Voters in Zurich have refused to allow the city to invest CHF50 million in Switzerland's new airline, Swiss. The money was planned to be part of a CHF2.7 billion recapitalization for Swiss, which emerged out of Crossair and Swissair this month. Swiss stressed that the decision "won't have any impact on our operations." But it is a sign that public opinion is slowly becoming more critical of the airline, which is in an unsolved dispute with former Crossair pilots over seniority issues. -MT
United Hub Profile Los Angeles Origin and Destinations, Segment Summary and Top Nonstop Markets Origination and Destination Data 12 Months 12 Months Ended June Ended June 2001 1997 Los Angeles Total (All Carriers) O&D Passengers 33,408,470 31,782,980 5.1% Passengers Per 45,765 43,538
Rolls-Royce signed a $530 million "Total Care" agreement to maintain Trent 700s that power the Cathay Pacific's 20 Airbus A330s. About 40% of the Trent 700s in service are under Total Care plans, Rolls said.
Boeing and supplier C&D Aerospace have enough capacity to retrofit cockpit doors meeting new FAA requirements by the agency's April 9, 2003, deadline, a Boeing executive said yesterday in Hamburg. C&D is responsible for manufacturing the doors for all Boeing narrowbody aircraft, as well as the DC-10 and MD-11 widebody models, while Boeing is handling 747, 767 and 777 kits.
Alaska Airlines led the U.S. majors in the annual Airline Quality Rating (AQR) study, issued yesterday, which found the 11 carriers performed better in 2001 -- both before and after Sept. 11 -- than they did in 2000. The 12th annual survey by the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and Wichita State University (WSU) weights factors from data compiled by DOT for its Air Travel Consumer Report -- on-time performance, involuntary bumping, mishandled baggage and consumer complaints.
LanChile Cargo announced a surcharge of $0.05 per kilogram based on actual weight, with a minimum of $5 per shipment, effective April 18. But the carrier will continue to monitor fuel prices and eliminate the surcharge as warranted by market trends.
Grupo TACA said on-time performance and schedule reliability in both January and February remained high. On-time performance reached 87.25%, while schedule reliability registered 99.58%.
The Malaysian government's proposed 30% sale of Malaysia Airports Holdings (MAH) to Schiphol International BV of Amsterdam has been called off after the Dutch company changed its mind about the purchase because its own public offering is delayed. Schiphol had to review its plans and was apparently reluctant to acquire the entire 30% offered, even though the Dutch entity agreed in principle to the acquisition.
Airbus expects to sign "significant new orders" over the course of the next four months, Executive VP-Customer Affairs John Leahy told The DAILY. He also upped the company's estimated total orders for this year to between 400-500. Leahy said at the New York Airfinance conference that Airbus has sold more than 100 aircraft in the past three weeks, proving that "the market appears to be turning."
Japan Airlines and Japan Air System are considering possible spontaneous renunciation of a part of slots in Haneda, Tokyo's domestic airport. Earlier, the Fair Trade Commission of Japan expressed opposition for the proposed merger of the two carriers, indicating the JAL/JAS merger will accelerate oligopoly at congested Haneda and narrow participation opportunity for startups.
Southwest last week took delivery of four new Boeing 737-700s. With the addition of aircraft N415WN-N418WN, Southwest has 363 aircraft in its fleet. It has taken delivery of 10 aircraft since Jan. 1.
Raytheon and the Mongolian Civil Aviation Authority (MCAA) recently did a demonstration in which aircraft equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Contact (ADS-C) were managed together in the same airspace. Raytheon executives said the trials, which were revealed last week even though they took place late last year, were the first integration of ADS-B- (air-to-air and air-to-ground communications) and ADS-C (air-to-ground only) -equipped planes and non-equipped planes in common airspace.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers International Revenues and Expenses Third Quarter 2001 Total Operating % Passenger Freight Carrier Revenues Change Revenues Revenues Alaska 22,436,000 3.37 21,732,000 17,000 Latin 22,436,000 3.37 21,732,000 17,000
TRAFFIC DATA FOR MARCH 2002 RPMs Change ASMs Change In From In From Load Airline Millions 3/01 Millions 3/01 Factor AirTran 486.1 +14.8% 677.0 +20.9% 71.8% Atlantic Coast 229.1 +67.4% 366.5 +50.0% 62.5% Frontier 312.4 +23.3% 463.4 +21.3% 67.4%
An air traffic controllers' strike in Kenya -- the fourth in 10 years -- has left a number of controllers jobless and forced the government to scramble to keep its airspace monitored. U.S. National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said that, according to Kenyan colleagues, 32 controllers in that country have been fired and 82 more suspended. In their place, the government is using managers and recently retired controllers urged back to work by Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi, the BBC reported, thus creating what NATCA says is an unsafe situation.
Swiss regional carrier Swisswings halted its operations yesterday and filed for protection from creditors. The airline, once a KLM franchisee, failed to find an investor in time for last Friday's deadline. The company needed an immediate cash injection of CHF10 million but has been unprofitable for years. Switzerland's new major carrier, Swiss, offered to carry Swisswings passengers without charge on Monday and will accept Swisswings interline ticket for a surcharge until April 12. In the airline collapse, around 120 jobs are lost.
Emirates' Security Manager Clyve Williams has "huge concerns about airport equipment" in the ongoing discussion about improved aviation security. He doubts that metal detectors and X-ray machines can detect all specific types of explosives at airport security checkpoints, Williams said at Aircraft Interior Expo 2002 in Hamburg.
Yugoslav national air carrier JAT last week decided to ban smoking on all of its flights, according to the Associated Press. JAT is one of the last airlines to ban smoking on international flights. It had banned smoking on domestic flights.
Airplane manufacturer Airbus expects to meet FAA requirements for cockpit door upgrades by the end of April. The company will also have received certification for video cameras monitoring the area outside the cockpit door in a few weeks, Tony Broderick, senior adviser to Airbus North America, said at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2002 in Hamburg, Germany. "We have to get beyond door improvement" in enhancing aircraft safety, Broderick said. But many of the proposed measures are very risky in his view.
Spirit Airlines recently submitted an application for a U.S. loan guarantee, but there is no telling how long the review will take, according to Joe Adams, executive director of the Air Transportation Stabilization Board. Adams confirmed at a New York financial conference yesterday that privately held Spirit had applied for a loan but he could not discuss the details of their request.
Hertz last week eliminated base commissions paid to travel agents on car rentals, booked after April 4, primarily for U.S. and Canadian accounts with negotiated rate programs. This follows similar actions by airlines. Travel agency override and bonus programs, for all business and leisure rentals, are not affected. Hertz said rates in negotiated programs are at 1991 levels, while inflation has increased more than 30% since then.
Air Canada and Canada Post Corp. renewed their long-standing cargo and passenger services contract. The deal has been extended for five years for domestic service, three years for transborder and international service and two years for corporate travel. As the carrier for Canada Post's mail, Air Canada expects to carry more than 35 million kilograms (77 million lbs.) of mail annually on some 200 daily flights.
