Ryanair is partnering with U.K. airport car park provider BCP to offer prebooked, discounted airport parking at 17 of its airports, as well as access to airport lounges. Ryanair is the latest European LCC to offer lounge access. EasyJet began selling lounge access last year, and BMI Baby launched a similar program last month.
The Transportation Security Administration has tapped Philadelphia to be the first city to hire airport screeners locally. Screener hiring has traditionally been done in Washington for workers across the country. Philadelphia is looking to hire several dozen full- and part-time screeners in the next few months, said spokeswoman Amy Kudwa. "Local hiring is in Phase 1 through April, covering 220 airports. Phase 2, with 40 airports, will begin in the next few months," she said.
Boeing says more than 80% of the 737-700s and -800s delivered this year will be equipped with Aviation Partners Boeing blended winglets. Nearly 1,000 blended winglets are installed on Boeing aircraft, with orders and options for more than 2,000 sets.
AAR CEO David Storch says operations at its new joint venture in Malaysia could start within 30 days. AAR Landing Gear Services Sdn. Bhd. has won the nod from Malaysian authorities and passed its FAA audit, Storch says, and the company is waiting for its FAA certificate.
Skybus has $100 million in financing in hand only days after winning final certification from the U.S. Transportation Dept. (DAILY, March 20), and the carrier says it is on target to launch flights late this year or in early 2007. The Columbus-based carrier will start with two aircraft -- mostly likely Boeing 737s -- but could have as many as 10 in about a year. The airline's first routes have not been released.
Japan Airlines on June 1 will once again carry Northwest's code on its all cargo flights between Tokyo Narita and Chicago O'Hare, operated via Anchorage (DAILY, Nov. 3, 2005); the carriers suspended the code share late last year [OST-2000-7617]. Separately, the U.S. Transportation Dept. awarded Northwest an exemption to code share with SkyTeam partner Delta on Delta's flights from Atlanta to Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador (DAILY, March 23). -ARS
AirTran's 1,400 pilots are reviewing an e-mail thread of tough talk between Senior VP-Operations Steve Kolski and National Pilots Association President Allen Philpot over a fractured attempt to settle on a tentative contract outside of mediated talks.
Alaska Airlines last week finished a month-long inspection of its fleet following several problems related to aircraft pressurization, and executives reported that they found no problems.
An FAA inspection team will arrive in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 26 to review technical issues related to Venezuela's upgrading from Category 2 to 1 in the IASA program (DAILY, March 22), following informal talks between officials from both countries on the sidelines of ICAO's international conference this week in Montreal.
Comair plans to recall all remaining pilots and flight attendants on furlough after finalizing plans to bring back five CRJ-700s next month. Comair parent Delta last month reached an agreement in principle with the lessor to keep the -700s after being told it might have to return the aircraft. The recall comes on the eve of hearings starting Monday in New York on the rejection of the flight attendants' contract.
AAR's fiscal third-quarter profits jumped to $9.1 million from $2.5 million a year ago on growth at its Indianapolis facility, which outpaced estimated targets. The company's overall sales grew 14% to $226 million, with sales in its MRO sector rising 51% to $43 million.
ANA's subsidiary airlines are expected to return to normal operations today after the pilots' unions at each carrier held a 24-hour strike, disrupting domestic flights.
Midwest this summer plans to start seasonal service from Milwaukee to San Francisco and boost frequencies in several other Milwaukee and Kansas City markets.
Delta and its transatlantic SkyTeam partners are eyeing another attempt to win antitrust immunity from U.S. regulators after their first application was rejected recently. The group "will refile an antitrust immunity application at some point, but I don't know exactly when that will happen," Delta CEO Gerald Grinstein said this week in Atlanta. He hinted that another filing could be considered if and when the U.S. and the European Union finalize a transatlantic open-skies deal.
British Airways yesterday promised to make extra payments that will virtually wipe out a deficit of more than GBP1 billion (US$1.7 billion) in its major pension plan, but only if employees accept pension plan changes, such as a higher retirement age.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) yesterday filed a federal complaint against US Airways for alleged violations of the Railway Labor Act after 22 employees in Philadelphia were fired.
Viaduct 1, the bridge whose partial collapse in January closed down the high-traffic expressway that connects Caracas to the international airport at Maiquetia (DAILY, Jan. 10), collapsed completely earlier this week. Constant landslides due to heavy rains in the past two months led private engineers to predict this week's total collapse."The veteran viaduct has given up. Let it rest in peace," said Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who promised to replace it with a new link in 2007.
Mesa Air on June 9 plans to launch its new Hawaiian interisland airline dubbed Go!, as lawsuits between the airline and its potential competition heat up. The carrier unveiled the new name yesterday and went live with its web site www.iflygo.com, which is now taking reservations for its CRJ service to five destinations. Mesa is entering the market with one-way fares of $39.
European airlines fear that the European Union's current plans to set up a Single European Sky "will not hold its operational promises," an industry source ahead of the EU transport ministers meeting Monday in Brussels.
The European Commission decided to launch an in-depth investigation into the restructuring of state-owned flag carrier Cyprus Airways, to seek out a possible illegal bailout. The Cypriot government is planning to guarantee a EUR96 million (US$116 million) loan for the troubled carrier, which is planning to slim down, sell off its Eurocypria charter subsidiary and get a EUR24 million capital increase 18 months after the launch of the restructuring plan.
The Air Line Pilots Association plans to continue its aggressive fight against the U.S. Transportation Dept.'s foreign ownership proposal, but President Duane Woerth is concerned that Congress may be losing interest in the topic after the recent Dubai ports debate. DOT in November issued an NPRM that would make it easier for foreign companies to protect their investments in U.S. airlines. The comment period for the NPRM closed Jan. 6, and sources expect the final rule to come out next month, possibly during Congress' spring break April 10-23.
U.S. passenger airlines posted a 6% drop in the number of full-time employees between January 2006 and January 2005, according to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
