared for the 787 entry into service than I think we have been for any prior airplane,” says Brad Weyer, senior director of Boeing programs at Rockwell Collins.
American Airlines has confirmed its third-quarter consolidated unit revenue is expected to grow 7.8-8.8%, several percentage points higher than in the previous quarter. Full-year unit cost guidance, however, is up slightly on the carrier’s previous forecast, which was released in June, despite a small reduction in domestic and international capacity; higher fuel costs appear to be to blame.
London Heathrow Airport, while still a vital aviation hub, could lose its leadership position in Europe if capacity constraints remain in place, concludes a report by Frontier Economics, funded by BAA owner Ferrovial.
Ameco Beijing, a joint venture of Lufthansa and Air China, plans to add Airbus A320 heavy checks to its offerings. This is being done because the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company supports Air China, says Ameco Beijing Marketing Director Mao Shilei, referring to the fact that Air China is an A320 operator. The Beijing MRO traditionally has focused on Boeing aircraft, in particular widebodies. But it also performs some lower-level C checks on Airbus A330 widebodies. Mao says it also plans to do heavier checks on A330s.
The White House is proposing new, tougher lobbying rules that might outlaw government employees from attending trade shows for free. Taking office in 2009 on the heels of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, President Obama restricted gifts from lobbyists to political appointees. The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) from the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) extends those restrictions to all federal employees and tightens the definitions of what events they can attend on a lobbyist’s dime.
China is ready to break the Western monopoly over its domestic full-flight simulators after the certification of its first two high-standard simulators, developed by Avic’s Blue Sky Aviation Technology Co. Ltd, and Rockwell Collins Simulation and Training Solutions. The two simulators, one each for Xi'an Aircraft International Corp.'s MA60 and MA600 turboprop regional airliners, have been classified “Level C” by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), (specifically CAAC CCAR-60) and are upgradeable to the highest “Level D” with a data package.
ICAO is creating a framework for air traffic management modernization that is expected to help countries develop ATM roadmaps and ensure they are globally aligned. The approach is being rolled out to state and industry representatives at the ICAO Global Air Navigation Industry Symposium (Ganis) this week in Montreal. ICAO hopes to gain feedback at Ganis, which will help the organization refine the concept in the run-up to its 12th Air Navigation Conference in November 2012.
Ever since a wave of mergers greatly reduced the number of prime contractors in aerospace and defense between 1992 and 2003, prevailing wisdom has held that the industry’s top-tier companies have grown large enough. Now one of those giants, United Technologies Corp. (UTC), is challenging that assumption by striking an $18.4 billion agreement to acquire Goodrich Corp.
Reeling from launch customer Cargolux’s sudden demand for a renegotiation of its 747-8 agreement, Boeing learned that another of the new freighter’s customers was cancelling a quarter of its orders. Atlas Air told Boeing on Sept. 16—the day Cargolux was to take the first freighter delivery—that “lengthy delays in delivery” and “performance considerations” prompted it to cancel the first three of the 12 orders it placed in September 2006.
Air Berlin will reduce its fleet by 18 aircraft next summer in an effort to achieve financial turnaround. On Wednesday, new CEO Hartmut Mehdorn presented details of the “shape and size” restructuring plan, which aims to improve results by €200 million ($274 million) annually. Mehdorn succeeded long-standing CEO Joachim Hunold in September. Hunold stepped down days earlier.
The U.S. Transportation Department, without fanfare, implemented one of the recommendations of the Future of Aviation Advisory Committee by hosting its first semi-annual Aviation Industry Workforce/Management Conference on Sept. 21. It remains to be seen what will be gained from the meeting, which lasted three hours and included representatives from the Air Line Pilots Association, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, National Mediation Board, Republic Airways, Southwest Airlines and Transportation Workers Union.
Introducing the Aero 100 Airfare Benchmark Index Designed for anyone with risk on the future level of airfares – for example Airlines, Banks/Credit Card Companies, Corporate Travel Managers, etc. The Aero 100 Airfare Benchmark Index tracks daily airfares within the domestic airline market. The Aero 100 delivers financial risk mitigation and protection against constant fluctuation of airline ticket prices by providing the price settling mechanism for Commodity Futures Contracts.
Air cargo operations supported by state-of-the-art facilities began Tuesday from Ojhar Airport near the industrial city of Nasik in India’s western state of Maharashtra. The first services are being offered by a joint venture between Halcon—a joint working group of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and Container Corp. of India—and Clarion Solutions, which is part of shipping and logistics conglomerate Transworld Group.
Qantas Airways is facing fresh strike headaches as two of its major unions warn of escalating industrial action that could disrupt the airline’s operations. The carrier’s baggage handlers conducted a four-hour nationwide strike on Sept. 20, causing 28 flight cancellations and about the same number of delays. Although they have not yet given official notice, union leaders have told reporters that further action is likely as early as next week.
The Air Transport Association has doubled its forecast for capacity cuts by U.S. airlines in the fourth quarter, reflecting the continuing grim macroeconomic outlook, analysts say. Based on carriers' reported schedules, the association predicted last month that U.S. carriers' fourth-quarter capacity would be 0.5% lower than in the same 2010 period. But the group revised its forecast. Again, based on scheduled available seat miles for the fourth quarter, capacity could be 1% lower than in the same period in 2010.
Brazilian carrier GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes’ bid to acquire domestic operator Webjet Linhas Aereas has been approved by the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC). The approval is a major step in GOL’s attempt to strengthen its position against rival Grupo TAM, which continues its merger process with Chile’s LAN Airlines. However, GOL’s acquisition still requires approval from Brazil’s competition authority, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), which also is considering TAM’s consolidation program.
