Alaska Air Group’s board of directors approved a stock repurchase program authorizing the company to buy up to $50 million of its common stock. AAG has repurchased a total of approximately 7.5 million shares of its common stock for nearly $212 million through similar programs over the past four years. AWAS announced it has secured a $500 million non-recourse warehouse facility to aid in its planned expansion and growth.
US Transportation Security Administration proposed "the removal of more than 30 Honolulu International Airport TSA employees following an extensive investigation into allegations of improper screening of checked baggage," the agency said in a statement. Included is HNL Federal Security Director Glen Richard Kajiyama, who has been replaced on an acting basis by Stanford Miyamoto, currently HNL's deputy area director.
MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg signed an agreement with Uruguay-based carrier Pluna covering maintenance of its CF34-8C5 engines. Pluna operates a CF34-powered fleet of 10 CRJ900 jets. The contract runs until December 2017 and is valued at €20 million ($29.2 million).
US Dept. of Transportation said Friday it fined Frontier Airlines $40,000 for failing to display on-time performance for its flights on the carrier’s website in early 2011. “Air travelers have a right to know whether the flight they are buying is chronically delayed or canceled,” said US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Delta Air Lines and Virgin Australia Airlines said Friday they welcomed the US Dept. of Transportation's final approval of antitrust immunity for the airlines' transpacific alliance, which will allow the carriers to implement a joint venture on service between the US and Australia. DOT tentatively approved ATI for the carriers last month, reversing its prior opposition ( ATW Daily News, May 11).
Chinese airlines reported an aggregate net profit of CNY1.88 billion ($290 million) in May, up 78.1% over net income of CNY1.05 billion in the year-ago month.
The ASTM International Committee on Petroleum Products and Lubricants, which develops standards related to oil products, provisionally approved a new specification for hydroprocessed renewable jet fuel that could clear the way for biofuel blends to power commercial flights, according to US FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt.
Emirates subsidiary Calogi has announced today the signing of a new customer, National Air Cargo Group, further expanding its customer portal in Dubai.
Chinese airlines reported an aggregate net profit of CNY1.88 billion ($290 million) in May, up 78.1% over net income of CNY1.05 billion in the year-ago month.
Lufthansa Systems reached an agreement with TAP Portugal to supply its myIDTravel solution to manage the carrier's interline staff travel. ARINC announced it has renewed “multiple” contracts with Virgin Atlantic Airways, a customer since 1993. The carrier has renewed its contracts for comprehensive data link, voice and satellite services, as well as for the ARINC OpCenter message management service.
US Dept. of Transportation said there were only 20 tarmac delays of more than 3 hr. reported from May 2010 through April 2011 by the airlines that file on-time performance data with DOT, “dramatically diminished” from 693 in May 2009 through April 2010, according to its Air Travel Consumer Report. April was the 12th full month of data since the new, 3 hr.-rule went into effect ( ATW Daily News, April 29, 2010).
In a move to both enhance flight safety and reduce its impact on the environment, Alaska Airlines has begun distributing iPads to its pilots to replace up to 25 pounds of required paper flight manuals. The carrier said it has "been exploring the idea of an electronic flight bag for several years."
The search and recovery operation for the Air France A330-200 that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean two years ago while en route to Paris Charles de Gaulle from Rio de Janeiro officially ended late last week, the French BEA said Tuesday.
International Airline Group CEO Willie Walsh told ATW that the group, formed by the merger of British Airways and Iberia in January, has no plans to acquire additional airlines in the near future.
US Dept. of Transportation said it assessed a civil penalty of $55,000 against TACA International Airlines for violating rules prohibiting deceptive advertising of airfares. DOT said that for a period of time in 2010 and this year, TACA “used a program on its website that allowed consumers to search for flights on exact or flexible dates. Searches by both methods produced airfare quotes noting that the fares did not include taxes and fees, but TACA failed to disclose the type and amount of the taxes and fees as required by DOT rules.”
Flights were expected to gradually resume late Tuesday into Wednesday at Buenos Aires's Ezeiza and Aeroparque airports, which were shut down much of Tuesday owing to ash from Chile's Puyehue volcano that drifted over Argentina. The Argentine government said "improved meteorological conditions" and "the dispersion of the cloud of volcanic ash" would allow for a gradual resumption of flights.
IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani used his final State of Industry address to urge the airline industry to build the structure for a sustainable future based on renewed leadership, continuous innovation, and a united stand in addressing challenges and finding solutions.
IATA unveiled a mock-up of an airport checkpoint of the future—designed to enhance security while reducing queues and intrusive searches—that relies on intelligence-driven, risk-based measures.
IATA announced leadership changes Tuesday at the conclusion of its 67th AGM in Singapore, confirming former Cathay Pacific Airways CEO Tony Tyler will succeed DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani
