Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International suspended all takeoffs yesterday after protesters seeking to force the resignation of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat stormed the airport. The passenger terminal was overtaken by the protesters amid an increasingly unstable situation throughout the capital. Protesters also blocked roads leading to the airport. "For the safety for passengers, we have to stop flights out of the airport temporarily until the situation returns to normal," Airport Manager Serirat Prasutanon said. Incoming flights still were operating, according to some reports.
United Airlines expects to record $232 million in cash fuel hedging losses and $138 million in noncash mark-to-market hedging losses in the fourth quarter based on Nov. 20 closing forward curve prices, it said yesterday in a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
TAM flew 1.96 billion RPKs in October, up 7.3% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 15.8% to 3.02 billion ASKs and load factor fell 5.2 points to 64.7%. International RPKs grew 35.2% to 1.41 billion against a 26.3% lift in ASKs to 1.82 billion, sending load factor up 5.1 points to 77.8%. Gol flew 1.79 billion RPKs in October, down 17.5% year-over-year. Capacity was level at 3.14 billion ASKs and load factor dropped 12 points to 56.8%.
Qantas warned that its full-year pre-tax profit may fall 64% from its previous guidance of A$1.4 billion ($888.1 million) to A$500 million for the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, nearly halving the $A970 million earned in the 12 months ended last June 30.
Virgin America launched Aircell's Gogo inflight Internet on Nov. 22 via an air-to-ground video during a YouTube Live user event in San Francisco. A segment of the show was streamed to audiences on the ground and online from an altitude of 10,688 m. VS is on course to become the first US airline to offer fleetwide inflight Internet. Target is set for the second quarter of 2009.
SAS Group said a Norwegian court has ruled in favor of the NKF union representing Scandinavian Airlines Norge cabin staff, restating pension payouts to 70% from 66% retroactive to Dec. 1, 2004. SAS said it will take a one-time SEK130 million ($15.9 million) charge and a SEK30 million annual charge.
AirAsia X launched ticket sales yesterday for a five-times-weekly Kuala Lumpur- London Stansted service scheduled to begin in March ( ATWOnline, Oct. 14). Lead-in fares are ¤99 ($148.23). Route will be operated with a 286-seat A340 featuring 30 premium seats.
ExpressJet Holdings' board authorized an additional $10 million for the company's previously announced securities repurchase program. It said purchases of stock and/or notes will be "made from time to time in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions."
Mobiqa reached a deal with Qatar Airways to provide its mobi-pass delivery system allowing passengers to receive boarding passes via mobile phones. Technology incorporates travel details on a barcode sent to mobile devices as an MMS, e-mail or WAP Push/Link message.
Ryanair will close its two routes from Blackpool (daily to Dublin and thrice-weekly to Girona) on Jan. 4 following the airport's decision to impose a £10 ($14.97) "Airport Development Fee" on all passengers from Jan. 5. Blackpool is the fourth airport from which the LCC has withdrawn or threatened to withdraw all services, following Valencia ( ATWOnline, Oct. 27), Fuerteventura ( ATWOnline, Nov. 20) and Maastricht ( ATWOnline, Nov.
Argentine court appointed an administrator to take over day-to-day oversight of Aerolineas Argentinas's operations as the Argentine government and Spain's Grupo Marsans, the airline's current owner, argue over terms of the carrier's nationalization ( ATWOnline, Sept. 5). Marsans has agreed to sell its holding to the Argentine government but claims the government has violated terms of the deal by not finding a third party to perform a valuation.
Wataniya Airways, an all-premium Kuwaiti startup ( ATWOnline, Nov. 6), will launch operations in February with a twice-daily Kuwait City-Dubai A320 service. Ticketing operations began yesterday. The airline also announced that parent company Kuwait National Airways will be listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange on Dec. 15. It will operate out of KWI's private Royal Terminal under the KW code and said it has hired 15 pilots and 59 cabin crew.
Qantas yesterday launched thrice-weekly Sydney-Buenos Aires flights aboard a three-class 747-400. Air Canada will launch daily Montreal-Geneva flights June 1 aboard a 767-300ER. Swiss International Air Lines will codeshare. Aer Arann will commence thrice-daily London City-Isle of Man flights on Jan. 19 aboard a 72-seat ATR 72-500.
Pinnacle Airlines flew 425.3 million RPMs in October, up 5.6% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 7% to 543.1 million ASMs, dropping load factor 1.1 points to 78.3%. Mesa Air Group flew 476 million RPMs in October, down 12% year-over-year, against a 16.6% fall in ASMs to 604.6 million. Load factor rose 4.1 points to 78.7%.
S7 Airlines CEO Vladislav Filev said the carrier has "received a verbal offer from an investment company which is acting in the interests of an undisclosed client" and has hired an unnamed bank to assess the offer, Reuters reported. No further details were available. Aeroflot has expressed interest in acquiring the state's 25.5% stake in S7 ( ATWOnline, Nov. 14). Separately, S7 resumed weekly Novosibirsk-Bishkek service aboard an A320.
ILFC Chairman and CEO Steven Udvar-Hazy confirmed last week at the ALTA Airline Leaders Form in Cancun that American International Group "is in the process of selling ILFC to a group of investors, including management."
TAM took delivery of the second of eight 777-300ERs it has on order and plans to use it to operate six-times-weekly Sao Paulo Guarulhos-Frankfurt flights.
Aeroports de Paris and Air France last weekend operated a two-day trial program for the A380 at Charles de Gaulle. MSN 001 was piloted by AF crew from Toulouse to CDG. Following tests at the airport's Terminal S3, the aircraft was towed inside AF's new H6 hangar for compatibility tests. Maintenance equipment tests conducted by Air France Industries all produced "satisfactory results," AF said, while tests on noise and luminosity levels were carried out simultaneously with Wi-Fi tests between the aircraft and the hangar's IT network.
Italy and United Arab Emirates signed an agreement yesterday that will allow Emirates and Etihad Airways to have significant access to Italian airports, with EK planning to use Milan Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino and Venice as gateway "hubs" to Europe. Italian Secretary of State for Economic Development and Foreign Trade Adolfo Urso, who traveled to Abu Dhabi to sign the accord, said the re-launched Alitalia would provide connections for EK passengers. "Emirates would be able to count on the help of our new Italian airline," he said.
Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis said that the privatization of Olympic Airlines ( ATWOnline, Nov. 7) will mean €150 million ($188.7 million) in additional government revenue annually. The government plans to split the carrier into three units for sale by year end, a move that will "relieve the Greek taxpayer of the burden of paying for their losses," Karamanlis said, according to Reuters.
The slump in fuel prices turned out to be the bad news for Air China, which suffered a CNY3.1 billion (CNY453.1 million) loss on its fuel hedge contract as of Oct. 31, more than three times the CNY961 million forecast.
News from Travel Technology Update: Sabre Travel Network has devised a way for travelers and travel agents to compare the true costs of flights when factors such as checked-bag fees and preferred seat selection are taken into account. Called Attribute-Based Shopping, the application will be available to consumers and travel management companies in 2009. It will be available both to airlines that are hosted on the Sabre system and to airlines that simply distribute through the Sabre GDS.
Sabre Travel Network won a two-year extension on its contract with United Airlines to provide full content of published fares and inventory via its GDS. Extension maintains the distribution agreement until 2013.
