NewsCivil Aviation
American Q3 Aided By Cost Cuts, Strong Revenue
American Airlines parent AMR reported higher-than-expected earnings on Thursday as it cut costs and revenue reached a record for any quarter. Net income came to USD$289 million in the third quarter, compared with a loss of USD$238 million the year earlier. Excluding restructuring costs and special items, profit was USD$530 million, the most profitable quarter in company history, Horton said. Revenue rose 6 percent to USD$6.8 billion, the highest quarterly total for that measure. Yield rose 4 percent from the year earlier to 16.36 cents a mile. Passenger revenue per available seat mile, or unit revenue, rose 3.4 percent. Operating costs fell about 4 percent, as expenses tied to salaries fell 13 percent.
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Lao Airlines working to identify cause of ATR 72 crash
Lao Airlines says it is working with local authorities and ATR to identify the cause of the fatal crash of its ATR 72-600 near Pakse, and would not confirm whether bad weather had a role to play in the tragedy. The flag carrier says the accident happened at 15:55 local time as it was operating flight QV301 from Vientiane to Pakse. The seven-month old turboprop apparently crashed into the Mekong River while attempting to land at Pakse airport. The airport has a single runway that runs parallel to the eastern shore of the Mekong River.
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NTSB retrieves engine and data recorders from Spirit A319
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has removed an engine and the data recorders from a Spirit Airlines Airbus A319 involved in an engine failure on 15 October. Initial inspections show that the engine failure was contained, says the NTSB today. Earlier media reports had said the engine failure was uncontained. NTSB employees returned to work today after the US Congress reached a deal to re-open the US government following a 16-day shutdown. The International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500 engine involved in the incident was removed from the aircraft, says the agency. An NTSB investigator at Dallas/Fort Worth International airport is inspecting the powerplant.
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Embraer Phenom 300 drives airframer's Q3 delivery hike
Embraer saw its business jet deliveries almost double in the third quarter of 2013, compared to the same time last year. Between July and September the Brazilian airframer shipped 25 aircraft – 12 more than the third quarter of 2012. The Phenom 300 was the star performer with 15 deliveries – eight more than last year – including two more Signature-branded versions to NetJets. So far this year the fractional ownership company has received eight of the seven-seat business jets out of an order for up to 120. The aircraft will head-up its light cabin offering in the US and Europe.
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Chicago O'Hare Adds Runway To Cut Delays
Chicago's O'Hare Airport opened a new runway on Thursday, which the city hopes can cut delays by nearly half, and allow for nearly 90,000 additional annual flights as demand grows. The 10,800 foot (3,292 meter) runway, built over the site of a former cemetery, is part of the airport's USD$8 billion modernization project. When the expansion is complete, O'Hare expects to have six east-west parallel runways and two crosswind runways. O'Hare handles the second largest number of passengers in the nation after Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, according to the Airports Council International. It has been notorious for delays due to congestion and Chicago's often wild weather.
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UK CAA Considers Deregulating Stansted Airport
Britain's aviation body, the CAA, said it was considering deregulating the fees which London's Stansted Airport charges airlines, citing deals with Ryanair and easyJet that could impact the airport's power over low cost and charter carriers. In December, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had said Britain's fourth busiest airport should not be fully deregulated because of substantial market power. The Civil Aviation Act of 2012 sets a market power test as part of the process for periodically deciding whether a British airport's user charges need to be regulated.
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LAX Worker Pleads Not Guilty In Dry Ice Bomb Case
A baggage handler accused of setting off two dry ice bombs at Los Angeles Airport, in what police have said was a purported prank, pleaded not guilty to explosives charges on Thursday in a California court. Dicarlo Bennett, a 28-year-old Servisair employee who appeared in Airport Court in Los Angeles with his hands cuffed behind his back, is charged with two counts of possessing a destructive device in a public place. He was being held on USD$1 million bail. One of the bombs he is accused of setting detonated on Sunday evening in an employee toilet and the second exploded outside the Tom Bradley International Terminal on Monday, causing some flight disruptions. An unexploded device was found later that night.
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BAE responds to F-35 helmet letdown
BAE Systems has responded to a cost-cutting decision by the US Joint Program Office (JPO) to halt the development of an alternative helmet-mounted display system (HMDS) for the Lockheed Martin F-35 by reaffirming its commitment to the fifth-generation combat aircraft. “We are disappointed at the decision by Lockheed Martin and the Joint Strike Fighter Joint Program Office to discontinue the pursuit of a second helmet for the F-35,” the company says. BAE had been funded to develop an alternative advanced helmet for the type, by drawing on its experience in providing a panoramic HMDS for the Eurofighter Typhoon, after intended primary supplier Vision Systems International (VSI) encountered difficulties with its design.
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Blog: American is open to settlement with DOJ, CEO says
Tom Horton, the CEO of American Airlines, said the carrier is open to a settlement with the Department of Justice. "The judge affirmed the trial date for Nov. 25," he said. "And back on the settlement, we do remain open to a sensible common sense settlement, we do, and we're being very thoughtful about that."
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Delta Air Lines revamps BusinessElite meal service
Delta Air Lines will give BusinessElite passengers a choice of one of four hot main dishes, though hot nut snacks will no longer be offered. The redesigned meal service is expected to allow passengers more time to sleep on flights.
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Southwest Airlines to join PreCheck program next month
Southwest Airlines plans to join the Transportation Security Administration's PreCheck program by mid-November. The move will allow some Southwest passengers at Chicago's Midway Airport and other airports to qualify for expedited security screening.
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A4A urges reconsideration of EU ETS plan, which flies in the face of ICAO agreement
The European Union has proposed charging foreign airlines that fly within its airspace under its emissions-trading scheme from 2014 to 2020. A global emissions agreement from the International Civil Aviation Organization is expected to take effect in 2020, but the EU wants to levy carbon charges until then. Airlines for America said requiring foreign carriers to participate in the EU trading scheme without the agreement of the airlines' country of registry "flies in the face" of the ICAO agreement that was just reached at the 38th Assembly. "As this proposal is only an initial draft, we urge the European Council and Parliament to use their deliberative process to revise the proposal in line with the global agreement," said Airlines for America spokeswoman Katie Connell.
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Lawmakers express support for AA-US Airways merger
Sixty-eight House Democrats wrote a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder in protest of the Justice Department's blockage of the proposed merger between American Airlines and US Airways. "We believe DOJ’s legal challenge puts at risk the future economic security of our constituents, tens-of-thousands of unionized workers at both airlines, and the economic well-being of communities that we represent," the lawmakers wrote.
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Orlando airport expansion will double capacity
The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority has approved a $1 billion expansion plan for Florida's Orlando International Airport. The plan includes a second terminal that would double the airport's capacity, as well as provide upgrades to baggage handling equipment.
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Marriott sponsors "comfy" security checkpoint at Dallas airport
The Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has launched a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint. The checkpoint features leather seating, as well as music and mood lighting. Marriott's SpringHill Suites sponsored the checkpoint, which is designed to resemble a hotel lobby. A second sponsored checkpoint will open today at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in North Carolina.
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Aviation Quote
The best way to defend the bombers is to catch the enemy before it his in position to attack. Catch them when they are taking off, or when they are climbing, or when they are forming up. Don't think you can defend the bomber by circling around him. It's good for the bombers morale, and bad for tactics.
— Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.
On This Date
---In 1909... Charles Comte de Lambert, Wilbur Wright’s 1st aviation pupil, flies around the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
---In 1956…Air Force cancels the design efforts of the REX hydrogen fueled engines. This engine design was later considered for the SR-71. (Q)
---In 1979…...First flight of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80.
---In 1983…Pan Am and American Airlines announce they will trade aircraft; Pan Am will send 15 McDonnell Douglas DC-10s to American in exchange for 8 Boeing 747s. It is the first time in history two airlines agree to a swap.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
Fighter Escort
A young guy in a two-engine fighter was flying escort for a B-52 and generally being a nuisance, acting like a hotdog, flying rolls around the lumbering old bomber. The hotdog said over the air, "Anything you can do, I can do better.”
The veteran bomber pilot answered, "Try this hot-shot." The B-52 continued its flight, straight and level.
Perplexed, the hotdog asked, "So? What did you do?"
"I just shut down two engines, kid."
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Chicago O'Hare Adds Runway To Cut Delays
HT-ETNW wrote:The article linked also mentions:
The new 10C-28C runway is 200 feet (61 metres) wide and Chicago's first "Group VI" capable runway, meaning it can accommodate the largest aircraft, including the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8.
