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Codeshare partnership signed between Icelandair and Alaska Airlines
 Thursday, July 29, 2010 |
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More Frequent Flier Options
"Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are delighted to welcome Icelandair as our newest Mileage Plan and codeshare partner," said Rick Rasmussen, Alaska Airlines' director of customer loyalty and marketing programs. "Icelandair offers affordable and convenient options for our customers to earn or redeem miles for travel to Iceland and beyond through their easy connections to popular European destinations."
Icelandair, Alaska Airlines, and Horizon Air announced they have entered into a new codeshare agreement and will also launch a reciprocal frequent flier partnership. The codeshare agreement allows Icelandair to place their code on select Alaska and Horizon Air flights. The frequent flier partnership, scheduled to launch this fall, allows Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members to earn and redeem miles on Icelandair flights between Seattle and Iceland and throughout Europe.
"As we celebrate one year of service from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, we are pleased to strengthen the bridge for West Coast travelers wanting to explore Europe," said Thorsteinn Egilsson, Icelandair's general manager for the Americas. "Alaska Airlines' route network complements passengers connecting through Seattle on Icelandair. With nonstop service to Reykjavik, Iceland, and connections to over 20 of Europe's most popular destinations, our passengers can stop over in our beautiful homeland of Iceland for no additional airfare."
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"Travel guide" iPhone application launched by American Airlines
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 |
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New iPhone Application For AA customers launched
FORT WORTH, Texas - Mobile phones have evolved into hand-held personal assistants, concierges and bookkeepers for people on the go. Today American Airlines adds "travel guide" to this list, by releasing the first version of its iPhone application. The free app for iPhone and iPod Touch offers customers a new way to stay connected with the airline while they are traveling. It is the latest in a series of technology enhancements from American to improve customer service and give customers more control of their travel experience.
The new iPhone application's intelligent data display allows American to provide the most relevant day-of-travel information. This means the application knows and displays who the customer is and where they are going – from where they are departing and what gate, to where they will sit, and where they are on the standby list, once they are logged in. With the new applications, customers are able to:
Enter log in and password only once – allowing the application to push upcoming flight details to the home screen automatically
Set a parking reminder
Monitor the standby list
Track elite status progress
View personal flight details – receive gate, seat and flight status information at a glance
Access Mobile Boarding Pass – the application saves it for you, so it's always easy to find
Use GPS to locate the nearest airport served by American
View terminal maps
Play Sudoku
The app also provides direct and easy access to a variety of other tools that help customers manage, plan and further enjoy each trip on American Airlines:
Book and check-in for flights
Create Flight Status Notifications
Check Flight Status and schedules
Access AAdvantage® account information
Enroll in the AAdvantage® program
Access contact information
American continues to invest in technology enhancements, developing innovative products and services that better serve the needs of its constantly connected customers, as well as its employees, who strive to improve the customer's experience with unique operational mobile applications.
"Our mobile website is the best in the industry, and this new iPhone app takes our leadership another step further because the unique attributes of the iPhone are embedded in the app itself – giving our customers a completely differentiated and personalized experience," said Monte Ford, American's Senior Vice President – Information Technology and CIO. "The app is the latest in a series of customer technologies we've introduced to help improve the customer experience, and we are developing immersion apps for a wide range of other mobile devices. In fact, mobility is at the heart of much of what we are implementing today to dramatically improve our customers' interaction with American – from Mobile Boarding to the many portable technologies our employees are equipped with. We are leveraging leading technology tools to bring the best information and experiences to our customers."
The app was designed using customer and employee input. During its development, American conducted usability sessions to gain valuable feedback from AAdvantage members, which helped determine what they valued most. Members with varying ranges of AAdvantage status were able to "test drive" the application during these sessions and voice opinions about the features they liked and found useful during day of travel, and the ones they could do without.
"We have an intense focus on researching and developing new tools like the iPhone application that will help positively impact the customer experience," said Craig Kreeger, American's Senior Vice President – Customer Experience. "Now we have one more way to give customers access to travel information where they find the information most useful, at their fingertips."
The new iPhone application will be introduced in several phases as the airline continues to develop the capabilities of the tool, including an iPad-specific version in the coming weeks. Future versions will further utilize the iPhone's global positioning features, enable push notifications, International Flight Check-In, request and view the Upgrade List, along with other functions that take advantage of the "app experience."
The application can be downloaded for free at www.aa.com/appstore, a link that will take users directly to the App Store.
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Controversial self-boarding arrives in Houston
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 |
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Continental Airlines is the first carrier to test process within U.S. borders
A controversial boarding process practiced outside the United States has arrived at Houston International Airport.
Continental Airlines is testing self-boarding at Houston International in the first experiment within U.S. borders by any carrier, USA Today reported Tuesday.
The self-boarding process allows a passenger to swipe his or her boarding pass at a kiosk, which will open a turnstile or door, giving the traveler access to the jet bridge, according to the report.
Continental didn't provide the paper with further details on its experiment. A Transportation Security Administration spokesperson said the agency "determined it does not impact the security of the traveling public." All travelers will be screened at security checkpoints before arriving at boarding gates, he said.
Isaac Yeffet, former director of security for El Al Airlines, thinks self-boarding is a bad idea. "It's not a secret that the United States of America is the biggest target for terrorist organizations, especially al-Qaida," Yeffet told msnbc.
"Instead of moving forward in security ... we prefer to go backward" because we don't want to inconvenience passengers, Yeffet said, adding that airline security is "an illusion."
Not everyone agrees.
"It's a great idea," aviation analyst Michael Boyd told USA Today. "Any reduction in human contact between employee and customer is good these days."
"As long as you have someone to tell grandma where to stick the paper," he added, "you're fine."
Continental's self-boarding trial run follows recent technological developments aimed at making travelers' lives easier.
Passengers with smart phones, for example, can check in using mobile boarding passes. United, Continental, Delta, American and Alaska all use mobile boarding passes, where the carrier scans the confirmation link or message on a device capable of e-mail.
Additionally, the Clear program, which allowed members to breeze through security before it abruptly shut down last year, is expected to be up and running again by fall. The company was taken over by Alclear LLC, whose board includes Michael Chertoff, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Alclear bought Clear's former owner, Verified Identity Pass, which filed for bankruptcy.
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Delta targets New York high-fare corporate passengers
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 |
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Delta Air Lines New York Chicago Shuttle
For New York business travelers bound for Chicago, there’s a new shuttle in town.
Opening another front in the competition for high-fare corporate passengers, Delta Air Lines Inc. is operating hourly flights between New York and Chicago, courting consumers by offering three times the usual number of frequent-flier miles.
The jockeying adds a Midwest leg to the East Coast shuttle flights from New York to Boston and Washington. Delta began its service in June after shifting operations to O’Hare airport from Chicago’s Midway, putting the world’s largest carrier in a head- to-head matchup with American Airlines and United Airlines.
“Chicago is one of the most important routes from New York, and Delta’s primary target is to steal people from American,” said Brett Snyder, a former United and America West Airlines manager who runs the CrankyFlier blog and works as a consultant. “American responded with the triple points because they don’t want even one single flier to switch to Delta.”
Airlines prize business travelers because last-minute fliers pay the highest fares. On AMR Corp.’s American, a walk-up round-trip ticket from its O’Hare hub to New York’s LaGuardia airport tomorrow may run $449, according to the carrier’s website. That ticket bought a month in advance is $178.
More Choices
Hourly frequencies mean more choices for passengers flying between O’Hare, the second-busiest U.S. airport, and LaGuardia, New York’s largest airport for domestic travel. Delta has 11 daily flights, compared with 17 for American and 18 for UAL Corp.’s United, which is based in Chicago.
“I can literally show up a half-hour before and get on that plane,” said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Chicago’s Harris Private Bank, which oversees $55 billion. “I like the convenience of being able to change my schedule with impunity.”
New York is the nation’s busiest aviation market, and O’Hare and LaGuardia are each other’s top destination by domestic passengers, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Customers spurred Delta’s shift to the larger Chicago airport from Midway, said Kent Landers, a spokesman for the Atlanta-based airline.
“They preferred O’Hare,” Landers said. “It’s about delivering the top business markets for New York, and Chicago is one of them.”
Triple Points
Delta offered the triple-points promotion to “increase awareness” of the new Chicago service, Landers said. Fliers can earn 4,400 miles for a New York-Chicago round trip through August. The usual total is about 1,470.
United matched the offer, and Fort Worth, Texas-based American began a similar promotion 16 days later.
“It’s mission critical that you’re competitive on all fronts -- price, mileage programs, services, frequencies,” Jim Carter, vice president of American’s Eastern sales division, said in an interview. “We obviously feel very strongly about our investment in this market between New York and Chicago. Chicago has always been a very critical market for us.”
American and United spotlight their more-frequent flights and their use of Boeing Co. MD-80 and Airbus SAS A319 jets, respectively, which have 120 or more seats. Delta’s Embraer ERJ- 175 regional jets carry 76 passengers and have less bin space.
“We compete vigorously in the Chicago-to-New York market,” said Michael Trevino, a spokesman for United, which is merging with Continental Airlines Inc., the operator of a hub at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty airport.
East Coast Shuttle
Shuttle flights on the Washington-New York-Boston axis date to the 1960s, when Pan American World Airways and Eastern Airlines began hourly service. Delta bought the Pan Am routes about 20 years ago, and US Airways Group Inc. acquired Eastern’s shuttle around the same time.
Delta uses its Delta Shuttle unit for the Chicago service, offering perks found on East Coast trips such as free morning coffee, bagels and newspapers, and wine, beer and snacks in the evening. American and United both have hourly service between Chicago and New York without differentiating the flights by serving free food and alcohol in coach as Delta does.
Adding O’Hare to Delta’s shuttle operation is a “smart move” because travel demand is reviving, said CrankyFlier’s Snyder, who is based in Long Beach, California.
Airlines are regaining the pricing power they lost during the recession. Domestic yields, or average fare per mile, rose each month this year through June after falling every month in 2009, according to the Air Transport Association trade group.
“The shuttle service is at the whims of the economy and business travelers,” Snyder said. “It can be a real moneymaker when things are looking up.”
Ablin, 55, the Chicago banker, flies to New York every six weeks on American using an American AAirpass card, which works like a debit account and deducts the fare for each flight. Buying last-minute tickets lets him avoid fees to change flights, and he has elite frequent-flier status that often earns him first-class upgrades.
He said he would consider using Delta or United if American’s New York-Chicago flights were full or if the others would honor the airline’s AAdvantage loyalty program.
“I don’t want to end up in the middle seat all the way in back of the plane, paying for trail mix,” Ablin said.
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Delta wants more flights to Brazil, asks for DOT's approval
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 |
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Delta Airlines wants to increase number of flights between the US and Brazil
NEW YORK — Delta Air Lines Inc. said Monday it asked the Transportation Department for approval to increase its flights between the U.S. and Brazil.
The world's largest airline said if it receives the OK, it will fly more between Detroit and San Paulo. Delta is currently slated to start twice-weekly service between the two cities on Oct. 21; it wants to increase service to five days a week.
If approved, Delta will shift three flight approvals it had for Atlanta to Rio de Janeiro to add the flights between Detroit and Sao Paulo.
Detroit-Sao Paulo is an important business route from the industrial Midwest to Brazil's business center. Delta said its proposed five weekly flights comes close to the service it eventually wants to provide.
Also, adding more flights makes Delta more competitive.
American Airlines has approval to operate 11 flights per week between the U.S. and Brazil starting on Nov. 18. American is expected to fly between New York and Rio de Janeiro and between Miami and Brasilia, Brazil.
Continental Airlines Inc. on July 1 launched an agreement with Brazil's TAM Airlines that will allow the airlines to sell tickets on each other's flights. The deal, called a code share, allows an airline to expand its destinations without adding service.
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Kenya Airways to codeshare with Jet Airways
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 |
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Better Connections
Information was received on Monday that Kenya Airways (KQ) has signed an extensive codeshare deal with India airline, Jet Airways. Kenya Airways is currently flying daily to Mumbai – formerly Bombay – and has been seeking to expand their presence in this important market for a while now.
Jet Airways in turn has also been trying to add more African destinations beyond their present destination Johannesburg, but neither airline had until this point made much progress.
The codeshare arrangement on the Nairobi to Mumbai route will, however, open up added destinations, which in India will be operated by Jet Airways, while Indian passengers can connect to the entire continent via Kenya Airways’ Nairobi hub, from where daily connections serve most destinations to Southern and Western African capitals.
Frequent flyer benefits for holders of the respective airline cards will also be extended for earning miles as will lounge access be part of the deal for frequent travelers.
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Singapore Airlines reverses a year-earlier loss, reports 1Q net profit
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 |
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Singapore Airlines' Recovery
SINGAPORE — Singapore Airlines Ltd. reported a fiscal first-quarter net profit, reversing a year-earlier loss, as the global economic recovery boosted air travel.
The carrier said Monday that it expects the recovery to continue to underpin its business for the rest of the year.
Net profit for the three months ended June 30 totaled 253 million Singapore dollars (US$184.6 million), compared with a net loss of S$307.1 million a year earlier.
Singapore Airlines had suffered a severe drop in its passenger and cargo business last year as the global economic slowdown crimped travel demand. The company started returning to profit in the third quarter of the previous fiscal year after it aggressively cut costs.
"Advance bookings indicate that the year-on-year recovery in passenger carriage and yields evident in the quarter to June will hold up for the rest of 2010," the airline said in a written statement to the Singapore Exchange. "Similarly, leading indicators, as well as sentiment among shippers and forwarders, suggest that the recent resurgence in air freight may be sustained in the near term, although the rate of growth may abate."
Revenue rose 21% to S$3.47 billion from S$2.87 billion after the company cut costs and improved load factors. Passenger load factor improved 6.8 percentage points to 78.4%, while cargo load factor increased 4.4 percentage points at 65%, the airline said.
During the quarter, Singapore Airlines took delivery of four Airbus A330-300 aircraft and decommissioned six Boeing Co. 777s—leasing four and selling two. As of June 30, Singapore Airlines' operating fleet comprised 106 passenger aircraft with an average age of six years and one month, the carrier said.
The airline also said the cost of fuel hedging might be affected by forward prices being "markedly higher than spot prices."
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Aviation news: oneworld alliance welcomes Air Berlin
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 |
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German Airline Joins Oneworld
Air Berlin reached an agreement Monday to join the oneworld alliance.
"Membership in oneworld would strengthen Air Berlin's competitive position and enable it to participate in the alliance's revenue enhancement and cost reduction activities," the airline said in a regulatory filing ahead of a news conference scheduled for Tuesday.
Air Berlin also announced that it entered into code-share agreements with American Airlines and Finnair on Monday. The deal will allow the airline to offer tickets starting Nov. 1 on American flights to 15 U.S. destinations and two in the Bahamas, and Finnair flights to Helsinki, within Europe and to Asia.
The news comes a week after the U.S. Department of Transportation granted oneworld members American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia airline final approval to create a joint business governing flights between North America and Europe, and gave anti-trust immunity to the three airlines, plus fellow oneworld members Finnair and Royal Jordanian Airlines.
Monday's agreement covers key aspects of Air Berlin's membership in oneworld and calls for the airline to work towards completing a full membership agreement under the sponsorship of British Airways.
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New supersonic passenger jet set for takeoff
Sunday, July 25, 2010 |
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Plane will help travelers break sound barrier for first time since 2003
Supersonic passenger travel was grounded in 2003 when British Airways and Air France cancelled their transatlantic Concorde service because of falling revenues and rising maintenance costs. The Aerion Supersonic Business Jet promises to help travelers break the sound barrier again.
Named after a fleet-of-foot horse in Greek mythology, the Aerion Supersonic Business Jet will be able to carry a dozen passengers at speeds of up to Mach 1.5 for more than 4,000 miles. It is currently undergoing proof-of-concept aerodynamic testing of critical components in NASA wind tunnels and under the belly of a NASA F-15 supersonic jet.
This Aerion SBJ will make it possible to fly from Paris to New York in four hours and 14 minutes, shaving three hours off the trip compared to conventional jets.
And even in the United States, where supersonic flight is banned because of Federal Aviation Administration sonic boom restrictions, the jet will be able to fly at a high subsonic speed of Mach 0.98 because of its unique, patented wing design, reducing coast-to-coast travel by 41 minutes vs. conventional aircraft.
Design breakthrough
The Aerion SBJ's wing represents a breakthrough in supersonic design and is the key to why the jet will be able to avoid the fate of the Concorde. Drag — the resistance caused by air as an airplane flies though it — is the enemy of speed and the enemy of economical operation. The Aerion SBJ’s magic sauce is the use of supersonic natural laminar flow (SNLF) technology in the design of the wing. SNLF reduces drag.
“It is the enabling technology that enables the (Aerion) to economically fly at both high subsonic speeds as well as supersonic, “said Brian Barents, vice chairman of Aerion. “The effect is a substantially reduced drag on the airframe. It sets a new frontier of high speed flight with very economical performance.”
If you look at the straight wings of the new jet and those on the Lockheed F-104 “missile with a man in it" of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s you’ll see a family resemblance.
“The F-104 did have some NLF characteristics,” Barents told TechNewsDaily. “Our technology has been around for a number of years. It was the advancement in materials that made our design possible,” carbon fiber in particular.
Aerion’s design completes a virtuous circle — it satisfies environmental regulations while providing economical operation and high performance. (Separately, Lockheed Martin is working on a new aircraft that would fly faster than the speed of sound but without making a sonic boom.)
Fastest aircraft are in museums
The passenger jet has been in the performance doldrums for nearly half a century, Barents said. The first Boeing passenger jet, the four-engine B-707 introduced in the late ‘50s had a design speed of Mach 0.83. Today’s state-of-the art commercial passenger jets such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus 380 and business jets such the Gulfstream are basically still in the same Mach range because of their wing design, Barents said.
“The fastest commercial aircraft we ever had are in a museum,” he said. “That’s not progress.”
Aerion wants to change that.
The company hopes to have its new generation aircraft certified by the FAA and in the air by 2015. In spite of the worldwide recession that has roiled the entire aviation industry, Aerion has received 50 deposits of $250,000 for the $80 million SBJ. The company is actively discussing development of the aircraft with a number of potential OEM (original equipment manufacturer) partners and hopes to have a deal in place by the end of the year.
Aerion also sees a supersonic future that involves larger commercial passenger jets. The design of the SBJ, Barents said, “is very scalable. That’s clearly a point we’ve discussed with potential partners. This is not a single point design. We consider it to be a family of aircraft.”
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Virgin America orders 40 Airbus planes, more than doubles its fleet
Sunday, July 25, 2010 |
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Virgin America Expansion
Virgin America Inc. agreed to buy 40 Airbus SAS A320 jets, a $3.26 billion purchase at list prices that will more than double its fleet, as the low-fare carrier adds destinations.
The new planes will be delivered from 2013 through 2016, with options for 20 more aircraft, according to the closely held airline, which is part-owned by U.K. billionaire Richard Branson. Virgin America announced the order today at the Farnborough Air Show near London.
Adding jets will support an expansion push that Chief Executive Officer David Cush said includes serving about three new cities a year through 2016. The Burlingame, California-based airline plans to begin flights by year’s end from its hometown hub in San Francisco to Cancun and San Jose del Cabo, Mexico.
“My expectation is that within the next 30 days we’ll announce another route that we’ll start flying before the end of the year, and that’ll definitely be a major business route,” Cush said today in an interview at the show. Places under study include Chicago, Dallas and Austin, Texas, he has said.
Virgin America now has 28 planes, all from Toulouse, France-based Airbus.
The airline would like Airbus to add new engines to its A320 family of aircraft, and would be “first in line” to buy such jets, Cush said. Airbus and Boeing have told airlines they may put new more-efficient engines on current models of jets. So far, neither planemaker has committed.
Virgin America’s planes will have fuel-saving “sharklet” wings that reduce fuel use by about 3.5 percent, the airline said.
Airbus’s list price for the twin-engine, single-aisle A320 is $81.4 million, according to a company fact sheet. Airlines typically receive discounts from planemakers’ published figures.
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Aviation news: LAN Airlines announces new service from Lima to Easter Island
Saturday, July 24, 2010 |
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New Route Alert
Miami – July 2010 - Starting on January 5, 2011, LAN Airlines will begin service between Lima and Easter Island offering two flights a week on Wednesdays and Sundays. In addition, also scheduled for launch in January 2011, LAN Airlines’ affiliate LAN Peru will offer four weekly nonstop flights from Lima to Iguazu in Argentina, pending applicable government approvals.
Flights from Lima to Easter Island will save European and North American travelers up to three hours of travel time compared to the existing flights available by LAN from Santiago, Chile to Easter Island. The new route marks the first time that Easter Island will be connected to another country in South America besides Chile.
The new routes will offer travelers the opportunity to visit multiple iconic South American tourist destinations in one trip via Lima including Cusco and Machu Picchu in Peru, Argentina’s Iguazu Falls, Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, and the Patagonia region of Chile and Argentina including the towns of Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, El Calafate and Bariloche.
“LAN Airlines and its affiliates are offering passengers access to the most complete and integrated tourism network in South America providing them with the opportunity and flexibility to explore more than one of the region’s wonders. With the addition of these new routes, visitors from around the world will have more options to make connections on LAN and its affiliates that will help support the region’s tourism development, while offering outstanding quality of service,” said Armando Valdivieso, CEO of LAN Airlines Passenger Division.
LAN Airlines will service the Lima to Easter Island route on modern Boeing 767-300s. This aircraft offers the airline’s Premium Business Class in addition to a recently renovated Economy class. Premium Business Class features full flat seats, 180º reclining seats, providing comfort and a fully horizontal sleeping position.
Both cabins feature a state of the art entertainment system, with individual high definition screens for each seat, and one of the largest selection and best programming worldwide.
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Azerbaijan Airlines orders Boeing 767-300 passenger and freighter models
Saturday, July 24, 2010 |
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Azerbaijan Airlines orders Boeing jets
FARNBOROUGH, United Kingdom - Boeing and Azerbaijan Airlines have signed an agreement to substitute two Next-Generation 737 airplanes for one 767-300ER (extended range) and two 767 Freighters, a new model type for the Baku, Azerbaijan-based airline. The substitution has been updated on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries website.
"With our centralized geographic location, Azerbaijan is becoming a busy hub in the region between east and west and north and south," said Jahangir Askerov, president of Azerbaijan Airlines. "We are capitalizing on this development by expanding our long-haul passenger fleet and growing our cargo business with the proven efficiencies of the 767 Freighter."
Including today's announcement, Azerbaijan Airlines has a total of eight Boeing airplanes on order: two 767-300ERs, two 767 Freighters, two Next-Generation 737s and two 787-8s.
"With the economic recovery gaining momentum at various speeds around the world, our customers are making changes to their fleets to accommodate the upturn," said Marlin Dailey, vice president of Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We have worked with Azerbaijan Airlines to make changes to its order book that meet its needs."
The Boeing 767 family is a complete family of clean, quiet, fuel-efficient airplanes that provide maximum market versatility in the 200- to 300-seat market. The Boeing 767 family includes three passenger models -- the 767-200ER, 767-300ER and 767-400ER -- and a medium-widebody freighter, which is based on the 767-300ER fuselage.
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Boeing, Airbus win 237 jetliner orders worth $28 billion at air show
Saturday, July 24, 2010 |
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237 Boeing and Airbus jets ordered at Farnborough
Airbus SAS and Boeing Co. won 237 jetliner orders worth $28 billion at this week’s Farnborough Air Show, more than three times the number announced in Paris a year ago, prompting some executives to declare the global slump over.
Airbus won 130 contracts with a list price of $13 billion, edging out Boeing on 103 orders worth $10 billion. The European company also announced $15 billion of pledges versus $4 billion at Boeing. In the regional market, Brazil’s Embraer trumped Bombardier Inc., which failed to win new buyers for its CSeries.
Orders were dominated by the resurgent aircraft-leasing industry, with Steven Udvar-Hazy’s Air Lease Corp. acquiring 105 single-aisle planes and General Electric Co.’s GECAS adding 100, both spreading orders across the two main manufacturers. Airbus, which leapfrogged Boeing as the largest jet manufacturer in 2003, lifted its order forecast for this year to more than 400 jets, and Boeing said it had raised internal targets.
“I’m surprised by the level of enthusiasm for sustainable recovery, given that we’re in the early stages of an economic decline that could go on for years,” said Howard Wheeldon, senior strategist BGC Partners LP in London. “The industry is saying we’re through this, we’re moving on -- the light at the end of the tunnel is already here. That’s the sense you get.”
Brazil’s Embraer, officially known as Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA, scooped 37 contracts worth $1.4 billion for its regional jets, the bulk of them from Flybe, Britain’s biggest domestic airline, together with pre-orders for an additional 34 planes valued at $1.3 billion.
CSeries Flop
Bombardier presented 23 firm orders valued at $1 billion for its business jets and turboprops at the Farnborough event. It announced no regional jet contracts and failed to secure Qatar Airways Ltd. as a buyer for the CSeries, after the Gulf carrier couldn’t reach terms with engine maker Pratt & Whitney.
The biggest single airline contract was from Dubai-based Emirates, which bought 12 Boeing 777-300ER long-haul planes valued at $3.25 billion. Gulf rival Qatar also added two 777s.
“The world will start traveling again, there’s plenty of traffic for everyone,” said Emirates President Tim Clark, whose airline has ordered 90 A380 superjumbos in total.
Among Western carriers, AMR Corp.’s American Airlines will buy 35 Boeing 737s, OAO Aeroflot is adding 11 Airbus A330 and Virgin America Inc. signed a pledge for 40 A320s.
The airline industry will post a $2.5 billion profit in 2010, reversing two years of losses, the International Air Transport Association predicted last month, scrapping an earlier estimate for a $2.8 billion deficit.
Traffic Returns
Passenger traffic climbed back above the pre-recession highs of early 2008 in May, and premium travel rose the most in six years as business confidence increased. While seat occupancy reached 76 percent, fleet utilization is still 5 percent below pre-recession levels for single-aisle planes and 8 percent lower for wide-body jets, IATA says.
The orders won by Boeing and Airbus this week eclipsed the 78 orders and pledges in Paris last year, while falling 82 short of the total for the last Farnborough show in 2008, which predated the credit crunch and recession, having been held two months before the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
Airbus Sales Chief John Leahy said the sales surge shows “the recession is definitely over,” while Tom Enders, the chief executive officer, said the show had been “good for the industry,” with more contracts signed than anticipated.
Airbus had previously targeted as many as 300 orders for 2010. Enders said the Toulouse, France-based company will achieve a production target of more than 20 A380 double-deckers and aims to sign up one more customer for the jet in 2010.
‘Hot Cycle’
“The business will stay hot, because it’s a hot cycle,” Marlin Dailey, Boeing’s commercial sales chief, said in an interview. “Whether that will translate into orders is hard to say, but there’s definitely a lot of interest. On balance, we’ll see a growth trend over the next couple of years.”
General Electric Co., the world’s biggest maker of jet engines, predicted the fastest growth in the industry coming from emerging markets such as the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, with developed economies expanding more slowly, GE Aviation Chief Executive David Joyce said.
“It makes you feel good that everyone is feeling some part of the recovery versus last year,” Joyce said in an interview. “In the past month we’ve started to see some positive trends.”
Louis Chenevert, CEO of United Technologies Corp., which owns Pratt, said external events could still impede the recovery, citing past developments such as the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S., the SARS epidemic in Asian and the Icelandic ash cloud that closed European airport this spring.
“While we’re optimistic that the outlook looks a lot better, external forces can change the picture,” he said in an interview. “You just never know what’s in front of you.”
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Airbus unveils 'green’ concept plane at Farnborough Airshow
Friday, July 23, 2010 |
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Farnborough International Airshow
Airbus has unveiled a 'green’ concept plane of the future as it kick-starts a global competition to seek out the most innovative ideas for a low carbon aviation industry.
The concept plane, which has been described by Airbus as a "cruise ship of the sky" includes numerous eco efficient features, such as a lightweight body and super slim wings, as well as air cabin seats that clean themselves.
The futuristic plane was unveiled by Airbus at the Farnborough International Airshow, today. At the same time the company announced it was launching 'Fly Your Ideas’, a contest aimed at students worldwide to develop new ideas for a greener aviation industry.
Although not technically achievable at the moment, the Airbus concept plane aims to demonstrate what advancements in existing green technologies could produce in 40 or even 20 years time. On the 'outside’ of the plane, these could include not just a lightweight, but 'intelligent’ body, wings that are ultra long and thin, engines that are 'semi-embedded’ and a tail that is U-shaped.
Inside, the the plane features ecological, self-cleaning seats that mould to the shape of the body, see-through walls that offer 360 degree views of the world below at a touch of a button, and holographic projections that allow passengers to transform their 'private cabin’ into an office, bedroom or Zen garden.
Fuel cells, solar panels and body heat might provide energy for such an aircraft, Airbus said, while carbon emissions could be reduced further – as could drag and fuel burn – through formation flights that mimic the bird world.
The launch of the concept plane coincides with new research by Airbus that shows passengers in 2050 will be more environmentally aware, but will want to fly more. In the poll, over 40 per cent of under 35s said that for every two flights we make today, we will take at least three by 2050.
"Engineer's Dream"
"The Airbus Concept Plane represents an engineer’s dream about what an aircraft could look like in the long term future. It’s not a real aircraft and all the technologies it features, though feasible, are not likely to come together in the same manner. Here we are stretching our imagination and thinking beyond our usual boundaries," said Charles Champion, executive vice president Engineering, Airbus.
Part of the aim of the concept plane is to stimulate more ideas to develop greener forms of air travel and the 'Fly Your Ideas’ competition will challenge university students to do just that.
The biennial contest involves three rounds, concluding with a final at next summer’s International Paris Airshow with £38,000 pot of cash to be shared between winners and runners up. Registration for the competition opens this Friday.
The concept plane is outlined in a new report 'The Future by Airbus’.
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Airport news: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport may receive 2nd runway
Friday, July 23, 2010 |
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Kenya Airport Authority
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has at last moved forward in their considerations of a second runway for Kenya’s main international airport, Jomo Kenyatta International in Nairobi. At peak hours, the runway is almost fully utilized with take offs and landings, and any incident on the runway is presently shutting down East Africa’s main aviation gateway, leading to flight diversion, delays, and cancellations of flights.
The present ongoing upgrade and rehabilitation had left a second runway out of their scope, to the chagrin of aviation experts, who have for years advocated for and demanded an alternative runway, but until a committee was formed last week to look seriously into this, KAA had taken no visible action.
Of the other main airports in the region, only Entebbe has a second, albeit shorter, runway to facilitate emergency operations, and with Nairobi being the main gateway in the region, the expansion cannot come soon enough for airlines and passengers alike.
The feasibility study will take several months to complete, and aviation sources in regular contact with this correspondent claim a second runway could at the very earliest be in place by 2015, if a decision is made swiftly and funding can be secured.
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Boeing delivers 800th airplane to China
Friday, July 23, 2010 |
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China receives 800th Boeing jet
SEATTLE - Boeing, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and Air China today celebrated the delivery of the 800th Boeing airplane for China - a Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 to Air China.
"Boeing and China have had a long-standing and productive partnership since 1972," said Wang Changshun, deputy administrator of CAAC. "CAAC and Boeing have broad cooperation in safety, flight standards, airworthiness and new technologies, etc. We hope we will continue to further strengthen this win-win partnership."
In 1972, CAAC ordered 10 Boeing 707s, establishing it as a major world airline. Today, Boeing jets are the mainstay of China's air travel and cargo system. More than 50 percent of all the commercial jetliners operating in China are Boeing airplanes.
"The history of working together between Boeing and Air China dates back to 37 years ago. We have created a mutual benefit through our long-term partnership," said Zhang Lan, vice president of Air China. "Taking the delivery of the 800th Boeing airplane on behalf of all the Chinese airlines marks another significant moment in this great partnership."
Air China, China's national flag air carrier, is the largest air carrier based in mainland China in terms of Air China's international traffic and size of its twin-aisle fleet.
"We have witnessed the rapid development of the aviation industry in China. We are honored to be part of the development by providing our best products and services," said Jim Simon, vice president of Sales for China, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We are also proud that China has a sophisticated and expanding role in the commercial aviation industry and on all Boeing commercial airplane models including the 787 Dreamliner."
Since the 1980s, Boeing has purchased more than $1.5 billion in aviation hardware and services from China and will double that in coming years. More than 5,700 Boeing airplanes currently in service include Chinese-made parts.
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DOT grants antitrust immunity to American Airlines, foreign partners
Friday, July 23, 2010 |
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Airline alliance antitrust immunity granted
NEW YORK — The Transportation Department has given antitrust immunity to American Airlines and foreign partners, which will let the airlines work together to set fares and schedules across the Atlantic.
The other airlines are British Airways, Iberia Airlines, Finnair and Royal Jordanian Airlines.
DOT said Tuesday the move will give travelers and cargo shippers benefits including lower fares in some markets, improved service and better schedules.
The government is requiring the airlines to give up four takeoff and landing slots at London's Heathrow Airport, where British Airways and American are deeply entrenched. Regulators said otherwise immunity could hurt competition on routes between Heathrow and the U.S.
The other major airline alliances, Star Alliance and SkyTeam, already have similar immunity.
American and British Airways have been trying for 14 years to work more closely together, only to back off in the face of opposition by regulators.
Executives at American said antitrust immunity would help them strengthen their route network, boost revenue and compete better against other airline alliances that already have immunity, including ones with Delta, United and Continental.
"This is an important day for the customers, employees and shareholders of American Airlines and our joint business partners in the oneworld alliance," said Gerard Arpey, chairman and CEO of American and parent AMR Corp.
British Airways CEO Willie Walsh said his company has argued all along that the Europe-U.S. travel market is very competitive, especially since an easing of restrictions at London's Heathrow Airport in 2008. "We are delighted that the U.S. and EU authorities have recognized this," he said.
The decision by the U.S. Department of Transportation was expected after regulators indicated tentative support for the American-BA proposal in February.
Last week, European regulators also approved antitrust immunity for the airlines after imposing similar concessions on some routes.
American is seeking approval for a similar deal with Japan Airlines on routes across the Pacific. American estimates that working more closely with the international partners could result in extra revenue and cost savings of $500 million annually within a few years.
The other alliances that already enjoy antitrust immunity on some routes are SkyTeam, which includes Delta and Air France KLM, and the Star Alliance, whose members include United, Continental Airlines, Lufthansa and All Nippon Airlines.
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Hainan Airlines commits to winglets for future Boeing next generation 737s
Friday, July 23, 2010 |
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Hainan Airlines Signs for More Blended Winglets
FARNBOROUGH, England - Hainan Airlines, the first airline in China to operate with Blended Winglets, has committed to equip all future 737-800 aircraft deliveries with winglets.
Hainan, which operates the largest fleet of winglet-equipped aircraft in China, assures that the 45 aircraft currently on order with Boeing will all operate with the revolutionary fuel-saving devices.
"Hainan has been enjoying the benefits of Blended Winglets for 8 years, so they know as well as anyone how the technology contributes to the bottom line," says Aviation Partners Boeing CEO John Reimers. "We appreciate Hainan's confidence in our product and value their partnership."
Blended Winglets are especially well suited for Hainan's operations which include a mix of long and short-range routes operated from some challenging airports at high utilization. In addition to fuel savings, the airline sees benefits from reduced engine takeoff thrust, reduced emissions, greater payload and range capability, and greater operational flexibility. The competitive market in China requires every airline to find advantages, and Blended Winglets are a visible advantage.
Blended Winglets on the 737-800 typically generate fuel savings of 3% or more, resulting in annual fuel savings of more than 100,000 gallons per airplane. Hainan is also considering Blended Winglets for its 767-300ER fleet, which would save more than 5% in fuel costs for that aircraft type.
More than 3,600 Blended Winglet System are now in service with over 120 airlines in more than 80 countries. APB estimates that Blended Winglets have saved airlines worldwide more than 2.1 billion gallons of jet fuel to-date. Aviation Partners Boeing is a Seattle based joint venture of Aviation Partners, Inc. and The Boeing Company.
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Airlines gearing up for cargo-screening deadline
Wednesday, July 21, 2010 |
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Airline Cargo Screening
FORT WORTH, Texas — Airlines are buying giant X-ray machines and other machinery to meet an Aug. 1 deadline to begin screening all cargo that goes on passenger planes.
Federal officials say the new rules will close a large security gap. Just four years ago, only half of all cargo was inspected.
But the system to guard against terrorists getting a bomb on a plane is far from airtight. Cargo coming into the U.S. from other countries is still often not inspected.
In a sweltering warehouse next to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Friday, American Airlines workers were being trained in the use of a 12-foot-high black box, an X-ray machine that was installed just two weeks ago.
Nearby, another airline employee traced a wand over boxes, looking for traces of explosives. The worker said fertilizer sometimes triggers an alarm.
To reduce the load on airlines, about half of all domestic cargo is being screened at more than 800 facilities run by companies certified by the Transportation Security Administration. The TSA relies on those operators to ensure that cargo isn't opened before reaching the airport.
Without those 800 centers taking half the load, it would take American hours longer to screen each cargo shipment. It also would force shippers to deliver their goods to the airport several hours earlier, defeating the advantage of speedy air freight, said Dave Brooks, president of American's cargo division.
For cargo that American screens, the airline is raising its charge and forcing shippers to get to the airport two hours earlier, starting Aug. 1.
Douglas Brittin, general manager of the TSA's cargo division, said security of cargo aboard passenger planes — long identified as a threat — has steadily improved. Since the beginning of 2009, the TSA has approved 77 new pieces of equipment to screen cargo for explosives, chemicals and other threats.
Last month, the Government Accountability Office said the TSA was making progress toward the requirement to screen all cargo on passenger planes. But the GAO said the TSA could lack resources to properly monitor those 800 independent inspection centers, and had no technology for inspecting large shipments consisting of many packages.
The TSA is talking to aviation officials in other countries to close another gap — cargo on planes arriving in the U.S. from other countries. The TSA's top official told Congress in March that it could be years before all inbound cargo is screened.
Inbound shipments that the TSA deems high risk — officials won't say how they decide — must be screened before the plane heads for the U.S. In other cases, shipments must be inspected after landing in the U.S. before being loaded on another plane.
For example, if the airline can't prove that produce being shipped from South America to Japan through the U.S. has been screened to TSA standards, "they're going to have to take it apart and screen it before it flies to Japan," Brittin said.
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Aviation news: source says Emirates likely to place order with Boeing at air show
Wednesday, July 21, 2010 |
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Farnborough Air Show
Boeing Co., the world’s second- biggest commercial-jet maker, is set to win an order from Emirates Airline at the Farnborough Air Show, according to two people familiar with the agreement.
The Dubai government-owned carrier and the Chicago-based planemaker will announce an order for about 20 777s wide-body jets tomorrow, said one of the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement has not yet been announced. The deal would be valued at almost $5 billion at list prices.
Emirates, the biggest Arab airline, said last month it will announce new aircraft orders at the show. The company also last month placed an order for 32 Airbus SAS A380 superjumbo jets, valued at $11 billion, as it seeks to expand its position as the world’s largest international airline, funneling passengers through its Dubai base.
Middle Eastern carriers including Emirates and Qatar Airways Ltd. have become major buyers of commercial aircraft as they seek to use their geographical advantage to build a global network. Emirates can reach 95 percent of the world’s population from Dubai on an A380, Airbus said yesterday.
Emirates’ order of additional A380 superjumbo will push its fleet to 90 of the world’s largest passenger jet. The Boeing 777 typically seats between 300 and 400 passengers, making it the company’s second-largest commercial jet behind the 747 jumbo. Boeing is bringing its smaller 787 Dreamliner to the Farnborough Air show, and the aircraft landed today in its first appearance in Europe.
Airbus Chief Operating Officer John Leahy said yesterday that he aims to double the 131 orders received so far this year during the air show. Airbus unseated Boeing as the world’s largest maker of passenger jets in 2003.
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Rapid expansion of flydubai continues with flights to Karachi
Friday, May 07, 2010 |
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Dubai To Pakistan
Flydubai announced today that it has added Karachi, Pakistan, as the newest route in its fast-growing network. This is the sixth new flight announcement within the past month. The low-cost airline now has 19 destinations on its air service schedule.
Pakistan is home to many of the expatriate workers in the UAE (United Arab Emirates), and the low-cost flights to Karachi, popularly referred to as the City of Lights, will provide an excellent opportunity to make the return trip to see friends and family more often. Flydubai will operate daily flights to the South Asian city of Pakistan from June 21.
Karachi houses the country's largest commercial corporations and is the center of financial, industry, and trade sectors. The opportunity for less complicated, less stressful, and less expensive business travel is also expected to create a large demand.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai, said Karachi would play an important role in expanding flydubai's reach and will make a significant difference to the Pakistani expatriates working in the UAE.
"There are currently more than 700,000 expatriates from Pakistan working in the UAE and an extra opportunity for them to travel back home has to be good news. We are in the business of bringing more people together more often, and we can see the Karachi route being a very busy one indeed," he said.
"Pakistan is already a very close trading partner with the UAE, and there is always the potential for even more commercial ties. One of our goals is to use the flydubai routes as a means for people to forge new friendships, visit new places and new cultures, to experience new destinations, and to enjoy new relationships, whether for business or pleasure," Al Ghaith added.
The UAE is also Pakistan's biggest source of foreign remittance through banking channels. The bilateral trade between the two countries was around US$6 billion (Dh22.04 billion) in 2009, making the UAE the second largest trade partner of Pakistan.
FZ333 will depart Dubai from Sunday to Thursday at 0815 hours and arrive in Karachi at 1125 hours. The return flight, FZ334, will leave at 1210 hours arriving in Dubai at 1320 hours local time. On Fridays and Saturdays, FZ333 will depart Dubai at 1135 hours and arrive in Karachi at 1445 hours. The return flight, FZ334, will leave at 1530 hours and arrive in Dubai at 1640 hours local time.
Flydubai's operational destinations are Beirut-Lebanon, Amman-Jordan, Damascus and Aleppo-Syria, Alexandria-Egypt and Djibouti-Africa, Doha-Qatar, Baku-Azerbaijan, Khartoum-Sudan, Bahrain, Kathmandu-Nepal, Muscat-Oman, and Kuwait. The airline will soon start service to Assiut and Luxor-Egypt, Istanbul-Turkey, Kabul-Afghanistan, and Latakia-Syria.
The flydubai model is simple, with customers paying only for the services they want to receive. The ticket price includes all taxes and one piece of hand baggage, weighing up to 10 kg, per passenger.
Passengers have the option to purchase checked-in baggage in advance, subject to availability. Checked baggage at the airport is also strictly subject to availability and passengers are advised to book online early to secure the space, as only pre-purchased baggage can be guaranteed.
Nominal payments allows customers to select their seat and secure extra legroom positions. Bookings can be changed for a small fee, plus any difference in the fare, and food and drink can be purchased on board.
Flydubai operates from a modernized and enhanced Terminal 2 on the north side of Dubai International Airport.
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PRODUCTS & SERVICES
