Air Canada pilots were awarded pay raises in an arbitrator's ruling issued yesterday. The carrier said in a statement that arbitrator Douglas Stanley ruled that the 3,100 pilots, represented by the Air Canada Pilots Assn., will receive a pay increase of 2% this year retroactive to July 1 and raises of 1.75% in each of the next two years. In a separate arbitration ruling issued yesterday, Air Canada Jazz flight attendants were awarded a 1% pay increase retroactive to June 1 and raises of 1.75% in each of the next two years.
HLX and Hapagfly plan to announce a new name for their joint airline operation this month. The carriers will offer a joint summer schedule that they estimate will increase collective capacity by 25%. The new airline will operate flights to 16 countries with a fleet of 56 aircraft.
Mesaba Airlines, which has been working to avoid work stoppages as it goes through a Chapter 11 restructuring, reached a tentative agreement yesterday on a new labor contract with its mechanics, represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assn., one of three unions representing the Regional's employees. Members of the Assn. of Flight Attendants and Air Line Pilots Assn. reached tentative agreements late last week on new wage and benefit packages ( ATWOnline, Oct. 31).
Sun Country Airlines has been acquired by a group of investors who said they plan to expand the airline and develop markets for both business and leisure travelers. The acquisition of the St. Paul, Minn.-based carrier by Petters Group and Whitebox Advisors was concluded Oct. 31.
IATA reported 4.7% increase in international passenger traffic for September, below the 5.9% average rate of monthly growth for the year to date, "continuing the downward trend in growth that began in May," the organization said. Passenger load factor for the month was 76.9%, slightly above last year. International airfreight traffic rose 4.9%, up from a 4.7% gain in August but below the 5.2% growth for the first nine months of 2006.
Alaska Airlines named Bob Bernicchi MD-maintenance engineering. He has been director of MD-80 and 737-200 fleet engineering since joining the airline in 2005. He previously spent 21 years at United Airlines, where he served as chief engineer of narrowbody aircraft.
Once again the airline industry is being squeezed. This time it is between vastly differing passenger views, simple economics and political correctness over the issue of overweight travelers. What was once a minor economic and political problem is developing rapidly into a major headache with significant ramifications for carrier PR departments and bottom lines as well as aircraft manufacturers.
WestJet executives and employees gathered in the airline's hangar here earlier this year for a "farewell party" to commemorate the retirement of the low-cost carrier's last 737-200, an aircraft type that was once its workhorse but has given way to a new, more fuel efficient fleet of 63 737NGs. The January bash to toast an airplane whose time had passed was, in a sense, also a way to say goodbye to WestJet's founding era.
IF THERE IS A SINGLE EXAMPLE that reinforces the belief that the 787 is a game-changer for Boeing, it can be found in Nagoya, where in the space of a few minutes you can observe the wing box construction for the 787 and the earlier 777. While it may be just a short journey from one facility to the other, it feels as if you have stepped into a time machine. The 777 production hall looks like a relic from the last century; the 787 facility could double as the set for the next James Cameron-directed space adventure, "Avatar." Gone are the ear-shattering rivet
A YEAR THAT BEGAN WITH PRATT & Whitney's stunning announcement that it would develop replacement parts for CFM56-3 engines contained several more surprises as the months rolled by. By itself, Pratt's decision to break ranks with other engine OEMs and make PMA parts for the world's most popular engine family-- with United Airlines as launch customer--would have been enough for those engaged in the maintenance, repair and overhaul of commercial transports to mark 2006 as a year to remember. More was to follow, however. In the spring, EADS put its unprofitable
NEW YORK LAGUARDIA LONG has been one of the US's air traffic troublespots. Featuring just two intersecting runways and situated on 660 acres of closed-in land, the airport can handle only so many flight operations, particularly during peak periods. Its capacity is constrained by an FAA-imposed slot allocation system that dates back to the 1960s and limits scheduled flights to 75 per hr. But as one of three airports serving the nation's largest city--and with the other two, JFK and Newark, burdened by heavy international traffic--it is a prime destination for domestic US passengers
THE PAST FEW YEARS HAVE BEEN A major ordeal for Russia's commercial airlines. Beginning in 2000 and continuing through 2004, operators enjoyed significant traffic growth, with passenger numbers increasing at an average rate of 10% annually. But in 2005 that growth slowed dramatically, to just 3.9% from 14.9% the year before. The root cause of the slowdown was the rapid rise in fuel prices, up 60% from June to December 2004, which worsened the economics of Soviet-built aircraft just as carriers faced increased maintenance costs to operate them. In response, airlines
The defections of online travel companies to other GDSs are making sizable dents in Worldspan's revenues and net income. Like other GDSs, Worldspan's revenues also have shrunk due to lower transaction fees from airlines that have signed new distribution agreements. Worldspan reported a 14% decline in net income for the third quarter, to $15.5 million, on revenues of $212.5 billion, down 11%.
Iberia will report a third-quarter profit of €75.5 million ($96.1 million), down 79.7% from the €372.5 million earned in the year-ago quarter, when it releases its results in two weeks, according to figures presented this week at the carrier's Investor and Analyst Day in Madrid. The year-ago period's profit was buoyed by a €635.1 million gain resulting from IB's sale of its stake in Amadeus. Operating revenues rose 6.7% to €1.42 billion and operating profit increased 8.6% to €87.7 million in the quarter.
Regional Airline Assn. President Deborah McElroy said yesterday that she is leaving her post to accept a senior management position with Airports Council International-North America. McElroy, who has worked for RAA for 20 years, will become ACI-NA's senior VP-government affairs and will be responsible for managing lobbying efforts and policy development. She will assume the new position in mid-December.
Caribbean Star Airlines took delivery of a Q300, the fourth new aircraft added this year as part of its fleet expansion program. In addition to the four Q300s, the carrier operates seven Dash 8s to 12 Caribbean destinations. Separately, it reinstated plans for service between Trinidad and Curacao.
Air Canada last week introduced a new pricing system, available on its website, that offers "a la carte options" that allow passengers to pay for specific services or to save money by choosing not to use certain services. The carrier is offering four fare types (Tango, Tango Plus, Latitude and Executive) and gives passengers the option to add or subtract items based on individual preferences.
Jat Airways will cooperate with Emirates on service to New York JFK beginning Nov. 23. Jat will fly passengers to Hamburg thrice-weekly from Belgrade. They will board a bus there that will transport them directly to Emirates' gate. EK will employ Serbian-speaking flight attendants on the Hamburg-JFK route. Jat also will introduce weekly service to Basel as part of its winter timetable.
Mesaba Aviation, which narrowly averted a strike last week ( ATWOnline, Oct. 25), reached tentative labor agreements with its pilot and flight attendant unions. Negotiations continue with mechanics represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assn. "All along we have believed that consensual agreements are in the best interest of all involved in the company, its employees, and our passengers," Mesaba President and CEO John Spanjers said.
SAS Scandinavian Airlines said last week that it intends to sell its 75% holding in its Rezidor SAS Hospitality Group hotels unit via an IPO set to occur by year end. No new Rezidor shares will be issued via the IPO. Carlson Hotels Worldwide, which currently owns 25%, will increase its stake to 35% through the purchase of shares from SAS. In anticipation of the spinoff, the company's name is being changed to Rezidor Hotel Group. SAS said in June that it would float the unit. Rezidor operates 272 hotels.
Boeing is facing intense pressure to offer two versions of its 747-8 Intercontinental to satisfy Emirates, which is considering a commitment of up to 30 aircraft. Last month this website revealed that the manufacturer increased the length of the 747-8I to that of the freighter ( ATWOnline, Sept. 26) to satisfy demands for greater capacity from airlines such as Korean Air, China Airlines and British Airways. Originally the passenger variant had a 3.6-m.
US National Transportation Safety Board dispatched a team of investigators to Nigeria to assist in determining the cause of Sunday's ADC Airlines 737-200 crash in Abuja that reportedly killed 98 of 106 on board and one farmer on the ground. Abuja's Daily Trust reported yesterday that the aircraft's pilots were told not to take off because of poor weather but insisted on doing so.
SkyWest Inc., parent of SkyWest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines, reported net earnings of $40.7 million in the third quarter, up 35.3% from the $30.1 million earned in the three months ended Sept. 30, 2005. The year-over-year improvement is due in large part to SkyWest's acquisition of ASA during the year-ago quarter. Revenues increased 59.2% to $791.8 million and expenses rose 59.5% to $704.1 million. Operating income surged 56.8% to $87.8 million. The company flew 4.16 billion RPMs during the quarter, a year-over-year increase of 69.1%.
News from Travel Technology Update: JetBlue Airways is returning to all four GDSs with a new five-year, full-content agreement with Worldspan and participation in Amadeus in the works. Worldspan said its agreement with JetBlue will provide access to the carrier by "business travelers who book trips online using Worldspan Trip Manager XE, as well as travel buyers who purchase opaque flights or travel packages at designated Worldspan-connected travel Web sites," in addition to travel agencies.
Air France Industries announced that Virgin Atlantic Airways chose it to provide total flight hour component support including access to a spares pool for eight A340s until 2016.
