18th May 2012
The Melbourne Airport Authority looks likely to select a Georgia company from which to purchase new ground handling equipment. In all, four manufacturing companies submitted bids for the three pieces of specialized equipment. These were TUG Technologies; NMC-Wollard; JBT AeroTech and AERO Specialties. It is believed that airport staff have recommended that the authority select TUG Technologies’ bid of US$189,000. The airport had budgeted a total of US$205,000 for the GSE, of which the Florida Department of Transportation will contribute half.
Spirit Airlines is back in the headlines because of its so-called à la carte fees.
This time, however, it's not for the introduction of a new fee but for a hike in the existing fee structure.
From the beginning of this autumn, putting a carry-on bag into a Spirit overhead storage bin will start costing certain customers up to U$100 each way. To date, Spirit and Allegiant are the only US carriers to charge customers for bring aboard carry-on bags. Smaller items that can fit beneath the seat in front of a passenger remain free of charge.
Passengers would do well to budget accordingly…
Southwest Airlines and the Transport Workers Union 550, which represents the carrier's dispatcher workforce, have announced that the parties have reached a tentative agreement. This sets the scene for a five year contract that will run through November 2014. It will be presented to all Southwest’s dispatchers, pending a final review and approval from the TWU 550 Board of Directors.
The carrier’s spokesman, Bruce Hicks, has said that American Airlines has ratified agreements with five workgroups represented by the Transport Workers Union, including Fleet Service, Dispatch, Maintenance Control Technicians, Simulator Technicians and Ground School and Simulator Pilot Instructors.
“These consensual agreements preserve approximately 1,300 jobs, and provide an Early-Out package, a profit sharing plan, future pay increases, a 401(k) company match and a potential company prefunding refund,” he said.
He added that the ratification announcement demonstrated American's willingness to address the TWU's interests and the union's willingness to negotiate new contracts that would achieve the cost savings needed for the company’s restructuring.
In realizing that this was a very difficult decision for the TWU-represented employees, he expressed disappointment that the Mechanic & Related and Stores workgroups had not ratified the company's latest settlement proposals.
Customers who flew with US Airways last month unwittingly experienced the carrier's best operational performance ever. The carrier set new records for on-time departures and arrivals, as well as completion factors and baggage handling. Moreover, April's results follow the airline's best ever first quarter performance.
"During the past four years, US Airways has led the industry in what matters most to customers: safe, reliable travel. And so far this year, our customers are experiencing our best performance ever on the most important operational metrics," commented US Airways' Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Robert Isom.
4th May 2012
Saker Aviation Services, an aviation services company specializing in ground-based services to the general aviation marketplace, has announced that it intends to generate growth through merger/acquisition activity: to that end it has selected Corporate Finance Associates to achieve this goal.
"We believe that the timing may be right in our industry and in the financial markets to resume our merger/acquisition activity," commented Ronald J Ricciardi, the company’s CEO. "Our intent will be to acquire companies that leverage our current infrastructure, both functionally and geographically, while remaining open to opportunities that may expand our capabilities."
American Airlines Cargo has been recognized as Best Cargo Airline in The Americas for the fifth consecutive year by readers of Air Cargo News. In this year's Cargo Airline of the Year award poll, more than 25,000 votes were cast by supply chain professionals for their preferred global providers. Voting in the 29th annual competition was audited by the UK-based British International Freight Association.
Late in April, the Transportation Security Administration announced the start of TSA Pre√ operations with Alaska Airlines at Seattle-Tacoma International airport. Alaska Airlines has become the third airline to begin offering TSA Pre√ to select members of its frequent flyer program, in addition to Delta and American Airlines. TSA Pre√ is a pre-screening initiative and allows select passengers to receive expedited screening for domestic travel.
TSA Pre√ is part of the agency’s broader effort to implement risk-based security concepts to enhance security by focusing on travelers about which the agency has less information. So far, more than 820,000 passengers have received expedited screening through TSA Pre√ security lanes, since the initiative began in October 2011. TSA Pre√ is now available in 13 airports for select US citizens traveling on Alaska, American and Delta Air Lines and members of US Customs and Border Protection Trusted Traveler programs.
As we went to press, it was revealed that Orlando International has also joined the group of airports offering this facility.
Delta Air Lines has signed a corporate-wide settlement agreement with the US Occupational Safety & Health Administration in order to protect workers who operate baggage handling vehicles.
The agreement covers approximately 90 of Delta’s airport sites that fall under federal OSHA’s jurisdiction, as well as 16,000 Delta employees and 6,000 baggage handling vehicles. Under this agreement, Delta will comply with requirements for the use of seatbelts by ensuring that all types of the company’s baggage handling vehicles are thus equipped and that employees use these seatbelts while operating these vehicles on specified airport routes. The agreement comes in the wake of an investigation at Delta following a fatality in which an employee operating a baggage tug vehicle was not wearing a seatbelt: he was thrown from the vehicle and subsequently died of his injuries.
According to the UK office, this initiative will also be implemented around Europe.
American Airlines has said that it plans to eliminate another 1,200 jobs as part of its strategy to cut costs in bankruptcy.
Affected jobs will include non-union passenger and cargo agents, sky caps and baggage service workers at smaller airports: stations will include Memphis, Reno, Sacramento and Portland.
American Airlines previously announced its plans that would result in the elimination of 13,000 union jobs, which equates to some 15% of its workforce. This was to be part of an overall drive to save US$1.25bn in annual staffing costs.
As part of this latest announcement, American has said that it would also close its reservations centre in Tucson. Affected workers would be offered jobs elsewhere or set up as home-based employees. The carrier is also due to close its Admirals Clubs at both Washington and Kansas City airports. The latest changes, which do not require the approval of the New York bankruptcy court, are expected to occur within a few months.
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