US and Zambia signed an open skies aviation agreement. Zambia is the US's 96th open skies partner and 20th in Africa. EU and Jordan announced a common aviation area agreement that is expected to be signed in June.
News from Travel Technology Update: LUTE Technologies AG, based in Zug, Switzerland, rolled out LUTE 2, its full-product, multisource travel distribution system. LUTE currently has connections with Lufthansa, United, Continental, American, Emirates and Singapore Airlines. Air Canada and US Airways will be connected shortly, and the company expects to add more airlines in the future.
WestJet President and CEO Sean Durfy announced his resignation effective April 1, insisting he was leaving on his own accord to "spend more time with my young family," and Executive VP-Operations Gregg Saretsky was appointed as the Calgary-based LCC's new president and CEO.
American Airlines yesterday followed Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways in asking the US Dept. of Transportation for a partial exemption from the tarmac delay rule set to take effect April 29, the latest indication of the airline industry's wariness over the new requirement.
TAP Portugal pilots represented by the SPAC union have called a six-day strike starting March 26. SPAC warned that all flights will be affected except those to Madeira, which they will continue to serve to support efforts to rebound from last month's flooding. Pilots staged a two-day strike last September and have been negotiating with the carrier since. TAP President and CEO Fernando Pinto told
British Airways found some common ground with its unions, announcing an agreement on a reduction of its £3.7 billion ($5.58 billion) pension funding deficit that was a roadblock in its merger with Iberia. BA yesterday said it "has concluded consultations with its joint trade unions on the future benefits of its defined benefit pension schemes" and that the "proposals are intended to avoid the closure of the pension schemes and maintain British Airways' contributions at the current level of £330 million per annum." Unite, GMB and the British Air Line Pilots Assn.
Norwegian Court of Appeal upheld and increased a 2008 judgment against SAS Group, which now must pay damages of NOK160 million ($27.3 million) to Norwegian, plus nearly NOK15 million in court costs, to settle an industrial espionage case regarding SAS's improper use of data in DY's reservation system. The original ruling was for NOK132 million in damages plus court costs
Air France and KLM will begin charging all economy passengers €55/$55 for a second checked bag on tickets sold from March 28. They previously levied that charge only on routes from Europe to the US and Canada and said the move is "in line with industry standards." The baggage allowance will be raised from 20 kg. to 23 kg. per bag, and a third piece will be charged €200/$200. Premium economy passengers will be allowed two 23 kg. bags free of charge and business class passengers three. Customers will receive a 20% discount if they book online.
Air New Zealand will increase capacity on its domestic jet network by 10.5% beginning next January owing to growing demand and the expected jump in tourism prompted by the Rugby World Cup in September-October 2011, during which ANZ will raise capacity 26%. It will begin taking delivery next year of its A320s, which boast 171 seats compared to the 133 on its 737s, and also will extend the lease on one 737 by eight months.
SIA Engineering announced a three-year extension (plus two-year option) to its comprehensive MRO and fleet management support agreement with Singapore Airlines worth S$2.2 billion ($1.57 billion). New contract commences April 1.
LUTE Technologies AG, based in Zug, Switzerland, rolled out LUTE 2, its full-product, multisource travel distribution system. LUTE currently has connections with Lufthansa, United, Continental, American, Emirates and Singapore airlines. Air Canada and US Airways will be connected shortly, and the company expects to add more airlines in the future.
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British Airways intends to serve 60% of its scheduled passengers March 20-22, or about 45,000 per day, when flight attendants represented by Unite are scheduled to stage the first of two strikes this month. In addition, the airline said it will offer seats to "many thousands more customers" on alternative flights or on services operated by 40 other carriers to which passengers can be rebooked free of charge during the strike. Unite also plans to strike March 27-30 ( ATWOnline, March 15).
Continental Airlines is following the footsteps of other US legacy carriers by eliminating free economy class inflight meal service on North American flights under 6 hr. and some shorter Latin American flights beginning in the fall.
American Airlines said it has canceled the planned furloughs of about 75 pilots scheduled for April 1, citing "attrition rates and a number of other variables" that allowed it to reevaluate its original decision. It said in January that it had made the "painful but necessary decision" to furlough up to 175 pilots in the first half of this year ( ATWOnline, Jan. 25). The first round occurred at the end of February when around 100 pilots were furloughed.
Lufthansa Passenger Airlines Executive VP-Marketing and Sales Thierry Antinori said at ITB Berlin last week that the company will continue to invest in its product and that it "see[s] some positive signs of recovery" in premium traffic, although it is "far from being able to relax." LH invests some €500 million ($688.2 million) annually in cabin and service products and through 2013 it intends to spend an additional €50 million to upgrade its lounges and check-in options.
Robin Hood Aviation, a small regional based at Graz, declared insolvency yesterday owing to debt of €3.3 million ($4.5 million). It operates two Saab 340s and plans to pay a bond of €100,000 to continue operations.
UK CAA said the country's airports handled 218 million passengers in 2009, a 7.3% decline from the prior year. The drop was the largest single-year decrease for 65 years and marked the first time that traffic fell for two straight years. "Passenger numbers are now back to the level they were six years ago and, although they will certainly rebound, the pace of recovery is uncertain and it could be a number of years before they reach their peak level again," Director-Economic Regulation Harry Bush said.
CAE announced the sale of three 7000 Series full flight simulators to Indonesia's Lion Air. Contract valued at some C$38 million ($37.3 million) at list prices includes two 737-900ER FFSs, one ATR 72-500 FFS and two Simfinity integrated process trainers. The two 737 FFSs will be delivered to Lion's Jakarta training center next year. The ATR simulator will arrive "at a later date," CAE said.
Etihad Airways and Travelport, one of the world's leading global distribution system (GDS) providers, have signed a five-year full global content agreement to provide travel agents connected to Galileo and Worldspan with access to all of the airline's published inventory of flights and fares.
ARC reported that ticket sales through participating travel agencies totaled $6.22 billion in February, up a healthy 16.8% over February 2009 and a 4.5% rise over January 2010, "accelerating seasonal expectations." Credit card sales, representing the bulk of agency sales, soared 19% year-over-year to $5.56 billion. Total fares excluding taxes and fees grew 17.5% to $5.22 billion. Domestic fares climbed 15.8% to $2.73 billion on a 12.3% rise in transactions, while international fares were up 19.5% to $2.49 billion on a 9.4% gain in transactions.
SAS Group announced formal agreements with eight unions representing flight and cabin crew that will save the company around SEK500 million ($70.1 million) per year and that satisfy "one of the conditions for participation by its major shareholders in the rights issue." The airline and the unions signed a letter of intent in February and the governments of Denmark, Norway and Sweden were waiting on a final deal before committing to a SEK5 billion capital increase
Aer Lingus applied to the US Port Director at Shannon to commence using the Customs and Border Protection facility for flights to New York JFK from early May. EI said it might extend the service to other US cities following the initial trial phase. It currently flies to JFK and Boston from SNN. British Airways' all-premium A318 flight from London City to JFK uses SNN's US customs and immigration pre-clearance facility.
