Airline Business articles from January 2002

Airline Business archives from January 2002

Back to business.(airlines upgrading first class, business cabins)
January 1, 2002... With premium traffic down steeply, some carriers have already put on hold their plans to upgrade business- and first-class cabins. But others are keen to stay in contention with lie-down bed seats and more. Economic slowdown and the...

Surf's.(airlines adding in-flight entertainment systems)
January 1, 2002... up The race to equip international passenger aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems withe-mail and Internet connectivity has begun By far the longest stridesin the creation of Internet-capable IFE technology have been made by...

Latinl.(Enrique Cueto of LanChile)
January 1, 2002... liberator LanChile's Enrique Cueto has faced an uphill struggle in his mission to reform aviation in Latin America. But his zeal for finishing the job in a reluctant region remains undiminished Geography and politics have conspired to...

Chilean crusader.(Enrique Miguel Cueto Plaza of LanChile)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Enrique Miguel Cueto Plaza was born, raised and educated in Chile. He graduated from the Catholic University of Chile in 1981 as a commercial engineer. Two years later he entered the airline industry as director of finance and executive...

Fuel for.(airlines benefit form low jet kerosene prices)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... thought In an uncertain market, airlines are taking advantage of the recent fall in jet-kerosene prices If there has been one piece of good news for the airline industry of late, then it has come in the shape of a fall in the price of...

Glories.(current state of United Airlines)
January 1, 2002... past Once-mighty United Airlines is a listing ship, with external and internal problems threatening to send it to the deep. What went wrong and what can the company do to right itself? Although United Airlines is not exactly ignoring...

Rewriting.(Asian airline market)
January 1, 2002... the rules Dealing with unprecedented difficulties, Asia's airlines wonder how to work their way out of the current crisis. Meanwhile industry experts debate the appropriate prescription, with some saying a radical overhaul of the sector is...

Bargain.(Europe's low-fare airlines)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... benefits The performance of Europe's low-fare carriers paints a stark contrast to that of their mainline cousins In contrast to the gloom and doom surrounding most other carriers in Europe, the low-fares sector has been brimming with...

British European tackles low-fare threat.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... In an innovative move to take on the low-fare carriers, UK regional British European has launched a new marketing and pricing strategy targeting the cost-conscious leisure traveller. The move comes against a background of heavy selling of...

Drivetooutsource.(outsourcing airline services)
January 1, 2002... Moves towards the outsourcing of a multitude of airline services have been gathering pace over the past decade, but the global downturn, and then the US terror attacks, have spurred carriers to even greater efforts. To some in the airline...

Air New Zealand.(John Palmer named new chairman)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Newcomer chairs ANZ Air New Zealand's new chairman has no airline history, but plenty of the necessary experience in reorganising and piloting troubled companies through tough times. Picked for these qualities, John Palmer replaces...

Slot war shifts to Narita's runway A.(Japan's Narita Airport)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The controversy over landing rights at Tokyo's Narita airport never ends; it just moves to another phase. Slot allocations for the second runway, known as runway B, have not ended the jockeying over access to Asia's most coveted gateway....

Wellington finalises ANZ takeover.(Air New Zealand)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The re-nationalisation of Air New Zealand (ANZ) will be completed this month (January) when the New Zealand government concludes its purchase of 1.25 billion ANZ ordinary shares. This effectively ends a tortured process that began last June...

Tempers flare over Fox-Lew Ansett bid.(bid for Ansett Airlines)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... As the sale of Ansett Airlines moves toward completion, there have been heated public exchanges between the parties involved. Rival bidders, administrators, unions, creditors and even ministers in the same government have clashed with...

Catering calamity.(airline food service market)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... According to research carried out by the University of Surrey's specialist catering centre, there has been a 25% downturn in the global production of airline meals following the US terror attacks. In its survey of 50 production kitchens...

Handling deals.(air transportation)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Handling deals A host of major handling deals were unveiled in 2001, making it the busiest on record for a rapidly consolidating industry. KLM finalised the sale of its global cargo handling company Cargo Service Centre to Germany's...

Falling rand hits South African carriers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... South African airlines, not as seriously affected by the events of 11 Septemberas European and US carriers, are fighting a crisis of their own as the South African rand plunges to record lows against the dollar. Airlines say already...

Courses diverge on tougher airline laws.(Australia, Canada)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Australia and Canada have reached opposite conclusions about the need for tougher competition laws to rein in growing dominance by their leading airlines. The collapse of Ansett Australia and Canada 3000 have boosted domestic market shares...

Pitching the seat product.(layouts of commercial aircraft)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The battle to differentiate long-haul premium services has already resulted in some radical reshaping of cabin layouts. A glance across the latest configurations for a selection of the world's leading premium operators demonstrates the point...

Midway starts as Sun stops.(Midway Airlines prepares to resume air services, Sun Country Airlines ends flights)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Sun Country Airlines has become a victim of the crisis that has followed the 11 September attacks, while the carrier that was the first victim of the industry implosion, Midway Airlines, appears ready to fly again. Minneapolis-based Sun...

Argentina's winds of change.(Southern Winds plans new aircraft leases)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Southern Winds is to debut as an international rival to Aerolineas Argentinas. The six-year-old carrier won several overseas routes last September after the international monopoly held by Aerolineas came to its scheduled end. Now Juan...

LanChile floats once more.(securities sale)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... LanChile plans a public flotation of 15-20% of its shares in March or April in an effort to increase its capital and the liquidity of its ownership. Chile's flag carrier is one of the few publicly traded Latin American airlines, and the...

Odds lengthen against Transbrasil flying again.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Transbrasil, one of Brazil's four major airlines, has found itself grounded, and will need fresh cash if it is to fly again. In the first collapse of a major Latin carrier since 11 September, Transbrasil stopped flying in early December...

Canada 3000 collapse raises questions.(over Air Canada's dominant market share)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The failure of Canada's second-largest airline has raised questions about who will replace it, and what to do about Air Canada's sudden surge to 80% of the domestic market. Trustees for Canada 3000, which grounded itself and sought court...

In brief.(airline industry personnel changes)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Noted Washington aviation attorney Jeffrey Shane is scheduled for confirmation as USAssociate Deputy Secretary of Transportation. Norman Mineta, Transportation Secretary, also asked the Congress to retitle the position as Under Secretary for...

South Korean carriers set to resume UScodeshares.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Asiana Airlines and Korean Air (KAL) are to reinstate codeshare agreements with their US partners following the US Federal Aviation Administration's upgrade of South Korea's safety oversight rating to Category 1. The South Korean Ministry...

ANAto fight merger of main rivals JAL and JAS.(All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Japan Air System)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... All Nippon Airways (ANA) is set to formally oppose the planned merger of rivals Japan Airlines (JAL) and Japan Air System (JAS), fearing it will give the combined carrier an overwhelming share of the local market. ANA declines to confirm...

Long-haul fall hurts Cathay.(Cathay Pacific Airways is grounding aircraft due to lack of demand)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Cathay Pacific Airways has parked a Boeing 747-200 freighter and is planning to ground another and around four passenger aircraft as traffic and yields remain depressed following the US attacks. Cathay is widely expected to ground two 747-400s,...

In brief.(airlines Avianca, Aces merge)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Aces-Avianca merger on AeroCivil, Colombia's civil aviation agency, has approved a plan to integrate Avianca and Aces. The two airlines will keep their brands, but under common ownership. The decision is subject to undisclosed conditions....

Agile Lufthansa looks near and far.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... On the same day in early December Lufthansa demonstrated its management's ability to deal not only with the current crisis with a crucial labour agreement, but strike an important deal for its future fleet make-up with a long-awaited order for...

Routes.(Qantas Airways, Thai Airways International, Cebu Pacific, and Garuda Indonesia)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Qantas reinstates New York Qantas Airways is to resume services to New York in February after a three-month suspension forced by a sharp drop in traffic. Sydney-Los-Angeles-New York services will be reinstated from 27 February, operating...

Fleets.(new aircraft orders)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Q300s bound for QantasLink Qantas Airways has ordered three 50-seat Bombardier Q300 turboprops, and will lease three Dash 8-300s, for its regional unit QantasLink. Vietnam orders 777-200ERs Vietnam Airlines has signed an order for...

Aer Lingus edges towards implementing rescue plan.(airline will freeze employee pay)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Struggling Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus has moved a step closer to implementing a rescue plan, but even this may not be radical enough to reverse its losses. The airline was already planning to axe 2,000 of its 6,000-strong workforce. Now...

SAS lines up as Scandinavian survivor.(Norwegian airline Braathens will cut capacity and employees)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... The takeover by SASof Norwegian domestic carrier Braathens may not be the last consolidation move in a fragile Scandinavian market. Having completed the Braathens acquisition, SAS's aim is to cut the excess supply of seats in the Norwegian...

ATC fights back following labour and airline blows.(French air traffic control unions strike)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The decision by several French air traffic control (ATC) unions to strike for 36 hours in early December was described as "incredible" by one airline official. The action, called to protest over the European Commission's (EC) single sky...

Orbitz first to charge service fees.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Orbitz, the online travel agency owned by five major US carriers, last month levied a $5 service fee on each airline ticket it sells. Expedia and Travelocity do not charge users, making Orbitz the first of the big three online travel...

Continental Airlines.(Jeff Misner promoted)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Misner makes natural step The top finance portfolio at Continental Airlines has been filled by Jeff Misner. The post has been vacant since May, when Larry Kellner rose from being chief financial officer to become president. The...

USAirways.(Stephen Wolf takes over for Rakesh Gangwal)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Wolf returns to shop floor US Airways board chairman Stephen Wolf is now in charge of day-to-day operations at the money-losing carrier following the surprise departure of Rakesh Gangwal, his number two and chief executive officer and...

Crossair/Swissair.(new board of directors for new Swiss airline)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Suter gone in a puff of smoke - for now Rarely can an airline's Extraordinary General Meeting have been so aptly titled. Amid emotional scenes at an EGM packed with shareholders in a sports hall in Basel, Switzerland, Crossair chairman and...

Airline stocks continue to take serious battering.(Standard & Poor's cuts ratings for several American airlines)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Investor sentiment for US airlines has become investor contempt. Not even the Federal Reserve's tenth consecutive interest rate cut significantly lifted the sector, and despite a minor rally in November, airline stocks have shown little...

O'Hare finally given expansion OK.(Chicago's O'Hare Airport)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... In Chicago, town and country have finally reached agreement to expand Chicago O'Hare, although it was not exactly a compromise. The state's governor, who sits in rural Springfield, tired of waiting for the city's mayor to compromise and...

Labour.(pilot union activities at Fed Ex and Delta Airlines)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Pilots speak with one voice The Air Line Pilots Association has moved closer to its goal of "unifying all pilots under one umbrella" with the endorsement by the 4,000-member FedEx Pilots Association at Federal Express of a merger into the...

In brief.(Austria's Vienna Airport lowers fees)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Vienna cuts landing rates Austria's Vienna Airport has taken what it describes as "a decisive step" to support its hub development by reducing its landing fees by 3% for all aircraft types. Moreover, fees are down for aircraft of over...

Labour.(MO bill to push pilot union integration causes stir)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Pilot integration issues The problems of integrating the TWA Air Line Pilots Association members into the Allied Pilots Association at American Airlines became federal when a senator from TWA's home state of Missouri - Kit Bond - pushed a...

Christmas cheer.(Airline Stabilization Board's possible aid to Vanguard Airlines, America West, and National)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... UScarriers received their compensation payments before the holiday and are now turning to the issue of government loan guarantees By Christmas, the federal government had become the bearer of great and glad tidings to the US airline...

In brief.(Air France, British World Airlines)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Air France takes first A330 Air France has taken delivery of the first of eight Airbus A330-200s to progressively replace A310s and Boeing 767-200s. The final A330 will enter service with the carrier in April 2004. British World goes...

In brief.(airline and aircraft industry news briefs)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... 717 stays, RJX goes A poor orderbook for its Avro RJX led BAESystems to cancel the programme, but despite similarly low orders Boeing has vowed to continue production of its 100-seat 717. Shutting the RJX line will cost BAE, in addition to...

BA thinks the unthinkable.(British Airways Future Size and Shape study)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Results of the "Future Size and Shape" study at British Airways, which is a thorough and radical strategic review of the carrier's direction, should be reaching final conclusions by March. The project team is made up of five senior managers...

In brief.(airline industry news briefs)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Opodo opens for business On 30 November Opodo, the online travel service created by nine major European carriers, launched its first site in Germany. This followed soon after the European Commission indicated that it would give the venture...

US DoJ sets the tone for BA-American bargaining.(Department of Justice, British Airways, American Airlines)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The proposed British Airways alliance with American Airlines faced a major but not fatal roadblock in the last days of 2001. US competition authorities, in the form of the Department of Justice (DoJ) antitrust division, urged the Department of...

Open.(Global Distribution Systems)
January 1, 2002... channels Could the global distribution systems be about to change their role from travel intermediary to airline technology partner?Amadeus, for one, believes that it is already on course to effect just such a shift As the race...

A fare deal.(possible need for a new airline fare structure)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... As airlines in the USAand beyond look to get traffic moving through the system again, there are some fundamental questions emerging. At the core is whether it is now time to reinvent the old fare structures and business models The last...

Global booking trends.(airline industry)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... In the wake of 11 September, booking figures around the world have emerged as an important indicator of the extent of the damage to airline traffic. Amadeus was among those that stepped forward with estimates of the impact around the world....