Airline Business articles from February 2004

Airline Business archives from February 2004

The storm.
February 1, 2004... abates The aircraft leasing industry has been through a torrid time, but the survivors may be able to contemplate decent returns in the not-too-distant future The nerves of aircraft lessors have been tested to the limit over the past...

Coming.
February 1, 2004... of age With a large population, optimism over inbound tourists and business visitors and forecasts of 7-8% economic growth a year, Vietnam Airlines is enjoying a new dawn the new advertising slogan for vietnam Airlines is Bringing...

The way.
February 1, 2004... forward The UK's Future of air transport policy White Paper has major implications for the wider airline industry Few policy papers of recent times have been as eagerly awaited as the UK government's blueprint for airport development...

Looking.
February 1, 2004... for the up curve Aircraft values are starting to firm up as the industry looks beyond the downturn to better times ahead Few are as sensitive to the peaks and troughs of the air transport business cycle than those leasing and...

New.
February 1, 2004... arrivals The accession of 10 new states to the European Union will bring profound changes in air transport This May, enlargement of the European Union (EU) will add 10 new member states. The additions will lift the club's ranks to 25...

Into the spotlight.(Singapore Airlines )(Interview)
February 1, 2004... spotlight After 30 years helping to build the Singapore Airlines success story, Chew Choon Seng stepped up to become chief executive in mid-2003. In his first in-depth interview, he talks of the challenges, old and new, that still lie...

India slashes tax burden.(civil aviation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... After years of complaints about cripplingly high taxes on the civil aviation sector, India's government has finally relented during an election year and has slashed tariffs. Indian carriers and the tourism industry have welcomed the cuts,...

Discounters fly offshore.(airlines)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Cross-border flights by New Zealand and Australian discount carriers are becoming routine between the two countries and may soon extend to South Pacific island nations. The two to three hour flight between New Zealand and Australian...

BA reduces cost of sales.(British Airways )
February 1, 2004... British Airways has agreed significant price reductions with the Sabre and Galileo Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and now hopes to negotiate discounts from Amadeus and Worldspan too. BAhas become the first of the major European carriers...

Air Canada ready to exit.
February 1, 2004... Chief executive Robert Milton believes Air Canada can emerge from court-supervised reorganisation by the end of March - 12 months after beginning the process - even though much still remains to be done. Milton's target had been the end of...

Bright outlook in 2004.(airlines)
February 1, 2004... Despite war, disease and security alerts, passenger traffic appears to have stayed stable in 2003 and most are finally predicting a strong upturn in the year ahead. Airbus and Boeing too believe that the bottom of the cycle has been reached....

China's second tier to go international.(airline regultions)
February 1, 2004... More second-tier airlines are to be approved for international operations by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) as part of a further liberalisation of the local air transport sector. Government sources in China say the...

United acts to cut delays at Chicago.(United Air Lines Inc.)
February 1, 2004... United Airlines is the latest to "de-peak" operations at congested Chicago O'Hare, as warnings sound over the delays issue across the USA. United's decision follows the lead set by American Airlines two years ago as it tackled rising...

Turbulence at US Airways.
February 1, 2004... Against a backdrop of rising costs and tough competition from low-cost carriers, USAirways is asking staff for more concessions and exploring asset sales. The 10-month-long journey of US Airways since it left court bankruptcy protection at...

Pressure builds for merger progress.(SNBrussels and Virgin Express)
February 1, 2004... The pressure on Belgium's two main airlines - SNBrussels and Virgin Express - to merge is building as the financial consequences of two carriers operating side-by-side at Brussels Zaventum airport become apparent. Virgin Express has...

High alert.(new US requirements attempt to secure air travel in light of terrorist threats)
February 1, 2004... Heightened terrorism worries in recent months have led the USA to bring in a raft of measures designed to make its borders more secure. But the new requirements are not universally welcomed As the New Year began, so US concerns about...

Risky Business.(aviation insurance sector)
February 1, 2004... business Aviation insurance markets continue to recover from the crisis that followed 11 September, but questions linger over the level of premiums and the future of war risk cover For a market that was in outright crisis only two...

Virgin Blue makes early attack on start-up JetStar.(Australia)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Virgin Blue is not waiting for Qantas to launch its new discount unit, JetStar, before making life difficult for the start-up. Knowing that JetStar will begin at a point between May and July with a fleet of only 14 Boeing 717s, Virgin Blue is...

Carriers win DVT victory.(deep vein thrombosis)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... British Airways and oneworld alliance partner Qantas Airways have won a key legal victory in Australia in a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) test case that matched the ruling of a UK court. The lawsuit was brought against them by a businessman,...

Executive appointments.(airlines)
February 1, 2004... Varig/TAM Leadership changes at Brazilian carriers New leaders have inherited the challenges that face Varig and TAM. TAM's former chief financial officer, Marco Antonio Bologna, has become the airline's new president. Antonio Luiz...

Changi plans low-cost terminal.(airport expansion)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... A dedicated passenger terminal is being considered at Singapore's Changi airport for use by low-cost carriers, as new airlines prepare for launch and the city state's government seeks to attract more users. At present Changi has two terminals....

Trunk route ambitions for Air Deccan.(India)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Indian regional low-cost start-up Air Deccan is seeking to establish itself as the third private airline operating on domestic trunk routes. Air Deccan managing director Capt G R Gopinath says the carrier plans to lease Airbus or Boeing...

Bangladesh opens up.(approval to GMG airlines)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Bangladesh's GMG Airlines has secured government approval to become the country's first privately owned passenger carrier to operate international services. GMG has been awarded rights to serve a handful of secondary points in India, the...

In brief.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Cathay launches 747 conversion Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways has become the launch customer for Boeing's 747-400 Special Freighter programme, with an agreement to have up to 12 passenger aircraft converted to freighters. Cathay has...

More doubts over merger.(Varig, TAM)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Past objections to a Varig-TAM merger or integration have come from Varig's Ruben Berta Foundation, but TAM officials have raised their own doubts, and these could undercut critical government support. Wagner Ferreira, marketing...

Argentina postpones LAFSA sale.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Argentina is backtracking on its promise to privatise Lafsa, its new state-owned airline, six months after its start. The sale of LAFSA, according to government documents, has been put off for at least a year. This has major implications...

Aid works for low-fare sector.(airlines)
February 1, 2004... The US low-fares sector is setting the pace for growth, emerging with a 22% market share by December while two carriers, America West and Frontier Airlines, have revealed ambitious plans. Both have become poster children of the successful...

In brief.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Air Berlin teams with Niki German carrier Air Berlin and Austria's Niki have agreed to set up what they describe as Europe's first major low-fare airline alliance. Air Berlin has taken a 24% stake in Niki, which was formed at the end of...

A decade of Routes.(Routes World Route Development Forum)
February 1, 2004... Now in its 10th year, the Routes World Route Development Forum expects to welcome more than 1,200 delegates when it opens its doors in Madrid this September The Routes network planning forum has come a long way from its early...

Finance & leasingWith the world economy poised to slow in 1999.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Aircraft values finally appear to be stabilising after the collapse of two years ago, and while it may take time before investors are ready to return to the market in force, some are already taking opportunities to grow in the leasing...

In brief.(Seabury Group )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... American asks for feedback American Airlines says it will increase worker participation through a wide- ranging employee feedback and suggestion plan on ways to improve customer service. It is also to expand its pilots contract to allow it...

In brief.(Korean Air has signed a purchase agreement with Boeing for nine more 777-200ERs)(Cambodian carrier President Airlines has reinstated services to Hong Kong )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Korean Airadds more 777s Korean Air has signed a purchase agreement with Boeing for nine more 777-200ERs for delivery from June 2005. The aircraft will have two-class configurations and all seats will be fitted with audio/video-on-demand...

Alitalia suspends cost-cutting plan.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Amid widespread labour unrest in Italy's transport sector, including strikes by airline staff and air traffic controllers, the government asked Alitalia to suspend the implementation of its new business plan. This turnaround blueprint, devised...

Belgium vows to keep DHL in Brussels.
February 1, 2004... The Belgian government has vowed to let DHL expand at either Brussels Zaventum airport or develop a hub at a regional airfield to allow the parcels express carrier to triple its operations in the country. With the threat of DHLmoving its...

CRS ignites deregulation fears.(computer reservations systems)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Europe's carriers are concerned by a US Department of Transportation (DoT) decision to phase out rules governing computer reservations systems (CRS) and effectively deregulate the market by August. The move has drawn little domestic attention....

Continental chief Bethune heads for early departure.
February 1, 2004... Continental Airlines chairman and chief executive Gordon Bethune will leave at the end of 2004, earlier than his planned 2006 retirement, in a move that has ended a long-running boardroom feud with director David Bonderman. Continental...

Fee hike forces easyJet to axe Zurich.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Large rises in charges at Zurich airport have caused easyJet to withdraw its twice-daily service between London Gatwick and the Swiss city. The low-fare carrier says the service, which it started in February 2001, had become unprofitable...

In brief.
February 1, 2004... Single Sky boost Europe's air traffic management (ATM) co-ordinator Eurocontrol and the European Commission (EC) have agreed a framework for future co-operation. The agreement sets out guidelines for the future working relationship between...

Commission launches price probe.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The European Commission (EC) has sent a letter to all 18 members of the Association of European Airlines (AEA) asking them to explain why they charge different prices in different countries for identical tickets. The EC says that it has...

Bilateral deja vu ; Pierre Jeandarin, a retired aviation journalist and general manager of the AEROPA pro-liberalisation lobby, reminds us that reforming the bilateral system is almost as old as commercial aviation itself.(European Civil Aviation )
February 1, 2004... When rummaging through my library recently, I came across a European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) file in which I discovered a fascinating document entitled "Multilateralism versus Bilateralism". The most remarkable aspect of the document...

In brief.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Star signs ITdiscount deal The Star Alliance has signed a deal with software giant BEA Systems for volume discounts for members that buy its infrastructure applications. Star chief information officer Mike Stagl says that some of the...

Speculating on the fundamentals.
February 1, 2004... Improving traffic figures have brought some early New Year cheer for airline stock prices, but the fundamentals suggest that recovery in demand could take a little longer writes Chris Tarry of CTAIRA Stock market watchers in Europe cannot...

Terrorist threat.
February 1, 2004... US counter-terrorist measures siezed the headlines as the year began, with sky marshalls, fighter escorts and a host of new checks for travellers. The real challenge, however, is to translate this unilateral effort into an effective global...