To list an event, send information in calendar format to Ingrid Lee at [email protected] MAY 15 -- Wings Club 65th Anniversary and Luncheon featuring Joe Sutter, Beoing 747 Design Team Leader, Yale Club, New York, 212-867-1770, email: [email protected] MAY 15-17 -- Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association Spring Conference, Scottsdale Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort, Scottsdale, Ariz., www.raccaonline.org
Clay Jones, chairman, president and CEO of Rockwell Collins, called on government and industry officials to consider the formation of an industry consortium to develop construction plans and financing for the Next Generation ATC system.
Southwest's markets from San Francisco are pitting the carrier against Alaska Airlines, United and US Airways. The carrier is launching service in three markets -- Chicago Midway, Las Vegas and San Diego -- in August with 18 daily flights.
Despite high fuel prices Singapore Airlines posted a profit of S$2.13 billion (US$1.4 billion) for the year ended March 31, a massive 71.6% increase from the previous year. Revenue jumped 8.6% to S$14.5 billion (US$9.55 billion). The depreciation of the U.S. dollar affected revenue from third-party airline customers in ground- handling, overhaul and maintenance and other services. Expenditure increased 8.7% to S$13.18 billion (US$8.69 billion) -- of which fuel accounted for S$4.92 billion due to the 10.56% hike in the price of aviation fuel.
Appointed Dave Barger CEO, effective immediately, while founder and CEO David Neeleman will become non-executive chairman of the board. Barger will keep his responsibilities as president of the airline.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers will lead a rally on the national mall in Washington on May 17 to call attention to management practices and federal policies that it says are threatening jobs in the transportation industry.
The International Federation of Airline Pilots is "outraged" at a May 9 recommendation by the Brazilian federal police to prosecute the Legacy 600 pilots involved in the Sept. 29, 2006, midair with a GOL Boeing 737-800 "for placing a vessel or aircraft in jeopardy." IFALPA, which represents more than 100,000 pilots worldwide, says the "fundamentally flawed" decision is premature and should have waited until the Brazil-led independent technical investigation is concluded.
A regional member of the Star Alliance, Slovenia's Adria Airways, has replaced its legacy IT system with the common IT platform developed for the alliance by Amadeus. Since 1986, Adria has been using Lufthansa and Lufthansa Systems' IT solutions. Amadeus says other carriers in the alliance are evaluating the benefits of the platform.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey believes that aside from airspace congestion, the aircraft emissions issue "may be the most serious barrier to aviation growth, at least in the long term." Blakey notes that Europe's growing push to penalize airlines for emissions "happened virtually overnight," and the U.S. industry "should not be so foolish as to presume that it can't happen here."
Air Jamaica plans to introduce new service between Barbados and Fort Lauderdale as early as June 24 pending U.S. Transportation Dept. approval. The airline would use Airbus A320s seating 12 in business and 138 in economy to operate three weekly flights in the market, on Sunday, Monday and Thursday. Air Jamaica wants DOT to expedite the application so it can launch the service on June 24, at the beginning of the peak summer travel season.
Jazz Air Income Fund grew profits 5.5% during the first quarter, posting a net income of $35.3 million. The company also observed its first anniversary as a public entity during the quarter after Air Canada took Jazz public in January 2006. Operating revenues for the quarter grew 12.8% to $364 million mostly as a result of nine 50-seat jets joining Jazz's fleet. Unlike some of its regional US counterparts, Jazz earned $3.1 million in performance incentives during the quarter. -LR
Atlas Air subsidiary Polar Air Cargo's application to have its certificates and authorities transferred from Polar Air Cargo, Inc. to Polar Air Cargo Worldwide, Inc. (DAILY, Jan. 25) was approved by The U.S. Transportation Dept. on May 9.
With the U.S.-European Union open-skies treaty signed, Iberia and American have begun the process to apply for antitrust immunity to strengthen their collaboration. Although the open skies deal doesn't take effect until March 2008, Iberia chairman Fernando Conte Garcia says the first contacts have been established with American to prepare the paperwork for regulators to review. How long the process will take is unclear, but Garcia says it should take less than a year.
Appointed James Welch to the board of directors of SkyWest Inc. and its subsidiaries, SkyWest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines, effective May 4.
Negotiations between Atlantic Southeast Airlines pilots management resume Thursday in Washington. Contract talks started in 2002, and five of the 31 sections remain open.
Gina Marie Lindsey has been tapped by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to be the new executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, replacing Lydia Kennard, who resigned in January.
Bombardier logged more CRJ-900 orders after Tatarstan Airlines ordered six of the aircraft and took options on four more. The carrier is based in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan Russia.
A reconstituted Network Enabled Operations (NEO) demonstration has shown senior U.S. government officials once again how tightly linked ATC systems could help controllers and command centers spot a 9-11 style attack on Washington, D.C.
Several associations are asking House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) and ranking member John Mica (R-Fla.) for increased levels of Passenger Facility Charges and more Airport Improvement Program grants, in the FAA reauthorization bill.
