Lufthansa plans to re-launch onboard Internet service, which it suspended in late 2006 when Connexion by Boeing shut down ( ATWOnline, Aug. 18, 2006). German news service dpa reported that LH and Panasonic Avionics will hold a press conference next week announcing the new service. Panasonic's solution will be able to use some of the Connexion infrastructure onboard the nearly 70 aircraft that LH previously equipped for Internet access.
Rockwell Collins was selected by Condor Berlin to supply its Airshow 4200 moving map and inflight information system for its new fleet of A320s. Upgrades are scheduled for between 2009 and 20011.
SITA signed a five-year contract with Norwegian Air Shuttle to provide ACARS services for the carrier's fleet of 58 737-800s, the last of which is due for delivery in 2014. The ACARS service will allow Norwegian to meet the EU's Single European Sky requirements for all new aircraft supplied after 2011.
Boeing yesterday pushed back first flight of the 747-8 freighter to "early next year" and first delivery to the 2010 fourth quarter and said it will report a $1 billion charge on the program in its third-quarter earnings.
Japan Airlines announced that it will conduct an ASPIRE (Asia and South Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions) flight on Oct. 10. ASPIRE is a joint venture among US FAA, Airservices Australia and Airways New Zealand. Three previous ASPIRE flights were conducted by United Airlines, Qantas and Air New Zealand ( ATWOnline, Nov. 17, 2008). JAL's flight will be from Honolulu to Osaka aboard a 747-400.
Turkish Airlines and Asiana Airlines will extend their codeshare agreement to include TK's network beyond its hub at Istanbul Ataturk and Asiana's network beyond Seoul Incheon from Oct. 25. Separately, TK inked a six-year leasing agreement with Celestial Aviation Trading 66 for two 737-700s.
Ryanair requested that Aer Lingus Chairman Colm Barrington provide a list of all noncurrent employees and board members who have an entitlement to free flights on EI and to explain why the entitlement exists. Ryanair, EI's largest single shareholder with just under 30%, argued that the free flight deals "are inappropriate and unjustifiable" at a time when EI is contemplating significant cuts. It is expected to announce a major cost reduction program this week.
British Airways said it has accepted voluntary redundancy from 1,000 flight attendants and will allow an additional 3,000 cabin crew to down-gauge to part-time. It is seeking to cut 3,700 fulltime-equivalent positions by March 31. It said the latest flight attendant cuts/moves to part-time comprise 1,700 fulltime-equivalent position reductions.
Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe lashed out at governments for their "money-grabbing" emissions taxes and criticized ICAO for "its paralysis" on forging an agreement on limiting emissions from aviation.
Austrian Airlines Group CEO Peter Malanik predicted that the carrier will encounter "several difficult situations" over the next two years as it endeavors to return to profitability, but said it must push forward with reforms.
TAM signed agreements with Austrian Airlines and bmi that allow members of its frequent-flyer program to accumulate and redeem points on flights operated by both airlines.
US Dept. of Transportation's "Air Travel Consumer Report" said the nation's largest airlines had a higher ontime performance rate in August (79.7%) than in both July (77.6%) and the year-ago month (78.4%). BTS data showed carriers canceled 1% of their scheduled domestic flights in August, down from 1.6% in August 2008. Hawaiian Airlines led US carriers with an ontime arrival rate of 94.7%, followed by Alaska Airlines at 85.8%. Comair was last at 65.9%.
LTU reached a settlement with ver.di, the service workers' union representing its 1,400 flight attendants, on a new labor contract. The Air Berlin subsidiary now has concluded collective bargaining negotiations with all its unions. The flight attendants' agreement is subject to ratification by Nov. 13 via a secret ballot vote to be conducted by ver.di.
Transaero Airlines and Austrian Airlines reached a codeshare agreement on the Moscow Domodedovo-Vienna route in which Transaero will add its UN code on Austrian's thrice-daily service and Austrian will put its OS code on Transaero's daily DME-VIE flight.
GECAS delivered two new A320-200s to Air Berlin. Acquired through a purchase/leaseback transaction with the airline, the aircraft are part of an existing order agreement.
Midwest Airlines pilots and flight attendants likely will find themselves out of work when the carrier, acquired over the summer by Republic Airways Holdings, begins to return its nine remaining 717s to Boeing next month.
AirAsia said it will defer eight A320-200s scheduled for delivery in 2011 to 2014, bringing to 16 the number of 2010-11 deliveries it is pushing back. It originally had 48 A320s slated for delivery in 2010-11 but now will take only 32 during the timeframe. It also plans to terminate leases with GECAS on nine 737s and return them ahead of schedule in 2010. The moves were confirmed by CEO Tony Fernandes to Malaysia's The Star. He added that the LCC is considering selling two 737s to Mexican carrier VivaAerobus.
Alaska Airlines' September traffic increased 1.4% to 1.45 billion RPMs on a 1.4% cut in capacity to 1.86 billion ASMs, producing a load factor of 90%, up 2.2 points. AirTran Airways flew 1.37 billion RPMs in September, up 11.4%, while capacity lifted 7.2% to 1.78 billion ASMs, producing a load factor of 77%, up 2.6 points. US Airways' September mainline traffic lowered 1.6% to 4.57 billion RPMs on a 0.6% capacity decrease to 5.76 billion ASMs, producing a load factor of 79.3%, down 0.8 point.
United Airlines plans to borrow more than $659 million, using 31 of its aircraft as collateral, to refinance debt, the Associated Press reported. "We are seeking to refinance existing debt to take advantage of current market conditions to strengthen our balance sheet and reduce our debt payment obligations over the next couple of years," UA said in a statement.
