Delta Air Lines announced Tuesday it received notification from the National Mediation Board that 70% of employees voting in the passenger service election rejected representation by the International Assn. of Machinists. This is the final major workgroup to reject unionization as a result of the Northwest merger in October 2008 ( ATW Daily News, Nov. 23).
Flybe, which is preparing for an initial public offering on Dec. 14, is facing a possible strike action by its 700 pilots over a “number of issues outstanding” including pay, pensions and work patterns.
Southwest Airlines Senior VP-Finance and CFO Laura Wright told investors and media at the 2010 Hudson Securities Airline Conference Wednesday morning in New York that SWA’s proposed acquisition of AirTran Airways is on track to “close in the first half of 2011.”
Avianova named Dmitri Mirgorodsky chief operations officer. The main tasks in his new position will be to ensure “operational excellence” and “drive the operational growth of the airline” as it continues its “aggressive expansion plan," the carrier said. Dallas Airmotive named Michael Frazier regional engine manager, selling engine services for Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A, JT15D, PW500 and PW306C engines in the Northeastern US from Pennsylvania through Maine.
Continental Airlines told ATW that “given the uncertainty surrounding the Boeing 787 delivery date,” it will delay the launch of its Houston-Auckland service by a year to November 2012. A CO spokesperson said the carrier remains committed to the route and is “excited about the long-term opportunities in the region,” as well as for the aircraft type, as the 787 “is the ideal aircraft for this route’s success because it is the right-size aircraft to meet demand in the market.”
Lufthansa said its Electronic Flight Bag, with the addition of FlyNet connectivity will "enable us to make decisions in a better way," including constant updates to weather forecasts and live satellite pictures, for which pilots currently rely on paper documents, which can be up to 10 hr. old on long-haul flights. It will also allow LH to replace handwritten logs with the electronic TechLog system.
Jazz Air Income Fund Monday announced the appointment of Richard Flynn as CFO, effective Feb. 28, 2011, to coincide with the retirement of Allan Rowe. Flynn is the VP-finance at Jazz, and has held a number of senior roles since he began his career in the airline industry in 1986.
JAL Group announced Monday that its subsidiary travel companies, JALPAK Co. and JAL TOURS will merge from April 1, 2011, subject to the approval of the stockholders of both companies. The new entity will retain the name of JALPAK Co., Ltd. According to a statement, the merger means JALPAK can offer a wider range of innovative products and implement new, more effective sales techniques.
Air China signed an agreement with the Dalian government to launch Dalian Airlines, replacing Hainan Airlines, which had reached agreement with the local government last year to launch the airline.
Continental Airlines and one of its mechanics were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for their part in the crash of an Air France Concorde on July 25, 2000 in which 113 people died, a French court ruled Monday.
Air Serv adopted SITA's PRM Data Access service to rationalize special service requests from passengers with reduced mobility at London Heathrow. Air Serv is the dedicated ground services provider that manages assistance for such passengers departing from or arriving at LHR. It receives around 3,000 messages daily, coming from more than 90 airlines, each containing multiple requests for special assistance.
Bmi is urging the UK Civil Aviation Authorityto investigate BAA's plans to introduce higher charges for domestic passengers flying out of London Heathrow and warned that it is preparing legal action to block the increases. The carrier, which is the second-largest slot holder at LHR, believes BAA's conduct is "unreasonably discriminating" against domestic operations from the airport.
Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan said the carrier will report positive EBITAR for 2010, “marking an important milestone in the commercial development of the airline.” Speaking at a financial road show event in London to more than 170 bank representatives, Hogan laid out Etihad’s business strategy for the future, as well as its commercial performance since it was established seven years ago.
Alaska Airlines announced on Friday it has nearly deployed Gogo Wi-Fi statewide in Alaska with recent availability on flights from southeast Alaska to Anchorage and Fairbanks. Since May it has installed the service from Aircell on more than 70% of its Boeing 737s and aims for complete fleet-wide installation in early 2011.
Emirates President Tim Clark told ATW he believes the Boeing 787 will be an outstanding aircraft but its current problems are slowing development of a 777-300ER upgrade sought by a number of airlines to meet the challenge of the Airbus A350-1000. Clark, who has been a driving force behind an upgraded 777-300ER, told ATW that Boeing was “rightly devoting all its resources to getting the 787 into service.”
Bombardier reported net income of $143 million for its third fiscal quarter ended Oct. 31, down 14.8% from a $168 million profit in the year-ago period, citing a “difficult” environment in its Aerospace unit with “leading indicators sending mixed signals as to the timing of a full recovery,” according to Bombardier President and CEO Pierre Beaudoin.
In a step that highlights Asia's rapidly growing role in commercial aviation, IATA's Board of Governors on Friday announced it will recommend that Cathay Pacific Airways CEO Tony Tyler succeed Giovanni Bisignani as leader of the organization when Bisignani retires following the 2011 AGM next June.
In a step that highlights Asia's rapidly growing role in commercial aviation, IATA's Board of Governors on Friday announced it will recommend that Cathay Pacific Airways CEO Tony Tyler succeed Giovanni Bisignani as leader of the organization when Bisignani retires following the 2011 AGM next June.
As ATW previously reported, the Supervisory Board of Austrian Airlines confirmed it appointed Lufthansa Executive Board Member and Executive VP-Marketing and Sales Thierry Antinori as chairman of the airline’s Executive Board at its meeting Wednesday ( ATW Daily News, Dec. 1). He will take up his post April 1, 2011.
BOC Aviation announced it signed an agreement for the lease of one new A320-200 aircraft to LAN Airlines. The aircraft, powered by IAE 2527E-A5 SelectOne engines, is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2011. This deal marks the second time that BOC has worked with Chile’s flag carrier.
The Czech government plans to merge 92% of state-owned CSA Czech Airlines and Prague Airport into one entity. According to several Czech press reports, the ministry of finance said last week that the consolidation, to be named Cesky Aeroholding AS, will bring stability to the companies. CSA has been managed by Prague Airport since last year. The state-owned airport handles about 11.6 million passengers. Last year, CSA transported approximately 5.6 million passengers and had an operating loss of €150 million ($195.8 million).
Blue 1 cabin staff reached an agreement ending a work action that began Nov. 30, but Finnair said a solution has not yet been reached with its striking flight attendants ( ATW Daily News, Dec. 1). Both carriers' cabin crew are represented by the Finnish Cabin Crew Union.
