NewsAmerican emphasises flexibility in A319 and A321 order American Airlines is emphasising the flexibility to switch between variants in its order for 130 Airbus A319s and A321s, as its proposed merger with US Airways nears. "There's a lot of flexibility in this deal," says Tom Horton, chairman and chief executive of the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier, at the delivery of its first A319 in Hamburg on 23 July. "The plan will evolve as we build the new airline." His comments mark a shift in American's stance on the order to emphasise flexibility in the final numbers of each variant where it previously simply declined to comment.
LinkBombardier delays CSeries first flight again to “coming weeks” Bombardier has announced a slight new delay for the CSeries first flight, moving the goal posts now for the third time from end of July to the "coming weeks". "While the process has taken more time than we had expected, we are pleased with the results and are very comfortable taking more time to ensure the required integration is finalised and the CSeries aircraft is cleared for its first flight," says Bombardier Commercial Aircraft president Mike Arcamone.
LinkBA to open A380 service to Johannesburg British Airways has unveiled Johannesburg as the third destination for its Airbus A380 fleet, with services provisionally scheduled for early next year. The Oneworld carrier intends initially to operate thrice-weekly to the South African city from 12 February 2014 - with an inaugural service flying on an earlier date. But it will raise the frequency of the service to six weekly flights from 10 March.
LinkANA Removes Locator Beacons From Domestic 787sAll Nippon Airways, which operates the biggest fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, said it is removing locator beacons from eight of the jets used on domestic routes after investigators in Britain identified the device as the likely cause of a fire on a 787 in London. ANA's action, which a spokesman said was "to reassure passengers", goes beyond advice issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration, which so far has only asked 787 operators to inspect the beacons. ANA has already removed the Honeywell locators from four 787s and will remove it from four more, but said it will keep the device in the remaining 12 Dreamliners after checks because they fly to countries that still require them to be installed.
LinkUS government delays F-16 deliveries to EgyptThe US government will delay deliveries of Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters to the government of Egypt, the Pentagon said on 24 July. "Given the current situation in Egypt, we do not believe it is appropriate to move forward with the delivery of F-16s at this time," the US Department of Defense says. Under current US law, the country is not legally allowed to provide military aid to foreign governments where the democratically elected leadership has been removed as a result of a military coup. However, the Obama aministration is not calling the removal of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi by that country's armed forces on 3 July a coup.
LinkDelta posts net income of $685M for Q2 Delta Air Lines reported net income of $685 million, or 80 cents per share, in the second quarter, compared to a loss of $168 million in the same quarter last year. Delta reduced fuel costs for the quarter as traffic rose 0.5%.
LinkHawaiian Airlines reports $11.3M net income for Q2 Hawaiian Airlines reported net income of $11.3 million, or 21 cents per share, for the second quarter, more than double its profit of $3.9 million, or 7 cents per share, for the same quarter last year. "On our international routes we are seeing the strengthening of the dollar undermine some of the excellent results we have had in the last couple of years but this portion of our business remains the core focus of our expansion plans," Hawaiian President and CEO Mark Dunkerley said.
LinkUPS reports net income of $1B for Q2 United Parcel Service Inc. reported second-quarter net income of $1 billion, or $1.13 per share, compared with 2012 second-quarter net income of $1.1 billion, or $1.15 per share.
LinkUS Airways reports profit of $287M for Q2 US Airways reported net income of $287 million, or $1.40 a share, for the second quarter as the carrier prepares to merge with American Airlines. The carrier posted net income of $306 million, or $1.54 a share, a year earlier.
LinkUnited finishes move of headquarters to former Sears Tower United Continental Holdings completed the move of its headquarters to the Willis Tower in downtown Chicago. United occupies 25% of the building, which used to be called the Sears Tower. "We started seeing all the benefits of being downtown when we were at 77 W. Wacker but, unfortunately, that building wasn’t big enough for our entire operation," said Kate Gebo, United's vice president of corporate real estate.
LinkBoeing reports Q2 earnings Boeing reported earnings of $1.67 per share for the second quarter, surpassing analysts' predictions of earnings of $1.58 per share. The aircraft manufacturer's results for the quarter received a boost from a 15% increase in commercial aircraft revenue.
LinkRepealing Jones Act will lower fuel costs Airlines for America supports the repeal of the Jones Act, which requires ships that carry gasoline and other goods in U.S. waters to carry a U.S. flag. Allowing foreign ships to carry gasoline could increase competition and lower the cost of fuel. "What this means for customers is either a downward pressure on the amount of service we can offer or an upward pressure on price," said John Heimlich, chief economist for A4A.
LinkLong customs waits for airline passengers at U.S. airports are unacceptable Airlines for America said long customs waits at U.S. airports should be rectified. "Airline passengers lose millions of hours each day waiting in exceedingly long and unacceptable Customs lines," said A4A spokeswoman Katie Connell. "Travelers should not be greeted by a frustrating, inefficient process upon entering major U.S. gateway airports like Dallas/Fort Worth." DFW Airport spokesman David Magana said: "It is a developing problem that is growing worse through the summer." He noted airport staff often provide free bottles of water and chairs to passengers waiting in hallways to enter customs lines. "It’s something we have been working on for a long time at D/FW Airport," adding that "the Customs and Border Protection people who are on the ground at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport are outstanding ... But at a certain point, their hands are tied because of funding."
LinkTSA expects 400,000 travelers to join expanded Precheck The Transportation Security Administration expects 400,000 travelers to join its expanded Precheck program. The TSA will allow air travelers to join the expedited security screening program for a fee of $85 for five years. Travelers will need to give fingerprints and undergo a background check. There are 1.8 million airline passengers per day, and 12 million have been processed through Precheck to date.
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