The U.S. Dept. of Transportation wants more information from six SkyTeam airlines before it can make a decision on their joint application for antitrust immunity (ATI) and blanket code sharing (DAILY, Sept. 28).
Two U.S. House representatives from Washington state are rallying support in Congress for the World Trade Organization case against European government subsidies to Airbus. Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Jennifer Dunn (R-Wash.) gathered signatures from 240 members of Congress from 41 states for a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, showing support for "the administration in its effort to eliminate the government subsidies Airbus receives."
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has locked in intra-Alaska mainline service mail rates, adjusted for increased fuel costs, through Sept. 30, 2005, making final a tentative order from August that also changed how the department will calculate the rates. DOT establishes mainline mail service rates based on a weighted average of carrier costs for the most recent year and an adjustment for inflation based on the long-term inflation trend.
Senate conferees are optimistic that an intelligence reform bill may get through Congress before the end of this week's lame duck session, though it may mean dropping all parts of the bill, including aviation security, not directly related to the core provisions surrounding a National Intelligence Director.
Snecma Services won a five-year maintenance deal from Meridiana and lessor Bayerische Landesbank for six CFM International CFM56-5B6/2P engines powering three Airbus A319s flown by the Italian carrier. In the power-by-the-hour agreement, Snecma Services plans to supply engine health monitoring support, repair and overhaul, plus exchange and repair of line-replaceable units. -LR
Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) wants to include a provision in the omnibus appropriations bill, now in conference, to reimburse general aviation at Washington National and three Maryland airports that shut down after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Mesa has assigned a new altitude restriction for all its Bombardier CRJs of 37,000 feet, with no revenue, positioning or ferry flights above that level allowed. Airline pilot union representatives at Mesa highlighted the restriction in a recent update, noting it applies to all Bombardier CRJ-200s/700s/900s in the carrier's fleet. The maximum operating altitude for those aircraft models is 41,000 feet. Mesa flies 86 of the jets.
Dealing with rising flight delays that are alarmingly close to the record levels of 2000 is one of FAA's top challenges, according to a report released yesterday by the U.S. Transportation Dept.'s Office of Inspector General (OIG).
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) started a seven-month pilot yesterday to test the prototype of a biometric identification card for transportation workers.
Although FAA's designee program helps the agency leverage its resources, inconsistent oversight and application of program policies has created significant weaknesses in the program, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), has found. The designee program, authorized by Congress, lets private individuals conduct safety certification activities, inspecting maintenance repair work, conduct medical examinations and approve designs for aircraft parts on behalf of FAA.
Boosts in both large aircraft deliveries and capacity led Goodrich to estimate a 25% increase in its earnings per share in 2005. The company projects a 2005 earnings-per-share (EPS) range of $1.60-$1.80, about 25%-30% higher than this year's. Goodrich said sales should grow 6%-8% in 2005 to about $5 billion-$5.1 billion.
United last week inked a deal with small jet builder Eclipse Aviation to train pilots who want to fly the new six-seat Eclipse 500. Under the agreement, customers will receive their initial flight skills assessment, as well as their type rating transition training, at United's Denver training center, using full-motion simulators and a curriculum jointly developed by Eclipse and United. United signed a separate agreement with Boeing subsidiary Alteon to provide the pilot and other instructors for the Eclipse training program.
The financial terms of Ryanair's agreement to launch operations at Spain's Reus (Girona) Airport have been revised downward because Ryanair has launched only four destinations instead of the six initially planned. In October 2003, local authorities and trade organizations signed an agreement with Ryanair comprising payments to the no-frills carrier, including EUR1 million (US$1.3 million) in compensation and EUR1.6 (US$2) per passenger carried up to a threshold of EUR657,000 US$856,000).
Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), chair of the Senate Commerce aviation subcommittee, is considering a move to the surface transportation and merchant marine subcommittee but said any move will depend on what Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) decides to do. "It will depend on what other people's interests are," Lott said.
Boullioun Aviation Services reached a deal with Jetstar Asia for the medium-term lease of two new Airbus A319s. The lessor said it is the first deal it has reached with the low-cost Singapore airline launched earlier this year by Qantas and Singaporean business investors. Delivery of the first aircraft is scheduled this month. Both planes will feature International Aero Engines IAE V2527-A5 engines and 180 leather seats. -LR
The employee owners of beleaguered Peruvian carrier Nuevo Continente this week surrendered the airline to Peru's tax collection agency as a first step toward eventual bankruptcy in an effort to avoid or delay negotiations with creditors. The carrier remains grounded, its operating license suspended by the civil aviation department (DGAC) last month, and it seems that the government is also trying to focus its efforts elsewhere.
The American Association of Airport Executives is praising TSA's decision to set a rolling deadline for Screening Partnership Program applications, which the agency will start accepting tomorrow (DAILY, Nov. 17). "It allows airports more time to weigh their options," especially since the application process opens during the busiest season for airports, a AAAE spokeswoman says.
United recently finalized three major corporate contracts worth $130 million over the next five years, which will go a long way to help the airline's revenues as it struggles to win financing and emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
American signed a partnership deal this week with Hotels.com that aims to push airline customers to the hotel reservation center to book accommodations.
The European Union's air transport director-designate made his Washington debut this week, setting an optimistic tone for the future of U.S.-EU aviation relations and laying diplomatic groundwork for more open-skies negotiations early next year.
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation's Office of Inspector General gave DOT and FAA clean financial audits yesterday. The OIG said FAA "deserves credit for addressing significant challenges this year, especially implementing new accounting and procurement systems. This was the fourth consecutive clean audit for both the DOT and FAA.
