In perhaps another sign that Americans are ready to travel and spend again, new federal statistics show airline traffic grew by nearly 6% in October, compared with the same month in 2009.
The biggest increase came from international travelers, whose numbers rose by nearly 12% in October, compared with the same month in 2009.
source: Los Angeles Times
In a statement this week, Airbus said that Indian carrier IndiGo ordered 180 A320s from the carrier. Of the total, 150 will be A320neo’s and 30 will be A320s.
Airbus said that the order is the single largest order in commercial aviation history. A typical A320 goes for $81.7 million per, and tack on an additional $6 million per for the A320neo. Arithmetic brings us to a total purchase price of $14.89 billion.
Airbus claims that the A320neo has specially designed wing tip devices, named Sharklets, that will deliver up to 15% in fuel savings, among other engine and operational variants that add to efficiency. IndiGo is the first airline to make a purchase of the new model.
source: streetinsider.com
ITB World Travel Trends Report predicts that social networks will have a massive influence on travel and booking behaviour while mobile services continue to expand.
Social networks are not only influencing the way that people obtain information and make their bookings in advance of a journey, but also provide an important channel for communications during the trip. Facebook and other social media are used during their trips by 37 per cent of international travellers in order to keep their friends and those at home informed, or to post photos online before their return. In order not to restrict this development it is important that the costs of using mobile devices abroad are easily understood, and solutions must also be found to the problem of roaming tariffs.
For example, in Japan Smartphones are already being used to make reservations for 20 per cent of domestic flights.
The ITB World Travel Trends Report 2010/2011 is available at www.itb-berlin.com.
source: hospitalitynet.org
A Turkish Airlines flight from Oslo to Istanbul is safe, after a passenger threatened to blow up the aircraft in mid-air unless it returned to Oslo.
A man tried to hijack the plane with 59 passengers on board, saying he was rigged with explosives. He then tried to smash his way into the cockpit of the Boeing 737-800 but was tackled by several passengers who manged to subdue him.
source: Sofia Echo
Some airlines’ behaviour towards passengers during the snow-disrupted Christmas getaway was ”unacceptable”, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as passengers were misled about their rights in some cases.
During the disruption many passengers ended up sleeping in terminal buildings or making their own travel arrangements.
Under European regulations, they were entitled to various rights, even though the snow and sub-zero temperatures were beyond the control of the airlines.
These passenger rights include:
source: BBC
Airlines around the world face a sharp rise in the cost of buying passenger jets under new export financing rules to be discussed by government officials in Paris this week, confidential documents prepared for their meeting reveal.
The rules would mean many airlines that have long used export credit agencies to help finance some of their jets will encounter higher upfront fees.
The plan represents a victory for 24 US and European airlines that cannot get export credit agency (ECA) loan guarantees themselves because they are based in countries where the big jetmakers manufacture aircraft. The little-known agreement, called the home country rule, affects airlines based in France, the UK, Germany, Spain and the US, where either Airbus or Boeing make aircraft.
source: FT.com
Industry association IATA on Tuesday raised its forecast for airline earnings in 2010 to a record 15.1 billion dollars, but warned that profits would slide next year.
The forecast profit marked a significant step up from the previous figure of 8.9 billion dollar in earnings expected this year.
Two-thirds of 2010’s expected profits were generated in the second quarter, the International Air Transport Association said.
Growth is largely going to come from fast-growing Asia, which will post more than half of the 2010 profit at 7.7 billion dollars.
source: AFP
Wildcat air traffic control strikers halted take-offs across Spain on Saturday despite the military taking command of national air space and threats of jail sentences.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero had sent in the military Friday after civilian controllers called in sick en masse in a dispute over work hours.
But the day after strikers launched their surprise action on the eve of a long weekend, disrupting travel for an estimated 250,000 passengers, there were still no planes taking off.
“‘The situation is the same. There are no flights. We only have transatlantic arrivals at Madrid-Barajas, they are the only flights operational,'” said a spokesman for Spanish airport operator AENA.
source: smh.com.au
Ryanair has made an unprecedented alliance with full-frills carriers Emirates and Etihad Airways to lobby for an extension of government credit to airlines.
The budget carrier is among the leading members of a group of 10 airlines calling themselves the Aviation Alliance, which is demanding an overhaul of Export Credit rules.
The Aviation Alliance wants no limit on the amount of export credits extended to airlines, no increase in the fees for credit and no reduction in the proportion of the cost of an aircraft that can be financed.
The US and leading European Union governments, including the UK, offer credit to overseas purchasers of expensive technology and infrastructure, including aircraft, to encourage exports. Most overseas airlines take advantage of these export credits to buy Airbus and Boeing aircraft.
source: travelweekly.co.uk
In the wake of several incidents where holes opened on the fuselage of passenger jets, the ‘Federal Aviation Administration’ said Friday that it will set a “‘retirement age'” for jets to address fatigue issues.
Once regulators and plane makers agree on a maximum age for a plane type, airlines may choose to retire older planes instead of undergoing what is expected to be much more rigorous and costly maintenance schedules. The new rules will be phased in over several years, making the impact on carriers difficult to predict.
Holes in jets flown by Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. and Fort Worth-based American Airlines Inc. didn’t injure any passengers but concerned some safety watchers. Similar cracks were found also on a jet flown by Chicago-based United Airlines Inc.
source: dallasnews.com
