US FAA issued a blistering report yesterday in which it claimed that "union-controlled scheduling practices" at the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control facility were "inefficient and wasteful" and resulted in overtime costs that are "more than double" those at any other ATC facility in the country. The report, the result of a 60-day investigation begun in March, also found that recent attempts by FAA management to curb wasteful practices "were met with resistance, followed by anonymous reports of 'operational errors.'"
When the newest commercial airport terminal in the US opens this month, Ft. Myers airline tenants will get not only a complex twice as large as the old one but also a commitment by the airport director to lower their operating costs.
Last month, United Airlines added another first to the list of dubious achievements that have marked the economic fortunes of the US airline industry since the end of 2000: The largest pension default in US corporate history. The carrier will transfer plans covering 120,000 current, furloughed and retired employees to the US Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., along with a $6.4 billion funding deficit.
United Airlines' LCC Ted, in order to meet "increasing customer demand," will launch new service to destinations in the US, the Caribbean and Mexico. According to United, the flights represent the transfer of several mainline routes to Ted as well as one route that is new to United. As announced in March, nine A320s are being converted from United to Ted configuration to provide the service. Under the expansion plan, from Sept. 7 Ted will launch twice-daily service between San Francisco and Ontario, Calif.
Continental Airlines today is expected to launch daily nonstop flights from Newark to Belfast, the second of six new transatlantic routes the carrier plans to open this summer.
EasyJet will add more capacity to its new base at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg this summer with the introduction of three new routes. Daily services to Madrid and Hamburg will begin Aug. 11 and daily service to Malaga Aug. 12. The expansion will increase the total number of routes offered to 13, with four aircraft operating through the airport.
Servisair/GlobeGround will open a new Executive Lounge at Nottingham East Midlands Airport June 20 offering a number of services including a dedicated staff, a bar area with complimentary drinks, Internet access, telephones and fax machines and other perks. The company is offering an introductory price of £12 ($22) per visit.
JetBlue Airways yesterday launched thrice-weekly flights between New York JFK and Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. The airline plans to add a fourth daily flight on the route July 15.
Continental Airlines' new codesharing agreement with Island Air will begin this fall. Under the deal, Continental will place its code on Island Air flights from Honolulu to Kahului, Kapalua West-Maui, Kona, Hilo, Lihue, Lanai and Molokai.
Gulf Air and Middle East Airlines finalized a codeshare agreement reached last month. The accord, which will go into effect June 1, will allow Gulf Air to place its code on Middle East Airlines flights between Abu Dhabi and Beirut.
Ryanair announced that it has implemented a 3% pay increase for its staff following a round of direct negotiations in April. The increase, which will be retroactive to April 1, will apply to all of the carrier's employees except its pilots, who chose not to negotiate directly with the company. However, Ryanair said it remains willing to enter discussions with that group.
Menzies Aviation introduced Right Bags On-Board, its new secure baggage reconciliation system. RBOB uses handheld scanners equipped with wireless technology to provide ground workers with information about each bag they scan, including passenger name, flight number and destination. Following a three-month trial of the system, Cathay Pacific will be the launch customer.
Baltimore/Washington International Airport and Southwest Airlines are preparing to move the airline's operations to the new Terminal A/B in a phased transition beginning tonight and running for approximately two weeks. Terminal A/B is a 510,000-sq.-ft. facility providing new food and retail concessions and 11 gates that are connected with 15 SWA gates on Concourse B to create a 26-gate concourse for the carrier, the airport's largest tenant. The all-in cost for the complex was $264 million. Supporting roadway and airfield improvements totaled approximately $95 million.
Menzies Aviation will take over as the exclusive ramp handler at Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo effective July 1 after signing a 10-year contract with airport operator Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI SA.
Servisair/GlobeGround chose ARINC's SelfServ kiosk solution to provide check-in for passengers at Oslo. Servisair said this is the first time a ground handling company has deployed its own common-use kiosks for its airline customers. The launch airlines for the project are Air France and KLM, and others are expected to join over time.
ANA and Shanghai Airlines have applied to the Japanese government for permission to extend their existing codeshare arrangements from June 15. ANA is looking to place its code on Shanghai Airlines' seven weekly flights between Shanghai and both Chengdu and Chongqing, while the Chinese carrier hopes to begin codesharing on ANA's four weekly flights from Shanghai to Nagoya.
L-3 Communications Security and Detection Systems received an order from Seoul Incheon for 15 VIS 108 advanced technology systems and eight eXaminer 3DX 6500 explosives detection systems. The airport plans to integrate the equipment into an inline multilevel checked and transfer baggage screening system as part of its continued expansion.
