American Airlines and Expedia reach an agreement on listings American Airlines and Expedia resolved their dispute and are restoring the airline's fares to the online travel agency. "This is good news for both organizations," said Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst at Forrester Research. "The good news for Expedia is that it has obviously regained the inventory of one of the largest airlines. And the good news for American is that it regained access to a travel agency that in 2010 accounted for more than 5% of its sales." American remains in a similar dispute with Orbitz Worldwide. Link
Southwest will resume normal operations today Investigators have completed their inspections of Southwest's affected Boeing 737-300s following Friday's incident in which a fuselage crack opened up in mid-flight. On Monday, inspections forced the cancellation of 70 out of roughly 3,400 scheduled flights. Southwest grounded 79 of its oldest 737s after Friday's incident to conduct thorough inspections that went beyond guidelines issued by the planes' manufacturer. "We continue to monitor the in-service fleet, and no fleetwide action has been identified," Boeing said in a statement. "If the investigation determines a need to communicate to the fleet, we will take appropriate action." Link
Analysts warn Southwest's expansion plans in danger Southwest Airlines might have to put its expansion plans on the back burner to concentrate on repairing and replacing its aircraft after finding cracks in some of its older planes, according to some analysts. "They can't replace a large number of planes at a time so growth expansion plans may get kicked in the pants," says airline consultant Robert Ditchey. But Southwest says its growth plans remain on track, and the company is replacing older 737 jets with newer models, including the larger, more fuel-efficient 737-800. Link
United flight lands safely after losing instruments Passengers on United Airlines Flight 497 praised their pilots and air traffic controllers after the Airbus A320 lost power and had to be guided to an emergency landing in New Orleans relying on instructions radioed from the ground. Pilots reported "a smoke issue" shortly after takeoff, followed by an instrument failure. The plane's nose veered off the runway upon landing, but passengers and crew evacuated safely and there were no serious injuries. The FAA said it was investigating the incident. Link Link Discussion
Analysts see looming losses due to oil price hikes With oil above the $100-a-barrel mark, experts say airlines are constrained in their ability to raise fares, and losses appear likely in the near term. Even with consolidation and capacity discipline, "the airlines can't maintain high enough fare levels to offset the fuel costs," says Vaughn Cordle of AirlineFinancials, who figures revenues must rise at least 11% in order to keep pace with an expected $15 billion increase in fuel expenses. Link
FAA says O'Hare upgrades could improve on-time performance The plan to build new runways and a new terminal and update the airfield at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport could help improve the airport's on-time performance. The Federal Aviation Administration estimates that when the final new runway is completed, the airport's delays will be cut by 64%. The project is expected to cost $3.4 billion Link
FAA to mandate fuselage inspections for older Boeing 737s The FAA today plans to issue an emergency inspection order for certain older-model Boeing 737s to look for evidence of fuselage cracks. There are about 175 of the planes in use worldwide, with 80 registered in the U.S. Some safety experts said the order might eventually be broadened to include more aircraft, and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood warned of possible "additional action depending on the outcome of the investigation" into Friday's incident involving a Southwest Airlines 737-300. Link
Alaska Airlines to invest in moving to, renovating new LAX terminal Alaska Airlines plans to switch terminals at Los Angeles International Airport, creating an "Airport of the Future" facility with easier check-in, additional security lines, a new baggage-handling setup and more. "This is a big step forward in the overall modernization of LAX," said the executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, which runs LAX, "because Alaska Airlines is partnering with us to provide much needed upgrades to the level of service and convenience for not only our international, but also for our domestic travelers." Link
BA, Cargolux fined by New Zealand over freight cartel British Airways was fined $1.6 million and Cargolux fined $4.6 million for operating an illegal cartel to fix airfreight rates on flights into New Zealand. Link
Air Arabia to fit sharklets to A320 fleet Middle Eastern budget carrier Air Arabia is to fit part of its Airbus A320 fleet with sharklet wingtips, equipping 28 of the 44 it has on order with the fuel-saving modification. Link
Norwegian to have up to nine Trent-powered 787s Scandinavian budget carrier Norwegian is to acquire up to nine Boeing 787-8 aircraft, and selected the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 powerplant for the type. Link
Mitsubishi starts assembly work on MRJ Assembly of the Mitsubishi MRJ regional jet started on 5 April, with riveting work starting at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Link
Other News
A Georgian Airways CRJ100 operating a UN mission flight crashed Monday afternoon in DR Congo as it attempted to land at Kinshasa Airport. The UN said 28 of the 29 passengers and all four crew were killed.
Ryanair announced deep cuts of “up to 80%” at its Alicante base from October 2011, following AENA Alicante’s decision last week to force passengers to board via airbridges instead of stairs, which it asserts “will cost more than €2 million ($2.8 million) per year.”
Virgin Atlantic Airways deployed its first Airbus A330-300 on a Manchester-Orlando flight, marking the first time the carrier has deployed a twin-engine jet on a transatlantic route. The A330 is part of an order of 10 placed in December 2009, and is the first to be delivered.
AeroSvit Ukrainian Airlines received two additional Boeing 767-300ERs on operating leases. It plans to launch nonstop services from Kiev Borispol to Colombo, Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City later this year. This summer, VV will operate about 80 international routes in 33 countries, including transcontinental services to New York JFK, Toronto, Beijing, Delhi and Bangkok. Two 737-800s will be delivered in March and April 2012. In 2013-2014, VV will also receive four 737-900ERs, becoming the first East European operator of this type.
Arik Air received IOSA certification from IATA, the second Nigerian carrier to receive the certificate, but the only Nigerian carrier on IOSA registration to be fully operational under its own AOC. It operates more than 150 flights daily from its Lagos hub.
FlyDubai said it will invest $20 million in maintenance and engineering, and will bring all maintenance and engineering services in-house within the next six months. More than 75 engineers have been recruited to provide around-the-clock service to the carrier’s rapidly growing fleet, which currently stands at 16 Boeing 737-800NGs.
Kenya Airways received Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and UK Civil Aviation Authority certification for its Boeing 737-800W simulator.
Hainan Airlines selected Aviareps to serve as its GSA in Switzerland.
LOT Polish Airlines and Continental Airlines launched a codeshare agreement April 2 under which CO will place its code on LOT Warsaw service to Newark, London Heathrow, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. Subject to government approval, CO will also place its code on WAW–Paris Charles de Gaulle. LOT will place its code on CO flights between EWR and Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, San Francisco and Washington Dulles.
Oman Air and bmi launched a codeshare agreement on April 1, covering service between Muscat and Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Belfast or Manchester via London Heathrow.
South African Airways will launch four-times-weekly Airbus A330-200 Johannesburg-Mumbai service May 14.
AirTran Airways launched twice-daily Tampa-San Juan service.
AVIATION QUOTE
It is hard enough for anyone to map out a course of action and stick to it, particularly in the face of the desires of one's friends; but it is doubly hard for an aviator to stay on the ground waiting for just the right moment to go into the air.
— Glenn Curtiss, 1909.
ON THIS DATE
April 6th
• In 1890... Anthony Herman Gerald Fokker, Dutch pioneer airman and aircraft manufacturer, is born in Kediri, Java. His Fokker D.VIII was one of the finest all-around fighters of the WWI. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen and his Fokker T-2 made the first non-stop flight across the U.S. In 1926, the North Pole was over flown in a Fokker trimotor airplane.
• In 1909... The first machine wholly designed by Anglo-French air pioneer Henry Farman takes to the air at Bouy, France. Called either the Henry Farman III or, because it represents a new departure, the HF1, the biplane is the first aircraft to incorporate practical ailerons attached to the trailing edges of the wings.
• In 1924... The first successful flight around the world starts as four Douglas World Cruisers leave from Seattle, Washington. Of the four, only two complete the circumnavigation as they each fly 27,553 miles (44,340 km) in 175 days, and return to Seattle on September 28. The actual flying time is 371 hours, 11 minutes, and the successful pilots are Lt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. Erik Nelson.
• In 1949... A Sikorsky S-51 completes a record helicopter flight of 3,750 miles from Elizabeth, New Jersey to Port Angeles, Washington.
• In 1967... Trans World Airlines (TWA) becomes the first American airline to have a fleet composed entirely of jet aircraft.
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
Lost
The pilot was sitting in his seat and pulled out a .38 revolver. He placed it on top of the instrument panel, and then asked the navigator, "Do you know what I use this for?"
The navigator replied timidly, "No, what's it for?"
The pilot responded, "I use this on navigators who get me lost!"
The navigator proceeded to pull out a .45 and place it on his chart table.
The pilot asked, "What's that for?"
"To be honest sir," the navigator replied, "I'll know we're lost before you will."
TRIVIA
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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
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
That clean 100% swept wing was a curveball!
