OnAir selected mobile network provider Monaco Telecom as its ground infrastructure partner. Starting in 2007, OnAir will be launching GSM and GPRS mobile services on selected European flights, allowing passengers to make and receive phone calls and exchange text messages and e-mails using their own mobile phones and PEDs. Air France, bmi and TAP Portugal have signed up for commercial trials of the OnAir service.
US Bankruptcy Court judge reversed an earlier ruling and authorized Mesaba Airlines to terminate labor contracts with its 1,300 union employees. The Regional's pilot, mechanic and flight attendant unions all have warned they will strike if the company voids their deals. Mesaba, which said it will continue negotiating with the unions, must give 10 days notice before terminating the contracts. The carrier, which operates as a Northwest Airlink partner, wants a 19.4% reduction in labor costs over the next six years to ensure financial viability.
Germanwings said it will expand its Cologne Bonn hub and base another six aircraft there by 2009. The carrier, which took delivery of the first of 18 new A319s Friday, plans to increase passenger numbers at CGN in the next three years by more than 1 million per year to 4.6 million. It will use the new capacity to boost frequencies and add new destinations; it is evaluating cites in France, Israel and North Africa.
Spirit Airlines announced last week that Indigo Partners, the Arizona-based investment firm run by former America West Airlines head William Franke and Oaktree Capital Management of California, which already was a Spirit investor, "will provide significant resources for the Company to consolidate its position as the leading low-cost carrier to the Caribbean and pursue its long-term growth strategy."
Ukraine International Airlines completed the first D check on a 737, the first overhaul of a Western aircraft in a CIS country. UIA was the first CIS carrier to receive JAR 145 approval to perform full maintenance on Western aircraft.
FedEx revealed Friday that it received a grand jury subpoena in June relating to a wide-ranging multigovernment probe into possible anticompetitive practices by air cargo carriers. "We have no reason to believe that we are a target of the investigation, and we are cooperating with the [US Dept. of Justice]," FedEx said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
ExelTech Aerospace was selected by Caribbean Star Airlines and Caribbean Sun Airlines to provide heavy MRO for the carriers' Dash 8 fleets. Under the deal's initial terms, ExelTech will perform airframe structural inspections and interior and exterior upgrades on eight aircraft in Quebec City. The work is valued at C$1.5-C$3 million ($1.3-$2.7 million).
Iberia said it was back to its full flight schedule Friday "with very few exceptions" following conclusion of a three-day pilots strike ( ATWOnline, July 13). "Iberia is glad the strike has ended, and thanks its customers for their confidence and their understanding in these difficult circumstances.
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North American Airlines began weekly service between Baltimore/Washington International and Banjul with continuing service to Accra. It also added a second weekly flight between New York JFK and Accra.
US Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) introduced legislation last week to implement the June deal to phase out the Wright Amendment. The arrangement reached by the cities of Dallas and Ft. Worth, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines requires congressional approval ( ATWOnline, June 16. "My bill will repeal the Wright Amendment over eight years and achieve a balance between Love Field and the Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport with a significant benefit to consumers," Hutchison said.
Jet Airways began operating its first A330-200 between Delhi and London Heathrow. The aircraft seats 226 and is powered by Trent 772Bs. Jet also operates A340-300Es on the daily service. It shifted a dash 300E to its LHR-Mumbai route on which it began offering a second daily frequency effective July 10. Separately, Jet linked its frequent-flier program with those of Austrian Airlines and Thai Airways. Jet Privilege members can earn and use miles on flights operated by Austrian and Thai, whose loyalty program members can do the same on Jet flights.
Lufthansa wants to increase the number of long-haul destinations it serves from Munich from 18 to 40 by the end of the decade, an LH spokesperson told ATWOnline.
Beirut International Airport was closed to air traffic indefinitely following yesterday's bombing by Israeli fighter jets in response to a Hezbollah raid from Lebanon into northern Israel. Two runways reportedly sustained heavy damage. Airlines throughout the region cancelled flights to Lebanon's capital and Lebanese carrier Middle East Airlines reportedly diverted planes to Cyprus. The bombing did not damage any aircraft or the airport's terminal.
US Department of Homeland Security is moving forward again with its proposal to require that it be given Advance Passenger Information for US-bound international flights before aircraft take off, a switch from the current policy that requires the information to be relayed within 15 min. after departure. DHS last year tried to impose a requirement that API data be transmitted 60 min. prior to departure, a step that would have required carriers to close flights 75 min. before departure, but retreated in the face of overwhelming airline resistance.
Northwest Airlines signed a five-year, full-content agreement with Galileo International, which said the deal made it the first GDS to sign full-content deals with every network carrier in the US. Separately, NWA announced the retirement of Barry Simon, executive VP and general counsel, on June 30. It named Perry Cantarutti VP-reservations.
Southwest Airlines unveiled details of its new Washington Dulles operation yesterday, having announced its intention three months ago to start service at the airport ( ATWOnline, April 5). It will occupy two gates on Concourse B, hire about 40 local employees and start flying Oct. 5 with services to Chicago Midway (seven-times-daily), Orlando International (twice-daily), Tampa (twice-daily) and Las Vegas (daily). "Dulles will be a fantastic complement to our Baltimore/Washington operation," CEO Gary Kelly said.
Austrian Airlines Group said its ontime performance has suffered as a result of poor ATC at its Vienna hub and it expects several million euros of extra costs. Labor issues and union squabbles at Austro Control have reduced slots at the airport from 40-45 per hr. to just 25. Austrian expected 83% ontime performance, but in the past several days it has dropped to 60%. Separately, the carrier will implement several organizational changes on Sept. 1 that it said should boost quality and productivity.
US FAA yesterday unveiled an Airspace Flow Program that the agency said will result in fewer weather-related delays by allowing controllers more leeway in canceling or delaying flights. Using new computer technology, controllers will delay or cancel only those flights that "are expected to encounter extremely bad weather." Aircraft routed in the wider vicinity of major thunderstorms will be allowed to take off on time as long as ATC judges that they won't fly directly through the storm. Previously, such flights were delayed or cancelled.
Lufthansa Cargo is evaluating replacement of its 19 MD-11 freighters, which have an average age of eight years, as it looks to brace itself for tough competition in the years ahead. "Maybe during this year, but at the latest in 2007, we have to make a decision," Executive Board Member-Operations Karl-Heinz Koepfle told ATWOnline in Frankfurt. He didn't specify a possible replacement type but admitted, "there is not much choice anyway." The 747-400ERF, 747-8 or 777F are LHC's most realistic options.
JetBlue Airways will launch a four-times-daily New York JFK-Columbus service on Oct. 3 and a daily Columbus-Boston flight on Oct. 18. Both routes will be operated with Embraer 190s.
China and Japan reached an air services agreement yesterday that provides for a 20% increase in the number of passenger flights between the countries and a doubling of cargo services, Reuters reported. Thirteen carriers from each country will have access, up from the current six. The number of permitted flights will rise to 547 per week, with Chinese carriers operating 300.
One-off costs related to air traffic control, "irregularities" at Oslo Gardermoen and ground and engine mishaps took a chunk out of Norwegian's second-quarter profit, which came in at NOK17.8 million ($2.8 million) after taxes, a figure that represented a 20.3% improvement over earnings of NOK14.8 million in the year-ago period but was "below our expectations" for the current term.
