Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Linda Blachly
US Dept. of Transportation Thursday said it assessed civil penalties against Continental Airlines and US Airways for violating its rules prohibiting deceptive price advertising in air travel. CO was assessed a civil penalty of $120,000 for not including fuel surcharges on its website and US was fined $45,000 for not providing an explanation of fees and taxes on its website.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Aaron Karp
IATA reported that international passenger traffic jumped 16.5% year-over-year in April.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Cathy Buyck
Icelandair survives and prospers among the megacarriers and global alliances by staying flexible and knowing its place in the world.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Geoffrey Thomas
Asia’s niche airlines are challenged by rising LCCs and the responses of network carriers.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Qatar Airways moved its New York JFK operations from Terminal 4 to 8 resulting in "improved benefits for our flights departing and arriving at New York JFK," including a dedicated check-in area and enhanced baggage facilities.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Linda Blachly
US FAA announced Wednesday it will begin imposing civil penalties against people who point a laser into the cockpit of an aircraft from the ground. The agency noted that such actions could "seriously impair a pilot's vision and interfere with the flight crew's ability to safely handle its responsibilities." The maximum civil penalty is $11,000 per violation, according to FAA, which noted pilots already have reported more than 1,100 incidents nationwide so far this year.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Linda Blachly
American Airlines escalated its legal campaign against the global distribution systems Wednesday by adding Sabre Holdings to its civil antitrust suit filed in April against Travelport and Orbitz while Sabre filed its own antitrust suit against American
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Aaron Karp
After a profitable 2010, high fuel costs drive most major US passenger airlines to 2011 first quarter losses.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Michele McDonald
Korean Air and ANA, Japan’s largest carrier, signed contracts to migrate to the full Amadeus Altea Customer Management Solution. Aerolineas Argentinas, meanwhile, expanded its 12-year relationship with Sabre and will use the next-generation SabreSonic Customer Sales and Service system. Korean Air also selected Amadeus to power its TOPAS subsidiary, which provides a central reservations system for the Korean market. Amadeus will provide the technology for a next-generation travel agency reservation system, based on the Amadeus Selling Platform.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Michele McDonald
Tencent takes stake in eLong Traina Companies acquires Hickory Kayak files new financial data in preparation for IPO Three airlines plan migration to new passenger services systems Google adds flight search features, but they aren’t ITA’s Sabre Red introduces new graphical view World news briefing
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Aaron Karp
All Nippon Airways and Lufthansa won antitrust immunity approval from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to launch a joint venture operation on Japan-Europe routes.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Etihad Airways has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Falcon Aviation Services (FAS) to add the Abu Dhabi-based helicopter charter service to the growing portfolio of preferred partnerships in Etihad's new 'Premium Connect' travel service offering.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Sim Industries received an order from Pan Am International Flight Academy for one Level D Boeing 737NG full-flight simulator, which will be installed at its Miami training center in July. The company said the 737-800W full motion simulator “uses state of the art motion and visual systems to give the industry's most realistic 737 training platform."
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Aaron Karp
The US Airline Pilots Assn., the union representing more than 5,000 US Airways pilots, said Tuesday it has filed a complaint in a federal court in New York alleging that US management has "unilaterally" imposed new work rules in the absence of a new labor contract, agreement on which USAPA claimed is being held up by "bad faith" negotiations aimed at delaying a deal.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Christine Boynton
Amadeus won a contract from ANA Group to deploy the Amadeus Altea suite of customer solutions including flight reservations, inventory and departure control systems, across the airline’s global network. ANA is the first Japanese airline to choose Altea. "We are convinced that the Amadeus system will help us to expand our global marketing and improve productivity,” said ANA Executive VP Keisuke Okada. By outsourcing its passenger reservation system to Amadeus, ANA said it aims to reduce IT costs by ¥1 billion ($12.4 million) annually.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Cathy Buyck
Aer Lingus pilots, represented by the Irish Airline Pilots' Assn., notified the carrier they will start industrial action next week in protest over the introduction over new rosters on the Airbus A320 and A330 fleets. IALPA, which is a branch of the Impact trade union, balloted its members over possible strike action last month ( ATW Daily News, May 17) and was approved by approximately 87% of its pilots.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Michele McDonald
News from Travel Technology Update: Korean Air and ANA, Japan’s largest carrier, signed contracts to migrate to the full Amadeus Altea Customer Management Solution. Aerolineas Argentinas, meanwhile, expanded its 12-year relationship with Sabre and will use the next-generation SabreSonic Customer Sales and Service system. Korean Air also selected Amadeus to power its TOPAS subsidiary, which provides a central reservations system for the Korean market.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Kurt Hofmann
Hamburg Center of Aviation Training announced the opening of its new, state-of-the-art facility May 26. HCAT is a partnership network of aviation companies, associations, universities and regulatory authorities that provide advanced vocational training in avionics/electronics and modern production processes. The three key players, Airbus, Lufthansa Technik and Hamburg Airport, along with more than 300 small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as a variety of scientific and technological institutions, will contribute their expertise,” said HCAT.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Kurt Hofmann
FlyDubai said it will need to recruit 600 pilots over the next four years to meet the needs of its growing fleet and serve its rapidly expanding route network. The low-cost carrier, which already has more than 200 pilots, requires seven captains and seven first officers to crew each of the 50 ordered Boeing 737s, the last of which is set to be delivered in 2016, it said. “We are recruiting pilots of all type ratings aggressively to ensure we will have the staff to meet our operational requirements,” CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said in a statement.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Cathy Buyck
Dale Moss, CEO of British Airways subsidiary OpenSkies, will step down June 30 as the airline goes through changes “evolving to work more closely with British Airways, American and Iberia to bring new benefits to its customers and to enhance the transatlantic joint business,” the airline stated. BA Regional Commercial Manager-Western Europe Patrick Malval will take over as MD of the Paris Orly-based all-business class carrier. Malval will have overall responsibility for BA group revenue in France.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Aaron Karp
ICAO said it agreed with industry participants at its first Global Runway Safety Symposium last week on a number of measures intended to reduce runway-related accidents.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Perry Flint
Air France 447 took less than four minutes to fall from approximately 38,000 ft. into the waters of the South Atlantic following the disengagement of the autopilot on the Airbus A330-200, according to an interim report released by the French BEA Friday that is based on CVR and FDR analysis.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Perry Flint
Air France 447 took less than four minutes to fall from approximately 38,000 ft. into the waters of the South Atlantic following the disengagement of the autopilot on the Airbus A330-200, according to an interim report released by the French Air Accident Investigation Bureau (BEA) Friday that is based on CVR and FDR analysis
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Empire Aviation Group - a Middle East private aviation specialist - signed an agreement with worldwide catering services provider Private Flight Global to overhaul Empire Aviation's catering management operations for its managed and charter fleet.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Lufthansa Systems said GOL will implement its myIDTravel solution to manage its staff travel. Travelport reached an agreement with Helvetic Airways under which its subscribers in Switzerland will be able to issue tickets on the carrier through IATA’s Billing and Settlement Plan. “Hahn Air can be used for all e-ticketing needs in other BSP countries around the world,” Travelport said.
Safety, Ops & Regulation