In a memo to employees, FAA Acting Administrator Robert Sturgell raised the specter of “furloughs” if Congress continues to stall on FAA reauthorization past the March 1 expiration date for interim funding.
Ryanair’s service to enable passenger use of mobile phones and personal digital assistants in flight will launch by the end of the first quarter, Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer Michael Cawley said at the Raymond James 2008 Growth Airline Conference last week. While he’s personally not a fan of inflight phone use, he predicts it will be popular with customers. “People just can’t put them [mobile phones] out of their hands, whether their texting or speaking.”
Bombardier’s regional jet business rebounded sharply in the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, recording its highest number of orders since 2001 and nearly matching its Brazilian arch-competitor, Embraer. The Canadian aircraft builder closed out the fiscal year with 140 regional jet (RJ) orders, up sharply from 49 in 2006 and 37 in 2005. Embraer posted 146 RJ orders in its fiscal year, which ended Dec. 31.
30 Years Ago Feb. 8, 1978 — Boeing Chairman T.A. Wilson said work is moving ahead that could lead to a production decision this year on a 180- to 200-passenger medium-range aircraft with seven-abreast seating. France and Germany, meanwhile, decided to proceed with R&D for the B-10 version of the Airbus A300 and on the 120- to 170-passenger aircraft project. 20 Years Ago
Allegiant Airlines will hold its first conference Feb. 5-7 for airports interested in receiving service from the Las Vegas-based carrier. Almost 150 airports and consultants have signed up for the invitation-only event.
Venezuela has not ruled out subsidizing privately owned Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela to solve its current problems (DAILY, Jan. 31) provided it submits viable restructuring plans for financial and operational recovery, including upgraded passenger services, said Ramon Vinas, president of Venezuela’s Civil Aviation Institute (INAC).
Mexico will invest $5.4 billion in the next five years to expand and upgrade the country’s airport infrastructure, Transportation Secretary Luis Tellez said last week.
Abu Dhabi, which covers 80% of the UAE, has work under way on Saadiyat Island, which is connected by bridge one kilometer from downtown Abu Dhabi and 25 kilometers from the airport, for a cultural district, including museums, a performing arts center, two university campuses and a Formula One race track, to be opened in three phases by 2018.
GOL counts four SkyTeam members among its interline partners, a fact that has fueled speculation it could be the next potential alliance candidate, but CEO Constantino de Oliveira said it’s too early to talk about one alliance. He revealed at the Raymond James 2008 Growth Airline Conference that “many of the alliances and other big international carriers are in contact with us, and we are discussing any possibilities.” If GOL did decide to join an alliance, “probably you’ll see something more clear in the next six to 10 months.”
Irish carrier Aer Lingus is already looking beyond its booking alliance with JetBlue Airways to extend the model to other U.S. operators, should the approach succeed when it goes live April 3. The partnership between the two airlines will link their online booking systems to allow customers to make reservations across the two carriers’ respective networks. The approach benefits from Aer Lingus’s physical proximity to JetBlue’s hub at New York’s Kennedy Airport. The Irish carrier is in Terminal Four, while JetBlue operates from Terminal Six.
Hard on the heels of the launch of its new Project Lauren operation, British Airways has revealed another new strategy for transatlantic service with business-only double daily flights between London City Airport and New York, using Airbus A318s.
Volaris CEO Enrique Beltranena believes consolidation in the Mexican airline industry will happen, it just won’t be typical M&A. “I don’t think there’s going to be mergers and acquisitions, but airlines joining [Rudy] Giuliani and [John] Edwards,” he said at the Raymond James 2008 Growth Airline Conference. People wouldn’t call the candidates’ campaign exits “consolidation,” but that’s exactly what it was, he explained.
VRG (VRG Linhas Aereas or Varig) this year will focus on winning over business passengers and reworking its route network and fleet to accommodate them. VRG will become more of a premium service airline, while sister carrier GOL will continue to offer low-cost, low-fare service.
ExpressJet CEO Jim Ream remains confident in the branded flying launched by the company last year, though he doesn’t rule out some rejiggering of the operation to position it for success. Industry watchers have pointed to the failure of Independence Air as an example of the troubles facing the independent operation, and recently an investor penned a letter to Ream pushing for a return to the “bread and butter” of fixed price and pro-rate flying for other carriers (DAILY, Jan. 28). Ream is not oblivious to the skepticism surrounding the product.
Japan Airlines will phase out its last 747 Classics in its coming financial year as it pushes ahead with its strategy of reducing the average size of its aircraft in preparation for greater capacity at Tokyo Haneda and Narita airports. Ten classic 747s will be withdrawn in the year from April 1, along with two 767-300s and six MD-81s. New widebodies will not fully replace the 747s either in number or seat count. The airline will introduce only eight widebodies: three 777-300ERs and five 767-300ERs.
Scientists at Germany’s Saarland University are studying the use of magnetic field detectors as a way to provide a better means of surface movement surveillance for air traffic controllers at airports.
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) FEB. 12-13 — Defense Technology and Requirements, Washington, D.C. FEB. 13-14 — ATC Demand Management, New York, N.Y. MARCH 4 — Laureates, Washington, D.C. MARCH 12-13 — Aircraft Data, Phoenix, Ariz.
Southwest says it is seeing strong demand for its new San Francisco airport flights. The flights are already achieving load factors similar to the carrier’s system average, says CEO Gary Kelly. Southwest launched SFO service in August and plans further expansion next month.
Boeing CEO Jim McNerney doesn’t believe the crisis in the credit market will make it harder for Boeing to achieve sales or production growth targets. Most Boeing sales are financed by non-capital market institutions “that have remained in pretty good shape,” he says. In capital markets, financing has seen “a risk premium built in,” and “some of the frothier deals aren’t getting done,” but even here Boeing is seeing “a bit of a loosening up.”
WHAT CAN BE DONE NOW TO MANAGE AIR TRAFFIC DEMAND? February 13 & 14, 2008 New York, NY The airline industry is finally in an upswing, and air traffic delays have become the headline news. Join us as we explore what the industry can do to alleviate congestion without compromising growth? Register and learn more www.aviationweek.com/forums/atcmain.htm or call +1.212.904.4483 or 1.800.240.7645
Brazil’s Varig, expanding its international network under control by GOL (DAILY, Jan. 29), announced Tuesday that in March it would suspend nonstops from Sao Paulo to London, Frankfurt, and Rome, a move that has already inconvenienced ticketed passengers.
China’s efforts to put the brakes on aviation growth appears to be having the desired ffect, with the latest figures showing extremely rapid but moderating growth rates. The country’s airlines carried 185.19 million passengers in 2007, 16% more than a year earlier, says the civil aviation administration.
