AMR prepares to spin off American Eagle AMR Corp. has been discussing the idea of spinning off American Eagle for several years, but now appears poised to make the move. Executives at AMR say Eagle will be allowed to grow, but analysts are skeptical about the regional carrier's future. Link
American Airlines nears deal with Travelport Court documents filed by American Airlines indicate that the carrier and Travelport "are very close to reaching a temporary agreement under which Travelport would agree not to exclude American from its GDS until January 31, 2012." Until a deal is reached, American faces the possibility of higher booking fees levied by Travelport. Sabre took similar actions against American earlier this month. Link
ATA Opinion: Taxes could "kill" the airline industry Nicholas Calio, president and CEO of the Air Transport Association, says Congress will jeopardize jobs and endanger the already-fragile economy if it goes ahead with a proposal to double the passenger security fee to $5 and implement a $25-per-departure fee on commercial and general-aviation users. "Congress could do to the U.S. airline industry what it did to the U.S. maritime industry -- kill it," Calio writes in an opinion piece. Link
Lawmakers' failure to agree on FAA bill causes furloughs Thousands of workers at the Federal Aviation Administration were told to stay home starting last weekend because lawmakers failed to agree on legislation that would keep the FAA operating. Construction projects at airports also will likely stop, but air-traffic controllers will remain on the job as they are deemed essential employees. Airlines could benefit from the stalemate as they won't be required to remit federal taxes when the FAA is partially shut down. Link
Some airlines raise fares to offset tax savings Some airlines increased fares on Saturday to capitalize on the reduced federal taxes on tickets. Congress' failure to pass legislation that would keep the Federal Aviation Administration operating resulted in the expiration of the taxes. "We adjusted prices so the bottom-line price of a ticket remains the same as it was before," said Tim Smith, a spokesman for American Airlines. Link
Flybe, eyeing growth, reorganizes into three divisions UK regional Flybe unveiled Monday "with immediate effect" the reorganization of its "day-to-day divisional operating structure," dividing the company into three units: Flybe UK, Flybe Europe and Flybe Aviation Support. Link
Air France-KLM reportedly nearing decision on 787, A350 orders Air France-KLM's board, which will meet Wednesday, is expected to endorse an order for 25 Boeing 787s and 25 Airbus A350s with a similar number of options for both, reported La Tribune. It has also been learned from AF sources that a major order is imminent. Link
IAE steps into military market with KC-390 win Embraer has selected a new member of the International Aero Engines (IAE) family of turbofans to power the KC-390 military airlifter, ending a protracted bidding process and launching the V2500 into the military market. Link
Other News
All Nippon Airways will launch its 787 services with a special charter flight for its frequent flyers from Tokyo Narita to Hong Kong. It will put the aircraft into scheduled service initially on the Tokyo Haneda-Okayama and HND-Hiroshima domestic routes.
US Transportation Security Administration will begin installing new software on its millimeter wave AIT body scanning machines "in the coming months," eliminating "passenger-specific" images. The Automated Target Recognition software will produce a "generic outline of a person" while scanning for items that may pose a threat.
IATA reported that international premium traffic climbed 9.5% and economy travel rose 5.5% year-over-year in May, which it said are “encouraging signs” that air travel picked up in the second quarter. However, IATA warned against extrapolating the “encouraging May data” owing to figures skewed by the volcanic ash-related airspace closures in April 2010.
TAAG Angola Airlines postponed the relaunch of its weekly Luanda-Beijing service to Aug. 9.
Singapore Airlines and Transaero have reached a codeshare agreement under which SIA's code will be placed on Transaero flights from Moscow to Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Samara and St. Petersburg. Transaero will place its code on SIA flights from DME to Singapore and Houston Intercontinental.
LAN Airlines launched twice-weekly Guayaquil-Quito-San Cristobal (Galapagos Island) Airbus A320 service.
What is it in fact, this learning to fly? To be precise, it is 'to learn NOT to fly wrong.' To learn to become a pilot is to learn — not to let oneself fly too slowly. Not to let oneself turn without accelerating. Not to cross the controls. Not to do this, and not to do that. . . . To pilot is negation.
— Henri Mignoet, 'L'Aviation de L'Amateur; Le Sport de l'Air,' 1934
ON THIS DATE
July 26th
---In 1910... Capt. G. W. P. Dawes becomes the first British Army officer to be awarded an aviator’s certificate in England, when he qualifies for certificate no.17 on a Humber Monoplane at Wolverhampton, England.
---In 1929... Johnny Burtin sets a new world altitude record of 26,531 feet for airplanes with a 1-ton load. Burtin’s flight also proves that at high altitudes, fuel consumption drops considerably and wind resistance is reduced, making high-altitude flying more economical and profitable.
---In 1937... Famous pilot, Jacqueline Cochran, sets a new speed record for women by flying over 203 mph.
---In 1946…Aloha Airlines commences operations.
---In 1955…Capital Airlines adopts the Vickers Viscount, the first US airline to select a British airliner.
---In 1972…NASA announces Rockwell International as prime contractor for the Space Shuttle Orbiter.
---In 1993…Asiana Airlines Flight 733, a B737-500 (HL7229) crashed in poor weather about 4 kilometres short of the runway in Mokpo while making its third landing attempt on runway 06 at Mokpo Airport. Two of the 6 crew members and 66 of the 110 passengers on board were killed.
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
In Fighter Pilot Heaven
Everybody's a Captain except God.... He's a Major.
You only come to work when you're going to fly....
You fly three times a day except Friday.
You never run out of gas.
The missions are only one hour long and no briefings are ever required.
You are always on TDY and there are no check rides.
It is always VFR and there are never any ATC delays.
You can fly out of the area and flight down to 50' AGL is approved.
There are no "over G's".
You always fly overhead landing patterns with initial approach at 20', then break left.
You can go cross-country anytime you desire. The farther the better!
There are no ORI's (Operational Readiness Inspections).
There is no SOF (Supervisor of Flying) or mobile tower duty.
There are no Friday meetings, but Friday evening "Stag Bar" is mandatory.
There are no Flight Surgeons.
There are no Wing staff jobs.
You don't need a kitchen pass, and the kitchen and bar are always open.
"Happy Hour" begins at 1400 hours and lasts til 0200 hours.
Supersof is the bartender. The other five are big-bosomed blondes.
Beer is free, but whiskey costs five cents.
The bar serves only Chivas Regal, Jack Daniels, and Beefeaters.
The girls are all friendly and each fighter pilot is allowed three.
There are no fat women and the thin ones look like Sophia Loren.
Country and Western music is free on the juke box.
The craps tables are always HOT and you never lose at blackjack!
You never lose your room key and your buddies never leave you stranded at the club.
The sun always shines and you can put your hat in your leg pocket.
Flight suits are allowed in the Officers Club at all times.
The motor pool always provides a staff car for visiting fighter pilots.
The Base Exchange always has every item you ask for. Most are free.
There are never any cross-wind landings and the runways are always dry.
Control tower flybys for a wheels UP check can be made at 600 knots.
There are never any noise complaints.
Full afterburner climbs over your house are encouraged.
ER's (Efficiency Reports) always contain the statement "Outstanding Officer".
Formal functions requiring Class "A" or formal attire never occur.
"Ace" status is conferred upon all fighter pilots entering Heaven.
There is no Hell.
All air traffic controllers are friendly, and always provide priority handling.
The airplanes never break.
TRIVIA
Airport ID
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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
1. ABQ, Albuquerque, NM 2. ORD, Chicago – O’Hare, Chicago, IL 3. MKE, Gen Billy Mitchell Int’l, Milwaukee, WI 4. MAF, Midland-Odessa, Midland Texas 5. LAX, Los Angeles, Int’l, Los Angeles, CA 6. ATL, Atlanta-Hartsfield, Atlanta, GA 7. JFK, John F. Kennedy Int’l, New York, NY 8. LGA, La Guardia, New York, NY 9. MIA, Miami Int’l, Miami, FL 10. DCA, Ronald Reagan Airport, Washington, D.C.
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
