DOT took offense at the "intemperate tone" of a letter from American CEO Don Carty to DOT Secretary Norman Mineta, using the order to dismiss the AA/British Airways alliance bid to "remind participants in our proceedings of our rules regarding standards of conduct." Carty called DOT's conditions for AA/BA approval "arbitrary, capricious and inconsistent with the very antitrust principles cited by the department in support of them."
Raytheon and Northrop Grumman are joining forces to become the general contractor for installation and maintenance of explosives detection system (EDS) and explosives trace detection (ETD) equipment -- an accelerated competition limited to seven bidders -- that could be worth $3-4 billion.
A British jury acquitted rock guitarist Peter Buck of the band R.E.M. of assault and disorderly conduct, in the latest example of air rage to go unpunished. Buck had consumed 15 glasses of wine on the British Airways flight from London to Seattle in April 2001, according to the Associated Press. He overturned a breakfast cart, wrestled with and threw food at the crew and tried to open an exit door during flight.
Low-cost, no-frills Gol Airlines' decision last week to cut fares 33% in most of its domestic routes may not lead to a new domestic fare war in Brazil, according to Brazilian industry analysts. They claim that the sector's current crisis, which registered a downturn in February, does not favor predatory practices. "Gol is trying to increase market share," one analyst said.
A British jury acquitted rock guitarist Peter Buck of the band R.E.M. of assault and disorderly conduct, in the latest example of air rage to go unpunished. Buck had consumed 15 glasses of wine on the British Airways flight from London to Seattle in April 2001, according to the Associated Press. He overturned a breakfast cart, wrestled with and threw food at the crew and tried to open an exit door during flight.
This month, Ecuador has fixed departure taxes for Quito Mariscal Sucre International Airport at $25 and $10 for Guayaquil Simon Bolivar International Airport. In Guayaquil, the rate was lowered from $25, and half the lower fee will go to the National Civil Aviation Department and half to improvements. Quito maintained a $25 tax on passengers to cover ongoing major improvements.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes said its Wichita division will be part of the technology development team working on advanced materials, including composites, for the Sonic Cruiser. Boeing Wichita joins Alenia Aeronautica, Fuji Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan Aircraft Development Corp., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Vought Aircraft Industries on the program's materials technology development team.
Correction: Air Transport Association of Canada is the association that challenged parts of FAA's August 2001 overflight fees rule. The group was incorrectly identified April 5 in The DAILY. United Plans Start Seasonal Service This Summer Between Chicago O'Hare-Calgary.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers International Traffic Third Quarter 2001 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles % Carriers (000) Change (Miles) (000) Change Alaska 184 4.09 1,151 212,277 5.77 Latin 184 4.09 1,151 212,277 5.77
Correction: Air Transport Association of Canada is the association that challenged parts of FAA's August 2001 overflight fees rule. The group was incorrectly identified April 5 in The DAILY. United Plans Start Seasonal Service This Summer Between Chicago O'Hare-Calgary
Alaska Airlines on March 31 had about $618 million in cash and short-term investments on hand. According to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, the airline has 20% of its fuel requirements hedged in the second quarter at $23 per barrel.
Airbus expects to have FAA certification on April 22 for its cockpit door upgrades, the company will report at a conference today in Hamburg. Narrowbody kits for in-service planes will be available immediately, while kits for its widebodies will be available in early May. Boeing will tell attendees that its first kits will be available in May.
April 10, 1972 -- Braniff believes it can fly the Concorde at a profit with 10-hour-a-day utilization of three airplanes, said Chairman Lawrence Harding, planning Los Angeles-Lima and New York-Bogota/Lima/Buenos Aires/Santiago routings.
Los Angeles airport pioneer Clifton Moore died last week at age 80. Moore was first hired in 1959 as a building superintendent and became instrumental in transforming LAX from a two-runway regional airport into one of the busiest in the world. He became executive director of the LA Department of Airports in 1968 and retired in 1993.
British Airways signed a deal last week to sell a majority stake in its India-based data management company World Network Services to private equity firm Warburg Pincus. Under the terms of the transaction, Warburg Pincus will acquire a 70% stake in WNS, including certain U.K. assets of Speedwing International Ltd. British Airways will retain a 30% shareholding in WNS.
Air Canada plans to double its domestic fuel surcharge due to sharply higher prices. Effective April 11, the charge will increase from C$7.50 one-way to C$15.00 on all tickets for travel within Canada. The carrier first introduced a fuel surcharge of C$15.00 on May 24, 2001, but this was cut by 50% on Nov. 20. "When the fuel surcharge was introduced, Air Canada indicated that it would be adjusted according to market fluctuations in fuel prices," the carrier said.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Traffic Third Quarter 2001 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles % Carriers (000) Change (Miles) (000) Change Alaska 3,563 2.44 875 3,116,862 2.99 America West 4,981 (2.40) 982 4,890,272 (1.37)
Iberia announced the sale of Binter Canarias, its wholly owned regional subsidiary based in the Canary Islands, to a group of local investors for EUR52.6 million. "The sale comes within Iberia's strategy of strengthening its trunk lines," Iberia said. In 2001 Binter Canarias, profitable, carried 2.2 million passengers with 11 ATR-72 aircraft.
Airbus yesterday announced supplier agreements with four Japanese companies for A380 work. Jamco Corp will make the upper-floor deck carbon cross beams and other structural parts and Sumitomo Metal Industries will supply titanium sheets, while Toho Tenax Corp. and Toray Corp. will supply intermediate carbon fiber filament. Value of the contracts exceeds $650 million, Airbus said.
Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise has strengthened its presence in the U.S. with the opening of a marketing office in San Diego. Its other office in the U.S. is in Washington D.C. Its headquarters is in Singapore and it also has an office in London. In line with the latest development, SALE appointed Charles Salazar executive VP-marketing for the San Diego operations.
