Orbitz and Galileo parent Cendant Corp. yesterday tapped outsider Jeff Clarke to be president and CEO of its Travel Distribution Services division, which will be renamed Travelport and spun off this year.
South African Airways' CFO Tryphosa Ramano plans to resign from the airline May 31 to pursue other interests. She joined the airline in April 2004 and was responsible for the finances of the carrier as well as the profit improvement program and fleet management. Ramano previously worked as a portfolio manager at Rand Merchant Bank Asset Management and before joining SAA was the chief director of asset management in the National Treasury responsible for the restructuring of state owned entities. -SL
Arizona's Williams Gateway Airport Authority board is reviewing a proposal that would add the city of Phoenix to its membership. Under the proposed plan, Phoenix would become the fifth member government in the airport authority, joining the municipalities of Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek and the Gila River Indian Community. Each member government has a single board seat and vote.
Bolivian Customs last week impounded a Lloyd Aereo Boliviano aircraft because the aircraft's origins and licensing status were in doubt. The aircraft, revealed pilots union President Jose Luis Dalence, is of "unknown origin and dubious use, and has not been licensed or submitted to maintenance because management under Ernesto Asbun has never revealed this information." Dalence will join other union representatives for meetings with Asbun on labor's purchase of 50% of LAB's equity. Government officials are expected to oversee the meeting.
Gulf Air last week expanded its electronic ticketing in the region, allowing travel agencies in Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, using Sabre's global distribution system to provide paperless tickets.
China Airlines will carry the Delta code on its flights between Taipei and Tokyo. The blind-sector code share should launch within 30 days [OST-2002-11459]. The two carriers began code sharing on Delta's Los Angeles-New York flights in March, and earlier this month China Airlines started carrying the Delta on CAL flights from Anchorage to Taipei, and from Taipei to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. -ARS
A Brazilian court ruled Lloyd Aereo Boliviano (LAB) President Ernesto Asbun cannot legally dispose of his equity shares in the carrier until he pays $17 million to former partner VASP Airlines, impeding LAB employee efforts to buy Asbun's shares and save the carrier. The shares, along with all of LAB's assets, are under lien at the court on a motion brought by VASP(DAILY, March 6). An attempt by Asbun to sell or transfer such LAB shares would be subject to civil and criminal judicial action in Brazil.
The DOT Inspector General is still "in the process of reviewing allegations" that National Air Traffic Controllers Association head John Carr made against FAA in February, an IG spokesman says. Carr asked the IG to examine whether FAA broke federal regulations that prohibit the agency from lobbying Congress on any piece of legislation.
JetBlue yesterday hired long-time US Airways executive Richard Zeni as the carrier's new VP-revenue management. Zeni has already started in the new job and replaces Brad Boggess, who left the company last year. Zeni will report directly to CEO David Neeleman, a change from when the position reported to the senior VP-sales and marketing. Zeni worked in US Airways revenue management department since 1996 and most recently was managing director of pricing and revenue management development. He started his career at Piedmont Airlines.
Northwest agreed to extend until May 15 a deadline by which partner Pinnacle Airlines had to pay more than $21 million in additional aircraft security deposits.
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.
