Clear has partnered with Delta Air Lines to operate Fast Pass security lanes in the carrier's terminals at New York JFK, LaGuardia and Los Angeles. Agreement calls for enrollment centers to open in Delta Crown Room Clubs in Atlanta and for Clear Fast Pass program promotion to SkyMiles members and via Delta's website. TSA pre-screens members and application involves iris and fingerprint image processing. Members pay $128 annually and receive a card giving them access to designated security lanes.
Copa Airlines flew 456.2 million RPMs in May, up 22.3% year-over-year, against a 17.2% increase in capacity to 580.1 million ASMs. Load factor rose 3.3 points to 78.7%.
Virgin America said yesterday that it will reduce fourth-quarter capacity by 10% compared to previous projections by adding flights on "select high-demand routes while reducing capacity on off-peak flights this fall," citing seasonal demand changes and high fuel prices. "These temporary schedule reductions and strategic additions better reflect the industry landscape we anticipate, given that consumer demand for air travel will be affected by seasonality and, potentially, by higher gas prices in the fall," President and CEO David Cush said.
Bombardier signed a five-year Component Repair & Exchange agreement covering Luxair Luxembourg Airlines' three Q400s. The component pool covers nearly 250 part numbers and will be located at Bombardier's Frankfurt distribution center.
Korean Air changed the name of its short-haul domestic LCC, slated to start operations next month, from Air Korea to Jin Air ( ATWOnline, May 5). KE said the name change is intended to signal the carrier's "practical" approach, also to be signified by employee uniforms comprising jeans, t-shirts and jackets. The LCC's livery will feature a butterfly with blue and purple wings on a bright green background emblazoned on the tails of its 737-800s and A300-600s. The bodies of the aircraft will be painted silver.
Gate Gourmet entered into a joint venture with Western Group to form Gate Gourmet Middle East. The new company will look for strategic investments and flight kitchen development in the Gulf region. Offices will be in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Financial information was not disclosed.
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes said the LCC will be "comfortable" even if oil prices reach $200 per barrel, the Associated Press reported from Kuala Lumpur. "We have taken a very different approach in that we will market ourselves out of this problem," he said. "We think that just putting your head in the sand and crying about oil and cutting routes is not the solution." He said reduced competition will be the "silver lining" during the current downturn. AirAsia also will focus on boostin onboard sales, AP reported.
US majors (the six legacy carriers plus Alaska Airlines) reported a system operating loss margin of 5.2% in the first quarter, reversed from a 2.5% profit in the year-ago period, according to the US Dept. of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The seven carriers reported a combined operating loss of $1.32 billion compared to a $559 million profit in the year-ago period ( ATW, June 2008). Summaries of low-cost carriers and regionals were not completed because bankrupt Frontier Airlines and Comair did not file their results on time.
TAM and Swiss International Air Lines yesterday signed an MOU establishing a codeshare agreement and loyalty program link-up. It is expected to be implemented in the second half of this year.
German airlines will need more than 900 commercial aircraft valued at $109 billion over the next 20 years, with 100 around A380 size, 200 mid-to-long-range and 600 short-haul, Airbus VP-Market Forecasting Laurent Rouaud told media in Frankfurt yesterday.
Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair flew 7.59 billion RPKs in May, up 19.6% on the year-ago month, against a 16% increase in capacity to 9.81 billion ASKs. Load factor rose 2.3 points to 77.4%. Gol and VRG flew a combined 2.36 billion RPKs in May, up 20.7% year-over-year. Capacity climbed 18.6% to 3.61 billion ASKs and load factor rose 1.1 points to 65.4%. WestJet flew 1.13 billion RPMs in May, a 19.3% year-over-year increase, against a 20.1% lift in capacity to 1.42 billion ASMs. Load factor slipped 0.5 point to 79.5%.
Air Mauritius expects its profit for the year ending March 31, 2009, to fall to €4 million from the €16 million it earned in the recently completed year, according to a statement cited by Reuters. It said the drop is due to "prevailing market conditions and current fuel prices."
Mechtronix Systems last week unveiled its "new generation" A320 FFS X full flight simulator that has been purchased by TACA and IFTC Istanbul (International Flight Training Center Istanbul), a subsidiary of Turkey's Gozen Group and affiliate of Freebird Airlines.
Delta Air Lines flew 10.51 billion system RPMs in May, up 4.2% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 1.5% to 12.67 billion ASMs, lifting load factor 2.1 points to 82.9%. It said RASM performance was "strong" and that it was "well positioned" to deliver on its summer revenue targets. SAS Group flew 3.05 billion RPKs in May, up 12.5% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 11.3% to 4.26 billion ASKs, lifting load factor 0.7 point to 71.7%. SAS Scandinavian Airlines flew 2.61 billion RPKs, up 11.8%, against a 10.5% lift in ASKs to 3.56 billion.
Luxair narrowed its full-year loss to €860,000 ($1.3 million) in 2007. It did not provide the year-ago result. It cited the addition of three Q400s, implementation of a "new, clear, transparent pricing structure," expanded e-ticketing and route rationalization for the improvement. Parent LuxairGroup, which counts the airline as one of four subsidiaries, reported a profit of €18.2 million.
Missouri state government authorized up to $240 million in tax credits to entice Bombardier to build its CSeries assembly plant at Kansas City International, the Associated Press reported. Bombardier said it also is considering a site near Montreal. The $400 million plant reportedly would create up to 2,100 jobs. Bombardier hopes to announce a launch customer for the new 110/130-seat jets by year end.
International Brotherhood of Teamsters filed a petition with the US National Mediation Board last week seeking a vote to represent Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo crewmembers.
Delta Air Lines' voluntary severance offer has been accepted by 4,000 employees, double the number of workers it originally planned to slash via the program. The carrier, which plans to cut domestic capacity by 10% year-over-year in the second half of 2008 ( ATWOnline, June 3), said the workers accepting the severance offer will leave in the fall.
SITA signed a $6.2 million deal with Sweden's Skyways Express to overhaul passenger management processes and manage seasonal variations in passenger traffic. Five-year contract calls for migration to SITA's Passenger Management and Revenue Optimization Solution Suites.
SR Technics signed five 10-year agreements with Aer Lingus to provide line maintenance services at Dublin for A320, A321 and A330 aircraft. Contracts cover A checks, ground handling, deicing and cosmetic service. Work is scheduled to begin July 6. Contracts are expected to deliver anticipated maintenance cost savings "in excess" of €20 million ($31 million) in the first full year, EI said. It signed agreements with three other maintenance providers as part of its cost-reduction program.
Finnair announced yesterday that it will begin negotiations with personnel regarding cuts in production that it anticipates will affect approximately 500 employees through layoffs and terminations, an adjustment in the number of temporary staff and reducing workers to part-time status.
