January 31st 2010
Aircraft that push themselves back have been the talk of the town for some years now. WheelTug and its partner Co-Operative Industries believe they are one step closer with the completion of an “Electrical Load Measurement development test” on a B737BG. The test, conducted at Hartsfield-Jackson is Atlanta, has confirmed that the aircarft’s APU has sufficient oomph to operate their device: the WheelTug. The company claims that the WheelTug is a “unique concept in aircraft ground operations.” According to a recent press release, the ”patented electric drive system incorporates high performance electric motors installed in the nosewheels of the aircraft, providing full mobility without the use of the aircraft main engines or tugs for pushback and taxi operations.”
“WheelTug uses power from the aircraft onboard Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). The resulting improvements in efficiency, flexibility, fuel savings and reduced maintenance yield savings projected to be on the order of half a million dollars per aircraft per year.”
Airtran is getting ready to create more than 100 new jobs at Milwaukee. The carrier has said that it needs more people to support both incoming and outgoing flights at the station. By April, the airline wants 50 pilots based at Milwaukee in order to better serve its flights and it requires at least 50 flight attendants there, too.
The flight base will employ around 300 people, from the pilots and flight attendants to customer service, human resources, maintenance and sales staff. According to the company, Milwaukee will then join the Atlanta headquarters as being the only US operations base. Flight crews will be able to opt to move to Milwaukee and selections will be made based on seniority.
In January, United Airlines laid off 140 employees. Of this number, 50 redundancies were made at Chicago O'Hare. The airline also planned to change the status of 100 customer service and ramp workers and re-employ them as part-time staff. The changes have been blamed on reductions in capacity.
Passengers who have been arriving in the US in the last few weeks have noticed tighter security arrangements. Those questions mentioned that they had faced repeated passport checks and were neither allowed the use of blankets nor able to leave their seats in the last hour of their flight. The measures have been in response to a crackdown in the wake of a Nigerian who was arrested and charged with attempting to detonate a bomb on a Detroit-bound flight on December 25.
Signature Flight Support Las Vegas was recently awarded Top FBO honours for 2009 by NetJets. The NetJets’ Service Excellence award is conferred upon the FBO that best meets NetJets’ strict criteria for safety, service, facilities and amenities, partnership development, maintenance capabilities and price.
Todd Baumgartner, Vice President Fuel & FBO operations for NetJets, presented the award to the General Manager of Signature Las Vegas, Mike Conrad, Customer Service Manager Rita Carrillo and S Michael Scheeringa, President, Signature Flight Support.
Todd Baumgartner commented on the decision. “From the hard work and attention to detail of the line and counter staff, to the hands on approach and open communication style of the management team, Signature Las Vegas accommodated NetJets’ high volume with zero aircraft damage and zero service deviations. They are to be commended for their staff’s daily dedication to getting the details right.”
While accepting the award, S Michael Scheeringa said that on behalf of the company he was delighted to accept the award.
“We thank NetJets for the trust they place in us on a daily basis across Signature’s global network. This award is a testament to the daily efforts of each of our staff members and under the direction of Mike Conrad’s management team, Signature Las Vegas will continue to provide consistent, world-class customer service.”
Republic Airways Holdings has named Frontier Airlines Director-Supply Chain Drew Skaff as Republic Airways VP-Supply Chain.
Chris Combis is the new Vice President - Business Development, at Ground Services International. He was most recently with Evergreen Eagle.
Alaska Airlines has promoted VP-Human Resources, Strategy and Culture Kelley Dobbs to VP-Human Resources and Labour Relations.
December 29th 2009
The attempted bombing of a NorthWest aircraft as it landed at Detroit on Christmas day has led to increased airport security across the world for flights going into the US. Heathrow airport in the UK warned travellers to expect extra delays as manual checks on passengers and their luggage were carried out. Extra hand luggage restrictions were also put into force by some airlines.
Schiphol in Amsterdam (where the would-be bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab took his transfer flight from after arriving there from Lagos) pledged to install full body scanners for all flights to the US. The Dutch announced this afternoon that the move will be replicated in all Netherlands airports. The scanners will be operational within three weeks.
The US$ 200,000+ machines, which digitally “undress” passengers, have been subject to much controversy – only about 40 are running in US airports at the time of writing.
The week’s events will almost certainly trigger an intensification of airport security measures across the world, especially for international flights to The States. Once the full body scanners are in place, it’s hard to imagine going back to a situation where only the present equipment is used.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s sophisticated bomb (capable of blowing a large hole in the side of the aircraft) would have been detected by one of the scanners. The only reason for the failure of the plot (aside from the ineptitude of the bomber in detonating the device) was the quick thinking passenger who managed to extinguish the flames before the chemicals fully ignited.
In the short term, passengers can expect further delays as extra checks are enacted, airport airline, and handling staff will face added complications in keeping their respective operations running to schedule (and indeed to budget) and full body scanners will become commonplace in Europe, the US and, before long, throughout the world.
Is this the answer? Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s father approached US and Nigerian authorities two weeks ago, concerned about his son’s activities, beliefs and religious radicalisation. No useful action was taken.
Concerned about where and what to eat at an airport? You might well have reason to. According to a recent study, Detroit Metro has the highest percentage of restaurants serving healthy meals whilst Las Vegas musters the fewest. This is according to a report by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. In the study, a total of 17 different US airports were examined to see how they fared.
Optimistically, the Committee found that some 79% of airport restaurants offer at least one healthy option. To gain the appellation of healthy, a restaurant had to serve at least one low-fat, high-fibre, cholesterol-free entrée. Looked at baldly, that’s not exactly a high hurdle to have to leap over.
In this, Detroit Metro scored 100%, for each of its restaurants offers at least one fat-free entrée. The report found that San Francisco was the most improved airport, with a statistic rising to 94%. Also in the top five were Phoenix Sky Harbor, Houston Intercontinental and Newark.
Las Vegas, the worst in the league with a paltry 66%, the Committee found had a surplus of burgers, sausages and hot dogs. Perhaps not too surprising, given the nature of the clientele that tends to visit the city. Only 23 of the 34 restaurants at Washington Dulles, the second-worst scorer with 68%, offered a healthy option.
Chicago O'Hare, which scored the same as Dulles, fell from its second place in 2008. There, the study noted, were no fewer than nine McDonalds outlets. Also scoring badly were Washington National and Baltimore/ Washington.
Nashville International airport in the US will soon begin the construction of a new underground baggage screening system. The airport has procured a grant of US$31m from the Federal Homeland Security for the implementation of this project. The project involves relocating the explosive detection systems from the ticketing lobby to an area beneath the terminals. Work on the project started in May 2009 and is expected to be complete by November 2010.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the US is to develop an inline baggage screening system and build an apron for its new terminal using US$34m in stimulus funding.
The Federal Aviation Administration has offered US$13.97m for the apron development while the Transportation Security Administration provided US$20m for the baggage screening system. The new Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr International terminal will have 12 gates to serve increasing passenger volumes, bringing the airport's total number of gates to 40.
The total cost for the whole project is estimated to be US$1.35bn and construction for the new terminal commenced in 2008: work is expected to be complete by 2012.
A new US$63m check-in facility, which includes a 1.3-mile baggage conveyor system, has been implemented at Reno-Tahoe International airport. The project has been funded by the Transportation Security Administration and airline ticket fees.
November 24 2009
Home of the board game Monopoly and the subject of a 1982 hit by Bruce Springsteen, Atlantic City in New Jersey is struggling to attract international carriers to its airport. The name of the airport, Atlantic City International, is at present proving to be something of a misnomer as only one international carrier, WestJet, flies there – and that’s only from Canada.
Directors at Atlantic City International are hoping that a US$28m terminal upgrade will help increase traffic from overseas (or as the case may be, start it up). WestJet plans to increase its service to once daily from January 1. The news will please casino operators who have seen a steady decline in gambling revenue over the past three years
The Press of Atlantic City reports that the 75,000 square foot extension to the airport will include three new boarding gates, baggage carousels and a large inspection area for federal customs and immigration officers. Construction, which begins in December, will take around 18 months to complete, say airport officials.
Once again, Alaska airlines has announced that it has successfully completed the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and has been renewed on the IOSA Registry. The airline has been on the registry since 2006.
The IOSA Registry is a key element of IATA's efforts to promote global airline operational safety. To achieve IOSA Registration, Alaska Airlines satisfied more than 900 standards in eight operational areas, including flight operations, operational control, flight dispatch, aircraft engineering and maintenance, cabin operations, aircraft ground handling, cargo operations and operational security.
The International Air Cargo Association is urging the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to expedite its evaluation of new technologies to support the pending 100% cargo screening mandate, scheduled to take effect in August 2010.
In its comments to TSA regarding its ‘Interim Final Rule of Air Cargo Screening (IFR)’, TIACA says it is concerned that much of the equipment currently certified for use for screening is inadequate and ill-suited for processing palletised air cargo. Existing technologies, the Association says, are mostly only appropriate for the passenger screening environment.
Air cargo screening requirements detailed in the IFR rely on existing technologies, notably TSA-approved methods of screening that include x-ray, explosives trace detection, explosives detection systems, explosives detection canine teams, and physical inspection along with verification of the description of the cargo on the shipping manifest. The rule adds: ‘TSA may approve additional methods to ensure that the cargo does not pose a threat to transportation security and to assist in meeting the requirements of the 9/11 Act. TSA will continue to consider different technologies or methods for screening cargo transported on passenger or cargo flights. TSA would approve these additional methods and technologies based on their applicability and effectiveness in screening specific commodities.”
Ulrich Ogiermann, TIACA Chairman, said: “New technologies geared towards the air cargo environment and capable of screening at the consolidated level are urgently needed. The availability of such technologies could have a significant impact on how the 100% screening threshold is met. We therefore urge TSA to ensure transparency in its review procedures, expedite its evaluation of new technologies and seek to deploy new technologies ahead of the August 2010 deadline.”
Construction of a new $29m cargo centre at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport in the US has just begun. The two-storey, 200,028 square foot centre will replace the airport's existing three cargo buildings and occupy around 19 acres of land at the airport’s new Terminal 3 site. The facility will be built through a private-public partnership and will host freight and mail-sorting operations for companies including FedEx Corp., Southwest Airlines, Worldwide Flight Services, Allegiant Air and UPS.
Several steps ahead of the game, Orlando International Airport has unveiled a new 60,000ft² cargo screening facility. The cargo facility has been fitted with X-ray and explosive technology detection machinery. The screening facility will reduce congestion for screening domestic and international cargo shipments. It will also serve air carriers at Sanford International Airport and Tampa International Airport. The move is in line with the US Government's 9/11 Commission Act, which requires all airports to be equipped with advanced cargo screening facilities by August 2010.
October 22 2009
The Federal Aviation Administration is intending to help US airports procure the latest runway debris-seeking technology.
The FAA has laid down specifications in an advisory circular, which indicated four types of detection systems for procurement including stationary radar, stationary electro-optical, stationary hybrid radar and electro-optical.
Federal grants can be obtained by airports to purchase the systems, the first of which are expected to be installed by 2010.
The FAA, however, has mandated that all débris detection equipment should be acquired through the airport improvement programme or the passenger facility charge programme.
Despite showing positive trends during July, global air passenger demand was down 1.1% and freight demand fell by 9.6% in August 2009 in comparison to 2008. According to data released by the International Air Transport Association, a few regions did, however, show signs of improvement. Passenger demand for Asia-Pacific carriers improved from -7.6% in July to -1.6% in August 2009, while North American carriers showed an improvement from -3.2% in July to -2.5% in August.
Middle Eastern carriers showed a marked improvement, with a year-on-year growth of 10.8%, although the rise remains below the 13.2% growth in July.
In similar fashion, Latin American carriers improved from -3.5% in July to -2.3% in August, while African carriers posted the lowest demand at -4.9% in August, compared to -5.5% in July. In turn, European carriers witnessed a decline of 2.8% compared to August 2008.
Freight demand improved, with Latin American and the Middle Eastern carriers reporting a growth of 3.9% and 3% respectively. An average passenger growth of 4% for 2010 has been predicted by IATA, which also expects a full-year decline of almost 5% in 2009.
IATA has further predicted an average international freight growth of 5.5% in 2010, compared to an expected full-year decline of 14.5% in 2009.
Pittsburgh International airport has claimed that it will be unaffected by new de-icing regulations set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA proposal requires all airports to collect 20% of the run-off caused by de-icing chemicals that could pollute water sources. The airport believes it currently collects 60% of its run-off and has played its part in protecting the environment by using a de-icing pad since 2002.
Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) in the US is planning to improve airport security by installing a new baggage system thanks to a $21m grant awarded by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The baggage system will be installed in the airport's terminal B, which is currently under construction and due to open in June 2010. The new baggage system includes conveyers to shift checked baggage to automated security screening machines and additional conveyors to allow screened baggage for aircraft loading. The explosive detection equipment ownership will be maintained by TSA, while the airport will undertake terminal operations, maintenance and structural improvements.
October 2 2009
Airlines in the US collected a total of US$669.6m in baggage fees in the second quarter of 2009, nearly four times more than the amount collected in the year-ago period and up 18.2% from the first quarter, helping boost operating margins nearly across the board, says the US Department of Transportation.
American Airlines led the way last quarter with US$118.4m in baggage revenue. Delta Air Lines (not including Northwest Airlines) was some US$86,000 behind this figure whilst US Airways accrued US$104.1m. AirTran Airways ended up in seventh place with revenues of US$40.5m.
The revenues helped the US industry improve on its collective operating performance. Overall, the 21 reporting carriers posted a combined operating profit of US$361m, which translated into a 1.2% margin, compared to a -4.5% margin in the second quarter of 2008 and a -2.4% margin in the first quarter of 2009. The seven network carriers lost between them US$111m, (representing -0.5%) while the no-frills brigade posted US$334m, with a 7% margin. In contrast the regional airlines chalked up US$138m, or a 7.2% margin.
In fact, the only airlines to lose money on the operating level in the second quarter were Delta (at -US$159m), Continental, with -US$159m, and American (-US$260m). Virgin America was down by US$11m and ExpressJet also lost US$11m, according to the Department Of Transport's Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the moves on the part of US carriers to supplement their income have been reflected elsewhere in the world. Across the Atlantic, at the start of October Ryanair, for example, abolished its check-in desk system and imposed a charge for every bag carried on to an aircraft.
Dulles International airport unveiled its new checkpoints on the arrival and departure levels in September, in a bid to improve its security measures.
The airport's transportation security administration was relocated to a 121,700 square foot area on the mezzanine level, which will replace two existing checkpoints near the ticketing area. Security checkpoint expansions are part of the Dulles development, a US$3.4bn construction programme funded by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. The construction programme also involves terminal expansion, runway work and the creation of an underground AeroTrain System to ferry commuters between terminals.
Servisair Cargo recently added Alaska Airlines and US Airways to its list of carrier customers at Bush Houston Intercontinental airport. Meanwhile, at Boston Logan International, it has won business from Alaska Airlines and Jet Blue, both of whom join long term customer Lufthansa Cargo.
With effect from October 12, Servisair Cargo will be expanding its US presence to include El Paso International airport in Texas. The 16,300 square foot facility, with direct access and a 900 square foot drive-in cooler, will initially be providing cargo handling for US Airways and Continental Airlines Cargo.
Commenting on the recent expansion Neill Meier, Servisair’s Director of Cargo Services for the Americas, said that the handler was extremely pleased with its current momentum in the marketplace and the calibre of carrier customer that it had been successful in obtaining. “Our ability to rapidly respond to the airline community cargo needs in a competitive format has proven effective in allowing us to meet our strategic objectives, irrespective of the continuing economic environment,” he added.
Still on the topic of George Bush Intercontinental, the IAH International Air Cargo Centre II at the airport is set to become the new handling facility for perishable imports arriving at Houston from international markets.
The Tradewinds facility features a 12,000 square foot area for cold storage and has direct ramp access for goods entering airside and for trucks leaving with shipments. The facility is actually located beside a consolidated Federal Inspection Services Centre, which handles the processing and certification of imported products. Tradewinds will provide other import and export value-added services, such as pre-cooling of imports, sorting of imports, re-labelling of imports, certified cargo screening and trans-shipment. The facility is expected to be operational in November.
August 10 2009
In an unusual move, the Canadian government has backed a loan to SAS in order to ensure that the airline will be able to go through with its purchase of eight aircraft from Quebec based manufacturer Bombardier.
Export Development Canada has supplied SAS with the loan through the Canada Account which supports transactions that are deemed to be in the national interest but do not meet the requirements of a regular EDC corporate loan. The government assumes the risk, should SAS run into difficulty or default on the loan.
Bombardier aerospace employs over 30,000 staff and is the world’s third largest civil aviation manufacturer after Airbus and Boeing.
SAS has just announced its seventh consecutive quarterly loss. The airline has implemented a US$630m cost-saving programme which will see wage cuts and staff redundancies.
Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package, the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act”, is making its presence felt in US airports as the Department of Homeland Security prepares to install US$17m worth of CCTV equipment. The installations will occur at sites including Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Ronald Reagan Washington International, Gerald R Ford International and Boise Idaho and will provide a high level of threat detection and enhance emergency response capability.
Meanwhile, at Vancouver International, a day and night camera has been added to the FOD radar detection system in order to monitor the runway for debris in all weather and light conditions. The new high resolution camera will compliment the existing 24-hour automated runway detection system and the four radar and camera units will now be able to spot metal, fibreglass, plastic, wood and glass anywhere on Vancouver’s north and south runways which measure six kilometers in total.
A man in Michigan has been struck by a piece of falling aircraft. "I actually thought my wife threw something at me," the 41-year-old salesman somewhat worryingly told The Detroit Free Press, "Then I thought it was part of a chimney lining covering, so I started looking at my roof, my neighbor's roof."
Far from being an errant roof tile or a marital missile, the item in question was a scrap of aluminium approximately six by eight inches which zipped past Wissam Beydoun’s head only to hit him square on the shoulder.
Falling debris from aircraft is perhaps more common than one might think. Usually the FAA is able to deny liability by issuing a statement along the lines that “no aircraft were in the vicinity at the time of the incident.” As the debris often consists of lumps of ice, or other, less thirst-quenching, frozen liquids, it’s rather difficult to pursue the case further.
Wissam Beydoun should have more luck: his new garden ornament has “aircraft weight on wheels inflation chart” stamped on the side of it.
Newark Liberty International Airport in the US will be installing state-of-art X-ray machines to improve bag screening. The new machines, which use 3D technology, are expected to improve safety and reduce the queuing time for passengers passing through the gates. The modern X-ray machines enable the officials to check the baggage without opening sealed bags or luggage. Around 40% of the airport's boarding gates use the technology already. The machines are in use in terminal A and are currently being installed in Terminal C. The machines cost around US$100,000 each.
ASIG, an industry leader in aviation services, announced today that DHL has awarded ASIG the contract to provide aircraft fuelling services at their World Hub located at Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International. ASIG is refuelling 180 flights weekly for DHL, including subcontracted flights for Atlas Air, Polar Air Cargo and Lufthansa Cargo. As part of the contract, ASIG is also providing maintenance and operation for DHL’s fuel load racks and fuel hydrant pits. “We are very excited that DHL has returned to CVG, selecting ASIG once again to handle their fuelling needs at their largest hub operation. ASIG looks forward to the opportunity to expand into other outsourced service areas with DHL,” remarked Andy Reeves, Senior Vice President Operations and Sales. ASIG provides aircraft refuelling services to DHL at several other locations in the United States.
(ARCHIVED NEWS) |
