ARINC's Digital Data System will go live at Boston Logan May 6, giving the airport a 500% boost in radio voice capacity and adding several high-tech functions, including data communication capability. The installation completes the first phase of what ARINC hopes will be a 60-airport network by 2005. The first nine installations -- Boston, Newark, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago O'Hare, San Francisco, New York Kennedy, Dallas/Fort Worth and Atlanta -- were chosen because ARINC owns the wireless frequencies and manages local capability.
BWIA signed deals to lease two Airbus A340-300s from ILFC for five years each. The aircraft, serial numbers 88 and 93, will be delivered in June and November.
Seven people, including two United cabin crewmembers, were injured when United Flight 862, a Boeing 747-400, hit clear-air turbulence early in a trip from Sydney to San Francisco on Wednesday. The plane diverted to Auckland so the injured could be treated as soon as possible. One of the flight attendants sustained "multiple fractures," the airline said. Four others, including the other crewmember, had minor injuries that were treated at a local hospital. The remaining two passengers were treated at the airport and moved to a hotel.
Air Minas, a regional clone of successful low-cost, low-fare Gol Airlines, will take off on July 15 in Brazil's booming state of Minas Gerais, albeit with more modest initial plans. Like Gol, Air Minas is the subsidiary of a conglomerate of urban bus companies owned in Minas by Clesio Andrade, who has invested $8.5 million to open a network of regional flights serving major mining communities in Minas Gerais and interstate service from its capital of Belo Horizonte to Sao Paulo, to be operated at first with two 46-seat ATR-42 turboprop aircraft.
Four federal security directors (FSDs) -- the Transportation Security Administration's top officials at commercial airports -- were named yesterday for Louisville, Orlando, San Francisco and Washington Dulles. The four, like the 11 FSDs named earlier, bring long-term military, law enforcement and intelligence backgrounds to TSA in positions where they will be responsible for security, enforcement and oversight, in charge of screeners and screening of airport employees, risk assessments, TSA law enforcement and crisis management response.
Alpine Air Express said it settled a U.S. Department of Justice suit against subsidiary Alpine Aviation for $112,800. The suit alleged a breach of contract related to the Transportation Department's (DOT's) Essential Air Service program. "While we believe that Alpine strictly adhered to the terms our contract with the DOT, we have decided that it is in the company's best interest to resolve this issue for the agreed upon settlement, which will have not have a material impact on our operations," said CEO Eugene Mallette.
SkyWest profits jumped 64% in the first quarter to $16.7 million thanks to improving revenues from its regional jet expansion. The carrier's net income compares with a $10.2 million profit last year, when results were hampered due to expansion costs and poor weather. Revenues jumped 32.9% to $174.3 million, outpacing a 25% expense increase.
DOT Secretary Norman Mineta yesterday told the Senate Appropriations Committee that airports will be able to draw some reimbursement for huge post-Sept. 11 security costs from Airport Improvement Program funds, not from the Transportation Security Agency's supplemental budget, a move that some members opposed, given the infrastructure needs of the nation's airports.
Navigant software-company Aqua Software Products revealed this week that it is in discussions with Orbitz to create a system that gives travel agents direct access to Internet fares.
Virgin Blue has put the first phase of Sabre's AirPath flight planning and dispatch system across its network. The system helps flight planners calculate and track key factors like payload capability, fuel consumption, weather, and takeoff/landing performance limitations and generates customized flight plans that take them into account. Virgin Blue recently agreed to join Sabre's Global Distribution System, the first time the airline has joined such a network.
Malaysia Airlines, the only Southeast Asia airline that flies to South America, this week resumed its weekly service from Kuala Lumpur to Buenos Aires via Johannesburg and Capetown, South Africa, after a three-month interruption that started Feb. 3. Operated with a 386-seat Boeing 747, "this service is key to developing service between three continents, Asia, Africa and America," the carrier said.
Vanguard, five months after it first applied for a government loan guarantee, yesterday revised its bid, requesting a $13.5 million guarantee of a $15 million loan. The carrier reduced its request "commensurate with what we believe are the current needs of the airline and our prospects for obtaining further investment from private sources," according to CEO Scott Dickson.
Four federal security directors (FSDs) -- the Transportation Security Administration's top officials at commercial airports -- were named yesterday for Louisville, Orlando, San Francisco and Washington Dulles. The four, like the 11 FSDs named earlier, bring long-term military, law enforcement and intelligence backgrounds to TSA in positions where they will be responsible for security, enforcement and oversight, in charge of screeners and screening of airport employees, risk assessments, TSA law enforcement and crisis management response.
ARINC's Digital Data System will go live at Boston Logan May 6, giving the airport a 500% boost in radio voice capacity and adding several high-tech functions, including data communication capability. The installation completes the first phase of what ARINC hopes will be a 60-airport network by 2005. The first nine installations -- Boston, Newark, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago O'Hare, San Francisco, New York Kennedy, Dallas/Fort Worth and Atlanta -- were chosen because ARINC owns the wireless frequencies and manages local capability.
Seven people, including two United cabin crewmembers, were injured when United Flight 862, a Boeing 747-400, hit clear-air turbulence early in a trip from Sydney to San Francisco on Wednesday. The plane diverted to Auckland so the injured could be treated as soon as possible. One of the flight attendants sustained "multiple fractures," the airline said. Four others, including the other crewmember, had minor injuries that were treated at a local hospital. The remaining two passengers were treated at the airport and moved to a hotel.
The Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines have agreed to inject GBP25 million into Virgin Atlantic. The move comes after months of speculation that the airline needs more capital as a consequence of the recent traffic slump that has hit Virgin Atlantic's focus markets --- long-haul routes.
Air Minas, a regional clone of successful low-cost, low-fare Gol Airlines, will take off on July 15 in Brazil's booming state of Minas Gerais, albeit with more modest initial plans. Like Gol, Air Minas is the subsidiary of a conglomerate of urban bus companies owned in Minas by Clesio Andrade, who has invested $8.5 million to open a network of regional flights serving major mining communities in Minas Gerais and interstate service from its capital of Belo Horizonte to Sao Paulo, to be operated at first with two 46-seat ATR-42 turboprop aircraft.
SkyWest profits jumped 64% in the first quarter to $16.7 million thanks to improving revenues from its regional jet expansion. The carrier's net income compares with a $10.2 million profit last year, when results were hampered due to expansion costs and poor weather. Revenues jumped 32.9% to $174.3 million, outpacing a 25% expense increase.
Grupo TACA, responding to increased passenger traffic to Central America during the high summer vacation season, has beefed up its schedules. Weekly frequencies from Los Angeles to Guatemala will increase from seven to 14 June 14-Sept. 2; daily frequencies between San Francisco and El Salvador will double to two; a new daily nonstop between Miami and Tegucigalpa will operate June 14-Sept. 2, and, as of June 14, a second daily flight will be added from Miami to Managua. -LZ
American told Long Beach this week that while AA does not want to litigate slot restrictions there, "we do not believe the City has enough information to answer the question of whether 41 slots can be justified under federal law." While Long Beach cites noise as the reason for airline restrictions, passenger flights represent only 2.5% of the 1,375 daily aircraft operations. More than 95% are general aviation.
Alaska subsidiary Horizon Air began service to Denver on Monday with six daily nonstop flights from the Pacific Northwest. Alaska also inaugurated service from Vancouver to Orange County, Calif.
American told Long Beach this week that while AA does not want to litigate slot restrictions there, "we do not believe the City has enough information to answer the question of whether 41 slots can be justified under federal law." While Long Beach cites noise as the reason for airline restrictions, passenger flights represent only 2.5% of the 1,375 daily aircraft operations. More than 95% are general aviation.
