Aeroports de Montreal (ADM) and Winnipeg Airports Authority (WAA) have both raised their airport improvement fees by $5, to $20, effective January 2008. Montreal-Trudeau Airport, which has not increased fees since July 2001, and will use the funds to finance investments in its facility.
Airlines and passengers would face increased costs at Philadelphia International Airport if a "privilege" fee being imposed by the township of Tinicum, Pa., is allowed to stay in place, IATA says. Besides being unlawful, the fee does not add infrastructure or contribute to safety and operational efficiency at the airport, it adds.
Foreign exchange specialist Travelex is developing a currency to be used anywhere in the world, literally. With companies such as Virgin Galactic gearing up for space travel, Travelex teamed with scientists to create the Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination (QUID)-- made from a polymer. One quid is now worth about $12.50.
Hawaiian's CEO says the carrier might consider keeping its expanded inter-island schedule intact if the carrier succeeds in convincing a court to support its motion to bar Go from selling tickets for a year.
BAA Ltd. will remain on CreditWatch with negative implications after the U.K. Competition Commission proposed price controls at Heathrow and Gatwick airports, said debt watcher Standard & Poor's. The airports operator has a 'BBB+' long-term corporate credit rating.
Air Line Pilots Association union leaders at US Airways tell members that the closing of the Pittsburgh flight crew base is a violation of the Transition Agreement that was signed in 2005 after the America West/US Airways merger. The leaders are requiring that ALPA International file a dispute.
The 179 ICAO member countries agreed wholly on the need to address aviation's effects on the environment, but they disagreed in some ways on how to go about finding a solution to this problem, Jeffrey Shane, U.S. Transportation Dept. undersecretary for policy, said last week.
Implementing the amendments tabled by the European Parliament's Environment Committee will increase the cost of emissions trading to the airline industry "by more than 400%" compared with the European Commission's original proposal, claims the European Regions Airline Association (ERA).
Jacksonville Aviation Authority said its preferred traveler screening program is now online and fully interoperable with other TSA-approved Registered Traveler programs.
The European Parliament is expected to approve the upcoming European Union-U.S. aviation accord in a plenary session Oct. 11. The House should confirm that further liberalization of the U.S. market needs to be achieved in a second-stage agreement, beyond the current accord that will apply from March 30, 2008. The EU Parliament's rapporteur on the issue, Belgian socialist Said El Khadraoui, said he will seek "a more systematic dialogue and exchange of information directly" with the U.S.
Northwest's Atlantic system stood out as the bright spot in a month where overall traffic showed little improvement from the previous year, figures released Oct. 3 show. Consolidated traffic grew 1.1% on 1.7% less capacity in September, resulting in a 2.3-point improvement in consolidated load factor to 83.7% when compared with the same month in 2006. In the Atlantic system, traffic jumped 11.2% on 12.8% more capacity. Loads in the system, however, were down 1.3 points to 88.8%.
Venezuela's state-owned Conviasa recently inaugurated once a week service between Margarita Island in Eastern Venezuela to Dominica with a stop over in St. Vincent in the Grenadines, using 46-passenger ATR-42s. Conviasa since February has been operating a joint weekly flight with Iran Air on the Teheran/Montevideo/Caracas route with 287-seat airliners. [email protected]
Czech Airlines last week week named five new Airbus A320 family aircraft that joined its fleet this year: Krkonose, Beskydy, Jeseniky, Vysocina and Sumava. All are named for mountain ranges in the Czech Republic. The aircraft are part of a 2004 order for six A320s and six A319s (DAILY, Oct. 18, 2004). Eight of the aircraft are already with the carrier, while the remaining four will be delivered next year. The airline last month exercised options for eight more A319s, which will be delivered in 2011-2012 (DAILY, Sept. 14).
Auckland International Airport has broken ground on its A$32 million (US$28.4 million) second runway. Located north of and parallel to the existing runway, the new runway is being built in stages. Stage one - 1,200 meters - will be ready in time for the Rugby World Cup in early 2011. The runway will eventually be 2,150 meters.
Regional Airline Association President Roger Cohen says the association is going through a major overhaul of its Web site for an early 2008 debut. He notes it will be easier for RAA members, the government and media to access real-time, instant information. Another focus for the organization next year is stepping up its advocacy on security issues.
The European Commission is encouraged by the U.S. 9/11 Act's provision for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) program, but it still holds out hope that visa privileges offered by an ETA will be extended to all 27 member states, a European Union official tells The DAILY. The EC applauds a U.S. ETA and is thought to be considering its own program. But the EC has some reservations toward a U.S. ETA, an EC official in Washington said.
Falling fourth-quarter profits for some U.S. carriers appear more likely as $80-per-barrel oil estimates continue to stick, leaving few options for carriers without strong hedging positions or the ability to offset costs with higher fares. Standard & Poor's recently warned that U.S. airlines' ability to use fare hikes to compensate for fuel prices has started to deteriorate, since the economic boom that fueled demand is starting to wane (DAILY, Oct. 4).
