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June 2012 |
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Thank you for making the 2012 RAA Convention a huge success!
Another convention in the books, and over the next few weeks, RAA will send out a complete convention wrap-up filled with videos, presentations, and media coverage from the show! We are excited to build on the success of Minneapolis as we set our sights on our first international show in Montreal next May 6-9, 2013!
Coming Up...
RAA Summer Seminars for Human Resource, Inflight and Drug/Alcohol testing professionals- August 5-8
The Regional Airline Association organizes the Summer Seminars to meet the educational needs of our member airlines. Our seminars are open to all suppliers and non-member airlines as well. This year, the event includes three professional streams that will provide subject matter expert briefings, peer discussions and incredibly valuable networking opportunities that are essential to keep new and veteran management up to date on the latest legal guidelines and best practices in the areas of Human Resources, Inflight/Cabin Services and Drug & Alcohol Testing programs.
In 2012, St. Pete Beach is where the airline industry’s Inflight, Human Resources and Drug & Alcohol Testing Program leaders will meet.
Headlines
Members in the News
SkyWest Celebrates 40th Birthday!
RAA Convention News
Join us in Montreal, Quebec on May 6-9, 2013
Industry News
U.S. Regional Carriers Face Multiple Challenges as They Gather for Convention
Saab Considering Return to Civil Aircraft Manufacturing
Bombardier Signs Maintenance Deal With Republic Airlines
Silver Airways to Provide Federally Funded Subsidized Connection to Atlanta
Silver Airways Has Plans to Buy More Aircraft
Alaska's Era Aviation Nabs Coveted Award for Airline Reliability
Republic Agrees to Take Over Q400 Flying for Pinnacle
SkyWest Sells Stake in Brazilian Airline
Island Air Adds 2 Flights for West Maui Service
Denver to See United Express Service to Grand Forks and Shreveport
Third Daily Flight Added by SkyWest to Grand Junction-to-Salt Lake City Route
US Airways Express Flight Attendants Reach Tentative Agreement
Members in the News
SkyWest Celebrates 40th Birthday!
 SkyWest Airlines celebrates 40 years of flying in 2012 and has unveiled a sleek, redesigned website with interactive route maps and history, plus SkyBlog-a blog about the St. George, UT-based airline. RAA President Roger Cohen recently participated in a company wide event at its headquarters.
RAA Convention News
Join us in Montreal, Quebec on May 6-9, 2013
Industry News
U.S. Regional Carriers Face Multiple Challenges as They Gather for Convention
Aviation International News (05/28/12) Polek, Gregory
The 37th annual Regional Airline Association convention addressed a number of issues, including included looming pilot shortages, high fuel prices, industry consolidation, new regulations, and recent financial results of the industry’s publicly traded airlines. In the first quarter, those airlines registered their first composite net loss in over 10 years. American Eagle president and RAA chairman Dan Garton said, "This is a trend that obviously cannot continue." The industry seemed generally confident that the regional airlines will be able to reverse the current trajectory. The current challenges may be opportunities for manufacturers. ATR North America Vice President of Marketing and Sales Mark Neely virtually dismissed the idea that there could be significant change in mainline pilot union scope clauses, but Bombardier Aerospace Vice President Chet Fuller said that there may be looser scope language due to consolidation and bankruptcies in North America. Tough trading conditions are still making a case for turboprop-powered airliners. GE has engaged in talks with Saab over the possible use of a new turboprop engine on a new regional airliner, dubbed the CPX38.
Saab Considering Return to Civil Aircraft Manufacturing
Flight Global (05/23/2012) Trimble, Stephen
Saab Aircraft Leasing is considering re-entering the civil aircraft manufacturing industry with a next-generation 90-seat regional turboprop. Michael Magnusson, president and CEO of Saab Aircraft Leasing, announced at the Regional Airline Association’s annual convention that Saab’s design staff has been utilizing research from suppliers, including General Electric (GE), as part of a study into updates on modern technology. GE has been conducting studies with new technology to accommodate 90-seat turboprops, but it is only now becoming clear which companies may benefit from these studies. GE competitor Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) also has been making strides in the development of a next-generation regional turboprop engine but has not commented on the possibility of negotiations with Saab specifically. P&WC recently announced compressor demonstrations for their new regional turboprop engine, which will offer a 20 percent improvement in fuel economy over their last model.
Bombardier Signs Maintenance Deal With Republic Airlines
Wichita Eagle (KS) (05/22/12)
Bombardier Aerospace has signed an exclusive, nine-year heavy maintenance agreement with Indianapolis-based Republic Airlines for its 32 Q400 aircraft. Bombardier will perform all heavy maintenance tasks for Republic Airline’s Q400 fleet at its service canters in Macon, Ga., and Tucson, Ariz., until June 2021. Republic Airlines also agreed to enroll its aircraft in the Bombardier Smart Parts program, which promises competitive, predictable repair costs and key components for Q400 aircraft.
Silver Airways to Provide Federally Funded Subsidized Connection to Atlanta
Associated Press (NY) (05/22/12)
Silver Airways is planning to provide service between Atlanta, GA, and three airports in Mississippi. Under the plan, Silver Airways will provide a dozen flights per week between the Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport in Mississippi and Atlanta. In addition, Silver Airways will make 18 flights per week between Atlanta, and Tupelo, Miss. Those flights will continue on to Greenville, Miss. The Mississippi communities that Silver Airways will be serving agreed to the plans after two previous rounds of bids were unsuccessful. Those proposals called for service to be provided to the communities via smaller single-engine aircraft rather than the larger twin-engine plans that the communities are entitled to be served by under the law. The communities had been working to obtain new airline service following Delta's decision to cut regional feeder service to the communities from Memphis following its merger with Northwest Airlines.
Silver Airways Has Plans to Buy More Aircraft
WTVA.com (05/29/12)
The head of Essential Air Service (EAS) for Silver Airways says the company plans to add aircraft, pilots and flight attendants before it begins service later this year in Tupelo, Miss. Mickey Bowman, vice president of EAS for Silver Airways said the company had already ordered 12 new aircraft from Saab Aircraft. But, he says with the new approved service in the South, Silver Airways will probably order seven additional aircraft
Alaska's Era Aviation Nabs Coveted Award for Airline Reliability
Alaska Dispatch (AK) (05/18/12)
Era Aviation has received Bombardier Aerospace’s 2011 Airline Reliability Performance Award. Award winners were partially selected based on Bombardier’s so-called FRACAS (Failure reporting, analysis and corrective action system) data. Era Alaska was recognized for its high performance in overall dispatch reliability in North America.
Republic Agrees to Take Over Q400 Flying for Pinnacle
Aviation International News (05/15/12) Polek, Gregory
Republic Airways has entered into an agreement with United Airlines to fly 28 74-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprops aircraft that Pinnacle Airlines is planning to return to its lessors following its bankruptcy. However, Republic Airways still needs to reach binding agreements with Pinnacle's aircraft lessors and maintenance providers before the agreement will take effect. Republic says that it expects to reach those binding agreements by the end of next month. Pinnacle is planning to stop flying its fleet of Q400s by November. Assuming the agreement goes through, the 28 Q400s will be placed on the airline's Republic Airlines certificate. The four Q400s that Republic is currently using will transfer from the Frontier brand to the Republic Airlines certificate and will fly as United Express.
SkyWest Sells Stake in Brazilian Airline
Associated Press (05/30/12)
SkyWest is selling its 26 percent ownership stake in the Brazilian airline Trip Linhas Aereas for approximately $42 million to Trip Investimentos, a Brazilian limited liability company affiliated with the airline. As part of the agreement, SkyWest also received an option to acquire 15.38 percent of the ownership in Trip Investimentos, which SkyWest may exercise at its discretion. Trip Linhas earlier had agreed to combine with Azul Linhas Aereas, the airline started by JetBlue founder David Neeleman four years ago. Combined with Trip, it will be Brazil's third largest airline.
Island Air Adds 2 Flights for West Maui Service
Associated Press (05/24/12)
Island Air will add two more flights between Honolulu and Kapalua in West Maui on June 15, bringing the carrier's totally daily flights for that route to 12. Mokulele Airlines announced last week it will offer four flights a day beginning July 1. Island Air announced in February it plans to add three aircraft to its fleet by the end of the year and three more next year.
Denver to See United Express Service to Grand Forks and Shreveport
Airlines and Destinations (05/29/12)
United Airlines will introduce new regional service from its Denver hub later this year. The plans call for the United Express carrier ExpressJet to fly a non-stop flight between Denver and Shreveport (LA) Regional Airport once a day beginning on Aug. 28. Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets that are capable of seating 50 passengers will be used to fly to Shreveport Regional, which serves northern Louisiana, eastern Texas, and southwestern Arkansas. In addition, the United Express carrier SkyWest is planning to begin offering non-stop flights from Denver to Grand Forks (ND) International Airport twice a day starting on Oct. 3. SkyWest plans to use 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 regional jets for that route.
Third Daily Flight Added by SkyWest to Grand Junction-to-Salt Lake City Route
The Daily Sentinel (05/25/2012) Hamilton, Amy
Colorado's Grand Junction Regional Airport will add a daily flight from SkyWest Airlines to Salt Lake. According to Amy Jordan, deputy director of administration at Grand Junction Regional Airport, the additional capacity is good, because all of the current flights run full. Also starting next month, Grand Junction passengers will have another flight option for traveling to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. American Eagle Airlines is adding a daily flight to its lineup of two current daily flights.
US Airways Express Flight Attendants Reach Tentative Agreement
MarketWatch (05/25/12)
Air Wisconsin Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), have reached a tentative agreement with management, only days after a strike authorized by an overwhelming majority. This agreement was reached with the assistance of the National Mediation Board and would include over 300 flight attendants at the carrier. Agreement terms will go to AFA leadership at Air Wisconsin and then sent to the membership for ratification if approved. The full details will not be made public until they are presented to the membership. Air Wisconsin, a US Airways Express carrier, is the largest privately held regional airline in the United States. The carrier operates nearly 500 daily regional flights as US Airways Express, serving 70 cities in the United States and Canada.
Abstract News © Copyright 2012 INFORMATION, INC.
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About RAA
With safety as its highest priority, RAA represents North American regional airlines, and the manufacturers of products and services supporting the regional airline industry, before the Congress, DOT, FAA and other federal agencies.
With more than 13,000 regional airline flights every day, regional airlines operate more than half of the nation’s scheduled flights with nearly 75% of US airports relying on regional airlines exclusively.
Founded in 1975, Washington, DC-based RAA also provides a wide array of technical, government relations and public relations services for regional airlines. The association's 28 member airlines and nearly 200 associate members represent the key decision makers of this vital sector of the commercial aviation industry.
For more information on Regional Horizons e-NEWS contact:
Regional Airline Association | 2025 M Street, NW | Suite 800 | Washington, DC 20036-3309
Tel: 202/367-1170 | raa@raa.org
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