Columbia-based AeroRepublica will unveil a new image and branding within the next month, reports Copa Holdings CEO Pedro Heilbron. Copa is AeroRepublica's parent and is working to make the operation profitable. Heilbron recently hired consultants to review AeroRepublica's network (DAILY, Aug. 17).
Frontier believes it is much better prepared to handle competition from Southwest's latest market additions at Denver as it continues to gain back unit revenue strength in the first batch of markets the Dallas carrier launched from the airport.
Air Transport Association today will release July revenue data, and JP Morgan expects mainline unit revenue to rise 12%, "consistent with gains over the past few months." At $7.28 billion, analyst Jamie Baker's July mainline revenue estimate reflects a 4% improvement from June, slightly less than last year's 4.6% level because the July 4 holiday fell on a Tuesday, which probably dampened business travel.
Northwest and regional partner Pinnacle Airlines continue to delay settling a dispute over $21 million in aircraft security deposits that Northwest claims its regional partner needs to pay as the legacy carrier continues to craft a framework for its regional feed. The carriers have pushed back the deadline for resolving the issue each month since March, and the Aug. 14 date was no different. The latest extension ends Sept. 14.
Bolivia's AeroSur recently started nonstop service from Santa Cruz to Miami with three nighttime flights per week. The carrier is using one 186-passenger Boeing 757-200 configured for 24 in first class and 162 in economy. AeroSur President Humberto Rica said the airline will lease more two-aisle aircraft to open new routes or strengthen those now operating to Lima, Asuncion, Caracas, Santiago de Chile, Panama, Mexico City and Havana, in addition to two current flights to Madrid. -LZ
FAA believes it has fixed the recurring problem that twice shut down an instrument landing system (ILS) at Los Angeles Airport and caused multiple flight delays. Technicians last Thursday replaced the component they think was the cause of the shutdowns, and were monitoring the system closely to make sure it is functioning properly. FAA planned to post technicians directly beside the problematic ILS around the clock, at least through Sunday, an agency spokesman told The DAILY.
30 Years Ago Aug. 20, 1976 -- U.K. is "surprised the Americans are making contingency plans [in the event air service is cut off between the two countries as a result of a capacity dispute]. We expect air services will continue while negotiations take place. Certainly it is not our assumption that air services will be terminated." 20 Years Ago
Boeing's decision last week to shut down its Connexion inflight Internet service opened the door to several companies that have been developing the next generation of the service and have been waiting for the right time to pounce on the market.
Northwest will begin offering double-daily service in the Guam-Tokyo Narita market this winter, thanks to 14 Tokyo Narita slots the U.S. Transportation Dept. awarded the carrier. The 14 weekly slots made available by Japan would let one U.S. carrier operate seven weekly roundtrips at Narita's Runway B (DAILY, Aug. 16). Northwest already operates a daily service in the Guam-Narita market, while its rival for the slots, Continental Micronesia, flies three times weekly in the market.
Congress will likely finish work on the Dept. of Homeland Security spending bill in the shortened September session, but the DOT/FAA spending bill will probably have to wait until a post-election "lame duck" session, U.S. airport group AAAE tells members. This would force FAA to operate on a continuing resolution to fund important programs.
The founder of Chile's Sky Airlines is aggressively shopping around for strategic partners who would inject fresh capital to consolidate the continuing operational and management expansion. Heavy competition and high fuel prices stunted Sky's growth in the initial phase, and now Jurgen Paulmann wants new investors to help the airline fulfill it plans to begin international operations to Buenos Aires and Lima next year.
The JAL Group this fall plans to boost its schedule from Japan to China, India and Thailand while increasing its fuel surcharge on all international tickets. Starting Oct. 29, JAL will offer daily service between Nagoya and Guangzhou by increasing the number of flights on the route from three to seven per week. The carrier also will boost frequencies on the Tokyo-Bangkok route from 14 to 21 flights per week, giving it three daily flights. Flights between Tokyo and New Delhi will increse from three to four per week.
Boeing last week named John Bruns VP-China operations of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), effective immediately. Bruns, a 20-year veteran of Boeing, will report to Mike Cave, VP-BCA airplane programs, and will be responsible for overseeing BCA's China strategy and business development. He will work with Boeing-China President David Wang, who reports to Boeing International and represents Boeing's broader "corporate interests" in China.
China Southern Airlines last week narrowed its loss for the first half of the year to RMB825 million, from RMB907 million last year, but the carrier's higher loads could not offset the rising fuel prices.
Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air today will merge their payroll and accounting teams into a combined group called Air Group Finance to become more efficient and trim costs.
Qantas' net profit for the year ending June 30 fell by about 30% to A$480 million (US$363.9 million), and the airline stressed last week that it will need to introduce even stricter cost cuts in the 2006-2007 fiscal year to prevent profits dropping further.
The August 2005 crash of an MD-82 belonging to Caribbean Airlines over northwestern Venezuela (DAILY, Aug. 17, 2005) happened because the aircraft exceeded its operational altitude and speed and failed to remain airborne, concluded a multi-national group of technical experts investigating the accident. The group included experts from Venezuela, Colombia and France, the home country of all 152 passengers who died in the crash, a charter flight from Panama to Martinique.
