US airline passenger revenue rose 14.5% in November compared to November 2009, marking the 11th consecutive month of year-over-year increases, Air Transport Assn. reported. RPMs rose 6.5% while yield climbed 7.5%. Domestic passenger revenues climbed 11% while international revenues jumped 23% for the month. Data is based on reports from Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines, US Airways and their affiliated regional airlines, but not Southwest Airlines.
Aeromexico said Friday it has reached agreement with its pilots on a new labor pact that will allow for growth and increases in productivity. Though details were not released, Chairman Jose Luis Barraza said, "This agreement with the pilots is the most important structural change the company has made in terms of labor agreements and will allow the airline a sustainable growth in the immediate future."
Delta Air Lines announced it will expand the first-class cabin on approximately 350 aircraft, adding 1,200 Weber Aircraft first-class seats to domestic MD-88, MD-90, Boeing 757-200 and 767-300 aircraft by summer 2013, in response to business customers' requests for more premium cabin seating.
Swiss International Air Lines CEO Harry Hohmeister told ATW at the Star Alliance meeting in Queenstown that “2011 will be the year of consolidation for us,” noting, “We will not add new long-haul routes [but will] consolidate against the current trend in the industry.”
Ryanair on Friday dismissed speculation that it might bid for Virgin Atlantic Airways, saying that while it is interested in a low fares transatlantic service, it has “no intention of bidding for a high fares airline.”
Horizon Air announced that its technicians ratified a new four-year contract. Of the 72% of Horizon's mechanics who voted, more than 65% were in favor of the agreement, according to the IBT, which represents Horizon’s 337 mechanics. The new contract took effect immediately. As part of the agreement, Horizon's 337 mechanics will gain participation in the airline's performance-based incentive plan.
Ethiopian Airlines and Air China signed an agreement under which the carriers will codeshare on their 14 weekly services between Addis Ababa on the one hand and Guangzhou and Beijing on the other. Air China announced its intent to reach an agreement with ET back in June. Air China is a member of Star Alliance and Ethiopian is in the process of joining.
Bmi, a wholly owned Lufthansa subsidiary, continues to target an annual cost reduction of £100 million ($156.9 million) and hopes to bring the carrier back to profit in 2012.
Airbus said Dublin-based leasing company Avolon ordered eight A320s, which will be equipped with "Sharklet" winglets. Avolon will make an engine selection for the aircraft in the near future.
According to AirAsia, the new carrier "will leverage on AirAsia's strength to forge into markets in China, Korea and Japan from the Philippines, AirAsia intends to launch a Philippines-based low-cost airline joint venture in which
Virgin Atlantic Airways said it has been contacted by a number of companies regarding potential tie-ups after its 51% owner, Virgin Group, contracted Deutsche Bank to assess the airline's position and growth opportunities in the rapidly consolidating European airline industry.
Southwest Airlines Chairman, President and CEO Gary Kelly told the Wings Club in New York City that SWA has notified Boeing that it will “substitute 20 of its 737-700 orders for -800s,” with the first delivery scheduled for March 2012. The airline had made known its desire to add the larger type into its fleet of 737-700s, -300s and -500s but needed to get approval from its pilot and cabin crew unions first.
TAM Airlines together with Airbus on Nov. 22 conducted the first jatropha-based biofuel flight in Latin America using an A320. The biofuel, processed by UOP LLC, a Honeywell group, was a 50:50 blend of locally sourced Brazilian jatropha-based bio-kerosene and conventional aviation kerosene. On board the CFM56-powered A320 were 20 employees from TAM and Airbus.
US airlines collected a total of $1.5 billion in baggage fees and reservation cancellation/change fees in the 2010 third quarter, up 10.6% from $1.35 billion in the third quarter of 2009 according to US Dept. of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Baggage fees in the third quarter accounted for $906.4 million, up 22.5% from $739.8 million in the year-ago period. Reservation cancellation/change fees accounted for $590.4 million, down 3.8% from $613.5 million in year-ago quarter.
Ryanair announced further cuts to its German operations next year, citing the new flight tax as reason for its decision. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the new tax in June as part of a €80 billion ($106 billion) package of austerity measures, although she justified it on environmental grounds.
The US Dept. of Transportation Monday announced it assessed a civil penalty of $600,000 against JetBlue Airways for “violating rules protecting air travelers with disabilities and for failing to disclose when flights sold by the carrier were being operated under a codesharing arrangement.” DOT noted that “$350,000 must be paid by the carrier” and “up to $250,000” may be used to improve its service to disabled passengers beyond what is required by law.
Ryanair on Monday said it will take legal action against the Spanish air navigation and airports authority AENA, the aviation regulator AESA and the USCA traffic controllers union, over the unauthorized and unannounced work stoppage by air traffic controllers on Dec. 3 and 4, which forced the LCC to cancel over 500 flights.
United Parcel Service announced it is expanding its policy to require customers who ship packages from retail shipping locations to present a government-issued photo ID for verification of identification. The directive will apply at The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. locations as well as authorized shipping outlets worldwide.
Dutch Antilles Express Airlines, which celebrated its fifth anniversary earlier this year, said Arnold Leonora has purchased the airline from Niek Sandman, who is leaving to pursue other interests. DAE, which launched April 30, 2005, has a fleet comprising of two ATR 42-320s, one ATR 42-500 and two Fokker-100s. It flies to nine destinations: Curacao, Bonaire, Valencia, Santo Domingo, Aruba, St. Maarten, Caracas, Bogota and Cartagena.
Boeing on Wednesday delivered its 200th direct-delivery jetliner to Air France. The aircraft also launches AF’s new business-class seat; it is outfitted with 42 of the 78.74 in. (2 m.) -long lie-flat seat beds that include 15-in. (38cm.) IFE screens. The 383-seat GE90-115B-powered 777-300ER will operate its first commercial flight Dec. 20 and will be used on the carrier's Paris-Montreal service, as well as on Paris-Ho Chi Minh City beginning in January.
Delta Air Lines told investors at the Hudson Securities airline conference in New York that it is focusing on top-line revenue growth, cost discipline, delevering its balance sheet, improving profitability, and using free cash flow to pay down debt.
