The U.S. Homeland Security Dept.’s plan to collect biometric data from passengers leaving the U.S. is "deeply flawed," two House lawmakers said in a letter obtained by The DAILY.
Airline catering company Gate Gourmet has formed a joint venture with the UAE’s Western Group to develop business in the Middle East. The new company, called Gate Gourmet Middle East, will have offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The joint venture “will focus on opportunities for strategic investments and flight kitchen development in the Gulf region,” said Gate Gourmet’s parent company, gategroup, in a statement.
The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) won a vote of confidence from technical workers at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kan., who rejected a union decertification effort by 55% on June 24. “Now that we know this decertification nonsense is behind us, we can concentrate on the real problems of our members,” SPEEA Executive Director Ray Goforth said. The election was conducted by the National Labor Relations Board with 1,968 employees voting to keep SPEEA representation and 895 voting to reject it.
Just weeks after legacy carriers reverted back to Saturday-night stay restrictions, United plans to reinstate a one- to three-day minimum week-day stay requirement on almost all domestic tickets, starting Oct. 6. The carrier’s lowest fares are also set to rise by an average of $25 each way as it attempts to compensate for rising fuel costs.
Airlines and global distribution systems could earn thousands of dollars in ancillary revenues for their participation in a new government effort to move data capture surveys beyond paper and into the digital age.
Embraer has launched an online support service for operators of its commercial and business aircraft. The Web site [www.flyembraer.com] replaces an online system previously offered through AeroChain, a portal formed in 2001 to support Embraer and ATR inventory. AeroChain will now focus on supplier support, said Embraer. “This is a third generation of Embraer Internet portals, which started in 1998 with the Customer Integration System and now extends the capabilities of the former AeroChain,” noted the Brazilian airframer.
BAA CEO Colin Marshall used a speech before a conference sponsored by the Transport Times to reiterate his call for building a third runway at London Heathrow Airport.
Emirates on July 1 will launch what will become a daily nonstop service between its Dubai base and Guangzhou in southeastern China. The UAE carrier will begin with a four-weekly, Airbus A330-200 service (in a two-class 278-seat configuration) until Oct. 1, when Emirates will add a fifth flight. This will then be up-gauged on Dec. 1 to a daily service. Six of these flights will be served by a three-class 267-seat A340-300, while the seventh will use a three-class, 237-seat A330-200. -
A new traffic flow management computer network developed for FAA by Computer Sciences Corp. entered operational service June 18 and is expected to provide flow control specialists with a better view of traffic, choke points and weather.
The airline industry came down hard against the U.S. Homeland Security Dept.'s proposal to collect biometric information from foreigners leaving the U.S. In comments filed to DHS's notice of proposed rulemaking, IATA estimated the cost of U.S. Exit could reach $12.3 billion in the next 10 years, or $5.9 billion more than DHS estimated in its NPRM.
Etihad Airways is adding a third daily frequency from its Abu Dhabi hub to London, starting in October. The carrier cites growing demand on the city-pair. The carrier also recently announced it would add Minsk, Belorussia, to its network, with twice-weekly flights starting in August.
The planned takeover of Condor by Air Berlin will shortly be called off, industry sources told The DAILY. “Air Berlin can simply not afford Condor any more,” the sources said. A formal announcement could be kept until Oct. 9 when the German competition authorities plan to announce what remedies they are looking at for a potential approval.
British Airways will sell its stake in Air Mauritius, citing a return to core activities in a challenging business climate. The 10.5% stake, in British hands since 1973, is being sold for GBP3.2 million. The sale is expected to close in the coming week. The transaction is broken down into two part: BA is selling the 3.8% share it holds directly in the airline to the Mauritian government. Also, it will unload its 13.2% share in Air Mauritius Holding Co. to existing shareholders; Air Mauritius Holding controls 51% of the Air Mauritius share.
AirTran said it will begin service between Baltimore/Washington Airport and San Juan this winter with Boeing 737-700 aircraft, as part of an expansion of its service to the island that also will include more frequencies from Orlando and Atlanta. Also, the Puerto Rico government’s Tourism Company said Monday it is “very optimistic” about reaching an agreement with Spirit to add more service to San Juan.
Ryanair is asking for EUR150,000 (US$230,000) in damages from French union Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) to compensate for a four-day strike staged last May at Carcassonne Airport. The employees involved in the labor action were responsible for check-in, security and fueling.
Nordam’s Wichita plantto produce Falcon 7X cabinetsDassault has named Nordam Group to a three-year contract to build cabinets for galleys, closets, vanities and pocket doors for the Falcon 7X business jet. The initial value of the contract is $70 million. Nordam will do the work from its Wichita, Kan., facility and produce full ship sets with a total of 22 deliverables for each set. First deliveries are set for late this year. The contract continues through 2011.Michael Mecham, [email protected]
The Air Transport Association called on U.S. senators yesterday to close loopholes that allow speculation in oil and avoid "punitive" greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation measures, such as emissions trading.
The shift of the 787 fatigue-test article off the final assembly line in Everett, Wash., on June 20 opens a hole for production of the fourth flight-test aircraft to begin; but that won’t start right away because the plane is missing its mid-fuselage assembly.
Mesa Air Group received another notice from Nasdaq threatening delisting of its securities on the exchange, this time because its common stock for the past month has closed below the minimum $1.00 per share requirement. The company will have until Dec. 15 to regain compliance — its common stock must close at $1.00 per share or more for a minimum of 10 consecutive days. The is the third delisting threat Mesa has received since the start of the year.
Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) refocused congressional attention on the role of speculators in driving up oil prices yesterday by introducing a bill aimed to end "excessive" speculation.
Japan Airlines (JAL) plans to flight-test a second-generation, sustainable biofuel in cooperation with Boeing and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. Blended with conventional jet fuel, the biofuel will be tested in one of the four JT9D engines on a Boeing 747-300 during a one-hour demonstration flight scheduled late in the first quarter of 2009.
