American is launching a review of its line maintenance operations at its non-hub airports, and the review will likely result in layoffs and possibly the closure of some line maintenance facilities, the airline said. Layoff warning notices were sent to 600 Transport Workers Union members, but the number of actual layoffs has not yet been decided, an American spokesman told The DAILY. The final number will depend on the result of the review, but it will likely be far smaller than the pool of 600 employees notified.
The European Commission decided to drop an investigation into various Frankfurt Airport building projects that environment activists denounced as harmful to birds and wildlife. The EC accepted Germany's argument that the works serve an "overriding public interest," said European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas. Also, measures were taken by the German authorities to compensate for nature losses due to the works, such as the designation of other protected areas for the affected habitats and species.
Mesaba parent MAIR Holdings has backed away from a commitment to provide $35 million debtor-in-possession financing to the regional carrier, which is navigating through Chapter 11 restructuring. MAIR agreed to supply the financing when Mesaba declared bankruptcy in October 2005 after its sole partner Northwest entered Chapter 11.
Austrian Airline CEO Vagn Soerensen this week disclosed his plans after he leaves the airline at the end of the month, which include numerous board positions outside the aviation industry.
Aloha Airlines plans to boost its summer schedule June 1, adding more early morning and late evening flights to battle the growing interisland competition.
Television viewers in Northeast Ohio will see three new ads this week designed to tout the convenience and ease of flying out of Akron-Canton Airport. "In our region, the best media vehicle to reach the Northeast Ohio region where we're located is on local television stations in Cleveland," said airport director Fred Krum. "It's expensive, but it's the best way for us to reach the 4 million people in the area and generate passengers for the airport."
Ellen Howe, a media consultant and one-time deputy press secretary for the Republican National Committee, has been appointed an assistant administrator for strategic communications/public affairs at the Transportation Security Administration. She will help TSA and Homeland Security Dept. officials develop nationwide communications strategies. In the early 1990s, Howe managed media relations during the clean-up of Rocky Flats, a U.S. Dept. of Energy Superfund site. -John Doyle, Aviation Week
Phoenix's Williams Gateway Airport has finally gotten its first scheduled airline, Las Vegas-based Vision Airlines. Vision has operated charters with a fleet of 19-seat Dornier 228 turboprops to the Grand Canyon for 12 years. Vision will start with four flights a week -- Thursday through Sunday -- flying 30-seat Dornier 328 turboprops to North Las Vegas Airport, said John Barry, the airport's director of commercial air service marketing and development. Allegiant Airlines offers a charter flight once a month to Laughlin or Reno.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) will spend PHP25 million (US$489,000) to install a lighting system for the Catican Province Airport runway to accommodate commercial aircraft operations after sunset. MIAA General Manager Alfonso Cusi said the project will be financed directly by the agency. Work will start next month and is slated to be completed in November.
Capacity outpaced traffic at GOL in March, causing a 3.6-percentage-point dip in the low-cost carrier's load factor to about 69%. Available seat kilometers grew 57% to 1.5 million, while revenue passenger kilometers increased 57% to just over 1 million. Load factor in GOL's domestic market dropped 3.4 points to 68%. Domestic ASKs jumped 51% to 1.3 million and RPKs 44% to 937,100.
Tiger Airways is ready to fill any void left by fellow Singaporean low-cost carrier Jetstar Asia if the carrier is forced to abandon some of its regional routes. Qantas subsidiary Jetstar Asia merged with Valuair last July under the holding company Orangestar Investments. Qantas owns 49% of Jetstar Asia, and Qantas executives chair Orangestar.
Alaska reported yesterday that its unit costs were lower than expected for the first quarter, although they were still up 23% from last year thanks to fuel prices. A shift in the timing of aircraft maintenance accounted for the lower unit cost estimate, Alaska said. Fuel cost per available seat mile rose 26%, but unit cost excluding fuel dropped 5%. The carrier said it will take a non-cash charge of about $135 million in the first quarter due to the accelerated retirement of its MD-80 fleet.
KLM Engineering & Maintenance won new business from charter carrier Eagle Aviation after singing a deal to perform D-checks on two of the airlines's Boeing 747-400s at its Schipol facilities. KLM E&M estimated four-week completion time for the checks, which include full stripping and painting of the planes.
Japan Airlines and Hainan Airlines this week decided to expand their code-share agreement to cover two more domestic China routes. The two airlines have code shared since June 1, 2005, on daily flights operated by Hainan Airlines between Beijing and Chengdu. Starting April 10, the new agreement allows JAL to place its code also on Hainan's flights from Beijing to Kunming and Xian.
Varig President Marcelo Bottini addressed an appeal to the Brazilian President Luz Luiz da Silva and asked for the government to help pay for fuel, airport fees, maintenance and other short-term costs to avert a shutdown of operations that could come "at any time," according to local reports. The carrier's critical cash flow situation was aggravated by, among other things, diminished revenues as the summer and Carnival vacation seasons came to an end.
Air Europa yesterday announced an order for 16 Boeing 737-800s, to be delivered between 2010 and 2014. The carrier will use the new 737s on Spanish domestic routes, including flights to the Balearic and Canary Islands, and on European and North African flights. Air Europa now has orders for 34 737s, and already has 30 in its fleet. The list value of the order is about $1 billion. -AS
House and Senate lawmakers are beginning their examination of a the controller contract dispute that FAA dumped in their laps this week, and although the National Air Traffic Controllers Association is promising a fierce fight, sources say the union will face an uphill struggle persuading Republican leaders to overturn FAA's contract proposal.
Dallas/Fort Worth Airport expects new industrial development leases approved this week by the airport's board will bring in more than $1.5 million a year in new non-aviation revenue. DFW and the Trammell Crow Co. will develop nearly 2 million square feet of additional industrial space in the airport's International Commerce Park, doubling the size of the park.
The U.S. airlines' on-time arrival rate sank in February compared with the month before and February 2005, while the number of flight cancellations rose as the carriers battled winter weather.
Taca Peru and Brazilian carrier TAM last Friday initiated code sharing on their daily frequencies between Lima and Sao Paulo aimed at helping connect business and leisure travelers to destinations like Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Cusco/Machu Picchu in Peru.
