Sabena Technics has signed a two-year contract with Virgin Express to perform C-checks on the airline's 14 Boeing 737-300s/400s. The first 10 checks are scheduled from January to June 2003.
The Air Transport Association (ATA) vigorously objects to Immigration and Naturalization Service attempts to spread some of the blame for glaring deficiencies found in a follow-up audit of INS airport inspection facilities. The Justice Department found INS still failed to require employees to address problems found in a 1999 audit. DOJ also faulted INS for failing to penalize airlines or airports, even when adequate inspection facilities had not been provided at new terminals.
Correction: ExpressJet is taking delivery of 48 aircraft this year under a contract signed last year for 104 ERJ 145XRs. The DAILY on Jan. 22 mischaracterized the status of Continental Express carrier ExpressJet's Embraer orders.
JetBlue is expected to grow 18% per year through 2008, including aircraft options, positioning the airline at roughly the same capacity as today's America West, according to a new analysis by JP Morgan. As a percentage of Southwest's size, JetBlue is expected to grow from 12% now to 27% in 2008, based on expected Southwest growth.
BWIA West Indies Airways recently took delivery of its seventh Boeing 737-800 for use on new routes to Trinidad and Santo Domingo later this month, part of a larger plan to simplify its fleet and move to a low-cost business model. The last BWIA MD-83 flight was Jan. 8, 2003. BWIA plans to start service to Havana, Cuba and San Jose, Costa Rica, in the first quarter.
United plans to cut the current $80 fee for overweight checked baggage on domestic flights and replace it with a new fee of $25 per checked baggage item weighing 50 pounds or more.
Rolls-Royce booked orders in its CorporateCare engine flight hour program worth about $124 million in 2002. The company started the program in mid-2002, and said more than 300 corporate aircraft are currently being serviced. Rolls offers engine management, traditional repair and overhaul and asset and logistics services through CorporateCare. -LR
American appointed Gary Kennedy general counsel and senior VP. ATA Holdings Corp., parent of American Trans Air, named Charles Cleaver VP and treasurer. Boeing's Air Traffic Management Division named Gina DeSimone VP- engineering and programs. FareChase appointed Trey Urbahn CEO. Sun Country Airlines named John Fredericksen VP and general counsel.
US Airways and Delta in February plan to start cutting service to regional airports in Massachusetts, Georgia and Texas because the routes were not meeting financial goals. US Airways on Feb. 9 will discontinue its three daily flights from Philadelphia to Worcester, Mass., leaving the airport without commercial service. The flights are operated by subsidiary Allegheny Airlines with 37-seat Dash 8 turboprops.
Rockwell Collins won FAA supplemental type certification (STC) for its FPI-920 Electronic Attitude Director Indicator/Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicator (EADI/EHSI) for DC-10s and Boeing 747 Classic airplanes. The FPI-900 series flat panel displays provide a terrain avoidance and warning system, weather radar and flight management system map capabilities.
China Airlines won approval for scheduled charter flights to Seoul, a breakthrough for scheduled services between Taiwan and South Korea after a hiatus of more than a decade. China Airlines will operate 10 charter flights, beginning Jan. 23, making two flights per week through Feb. 22 using 158-seat Boeing 737-800 narrowbodies.
Southwest last quarter sold 54% of its tickets through its own web site, according to Chief Financial Officer Gary Kelly, far more than other U.S. major airlines. For the full year, 49% of its sales were completed online. This year, the airline is considering giving passengers the ability to print boarding passes from home through Southwest.com.
FAA ordered airframer Bombardier to set new quantity limits for center fuel tanks on CRJ700/701 jets. "Discrepancies in the fuel distribution system, if not detected and corrected, could cause the center tank to overfill and fuel to leak from the center tank vent system or to become inaccessible, and could result in engine fuel starvation," FAA said.
Air New Zealand is stepping up inspections on its eight GE CF6-80A turbofans, with completion expected by April. "This inspection program is in excess of the recent FAA airworthiness directive," said airline VP-Operations and Technical Craig Sinclair. FAA mandated multiple inspections of rotor disks in the high-pressure turbine (HPT) sections after probes of a December uncontained failure on an Air New Zealand Boeing 767 revealed cracks in the aft corner of the dovetail slot (DAILY, Jan. 16).
SkyTeam alliance yesterday in London revealed plans to start an associate airline program to bring in smaller regional carriers linked with the larger partners to broaden the alliance's network.
A Deutsche BA Boeing 737-300 skidded off a taxiway at Munich Airport Wednesday and got stuck in the grass. The aircraft, with 100 passengers and crew, was taxiing to its takeoff position for a scheduled service to Düsseldorf when the crew lost control turning on the icy surface. No injuries were reported, and the aircraft was pulled into a hangar for inspection.
Delta Connection Comair began daily service between Erie, Pa., and its hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Comair offers three flights with Canadair Regional Jets. Delta also marked the 15th anniversary of Connection service to Key West, Fla., earlier this week. Comair began flying between Key West and Orlando in 1988. Delta Connection launched its first out-of-state service for Key West passengers last October with nonstop flights to Atlanta.
Though posting a mostly unsurprising EUR66 million (US$71 million) third-quarter loss, KLM yesterday also warned traffic and yields could slip below expectations and hinted it might sell low-fare subsidiary buzz -- a major strategic shift.
Anne McNamara, longtime general counsel at American, yesterday announced her retirement after 27 years with the airline. CEO Don Carty called her the "dean of airline general counsels." The airline named Gary Kennedy to replace McNamara as senior VP and general counsel.
America West in the fourth quarter managed to cut its losses in half, reporting a $32.5 million deficit, thanks to its cost controls and a 11.4% jump in unit revenues. Excluding unusual items and year-over-year changes in accounting, the net loss was $35.5 million compared with $84.1 million last year. While CEO Doug Parker said he was disappointed in the loss, he told analysts several times yesterday that the carrier's earnings are "recovering much faster than any other airline's," but he does not expect the airline to make money this year.
Argentina's domestic traffic fell 20% last year amid the worst depression in that nation's history, new figures show, leaving carriers dependent on domestic revenues in jeopardy. Facing revamped Aerolineas Argentinas and its domestic subsidiary Austral, other carriers have been forced to cut flights, temporarily suspend routes and get access to international market to seek hard currency.
Midwest Express yesterday reported a $6.7 million fourth-quarter net loss, more than double the amount of last year's deficit, largely due a sharp drop in yields and unit revenues. The loss was narrower than analysts expected thanks to the airline's efforts to cut expenses. Overall revenues grew 9.7% to $103.1 million, but unit revenues sank 5.2% as a load factor improvement was not enough to offset an 8.3% drop in yields. "Weak travel demand has resulted in depressed pricing, while costs for insurance and fuel have escalated," said CEO Tim Hoeksema.
