Spirit will find out this fall in a test how customers will react to paying extra (probably $5 to $10) to get into a separate, shorter check-in line. Spirit is at an earlier “conceptual” stage for another potential revenue generator: paying to get your checked bags transferred for connections, an amentity they’re dubbing “Valet Service.”
Japan’s government agreed to allot Indian carriers 20 additional slots at Tokyo’s congested Narita International Airport, beginning in March 2010, which will give Indian carriers a total of 28 slots at Tokyo. Today Indian carriers only have enough slots for the four weekly flights at Narita that Air India operates. Both sides also agreed during their talks to expand bilateral traffic entitlements from 21 services weekly to 42 services, also starting in March 2010.
Boeing has finished the long “power on” sequence of tests of the 787’s electrical systems, an essential step in its drive toward the aircraft’s first flight, expected in late October or at least by yearend.
Korean Air has firmed the first of four Boeing 777-300ER options it has held since the end of 2006. With this upgrade, Korean Air now has firm orders for 11 of Boeing’s long-range widebody variant, which will be used to replace some of the airline’s 747-400s earmarked for freighter conversion.
The Transportation Security Administration is reaching out to the traveling public to help with checkpoint security under its Passenger 2.0 initiative, said Mo McGowan, assistant administrator for security operations.
30 Years Ago June 26, 1978 - Pan Am’s $99 Boston-Amsterdam fare attracted 500 prospective travelers one day last week when the 144 seats went on sale. Load factors in both directions are now 100%. 20 Years Ago
Booking patterns on U.S. airlines are changing, with a significantly greater percentage of consumers unwilling to wait until the final weeks to buy their tickets for a flight, pricing and planning executives for several airlines said last week at a low-cost carrier conference in Coral Gables, Fla.
British Airways’ new premium-class carrier Open Skies is a long-term player that Managing Director Dale Moss believes will succeed despite high fuel prices.
Travelzoo named Senior VP-Sales Shirley Tafoya to serve as president-North America on an interim basis. C.J. Kettler stepped down from the position last week.
SkyWest is looking at international joint ventures in Mexico, Brazil and China, CEO Jerry Atkin tells a finance conference. The company is “working with a specific carrier in each of those countries” on investing in each carrier’s expansion, and one is “actually close” to becoming a reality. The total earmark would be no more than 10% of capital, or $100 million, over three years.
A letter from IATA to the CEOs of several large airports is causing waves at Airports Council International-North America, which says discussions about cost reductions at airports are best handled between individual airports and the airlines that serve them. IATA's letter asked airports for ideas on ways to "generate cost reductions and greater cost efficiency." The letter went out to more than 20 airports in North America, and similar letters were sent to the CEOs of large airports around the world.
Continental aims to raise more than $160 million from a new share issue. The sale of 11 million shares priced at $14.80 each is scheduled on June 25. Continental also set aside 1.65 million more shares to underwriter UBS Investment Bank for over-subscription. The airline is not disclosing a reason for this new issue, although the word came just hours after Continental and United unveiled an ambitious partnership plan that included several joint ventures and Continental’s departure from SkyTeam to the Star Alliance.
US Airways Senior VP, Technical Operations Hal Heule will retire from aviation after 41 years in the industry. The executive, who has worked for Pan American, Texas International Airlines, Continental and America West as well as a consultancy, will leave his position in September. “Heule will continue to serve as an adviser to US Airways until the end of the year,” noted the company in a statement.
The Institute for Policy Studies and a group called Essential Action have collaborated on a study expected to be released tomorrow that claims private jets strain the ATC system and get more tax breaks than commercial travel. The two groups suggest a luxury tax to fund FAA programs should be paid by private-jet operators, and further suggest that federal subsidies used at small airports be redirected to high-speed rail.
Florida’s Vintage Prop & Jets (VPJ), seeing an opening in the Florida-Bahamas market, will add 150 daily seats to the market with an Embraer 145 regional jet. The aircraft represents a new type for the commuter airline, which operates a fleet of Beechcraft King Airs. It also represents the first jet services for Abaco island, where the new services will operate.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Ingrid Lee at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) JUNE 25 – International Aviation Club Forum On Fuel Costs And Airline Operations, Marriott Metro Center, Washington, contact Renee Stake, 202-274-2928 JUNE 25-26 — Unmanned Aircraft System Payloads Conference, Westin Alexandria, Va., 310-563-1223, www.ttcus.com JUNE 26 — National Business Aviation Association Regional Forum, Dayton, Ohio, International Airport, 202-783-9000
Although airlines worldwide are canceling routes and postponing aircraft orders in the face of high oil prices, carriers in the Gulf region continue to see unrivaled growth, said Emirates Airline’s chief executive.
London Heathrow Airport would not get its third runway under a Conservative Party government, said party head David Cameron in an address to environmental leaders.
JetBlue is considering a buy-on-board program because its long-haul customers would like meals. But Rick Zeni, the revenue management VP, says the airline is likely to rely instead on offering customers a wider variety of pre-flight meal-purchasing options at the new Kennedy Airport terminal JetBlue is set to open this fall.
Finnair and its pilots union have called a cease-fire in their labor dispute. The two sides have agreed to a collective labor agreement that runs through November and provides a 3.9% pay raise for pilots and increased labor efficiency for the airline. Talks for a long-term agreement will resume in the fall.
It’s not all about reducing janitorial services, using fewer light bulbs and finding business card sponsors, but all of these are playing a small part in Spirit’s drive to lower its already industry-leading ex-fuel cost per available seat mile.
You can now register online for AVIATION WEEK events. Go to www.aviationweek.com/conferences or contact Lydia Janow, 212-904-3225 or 800-240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada only) SEPT. 23 — Green Aviation, Madrid, Spain SEPT. 24-25 — MRO Europe, Madrid Spain OCT. 15-16 — MRO Asia, Singapore NOV. 18-19 — Aerospace & Defense Finance, New York, N.Y.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines will order two Boeing 737-800s at a June 25 signing ceremony hosted by the U.S. Commerce Dept. in Washington, D.C. This will be the third new Boeing aircraft type procured by the carrier, which in April ordered four 777-300ERs and four 787-8s.
