QantasLink Great success stories in the airline industry are rare, even in good times. ATW’s 2012 Regional Airline of the Year is one of those and much more. The region in this case is wide and daunting, spanning the length and breadth of Australia and its hostile interior known with fondness to Aussies as the Outback. And yet, QantasLink has successfully conquered that territory and its extreme landscapes and temperatures to provide excellent service to millions of people living in or seeking to reach some of Australia’s most remote towns and cities.
AirAsia This year, ATW has created the new Value Airline of the Year award to recognize outstanding achievements by those carriers whose business strategy provides exceptional value for the customer and the shareholder. The story of our inaugural winner of this award reads like the script of a Hollywood “feel good” movie. From humble beginnings 10 years ago, with just two aircraft and six routes, this carrier has grown to dominate Southeast Asia and has brought affordable travel to over 100 million people.
Air New Zealand The journey Air New Zealand has taken over the past decade has been extraordinary. For many legacy and flagship carriers, adapting to the tumultuous global economic and market changes of the past 10 years has been a huge and difficult challenge. But our Airline of the Year, now a two-time winner of this award, exemplifies how inspired management, innovative leadership and team spirit can overcome the hurdles and ensure that a legacy airline can still be a leader in the air transport industry. While many of its contemporaries have cut back on services, ANZ introduced innovative service and inflight products that helped grow customer loyalty while setting the standards for aircraft, environment and operational performance.
Etihad Airways (EY) will have a significant hand in the management of Air Berlin (AB), in which it is the largest single shareholder following an increase in its holding to 29.21% late last year.
Sometimes it's hard to keep a good airline, or, in this case, its name, down "for the count". What I'm referring to is the February 13, 2012 announcement that an airline named PeoplExpress plans to take to the skies again, albeit headquartered in Newport News, Virginia instead of Newark, New Jersey, the home of the original version. While a first for this former airline, reincarnation of historic airline names has been tried on a number of occasions. What's the track record look like, in terms of success or failure?
Grupo Aeromexico (AM) posted a 2011 net profit of MXP2.08 billion ($162.3 million) on strong revenue gains as the benefits to AM stemming from the demise of rival Mexicana in August 2010 become apparent.
Delta Air Lines (DL) has expanded codeshare agreements with SkyTeam partners China Eastern (MU) and China Southern (CZ) airlines, allowing both Chinese carriers to place their codes and flight numbers on DL-operated flights between Seattle and Beijing (PEK). In addition, MU will place its code and flight numbers on DL-operated flights between Detroit and PEK.
Etihad Airways (EY) plans to launch daily Abu Dhabi (AUH)-Washington Dulles (IAD) Airbus A340-500 flights from March 31, 2013, pending regulatory approval.
Hong Kong Airlines (HX) plans to launch an IPO this year to raise about $200-$300 million to fund its fleet expansion. HX chairman Yang Jianhong said the company is keeping a close watch on the market for the proper timing of the IPO.
Kenya Airways (KQ) and KLM have jointly launched a 2X-weekly Boeing 747-400F Amsterdam (AMS)-Guangzhou (CAN)-Sharjah-Nairobi (NBO)-Lagos-NBO-AMS freighter service.
Brazil’s TAM S.A., the holding company of TAM Airlines, has approved a change in top management to prepare for its merger with LAN Airlines, expected at the end of March.
Lubumbashi-based Korongo Airlines (ZC), partly owned by Brussels Airlines (SN) parent SN Airholding, is expected to begin operations in April, several years after its projected launch.
Brazil’s TAM S.A., the holding company of TAM Airlines, has approved a change in top management to prepare for its merger with LAN Airlines, expected at the end of March.
Etihad Airways (EY) plans to launch daily Abu Dhabi (AUH)-Washington Dulles (IAD) Airbus A340-500 flights from March 31, 2013, pending regulatory approval.
Turkish Airlines will increase its Istanbul-New York JFK service from 2X- to 3X-daily from May 28 through Sept. 16. The additional flights will be operated with Airbus 330-300 and Boeing 777 aircraft. Transaero Airlines (UN) will reinstate 2X-weekly Boeing 777 Moscow (DME)–Los Angeles (LAX) flights from April 29, after 10 years. This is UN’s third US destination.
Iberia (IB) pilots, represented by the SEPLA pilot union, are unyielding in their protest against the creation of Iberia Express, the new short- and medium-haul low-cost subsidiary of IB, and will call strikes again on Feb. 24 and Feb. 29 as previously announced.
Frankfurt Airport said that the five-day strike of 200 apron workers will end Wednesday night after the union agreed to start pay talks again Thursday.
Southwest Airlines' (SWA) smooth path to integrating with AirTran Airways, which it acquired last year, hit some turbulence with Tuesday's rejection by the carrier's 1,600 mechanics of a seniority integration agreement.
Kingfisher Airlines (IT), which is operating fewer than half of its fleet of 64 aircraft due to serious financial problems, will not be able to count on the Indian government for a monetary bailout, civil aviation minister Ajit Singh strongly stated.
The Assn. of European Airlines (AEA) responded to the Moscow declaration by warning again that airlines are at risk of becoming a target for retaliatory action in the escalating dispute over inclusion of aviation in the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS)
Several countries, including China and the US, have joined Russia in signing a joint declaration against the European Union’s Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) carbon tax, which took effect Jan. 1.
