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NEWS

Southwest looks for gains in Atlanta with AirTran merger
Southwest Airlines intends to strengthen its presence in Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and expand East-West coast routes with its acquisition of AirTran Holdings, new AirTran President Bob Jordan said. "Our intent is to grow.
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US Airways works with Delta, regulators on slot swap
Scott Kirby, president of US Airways, said negotiations continue for US Airways' slot swap transaction with Delta. "We continue to work with Delta and the regulatory agencies, Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Justice (DOJ) to get to somewhere where we can all accept," Kirby said in response to a question in the airline's employee newsletter. "It is difficult when there are multiple parties negotiating. We hope to have something to file in the next couple weeks so stay tuned. We are cautiously optimistic."
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United and Amadeus dissolve reservations system contract
United Airlines and Amadeus have reached an agreement to terminate the airline's planned migration of its internal reservations system to the global distribution system's Altea platform. United will pay Amadeus a one-time fee of $75 million to dissolve the contract. United's chief information officer, Bob Edwards, said Amadeus was "a true partner, being very understanding and cooperative as our business and IT needs have continued to evolve."
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Boeing exec: No formal announcement soon on 787-10
Jim Albaugh, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO, said the firm is not close to formally announcing a 787-10. "Our product development people have done some preliminary looks at that airplane," Albaugh said. "It looks to me to be an option that we really need to follow up on, and we will." Jim McNerney, CEO at Boeing, had referenced "a new [787] model or two" during a recent earnings call, but Albaugh's comments dampened expectations.
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Recent incidents suggest heightened air security measures
Several incidents that have occurred on U.S. flights since the death last week of Osama bin Laden have caused concern among passengers and flight crews. The incidents include the diversion of a flight because of a "security concern" and travelers on another flight who subdued a passenger who rushed a cockpit door.
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Airline shares fall as oil prices rebound
Oil prices started to climb this week after declining last week, causing airline stocks to move in the opposite direction. The increased price of oil threatens to bolster fuel bills of the airline industry, but carriers are seeing solid demand as they enter the busy summer season.
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DOT tentatively grants Delta/Virgin Australia ATI, reversing previous decision
Reversing its previous stance, the US Dept. of Transportation on Tuesday tentatively approved antitrust immunity for Delta Air Lines and Virgin Australia to coordinate services between the US and Australia.
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SAS Group narrows first-quarter loss to $60 million
SAS Group reported a first-quarter net loss of SEK373 million ($59.6 million), narrowed from a SEK712 million net deficit in the year-ago period. Despite the loss, SAS maintained its guidance for a full-year pre-tax profit, but it cautioned that achieving the result has become "significantly more challenging" owing to "the recent sharp increases in jet fuel prices."
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Emirates Group's fiscal year profit soars 43% to $1.6 billion
Despite challenging conditions and rising fuel prices, the Emirates Group posted a record net profit of AED5.9 billion ($1.6 billion) for its fiscal year ended March 31, up 42.9% over net income of AED4.15 billion in its prior fiscal year, on a 26.4% rise in revenue to AED57.38 billion. The result marked the company's 23rd consecutive annual profit.
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RAF's A330 tanker tests launch 'Voyager' of discovery
The Royal Air Force's new Airbus A330-based Voyager tanker/transport has begun receiver clearance testing in the UK, with its first ground activities having involved a Panavia Tornado GR4 strike aircraft.
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Crashed Merpati MA60 recorders sent to China
Indonesian investigators have sent the flight data and cockpit voice recorders from the crashed Xian Aircraft MA60 operated by Indonesia's Merpati Nusantara Airlines to China for analysis.
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Boeing ups 787-9 weights again
Boeing again has increased the maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of the 787-9 as it further refines the performance of the larger variant due in late 2013. According to the March 2011 update to its "airport compatibility brochure", the MTOW of the 250- to 290-passenger 787-9 has increased from 247 to 251t (545,000 to 553,000lb), while preserving the 14,800 to 15,700km (8,000 to 8,500nm) range.
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Other News

AviancaTaca, the parent of Avianca and TACA, announced it raised $279 million from its IPO and noted it became the first airline to allocate 100% of its IPO among frequent flyers and company employees. The new shares will begin trading on Wednesday on the Colombian Stock Exchange.

US Dept. of Transportation said the nation’s largest carriers reported no flights in March with tarmac delays of more than 3 hr., down from 25 flights in March 2010. Data filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics showed there have only been 16 tarmac delays of more than 3 hr. reported since the tough tarmac delay rule went into effect in April 2010.

Vistair deployed its online flight manuals management system for Thomas Cook Group members Thomas Cook Scandinavia and Condor Berlin.

SITA reached a seven-year contract with Oman Air to provide the Middle Eastern carrier with its fares management software solution, Airfare Insight.

Aviareps was appointed by Ethiopian Airlines to serve as its sole partner for global corporate sales in Europe and Asia.



AVIATION QUOTE

Prepare for the unknown, unexpected and inconceivable . . . after 50 years of flying I'm still learning every time I fly.

— Gene Cernan



ON THIS DATE

May 11th

• In 1911... Edouard Niéport, a racing cyclist before he went into aircraft construction, sets a new speed record of 74.4mph flying his “Nieuport” monoplane powered by a 28-hp engine.

• In 1926... The first airship flight over the North Pole and the first crossing of the Arctic Ocean is made by Roald Amundsen of Norway, Umberto Nobile of Italy, Lincoln Ellsworth of the United States, and their crew in an Italian-built semi-rigid airship, N-1, Norge.

• In 1927... Charles Lindbergh lands his new Ryan airplane, the Spirit of St. Louis, in St. Louis after a record non-stop overnight flight from San Diego of 14 hours, 25 minutes.



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE





HUMOR

Pray For Me

Mahmud Ahmadinejad and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (current and former conservative presidents) are in an airplane over Tehran.
Ahmadinejad says, "I am going to throw down $100, and let 10 Iranian citizens get them and pray for me."
Rafsanjani, who is richer by far, replies, "I am going to throw out $1,000, and let 100 citizens pray for me."
Provoked by the bravado of both men, the pilot mumbles, "I am going to throw both of you out, and let 70 million Iranians pray for me."

ANSWERS

1. Jesus
2. Christ
3. Bob
4. Marley
5. False
6. STFU
8. Kitten Mittons
9. Same as 7
10. Mouse