BAA needs to shorten lines, provide incentives for workers handling maintenance and cut flight delays to eliminate the “Heathrow Hassle,” according to a new report from business organization London First.
The Air Transport Action Group plans to unveil a redesign of its enviro.aero Web site in the next few weeks. It also its own YouTube account to see videos related to aviation and the environment.
US Airways’ plan to discontinue service between Philadelphia and Williamsport, Pa., after Oct. 1 could result in the latter’s addition to the U.S. Transportation Dept.’s Essential Air Service program. The loss of service would be a blow to Williamsport, which hosts the Little League World Series every August. Piedmont currently operates five-times-daily service on the route for its parent as a US Airways Express carrier. The airline uses 37-seat Dash 8s on the route.
Aer Lingus Group plc appointed Sean Coyle, most recently director of Scheduled Revenue at Ryanair Holdings plc, to serve as CFO. Coyle also will be appointed to the Aer Lingus board. He will join the company on Aug. 11.
U.S. cargo operator UPS expects second-quarter profits to dip 15% below expectations because of the adverse effects of high oil prices. The company now says earnings per diluted share for the three months to June 30 are forecast at 83 cents to 88 cents, compared with the 97 cents to $1.04 predicted for the quarter. In the same period last year, UPS recorded a $1.04 diluted earnings per share on $1.77 billion operating profit. An operating profit of $1.7 billion in the second quarter of 2006 produced diluted earnings per share of 97 cents.
Low morale among airport screeners is contributing to the unusually high screener attrition rate of 17%, the U.S. Homeland Security Dept.'s Inspector General found. The attrition rate and the number of complaints from screeners are higher than those at other similar-sized federal agencies, the IG says in a report released this week. Moreover, screeners say the existing mechanisms to address their workplace concerns are "inadequate."
The Canadian government should raise the foreign ownership cap of the country's airlines from 25% of voting equity to 49% to make the Canadian industry more competitive in the global marketplace, a report from Canada’s Competition Review Panel recommends.
Frontier, in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since April 10 and still seeking debtor-in-possession financing, said it will cut its capacity by 17% this fall and winter and reduce its Airbus fleet by seven aircraft. The airline is cutting frequencies in about 22 markets, and it said the reductions will start in August and be completed by the end of September. The only route casualty it has announced so far is Denver-Louisville, for which it will cease all service Aug. 26.
Air Contractors and the acquired Europe Airpost are being combined under a new unit, ASL Aviation Group. The organization also encompasses 3P Air Freighters and Compagnie Maritime Belge. The combined unit has a fleet of 58 aircraft. Air Contractors and Europe Airpost will retain their brands, however.
Gol won antitrust approval June 25 that will let it complete its acquisition of Varig without restrictions. Gol said the action by the Brazilian Administrative Board for Economic Defense clears the way for it to fully consolidate and integrate the passenger and cargo operations of the carriers.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency and its U.K. counterpart earlier this week signed an agreement aimed at easing travel between the two countries. Called International Expedited Traveler, the deal will integrate CBP's Global Entry program, launched in April, with the U.K. Border Agency's registered traveler program. It builds on CBP's NEXUS agreement, signed with Canada's Border Services Agency earlier this year, and on a similar deal signed with the Netherlands last month.
Changes at Lambert St. Louis Airport after the American-TWA merger can serve as a cautionary tale as carriers continue to announce large cuts in domestic capacity.
Marty St. George is the vice president of planning for JetBlue Airways. In that position, he is responsible for the carrier’s route selection, analysis, and network strategy. Before coming to JetBlue, St. George was managing director of marketing planning for United, where he led a team in developing the carrier’s premium “p.s.” transcontinental service. He has also held management positions at United and US Airways in marketing and network planning.
Taiwan’s China Airlines and EVA Airways have signed an agreement to operate weekend charter services between Taipei and Beijing for Air China. The agreement, which was formally announced on June 24, follows the Chinese government’s approval of 18 weekly cross-straits charter flights between China and Taiwan (DAILY, June 18).
Virgin America’s launch celebrations for new routes are not going to be as lavish as they have been, CFO Bob Dana said, citing the need to trim costs. The airline also is looking at usage patterns on its entertainment system with an eye to cutting the least popular free programs.
European airlines hailed the European Commission’s second legislative package aimed at relaunching the creation of a single European sky – a seamless, unified air traffic management system in Europe (DAILY, June 26). “This is a long-awaited response to problems experienced by passengers and airlines themselves,” said Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus, secretary general of the Association of European Airlines. Like the commission, airlines believe that the Single European Sky package will reduce delays and unnecessary CO2 emissions.
Southwest will start service on six new routes and end service on two under a new “optimization model” the carrier says it is using to adjust its markets and schedule. Under the model, it is eliminating 31 roundtrip flights, mostly by cutting frequencies rather than entire markets, and adding 40 new flights in “key growth cities” such as Denver and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, all on Nov. 2.
Austrian Airlines sees more than expected options in its search for a strategic partnership with another carrier, following a presentation to the supervisory board this week. As a next step, Austrian plans to evaluate several models of cooperation and wants to present further results to its board at the next meeting, in July.
The U.S. Justice Dept. rolled out more than $500 million in fines for four international airlines accused of price-fixing on cargo services, as the list of major airlines implicated in the investigation continues to grow.
House Transportation Committee leaders pulled the passenger rights provisions out of the stalled FAA reauthorization bill into a new, standalone bill introduced on Tuesday.
