Delta makes changes to cope with rising fuel costs Delta Air Lines, which posted a $318 million loss for the first quarter, said it will retire its "least efficient aircraft" and raise fares to compensate for climbing fuel costs. "Fuel is the biggest challenge facing this industry and Delta is actively reducing capacity, implementing fare actions, hedging our fuel needs and attacking our cost structure in order to offset fuel's impact on our earnings," said Delta CEO Richard Anderson. Delta's fuel bill surged 29% in the first three months of the year. Link
Boeing CEO says workmanship issue led to tear in jet's roof Boeing CEO Jim McNerney said the hole in the roof of a Southwest Airlines 737-300 was likely due to an isolated manufacturing issue. "I think the initial data that I think we're all seeing is suggesting a possible workmanship issue on an airplane, rather than a design issue across a fleet of airplanes," McNerney said. Link
Boeing takes steps to protect 787s from lightning strikes Boeing is replacing thousands of fastener joints inside the wings of its all-composite 787 jets to ensure they are protected from lightning strikes. The design flaw was initially discovered in 2009. The fastener joints must be replaced to meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements. Link
FAA reauthorization bill includes more flights at Reagan National More than 700 flights take off and land daily at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and that figure is likely to rise. Lawmakers are currently negotiating the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, and the legislation includes more flights in and out of National. Increasing the number of flights at the airport will have repercussions, including increased noise levels and a shift in flight numbers from other airports. Link
Younger aircraft being disassembled and used for parts A decade or more ago, companies were tearing apart older aircraft to use the parts that were still in good shape. Aircraft are still being disassembled and used for parts, but companies have turned to younger planes. Abdol Moabery, president and CEO of GA Telesis, estimates that as many as 400 aircraft will be used for parts this year. "The displacement of aircraft leads to opportunities for us to buy and disassemble those aircraft," said Moabery. Link
TSA designates behavioral specialists to monitor passengers The Transportation Security Administration has deployed 161 "behavioral indicator officers" at airports nationwide to monitor behavior of passengers waiting in security lines. Some groups have expressed opposition to the program. Link
Philadelphia airport comes to resemble a mall Philadelphia International airport boasts 165 stores, restaurants and other concessions, up from just 22 in 1994. Airport officials say they are constantly moving to upgrade their retail offerings as leases expire and there are opportunities to bring in new tenants. The airport is the latest example of a nationwide trend to improve the quality of -- and revenue from -- airport concessions. Link
Small budget carriers add flights with low fares While major carriers tend to serve larger cities, a number of smaller, budget carriers are hauling passengers between mainly smaller cities. Sun Country, Direct Air, Vision and other airlines are adding flights, offering low fares and keeping a low profile. These small budget carriers fly fewer routes and few are offered on a daily basis, and passengers should be aware of limitations. Link
High winds, thunderstorms disrupt flights in eastern U.S. Severe weather disrupted air travel in the eastern U.S., delaying flights to airports in New York and Atlanta, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Airlines canceled more than 500 flights on Wednesday, according to the tracking service FlightAware. The National Weather Service said tornado watches covered parts of eight states Link
Finnair first-quarter loss widens; carrier warns of further losses Finnair Group reported a loss of €33.8 million ($49.6 million) for the first quarter ended March 31, widened from a deficit of €21.7 million in the year-ago period. CEO Mika Vehvilainen cited the impact of events in Japan, as well as rising fuel prices and excess industry capacity for the lower results. Link
Norwegian’s $55.3 million first-quarter loss blamed on high oil prices Norwegian Air Shuttle said that high oil prices “strongly contributed” to a first-quarter net loss NOK293.2 million ($55.3 million), widened from a NOK199.1 million deficit in the year-ago period. Its fuel bill heightened 41% compared to the March 2010 quarter to NOK561.3 million, though the increase is in part owing to a 28% year-over-year rise in capacity. Link
ANA posts $284 million fiscal-year profit, faces 'uncertain outlook' All Nippon Airways posted a ¥23.3 billion ($284.4 million) net profit for its fiscal year ended March 31, reversed from a ¥57.3 billion net loss in the prior fiscal year. But it incurred a ¥14.2 billion net loss in its fiscal fourth quarter, which was affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, narrowed from a ¥22.1 billion net loss in the March 2010 quarter. Link
US confirms India fighter rejection US officials have confirmed reports that India rejected both American bids for the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) contract, leaving the Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon still in the running for the $10 billion deal. Link
Other News
The EU on Friday is easing restrictions on liquids in hand-luggage, allowing passengers connecting through EU airports from a third country to carry liquids, aerosols and gels purchased either at an airport duty-free shop or aboard a non-EU airline. The liquids must be sealed in tamperproof bags and screened before boarding by specialized scanners. The shift is an interim step toward a complete lifting of carry-on liquids restrictions at EU airports on April 29, 2013.
US airlines complained this week that the federal government overtaxes it while at the same time neglecting necessary aviation infrastructure improvements. US Air Transport Assn. President and CEO Nick Calio told the US Chamber of Commerce's Aviation Summit on Wednesday that airlines lobbying the federal government need to develop "a realistic flight plan, if you will, that holds us to a measurable timeline of accomplishments on taxes, regulation and better labor-management relations, among other things."
Air India on Thursday said it reduced daily flights by 18%—or 45 flights—on a contingency schedule one day after a portion of its pilots, represented by the Indian Commercial Pilots Assn., went on strike. ICPA represents 800 AI pilots who were Indian Airlines pilots prior to their 2007 merger. The union claims management has not addressed its complaints about a lack of pay and work condition parity with pre-merger AI pilots and foreign pilots hired by the airline.
The European Commission provided misleading information to passengers regarding airline liability with regard to delayed baggage during the volcanic ash crisis, European Ombudsman P. Nikiforos Diamandourous determined, in response to a complaint by the Europe Regions Airline Assn.
Scandinavian Airlines and Star Alliance partner All Nippon Airways reached a codeshare agreement under which SAS will place its code on ANA Tokyo Narita service to Sapporo, Osaka Itami and Fukuoka, effective May 23. ANA will place its code on SAS NRT-Copenhagen service, and will “at a later stage” put its code on SK flights from London Heathrow to CPH, Oslo and Stockholm Arlanda; Frankfurt to CPH, OSL and ARN; and from Munich to CPH and OSL.
Jet2.com launched thrice-weekly Edinburgh-Budapest Boeing 737-300 service. The year-round service will operate twice-weekly during the winter season.
Air China Cargo launched thrice-weekly Dalian-Shanghai Pudong-Frankfurt service using a Boeing 747-400F.
JetBlue Airways will add a third-daily Nassau-Ft. Lauderdale service June 23.
AVIATION QUOTE
Mistakes are inevitable in aviation, especially when one is still learning new things. The trick is to not make the mistake that will kill you.
— Stephen Coonts
ON THIS DATE
April 29th
• In 1905... In Santa Clara, California, Daniel Maloney is launched from a tethered balloon to make a free flight in a tandem-wing glider, which “Professor” Montgomery, a schoolteacher and keen amateur aviator, has designed.
• In 1931... The Boeing B-9 bomber flies for the first time and marks the next step in airframe development in the evolution of the Boeing 247, the first modern-type airliner.
• In 1964... British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) introduces the VC10 jet airliner into regular passenger service, on its route to Lagos, Nigeria.
• In 1968... United Air Lines becomes the first carrier to put the Boeing 737-200, a larger capacity version of the standard 737, into service.
• In 1988... The first flight of the Boeing 747-400 is made. This Advanced Superjet has a crew of two and can carry between 412 and 509 passengers over 8,000 miles. Sales in 1990 of 170 of these wide-body transports broke all records.
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
The Blond And The Firing Squad
A brunette, a redhead and a blonde get captured and are placed before a firing squad.
They are about to be executed and the brunette says "Look...Hurricane" and points to her left while she gets away.
The redhead girl says "Look...Tornado", points and gets away.
Finally the blonde tries to do the same thing she says "FIRE"
TRIVIA
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And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
