Finnair (AY) will return four Airbus A320s at the end of their lease periods in the fall of 2012 as part of its €140 million ($186.6 million) cost-savings program, to be completed by 2014 ( ATW Daily News, Oct. 10). As a result of this move, AY said it “expects to realize a boost in narrowbody aircraft utilization.” The move will not impact personnel.
Air Berlin (AB) is looking for strategic investors and has contacted Etihad Airways and Haikou-based HNA Group, parent of Hainan Airlines, the German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung has reported. The financially troubled AB operates a codeshare agreement with HNA.
Brussels Airlines (SN) will add three frequencies on its Brussels-Moscow route, nearly doubling the number of flights between the two capitals to 13 weekly flights by the summer schedule 2012.
From the moment in 2003 when he took over as American Airlines (AA) chairman and CEO, replacing Don Carty just as the Dallas-based carrier was narrowly avoiding a Chapter 11 filing, Gerard Arpey spent eight years trying to prove that a major US legacy airline could both avoid bankruptcy and achieve sustained profitability.
Citing an "untenable" cost disadvantage compared to its primary competitors, American Airlines (AA) parent AMR Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a New York court Tuesday and announced the resignation of chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey.
Regional Airline Assn. has appointed Republic Airways VP-safety and regulatory compliance Brad Elstad as chairman, and Atlantic Southeast Airlines director-safety Brad Sheehan as vice chairman, for a two-year term, effective Jan. 1, 2012. Gulf Air named Rick Saggar country manager-UK and Ireland. Saggar joins Gulf Air from Hahn Air, where he served as director-airline business group.
South African Airways has announced an expansion of its African routes into the Congo as well as a new international route to China. The airline will launch services to Pointe Noire in the Congo from Jan. 26 and Beijing from Jan. 31. Pointe Noire is the fourth new African destination this financial year. It joins Ndola, in Zambia; Kigali, in Rwanda; and Bujumbura, in Burundi.
Air France (AF) will commence 3X-weekly scheduled service between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Wuhan Tianhe April 11, 2012. AF will use a Boeing 777-200ER configured with 309 seats, comprising 35 in business, 24 in premium economy and 250 in economy.
Atlantic Airways (RC), the national carrier of the Faroe Islands, posted a profit before tax of DKK27.4 million ($5 million) in the first nine months of 2011, up 166% from a DKK 10.3 million pre-tax profit earned in the year-ago period.
US Dept. of Transportation’s (DOT) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) said the nation’s largest carriers reported three tarmac delays longer than 3 hr. in September, compared to four flights in September 2010.
Lufthansa Cargo (LHC) is predicting flat to 5% traffic growth in 2012, LHC executive board member-product and sales Andreas Otto told the German News agency dpa.
Barcelona-based LCC Vueling Airlines (VY) reported a third-quarter net profit of €41 million ($55.3 million), slightly down from a €43.3 million net profit earned in the year-ago period. It expects to obtain a positive result for the full year despite high fuel prices and a difficult macroeconomic and operating environment.
EasyJet (U2) nearly doubled its net profit for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 to £225 million ($353.4 million) from £121 million in net income earned in the prior year and decided to return £195 million to shareholders, the company’s first dividend since its IPO in November 2000.
TAP Portugal CEO Fernando Pinto is optimistic the privatization process of the Portuguese carrier will be a success, although the carrier’s pilots—frustrated by their lack of participation in the company’s privatization process—are threatening industrial action. The eight-day strike is expected to take place from Dec. 9-12 and Jan. 3-6, Dow Jones reported last week.
Delta Air Lines (DL) president Ed Bastian said that "the important impact of consolidation" can be seen in US airlines' financial results, which remain positive despite a difficult operating environment characterized by high fuel prices and shaky consumer confidence.
Iberia (IB) pilots represented by the SEPLA union will meet on Wednesday Nov. 30 to decide on possible strike action in December to protest the company's plans to launch Iberia Express.
The US Dept. of Transportation (DOT) has fined Spirit Airlines $50,000 for advertising fares that did not include or disclose details on taxes and fees.
Air France (AF) will start operating Airbus A380 aircraft on a daily Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Dubai (DXB) route Dec. 5, and on a 2X-daily CDG to Los Angeles (LAX) route May 28, 2012.
Alaska Airlines’ (AS) 626 aircraft technicians, represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assn. (AMFA), ratified a new five-year contract. The agreement includes annual pay raises, additional job protection provisions, a long-term contract bonus, and a shared commitment to work on minimizing health-care cost increases. "This contract recognizes the professionalism and skill of our technicians and provides long-term security for our employees, the union and the airline," AS VP-maintenance and engineering Fred Mohr said.
Air New Zealand (ANZ) has launched a new Airpoints frequent flyer membership initiative designed to transform its loyalty card into what it terms the “ultimate travel companion.”
