United Airlines flew 10.04 billion system RPMs in March, down 2.7% from the year-ago month. Capacity was level at 12.14 billion ASMs, dropping load factor 2.3 points to 82.7%. US Airways Group said consolidated March passenger RASM climbed 5%-7% year-over-year but President Scott Kirby said high fuel prices will lead the company to reduce mainline capacity 3%-4% in the second half of 2008. The group flew 5.58 billion consolidated RPMs last month, down 0.7% from the year-ago month, against a 2.9% fall in capacity to 6.65 billion ASMs. Load factor rose 1.9 points to 83.9%.
ATA Airlines, an independent carrier based in Indianapolis, shut down operations yesterday after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday.
Iberia signed an agreement with Slovenia's Aurora Airlines to provide component MRO and inspection services on MD-80 aircraft at its Madrid shop. Contract expires in December 2011
Amadeus unveiled the Amadeus Airline Retailing Platform, designed to allow carriers to merchandise their products through GDSs much the same as they do on their own websites. Developed in conjunction with Iberia, Qantas and other airlines, the new platform will enable carriers to showcase features and brand attributes such as flat beds or satellite television via mouse-over popups on the availability screen. It also will present a list of upsell opportunities, such as desirable seats, lounge access or other optional services, at the time of pricing.
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly conceded that there "was clearly a mistake with our regulatory compliance" when the carrier operated 46 737 Classics for nine days in March 2007 after it had disclosed to US FAA that the aircraft were in noncompliance with an agency airworthiness directive but insisted that "safety of flight" was not compromised.
Air Canada unveiled an a-la-carte service product via its website intended to help customers manage travel disruptions such as weather, airport and ATC delays not typically the responsibility of the airline.
United Airlines grounded all 52 of its 777s after disclosing to US FAA that a review of its maintenance records revealed that required checks on cargo fire suppression systems were "not performed." UA cancelled an estimated 38 flights yesterday as it conducted the inspections. It said one of five bottles in the 777's cargo fire suppression systems had been overlooked during routine maintenance checks.
OnAir and Air France launched a trial of inflight voice calls featuring mobile communications including voice, SMS and e-mail. System employs Inmarsat's SwiftBroadband satellite connectivity for voice and data transmission.
Thompson Solutions was contracted by Delta Air Lines to develop its Cozy Suite economy class seat featuring contoured shoulder rests and extra knee space for 767ER and 777 aircraft. Installation is slated for 2010 following regulatory agency approval.
AerCap Holdings subsidiary AeroTurbine reached a 10-year deal with British Airways for the purchase, sale and lease of components including wheels and brakes for 737, 757, 767, 777 and 747-400 aircraft. Contract calls for a 6-10-year leaseback in line with BA's fleet renewal plans as well as strategic worldwide wheel and brake positioning to support daily flight operations and maintenance.
Amadeus Activities & Entertainment destination services platform was selected by Iberia. It will be integrated on IB's website and contain more than 7,000 bookable destination products at more than 400 destinations worldwide. It automatically displays content according to the destination and dates of the customer's booked flight segment.
Etihad Airways carried 1.4 million passengers in the first quarter, up 40% year-over-year, leaving the carrier "confident" it will reach 6 million by year end. Load factor was 75%, up 7 points, and yield grew 25% to an undisclosed figure. Its summer flying program will increase 47% to 728 weekly flights. Continental Airlines' March consolidated and mainline RASM each rose an estimated 5.5%-6.5% year-over-year. CO flew 8.29 billion consolidated RPMs last month, up 4.3%, against a 4.6% increase in capacity to 10.07 billion ASMs. Load factor slipped 0.3 point to 82.3%.
GE Aviation won US FAA GEnx-1B engine authority for the 787 following a two-year ground and flight-test program involving eight engines and two flight-test programs. The GEnx-1B, now FAR 33 certified, ran 4,800 cycles and more than 3,600 hr.
Air France KLM extended the deadline to reach agreement with Alitalia's unions to today, AZ announced, noting that all parties including Fintecna and AZ Servizi agreed on the continuance. AF KLM initially set March 31 as the date by which the so-called effectiveness conditions of its binding offer for the failing carrier had to be fulfilled ( ATWOnline, April 1). It reportedly has agreed to further concessions in order to win trade union approval for the takeover.
IATA warned that the airline industry must consolidate if it is to survive as the organization once again lowered its 2008 industry profit projection yesterday. In early December IATA projected an aggregate industry profit of $5 billion ( ATWOnline, Dec. 13, 2007) but yesterday issued another downgrade to $4.5 billion, a figure based on global economic growth slowing to 2.6% and an average annualized price of $86 per barrel of Brent Crude.
A US House of Representatives hearing this week on FAA safety oversight "is the first step in an extensive inquiry into" the agency that also includes a "law enforcement investigation," according to a senior lawmaker who alleged that "complacency has set in at the highest levels of FAA management."
Goodrich reached agreement with Airbus to perform MRO services on various components at its Alabama Service Center in Foley. Facility expects to service flight control surfaces, pneumatic ducting and access doors.
EasyJet said it successfully completed the operational integration of GB Airways following the transition of 15 GB aircraft into its new EU-Ops Air Operators Certificate ( ATWOnline, Jan. 4). It is the first major airline to operate under the new European certificate.
NATS appointed Anne Lambert to the new role of director-government and European affairs. Bmibaby named IATA Head of Marketing and New Business Development Julian Carr as commercial director.
OnAir announced that Oman Air and Jazeera Airways will begin offering its inflight passenger communications services. Oman will install Mobile OnAir on seven new A330s to be delivered next year, offering the full range of inflight connectivity including voice, SMS, e-mails with attachments and Internet connectivity. Jazeera will provide its passengers with OnAir's inflight mobile phone services including voice, SMS and GPRS starting this year. Jazeera's six A320s flying in the Middle East will be retrofitted with OnAir equipment.
US Dept. of Homeland Security gave Maine until 5 p.m. today to agree to requirements of a federal law or face the prospect of the state's residents being unable to use their driver's licenses as valid identification at airports from May 11.
News from Travel Technology Update: The company that operates yellowpages.travel and bills it as "officially the Better Business Bureau of the international travel industry" ran afoul of none other than the Better Business Bureau for using a trademarked name without permission. The company, Idea Labz in Santa Monica, Calif., has bought a number of dot-travel names -- sandiegocalifornia.travel, miamiflorida.travel, yellowbook.travel and pricerunner.travel -- all of which take the user to the same basic interface, with a search applet that promises to "search the travel sites at the s
CONFIRMING THE LONG-PREDICTED leveling off of the aircraft re-equipment cycle, the 2008 Singapore Airshow (Feb. 19-24) lacked the feeding frenzy of new orders that has characterized the air show circuit since the current cycle began in 2005. In fact, the biggest surprise at the spanking new exhibition center came from the sidelines, not at one of the formal press conferences.
Even the most tried and tested of operations assume a fair amount of risk. Planning for unforeseen events, or for troublesome recurrences such as snowstorms, inventory shortages and labor strikes, is never a failsafe panacea for setback. For airlines and manufacturers with highly outsourced supply chains, managing disruptions and delays calls for visibility across elaborate networks, contingency planning and resiliency.
