United Airlines expects fourth-quarter mainline passenger RASM to increase 11.5%-12.5% year-over-year and consolidated PRASM to rise 11%-12% from the year-ago quarter, it said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Mainline RPMs are expected to decline 1.25%-1.75% against a 0.8% drop in capacity, while consolidated RPMs will fall at the same rate but against a 0.5% ASM decline. "North American PRASM has strengthened supported by capacity reductions while international PRASM remains strong," UA said.
Grupo Marsans said yesterday that it has made a formal offer for SAS subsidiary Spanair and that it expects a reply in early 2008, according to press reports from Madrid ( ATWOnline, Oct. 5). Marsans' business plan reportedly includes the opening of a hub in Barcelona.
Delta Air Lines named United Airlines Cargo VP-Sales and Marketing Neel Shah as VP-cargo effective Jan. 14. He replaces MD-Cargo Ben Darnell, who is leaving the company.
Following weeks of contentious rhetoric over the US Dept. of Transportation's intention to implement a "market-driven" plan for reducing delays at New York airports, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters and US airlines yesterday announced a compromise solution in which flights will be capped at JFK during peak hours and carriers will make voluntary scheduling changes. Neither congestion pricing nor auctioning of existing capacity will be imposed.
Reason Foundation's Robert Poole Jr., one of the US's leading proponents of congestion pricing, said yesterday he was "underwhelmed" by the Dept. of Transportation's decision to avoid using that model to address congestion concerns at New York airports and warned that "this issue isn't finished by a long shot." Poole, who serves as director-transportation studies at Los Angeles-based Reason, has been an advocate of congestion pricing and participated in some of the meetings and discussions leading up to yesterday's announcement (see story above).
Airbus and parent EADS yesterday selected "preferred bidders" for the partial divestiture of six industrial plants to "partners," tabbing GKN, Latecoere and MT Aerospace.
Despite rising fuel prices, Chinese commercial airlines posted a collective profit of CNY9.1 billion ($1.23 billion) in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, up 65.4% over the CNY5.5 billion reported in the year-ago period, according to CAAC statistics. Operating revenue rose 12.5% year-over-year to CNY73.57 billion against an 8.3% increase in operating expenses to CNY65.07 billion.
EasyJet introduced Speedy Boarding Plus, a new facility that combines its existing Speedy Boarding product with a dedicated check-in service. SBP is sold per-flight to the first 30 customers who make an online booking. The fee is based on length of the flight and departure airport and ranges from £5.50 ($11.09) to £9.
Austrian Airlines Group and Lufthansa Technik signed a wide-ranging MRO cooperation agreement in Vienna based on an MOU reached last spring and firmed over the summer ( ATWOnline, Aug. 6) that the two said will reduce Austrian's annual technical costs by approximately €15 million ($21.6 million) from 2009.
President George Bush and Transportation Secretary Mary Peters are expected to announce a proposal today for reducing airline delays, particularly at crowded New York airports, with the President saying earlier this week that he wants "a market-driven system in place."
Cebu Pacific Air ordered four more ATR 72-500s, converting options from an earlier order and bringing its firm commitment to 10 of the type. It still holds four options ( ATWOnline, May 25). The carrier said only about one-third of the Philippines' 75 airports can accommodate its A319/A320 fleet. The first 72-seat turboprop will enter service to Caticlan Feb. 29. Cebu will take delivery of six ATRs next year and four in 2009. An additional four A320s added next year will lift its fleet to 25 aircraft by year end.
CAE won orders for full-flight simulators and related CAE Simfinity training devices valued at more than C$126 million ($124.1 million) from Continental Airlines, US Airways, Etihad Airways, Air Algerie and Alteon Training. CO purchased a CAE 7000 Series 787 FFS and a set of CAE Simfinity training devices. US ordered two CAE 7000 Series A320 FFSs, one CAE 7000 Series A330/A340 FFS, nine CAE Simfinity Integrated Procedures Trainers and CAE Simfinity VSIMs for A320 and A330/A340 platforms.
FlyLAL Group announced the opening of a 5,000-sq.-m. hangar at Vilnius. Subsidiary FlyLAL Technics will operate it, conducting MRO services on 737s and A320s including maintenance checks, engine replacements and other repairs and modifications.
Austrian Airlines Group carriers flew 1.41 billion RPKs in November, down 15.4% from the year-ago month. Capacity dropped 16.3% to 1.92 billion ASKs and load factor rose 0.8 point to 73.4%. Alaska Airlines flew 1.51 billion RPMs in November, a 7.6% increase from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 4.5% to 1.96 billion ASMs, lifting load factor 2.2 points to 76.7%. WestJet flew 923.5 million RPKs in November, an 18.3% increase from the year-ago month, against a 14.8% rise in ASKs to 1.2 billion. Load factor climbed 2.2 points to 75.6%.
Aviapartner Handling won a contract from Lufthansa and Swiss International Air Lines for provision of full handling services in Venice. The contract, effective Jan. 1, covers some 5,000 flights per year for both airlines combined.
Mesa Air Group will appeal to the US District Court in Hawaii after US Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Faris denied last week's request for a new trial, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported. Faris had ordered Mesa to pay $80 million in damages to Hawaiian Airlines for using confidential information provided by Hawaiian when Mesa established its go! subsidiary ( ATWOnline, Nov. 21). In requesting a new trial, Mesa said it had discovered information that was not presented during the initial trial.
Lufthansa is considering placing two wet-leased PrivatAir A319LRs, which are outfitted with all-business-class cabins and fly out of Dusseldorf to Newark and Chicago O'Hare, on a new Beijing service beginning next summer, a source close to the carrier told ATWOnline. They would be the first all-business-class flights between Europe and China. Separately, LH will launch a weekly Frankfurt-Luanda service on April 1 aboard an A340-300. It will be LH's 15th African destination.
News from Travel Technology Update: Amadeus will provide Virgin Blue with distribution, e-ticketing and interline solutions that work alongside the carrier's existing passenger services system, Navitaire's OpenSkies, while in addition, V Australia, Virgin Blue's new long-haul airline, will adopt the Amadeus Altea Customer Management System. The standalone solutions for the company's short-haul operations will manage connectivity on behalf of Virgin Blue's interline and GDS partners.
CHAMP Cargosystems announced agreements with AeroRepublica, Air Namibia, flyLAL Lithuanian Airlines, TESIS and Uzbekistan Airlines to transition the airlines to fully automated cargo systems. Contract terms were not disclosed.
Republic Airways Holdings board authorized the purchase of up to $100 million of the company's common stock over the next 12 months. "Our business model is structured to provide Republic with long-term, secure and predictable earnings and cash flows regardless of whether or not the major airlines undertake consolidation," Chairman, President and CEO Bryan Bedford said. RAH is scheduled to take delivery of 31 aircraft by the end of the 2009 first quarter.
Norwegian flew 459 million RPKs in November, up 45% from the year-ago month, against a 31% rise in ASKs to 604 million. Load factor rose 7 points to 76%.
Engine Alliance GP7200-powered A380 received type certification from US FAA and EASA, the GE Aviation/Pratt & Whitney joint venture announced. The GP7200 accumulated 2,855 engine flight hr. along with extensive ground testing and is scheduled to enter service next year with Emirates.
American Airlines announced the recall of 247 furloughed former TWA flight attendants for next year with a return to service scheduled for March. AA has recalled more than 900 cabin staff in 2007.
European Consumer Centre Network, an independent consumer protection body, received 2,979 complaints from air passengers in 2006, up 96% from the 1,521 it received in 2005. The complaints relate solely to cross-border problems, meaning those received represent the "tip of the iceberg," according to the organization, which presented its report on air passenger rights to the European Commission this month. Problems with baggage represent 33% of the complaints, cancellations 26%, delays 16% and denied boarding 4%.
President George Bush signed the Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act into law late Thursday, hours after it was approved by the US Senate, raising the mandatory retirement age for US airline pilots to 65 from 60, which had been in place since 1959 ( ATWOnline, Dec. 14). "The determined efforts of Congress have averted a lengthy federal rulemaking process while enabling some of our nation's most experienced pilots to keep flying," FAA said in a statement.
