CommercialHong Kong Express unveils new brand identityHong Kong Express unveiled new livery on 21 January, and also said it will add new north Asia services. The new livery and logo incorporate elements of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour and the city’s skyline, with ample use of violet and red. It replaces the existing red and gold colours associated with sister carrier Hong Kong Airlines, and its major shareholder HNA Group.
LinkAirlines prepare for winter storms, waive fees for customersNearly 2,800 flights were canceled before noon on Tuesday as the East Coast hunkers down for a snow storm, including 1,900 cancelled before 7 a.m. ET as a preemptive measure before the storm hit. Many airlines are offering waivers to passengers to rebook their travel at no extra cost, and travelers are warned to check for delays across the country as planes and crew are delayed out of major hubs.
LinkLOT Wants To Bring In A New Investor In 2014Polish airline LOT wants to bring a new strategic investor into the company through a capital increase this year as its losses gradually decline, its chief executive said. LOT, in which the Polish state has a stake of nearly 68 percent, has spent years looking for a new investor but weak profitability and tight competition have hampered its efforts. "We, the board of LOT, are not selling our own shares. We are formally looking for candidates who would buy new LOT shares from a capital increase," chief executive Sebastian Mikosz said.
LinkBombardier yields to cost pressure, cuts workforce by 4.4% A week after announcing a new delay for the CSeries program, Bombardier Aerospace announced on 21 January plans to cut 1,700 positions in Canada and the USA within the next three weeks. The layoffs are concentrated at Bombardier manufacturing sites in for commercial aircraft in Mirabel and Montreal, Canada, and for business jets in Wichita, Kansas, Bombardier spokeswoman Haley Dunne says. Overall, 1,100 jobs will be reduced in Canada and 600 in the USA. The announcement affects 4.4% of the Bombardier Aerospace workforce, although some 300 employees could still be re-assigned to unfilled positions within the company, Dunne says. Bombardier is making cuts now as major investments in both the CSeries and the Learjet 85 business jet programmes face new cost pressure due to delays.
LinkBombardier misses 2013 business jet delivery forecastFragile demand for business jets, coupled with the "sluggish" global economy, resulted in falling orders and lower than expected deliveries for Bombardier in 2013. The Canadian airframer shipped 180 business aircraft between 1 January and 31 December – 29 Learjets, 89 Challengers and 62 Globals – while order intake fell to 305, from 343 in 2012.
LinkHeathrow chief refuses to support rival expansion planLondon Heathrow airport chief executive Colin Matthews has refused to endorse an independent proposal to extend its northern runway to 6,000m as an alternative to building a new runway, saying it presents “too many technical challenges.” Speaking at the RunwaysUK conference in London on 16 January, Matthews said he could not support the scheme, which would involve the northern runway being extended to allow simultaneous take-offs and landings at Heathrow, because it presented an array of challenges, not least the construction of a new remote terminal. Instead, Heathrow is backing only its own proposal of building a new runway to the northwest of the existing airport, says Matthews.
LinkUK Needs Quick Decision On New London RunwayBritain must make a decision on a new airport runway soon after the general election in 2015 to avoid a capacity shortage that could cost the economy up to GBP£45 billion (USD$74 billion), the head of a government advisory body said. The government set up the UK Airports Commission, chaired by Howard Davies, in 2012 to look into airport capacity in southern England. It is due to publish a final recommendation on where runway expansion should take place after the next general election in May 2015. Citing a looming capacity shortage in Britain, which by the mid-2020s would be "significant", Davies said the newly elected government would have to act fast after the Commission makes its final recommendations in the summer of next year.
LinkDelta's reports strong 4Q profits Delta Air Lines Inc. reported a fourth-quarter profit of $8.48 billion, or $9.89 a share, primarily due to a $8 billion gain related to a tax-valuation allowance reversal. This is up from $7 million, or a penny a share, during the same period last year. Adjusted earnings were 65 cents excluding the tax benefit, restructuring-related charges and other items. Delta also reported that passenger unit revenue was up 6.1% and traffic rose 2% on a 2.9% capacity increase.
LinkAmerican, US Airways promise slow system integration to avoid hasslesAmerican Airlines and US Airways will continue to operate as separate airlines for the next 18 to 24 months as the companies plan a slow integration of their computer systems. The long transition time is aimed at avoiding the customer hassles that have resulted from hastier integrations in the past. "Very few changes will happen immediately. There is no impact to any existing travel plans you may have with either carrier, and the miles you have earned in either frequent-flyer program are safe," said American CEO Doug Parker.
LinkHawaiian Airlines sees record fliers in 2013Last year, more than 9.9 million people flew on Hawaiian Airlines, which is up 4.8% from the year before. It's also an all-time high for the airline. The revenue passenger miles also went up to 13.6 billion – that's 12% compared to the previous year. Load factor declined 1.7% in 2013.
LinkFAA to revise OSA-screening based on industry feedbackA few senators have introduced legislation to require the Federal Aviation Administration to follow rules on sleep studies. Doug Carr, the National Business Aviation Association’s vice president of regulatory and international affairs, said the agency will create a revised version of the plan to incorporate industry feedback.
LinkUnited to open new boarding space for customers at SFO hubOn Jan. 28, United will open a boarding area for customers in Terminal 3 at San Francisco International Airport. Boarding Area E will include 10 gates for United flights.
LinkBirmingham Airport most punctual in UK According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - Birmingham Airport topped the latest UK airport punctuality chart in the third quarter of 2013. The CAA says the Midlands airport recorded the best overall flight punctuality of any operating both scheduled and full service charter flights. During the busiest period of the year from July to September, 88% of scheduled flights and 90% of charter services operated on-time at Birmingham. London Gatwick recorded 75% on scheduled flights and 74% on charter flights, while London Stansted achieved 85% on scheduled and 85% on charter and London Luton 83% on scheduled and 87% on charter.
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