Wizie.com acquires assets of Canadian IT firm AA sells far-forward seats for $19-$39 Virtuoso spins off technology department as a separate company 'Sooner or later, servers fail.' SteelEye advises protection Trust Int’l launches first of several Asian-language CRSs In Focus: 'Ancillary revenues' that don’t make passengers recoil World news briefing
The term "ancillary revenues" has come to make some travelers cringe: Too often, it is a euphemism for "charging for things that used to be free." Every now and then, however, an ancillary product comes along that travelers feel good about purchasing. Airsavings' "weather warranty" may fall into that category.
News from Travel Technology Update: The term "ancillary revenues" has come to make some travelers cringe: Too often, it is a euphemism for "charging for things that used to be free."
US Dept. of Transportation on Monday assessed a $500,000 civil penalty against AirTran Airways "for violating rules protecting air travelers with disabilities." DOT said up to $200,000 of the airline's fine "may be used to improve its service to disabled passengers beyond what is required by law" including using up to $140,000 to "employ an automated wheelchair tracking system at AirTran's major hub airports within one year that will generate real-time reports of the carrier's wheelchair assistance performance."
IATA said yesterday that 47 major airlines worldwide reported a cumulative $3.9 billion net profit for the second quarter, reversed from a $900 million net loss in the prior-year period.
EASA last week published a proposal to the European Commission calling for "harmonized regulation" of flight crew licensing among all EU member states. "This new regulation will ensure that the same pilot licensing requirements and related high safety levels apply in all member states," it said. The EC is expected to implement a new pilot licensing standard by April 2012, EASA said.
The Assn. of Flight Attendants representing 7,000 Delta Air Lines flight attendants who formerly worked for Northwest Airlines filed a lawsuit against DL last week, claiming that DL is not following many of the rules outlined in AFA's collective bargaining agreement with NWA, according to multiple news reports. DL said the lawsuit has "no merit."
CAAC said Friday it started safety inspections of China's passenger aircraft fleet in response to the Henan Airlines Embraer 190 crash at Yichun late Tuesday that killed 42 ( ATW Daily News, Aug. 26).
US FAA yesterday proposed its highest-ever civil penalty, a $24.2 million fine against American Airlines for allegedly "failing to correctly follow" a 2006 Airworthiness Directive regarding MD-80 maintenance.
IATA reported yesterday that both international passenger and cargo traffic demand were strong in July but warned that air transport markets have moved into a slower phase of growth.
American Airlines' mechanics rejected a tentative agreement on a new labor contract in voting Tuesday, setting up a potentially disruptive standoff between airline management and the workers.
IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani called on Australia to focus on infrastructure, training, the environment and liberalization to enable it to reap the broad economic benefits that air transport can generate.
Iberia operated 4.98 billion RPKs in July, a 5.3% increase over the year-ago month. Capacity grew 1.9% to 5.69 billion ASKs, lifting load factor 2.8 points to 87.6%. Air New Zealand flew 2.48 billion RPKs in July, up 6.8% on the year-ago month, as capacity rose 1.7% to 2.95 billion ASKs. Load factor rose 4 points to 84.1%.
US FAA yesterday announced Nigeria has achieved a Category 1 safety rating after making improvements to meet ICAO standards. The upgrade will allow Nigerian airlines to fly their own aircraft to the US. In a statement, the agency said the “Category 1 rating is based on the results of a July FAA review of Nigeria’s civil aviation authority."
An Agni Air Dornier 228 was destroyed when it crashed near Shikharpur in Nepal yesterday, killing all 11 passengers and three crew. According to press reports, the turboprop was en route from Lukla to Kathmandu but the pilots decided to attempt to return to the departure airport and crashed in heavy rain. Nepal Newssaid the Nepal Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation will launch an investigation. According to the Kathmandu-based carrier’s website, it operates three Dornier 228s and two Jetstream 41s with a commitment to take a third.
A Henan Airlines Embraer 190 crashed on landing at Yichun City Tuesday night, reportedly killing 43 of the 96 people on board. Flight VD8387 en route from Harbin was carrying 91 passengers and five crewmembers. A number of the survivors sustained injuries, some of which were believed to be life-threatening.
FedEx's board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.12 per share on FedEx Corp. common stock. The dividend is payable Oct. 1 to stockholders of record at the close of business Sept. 10.
Star Alliance partners Continental Airlines and Aegean Airlines announced plans to start codesharing on CO's flights between its Newark hub and Athens. CO will also place its code on selected flights operated by Aegean in Europe. Effective immediately, Aegean will place its A3 code on CO flights between EWR and ATH. Pending government approval, Aegean also will codeshare on CO flights from EWR to/from Paris Charles de Gaulle and Rome Fiumicino.
Israeli media reports last week stated that El Al has been unable to reach a membership agreement with any of the three global alliances and is considering launching its own alliance. The alliance would include airlines that are not members of oneworld, Star Alliance or SkyTeam. According to the reports, El Al hopes to include three Eastern European airlines as initial partners and believes the alliance could eventually reach 20 members. The alliance would be known as Western-Eastern.
