THEY SAY THAT THE EYES ARE THE window to the soul and even to health. If the airline equivalent is its Internet site, then Malaysia Airlines is alive and well, its website brimming with bright, colorful fare promotions and special online deals. It's quite a departure from a few years ago when the carrier's future seemed much more uncertain and its website was not stacked with rotating Domestic SuperSavers.
Are you a leader or a follower when it comes to setting your company's supply chain agenda? In its annual trends report, consulting firm PRTM identifies the differences between the followers (companies focused on basic functions and internal integration) and the leaders (companies that are collaborating with strategic partners, often in real-time). [click here to continue]
The European Commission opened a "detailed investigation" under the EU Merger Regulation into Travelport's proposed acquisition of Worldspan, citing concerns over the competitiveness of the deal. The Commission has 90 working days from the investigation's launch to reach a final decision on whether the concentration would significantly impede effective competition within the European Economic Area, which comprises the European Union plus Norway and Iceland, or a significant part of it.
REGIONAL AIRLINES IN the US have been forced to find new resiliency as they respond to mainline carriers' increasing demands for lower costs. No longer partners in the traditional sense of the word, they have become interchangeable suppliers of commodity lift to the legacy airlines under the fee-for-departure arrangements that reshaped the industry in the 1990s. "These guys are vendors competing against other vendors," says Doug Abbey, an analyst with The Velocity Group, while one regional airline CEO describes the current climate as "hypercompetitive."
THE MAJOR US AIRLINES AND THE global distribution system companies believe that a sort of equilibrium has been achieved with the latest round of participating carrier agreements, but the era of good feeling may not last as long as the contracts. In general, both sides got what they wanted: The airlines got lower segment fees and the GDSs got guarantees of full content, a critical issue for their subscribers, for the life of the five- to seven-year agreements.
Need help in devising a plan to keep counterfeits out of your supply chain? The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy recently introduced a resource designed to help. Called the No Trade in Fakes Supply Chain Tool Kit, this documentation outlines a variety of strategies for manufacturers to consider as they prepare to protect their supply chains from counterfeiters. [click here to continue]
"Alarming" is how Anthony C. Laplaca describes the rate at which counterfeit and knock-off replacement parts are entering the North American market. "Their product depth and level of sophistication are expanding as well," he says. Appearing before a U.S.
There is little agreement among airlines on either side of the Atlantic on whether the European Commission's CRS Code of Conduct should be amended or abolished altogether. The airlines, along with GDS companies and organizations representing travel agencies and consumers, weighed in on the issue following a call for public consultation by the EC, which was closed on April 27.
IT WAS AN ADVERTISEMENT THAT STRUCK A CHORD among millions of Indians. A poor carpenter in a village carves an aircraft model out of a block of wood for his school-going child. The child loves the model and plays with it all day, even placing it by his pillow while sleeping. Fast-forward 20 years to the now aged carpenter, who is surprised to receive an airline ticket by mail from his son who lives far away in the city. The whole village shares the carpenter's joy as he leaves for the airport to visit his son on what is obviously his first airplane trip.
MAXjet Airways named Extra Space Storage CEO Kenneth Woolley as chairman, replacing Richard Sharp. It also named former Spirit Airlines CFO John Severson as CFO, George Paul as COO and Ceciley Bachnik as VP-people services.
US House of Representatives will consider a bill called the Airline Personnel Training Enhancement Act, introduced by Rep. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) that will require airlines to provide cabin staff and gate attendants with initial and annual training on serving alcohol and identifying and dealing with intoxicated passengers.
China Southern Airlines will join SkyTeam formally by year end, Group MD and CZ Chairman Liu Shaoyong announced Saturday at a summit between Chinese civil aviation leaders and the alliance in Sanya.
After years of contentious negotiations, representatives from the US and EU enjoyed a bit of ceremony yesterday--and looked ahead--as the open skies agreement reached in March was signed at a Washington event attended by Europe's VP-Transport Jacques Barrot, EU Council President Wolfgang Tiefensee, US Transportation Secretary Mary Peters and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
MyTravel Group and Thomas Cook have increased the estimated annual pre-tax cost benefits resulting from their planned merger ( ATWOnline, Feb. 13) to "at least" €140 million ($191.1 million), the companies said in a regulatory filing, compared to the original estimate of £75 million ($149.8 million). Savings will be realized within 24-30 months.
IATA reported that international RPKs rose 7.8% in March, the largest year-over-year increase in a year, driven by 20.4% growth in the Middle East. Capacity lifted 5.8% and load factor was 76.4%. Freight was up just 2.3% on a 4.3% climb in ATKs.
TAP Portugal and TAM signed a partnership agreement Friday under which they will codeshare on flights between Portugal and Brazil and onward to destinations in each carrier's network as well as link their loyalty programs. Specific routes or effective dates were not announced. Separately, the TAM board elected Maria Claudia Amaro chairman and Mauricio Rolim Amaro vice chairman.
AAR announced the acquisition of Reebaire Aircraft, an Arkansas regional aircraft MRO provider, that now operates under the name AAR Aircraft Services-Hot Springs. AAR said the deal doubles its regional MRO capacity.
SAS Scandinavian Airlines International said long-haul operations from Copenhagen were returning to normal Friday following a three-day wildcat strike by local cabin crew that ended Thursday night. It cancelled 28 flights on Friday. Separately, SAS announced that SAS Braathens will be renamed SAS Norge on June 1, bringing it into line with SAS Sverige and SAS Danmark. "The time is right for changing our name and identity, now when the operational integration is completed," Braathens Chairman John Dueholm said.
Sun Country Airlines announced that CEO Shaun Nugent resigned effective immediately, citing personal reasons. Petters Aviation President T. Jay Salmen, who was Sun Country's CEO in 2002-06, will serve as interim CEO.
United Airlines Union Coalition, comprising the Air Line Pilots Assn., Assn. of Flight Attendants-CWA, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assn.
Republic Airways Holdings reported $19.3 million in net income for the first quarter, a 14.1% increase over the same period a year ago, as operating revenues rose 12.9% to $290.4 million while expenses grew 12.5% to $235.6 million to produce an operating income of $54.8 million, up 14.4%.
EADS co-CEO and Airbus CEO Louis Gallois said negotiations with labor unions on Airbus's Power8 restructuring plan, which calls for 10,000 job cuts, will begin today with an aim toward concluding by mid-July. Speaking in Toulouse at the manufacturer's Technical Press Briefing, Gallois conceded that "I can't ask the unions to support my plan. . .I can ask them to accept my plan. It's difficult [for them] to be enthusiastic when 10,000 workers are being cut."
Northwest Airlines announced a tentative labor deal with cabin staff represented by the Assn. of Flight Attendants-CWA, perhaps ending a protracted dispute that has been in and out of the courts ( ATWOnline, April 17) and that featured two rejected deals last year. The new agreement would give flight attendants a $182 million unsecured claim in NWA's bankruptcy and provides for the $195 million in savings the carrier says it needs.
