Delta Air Lines announced yesterday that it will follow United Airlines and US Airways in charging passengers $25 for a second checked bag starting May 1. The move comes as US carriers are scrambling to contend with rising fuel prices and a weak domestic economy (see story above) and looking for "revenue enhancement" measures to help offset escalating expenses ( ATWOnline, Feb. 27).
US FAA Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell yesterday ordered the agency's principal maintenance inspectors to conduct an audit of airlines under their oversight to "reconfirm that commercial carriers operating within the United States have complied with all airworthiness directives."
Japan Airlines and ANA are expecting that four unions representing cockpit crew, ground staff and some cabin attendants may conduct a one-day strike today that would affect about 2% of domestic services.
Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines pilots have been unable to reach an agreement on the merger of their respective seniority lists ( ATWOnline, March 7), perhaps delivering the final blow to a potential combination of the carriers, DL Air Line Pilots Assn. MEC Chairman Lee Moak said in a letter posted on the union's website.
Wings Aviation Beechcraft 1900D crashed en route from Lagos to Obudu Saturday, killing all three occupants. Wings is a charter carrier based in the Nigerian capital and the flight was a positioning operation with no passengers aboard. Aircraft first flew in 1998, according to Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network.
Babcock & Brown Aircraft Management announced the delivery of a new 737-800 to Transavia France. It is the third of five new -800s the lessor will lease to the Air France KLM subsidiary. Final two are scheduled for delivery in April and May.
News from Travel Technology Update: Travelport GDS said all new airline contracts will cover participation in Galileo, Apollo and Worldspan. The company also confirmed that it has moved to a "home and away" pricing system for airline bookings that "more closely aligns with the greater value we provide in reaching a global customer base." The pricing structure, which appears to be reminiscent of the "value-based" structure introduced by Amadeus at the beginning of 2004, sets lower fees for bookings made within a carrier's home market and higher fees for bookings made outside its prim
Alaska Air Cargo said it is automating its cargo tracking system to enable customers to get "near real-time" updates on freight shipments. Using scanner-equipped cellular devices, it will scan cargo when it arrives at its final destination and wirelessly upload the information to its cargo data management system and to alaskaair.com. Customers will be able to go to the website to get information on their shipment's status. Alaska's cargo arrivals previously have been tracked manually, delaying the amount of time before information can be provided to customers.
Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair flew 7 billion RPKs in February, up 19% from the year-ago month, against a 15.7% increase in capacity to 9.01 billion ASKs. Load factor rose 2.1 points to 77.6%. JetBlue Airways flew 2.03 billion RPMs in February, a 16.7% rise from the year-ago month. Capacity was up 21.5% to 2.64 billion ASMs, lowering load factor 3.2 points to 76.8%. AirTran Airways flew 1.42 billion RPMs in February, a 28.2% rise from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 14% to 1.82 billion ASMs and load factor soared 8.6 points to 78.1%.
Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines chiefs hinted that downsizing may be necessary to offset escalating fuel costs. With the per-barrel crude oil price topping $110, analysts have warned that cost cuts achieved during the US industry's restructuring earlier this decade are in danger of being swamped by high energy expenses ( ATWOnline, March 13). CO Chairman and CEO Larry Kellner said in a message to employees that the carrier's fuel costs could rise by as much as $1.5 billion year-over-year in 2008.
US Airways pilots who formerly flew for America West Airlines notified the carrier last week of their intention to commence separate contract negotiations, saying they were unable to reach a joint agreement with former US Airways [East] pilots. John McIlvenna, chairman of the union leadership group representing former AWA pilots, claimed that 400 East pilots had been upgraded to captain positions since the merger but that just 40 West pilots were afforded the same opportunity.
Lufthansa Technik is scheduled to open its four-bay A380 hangar today at Ameco Beijing, which will be the world's largest such facility and is part of a massive investment the MRO giant is making in the new jumbo aircraft. LHT Chairman August Wilhelm Henningsen told ATWOnline in Hamburg that the company is investing approximately $100 million in the new hangar, along with another $100 million in a Frankfurt MRO hangar, €120 million in the N3 Engine Overhaul Services joint venture with Rolls-Royce and another €100 million in spares.
Alaska Air Group board authorized the repurchase of an additional $50 million in common stock. It recently bought back 10% of its outstanding stock for $100 million. New acquisition will be financed with cash on hand.
Airbus projected last week that Russian airlines will need more than 900 passenger aircraft valued at $79 billion over the next 20 years to meet demand for both replacement and fleet growth. Russian passenger traffic is expected to increase 6.2% annually on average over the next two decades, faster than the world average of 4.9%, Airbus said.
UK airports handled 241 million passengers in 2007, up 2.4% on the prior year, according to UK CAA, which noted that growth was "slower than that seen over the last decade and continues a trend which began in 2005." Transport movements at UK airports grew 1.8% year-over-year to 2.5 million, rising 2.6% at the five London airports that contribute 58% of the country's total passenger numbers. Majority (58%) of UK passengers, or 139 million, were bound for or arriving from continental Europe, up 3.1% from 2006. Largest increases were to/from Poland (30.7%) and Italy (6%).
Spanair launched a new four-class fare structure dubbed Spanairx4, calling the concept "modern and versatile" and one that will set it apart from domestic competitors. The classes are labeled "business," "avant," "economy plus" and "economy." Business offers passengers a 30-kg. baggage check-in allowance (10 kg. more than economy plus and economy), lounge access and preferential service onboard, including free catering and "blocking of the middle seat" to provide more space. It also offers flexible and penalty-free options for booking changes, including on day of flight.
MNG Technic will perform C checks on Air Slovakia's single 737 and 757 as well as UK charter carrier Flightline's only MD-83. Work will begin this month.
US airlines carried 769.4 million passengers in 2007, up 3.3% from 2006 and an all-time high, according to US Dept. of Transportation statistics released last week. Domestic passengers were up 3.1% to 679 million while international passengers rose 4.7% to 90 million. Southwest Airlines carried more total system passengers (101.9 million) than any other carrier, the first time it has topped the list, besting American Airlines (98.2 million), which led each of the previous five years.
Air France KLM flew 14.95 billion RPKs in February, up 3.7% from the year-ago month, against an 8.4% increase in capacity to 19.81 billion ASKs. Load factor dropped 3.4 points to 75.5%. Lufthansa Group airlines flew 10.91 billion RPKs in February, a 33.4% jump from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 32.3% to 14.45 billion ASKs and load factor increased 0.6 point to 75.5%. Air Canada and Jazz flew a combined 3.81 billion RPMs in February, up 5.8% on the year-ago month. Capacity rose 6.3% to 4.81 billion ASMs, dropping load factor 0.4 point to 79.2%.
Norwegian will abandon the FlyNordic brand from April 5 and fully integrate the Stockholm-based carrier. "Since both companies are working toward the same target groups and the same markets, a single consistent profile will strengthen the brand Norwegian and make the company more visible among our customers," the LCC said. "The company will offer a common service concept and booking system.
US FAA last week mandated "significant upgrades" to aircraft cockpit voice and flight data recorders. All voice recorders in aircraft carrying more than 10 people must capture the last 2 hr. of cockpit audio instead of the current 15-30 min. New rule also requires an independent backup power source for voice recorders to allow continued recording for 9-11 min. if all power sources are lost or interrupted.
Singapore Airlines will fly the A380 to Tokyo Narita on May 20, making the Japanese capital the fourth city to receive A380 commercial flights. Flight SQ636 will depart Changi at 12:40 a.m. and arrive at NRT at 8:30 a.m. local time. Return flight will take off at 1 p.m. local time. Service will continue daily thereafter.
AerCap Holdings, the Dutch lessor, will lease 10 new A330-200s to Aeroflot for 9-10-year periods with deliveries beginning in November and extending to April 2010. AerCap has an additional 20 A330s on order with Airbus but has not yet announced placement.
Continental Airlines, in partnership with Boeing and GE Aviation, will conduct a biofuels demonstration flight in the first half of 2009 using one of its 737NGs. It will be the first such flight in North America and the third overall. Virgin Atlantic Airways carried out a demonstration flight last month on a 747-400 with one engine partially powered by a blend of babassu oil and coconut oil ( ATWOnline, Feb. 26) and Air New Zealand will conduct one later this year with an undisclosed fuel mix.
