GuestLogix reached an agreement with Delta Air Lines to provide its onboard retail technology and merchandising platform for Delta Connection partners. Abacus International announced it will become the first GDS to launch electronic ticketing with an LCC in the Philippines, under an agreement reached with Airphil Express.
United Continental Holdings announced that Continental Airlines’ fleet service employees, represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, ratified their collective bargaining agreement with the company Dec. 29 ( ATW Daily News, Nov. 30).
United Continental Holdings, parent of merger partners United Airlines and Continental Airlines, said it would comply with an arbitrator's ruling that placing the CO code on United Express flights operated with 70-seat regional jets violates the terms of the labor pact between Continental and its pilots. The accord prohibits CO from contracting out any flying on aircraft with more than 50 seats.
Airbus announced the launch of a new subsidiary, "Airbus ProSky." The company said ProSky will become the channel "through which Airbus will interact and develop ATM programs" such as SESAR and NextGen. It will also work with other nations' Air Navigation Service Providers, airworthiness authorities and airlines, to assist in updating and modernizing their ATM systems.
Sabre Holdings told American Airlines that it plans to oust the carrier from its GDS in early August, accelerating the expiration of its contract by one month. In the interim, Sabre will bias displays of American flights in the US and all other parts of the world except Canada and the EU, where laws prohibit biasing.
Boeing has again partnered with Qatar Airways and the non-profit global health and disaster relief organisation, AmeriCares to deliver a second consignment of relief supplies to areas in Pakistan that are still recovering from the massive floods that ravaged the country in August. The first shipment was delivered in September 2010.
Continental Airlines said it reached a tentative agreement with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers representing 9,300 CO flight attendants. A ratification vote is expected in the coming weeks. "The negotiation teams were able to reach a fair agreement that is another positive step forward as we work to combine our companies,” said CO VP-Inflight Service Sam Risoli.
The RIA Novosti news agency reported Monday that the Russian Investigation Committee said "technical failure or violation of fire safety rules" could be the likely causes of a Jan. 1 engine fire and explosion aboard a Kogalymavia Airlines Tu-154B-2 as it taxied for takeoff Jan. 1 at Surgut in Russia. The fire destroyed the jet, killing three and injuring 39.
The air transport industry experienced a "disappointing" 2010 in terms of fatal accidents and passenger fatalities according to UK-based Ascend, which reported increases in both categories over 2009. The fatal accident rate worsened "from about one per 1.5 million flights overall in 2009 to one per 1.3 million flights last year," while the number of fatal accidents increased 22%, from 23 in 2009 to 28 in 2010.
US National Transportation Safety Board's investigation of last week's overrun of an American Airlines Boeing 757-200 at Jackson Hole, Wyoming is ongoing, but the airline will not be allowed to participate because it did not follow protocols when it handled the aircraft's digital flight data recorder, according to NTSB.
Air China and CFM International reached an agreement to establish an MRO under a 60/40 joint venture following three years of negotiations. The two companies received Chinese government approval, and will now form Sichuan Services Aero Engines Maintenance Co. in Chengdu, China. Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey signed an exclusive agreement with Air Mauritius covering MRO of the carrier's fleet of PW127 engines powering its ATR aircraft.
US Dept. of Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel left a lump of coal in FAA's Christmas stocking, asserting this week in a letter to Congress that the agency "faces several organizational, policy, logistical and training challenges" in implementing the NextGen satellite-based ATC system that tops FAA's agenda.
US FAA on Wednesday proposed a $330,000 civil penalty against American Airlines regional subsidiary American Eagle Airlines for operating an Embraer E-135 jet on 12 revenue passenger flights “when it was not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.” The civil penalty is in addition to the $5.4 million in fines it earlier this year proposed against the carrier (ATWOnline, Feb. 18).
Negotiators representing the US, EU, Brazil and Canada have "agreed in principle" on a new Aviation Sector Understanding on export credits that aims to bring more uniformity to the financing of new commercial aircraft, OECD said in statement. The organization oversaw the negotiations in Paris.
American Airlines revoked the ticketing authority of Orbitz.com and Orbitz for Business after a Chicago judge denied a request by Travelport for a preliminary injunction to prevent the move. Orbitz had refused to connect directly with American via the carrier’s XML technology.
British Airways cabin crew represented by the Unite union on Tuesday started voting on whether to take fresh industrial action in their long-running dispute with the airline ( ATW Daily News, Dec. 15). Ballot papers were sent to more than 10,000 cabin crew at BA as the confrontation between the parties “deepens,” according to Unite.
The European Commission is investigating Hungarian government support measures for Malev Hungarian Airlines to determine if the financially troubled carrier received illegal state aid.
OAG to provide data to hotel forecasting tool Decision imminent in Travelport-American hearing American expands Mileage Mutiplier U.S. airlines collect $2.56 billion in bag fees in first 9 months of 2010 IATA: 2D bar code boarding pass implementation is complete Price optimization: the new frontier in airline RM World news briefing
United Airlines rescinded a policy that restricted access of some travel agencies to the United merchant account. The carrier also waived retroactively any penalties that the agencies had accrued under the policy. “We have elected to rescind a policy that required a relative handful of the thousands of travel agencies that sell tickets for United to pay their own credit card merchant fees,” United said in a statement.
News from Travel Technology Update: United Airlines rescinded a policy that restricted access of some travel agencies to the United merchant account. The carrier also waived retroactively any penalties that the agencies had accrued under the policy. “We have elected to rescind a policy that required a relative handful of the thousands of travel agencies that sell tickets for United to pay their own credit card merchant fees,” United said in a statement.
