Promoted Thomas Duffy, Jr., to VP-technical services, Jeffery Domrese to VP-maintenance, Paul Kinstedt to VP-system control and Gary Weatherlow to director-crew resources.
Miami-based Asociacion Latinoamericana de Transporte Aereo (ALTA) reported a 9.3% drop in its member carriers' passenger traffic in July. The decline in capacity and traffic was attributed to the steep reduction of flights formerly operated by Brazil's Varig. Despite the decrease, members' load factor improved by 0.5 points to 79%. The total number of passengers carried year-to-date increased 6% from 2005 to 53.8 million. Freight ton-kilometers rose 0.4% in July and 1.4% year-to-date. -LZ
Hired Andrew Baute as a director in the Boston office and rehired Sam Raby as a director in the New York office, concentrating on the Technical Services and Management Consulting unit.
Boeing last week promoted John Tracy from the company's defense unit to replace Jim Jamieson as the company's senior VP-engineering, operations and technology.
Delta this winter plans to operate its first flights to the French island of Martinique with the start of Saturday-only service from Atlanta, effective Dec. 16. The route, which Delta will serve with Boeing 737-800s is its second to the region: It recently announced twice weekly service to Guadeloupe, effective Dec. 13. Both routes are subject to foreign government approval.
All Nippon Airways recently chose Goodrich to supply wheels and electrically actuated brakes for its Boeing 787s under a long-term agreement. ANA is the launch customer for the 787 and has 50 aircraft on order with deliveries starting in 2008. "We anticipated demand for an alternative to traditional, hydraulically actuated braking, and began the pursuit of electrically actuated braking technology more than a decade ago," said Jack Carmola, president of Goodrich's airframe systems segment.
JetBlue's stock price slipped more than 1% to fall under $10 per share after the carrier projected third quarter revenue growth that will be less than previous estimates.
Several U.S. airlines tell airports they are concerned over the use of some runway deicing fluids (RDF), suggesting a possible link between fluids that have certain acids and corrosion to aircraft brakes, connectors and other components. Some airlines want airports to change RDFs before the winter weather arrives. FAA isn't planning to take action, and ACI-NA advises airports to stick with existing RDFs as long as they meet FAA and Society of Automotive Engineers specifications.
Start-up Skybus Airlines on Friday moved a step closer to launch when it won more than $50 million in proposed financial incentives from state and local governments in Ohio as a way to secure more jobs in the state and more air service to Columbus.
US Airways' Charlotte-Hilton Head Island route -- with 124 flights a week -- was the world's busiest new route in September 2006, according to historical data compiled by OAG. The second-busiest new route was the JFK-downtown Manhattan Heliport helicopter flights, with 120 flights a week. OAG collected data from more than 1,000 scheduled airlines and found that 2,133 new routes were launched or reinstated year over year. North America had the top five busiest new routes and seven of the top 10.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Ingrid Lee at [email protected] SEPT. 25-28 -- ACI-NA 15th Annual Conference & Exhibition, Reno Hilton, Reno, Nev., 202-293-3019, email: [email protected] SEPT. 27 -- Special Wings Club luncheon on the Road featuring Scott Carson, president & CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, The Museum of Flight, Seattle, 212-867-1770, email: wings [email protected].
DOT Office of Inspector General auditors are making their first site visits in a review of FAA staffing policies at towers and terminal approach facilities. Separately, the OIG asserts that the lack of facility-specific staffing plans makes it hard for FAA to refute controller claims that staffing is a major cause of operational errors.
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) OCT. 24-26 -- MRO Europe, Amsterdam NOV. 13-15 -- Aerospace & Defense Programs, Phoenix
Mexican airport operator ASUR yesterday requested authorization from the government to build and operate an airport in the Mayan Riviera. ASUR made the request through the secretary of communications and transportation. "To date, ASUR has not received a reply from the SCT and there is no assurance that the SCT will respond favorably to this request," ASUR said. The company currently operates nine airports -- Cancun, Merida, Cozumel, Villahermosa, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Huatulco, Tapachula and Minatitlan.
With fuel prices at current levels, it would take a 4% demand decline to keep American's 2007 pre-tax profits flat compared with last year, says JP Morgan analyst Jamie Baker. The airline would only see net losses if demand dropped 6.5%. A more likely scenario is a 4% growth in demand, Baker believes.
Wings of Alaska has moved up the date of the suspension of service between Angoon and Tanakee and Juneau from Oct. 29 to Sept. 23. The U.S. Transportation Dept. normally requires 90-day notice for service suspensions to essential air service communities.
