NewsHawaii Airlines reports quarterly profitThe parent company of Hawaiian Airlines posted a profit of $40.6 million for the third quarter. Meanwhile, passenger revenue per available seat mile rose by 0.2% for the third quarter on a year-over-year basis.
LinkUS Airways posts record Q3 revenueUS Airways has reported its third-quarter earnings, including a 9.1% increase in revenue to $3.9 billion, which represents a record for the carrier. "These outstanding results are occurring as our teams continue intensive integration planning work in preparation for our merger with American Airlines," US Airways CEO Doug Parker said.
LinkUnited Airlines offers double milesUnited Airlines is offering double miles for flights booked and taken through Nov. 21 to MileagePlus members. The promotion is a "great opportunity for Mileage Plus members to earn twice the miles during the busy fall travel season," said Praveen Sharma, United's vice president of loyalty.
LinkJet Airways Posts Record Quarterly LossIndia's Jet Airways reported its worst quarterly loss on record, squeezed by high fuel costs and a weaker local currency, as it awaits funds from the agreed sale of a stake to Abu Dhabi's Etihad.
LinkNMB: Union must wait one year before organizing AA mechanicsNational Mediation Board rules require the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association to wait one year before attempting to organize American Airlines mechanics. "When the time is right, we can begin anew, re-energized and re-focused with a plan for success," the AMFA council said in a letter to AA mechanics.
LinkAirbus Faces A380 Decisions After Orders DropAirbus is poised to review its A380 superjumbo after a drop in orders and has not ruled out shaving output of the world's largest airliner while waiting for the economy to recover. Despite aggressive marketing, sales of the 525-seat double-decker are slow as many airlines focus on narrower, lighter, two-engine models, including Airbus's own A350.
LinkAirbus to study further stretching of A350 Airbus has launched detailed technical studies into further stretching the A350, program head Didier Evrard said yesterday. The current studies center on how much additional engineering work would be needed for the aircraft’s structure and systems to allow the fuselage to be extended beyond that of the A350-1000, a stretched version of the baseline A350-900. Earlier this month, at the Istat Europe conference in Barcelona, Airbus Chief Operating Officer-Customers John Leahy confirmed for the first time that the company was studying the idea, although he later downplayed his comments. Now, Evrard says “we are not in a hurry to define another product, but if the market needs it, we will do it.” The current studies are primarily technical. Evrard points out that the landing gear for the -1000 is already different from the -900, and has upward weight potential in the tens of tons, so it would not be a hurdle. Evrard indicates that he does not see any technical issues that would be considered a serious technical show-stopper. “Others did it, we can certainly do it, too,” he says, referring to Boeing’s launch of the 787-10, a double-stretch of the 787-8.
LinkDelta refinery reports 1st profit in Q3The refinery purchased last year by Delta Air Lines in Trainer, Pa., reported its first profit of $3 million for the third quarter. "Our next step is to improve the refinery's profitability through lower-cost domestic crude supply from the Bakken field, increase jet fuel output, and operational initiatives to improve throughput and product mix," said Richard Anderson, Delta CEO.
LinkShutdown delays new FAA rules for pilot trainingDue to the government shutdown earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration is delaying the release of new rules for pilot training. "[T]he employees at the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Office of Management and Budget responsible for finalizing the pilot training rule were furloughed under the shutdown, and the Agency is assessing the shutdown's impact on finalizing the rule," the agency said.
LinkTransportation Department issues fines on 2 travel agenciesCarlson Wagonlit Travel and Frosch International Travel were found in violation of the Transportation Department's regulations requiring disclosure of code-share agreements between airlines. Both agencies received a cease and desist order from further violations. Carlson Wagonlit was issued a fine of $125,000 while Frosch was fined $65,000.
LinkBahamas will cancel plan to increase aviation fees, sources sayThe government of the Bahamas is expected to cancel a plan to raise aviation fees for international carriers, sources say. "As the U.S. airlines remain key economic drivers that support and stimulate increased business travel, tourism and shipping between the U.S. and The Bahamas, we remain hopeful we will reach a favorable outcome," said Katie Connell, spokeswoman for Airlines for America.
LinkKiosks have improved service at JFK, Delta saysDelta Air Lines said the installation of U.S. Customs and Border Protection kiosks have proved a success at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. Stephen Gorman, Delta COO, said it was "fairly remarkable" that wait times have been reduced by 90%.
LinkPittsburgh airport plans $39M in upgradesA transportation consultant is questioning plans for $39 million in 2014 capital spending at Pittsburgh International Airport because the airport is no longer a hub. "We recognize we're no longer a hub, but we have a facility that's a little over 20 years old now, and just because you're not a hub you still have to have appropriate upgrades," said Dennis Davin, a board member of the Allegheny County Airport Authority.
LinkSurvey: Southwest ranked highly on simplicity of service When it comes to flying, Southwest makes the experience a lot easier to handle than its peers. That's according to a new index to be released today that ranks companies based on how simple they are to engage with. Southwest was the highest-ranked travel company, coming in at No. 9 out of 125 businesses whose brands are well-known in the U.S., according to a survey by New York-based strategic branding firm Siegel +Gale. The low-cost carrier leaped six spots from where U.S.-based respondents ranked it last year. Amazon was No. 1.
LinkGoogle Glass could assist security screening, boarding process Google’s internet-enabled eyewear, Glass, is undoubtedly the star of a nascent market in wearable computers. But while BBC News has reported that the tech giant won’t sell Glass until late 2014 at the earliest, airlines are already anticipating how it – and computerised spectacles like it – might someday improve security and other vital airport operations. In a demonstration at London’s Heathrow Airport, Kevin O’Sullivan, the lead engineer at SITA, a Geneva-headquartered technology consortium owned by the airline industry, donned his Google Glass headset and held up a passenger’s barcoded luggage tag. The device’s camera scanned the barcode, successfully crosschecking it against airport and airline databases, giving agents a real life solution to quickly locate the whereabouts of a missing bag.
LinkKazakhstan to double C295 inventory Kazakhstan has exercised a first option to increase the strength of its Airbus Military C295 medium transport inventory, with the nation’s air force to receive another two of the type by 2015.
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