The Greater Washington Aviation Open (GWAO) raised $127,000 this week for the Corporate Angel Network's program to fly cancer patients on corporate jets for free within the U.S. for treatment. The GWAO has supported the program for 19 years. Next year's open, co-hosted by Aviation Week, will be held on May 5.
Southwest's CEO Gary Kelly believes the most pertinent route for the carrier to tap international markets is through code-sharing deals, but eventually the airline should have the technology to fly its own metal in those areas if it becomes a relevant option.
ExpressJet management gives only a cautious assessment of the company's newly branded flying, noting loads reflect the thin nature of the markets the carrier has entered. Flights to ExpressJet's 24 communities and 55 city-pairs started in April, and the roll-out continues through this month.
The largest U.S. airlines encountered operational difficulties in the first quarter because of winter storms that caused overall on-time arrivals to fall to 71.4% on average, according to the U.S. Transportation Dept.'s Air Travel Consumer Report.
The European Commission is extending its investigation into Ryanair's bid on Aer Lingus until July 4 after Ryanair sent the European Union competition watchdog additional information addressing its concerns. The probe was previously extended by one month until June 13 (DAILY, Feb. 23). A decision was initially expected by May 11.
House lawmakers yesterday expressed concerns about FAA's plan to contract out the operation of a new satellite navigation system, and the slow progress of the Joint Planning and Development Office in producing plans for the next-generation ATC system.
Airlines are going after travel insurance as a new ancillary service to sell. According to Sabre Airline Solutions, having the functionality to upsell by adding insurance is "the hot request" from airlines right now. Americans spent $1.3 billion last year on travel insurance, which has tripled since Sept. 11, 2001, according to the U.S. Travel Insurance Association. Some travel agencies, in fact, make more than half of their profits from the commissions paid by insurance companies.
The Air Transport Association has informed the White House that it is adamantly opposed to a unilateral decision by the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) to force airlines to obtain biometric information on departing foreign passengers.
The Air Transport Association is preparing a new proposal on aviation funding for submission to the Senate Finance Committee, as the debate in the Senate progresses from user fees to a restructured tax system.
Germany's Fraport Group posted a healthy 32.7% hike year over year in its first quarter profit, to EUR36.5 million (US$49.4 million); revenue rose 15.1% to EUR561.2 million (US$760.2 million). Fraport's airports handled 24.5 million passengers in the first quarter, with its six wholly owned facilities -- Frankfurt, Frankfurt-Hahn, Lima, Antalya, Varna and Bourgas -- accounting for 15 million travelers
The Italian Ministry of the Economy is expected to unveil its assessment of non-binding offers for Alitalia next week, as the Italian flag carrier continues its bumpy privatization amid labor conflicts and hefty debates on economic "nationalism".
The Air Transport Association is throwing its support behind new legislation promoting coal-to-liquid fuel technology. Although the bill does not directly reference aviation uses of coal-to-liquid, ATA President James May believes this technology has promise for the airline industry. The legislation was introduced by Reps. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and John Shimkus (R-Ill.). May told The DAILY that "there is not a lot out there" in terms of alternatives to traditional aircraft fuels, and coal-to-liquid "is certainly worth investigating."
Three U.S. airlines -- Southwest, American and Delta -- recently decided to make major investments to retrofit their aircraft, so they can fly the very precise approach paths enabled by required navigation performance (RNP). The biggest of these investments will likely be made by Southwest, which has decided to upgrade its entire fleet of Boeing 737s to be RNP-capable. The airline's 272 737-700s are already equipped for RNP, and the retrofit would bring the remaining 219 aircraft up to the same standard.
Traffic at airports on Mexico's East and West coasts rebounded in April 2007, with both Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico and Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste reporting double-digit growth for the month. ASUR reported total traffic at its airports was up 18%, 21.2% domestically and 15.9% internationally. The gains were expected because the Southeast region is continuing to recover from Hurricane Wilma, which hit the area -- and regional tourism -- hard in October 2005.
Rome-based Air One said it is converting options for 50 more Airbus A320s into firm orders. The airline plans to take delivery of the aircraft until 2012. The options were part of a 2006 order for 40 A320s that are to replace its existing fleet of Boeing 737s. Air One said it is also in talks with aircraft manufacturers over an order for long-haul aircraft, as it wants to start serving long-haul routes next year. Air One is one of the three bidders for financially struggling Alitalia. -JF
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff this weekend is expected to meet with the interior ministers from the six largest European Union countries and European Commission Vice President Franco Frattini to discuss data protection and data sharing rules.
Pinnacle heads back into negotiations with pilots this month after missing a March 31 deadline to reach a deal, which led partner Northwest to warn that it would remove 15 aircraft from its fleet.
The government of Oman has pulled out of financially struggling Gulf Air. Officials revealed the move during a visit to Gulf Air's other shareholder, the government of Bahrain. Further information on the reasoning was not available immediately.
EasyJet's shares dropped by almost 8% on May 8 after the airline said its load factor deteriorated in April. Passenger numbers were up 10%, but the load factor dropped from 86.4% to 83.1%. "We continue to see pressure on yields in the summer against the high comparatives from last year and due to continued competition," CEO Andrew Harrison said. According to Harrison, April yields fell from the same period last year. EasyJet on May 9 will publish its results for the six months ended March. -JF
Austrian Airlines says it will soon be the first European airline to outfit its 767 fleet with blended winglets. The airline expects to save 1,000 tons of kerosene per aircraft per year because of improved aerodynamics, while at the same time extending the range of the aircraft by 670 kilometers. Austrian says that at certain destinations, it can increase its payload by up to five tons when using 767s with winglets. -JLM
