Nigerian carrier Arik Air has signed a deal with Boeing that will launch the new carrier's widebody fleet. Boeing last week announced that Arik has ordered three 787-9s, two 777-200LRs, and two 777-300ERs. The orders were previously attributed to unidentified customers. Arik is the fourth African carrier to order the 787, and also the fourth to purchase the 777, Boeing said.
Named T. Jay Salmen, president of Petters Aviation, to serve as interim CEO after the resignation of Shaun Nugent. Salmen will continue as vice chairman of the board of directors.
Embraer will bear the cost of modifications being performed on JetBlue's 190s to improve reliability. Airline CEO David Neeleman says Embraer paying for the work is related to JetBlue's status as the aircraft's launch customer. Neeleman notes JetBlue has seen better results from the 190s in the past few weeks.
Airline distribution costs -- in many cases -- are being replaced with even higher credit card fees, according to a Unisys study. This unintended consequence has been hard to track as merchant fees vary by card issuer, geography and other negotiated conditions. In one example, however, a EUR5,000 (US$6,821) ticket that incurs EUR3-EUR13 in GDS fees costs an airline EUR100-EUR150 in merchant fees. Unisys cites Northwest as saying it pays twice as much credit card fees as GDS fees.
Air France-KLM and Danish shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk during the week of April 30 will begin talks about the future ownership structure of their 50/50 joint venture, Dutch leisure and freight carrier Martinair. KLM is believed to be coveting its partner's stake. Martinair CEO Arie Verberk said a number of other potential buyers are equally interested in Maersk's 50% holding, but they also want a piece of KLM's stake to constitute a majority interest -- and KLM is refusing to sell.
Congress will have to make some "difficult decisions" if it intends to sustain the essential air service program amid the ever-changing climate of the aviation industry and federal spending constraints, the Government Accountability Office told the House aviation subcommittee in testimony released on April 25.
House Transportation Ranking Member John Mica (R-Fla.) last week renewed his attacks against the Airbus A380, claiming a new government report proves that the A380 will disrupt operations at U.S. airports -- an interpretation disputed by Airbus.
Pittsburgh airport has become the latest to join a pilot program that allows registered guests at the Hyatt Hotel to visit food and retail concessions beyond the sterile security area.
Japan Air Lines plans to boost flights on some of its major China and Vietnam routes in response to strong demand in these markets, the carrier said recently. From June 2, JAL will add an extra five weekly round-trips between Tokyo Narita and Beijing, increasing the frequency on this route to 19 flights a week. Tokyo-Guangzhou flights will be boosted from 11 to 13 weekly, beginning May 31.
Airbus says it is identifying suppliers for its A350 much earlier in the design process, reflecting its new supply chain philosophy of fewer partners that offer more incorporated packages. Suppliers for electrical, air and hydraulic systems are being selected a year earlier in A350 development than in previous programs, Airbus VP-Procurement Strategy Henri Hereus said last week during a presentation at the company's Toulouse headquarters. Hereus also noted suppliers would be judged on "capacity to manage a supply chain."
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Ingrid Lee at [email protected] MAY 7 -- Greater Washington Aviation Open, GWAO, Lansdowne Resort, Leesburg, Va., [email protected] MAY 8-10 -- ATCA/FAA/NASA/JPDO Technical Symposium, Atlantic City, N.J., 703-299-2430, fax: 703-299-2437, gail.hanline@ atca.org MAY 8-10 -- 52nd Annual Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar, Tucson, Ariz., 703-739-6700, fax: 703-739-6708.
Alaska Air Group is making changes to its senior management team, shifting the roles of three executives while announcing the retirement at the end of this year of Kevin Finan, executive VP of operations. Brad Tilden, the group's CFO and executive VP of finance, has assumed responsibility for the planning, revenue management and corporate real estate departments and his title will change to executive VP of finance and planning. He also maintains his CFO title.
Interisland Hawaiian airline Go! is having an effect on regional airfares, which is one reason why four of the five largest U.S. fare decreases in the fourth quarter were at Hawaiian cities served by the carrier. Go! launched service last summer, and in fourth quarter 2006, the largest decreases in U.S. average fares were at Lihue (-21.5%), Kona (-18.6%), Kahului (-17.5%) and Honolulu (-10.8%), according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Southwest Airlines is celebrating the one-year anniversary of allowing its customers to have an open dialogue with airline employees on its blog --Nuts About Southwest -- at www.blogsouthwest.com.
Copa Airlines intends to inaugurate flights from Panama City to Washington Dulles and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on July 15. In 2006, more than 50% of the tourists who visited the Dominican Republic visited Punta Cana. Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa, says the carrier is "committed to offering more direct flights to more cities throughout the Americas." Copa will offer daily flights to Washington and two weekly flights to Punta Cana, both with 737s. -JLM
Airbus CEO Louis Gallois says there needs to be more transparency both inside Airbus and between the airframer and its "mother company" EADS. He notes it should be an absolute mandate for Airbus to overcome the national issues that complicate relations between the countries participating in the company. If it cannot do this, Gallois warns that Airbus will be a regional company rather than a global company.
Last week was a big one for Boeing in terms of aircraft sales, with the manufacturer announcing 43 new orders in the seven days through April 25. The largest order came from Air Canada, which boosted its 787 order by 23 aircraft (DAILY, April 25). Lessor Oak Hill Capital Partners ordered six 777 freighters, and SpiceJet signed a contract for 10 737-800s. Four unidentified 737 orders brought the total to 43.
Qatar Airways is promoting its first flights to the U.S. - scheduled for this summer - during this week's Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. It also is kicking off a U.S. media campaign to tout its new flights to New York Kennedy and Washington Dulles airports from Doha beginning in June and July, respectively.
Online travel consumers are booking more international and domestic trips this year, more obscure destinations are being chosen, and travelers have expanded the lead-time between booking and traveling, according to Travelocity.
