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.
JetBlue Airways overcame soaring fuel prices and severe winter weather on the East Coast to eke out a modest net profit of $3 million in the three months ended March 31, a $4 million positive swing from a loss of $1 million in the year-ago period.
United Continental Holdings, parent of merger partners United Airlines and Continental Airlines, incurred a first-quarter net loss of $213 million, widened from a $183 million pro forma net deficit reported by the two carriers in the March 2010 quarter.
United Continental Holdings, parent of merger partners United Airlines and Continental Airlines, incurred a first-quarter net loss of $213 million, widened from a $183 million pro forma net deficit reported by the two carriers in the March 2010 quarter.
Lufthansa will integrate subsidiaries Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines and British Midland into the antitrust immunized Atlantic Plus-Plus joint venture by July 1, an LH spokesperson confirmed to ATW.
Virgin Blue is set to announce another significant partnership, this time with Hawaiian Airlines. Addressing the Australian-British Chamber of Commerce in Sydney on Wednesday, Virgin Blue CEO John Borghetti said the airline was in the "process of having advanced discussions with Hawaiian Airlines" on codeshare flights to Hawaii.
Etihad Airways reported a 21.2% year-over-year rise in first-quarter revenue to $770 million. It said the year's first three months represented its "most successful first-quarter to date."
Chinese carriers posted collective first-quarter net income of CNY5.73 billion ($879 million), up 31.8% over the year-ago period, according to CAAC, which credited the continuing growth of domestic market demand.
American Airlines parent AMR Corp. on Wednesday reported a first-quarter net loss of $436 million, narrowed from a $505 million net deficit in the year-ago period, and announced a further capacity reduction in the 2011 fourth quarter.
American Airlines parent AMR Corp. on Wednesday reported a first-quarter net loss of $436 million, narrowed from a $505 million net deficit in the year-ago period, and announced a further capacity reduction in the 2011 fourth quarter.
Lufthansa Cargo Chairman and CEO Karl Ulrich Garnadt said the Austrian Lufthansa Cargo joint venture launched last year, through which LH and subsidiary Austrian Airlines jointly market and manage the two carriers' cargo capacity ( ATW Daily News, Feb. 25, 2010), has been successful. The airlines integrated handling and distribution in Austria while freight activities in all other countries fall under LHC management.
Ryanair will trial reserved seating on two routes from Dublin to Malaga and London Gatwick from May 16 in yet another move to generate more ancillary revenue. The pre-booked service costs €10 ($14.32) each way and includes priority boarding and the reservation of a seat in the front two rows or in over-wing emergency exit rows, which have more leg room. The LCC said it will continue to offer priority boarding service for €4, and it intends to roll the reserved seating out selectively on other routes in the coming months if it proves to be popular with passengers.
Longtime airline equities analyst Jamie Baker of JP Morgan has called on US legacy carriers to develop a new pricing model better able to cope with the roller coaster fluctuations in the price of oil. In a brief investment report on Tuesday, he wrote, "We can think of few consumer products that can be purchased up to 330 days prior to consumption, where the manufacturer or service provider has virtually no knowledge or control over their largest input cost [fuel]."
Armavia took delivery Tuesday of the first production Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SN95007), at Zvartnots International in Yerevan, nearly three years after the jet’s maiden flight. The aircraft was christened “Yuri Gagarin” in memory of the first cosmonaut. The Armenian carrier holds two firm orders plus two options.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce slammed the unions representing the airline's engineers, pilots and baggage handlers, telling ATW that they are conducting a "kamikaze" industrial campaign that will "kill jobs."
Armavia took delivery Tuesday of the first production Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SN95007), at Zvartnots International in Yerevan, nearly three years after the jet’s maiden flight.
KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH was mandated by BOC Aviation as arranger and sole lender for a seven-year commercial debt financing of three new Aeroflot-operated Airbus A320-200s. The transaction closed in March and aircraft deliveries are scheduled for April and May this year. ILFC reached a five-year lease agreement with Aerolíneas Argentinas for 10 Boeing 737-700NG aircraft. Deliveries are expected to begin this month and be completed by October 2012.
Gulf Air announced the launch of two new destinations from its hub in Bahrain, bringing to eight the number of new destinations in 2011. A four-times-weekly service to Copenhagen will commence July 1 and four-times-weekly flights to Nairobi will launch July 5. The BAH-CPH route will use a Boeing 737, operated by Privatair, in a two-class configuration with 16 seats in business class and 78 in economy; the BAH-NBO service will use an Airbus A320, featuring 16 business class seats and 120 in economy.
Norwegian Air Shuttle said its free inflight Wi-Fi is a “hit” with its passengers and that on some routes—such as Oslo Gardermoen-Geneva—between 40% and 50% of all passengers logged on.
AviancaTaca, the parent of Avianca and TACA, said preliminary results of its IPO reveal that the requests for shares exceeded $1.5 billion, more than five times the initial offering of 100 million shares priced at a total $250 million.
Air China is pressing ahead with requiring its majority-owned subsidiary Shenzhen Airlines to join Star Alliance, an industry insider told ATW. The source noted that Star is still evaluating the carrier and there is no specific timetable for a formal agreement.
AviancaTaca, the parent of Avianca and TACA, said preliminary results of its IPO reveal that the requests for shares exceeded $1.5 billion, more than five times the initial offering of 100 million shares priced at a total $250 million.
Copa Holdings said that JP Morgan will provide US Export-Import Bank guaranteed funding for five Boeing 737-800s scheduled for delivery this year. “The facility, totaling $178.5 million, includes 12-year financing terms at very competitive rates and will finance all direct Boeing purchases scheduled for delivery to Copa Airlines in 2011,” said Copa.
Alaska Airlines last week launched its new and enhanced touch-screen digEplayer inflight entertainment devices, which boast a lighter weight and smaller size than its predecessor that debuted in 2003. At the time of its introduction eight years ago, AS "was the first carrier in the world to offer customers portable video-on-demand technology from a convenient handheld device," it said.
