Venezuela's Aeropostal on April 3 will start daily MD-80 service between Caracas and Medellin, Colombia's second-largest city. Aeropostal is also adding a second daily frequency to Miami from Porlamar on Venezuela's Margarita Island, and new service twice weekly between Caracas and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
The U.S. government can do "relatively little in the short term" to cut jet fuel prices, acknowledges Air Transport Association Chief Economist John Heimlich, but he tells a congressional hearing that "it should first do no harm." Congress last year increased the industry's fuel tax burden by a factor of three, either directly through higher taxes or indirectly by increasing payment requirements. He notes that ATC modernization could mitigate fuel expenses.
United recently launched the next phase of its operational efficiency program, which has a goal of turning the airline's aircraft in less than one hour to allow for the addition of more flights. In January, the airline adjusted areas like pushback and brake release to reduce taxi times. The changes cut the airline's average taxi time by more than one minute across the system in the first 10 days, which doesn't sound like much, but the executives said the reduction is worth tens of millions of dollars in savings over the long run.
Midwest Airlines in April plans to boost its capacity to three key business markets at the same time that it tweaks the schedule to several East Coast cities.
Charter airline Hamburg International placed an order for 14 Airbus A319s, Airbus said this week. The order also includes options for six additional aircraft. Hamburg International plans to replace its current fleet of 10 Boeing 737s and use the remainder of the A319s for growth. The order was signed in December 2005 but only announced yesterday. -JF
Sabre Travel Network this week acquired Trams, Inc., a provider of back-office products and marketing services for travel agencies. The deal will help Sabre serve "the end-to-end needs for a broad spectrum of travel agencies, including small and mid-sized leisure focused agencies." More than 11,000 agency locations currently use Trams' products.
The world's largest Boeing 737 operator -- Southwest Airlines -- took delivery of the 5,000th plane built earlier this week, bringing the airline's fleet to 447 planes. Southwest has launched three 737 models, the -300, -500 and the -700. The value of Boeing's current 737 Next Generation backlog is $73 billion.
The Miami-Dade Aviation Dept. recently named Lauren Stover as the new assistant aviation director, effective March 13. Stover will handle all communications responsibilities for the department and play a role in the management of airport security. She is returning to Miami-Dade County government after working three years at the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security.
GE Security's Homeland Protection business is making a strategic investment of up to $16 million in biometric credentialing provider Verified Identity Pass Inc., GE said yesterday. VIP, founded by journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill, operates the nation's only Registered Traveler voluntary passenger screening program at Orlando International Airport, as part of a public-private pilot project with the Transportation Security Administration.
Florida West International Airways asked the U.S. Transportation Dept. to grant it a dormancy waiver for its exemptions to serve Guadalajara from Chicago and Houston, arguing it cannot begin the services until DOT decides on its deferred applications to serve Guadalajara and Mexico City from other U.S. cities.
Virgin America wants the U.S. Transportation Dept. to set a date for answers on its two-month-old application for an interstate scheduled air certificate, but new moves from Continental may further slow the process. Virgin America last week was in the position of having "no understanding of what is going to happen next," its patience "wearing thin" (DAILY, Feb. 7). Now, it's pushing the department to move the process forward, citing precedent and due process.
Business jets propped up Bombardier's deliveries in fiscal 2005-2006, as waning CRJ-200 demand caused a dip in the airframer's commercial aircraft demand.
USA 3000 will delay the start of its flights to Cozumel from St. Louis and Detroit to Dec. 15, after the U.S. Transportation Dept. approved its dormancy waiver application this week. The airline noted, however, that it could launch the flights earlier than the December date if "conditions in Cozumel improve more expeditiously."
European Union officials yesterday raided the offices of several European airlines, following allegations that they may have been involved in anticompetitive behavior. The inquiry is the first in the European airline industry. Airlines being investigated include British Airways, Lufthansa, SAS Group, Air France-KLM and Cargolux. The EU is cooperating with the U.S. Justice Dept. and other foreign authorities, officials said. "The commission has reason to believe that the companies concerned may have violated" EU cartel rules," the EC said in a statement.
Tans Airlines' suspension is still in effect, after Peru's civil aviation department (DGAC) ruled last week that the state-owned carrier didn't correct series of technical and operational failings as requested (DAILY, Feb. 10).
Raytheon yesterday introduced a new ATC automation system, which the company is already marketing to several national ATC providers. The AutoTrac III system can be used to control both enroute and terminal traffic, and it can run a single tower or be used for a national, multi-center ATC system. Raytheon is using AutoTrac III as the base technology for its proposals to provide ATC systems to Singapore and Taiwan, and will also use it in some big Eastern European proposals next year.
Low-fare carrier Tiger Airways is boosting its web site as the most visited in the airline sector in Singapore, beating out flag carrier Singapore Airlines. Citing research by Hitwise, Tiger said it won the top spot last week, the first time it surpassed Singapore Airlines. This follows the Civil Aviation Board of the Philippines fining Tiger for advertising its fare for flights between Clark Field and Macau before its permanent permit was approved (DAILY, Feb. 13). -LR
Russia's Gazpromavia tentatively won from the U.S. Transportation Dept. an exemption and foreign air carrier permit to launch all-cargo charters between Anadyr, Russia, and Anchorage. Gazpromavia is a wholly owned subsidiary of GAZPROM OAO, one of the world's major producers of natural gas. The airline's foreign air carrier permit gives it rights to operate cargo charters between point or points in Russia and U.S. points, and between U.S. points and third-country points. The airline is also designated as a charter combination and all-cargo carrier.
Hawaiian Airlines has stepped up its fight to block Mesa from launching its new inter-island airline this year through a lawsuit claiming Mesa violated a confidentiality agreement when it considered becoming an investor in Hawaiian during its bankruptcy. Mesa is targeting a launch of the airline late in the first quarter or early in the second, using six 50-seat CRJ-200s.
