Alliance among Air Berlin, Niki and S7 Airlines is "quiet" while the first two carriers await expanded traffic rights to Russia ( ATWOnline, Jan. 13, 2009). "Without more traffic rights, we are not able to do much more in terms of cooperation," Niki President Niki Lauda told
European Low Fares Airline Assn.'s 11 members flew 162.5 million passengers in 2009, an 8.7% increase from 2008. Load factor averaged 82%. "These figures show clearly how ELFAA members are bucking the trend in the aviation sector when it comes to passenger numbers," Secretary-General John Hanlon said.
Air Berlin and pilots represented by Vereinigung Cockpit announced an agreement "to hold negotiations on unresolved issues of the framework collective agreement," forestalling the warning strikes the union threatened this week ( ATWOnline, March 3).
American Airlines faces a growing labor problem as talks with its flight attendants broke down late Wednesday, leading to a strike threat, while its ground workers set a Monday deadline to reach an accord before taking action that could lead to a work stoppage.
EasyJet CEO Andy Harrison, who will leave the airline at the end of June ( ATWOnline, Dec. 10, 2009), yesterday was named CEO of Whitbread effective Sept. 1. Whitbread owns hotel and restaurant brands in the UK. IATA named Gulf Air CCO Willy Boulter regional VP-Asia/Pacific.
American Airlines flew 8.44 billion system RPMs in February, a 2.2% decline from the year-ago month, while capacity dropped 4.2% to 11.18 billion ASMs. Load factor rose 1.5 points to 75.5%. American Eagle Airlines flew 527.3 million RPMs, up 1%, against a 1.3% cut in capacity to 790.5 million ASMs. Load factor increased 1.5 points to 66.7%.
Continental Airlines will make economy seats with 7 in. of extra legroom available for purchase at check-in or within 24 hr. of departure beginning March 17. Number of available seats will depend on the aircraft and pricing "will vary depending on a number of factors, including the length of flight and the market," CO said.
Dutch authorities arrested a Swedish man about to pilot a Corendon Airlines 737 from Amsterdam to Ankara with a forged license Tuesday evening. The suspect used to have a valid Commercial Pilot's License but had been flying for 13 years with the forged document for companies in the UK, Belgium and Italy, spending some 10,000 unlicensed hr. in the air. Apparently he had received a validation of the forged Airline Transport Pilot License allowing him to operate Turkish commercial aircraft. An arraignment hearing has been scheduled for Friday.
Turkish Airlines applied to the country's Capital Markets Board for approval to increase its registered share capital from the current TRY500 million ($325 million) to TRY2 billion.
FAA yesterday announced that two New York JFK tower employees, a supervisor and an air traffic controller, are on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into "an incident last month when a child was permitted to talk with pilots on an air traffic control frequency." The widely available audio clips feature a child making five transmissions to pilots preparing for takeoff.
Both passenger and cargo demand are rebounding, particularly in Asia and developing markets, but there are "very large geographical differences" in the recovery and rising fuel costs hamper the "ability to turn stronger demand into profit," IATA stated in its latest "Airlines Financial Monitor" released yesterday.
Optimism regarding the gradual recovery of India's commercial aviation industry was dampened yesterday in Hyderabad as the India Aviation show and conference opened amid concerns that a new 10% tax on domestic tickets could stifle growth. On the bright side, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said the industry handled the recession "with composure" and that he has "cautious optimism" about 2010.
British Airways CEO Willie Walsh said he believes the carrier is "as prepared as we can be" for a flight attendants strike with a contingency plan including 23 aircraft wet-leased from other UK and European airlines.
Panasonic Avionics Corp. will install its overhead Panasonic Digital Multiplexed Passenger Entertainment System on three Israir Airlines A320s. DMPES incorporates the company's X Series System, "which reduces space, weight and power when compared with traditional overhead systems." Oman Air yesterday completed its first A330 flight offering Honeywell Inmarsat SwiftBroadband mobile and Wi-Fi Internet access.
Spatial Composite Solutions of Dubai received a $2.6 million order from Oman Air for two cabin evacuation trainers (one A330-300 and one 737NG). Delivery is expected in October.
IATA reported that international passenger traffic grew 6.4% year-over-year in January on a 1.2% lift in capacity, pushing load factor up 3.7 points to 75.9%. International cargo traffic jumped 28.3% compared to the prior year, when the airfreight traffic decline was near its lowest point. Cargo traffic is still 3%-4% below early 2008 levels, the organization noted. January passenger and cargo demand reflected "a steady improvement from the precipitous fall in demand that characterized the early part of 2009 rather than a dramatic improvement," it said.
Qantas Group CFO Colin Storrie announced his resignation "for personal and health reasons" effective March 5, the airline announced yesterday. Gareth Evans, currently CFO of the QF airline unit, will fill in for Storrie on an interim basis. The company said it "will consider internal and external candidates" in its search for a permanent successor. Storrie, 41, was appointed CFO and finance director in September 2008.
Vereinigung Cockpit union, which represents the Lufthansa pilots who went on strike briefly last week, now plans to call on pilots at Air Berlin and its LTU subsidiary to stage 3-hr. wildcat strikes over the next few days. Negotiations on new working conditions have stalled, and VC complained that AB has not presented a viable offer to the union since the pilots presented their demands in January 2009. A key issue is the union's request for a third pilot to be added on certain long-haul routes. A tentative labor deal reached last October will expire on Dec.
Japan Airlines announced that it has ended negotiations related to a possible merger of its cargo operations with Nippon Cargo Airlines. JAL and NCA parent Nippon Yusen announced last August that talks about a merger were underway ( ATWOnline, Aug. 24, 2009).
Air Canada said more than 1,000 mechanics who perform MRO work on its aircraft via Aveos Fleet Performance, formerly Air Canada Technical Services, will be laid off owing to reduced utilization of its A320 family aircraft resulting in lower MRO demand. Machinists based in Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver will be affected, with 470 dropped in April followed by an additional 540 in June. AC said that as many as 815 could be recalled later. International Assn.
In a clear sign that it is moving its product offering up-market, Virgin Blue yesterday confirmed widespread speculation and appointed former Qantas Executive GM John Borghetti, 54, to take the reins from retiring founder and CEO Brett Godfrey.
News from Travel Technology Update: Orbitz Worldwide launched Orbitz for Agents, a program that provides access to Orbitz' global hotel inventory and discounted rates and pays commissions to travel agents for hotel and customized travel package bookings. The program signals a shift in the company's focus to "the distribution portion of our business," a spokesman said. "Orbitz.com is not the only place in town where you'll see our inventory." Essentially, Orbitz would become what its original opponents claimed it was: not just a distributor, but a distribution system.
Singapore Airlines will replace its 777s with A330-300s on flights to Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Kuwait City, Male (all from March 28), Fukuoka, Taipei (each April 28) and Colombo (May 1) as part the carrier's "product enhancement efforts." SIA currently flies the A330 to Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Nagoya Chubu and Osaka Kansai. It has nine of the type, seating 30 in business class and 255 in economy, and will take an additional 10 by year end.
ACT Airlines A300F operated on behalf of DHL "suffered a landing mishap" yesterday at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, leading to "a collapse of. . .[its] left hand main undercarriage," according to Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network. The Turkish airline operates a fleet of seven A300Fs, according to its website. ASN said the CF6-powered aircraft involved in the accident first flew in November 1980.
