SAS is currently considering using biometrics to check its passengers' fingerprints and identity, announced the Scandinavian airline on May 6. SAS indicated that the move was prompted by increased security requirements following the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S. "The challenge we face is to raise the level of safety, while making it easier to travel at the same time," said Peter Soderlund, responsible for product development on ground at SAS. The airline is planning to test a system where a passenger's fingerprints would be stored on a personal smart card.
AirTran, in its ongoing battle with Delta at Atlanta, yesterday launched a broad two-day business-class fare sale for travel through June 18. The fare sale is only for travel between Atlanta and the 36 markets it serves from there, with one-way fares as low as $79. In addition, no Saturday night stay or roundtrip purchase is required. Sample fares include $149 for New York LaGuardia and $129 for Chicago Midway. -AL
Southwest, despite the slow and gradual recovery of its business, plans to take delivery of four additional aircraft later this year to launch its first truly transcontinental flights connecting Baltimore/Washington and Los Angeles and new regional services connecting the Northeast U.S. with Florida.
Airbus is "completely in line" with its target of 300 aircraft deliveries for 2002, CEO Noel Forgeard said in Berlin yesterday. The company has delivered 103 aircraft so far this year and plans to issue a new outlook at the end of June. Forgeard described the Airbus performance this year as being "extremely encouraging." Forgeard stated that the current crisis is similar to the Gulf War downturn, when the industry "lost one year of growth." Airbus Executive VP Sales John Leahy said Britain's Go "had decided to go with 75 Airbus aircraft" for its expansion plans.
An EAS Airlines BAC 1-11-500 carrying 78 passengers and crew crashed shortly after takeoff from Kano, Nigeria, Saturday, killing 74 on board and at least 74 more on the ground, according to wire service reports. One report said the pilot radioed that he had a mechanical problem just before the twinjet nose-dived into a residential area of the city. The flight originated in Jos, had just finished a scheduled stopover and was headed to Lagos. Investigators have recovered the plane's flight data recorder, reports said.
General aviation groups met with House lawmakers last week to discuss how to proceed with GA relief legislation after DOT Secretary Norman Mineta wrote to Congress recommending that the bill not be passed. The letter was a severe blow for industry groups pushing for the relief proposal, as it has caused House leadership to put the package on the back burner.
Experts have presented House lawmakers with conflicting evidence as to whether use of electric stun guns in the cockpit presents a flight safety concern, while separate research indicates that stray bullets will not cripple an aircraft. These reports are likely to figure prominently in the increasingly divisive debate over whether pilots should be allowed to carry firearms, non-lethal weapons such as Tasers, or no weapons at all.
Embraer 170 regional jet likely will be delayed by three months, the Brazilian company said. The first aircraft is now scheduled for delivery by the end of first quarter 2003. But Embraer plans to hand over the same number of aircraft in 2003 to avoid revenue losses. The first 170 will go to Swiss International Air Lines, the former Crossair.
Bombardier plans to send a team of engineers to insolvent regional aircraft maker Fairchild Dornier in what could be the beginning of a takeover of the 728/928 program. Germany, the Bavarian state government and 728 launch customer Lufthansa have asked Bombardier for a technical evaluation of the regional jet program, a Bombardier spokesman told The DAILY at the ILA air show in Berlin. The engineers are due to arrive at Fairchild Dornier's plant in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, later this week.
The 10 largest U.S. airlines' average on-time arrivals record was 78.6% in March, not as good as February's 84.7% but still better than the 75.2% posted in March 2001. Continental topped the rankings, with 84.8%, while America West ranked second with the same average, just fractionally lower. United was third, 80.8%, followed by American, 80.3%, and Southwest, 79.7%. Northwest slipped to 10th, 70.7%, while Alaska was ninth, 73.3%, and American Eagle eighth, 76.2%.
Constant jet fuel price changes do not affect airline stocks, according to a Salomon Smith Barney analysis. After looking at jet fuel prices in the 1986-2001 period, SSB found that this second largest expense for airlines does not ebb and flow with petroleum markets. During that 15-year period, "the price of fuel was up eight times year over year and the airline stocks outperformed the S&P 500 in four of those years," according to the report from SSB analyst Brian Harris.
Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority has proposed mandating crew resource management (CRM) training for pilots and cabin crew. The initiatives part of a larger set of draft rules aimed at aircraft with takeoff weights from 5,700 kg. (12,500 lbs.), similar to the U.S. FAA's Part 121. CASA's CRM rules would require "comprehensive" initial and recurrent training tailored to an operators' specific circumstances. Specific skills would include human error detection, prevention, leadership, and managing stress and fatigue.
The Dallas/Fort Worth Airport's board approved the selection of Ackermann PR as its public relations agency of record. This is the first time in several years that DFW has had an agency of record to help with its communications strategy. Ackermann was selected unanimously by DFW's procurement board from 19 national and local agencies that submitted bides. The contract starts immediately and lasts for two years.
United was ordered to pay its flight attendants' union $8.9 million after a long dispute over whether the airline's purchase of Air Wisconsin violated a scope clause side letter in the United flight attendants' contract. "This is a huge victory," said United's Association of Flight Attendants Master Executive Council President Linda Farrow. "Perhaps this award will make management think twice before blatantly ignoring our agreement again." A United spokesman had no comment.
U.S. air traffic is rapidly approaching year-ago levels, while data on delays are trending down, giving FAA officials confidence that new procedures are paying off in a more efficient National Airspace System (NAS). "The numbers are coming back," FAA Administrator Jane Garvey said yesterday. "We're expecting to see some pretty strong numbers this summer, especially at bigger hubs."
US Airways, as part of its aggressive push to boost its Caribbean network, yesterday filed an application with the DOT for route authority to serve Belize from Charlotte. The airline is seeking approval to begin service in November, using Airbus A319s. Up to four weekly flights will operate between Charlotte and Belize, situated on the east coast of Central America. In a separate filing last week, US Airways applied at DOT for route authority to serve the Charlotte-Providenciales route, also starting in November. It plans to start service to St. Kitts in December.
Peru-based AeroContinente will start three-times-weekly service May 17 between Lima and Santo Domingo as a first step to developing its route network in South America, the Caribbean and the U.S. Eventually, this plan would call for setting up a hub in Santo Domingo, said Lupe Zevallos, the carrier's CEO. The carrier also announced that certification of AeroContinente's third Boeing 767 by Peru is nearly completed; two other 767s are certified in Chile.
EasyJet could announce an offer for rival Go as early as tomorrow, European sources indicated. The purchase price could be GBP400 million. If the deal happens, Go CEO Barbara Cassani would make GBP18 million for her 3.5% stake. EasyJet last week said it was in exclusive talks with 3i Group and Go to acquire the London Stansted-based airline
The U.S. government has drastically underestimated the cost of new aviation security requirements, which means that airports likely will be faced with meeting more of the cost than was anticipated, Airports Council International-North America President David Plavin said yesterday. Making airports redirect funds earmarked for capital improvement programs is not a viable solution and airports should resist airline pressure to reduce lease fees, he said.
The demise of UAL's Avolar subsidiary came as no surprise to fractional aircraft ownership pioneer Richard Santulli, NetJets chairman and CEO of the company with the world's largest business jet fleet. "The chances of Avolar competing, especially starting at the scale they were talking about starting at, was zero," Santulli told reporters last week at his company's Columbus, Ohio, headquarters. Providing fractional ownership is "a business that requires tremendous capital.
American Trans Air yesterday blasted the online travel web site Hotwire.com for quoting false fares for the airline and threatened to take legal action against the Internet company. A spokeswoman for Hotwire quickly fired back, telling The DAILY that ATA's accusations are "false" and said the company "has all the documentation to back up our advertising." Besides "considering our legal options," ATA plans to file a complaint with DOT asking for a cease-and-desist order and the initiation of enforcement proceedings.
Travelocity.com CEO Terry Jones is stepping down from the company after a 24-year career with Travelocity and parent Sabre. Jones is retiring, effective immediately, and was replaced yesterday by Sam Gilliland, who was chief marketing officer of Sabre and on Travelocity's board.
