Singapore Airlines will operate two supplementary flights from Singapore to Christchurch, N.Z., Sept. 2, 2002-March 31 2003, using an Airbus A340-300 to met seasonal demand. SIA currently operates three flights a week on the route.
British Airways regional subsidiary BA CitiExpress will cut 12 unprofitable routes and 500 jobs, and will reduce capacity by 8% in an effort to improve results. The decisions are the outcome of the future size and shape review that BA concluded earlier this year but was also initiated for its subsidiaries.
American has doubled the number of self-service check in kiosks at its St. Louis ticket counter to eight and added two more check in kiosks at the customer service center at a second service center on the C concourse. AA first introduced the self-service check in to St. Louis customers last December.
American Trans Air reported that reservations made online through the company's web site rose 57% on April 8, compared with the previous record, reached in January. Largely the result of widespread fare sales, the number of average bookings per day for the year to date is 46% higher than the number for all of 2001. The first two weeks of April have shown "significant growth," with average bookings for April 1-9 65% higher than the average in 2001.
Goodrich, which has about $10 million invested in the Fairchild Dornier 728 and 928 landing system development and inventory, is confident that a combination of bridge loans and a partner will keep the German manufacturer afloat. "Our intelligence indicates that they will have a partner before that $90 million [in bridge financing] runs out," Goodrich President Marshall Larsen told analysts during an earnings call yesterday.
US Airways yesterday named Dan McDonald VP-fleet planning as part of its management restructuring. McDonald has spent a decade in airline planning and most recently was director-fleet planning at Delta. The position is a new one at US Airways and will include oversight of all aircraft planning and acquisitions, as well as fleet product management. US Airways also broadened Jeffery McDougle's responsibilities to VP-finance and treasurer, consolidating two officer-level positions into one. Both McDonald and McDougle start their new jobs tomorrow. -SL
American recently began installing new seats in the first-class cabin of its Fokker 100s. The seats have a larger cocktail tray table and have the first lumbar support pillow installed on AA's domestic, narrowbody aircraft. The seat pitch in the first-class cabin of the F100s will grow from 38 to 40 inches after the installation is complete. The airline spent several months testing the seats and seeking input from employees and frequent flyers. BE Aerospace manufactured the seats, and the first aircraft with the new seats entered service last month.
Varig, implementing efforts to interest new investors in a restructured carrier, last week met with BNDES, the government's development bank, to ensure its cooperation in issuing $400 million in new shares to recapitalize the company within the next six months. Varig President Ozires Silva said the relevant business and strategic plans also were submitted to some potential investors with positive results. Other information briefings are planned with banks Fator and Credit Lyonnais, two of Varig's main financial advisers.
Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) yesterday said the time has come to stand up against Europe's trade restrictions and protest subsidiaries that give manufacturers like Airbus an unfair competitive edge. Speaking to the Aero Club of Washington, Rockefeller, who chairs the powerful Senate Commerce transportation subcommittee, said it's time the U.S.
American and Northwest this week started interline electronic ticketing, enabling customers to use a single e-ticket when their itineraries include travel on both carriers. American announced similar agreements with United and Continental last month.
Brazil's Embraer is preparing to bid against its major competitor, Canada's Bombardier, for an order of 70 regional jets from US Airways, one of the largest purchases of this type of aircraft ever made by a U.S. carrier. Some analysts see in the $1.4 billion deal a new threat to negotiations now going on between Brazil and Canada within the framework of the World Trade Organization, which ultimately seeks to discard trade retaliations for government subsidies to both carriers.
Worldspan offers electronic ticketing functionality for flights booked in Brazil on American, Continental, Lufthansa and United. E-ticketing in Brazil will be extended to additional carriers "in the near future," the company said.
American will meet with Long Beach Municipal Airport officials on April 29 to discuss the airline's dispute with the airport over its slot allocation policy. The airport has granted American temporary use of four slots, but the carrier is seeking to gain their permanent use. JetBlue has been allocated 27 slots, but will not use all of them until May 2003. According to American, only 17 of the airport's 41 slots are in use.
The functional integration that Avianca and subsidiary SAM, plus Aces, will start implementing in Colombia May 20, will operate under the brand name of Summa Alliance. Meaning "summit" in Latin, Summa has been chosen to convey passengers an optimum travel experience. Summa's own logo, a winged, butterfly-like stylized image serves as umbrella for the smaller Avianca, SAM and Aces logos and will be used in aircraft livery and all alliance communications and documents.
American recently began installing new seats in the first-class cabin of its Fokker 100s. The seats have a larger cocktail tray table and have the first lumbar support pillow installed on AA's domestic, narrowbody aircraft. The seat pitch in the first-class cabin of the F100s will grow from 38 to 40 inches after the installation is complete. The airline spent several months testing the seats and seeking input from employees and frequent flyers. BE Aerospace manufactured the seats, and the first aircraft with the new seats entered service last month.
Latin America's aviation industry, still under pressure from the aftermath of Sept. 11, will recover in 18 to 20 months and traffic will return to 8.3% annual growth, the highest rate in the world, said Daniel Da Silva, Boeing's deputy VP-sales for Latin America.
Pan Am Airways wants rights to operate flights between points in the U.S. and points in Costa Rica, requesting grant of the authority by May 15. It plans Miami-San Jose daily nonstops beginning July 10, using Boeing 727-200 aircraft in a 149-seat "spacious 'Clipper Class'" configuration. The request is consistent with U.S.-Costa Rica open skies, Pan Am noted in its application. LACSA, American and Iberia fly daily nonstops in the market, with three-times weekly service by Martinair; TACA and COPA offer one-stops via points in Central America.
Argenbright, replaced by other firms at 29 U.S. airports, continues to operate security screening on a temporary basis at six airports -- Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Grand Rapids, Orlando, New York Kennedy and San Francisco -- until a replacement can be installed, according to a Transportation Security Administration spokesman.
House Transportation Committee today will hold a markup on air traffic control contract towers legislation, a bill to fund the NTSB and legislation on environmental streamlining. Republicans and Democrats yesterday were trying to work out differences in the environmental streamlining bill. Sources said transportation subcommittee Chair John Mica (R-Fla.) likely will introduce a manager's amendment to the NTSB bill to replenish emergency funding beyond the current $2 million level.
United continued to meet with the International Association of Machinists yesterday in an effort to reach agreement on a new contract for the carrier's ramp and public contact workers before a formal arbitration meeting tomorrow. Because the contract has not yet been resolved, IAM said it would not participate in a separate meeting with labor groups called tomorrow by management, which is expected to propose employee concessions. Other major union groups said they will attend, but are unlikely to be interested in concession proposals.
The Wayne County Commission filed a lawsuit Monday in an effort to stop control of Detroit Metropolitan Airport being handed over to a new independent authority. A hearing for a temporary restraining order is scheduled for Tomorrow. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Detroit, names the County Executive Ed McNamara, Michigan Gov. John Engler (R), and the FAA. Engler recently signed a state bill that creates a seven-member authority that will take over airport oversight from Wayne County. A spokeswoman for Gov.
All Nippon Airways' international bookings for its "Golden Week" holiday period are down 12%, largely due to reduced capacity. Golden Week, April 27-May 6, includes a series of national holidays, such as the emperor's birthday, now Green Day, Constitution Day, Citizen's Day and Children's Day. ANA's transpacific flights "continued a recovery" trend as bookings declined 21% in contrast to a 28.5% reduction in available seats.
There is no short-term recovery in sight for Mexican airlines, deeply affected by the worldwide aviation crisis, Mexican industry analyst Jose Luis Montemayor Jasso told daily El Universal. Mexico must nonetheless renew its aging aircraft fleet and acquire 391 new aircraft over the next 20 years worth $21 billion.
