The recent announcement of a merger between US Airways and American Airlines does far more than create the largest airline in the U.S. (see page MRO28). It may be releasing vast amounts of cortisol into the brains of workers who are unsure what this combination may mean for their jobs and future.

Leaning the line with outsourcing

Lease returns have a tendency to generate a lot of angst. There are myriad things to check, including big objects like airframes and powerplants, and less obvious items such as lowly seat covers and cushions.

Washington Benefits Of Outsourcing A new report from the bipartisan analysts paid to educate Congress puts a pile of facts in the way of a pretty good story about the perils of airline maintenance outsourcing.

The global civil aircraft fleet should increase 3.9% over the next 10 years to 32,500 aircraft, and the value of the aftermarket supporting that fleet likely will grow at a 3.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to $69 billion by 2022, according to an Aviation Week forecast. While the growth percentages look small and could indicate a constrained airline capacity increase for the next few years, while keeping maintenance costs in check, a look at the underlying numbers make this a much more dynamic story.

In September 1996, Embraer announced the arrival of its regional jet family in North America when Continental Express ordered 200 ERJ 145s. Even though only 25 of the commitments were firm, the message was clear: Embraer's 50-seat market entry was going to be a major player in the world's biggest aviation market. Recently, a few ERJ 145s were involved in a very different kind of transaction that delivered an equally emphatic, but different message.

Tech logs are being tied to MRO systems for faster decisions

An American Airlines-US Airways merger offers the combined carrier clear opportunities to leverage existing assets as part of a long-term MRO strategy that mixes in-house and outsourced work. Just how much work will stay in the new American's hangars is anyone's guess, however, particularly considering the apparent clash of philosophies.