AirlinesAlaska Air Group posts higher September trafficAlaska Air Group reported 9% growth in traffic for September on a year-over-year basis. Alaska Air Group, the parent company of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, also boosted capacity by 9.9% for the month.
LinkAmerican asks DOT for use of Tokyo Haneda slotAmerican Airlines Group has filed a petition with the U.S. Transportation Department to take over a Delta Air Lines flight slot at Haneda airport in Tokyo. Delta is using the slot for Seattle-Haneda service, but American has proposed Los Angeles-Haneda service instead.
LinkAmerican and BA continue to see strong transatlantic demandThe heads of joint business partners American Airlines and British Airways continue to see strong and growing demand for transatlantic service, allowing them to continue considering expansion in the market. “Our assessment of the capacity in the transatlantic is that it is well matched to the demand but there has been some minor overcapacity that’s been trimmed,” says Willie Walsh, chief executive of BA parent International Airlines Group (IAG), at a media event in Washington DC today. “We have no concerns with the situation we are operating in today.”
LinkAmerican to add nonstop service to 4 cities from MIA American Airlines will bolster its Miami hub, adding nonstop service to four cities. American's flights between Miami and the four cities — Austin; Kansas City, Mo.; Salt Lake City and San Antonio — will begin March 5, the company announced Thursday. The carrier will use Boeing 737-800 aircraft for its one daily round-trip flight on each of the routes. All four routes feature an early-morning departure on the Miami-bound flight and a late-evening return. Such schedules maximum connecting options for American passengers connecting through Miami. The eastbound route from Salt Lake City route is red-eye, departing Utah at 12:59 a.m. and arriving in Miami at 7:50 a.m., all times local.
LinkDelta shares rise on PRASM increase for SeptemberDelta Air Lines shares rose nearly 2% in trading on Thursday after the carrier reported a 2% increase in passenger revenue per available seat mile for September. Delta also posted a 5.4% increase in overall traffic for the month.
LinkDelta announces changes to loyalty program transfers Delta Air Lines announced it will begin to limit the number of points that can be transferred into a SkyMiles frequent flyer account from partners such as American Express Membership Rewards, Diners Club Club Rewards, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, and Hilton HHonors. American Express announced this week how the change will impact its program. Starting on January 1, 2015, Delta will limit the total number of points that can be transferred from a single Membership Rewards account to one or more Delta SkyMiles accounts to 250,000 points in a single calendar year. In addition, the total number of Membership Rewards points that can be transferred into any one Delta SkyMiles account will also be 250,000 in a single calendar year.
LinkeasyJet Lifts Profit ForecasteasyJet lifted its annual profit guidance after a strong summer travel season, lower than expected fuel costs, positive currency moves and a strike at a rival airline. The company said it now expected to report a pretax profit in the range of GBP£575 million (USD$927 million) to GBP£580 million, compared with the GBP£545 million to GBP£570 million level set at the time of its third-quarter results in July. The company is due to report full-year results on November 18.
LinkUnited to equip 787-9 fleet with satellite Internet United Airlines will flick the inflight Internet switch on its new Boeing 787-9 service between Melbourne and Los Angles when Dreamliner flights begin on October 28. The Boeing 787-9 – the first of 26 due for United’s fleet – comes factory-fitted with satellite Internet, although a United Airlines spokesperson was unable to advise how much travellers will have to pay. United has been steadily rolling out inflight Internet across its fleet but it’s rarely if ever seen on the airline’s Sydney and Melbourne services, with United estimating that less than one in ten of the Boeing 777s as used on those routes being upgraded to date.
LinkAirlines: No need to panic over EbolaHealth officials have repeatedly stated that there that there was "zero risk of transmission" of Ebola during the flights earlier this month of the first patient in the U.S. with the disease. Jean Medina, spokeswoman for the U.S. trade group Airlines for America, said Ebola "is only contagious if the person is experiencing active symptoms. There is no need for panic. There is virtually no risk to air travelers, no matter where you fly." Airlines have procedures in place to monitor and respond to potential health threats, including guidelines to help identify and treat ill travelers and to clean planes.
LinkPoll results released on airline seat comfort JetBlue Airways and Alaska Airlines have the most comfortable coach seats, while no major airline ranked near the top in results of a poll released Thursday by Asked which domestic airline has the most comfortable economy-class seats, 21 percent of respondents said JetBlue; 17 percent, Alaska; 14 percent, Hawaiian; and 13 percent, Frontier. “Apparently, even 1 or 2 inches makes all the difference,” said George Hobica, president of fare-comparison site Airfarewatchdog. “JetBlue is famous for giving passengers more legroom than any other domestic airline in all economy class seats, so it's no surprise that consumers recognize them as having the most comfortable seating.”
LinkUS legacy airlines to push govt to re-look open skiesDelta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines are planning to urge the US government to re-evaluate its approach towards open skies agreements with other countries, amidst increased worry over competition from Middle Eastern carriers. Sources tell Flightglobal that chief executives from the three airlines had initially scheduled a meeting with senior White House officials, including Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, during the week of 6 October, but postponed the meeting earlier this week. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) confirms that the meeting was postponed. It is not immediately clear why the meeting was put off, but sources say that the airlines' decision was linked to ongoing US-led airstrikes against extremist group Islamic State (ISIS). The USA is being aided in its military operations by several Middle Eastern nations, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, which own the fast-growing Gulf carriers that the three US airlines have voiced concerns about.
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