Delta Air Lines and US Airways unveiled a revamped New York LaGuardia/Washington National slot swap agreement that the carriers believe will mollify US Dept. of Transportation objections to their original proposal put forward in 2009.
Gama Aviation has signed an agreement with worldwide catering services provider, Private Flight, to develop and support its catering operations of its 80 business aircraft in its three key markets – Europe, the Middle East and the United States.
BAE Systems said that its Spares Co-op scheme, under which its airline customers earn loyalty rebates if they spend more than an agreed sum on aircraft spares during the year, has taken off with nearly £400,000 ($660,000) of rebates issued to seven operators. The largest amount (£186,000) went to Brussels Airlines, which exceeded its target spend on spares for its 26-strong Avro RJ jetliner fleet during 2010.
IATA reported that the international premium traffic rose 2.9% year-over-year, in March, which was “down significantly” from 7.8% growth recorded in February, owing to the “impact of the unexpected events in Japan and [the Middle East and North Africa],” IATA said in its latest Premium Traffic Monitor.
International Lease Finance Corp. on Friday announced it has increased the total amount of its cash tender offer for "certain of its existing outstanding notes" to $1.75 billion, up 133% from the $750 million figure it revealed on Thursday. Barclays Capital Inc. and JP Morgan Securities LLC will act as dealer managers for the offer, it said.
US National Transportation Safety Board is investigating an air traffic control incident in which an arriving SkyWest Bombardier CRJ200 nearly overflew a departing ExpressJet Embraer ERJ-145 at Chicago O’Hare International on the morning of May 16.
US Dept. of Justice has launched an investigation into whether conduct by Global Distribution Systems violates US antitrust law. American Airlines on Friday announced it had received a "Civil Investigative Demand" from DOJ's Antitrust Division "requesting that American provide information relevant" to the investigation.
A Saab 340 (LV-CEJ) operated by Argentine carrier Sol Lineas Aereas crashed Wednesday evening, killing all 19 passengers and three crewmembers onboard the aircraft. According to Bloomberg, which cited an emailed statement from the airline, Sol flight 5428 was enroute from Neuquen to Comodoro Rivadavia when the pilot reported an emergency at 8:50 p.m. local time. That was the last communication between the aircraft and controllers. The aircraft, MSN 025, was built in 1985. The crash site has been reached, Associated Press reported.
[CORRECTED VERSION] A Saab 340 (LV-CEJ) operated by Argentine carrier Sol Lineas Aereas crashed Wednesday evening, killing all 19 passengers and three crewmembers onboard the aircraft.
Aveos signed a five-year contract with ABC Aerolineas to repair and overhaul all components on its fleet of 24 Airbus A320s, including access to an inventory pool and placement of main base stock in Toluca, Mexico. GE Aviation has a $30 million, five-year OnPoint solution agreement with Linea Aerea del Ecuador for the maintenance of its CF34-10E engine fleet powering three Embraer 190 aircraft.
EasyJet stepped up its campaign to halt what it calls “destructive” government changes to the air passenger duty tax, citing the results of a report it commissioned by Frontier Economics which forecasts the proposals would be “bad for the environment and the economy.” It also called on the government to switch from a per-passenger duty to a per-plane tax.
US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the Obama administration is "committed" to finding a way to finance equipage of commercial aircraft cockpits with NextGen ATC-capable technology, though he declined to provide specifics and conceded a solution is not likely until after Congress passes an FAA reauthorization bill.
Airbus and Boeing both claimed victory in Wednesday's ruling by the World Trade Organization's Appellate Body, the latest round of their dispute over government support that is in its sixth year.
US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the Obama administration is "committed" to finding a way to finance equipage of commercial aircraft cockpits with NextGen ATC-capable technology, though he declined to provide specifics and conceded a solution is not likely until after Congress passes an FAA reauthorization bill.
ECI Partners take 50% stake in Car-Trawler Jetsetter parent raises $138 million OTAs blame their GDS providers for code-share violations Air Canada rolls out new version of its direct-connect API GetThere signs agreement with SilverRail Technologies TRX launches ‘complete’ partner program, product upgrades World news briefing
The U.S. Transportation Department fined several online travel agencies for failure to comply with regulations that require disclosure of the operating carrier of a code-share flight, but the agencies all blamed their GDS providers. At least two GDS companies were involved; TTU has learned that one of them was Amadeus. The online companies and their fines are are Fareportal, which powers CheapoAir.com, $50,000; AirGorilla, $30,000; American Travel Solutions $45,000; Automobile Club of New York, $20,000, and Wholesale Travel Center, $30,000.
Scandinavian Airline Systems appointed Discover the World Marketing to serve as its GSA in Portugal. It already represents the carrier in Brazil, Mexico and South Africa. Olympic Air appointed Aviareps to serve as its GSA in the Benelux countries. Gabon Airlines has elected ANA Aviation to serve as its GSA in the UK and Ireland.
Travelport signed a multi-year deal with flydubai to allow the carrier to "tap into" the network of agents who use Travelport's Galileo or Worldspan GDSs. It will also enable travel agents to book flights with FZ and partner airlines under the same passenger name record. Lufthansa Technik AG is utilizing ANSYS software to simulate wear and tear of aircraft components, "to prolong service intervals and to create new ways to repair used parts."
A Qantas A380 en route from Singapore to Melbourne Tuesday was caught short on fuel, forcing it to divert to Adelaide. QF Flight 10 encountered stronger-than-forecast head winds associated with an unseasonably cold weather affecting the eastern states of Australia, which forced the crew to land at ADL. The QF flight, with 249 passengers, landed safely at 4:15 a.m. local time during the city’s curfew after an emergency was declared. A QF spokesman said the likely reason for the fuel issue was “as a result of changed flight conditions en route.”
Virgin Atlantic pilots, represented by the British Airline Pilots' Assn., will vote on possible strike action over pay, BALPA confirmed Tuesday. BALPA represents over 85% of Virgin Atlantic's 750 pilots.
Airbus confirmed Tuesday that based on the continuing investigation by the French Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses into the causes of the crash of Air France 447 it issued an Accident Information Telex to its customers that "does not include any safety recommendation at this stage of the investigation."
News from Travel Technology Update: The US Dept. of Transportation fined several online travel agencies for failure to comply with regulations that require disclosure of the operating carrier of a codeshare flight, but the agencies all blamed their GDS providers. At least two GDS companies were involved; TTU has learned that one of them was Amadeus.
