Allegiant Air plans to introduce flights to its 16th point from Orlando Sanford Airport May 24 with service to Roanoke, Va. It will offer two weekly flights, on Wednesday and Saturday, using 150-seat MD-80s. The airline also recently added a flight between Las Vegas and Fresno, Calif., bringing the weekly total to five.
U.K. airport operator BAA revealed it recently rejected a GBP9.4 billion (US$16.6 billion) takeover bid from Goldman Sachs that was much higher than an earlier offer from Spain's Grupo Ferrovial. The confirmation of the Goldman Sachs bid highlights the level of international interest that BAA is attracting at the moment. This level of enthusiasm helps explain why the BAA board believes an acceptable bid value has not yet been proposed by either of the suitors. Market analysts believe one or both consortiums will return with a higher offer soon.
US Airways on Friday named Andrea Rader as the new director of corporate communication to oversee media relations and employee communications. She joins the airline from Wal-Mart, where she worked in executive communications, but before that job, Rader spent 14 years at American.
Ameco Beijing signed a deal earlier this month to provide surveillance modifications for the company's majority owner, Air China. Under the deal, Ameco will provide elementary surveillance (ELS)/enhanced surveillance (EHS) modifications for 22 Boeing 747-400s and 777s. Modification work will begin in July, and is expected to be completed in March, 2007. Ameco said this is the first time it has undertaken an engineering retrofit program under FAA supplemental type certificate and CAAC validation of supplemental type certificate.
Delta last week decided to drop Ogilvy & Mather as its advertising firm after less than two years and will move its business to New York-based SS+K, charging the firm to come up with a new campaign.
Russian carrier Domodedovo Airlines could move on plans to launch service from Moscow to Miami, now that it has won a foreign air carrier permit an exemptions for scheduled operations to Miami and charter service between Russia and the U.S from the U.S. Transportation Dept.
Macao Airport handled 1.07 million passengers and 53,908 tons cargo in the first quarter of the year, up 7.1% and 12%, respectively compared with the same period last year. Macao International Airport Co. manages the facility. The Macao Special Administrative Region government holds 55.4% stake and the Portuguese government 44.6% in the joint venture company. -WD
US Airways CEO Doug Parker last week told employees to disregard criticisms of his airline by JetBlue CEO David Neeleman, and Parker quickly fired back that US Airways is going to win the battle between the carriers.
Mexicana would soon launch flights from Phoenix to Mexico City and Guadalajara, two routes where it would compete with Aeromexico and US Airways pending regulatory approval. In addition to the exemptions for the two routes, Mexicana also applied to the U.S. Transportation Dept. for an exemption for the Phoenix-Leon/El Bajio city-pair. No other carrier serves that route currently [OST-2006-24499].
US Airways yesterday finished the previously announced redemption of about $112 million in principal amount of America West's 7.5% convertible senior notes due 2009.
Lan Ecuador can proceed with plans to offer cargo charters to the U.S. (DAILY, Dec. 15, 2005) The airline must wet-lease aircraft Lan Cargo for the operations, the U.S. Transportation Dept. said [OST-2005-23236].
U.K. low-cost airline Monarch last week decided to end its service from Manchester to Gibraltar this summer due to the government's refusal to cut its costs, the airline alleges.
Following an unsuccessful week of negotiations (DAILY, April 14), labor unions at Bolivian carrier Lloyd Aereo Boliviano offered government mediators another solution to the airline's crisis -- transform the company from a stock corporation into a cooperative with member workers acquiring 50% of the carrier's equity.
Crude oil prices yesterday jumped more than $1 to close at $70.40 per barrel in New York, the highest close in more than 20 years. The only time crude oil traded higher was after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the U.S. in August 2005. The market is jittery because of supply disruptions in Nigeria and worry over Iran's nuclear program. Jet fuel prices in New York were about $2.09 per gallon and will likely jump again this week (DAILY, April 14).
The White House late last week nominated Mark Rosenker to chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board after serving as active chairman for more than a year.
Boeing yesterday announced 900 layoffs at its Wichita facility, and the company said it will change the focus of the Wichita operation. The layoffs are mainly salaried and management support workers in the Integrated Defense Systems division, and some hourly employees. Of the total, 360 will be cut by June 19, with another 240 by the end of July and 300 in November. Boeing will employ 2,700 people in Wichita by the start of 2007.
Singapore Changi Airport yesterday reported that total passengers passing through the facility jumped 8.3% in March, compared with the same month last year. A total of 2.85 million passengers traveled through Changi in March, the busiest month in the first quarter. Daily passenger numbers topped 100,000 during the weekends of March 11-12 and March 18-19, the start and end of the local school holidays.
World Air subsidiary North American Airlines on June 4 plans to begin weekly scheduled flights from Baltimore/Washington airport to Gambia and Ghana. The service will fly nonstop from Baltimore-Washington International to Banjul in Gambia, and Accra in Ghana. The flights will use Boeing 767-300ERs. The BWI flight -- and an additional flight from New York Kennedy airport beginning June 3 -- will give North American three weekly flights between the U.S. and West Africa.
To list an event, please send information in calendar form to Ingrid Lee at [email protected] APRIL 19 -- Wings Club Luncheon featuring Barry Eccleston, President & CEO Airbus North America, Yale Club, New York City, 212-867-1770, email:[email protected]. APRIL 24-26 -- ATCA/FAA/NASA Technical Symposium & Golf Outing, Atlantic City, 703-299-2430, Fax 703-299-2437, email [email protected]
