American Airlines, Pilots Are Ready To Return To The Table
American Airlines and its pilots union, the Allied Pilots Association, sent letters to the other this week expressing a desire to restart contract negotiations. If they do schedule a meeting, it would be the first time the parties would come to the table since June."We were disappointed that the tentative agreement with the APA did not ratify,"....Read More
Airline Post $1B In Losses In First Half Of 2012
Airlines continue to grapple with a weak economy and high fuel prices. Fuel costs have grown from constituting 10% of airlines' expenses in 2000 to 35% last year. Airlines have continued offering ancillary services to boost revenue and were able to increase some fares, which helped to offset the increased...Read More
United Receives First Dreamliner In North America
United Continental Holdings over the weekend became the first company in North America to receive the Boeing Dreamliner. In November, the airline will deploy the jet on domestic flights that connect in Houston, and will add routes to Cleveland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, and Washington, and Newark, N.J., so pilots and flight crews can be trained on the aircraft...Read More
AA Seeks To Resume Pilot Negotiations As Flight Delays Rise
American Airlines passengers are feeling the effects of the fallout resulting from the labor disputes between the carrier's pilots and AMR, American's parent company. American's flight cancellations are ranging between 3% and 5%, when 1% is considered bad in the industry. Nearly half of all American Airlines flights are delayed while the industry is ranking around 80% on time. After AMR won bankruptcy court approval to throw...Read More
Despite Soft Market, JPMorgan Still Bullish On Bizjets
JPMorgan downgraded Embraer yesterday from overweight to neutral, in large part due to concerns about Embraer's airliner business. However, the investment firm noted that "continued weakness" in flight operations and other indicators "are leading us to dial back our business jet delivery forecast," but it still predicts healthy growth in this segment. "Despite the reduction in our delivery estimates [for Embraer], we still expect..Read More
Production Begins At Delta's Oil Refinery
Delta Air Lines' 185,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery in Trainer, Pa., began the early stages of jet-fuel production this month. The facility, which had been closed since September 2011, has been undergoing repairs and improvements. Purchasing the refinery was an unprecedented move by Delta to..Read More
Cessna Introduces Diesel 182 JT-A
Earlier this year, Cessna announced it would replace its T182 turbo Skylane with a new model that would burn jet-A. The new 182 JT-A is on schedule to be certified in early 2013, with deliveries in the middle of the year. The move has cost and environmental motives: Cessna's Brian Cozine said the 182 JT-A "uses so much less fuel that you can always take more payload than [on a] gas piston...Read More
Atlas Air Worldwide Announces Placement Of Two Boeing 747-8 Freighters
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings said Thursday it has reached an agreement with DHL Express for placement of its sixth and seventh Boeing 747-8 Freighter aircraft. These aircraft will be operated by Atlas Air Worldwide's unit, Atlas Air, Inc., in the Polar Air Cargo Worldwide express network under an ACMI arrangement for the benefit of DHL..Read More
Private Aviation Isn't As Expensive As People Think, Blogger Says
Blogger Clint Allen says companies such as Avantair and NetJets make private aviation more cost-effective than people think. "So as I ponder the expense of owning a comfortable, capable aircraft that flies at jet speed, I think of the really nice things it does for me and my family -- things like allowing us to...Read More
Southwest Makes Progress Toward Hawaii Flights
Flight attendants for Southwest Airlines have approved a new labor agreement, the Transport Workers Union says. Union representatives said Friday that the new contract allows the airline to make flights to Hawaii "and nearby international destinations that would require flying over oceans or the Gulf...Read More
Boeing Debates Over 777 Redesign Continue
Boeing is facing more internal debates over the potential redesign of the 777 twin jet. The very successful product for Boeing is facing slowed sales as the market anticipates an updated 777 -- the 777X -- as well as a competing jet from Airbus. "It is a thorough process, with ongoing robust discussions, to ensure we come to market with the right airplane, at the right time, leveraging the right technology and delivering the right economics," Boeing said in a statement..Read More
Farewell To History: A Personal Endeavour
Today (Friday) in the Los Angeles area, there appeared to be nothing but positive media attention on the arrival of the retiring NASA Space Shuttle Endeavour. This is a personal story from my experience as I stood in an office overlooking the campus of UCLA and out to noted waypoints on the shuttle's travel...Read More Pilots Claim Maintenance Problems At American Airlines
With both sides trading charges and barbs, one must take all statements with a grain of salt but the Allied Pilots Association has just fired a shot across the bow that needs to be looked into. APA, the certified collective bargaining agent for AA's 10,000 pilots, has countered recent media reports blaming pilots for disrupting flight schedules, with trivial maintenance requests, with some damning details...Read More Delta Dedicates 'Pink Plane' Flight To Evelyn Lauder
Delta Airlines' Eighth annual "Breast Cancer One" employee survivor charter took flight for the fight Thursday in advance of Delta's October fundraising efforts benefiting The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. In memory of BCRF Founder Evelyn Lauder, Delta's Boeing 767-400 signature 'pink plane' was dedicated at New York's LaGuardia airport in a presentation attended by her husband..Read More
USAF C-130 Completes 1st Flight With Enhanced Rolls-Royce Engine
Rolls-Royce and the US Air Force are conducting flight tests for an enhancement for the T56 turboprop engine, which powers the C-130H transport aircraft. The Series 3.5 Engine Enhancement is designed to deliver fuel savings and reliability improvements, resulting in improved life...Read More
Boeing 747-8, Dreamliner Prepare For Cellphone Usage
Boeing says that passengers on its 747-8 and Dreamliner aircraft will be able to make in-flight cellphone calls as soon as next year. Whether passengers can use the phones is up to the government; in the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration bans cellphone use on flights..Read More
Boeing Nears Delivery Of First Dreamliner Plant Made at S.C. Plant
Boeing is scheduled to deliver the first Dreamliner 787 made in South Carolina next week to Air India. The plane's General Electric GEnx engines underwent special inspection after the model experienced failure. "We have done the checks on all our GE engines," Jack Jones, vice president and general manager of Boeing South Carolina...Read More
TSA Adds PreCheck at Newark, Dulles Airports
The Transportation Security Administration has launched the PreCheck program at Newark Liberty International and Washington Dulles International airports. The program puts enrolled travelers' information on their boarding passes via a bar code so they typically experience faster security checks...Read More
FAA Acting Administrator Huerta To Speak At NBAA 2012
The NBAA announced Wednesday that Michael Huerta, acting administrator of the FAA, will deliver remarks during the Opening General Session of the NBAA's 65th Annual Meeting & Convention (NBAA2012), which is scheduled for Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL...Read More Tuskegee University Welcomes Airmen Home, Commits To New Aviation Generation After more than 60 years, part of Tuskegee's aviation legacy returned to historic Moton Field. Four original Tuskegee Airmen were welcomed back to the historic training site by the National Park Service and Tuskegee University President, Gilbert L. Rochon, on Sept. 15..Read More Competition Heats Up For Presidential Helicopter Contract Northrop Grumman Corporation and AgustaWestland have signed a comprehensive teaming agreement to respond to anticipated requests for both the new Air Force Combat Rescue Helicopter and the Navy's recently announced program to develop a new "Marine One" Presidential Helicopter. A US built helicopter based on the AW101 platform...Read More American Notifies 11,000 Employees of Pending Layoffs The Associated Press reports that the affected workers are mostly mechanics and ground workers with the airline. AMR Corp is currently working its way through bankruptcy proceedings. American Spokesman Bruce Hicks said that the actual number of layoffs will likely be about 4,400, or about 40 percent of those who received the notices...Read More NORAD Fighters Intercept Two GA Aircraft Over New Jersey Two F-22 fighters under the direction of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) intercepted two general aviation aircraft during separate responses who violated the temporary flight restricted area over the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday...Read More KC-46A Enters Critical Design Review Phase 9/21/2012 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The Air Force KC-46A program director described the critical development phases of the next-generation refueling aircraft during the 2012 Air Force Association Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition in Washington, D.C., Sept. 18...Read More US Navy Orders 3rd Phase Of P-8A Low-Rate Production, Bringing Total To 24 The U.S. Navy on Sept. 21 awarded Boeing [NYSE: BA] a $1.9 billion contract for 11 P-8A Poseidon aircraft, which will take the total fleet to 24 and bolster the service's anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities...Read More Labor Conflicts, Cancellations Affect AA Schedule American Airlines expects to cancel up to 2% of its flights through October due to fallout from a labor contract dispute with its pilots union, the carrier says.The airline believes that pilots are calling in sick and slowing operations deliberately to punish the company, but union representatives argue that the problems stem from company mismanagement rather than pilot behavior...Read More American Airlines Is Improving Financials, Executive Says Chuck Schubert, the vice president of network planning for American Airlines, says the carrier is nearing its goal of $3 billion in financial improvements by 2017. The figure includes $2 billion in cost savings through measures such as renegotiating employee contracts and restructuring debt...Read More |
