Amadeus is rolling out Master Pricer Agent Fare Families, an application that will enable travel agencies to set their own criteria for sorting air fares on their Web sites. Search results can be grouped in up to six fare families, each with similar characteristcs. Criteria can include the publishing carrier, booking class, cabin, refundability, penalties, public/private/corporate fare, etc. Thomas Muller, senior manager of availability and shopping for Amadeus, said the application is not meant to allow agencies to replicate or reorganize airlines' branded fare families.
Singapore government invests in Travelport Iglu gets £4.3 million private equity infusion Is there a place for the iPad in travel distribution? JetBlue completes migration to SabreSonic CSS TravelClick unveils suite of hotel business intelligence solutions Revelex gives cruise sites the power to compete with giants World news briefing
Austriair, a Vienna-based startup scheduled to launch operations this spring ( ATWOnline, Jan. 18), has changed its name to MAP Jet following complaints over the original name from Austrian Airlines. MAP is an Austrian business jet, charter and ACMI operator and has been contracted by Austriair to fly its three wet-leased E-195s. MD Bosoko Rasovic told ATWOnline that the carrier has no plans to extend its initial network beyond VIE, Munich, Frankfurt and Stuttgart.
Australia's Office of Transport Security reported to ATWOnline last week that there were 461 reports last year of air rage incidents, up from 279 in 2008 and 67 in 2007, covering events in which passengers were disruptive, intoxicated or involved in altercations. Labor unions are calling for stiffer penalties. Australian Services Union Federal Secretary Linda White claimed the typical A$5,500 fine is not sufficiently severe. "They are obviously not a deterrent," she said, laying the blame on alcohol and overcrowded airports that produce more aggressive behavior.
The European Commission confirmed yesterday that it is assessing "the effectiveness of proposed commitments" received from oneworld partners British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia designed "to alleviate" its concerns over anticompetitive aspects of their proposed joint venture.
Webjet Linhas Aereas, a Rio de Janeiro Galeao-based LCC, has received an offer from Ryanair to purchase a stake in the carrier. A spokesperson told Bloomberg News that Webjet owner Guilherme Paulus "received a first contact and heard a proposal from Ryanair" and that talks will continue if the Brazilian government passes a law allowing foreigners to own up to 49% of a domestic airline rather than the current limit of 20%. That decision is expected in March. Webjet operates 20 737-300s to 10 destinations.
Delta Air Lines completed the integration of Northwest Airlines' reservation system over the weekend and transitioned all NWA flights and passenger reservations to the DL system, allowing for the retirement of NWA flight numbers and nwa.com. NWA customers will be able to use their original reservation and confirmation numbers, DL said. "Throughout the integration of Delta and Northwest, we've taken a phased, deliberate approach to make the transition simple and seamless for our customers," Senior VP and CIO Theresa Wise said.
Allegiant Air parent Allegiant Travel Co.'s board increased funds available for its common stock repurchase program to $25 million from $10.4 million. The program was launched in January 2009 with $25 million and an additional $10 million was added last July. Allegiant repurchased 637,902 shares with the $24.4 million spent so far.
Alitalia faces its first strike since relaunching one year ago, as flight attendants and pilots represented by FILT CGIL and flight attendants represented by AVIA have planned a 4-hr. work stoppage for Friday. The unions are claiming that AZ did not respect original employee agreements.
Aviareps was selected by Mahan Air as its sales and marketing representative in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg and by Israir Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines as their German GSA.
US President Barack Obama's $3.8 trillion budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 contains $79 billion for the Dept. of Transportation and includes funding for NextGen technology and increased security at airports and onboard aircraft.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano warned last month that airports must diversify their security regimens in order to keep terrorists off balance, while governments and airports continued to respond to the failed Christmas attack and the role full-body scanners will play in the future.
Southwest Airlines announced the end of the "equipment testing" phase of its Row 44 onboard Wi-Fi product and said it has signed an equipment purchase contract with the provider. The airline will start full fleet installation in the second quarter at a rate of 15 aircraft per month, aiming to increase to 25 as it "ramp[s] up the process." Under that schedule, SWA estimated that its full fleet of more than 540 aircraft will be equipped by early 2012. It will announce pricing for the service in the second quarter.
Flybe on Friday released select financial figures from its fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, during which it posted a £6.1 million ($9.9 million) operating profit that compared to a £30.8 million surplus in 2007-08. Revenue rose 6.8% year-over-year to £572.4 million on a 4.3% increase in passenger numbers to 7.3 million. Pre-tax profit of £100,000 plunged from the £30.4 million reported the prior year. Excluding special charges, the 2008-09 figure rose to £12.8 million. Flybe currently operates 54 Q400s and 14 E-195s.
The Competition Commission of South Africa said it has launched an investigation into collusion on fares and pricing strategies for flights during this summer's World Cup. It named British Airways and its Comair subsidiary, South African Airways, Airlink, SA Express, 1Time and Mango as subjects of the inquiry.
EasyJet appointed EMI Music executive Chris Kennedy as its new finance director, ending the carrier's lengthy search to fill the role following Jeff Carr's May resignation. Wataniya Airways named former Gulf Air VP-Marketing and Sales Lee Shave as CCO.
Virgin Blue CEO Brett Godfrey watered down speculation raised in Australia that the airline may join SkyTeam. In a US Dept. of Transportation filing related to the proposed transpacific codeshare between Blue subsidiary V Australia and Delta Air Lines ( ATWOnline, Dec. 15, 2009), there is mention that "it is possible that Australian-origin passengers might benefit if V Australia were to join SkyTeam." Through a spokesperson, Godfrey told ATWOnline, "I've never been in favor of joining alliances.
Farelogix formed a partnership with Ann Arbor-based Mobiata to integrate the Farelogix FMS2 merchandising solution into Mobiata's FlightTrack and TripDeck applications for smart phones. The result is a combined solution that enables airlines to deliver offers to customers tailored to their particular circumstances. FMS2 is a rules-based engine that allows an airline to determine how events trigger those offers. Farelogix CEO Jim Davidson said carriers can suggest add-ons and upsells, such as meals, upgrades or day passes to a lounge.
Aer Lingus reportedly is alliance shopping nearly three years after quitting oneworld ( ATWOnline, May 31, 2006). CEO Christoph Mueller told Bloomberg News that EI "will prepare ourselves for a discussion that the alliances might work on an exclusive basis in the future" and that a decision could come "very soon." He said alliance membership is attractive again because the "Irish market will remain low fare. .
Malev Hungarian Airlines transported 3.3 million passengers in 2009, up 6% from the prior year. It said a new pricing strategy designed to compete with LCCs, group rate guarantees, a fivefold increase in corporate clients, new tourism packages and three new destinations accounted for the increase. CCO Karim Makhlouf said he expects a double-digit gain in first-quarter 2010 passenger numbers.
