ATA Airlines reported a 7.1-percentage-point hike in load factor for January, lifting it to 77.8%. Capacity dropped 6.9%, while traffic gained 2.4%. Enplanements fell nearly 25%.
Correction: Canadian regional Jazz Air spent C$320.5 million (US$320 million) on fuel in 2007. The Feb. 11 issue of The DAILY misstated the amount paid for fuel.
Naviair, Denmark’s air navigation service provider, has chosen Nav Canada’s Extended Computer Display System (EXCDS) for the new tower at Copenhagen Airport.
Senators late Tuesday night cleared the way for the FAA to continue collecting excise taxes at least through June to pay for the Airport and Airways Trust Fund, authority that would have expired at the end of this month if the chamber had not acted. FAA Acting Administrator Robert Sturgell had warned that without an extension, as many as 4,000 FAA employees could face furloughs. The widely expected Feb. 13 Senate action unanimously passed by voice vote a bill to extend FAA’s tax and funding authorities.
Colgan Air traffic jumped 8.1% on 0.2% less capacity in January, but the airline’s load factor dipped three points to 39.5% despite the capacity cut. The airline generated 19.5 million revenue passenger miles in the month and flew some 49.4 million available seat miles.
The U.S. Transportation Dept. has handed out the first fine of the new year, to Pacific Delight Tours, a New York-based company that the department claims violated the full-fare advertising rule by failing to include fuel surcharges in ads that appeared in The Washington Post, Travel and Leisure and other print publications. The company’s Web site did list the fee but did not include it in the base fare, per DOT regulations. Additionally, Pacific Delight also failed to adequately disclose other taxes and fees that could be listed separately, DOT said.
BMI has leased two Boeing 757-200s to expand its medium-haul capacity. The two aircraft will operate from London Heathrow and help boost service to Almaty, Kazakhstan — introducing nonstop service — and Freetown, Sierra Leone, with shorter flight times and increased frequencies. The airline will also use one of the aircraft on its route to Tel Aviv, which currently is served with an Airbus A320. The 757s will allow BMI to expand as it awaits delivery of A330s.
Pinnacle may be turning a corner in its three-year old negotiations with pilots, according to recent statements from Pinnacle Airlines Corp. President Philip Trenary. “ I would characterize the mood as positive, as positive as I’ve seen it in a long time. We’ll be back at the negotiation table Thursday and Friday and will continue to work toward getting a deal done for our pilots” (DAILY, Jan. 9).
WestJet yesterday revealed strong fourth-quarter profit gains, and said its bullish capacity growth will continue at the same pace this year. The airline saw a full-year net income of C$192.8 million (US$193.4 million) — up 68% from 2006. The fourth-quarter net profit increase was even more impressive, rising to C$75.4 million, compared with C$26.7 million in 2006. CEO Sean Durfy stressed market share growth in the domestic, cross-border, Caribbean and Mexico markets.
Some 3.9 million international visitors traveled to the U.S. in November 2007, up 17% from November 2006, and spent some $11.2 billion during the month, 21% more than in the same 2006 month. Canada visitation powered most of the gains, as arrivals were up 30% for the month and 10% for the year, reported the U.S. Commerce Dept.’s Office of Travel and Tourism Industries. Arrivals from Mexico were up 10% in November and 16% for the year to November 2007.
Air France-KLM is prepared to financially invest in a merged Delta-Northwest to strengthen its transatlantic joint venture and boost operating margins on the $12 billion in annual transatlantic business the airlines account for.
Delta’s flight attendants have become increasingly interested in union representation in recent weeks in light of U.S. airline consolidation speculation. The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) filed a petition with the National Mediation Board (NMB) for an election yesterday, saying it has garnered a “solid majority” of signatures to authorize such a vote. It started collecting signatures more than a year ago for an elecetion, but did not have the momentum needed until recently.
The European Union Court of Justice ruled against Greece yesterday for failing to timely recoup some EUR500 million (US$730 million) in illegal state aid to its flag carrier that the European Commission deemed illegal in 2005.
Pacific Wings subsidiary New Mexico Airlines is expanding its flying beyond the Essential Air Service it operates, with flights to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport in Ruidoso as well as Midland/Odessa in Texas. Flights to El Paso, Texas, will come on line March 1. The airline’s Web site also says service has been proposed to Deming, in the southwestern part of New Mexico, from El Paso.
Air Wisconsin traffic jumped 5.3% from January 2007 to January 2008, as the carrier generated 158.3 million revenue passenger miles. Available seat miles were relatively flat year over year, dipping from 256.34 million to 256.32 million. Load factor, meanwhile, improved 3.2 percentage points to 61.8%. Air Wisconsin carried 421,740 passengers on the flights it operated as US Airways Express, up 4.7% from January 2007.
Note to Readers: Because of observance of the U.S. Presidents’ Day holiday, Aviation DAILY will not publish an issue dated Monday, Feb. 18. The next issue will be dated Tuesday, Feb. 19.
Taiwan’s EVA Airways will carry ANA’s code on its Taipei-Osaka-Los Angeles flights, provided it receives regulatory approval. The code share would launch April 1, with EVA putting the “NH” code on both passenger and cargo services and blocking belly cargo space on the Osaka-Los Angeles sector only. EVA will use its Boeing 747s or 777s to operate the flights. [DOT-OST-2008-0054].
Iberia is blaming defunct international low-cost carrier Air Madrid for the decline in long-haul loads on its flights from Spain to Latin America, according to Spanish press reports.
In a surprise move, Spain’s largest airline Iberia offered to buy its biggest domestic rival Spanair yesterday. At the same time, tour operator Grupo Marsans pulled back its own offer to acquire the carrier.
Japan should take heed of lessons learned elsewhere as it considers privatizing Narita Airport, and Japan is uniquely positioned to take a leadership role in addressing aviation’s environmental issues, IATA chief Giovanni Bisignani said yesterday in Tokyo.
