Group representing former America West Airlines pilots is urging its members to curtail any disruptive behavior or alleged harassment of "East" US Airways pilots. The US Airlines Pilot Assn., the new union representing US Airways pilots, named a group of former HP pilots in a lawsuit filed May 30 alleging harassment, extortion, racketeering and other illegal activities ( ATWOnline, June 4).
News from Travel Technology Update: Travelport GDS signed agreements with Lufthansa and Swiss that assure that the full content of both airlines will be made available to all Galileo and Worldspan users worldwide through 2011. Under the new agreements, all GDS surcharges will be waived for Travelport GDS travel agencies who choose to participate in the new Lufthansa and Swiss Preferred Fares programs, soon to be launched in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Lichtenstein. The agreements take effect July 1, when Lufthansa and Swiss implement the Preferred Fares plans.
Airbus last week released a forecast for Central Europe that projected the region will require approximately 460 new aircraft worth $32 billion through 2026. Single-aisle aircraft "will dominate deliveries," it said. Traffic in the region is expected to grow 6.7% annually through 2026, faster than the global average of 4.9%, the manufacturer said.
Lieberman Warner Climate Security Act, which would have introduced a carbon cap-and-trade regime across a wide swath of the US economy, failed to gain sufficient support in the US Senate to move forward for a vote and was withdrawn from consideration Friday. President Bush had said he would veto the bill and it faced uncertain prospects in the House of Representatives. US airlines strongly opposed the proposed law, which would have required them to purchase so-called emissions allowances from oil companies at the same time that they were buying fuel.
Swiss Aviation Training said it will acquire an E-190 full-flight simulator to train Lufthansa Group cockpit crews. CAE is expected to deliver the simulator by year end.
Telair will provide SilkAir with its Sliding Carpet Loading System for A319s and A320s under a recent deal. Airbus will install the systems prior to delivery.
Gol and VRG parent Gol Linhas Aereas said Executive VP and CFO Richard Lark will be elevated to the board effective June 16 and serve as an "adviser" to CEO Constantino de Oliveira Jr. He will transition his former responsibilities to Treasurer Anna Bettencourt, who will become finance director and investor relations officer, Controller Fabio Pereira and Accounting and Tax Director William Cattan, who also will serve as principal accounting officer. Schiphol Group appointed Jos Nijhuis president and CEO effective Jan. 1, 2009.
Oneworld airlines generated "record" revenues from the alliance's sales activities in 2007, Managing Partner John McCulloch said during a presentation at this week's IATA AGM.
Spirit Airlines said its warning to employees regarding possible job cuts was not an indication that it plans to reduce flying ( ATWOnline, June 4). "Spirit has not made any decisions regarding capacity reductions," CEO Ben Baldanza said.
Despite the deterioration in the relationship between the East and West pilot groups at US Airways, the subsequent lawsuit and calls for executive intervention, it appears unlikely that US CEO Doug Parker will inject himself into the dispute, according to a US spokesperson.
Amadeus reached 10-year agreements with 12 Arab Air Carriers Org.-affiliated airlines for distribution activities in their home markets. Six members who have partnered with Amadeus for the past seven years will be joined by another six when their current distribution agreements expire at year end.
Boeing is on track for 787 power-on later this month and the supply chain and technical issues that have caused the program's extensive delays largely are resolved, according to Hamilton Sundstrand, the aircraft's largest systems supplier.
JetBlue Airways announced an expansion of the inflight connectivity services offered aboard its BetaBlue Wi-Fi-equipped A320, which launched last December ( ATWOnline, Dec. 12, 2007), to include "a more diverse e-mail and messaging platform" open to a variety of leading Web-based e-mail providers and a "simple yet extensive search and discover option" from e-commerce site Amazon.com. The expanded services are provided over JetBlue subsidiary LiveTV's Kiteline network platform and are free of charge.
Honeywell will acquire Intelligent Automation Corp. pending regulatory review under a contract signed yesterday. Based in Poway, Calif., IAC supplies onboard diagnostics for military and commercial helicopters as well health and usage monitoring systems for fixed-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and ground vehicles.
Travelport GDS said it will invest millions of dollars in the Middle East to refine its distributor relationships in select markets and establish a support network for travel agents in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The company, which operates the Galileo and Worldspan brands, recently opened an office in Dubai.
ALAFCO announced the sale of five new A320-200s to Aref Logistics for $325 million. Aircraft will be operated by charter subsidiaries in Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh.
Brussels Airlines CEO and MD Philippe Vander Putten resigned "due to divergences of view concerning the repartition of roles at the top of the company," the carrier announced yesterday. All parties were "in full agreement," SN said. CFO Michel Meyfroidt (operations, finance, administration and human resources) and consultant Bernard Gustin (strategic, commercial, network, communications and IT) were appointed MDs and will head the management committee running the airline effective June 11. Meyfroidt will chair the committee.
Spirit Airlines employees were notified that the low-fare carrier could be headed for hundreds of layoffs in the next two months as it struggles with soaring fuel costs, according to a report in The Miami Herald. Letters went out Saturday to union leaders indicating that up to 60% of flight attendants (448) and 45% of pilots (242) could be out of work by Aug. 1 as the airline closes its New York LaGuardia and San Juan bases and scales back its operation in Fort Lauderdale.
Royal Jordanian CEO Samer Majali took over as IATA chairman yesterday succeeding TAP Portugal CEO Fernando Pinto. He will serve one year and said the agenda "has extraordinary challenges. Change must be even more aggressive." IATA's board of governors announced that Cathay Pacific Airways CEO Tony Tyler will succeed Majali in June 2009, when the AGM will take place in Kuala Lumpur. Midwest Airlines COO Joseph Kolshak resigned after four months on the job, according to widespread press reports.
Shanghai Airlines expects a turnaround this year "as long as the rising oil price doesn't get out of control," VP Chen Zhuofu told ATWOnline yesterday at the IATA AGM in Istanbul. "Our cargo subsidiary will narrow its loss by a big margin this year, which definitely will relieve our operating pressure," Chen explained. Shanghai Airlines Cargo International, launched in July 2006, was cited as one of main drivers of SAL's CNY497.6 million ($71.7 million) loss in 2007 ( ATWOnline, April 29).
ExpressJet Holdings, which rejected a takeover offer from SkyWest Inc. in April ( ATWOnline, April 28), said it will return to the bargaining table to seek a new capacity purchase agreement with Continental Airlines. The renegotiation is part of a "full range of strategic" alternatives ExpressJet said it would consider when it rejected the SkyWest approach. It also will seek stockholder approval to issue additional common stock. The company announced last month that it will cut capacity by an estimated 30% until Nov.
Aeromexico reached a labor agreement with ASSA, which represents nearly 1,500 cabin staff, including a 4.5% salary increase and concessions allowing the airline "to have access to greater crew availability," it said. The union had threatened to strike and the deal was reached "after several days of intense negotiations," AM said last weekend.
Sun Country Airlines will lease an additional 737-700 for use "during its busy summer travel season" and said it will recall pilots impacted by its April furloughs ( ATWOnline, April 15). Lessor was unidentified.
IBS Software reached agreement with Oman Air to provide its AvientCrew and AvientFleet technology to streamline crew rostering, tracking and fleet management processes. Technology features decision support, cost optimization and advanced scheduling capabilities.
