A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 (N799SW) slid off runway 13C while landing at Chicago Midway Airport on Tuesday, marking the second time a SWA 737 has had a runway excursion at the airport. Flight 1919 was en route from Denver. There were no injuries among the 134 passengers, five lap children and five crew members on board, the airline said, noting that the passenger count was still preliminary. Passengers were deplaned using air stairs.
Bombardier Aerospace said that Pluna Lineas Aereas Uruguayas signed a follow-on order for three CRJ900 NextGen regional jets, from an order announced last year ( ATW Daily News, April 15, 2010). It is valued at approximately $129 million based on list prices. The Montevideo-based airline already operates 10 of the type.
Sichuan Airlines on Tuesday launched a Yunnan subsidiary to enhance its position in the lucrative Yunnan market and take advantage of the fast-growing Chinese economy. The Chengdu-based carrier operates four aircraft in Kunming and plans to expand its fleet to 25 aircraft by 2015. In the next five years, Sichuan expects to open 33 domestic routes to other province capitals and major cities starting from Kunming, which will increase its share of the Yunnan market from 6% to 20% by the end of 2015.
US Airways reported a first-quarter net loss of $114 million, widened from a $45 million net deficit in the year-ago quarter, as surging fuel costs outweighed revenue gains.
Delta Air Lines reported a hefty first-quarter loss of $318 million, significantly widened from a deficit of $256 million in the year-ago period, as a 29% rise in fuel costs added $483 million to the operating expense ledger in the current period.
US Dept. of Justice said Tuesday it has approved Southwest Airlines' acquisition of AirTran Airways, clearing the way for the transaction to close on May 2.
Bombardier Aerospace said that Pluna Lineas Aereas Uruguayas signed a follow-on firm order for three CRJ900 NextGen regional jets, from an order announced last year.
An Alitalia Airbus A321 en route from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Rome Fiumicino landed safely at FCO on Sunday night after cabin crew and passengers overpowered a passenger who attacked a flight attendant, Italy's ANSA news agency reported. According to ANSA and other news reports, the alleged attacker threatened a female flight attendant with some kind of knife and asked that the flight be diverted to Tripoli. He was reportedly subdued quickly. The flight attendant was treated for what were described as "minor abrasions" after landing.
Boeing last week said 787 training campuses in Seattle, Singapore, Tokyo, London and Shanghai have received approval from US FAA, UK CAA, EASA, CAAC and the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau.
American Airlines applied to the US Dept. of Transportation for the right to fly 10 additional weekly frequencies from Miami to destinations in Brazil starting as early as December.
Austrian Airlines will launch thrice-weekly Vienna-Baghdad service from June 8 using an A320, marking the carrier's return to the Iraqi capital after a 21-year absence. It previously operated to Baghdad from 1982-1990. It currently operates flights from VIE to the Iraqi city of Erbil; it will operate six-times-weekly service on the route during its summer schedule.
Air France last week launched twice-weekly service from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Freetown and commenced twice-weekly CDG-Monrovia flights. Both new routes are via Conakry. AF last week increased CDG-CKY service to daily, of which four weekly flights are nonstop and three are via Nouakchott. Flights to CKY, NKC, FNA and MLW are being operated by an Airbus A330-200 with 208 seats in a three-class configuration, including 40 seats in business, 21 in premium economy and 147 in economy.
Lufthansa Systems said it will launch a solution transforming iPads into full-fledged Electronic Flight Bags "centered around an advanced version" of its Lido/iRouteManual. The iPad EFB is slated to become available in the current quarter. The suite of applications will consist of three modules: The Lido/iRouteManual and a document viewer—both in the form of iPad apps—and a document management system in the form of a Web service. "Further modules are already under consideration," LHS said.
Virgin America enjoyed its first profitable reporting period in the 2010 third quarter but was unable to sustain the momentum in the fourth quarter, posting a $25.1 million net loss, widened from an $18.8 million net deficit in the 2009 December quarter and pushing the company to a $68.7 million full-year net loss.
The Thai government gave Thai Airways the right to decide how it acquires aircraft, clearing the way for the carrier to move forward with a plan to buy or lease up to 75 aircraft over a 12-year period.
Hainan Airlines reported net income of CNY273.3 million ($41.9 million) in the first quarter, up 8.2% over a CNY252.5 million profit in the year-ago period, owing to the rapid growth of Chinese domestic market demand and revenue generated by fleet expansion, according to a Shanghai Stock Exchange filing.
Virgin America enjoyed its first profitable reporting period in the 2010 third quarter but was unable to sustain the momentum in the fourth quarter, posting a $25.1 million net loss, widened from an $18.8 million net deficit in the 2009 December quarter and pushing the company to a $68.7 million full-year net loss.
AirBaltic beginning April 26 will offer a vacant adjacent seat to its business class passengers flying Bombardier Q400 NextGen and Fokker 50 aircraft. It says it plans to make "further improvements" to its business class travelers by offering the service at "more attractive prices" to those who book early.
AirTran Airways announced its flights attendants, represented by the Assn. of Flight Attendants, ratified a new collective bargaining agreement ( ATW Daily News, March 24), which will take effect May 1. In a statement, AirTran said that 96% of its 2,200 voting members approved the agreement, which provides for “increased compensation, improved benefits and preservation of key service and reliability functions.”
Alaska Air Group, parent of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, earned $74.2 million in first-quarter net income, considerably widened from a $5.3 million net profit in the year-ago period. Revenue lifted 16.3% year-over-year to $965.2 million.
Southwest Airlines earned $5 million in the first quarter, a 54.5% decline compared to $11 million earned in the year-ago period but a solid showing in view of rapidly rising fuel costs and tough winter weather.
