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NEWS

Delta scales back capacity growth in response to oil prices
Delta Air Lines will increase capacity this quarter in the 3% to 5% range, down from earlier projections that capacity could rise as much as 7%. Delta is scaling back its growth plans amid rising fuel prices, and President Ed Bastian said Thursday that recent fare increases have recouped only half the airline's higher fuel bill. About 100 older aircraft will be retired over the coming 18 months, though Bastian said a decision on replacing those planes with more fuel-efficient models likely won't come until the second half of the year.
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Southwest eyes international growth for 2012
Southwest Airlines could expand into international markets as early as next year, Chief Financial Officer Laura Wright said Thursday. The carrier will begin taking delivery of larger Boeing 737-800 aircraft in 2012, allowing efficient service on international routes "should we want to." Wright also noted that takeover target AirTran Airways has an extensive network in the Caribbean, bringing needed expertise in international service. "We're certainly going to learn a lot about those international markets with AirTran," she said.
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Finnair incurs €23 million 2010 loss; blames volcano, strike
Finnair said that growth last year was “tarnished” by the volcanic ash crisis in April and the 10-day long strike by its by cabin staff in December. As a result, it posted a €22.8 million ($31.3 million) full-year net loss, narrowed from a €95.2 million deficit in 2009.
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JetBlue CEO Barger 'excited' about A320neo
JetBlue Airways CEO Dave Barger said the LCC is "excited" about Airbus's recent unveiling of the A320neo, a re-engined version of the narrowbody to be offered with either the CFM International Leap-X or Pratt & Whitney's PW1100G.
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TSA sets 'framework' for airport screeners to collectively bargain
US Transportation Security Administration head John Pistole on Friday issued a decision he said "provides a framework" to allow TSA's more than 60,000 airport screeners to unionize "for the purposes of engaging in limited, clearly defined collective bargaining at the national level only on non-security employment issues." Congressional Republicans strongly vowed to block screener unionization.
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Aer Lingus, cabin crew resolve industrial dispute
Aer Lingus confirmed Friday that it reached a successful conclusion to its industrial dispute with the IMPACT cabin crew union on the “full implementation of the Greenfield plan, including changes in [flight attendant work] rosters to deliver 850 annual flying hours.”
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X-47B begins three-year demonstration with first flight over Edwards

Northrop Grumman marked the beginning of a three-year flight test programme for the X-47B with a 29min flight over Edwards AFB, California, on 4 February.
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ANZ to offer mobile phone capability on new A320s
Air New Zealand (ANZ) has fitted two new Airbus A320 aircraft with mobile phone and data capability, and could possibly roll out the technology to its remaining A320 deliveries.
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Other News

Boeing said the fifth 747-8 Freighter participating in the flight test program made its air debut on Feb. 3, from Paine Field in Everett. The flight lasted 3 hr. and 30 min. "The airplane performed well," said Andy Hammer, test program manager for 747-8. The aircraft, coded RC523, will focus on functionality and reliability testing, Boeing said.

BAE Systems said it placed 52 aircraft in 2010 (up from 44 in 2009) and won "significant" remarketing mandates from third parties. Out of the 52 placed aircraft, 45 were BAe 146/Avro RJs, which "significantly outperformed the market, with an estimated market share in excess of 75% despite only managing around 40% of the global fleet," it said.

US Airways on Friday became one of the first US airlines to receive FAA validation of its company-wide implementation of the Safety Management System, a voluntary safety enhancement program. The carrier said it established systems and programs company-wide, and within each covered department, to help identify and predict where future safety risks might occur, or where existing risks might grow worse.

US National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating an operational error that occurred last month in which an American Airlines 777-200 came within approximately 1 mi. of a pair of USAF C-17s. According to NTSB, the incident took place on Jan. 20 at about 10:30 p.m. local time, approximately 80 mi. southeast of New York City. The AA aircraft had taken off from New York JFK en route to Sao Paulo. There were no injuries.

American Airlines flew 9.87 billion RPMs in January, a 2% year-over-year increase, while capacity rose 2.5% to 13.02 billion ASMs. Load factor fell 0.4 points to 75.8%.

American Eagle Airlines operated 681.9 million RPMs in January, up 19.7% compared to January 2010, against an 18.2% lift in capacity to 1.06 billion ASMs. Load factor rose 0.8 points to 64.4%.

Delta Air Lines flew 14.12 billion system RPMs in January, up 2.3% from the year-ago month. Capacity increased 4.2% to 18.77 billion ASMs, as load factor fell 1.4 points to 75.2%.

AirTran Airways operated 1.37 billion RPMs in January, up 0.6% from the year-ago month, on a 3.2% decrease in capacity to 1.83 billion ASMs. Load factor rose 2.8 points to 74.8%

WestJet operated 1.37 billion RPMs in January, up 9.7% from the year-ago month, on an 11.2% increase in capacity to 1.77 billion ASMs. Load factor slipped 1 point to 77.8%.

Alaska Airlines flew 1.71 billion mainline RPMs in January, up 15.8% year-over-year, on a 12.4% increase in capacity to 2.13 billion ASMs, producing a load factor of 80.0%, up 2.3 points.

Hawaiian Airlines operated 789.9 million RPMs in January, up 19.4% on the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 19.2% to 959.2 million ASMs and load factor increased 0.2 point to 82.4%.



AVIATION QUOTE

Flying for the airlines is not supposed to be an adventure. From takeoff to landing, the autopilots handle the controls. This is routine. In a Boeing as much as an Airbus. And they make better work of it than any pilot can. You're not supposed to be the blue-eyed hero here. Your job is to make decisions, to stay awake, and to know which buttons to push and when. Your job is to manage the systems.

— Bernard Ziegler, former Airbus Senior Vice President for Engineering, interview in William Langewiesche's Fly by Wire: The Geese, the Glide, the Miracle on the Hudson, 2009.



ON THIS DATE

February 7, 1920

French aviator Sadi Lacointe, piloting a Nieuport-Delage 29V, becomes the first pilot to set a new Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) world speed record after World War I. He reaches a measured speed of 275.862 km/h (171.141 mph) along 1 km (3,280 ft.) course.


February 7, 1927

Georgetown University medical school in Washington, D.C., offers the first aviation medicine course in the United States.


February 7, 1937

The prototype Blackburn B.24 Skua two-seat fighter/dive-bomber makes its maiden flight, piloted by “Dasher” Blake at Brough, Yorkshire; it is Britain’s first dive-bomber.

The Blackburn B.24 Skua is a rugged monoplane dive bomber. Advanced in concept, it was nevertheless nearing obsolescence when it entered service. The Skua was a low-wing monoplane with a distinctive 'greenhouse' cockpit. Originally intended to act also as two-seat fighter, it was clearly unsuitable for that role. The German cruiser Koenigsberg had the dubious honour, on April 10, 1940, to be the first large warship sunk by aircraft --- 16 Skuas.

All types were removed from first-line service in 194


February 7, 1958

One of the best British soccer teams, Manchester United, has been virtually wiped out in an air crash. The team was returning from Belgrade after victory against a Yugoslav opponent when their British European Airways (BEA) Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador failed to take off and crashed into a house in Munich, Germany.



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE





HUMOR

The Skydiver

Oscar was an unlucky sap. Having just spent megabucks on a skydiving class, he dove out of the airplane and pulled the ripcord. The chute emerged, tangled, and he cut it free.

He then pulled the cord on the reserve chute, and it also was tangled. He prayed to his God and looked down to the ground below. To his amazement, a woman was coming up with equal velocity.

"Hey, you know anything about parachutes?" he shouted to her, as they passed by.

The reply: "No... you know anything about Coleman stoves?"



TRIVIA

BRITISH AIRWAYS DESTINATION SCRAMBLE

1. UAMMBI
2. KNKAOBG
3. SACLNTWEE
4. RBEDENEA
5. HCAOGCI
6. TNOOSB
7. TNIAUAG
8. SABEL
9. INOSEHLAKTIS
10. BSNCIRKNU

1. Mumbai
2. Bangkok
3. Newcastle
4. Aberdeen
5. Chicago
6. Boston
7. Antigua
8. Basel
9. Thessaloniki
10. Innsbruck

WrenchBender

1. UAMMBI = Mumbai
2. KNKAOBG
3. SACLNTWEE = Newcastle
4. RBEDENEA
5. HCAOGCI
6. TNOOSB = Boston
7. TNIAUAG
8. SABEL = Basel
9. INOSEHLAKTIS
10. BSNCIRKNU

Mind block tonight

1. Mumbai
2. Bangkok
3. Newcastle
4. Aberdeen
5. Chicago
6. Boston
7. Antigua
8. Basel
9. Thessaloniki
10. Innsbruck

ANSWERS:

1. UAMMBI is MUMBAI.
2. KNKAOBG is BANGKOK.
3. SACLNTWEE is NEWCASTLE.
4. RBEDENEA is ABERDEEN.
5. HCAOGCI is CHICAGO.
6. TNOOSB is BOSTON.
7. TNIAUAG is ANTIGUA.
8. SABEL is BASEL.
9. INOSEHLAKTIS is THESSALONIKI.
10. BSNCIRKNU is INNSBRUCK.