Iberia filed a €2 million ($2.7 million) lawsuit against Ryanair over a Barcelona marketing stunt last fall in which the Irish LCC offered free tickets to people willing to carry signs through the city expressing their preference for Ryanair over IB, according to press reports. Ryanair said the suit was IB's "latest tactic to contribute to protect its dominance in the Spanish market" and that it expects to transport 9 million passengers to and from Spain this year.
Nok Air announced a codeshare and branding partnership with regional carrier SGA Airlines under which Nok passengers will have access to SGA's Cessna 208B Grand Caravan flights from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, Pai and Phrae and from Bangkok to Hua Hin. SGA aircraft will be repainted in Nok colors.
Skybus Airlines, which expects to launch service later this spring, yesterday unveiled an A319 displaying the logo and slogan for the Columbus-based Nationwide insurance company as part of its livery. The carrier said it is "believed to be" the only US airline currently selling ad space on aircraft exteriors. It also is making interior advertising available and said Nationwide will be featured on tray tables, overhead bins and restroom doors. "Our goal is to provide outrageously low fares to our passengers," Skybus CEO Bill Diffendorfer said.
Airbus named Executive VP-Customer Services Patrick Gavin as executive VP-engineering, replacing the retiring Alain Garcia. A380 program head Charles Champion will succeed Gavin.
TAM flew 1.77 billion domestic RPKs in March, up 26.5% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 26.3% to 2.56 billion ASKs and load factor lifted 0.1 point to 69%. International RPKs grew 68.7% to 807 million against an 85.9% increase in ASKs to 1.15 billion, dropping load factor 7.2 points to 70.5%. Alaska Airlines flew 1.53 billion RPMs in March, a 0.5% increase from the year-ago month. Capacity was up 2.3% to 1.99 billion ASMs and load factor dropped 1.4 points to 76.8%.
Northern Lights Airlines is the name of a new charter carrier being established in Canada, led by majority investor ICBS Ltd., which will own 50%. ICBS said the airline will launch in October and "exploit a gap in the long-haul international travel market that exists in low-cost, high-comfort and high-quality service originating in Montreal and Toronto." It said the market remains underserved despite the presence of Skyservice Airlines, Zoom Airlines and Air Transat. No information was provided regarding equipment.
ANA said four unions representing 541 pilots--Air Nippon Crew's Assn., Air Nippon Network Pilot Union, Air Next Crew's Assn. and Air Central Pilots Union--launched a 24-hr. strike yesterday "to express dissatisfaction with the management stance on training." The carrier said 136 of 888 flights operating under ANA's code would be cancelled, with another 42 facing delay. No international operations and no domestic flights in or out of Tokyo Narita were affected.
AirTran Airways voiced its support for US FAA's initiative to raise the mandatory retirement age for commercial pilots to 65 from 60. FAA expects to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking by year end ( ATWOnline, Jan. 31). The National Pilots Assn., which represents AirTran's 1,400 pilots, recently voted unanimously to allow pilots an additional five years of flying. Meanwhile, the Air Line Pilots Assn.
Texas Pacific Group reportedly is considering raising its bid for Iberia from €3.60 per share to €4.03, which would lift its valuation of the Spanish carrier to €3.8 billion, according to airline sources cited by El Mundo. The IB board is scheduled to decide this week on TPG's approach and request for information ( ATWOnline, April 2).
Hawaiian Airlines led US carriers with a 93.8% ontime percentage in March, according to data compiled by FlightStats. Among continental carriers, Horizon Air (86.8%) and Southwest Airlines (84.4%) were the most punctual of the 39 measured. Worst ontime rates belonged to Midwest Connect (13.3%) and US Airways (56.6%). Sun Country Airlines was the only carrier not to cancel a single flight, while Midwest Connect cancelled 8.7% and Northwest Airlink 4.9%.
Continental Airlines announced the sale of $1.15 billion worth of pass-through certificates, issued in three separate series, that will be used to finance its purchase of 30 737-800s and 737-900ERs scheduled for delivery in the January 2008-March 2009 timeframe. The proceeds initially will be held in escrow by an unidentified depository institution. The escrowed funds will be used to acquire equipment notes issued by CO to finance the aircraft. The three classes have coupons of 5.983%, 6.903% and 7.339% per annum.
News from Travel Technology Update: While the management team at Eons.com, the "MySpace for the 50-plus crowd," was trying to figure out how to incorporate a travel component on the site, a group of members decided to take a trip together and organized all the details, right down to putting out a press release to attract more participants. It was a demonstration of the power of social networking online, Jeff Taylor, founder and chief executive officer of Eons, told an audience at the TravelCom/Res-Expo conference.
Air Canada flew 3.94 billion RPMs in March, up 5% on the year-ago month. Capacity rose 2% to 4.7 billion ASMs, lifting load factor 2.4 points to 83.8%. AirTran Airways flew 1.48 billion RPMs in March, up 22.2% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 22.9% to 1.9 billion ASMs and load factor fell 0.4 point to 77.7%. Gol flew 1.48 billion RPKs in March, up 42.9% from the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 59.2% to 2.4 billion ASKs, dropping load factor 7 points to 61.8%.
European Commission approved public financing of infrastructure developments at Lodz Airport. Cost of the project is PLN34.8 million ($12.1 million), with a maximum contribution by the Polish state of 71.85 %. Lodz increased passenger throughput to 216,861 in 2006 from 35,460 the prior year. Separately, the EC will allow the Italian government to grant startup aid for new domestic and European air routes from airports in the Puglia region of southeast Italy. The measure will last three years and provides for a total of €63 million ($84.3 million) to airlines.
Assn. of European Airlines released members' punctuality and baggage-handling performance for 2006, revealing the majors' ongoing luggage-related difficulties. British Airways was the worst-performing of the 24 reporting carriers with 23 missing bags per 1,000 passengers. TAP Portugal was 23rd with 21 missing bags, Lufthansa 22nd with 18.1 and Air France 21st with 16.6. Top-ranked carrier was Air Malta with 4.4 missing bags per 1,000 passengers. Turkish Airlines (4.7) and Air One (8.1) rounded out the top three. Six carriers did not report.
ExelTech Aerospace of Montreal will perform airframe and avionics modifications and structural upgrades on 44 Atlantic Southeast Airlines CRJ200s over the next 14 months.
UK CAA announced the launch of CAA International, an independent consultancy subsidiary that will "enable the CAA's knowledge and expertise in aviation training and commercial activities to be used outside the UK." CAAI will take over the role of the body's International Services Dept.
Transaero plans to sell a 10%-17% stake in an IPO next year, Russia's AK&M reported. The company reported turnover of RUB13.63 billion in 2006, up 37.8% from the prior year.
Fraport announced an investment of "approximately" €50 million ($66.9 million) to take a 24.5% share of Xi'an Airport. The transaction is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter and marks the first investment by a foreign airport operator in an unlisted Chinese airport, Fraport said. It will take charge of Xi'an's "operational optimization and commercial development."
Airbus said US Airways has joined America West Airlines in using the Airman real-time maintenance tool to monitor its fleet of Airbus aircraft. US becomes the largest Airman user.
Airline consolidation in the US began last week on a smaller scale than the failed mega-merger between US Airways and Delta Air Lines and AirTran Airways' contentious pursuit of Midwest Air Group as ATA Airlines parent ATA Holdings bought out World Air Holdings, parent of World Airways and North American Airlines, for $315 million in cash or $12.50 per share.
