Amadeus IT Group is the new name for Amadeus Global Distribution. The name change reflects that the company's IT portfolio "goes far beyond distribution."
SITA concluded a $6 million contract to provide a reservation system, online booking, Aircom and flight operations applications to startup TransCaribbean Airways, which plans to operate scheduled flights linking the Netherlands Antilles with Europe and the US.
Lufthansa Systems and Airbus reached agreement to offer the LHS eRouteManual across the Airbus fly-by-wire product line in new aircraft and as a retrofit. It already is offered as a Class III Electronic Flight Bag solution on the A380. The eRouteManual charts include taxiway displays for airports, approach and takeoff charts and a seamless worldwide en route chart. When provided as a retrofit solution for aircraft already in service, the product is being offered as a Class I or Class II EFB. Class III EFBs with fully integrated systems are available for all new aircraft.
Iberia said the number of business class travelers on its long-haul flights has increased 20% since the introduction of its Business Plus service last May. The seating class is available on 70% of Iberia's A340s and the remaining 30% will be equipped by spring. The carrier also said it plans to improve its short- and medium-haul business class service concurrent with a redesign of those fleets' interiors.
Bombardier signed a contract with Regco Holdings of Toronto for 10 Q400 70-seat turboprops, with options for an additional 10. The deal is valued at an estimated $250 million for the firm orders and brings the number of Q400 orders to 175.
Smiths Aerospace and Aviall Services announced an agreement under which Aviall will become a global distributor of Smiths Aerospace systems spare parts after a transition phase of several months. "Aviall will use its core competencies of inventory forecasting and management, product fulfillment, quality management and sales and marketing to ensure Smiths' commercial aftermarket customers' requirements are met," the companies said in a statement. The 10-year agreement is expected to be valued at up to $2 billion in sales.
Airline of the Year Cathay Pacific Airways Sixty years ago this September, Roy Farrell and Syd de Kantzow, the one an American, the other an Australian, created an airline in Hong Kong. Pilots both, they had become acquainted during World War II while flying the famous "Hump Route" between India and China. Perhaps after surviving that experience, the thought of trying to make a living by transporting people and cargo for money didn't seem so crazy.
Blacklists are not a safety tool favored by the airline industry, which believes they are punitive and do nothing directly to improve safety. But with an increasing number of countries now making public their own national listings, the European Parliament has approved plans for introduction of a Europewide blacklist of airlines that do not meet a common set of safety requirements.
JetBlue Airways and TAP Portugal appear to have little in common with one another. The former is a newcomer, just turned six, built from the ground up as a low-cost airline. TAP fits all the descriptions of a legacy carrier, born at the end of World War II and forced today to confront an environment vastly different from the one for which it was created. Yet both share a similar ability to find successin JetBlue's case virtually from startup, while for TAP it is more a case of renewal.
For students of China's rapidly growing but often puzzling airline industry, at least two developments during 2005 needed no explanation. The landslide victory in early December of the pro-reunification Party in Taiwan's municipal elections sent a clear message that reunification will be a key issue in the country's 2008 presidential election, paving the way for unrestricted direct flights between Taiwan and China.
Sabre Travel Network signed a "long-term" agreement to provide GDS services to Priceline.com, another erosion of Worldspan's position as the online technology leader. Priceline president and chief executive Jeffery Boyd said a principle reason for the deal is that it "provides us with redundancy in case of technical problems at Worldspan."
When 18-year-old Shawn "Napster" Fanning invented the software that turned the music industry on its head, he also engendered a vast community of young file-swappers. There are 250 million registered users of "peer-to-peer computing" networks worldwide. According to Big Champagne, a market research company that measures consumption of digital media, more music is now acquired online than on CD. The phenomenon is spreading to other forms of entertainment as well.
Air One won its appeal to block Alitalia's takeover of Volare Airlines, La Stampa reported. A Roman civil court argued it would be improper for Alitalia to spend part of a €400 million ($483.7 million) state-guaranteed bridge loan to buy the bankrupt LCC rather than to address its own financial difficulties. Alitalia bid €38 million for Volare ( ATWOnline, Jan. 10). Air One said it was satisfied with the ruling, whereas Alitalia described the court's decision as "abnormal," claiming it did not respond directly to Air One's appeal.
IATA's year-end traffic report released yesterday indicates that international passenger traffic rose 7.6% in 2005 and freight traffic grew 3.2%, but the industry is expected to have lost $6 billion despite the improvement on large losses among US airlines ( ATWOnline, Dec. 15). "Growth and profitability are completely different concepts," IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said. Passenger capacity climbed 6.3% over 2004 and load factor increased 0.9 point to 75.1%.
LAN Cargo named Cristian Ureta CEO. He most recently was the carrier's COO. UAL Corp. named Cindy Szadokierski VP-Chicago O'Hare operations. Ajay Singh will replace her as VP-corporate real estate.
Triumph Composite Systems of Spokane was awarded a $200 million multiyear supply contract by Vought Aircraft Industries, a structural integration partner in the 787 program. Triumph will provide products including composite ducting, machined metal parts and fittings, window assemblies, hydraulic tubing and insulation to Vought.
ATA Holdings released settlement distribution details concerning its late February exit from Chapter 11 protection, which was confirmed orally by a US Bankruptcy Court judge Monday ( ATWOnline, Jan. 31) and was due to receive official approval yesterday. Unsecured creditors will receive distributions of new common stock representing 7% of the outstanding equity in the new holding company in addition to warrants to acquire 2% of the new common stock outstanding upon emergence.
Amadeus said Indian Airlines will implement Amadeus Electronic Ticket Server to fully manage and distribute e-tickets, including interlining. As part of the agreement, IBM will upgrade processes and systems at Indian to IATA e-ticket standards.
Emirates will launch thrice-weekly service to Addis Ababa from March 27 aboard A330-200s, increasing to daily on Dec. 1. The airline also said its 777-200 fleet refurbishment is near completion. The project includes new seats in first and business classes, economy class enhancements, in-seat laptop power and personal entertainment and information systems. Remaining work on two of Emirates' nine 777-200s will be completed by January 2007.
US Export-Import Bank is seeking cash offers for the 737-400 it seized last month from Air Nauru ( ATWOnline, Dec. 22). It was the carrier's only aircraft and is being stored by Qantas at Melbourne International Airport. The bank said neither Air Nauru nor the government of Nauru is in negotiations to purchase the aircraft, which will be sold on an "as-is, where-is" basis.
US Airways followed up on its fare reductions on 21 routes earlier this month ( ATWOnline, Jan. 10) with cuts ranging from 39% to 55% on flights from Charlotte, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New York LaGuardia to 14 cities in the Midwest and Southeast, as well as to Seattle from Charlotte.
SAS Ground Services Norway opened Europe's first infrared deicing hangar at Oslo Airport earlier this month. The hangar will work as a supplement to ordinary deicing for the remainder of the winter season, SAS said.
United Airlines said it aims to shave average turn times by 8 min., freeing up "at least 10 aircraft in 2006." It plans to "reduce and reallocate block time" and said it already has achieved "more than a one-minute reduction in taxi-out time."
