Navitaire's Open Skies host reservation service was selected by Thomas Cook UK to power the company's new online reservation system, which will offer seats on its low-cost charter carrier Thomas Cook Airlines.
The Airlines Reporting Corp. delayed the date for the elimination of the travel agent coupon to May 9. It said the delay will give ARC-accredited travel agencies and corporate travel departments an extra month to become more familiar with enhancements to the ARC Document Retrieval Service that will be rolled out in early April.
JAT Airways mechanics launched a new strike over pay Thursday, the third to hit the company in six months. The work action halted JAT's international and domestic flights, Reuters reported. Pilots and aircraft engineers will hold meetings to decide whether to join the strike. The protest began after the government, which appointed an interim administrator a month ago and launched a restructuring of the airline, failed to pay three months of wages to its workers. The board now is looking into ways of restoring traffic, which may include hiring aircraft from other airlines.
British Airways' outgoing CEO, Rod Eddington, will become an adviser to the UK's Dept. of Transport and the Treasury on the country's long-term transport needs and priorities. The unpaid post will be for 12 months and starts in July. "My energy of work for BA will be undiminished and will not conflict with my new role with the government," Eddington said in a statement. He announced earlier this month that he will leave BA in September and move back to Australia in January ( ATWOnline, March 9).
SAS said the Borgarting Court of Appeal confirmed a ruling by Asker and Baerum District Court that exonerates SAS/SAS Ground Services, which had been named in a lawsuit brought by the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions and the Norwegian Confederation of Vocational Unions following the takeover of Braathens' ground handling operations by SAS/SGS in autumn 2002. In its ruling, the Court of Appeal found that there were no unfair redundancies and the takeover was not deemed a transfer of ownership of a business, which supports SAS's own assessment and actions.
FAA continues to be "cautiously optimistic" in its aviation forecast released yesterday, noting that the number of passengers carried by US airlines rose to 688 million in 2004 from 642 million in 2003. The agency is projecting that the demand for capacity will make "a complete return by the end of the year." By 2015, some 1 billion passengers will take to the skies in the US, it predicted.
Japan Airlines Corp. announced resignations and demotions effective immediately related to a series of incidents involving Japan Airlines International. Taking ultimate responsibility for several events that have drawn reprimands from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, highly respected JAL Group Chairman and CEO Isao Kaneko will step down and assume the post of chairman of the company's executive committee from April 1. He also will resign as chairman of JAL International.
DBA, which will take over aircraft and routes from Germania Express ( ATWOnline, Feb. 21), on Wednesday also exchanged financial capital with Gexx. Germania Express Gmbh will take 64% of dba Luftverkehrsgesellschaft Gmbh. Hans Rudolf Woehrl, who currently holds 80% of DBA, will keep 28.8% of the airline and take a stake in Germania Express Gmbh. Financial terms of the deal were not released. By the end of March, DBA will operate 27 aircraft on 16 domestic German and 18 international routes. By autumn it plans to operate 30 aircraft.
IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani lashed out at the European Commission, saying that the annual cost the EC "inflicts" on aviation is a staggering €5.9 billion ($7.91 billion). "This is the legacy of neglect left by the previous Commission and it is an enormous burden on the competitiveness of Europe's airlines," Bisignani said in a speech to the European Aviation Club in Brussels. "If we don't have urgent action to restore a balanced playing field, the European industry will be damaged, not by competition, but by inefficient European systems."
ICAO released its preliminary safety and security statistics for airlines in 2004, which show an increase in aircraft accidents on scheduled services but a decrease in fatalities from those accidents. Last year there were nine accidents involving passenger fatalities on scheduled services worldwide for aircraft with maximum takeoff weights of more than 2,250 kg. (4,960 lb.). The total number of fatalities was 203, the lowest figure since 1945. In 2003 there were 466 passenger fatalities from seven accidents.
Varig Engineering and Maintenance delivered a 767-200SF-ER to Tampa Cargo earlier this week, marking the first widebody conversion by VEM and the first ever in Latin America. The conversion is part of an 18-year partnership contract with Israel Aircraft Industries, which provides engineering knowhow and mod kits while VEM, as the only 767 conversion center outside Israel working for IAI, provides the structural work.
In what could be seen as a next step in its legalistic approach to get what its wants--an Open Aviation Area between the EU and US--the European Commission announced yesterday that it has decided to send letters of formal notice and reasoned opinions to 11 member states that have air service agreements with the US.
Oneworld said its consumer fares and corporate sales products generated almost $600 million in revenue in 2004 for its eight partner carriers--American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, LAN, Finnair and Aer Lingus--with roughly two-thirds of that total representing incremental revenue for its members that they would not have earned had it not been for the alliance. Interlining between oneworld carriers generated total revenue of more than $1.5 billion for members, including benefits from alliance fares and sales products.
Sterling European announced that it has been sold to Icelandic investment company Fons Eignarhaldsfelag for 400 million kroner ($71.5 million). Fons previously has been a large shareholder in Icelandair and is the current owner of low-cost carrier Iceland Express. The deal is expected to close in April.
Hawaiian Airlines moved one step closer to emerging from Chapter 11 this week after its flight attendants ratified a new three-year contract. The carrier now needs its pilots to ratify their new deal before it can submit a formal order to the court to emerge from bankruptcy, which it expects to do in early April. The pilots are expected to conduct their ratification process next week.
AAR said it has received orders for more than 25 of its cargo systems in 2005 totaling more than $8 million. The orders include systems for the A300-600 and A310-300 as well as 767s and MD-11s.
United Airlines announced that its new premium coast-to-coast service p.s. is now available on all flights between New York and California. The service, which offers customers access to an adapter-free 110-volt power outlet as well as phone, e-mail and premium onboard entertainment at every seat, was launched on flights between Los Angeles and New York in October with reconfigured three-class 757s ( ATWOnline, Dec. 15) and expanded to San Francisco in December.
Air Berlin announced that it is expecting 13.7 million passengers for 2005, up 14% over last year. Turnover should be eur1.27 billion ($1.69 billion), which would be a 20% increase versus 2004. The carrier this year will start taking delivery of the first two of 50 A320s it has on order, 10 of which are for its Austrian partner Niki.
Navitaire's Open Skies host reservation system and revenue management system were selected by new Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet. Terms of the deal were not released.
Blended Winglet-equipped 757-200 made its first flight last week. The aircraft, operated by Continental Airlines, flew from Everett, Wash., to Los Angeles with a brief stop at Boeing Field in Seattle. FAA certification of 757-200 winglets is expected in May with first customer installations beginning in July. Launch customers include Continental and Icelandair.
Shenzhen Airlines signed a 10-year maintenance cost per hour agreement with GE Engine Services under which GEES will maintain the airline's fleet of 24 CFM56-7Bs powering its fleet of 737-700s/-900s. The contract is valued at $68 million.
EzRez Software announced that JetBlue Airways has signed a five-year contract to use its packaging technology. The agreement will enable JetBlue to provide its customers with one-stop shopping at its website for all travel needs including airfare, hotel, car rental and destination-specific activities.
SriLankan Airlines, which was impacted heavily by the Indian Ocean tsunami in late December, believes it is on the road to recovery. "The tsunami disaster will cost us around $30 million in revenue. I hope that we can finish the current business year, which will end March 31, with a breakeven result. Last year we made a profit of $50 million," CEO Peter Hill told ATWOnline.
SAS Group sold a 25% shareholding in its Rezidor SAS hotels company to Carlson Hotels Worldwide in exchange for which Rezidor SAS Hospitality Group achieves improved commercial terms and extension options until 2052 of its Master Franchise Agreements. The MFA is the agreement between Rezidor SAS and Carlson by which Rezidor manages the Carlson Hotel brands operated by Rezidor SAS under the brand names Radisson SAS, Park Inn and Regent throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Israel Aircraft Industries' commercial aircraft group received a multiyear contract valued at approximately $500 million from Vought Aircraft Industries to manufacture assemblies for the door surrounds and passenger and cargo floors for the 787.
