MidAtlantic Airways said a fleet service worker was killed in a ramp accident at Reagan Washington National Airport yesterday after the belt loader the employee was driving collided with a parked US Airways Express regional jet. MidAtlantic is a Regional airline unit of US Airways.
Malev Hungarian Airlines, which recently signed an MOU to join oneworld, expects to post an operating loss this year on flat revenues but anticipates an operating profit in 2006. "In the last three months we saw financial stablizisation," CEO Janos Goenci told ATWOnline during the IATA AGM in Tokyo last week. One of Malev's highest priorities is reducing the number of aircraft types in its fleet from four to three, possibly by phasing out four CRJs and replacing them with F70s/F100s.
Delta Air Lines flew 10.53 billion RPMs in May, up 9.4% over the year-ago period. Capacity climbed 4.2% to 10.65 billion ASMs and load factor rose 2.5 points to 76.3%. For the five months ended May 31, RPMs increased 10.3% to 48.72 billion, ASMs jumped 5.6% to 64.79 billion and load factor was up 3.2 points to 75.2%.
Continental Airlines moved yesterday to dampen speculation about an improving outlook after it reported stronger than anticipated unit revenue growth in May that caused some analysts to raise their outlook for the carrier this year. In an investor update, the company said that "while revenue trends have been improving, with current high fuel prices and refining margins, [it] continues to expect a significant loss for the year."
EasyJet said it flew 2.6 million earned seats in May, up 21.9% from the year-ago period. Load factor gained 3 points to 81.1%. For the rolling 12 months ended May 31, the LCC flew 28 million earned seats, a 24.8% increase on the prior-year period, and revenue was up 22.1% to £1.24 billion ($2.27 billion). Load factor improved 1.2 points to an average of 85.1%.
Northwest Airlines flew 6.57 billion RPMs in May, up 6.3% over the year-ago period. Capacity climbed 2.5% to 7.86 billion ASMs and load factor gained 2.9 points to 83.6%. For the five months ended May 31, RPMs increased 8.1% to 31.08 billion, ASMs rose 4.4% to 38.43 billion and load factor was up 2.8 points to 80.9%.
ATA cockpit crewmembers, including pilots and flight engineers, ratified an agreement to extend short-term pay and work rule concessions that will save the company an estimated $10 million over the next four years. The concessions include an 18% pay cut over the next 120 days. According to the Air Line Pilots Assn., 76.8% of union members voted in favor of the agreement. "We're extremely pleased that a majority of ATA's cockpit crewmembers support the company's reorganization efforts.
United Airlines and Verizon Airfone, in what they claim is a first, received FAA certification to install the necessary cabin equipment to enable passenger and crew use of wireless technology devices to send and receive e-mail and surf the Internet onboard domestic commercial aircraft.
Focus Aviation delivered the third of four converted MD-11Fs to Transmile Air on behalf of Central Air Leasing. The conversion was done by SASCO in Singapore, where a fourth aircraft is currently in conversion.
JetBlue Airways flew 1.7 billion RPMs in May, up 32.9% over the year-ago period. Capacity climbed 25.6% to 1.97 billion ASMs and load factor jumped 4.8 points to 86.6%. For the five months ended May 31, RPMs increased 30.7% to 7.77 billion, ASMs rose 23.7% to 9 billion and load factor grew 4.7 points to 86.3%.
Pemco World Air Services converted and delivered a 737-300 Quick Change aircraft to CIT Aerospace in New York for onward lease to Titan Aerospace, a European charter airline that already operates four BAe 146 freighters and a 737-300 converted by the Dothan, Ala.-based company.
United Airlines flew 9.72 billion RPMs in May, up 0.9% over the year-ago period. Capacity climbed 1.2% to 11.88 billion ASMs and load factor was ahead 1.7 points to 81.8%. For the five months ended May 31, RPMs increased 0.5% to 45.3 billion, ASMs rose 2.2% to 57.12 billion and load factor gained 2.1 points to 79.3%.
Alteon Training will place a 737-700/-800 full flight simulator and 737-700/-800/777 flat panel trainer in AeroMexico's facility at Mexico City International Airport to support the airline's growing fleet.
ARINC was awarded a contract for advanced Internet-based communications and messaging services by SkyEurope Airlines. Under the deal, ARINC will provide the carrier with three communications solutions: AviNet Mail, MQ-Over-the-Internet and AviNet Connector.
Alteon Training selected Thales to provide training equipment for the 787. Alteon said the initial order is for six suites with deployment beginning in 2007.
Sabre Airline Solutions and the Arab Air Carriers Organization, in close coordination with EgyptAir, Gulf Air, Middle East Airlines, Oman Air, Royal Jordanian Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines, are studying the creation of Arabesk, which would be the first alliance to coordinate the schedules of six competing airlines. According to Sabre, the goal of the alliance is to provide financial benefits that the carriers could not achieve individually.
ATA Holdings Corp. named Francis Conway as interim CFO replacing Gilbert Viets, who will step down as CFO but will remain with the company as assistant to the chairman and a member of the company's board. In addition, ATA appointed industry veteran Subodh Karnik as senior VP and chief commercial officer. In this position he will oversee all revenue-related functions including sales, marketing, market planning, pricing, revenue management, e-commerce and distribution.
Continental Airlines flew 6.67 billion RPMs in May, up 10.8% over the year-ago period. Capacity climbed 4.2% to 8.44 billion ASMs and load factor rose 4.7 points to 79.1%. For the five months ended May 31, RPMs increased 10.3% to 31.17 billion, ASMs grew 4.3% to 40.27 billion and load factor gained 4.2 points to 77.4%. For May, consolidated passenger RASM is estimated to have increased 8.5%-9.5% compared to May 2004, while mainline passenger RASM is believed to have climbed 9%-10% year-over-year.
Telair International was selected by Air France to supply main deck cargo loading systems for the carrier's conversion of three 747-400 Combis into full freighters. The Combis are currently in all-passenger configuration. The conversions are scheduled to take place between January and December 2007. AF already has installed Telair systems in its five 747-400ERFs.
TAP's plan to purchase a 20% stake in debt-laden Varig has been approved tentatively by the Brazilian government, the Associated Press reported. The two airlines confirmed on May 16 the signing of an MOU to hold exclusive talks aimed at a "capitalization" of Brazil's flag carrier. The MOU had a three-week time span.
Assn. of European Airlines members posted overall scheduled traffic growth in April of 3.9% compared to the year-ago month, with most of the increase coming from sustained buoyancy in the Far East market, which posted growth of 12.9%. European traffic rose only 1.7% and the North Atlantic market experienced a small downturn of 0.4%. In most markets except Far East/Australasia, traffic growth did not match capacity on offer and load factors dropped.
AAR signed a five-year agreement with Regional, a subsidiary of Air France-KLM Group, to be the exclusive provider of logistics support and component repair services for Regional's fleet of Brasilias. Earlier this week AAR signed a similar agreement with Brit Air, another subsidiary of Air France-KLM Group ( ATWOnline, June 1).
Star Alliance members are "extremely impressed" with the 787, according to Thai President Kanok Abhiradee, who told ATWOnline that Thai International is looking at the type and will make a decision on whether to place an order within four months. Another Star member, Singapore Airlines, which put off ordering the 787 last year, has issued a new RFP for 20 250-seaters. Earlier this year, SIA CEO Chew Choon Seng told this website that the 787-3 business case did not work against the A320/737 offerings of low-cost airlines in the region.
Declaring that "a combination of market deregulation and new technology has now created the right scenario" for change, Star Alliance announced in Tokyo that it "has initiated a major cost-reduction effort" by seeking alternative channels to global distribution systems such as Amadeus, Cendant (Galileo), Sabre and Worldspan through so-called GDS new entrants or GNEs.
