Air Arabia announced that Information Systems Associates, its joint venture with John Keells Holdings, developed a new reservation system dubbed AccelAero for low-cost airlines. According to the Arabian Air Carrier Assn., the system provides selling channels through the Internet, travel agencies and call centers. Air Arabia is the launch customer.
Unisys Corp. announced that its subsidiary in Germany signed a contract with Hahn Air Systems, the IT subsidiary of Hahn Air, for implementation of Unisys Airline Core Systems Solutions. Hahn will offer the AirCore functions as an ASP. The company is an IATA member and handles worldwide sales and distribution of flight tickets for non-BSP participating carriers. Mercator completed a major IT project for Middle East Airlines with the successful installation of its RAPID passenger revenue accounting solution.
Savvion announced that Southwest Airlines deployed its Savvion BusinessManager 6.5 to provide business process management tools for employee records management and project financial controls.
Bmi Chairman Michael Bishop celebrated bmi's role in European aviation liberalization and 20 years of scheduled services to Europe yesterday with a call for continued deregulation, particularly between the US and London Heathrow. On June 29, 1986, bmi Flight BD101 left LHR for Amsterdam, marking "the first scheduled flight between Heathrow and a major European city by any independent airline. Until that date, only the respective national airlines, or so-called flag carriers, were able to operate cross-border scheduled services on major routes," Bishop noted.
SkyTeam took another step toward adding China Southern Airlines yesterday, signing a Global Airline Alliance Adherence Agreement in Guangzhou that outlines the carrier's "commitment to meet the stringent set of standards to be officially recognized as a member of SkyTeam." It is expected to join in 2007.
Virgin Atlantic Airways said its entire fleet will be equipped by 2009 with Tempus, a telemedicine device that uses satellite technology to transmit information regarding ill or injured passengers to medical professionals at the MedAire Center in Phoenix so diagnosis can be made and expert advice given to flight crews.
Finnair announced the conclusion to statutory negotiations with employees covering the 670 technical and administrative jobs it wants to eliminate ( ATWOnline, May 8). It said it still is talking with its subsidiaries and flight staff. It plans to implement the cuts largely through early retirements and will announce the number of layoffs required this fall. The cuts will result in a €10 million hit on its second-quarter profit-and-loss account in pension and "other personnel arrangement fees."
Air France appointed Florence Parly director-strategy and investments. Parly was formerly president of the Paris-Ile-de-France regional development agency and was budget secretary in the Jospin government from 2000 to 2002. EasyJet selected Tim Newing as IT director effective Aug. 21.
Lufthansa Technik will provide Total Component Maintenance and Total Engine Support packages to ATA Airlines for 10-year terms in what is its second largest deal with a US carrier. The TCM agreement covers more than 3,200 part numbers on three 737-300s, 25 737-800s, 20 757-200s/-300s and four L-1011-500s. The power-by-the-hour contract also includes a sale and leaseback of ATA's existing inventory to LHT. The exclusive engine deal is a power-by-the-hour agreement and covers CFM56-7s powering ATA's 737-800s. LHT also will provide access to spare engines.
UPS won a three-year contract from the US Postal Service to provide domestic air transport of mail to and from 98 cities, greatly expanding an arrangement under which it furnishes airmail services for 16 cities. The agreement, which covers mostly first-class and priority mail, takes effect July 1 and includes a two-year option.
Dragonair flew 450,509 passengers in May, a 7.7% increase over the year-ago month. It said passenger numbers were bolstered by higher traffic from secondary Chinese cities such as Changsha, Chengdu, Nanjing and Xian.
Teledyne Controls announced that Jade Cargo International, a joint venture among Shenzhen Airlines, Lufthansa Cargo and DEG, ordered its integrated Data Management Unit for aircraft condition monitoring and data recording on its new 747-400ERF fleet.
Iberia Maintenance won a five-year contract from British Airways for maintenance of 29 RB211-535E4s used on the carrier's 757 fleet. The agreement calls for Iberia to perform all repairs, modifications, maintenance and inspection of engines, subassemblies, components and spare parts. Iberia Maintenance also signed a contract with Swiftair under which it will act as sole provider of maintenance services for components on the carrier's fleet of MD-80s/-83s. The contract remains in force until the end of 2009.
Comair asked the US Bankruptcy Court again to void its labor contract with 1,100 flight attendants following a breakdown in negotiations over a new agreement. The Cincinnati-based Regional, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, is seeking $8.9 million in annual concessions from the flight attendants and sought court permission in April to cancel the contract.
Boeing named Jim Schlueter VP-communications for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, reporting to BCA President and CEO Alan Mulally and Tom Downey, Boeing Co. VP-corporate communications. For the past two years Schlueter led Commercial Airplanes media relations and international and sales communications efforts. Prior to that he was director-international communications for Boeing's corporate offices. He has spent more than 19 years with the company.
SkyEurope Airlines yesterday added a new booking service in which passengers buying tickets online can have confirmation sent directly to their cellular phones via SMS messaging.
Tourism giant TUI said pilots at its Germany-based airlines Hapagfly and Hapag-Lloyd Express approved a new contract that increases pay and sets a salary structure through the end of 2008. TUI said the contract centers on a uniform salary scale for all pilots flying for Hapagfly as well as HLX, the LCC arm, and paves the way for fleet expansion, with "at least" three 737-700s to be added to the HLX fleet next year.
A senior US lawmaker is calling for a ban on federal funding for A380-related upgrades at US airports until a domestic airline orders a passenger version of the next-generation aircraft. Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House aviation subcommittee, said he plans to introduce legislation that would prohibit using federal airport grants on any A380-related construction project.
Thales will supply a Level D full flight simulator to Turkish Airlines. It will be ready for training in December and will be installed at THY's training center at Istanbul Ataturk. Thales also will upgrade a 737-400 FFS.
Bmibaby signed Air Fayre as its new inflight catering supplier. Air Fayre will manage a diverse range of buy-on-board products including refreshments, fragrances, gifts and bmibaby-branded merchandise.
Caribbean Star and Caribbean Sun Airlines signed an agreement with ExelTech Aerospace to provide heavy maintenance service for both carriers' fleets of Dash 8s at ExelTech's facility in Quebec City.
News from Travel Technology Update: JetBlue Airways is "looking seriously" at GDS participation, according to David Neeleman, chairman and chief executive officer. At the Merrill Lynch Global Transportation Conference, Neeleman said the airline was missing out on business by not being in corporate travel departments' booking systems. He acknowledged that when JetBlue participated in Sabre, the average fares booked through the GDS were higher than those booked directly with the airline.
Boeing yesterday said it "will be taking a series of near-term actions as the company accelerates the evaluation of options for the future of its Connexion by Boeing high-speed broadband communications business." Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that the company was considering selling the unit, finding a partner or closing it down, options Boeing cited yesterday ( ATWOnline, June 23).
DHL yesterday signed a long-term "strategic network alliance" with Malaysian cargo carrier Transmile. DHL recently spent $1.3 million upgrading its facility at Subang and now will offer 10 weekly flights from the airport to its main Asia/Pacific hub in Hong Kong aboard Transmile aircraft. It previously reserved block space for cargo on Transmile flights but said the expanded agreement will allow for more regular service and cut delivery time for Malaysian customers by a half-day for shipments to other countries in Asia, Europe and the US West Coast.
