Mud-slinging by unions at Lloyd Aereo Boliviano and the U.K.-based consortium that agreed to finance the carrier's rescue (DAILY, Aug. 25) came to halt as both sides agreed to break the deadlock and get back to confidentiality at a closed meeting late last week. The conflict between the two sides became public last week as Gustavo Viscarra, leader of LAB's federation of labor unions (PSTLAB), told news agency AMF that workers were asking relevant authorities to take steps "to prevent TAA representatives from leaving the country."
New Airbus chief Christian Streiff has reshuffled his program management team and, in the process, effectively fired A380 program chief Charles Champion.
France is formally launching a quality label called "Horizon" that will be awarded to safe and trustworthy airlines which follow safety and quality guidelines, French Transport Minister Dominique Perben revealed earlier this week in Paris.
Continental's mainline unit revenue was up 5.5%-6.5% in August, but the increase would have been higher if last month's security scare had not disrupted travel. The stricter security requirements prompted by a thwarted bomb plot in the U.K. reduced unit revenues by about 1.5 points. Merrill Lynch analyst Michael Linenberg said the mainline unit revenue increase was lower than his forecast of 7%-8%, and the dampening effect of the security scare was slightly higher than expected.
Spanair next month plans to launch daily service from Madrid to Stuttgart, aimed largely at business travelers. The new service, which will launch Oct. 29, is part of the carrier's strategy to expand and broaden its network between Spain and Germany. "With this new flight path, Spanair hopes to connect these two important business centers, Madrid and Stuttgart, thus increasing our international network for both the business sector, as well as passengers in general," said CEO Lars Nygaard. -SL
KLM yesterday named Ben Swagerman as senior VP-KLM security services, effective immediately. Swagerman has been working as interim head at security services since Feb. 1. He started his career as a lawyer and held several positions at the Public Prosecution Service, including the post of advocate general in Curacao. Swagerman succeeds Teun Platenkamp, who will retire from KLM at the beginning of 2007.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes head Alan Mulally managed to surprise both the aviation and auto industries yesterday by accepting the top job at Ford Motor Co., with Boeing promoting commercial sales head Scott Carson to replace Mulally.
Brussels Airport has loosened restrictions on carry-on baggage, now allowing U.S.-bound passengers to take one piece of hand luggage on board flights and eliminating the requirement to carry items in a plastic bag. Passengers can now carry electronic equipment but are still being asked to check in three hours before their flight departure. Liquids, gels or creams can be bought at airport shops, but they will be delivered by airport staff to the aircraft, where passengers can take them on board.
CanJet's exit from scheduled service could give Canada's largest low-cost carrier WestJet an opportunity to strengthen its market share in Atlantic Canada. CanJet launched operations in 2002. Parent IMP Group had previously sold CanJet to Canada 3000 but later bought the airline back. CanJet flies to 13 destinations in the U.S. and Canada with 10 Boeing 737s.
The recent U.K. security scare shaved GBP40 million ($75.8 million) from British Airways August balance sheet, and the carrier saw its load factor for the month drop slightly.
President Bush yesterday nominated Mary Peters to serve as the next Transportation Dept. secretary, choosing a candidate with a lot of Washington experience in ground transportation but not much exposure to the aviation industry during her career.
Heico's profits in the third quarter jumped 37% to $8.2 million as sales in its flight support business grew 38% to $71 million, and sales of the company's electronic systems arm skyrocketed 75% to $31 million.
Delta yesterday won bankruptcy court approval to terminate its pilot defined pension plan after the last remaining opposition group withdrew its objection.
Lufthansa last week renewed its full content distribution agreement with Sabre, under which the carrier will provide all standard fares and inventory without any surcharge.
Cessna will add another light jet to its stable -- the CitationJet 4 -- during the NBAA convention next month in Orlando. The seven/eight-passenger CJ4 will share many features of the CJ family, including Williams turbofans (twin FJ44-4As) and Collins ProLine 21 avionics, but it will get some cabin and airframe changes, including a new wing.
