Main News February 20

WASP sells to Tronair

WASP has announced the sale of its commercial towbar and tailstand product line to Tronair. Of the business deal, Harley Kaplan, President and CEO of Tronair, said: “The addition of the WASP commercial towbar product line further strengthens Tronair’s growing position in the commercial GSE market and will be a tremendous value add to our customers.”

WASP’s President and CEO, Dane Anderson, commented: “It’s a win-win situation. Tronair can diversify its offerings with additional, specialized GSE for its customers around the world, while we at WASP can fully concentrate on the large format GSE products that our customers rely on us for in their daily operations.”

All major commercial aircraft types, from single aisle aircraft, like the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 family, to a range of widebody aircraft, including the Airbus A330 and Boeing 767, 777 and 787 models, are supported by the commercial towbar and tailstand product line.

Xceding expectations

GSE finance and asset management company Xced Aviation Services, a subsidiary of Sasser Holdings, has finalized a major GSE lease contract with an industry-leading ground services provider as well as a top domestic airline operating out of Dulles International airport.

Of the agreement, William Long, President of Xced Aviation, said: “This deal is one of the first of its kind and our biggest contract since the firm opened its doors in May 2014. It is also an important example of the industry accepting what we are doing. For us to land such a contract so soon validates that we are offering a competitive service product that is not currently being provided to the market.”

The equipment package Xced Aviation will provide includes a combination of new and used ground support equipment in excess of 600 pieces, for the ground services provider to use in servicing the aforementioned airline. The sale also anticipates Xced supplying used GSE to the ground handler on a short-term basis, while the new equipment is delivered over a two month period, to ensure the seamless integration of service under the new contract.

Swissport Canada and Canada Council of Teamsters renew agreement

The Canada Council of Teamsters has renewed its collective agreement with Swissport Canada Handling Inc., who provide ground and cargo handling services from a unit at Dorval and Mirabel airports in Montreal.

With the help of the Labour Program’s Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service – which provides dispute resolution and prevention assistance to trade unions and employers – the terms of the renewed contract were agreed. The Canada Council of Teamsters was the bargaining agent for the unit at Swissport Canada Handling Inc., made up of 281 groomers, ramp and ground handlers, and mechanics and communications co-ordinators working at the international airports in Montreal.

Dr Kellie Leitch, Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women, congratulated both companies on the partnership, saying: “I applaud Swissport Canada Handling Inc. and the Canada Council of Teamsters for working together and finding a solution that will benefit everyone. The best solution is always the one that the parties reach themselves.”

Main News February 16

Hawaiian Airlines most on-time US carrier for 11 years running

Since 2004 Hawaiian Airlines has held the nationwide top spot for punctuality amongst US carriers – a winning streak that has now lasted for 11 consecutive years.

The airline, which is incidentally the largest and longest-serving in Hawaii, averaged a 91.9% on-time performance rating for the whole of last year, and ranked top in 11 of the 12 months, surpassing the industry average for 2014 by 15.7%. The only month it did not come top was December, when it landed second place with an 87.9% on-time performance rating. However for this month it is also ranked second for fewest flights cancelled at 0.3% – only 21 cancellations out of 6,426 flights.

Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian Airlines President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “That we have been better at this than our competitors for 11 years in a row is a testament to the passion and commitment to the customer of Hawaiian Airlines’ more than 5,000 employees.”

During the fourth quarter of 2014, not one of the Hawaiian Airlines’ almost 2.5m passengers was involuntarily denied boarding, earning it first place nationally for the least number of “bumped” passengers during this period.

Winnipeg becomes first airport in Canada to receive LEED certification

Winnipeg’s Richardson International has become the first airport terminal in Canada to achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. The LEED certificate signifies sustainable excellence for green buildings and the Winnipeg terminal achieved a silver rating, exceeding initial expectations.

Barry Rempel, CEO of Winnipeg Airports Authority, said of the achievement: “Attaining external validation of our commitment to the principles of sustainable development is truly exciting… our teams delivered a beautiful, functional facility that minimized its carbon footprint.”

LEED strategies utilized in the 51,500 square metre terminal’s design include daylight optimization to flaunt a continual view of the landscape and sensors that activate electric lighting only when necessary. The building is heated and cooled by circulating warm or cool water in tubing beneath the floor and the windows and roof are significantly more energy efficient thanks to superior insulation, which also prevents fuel emissions entering the building. Local and recyclable products and materials were used as much as possible to minimize energy used in transportation.

Winnipeg International claims to be located at the geographic centre of North America and handles over 3.67m passengers annually. With round-the-clock operations it also says that it is the leading dedicated freighter airport in Canada as measured by the number of flights.

The airport notes it is one of only 17 terminals in North America, and 24 worldwide, to have received LEED certification for new construction projects.

In 2011, the Montreal head office of Air Transat became the first building in Canada to be awarded LEED platinum certification in the existing buildings category.

Airfreight recovery imminent?

According to the International Transport Forum, airfreight tonnage has recovered to its pre-crisis level in the US and European Union – possibly indicating a wider global economic recovery.

ITF says, consistent with its quarterly figures to the end of November 2014, that this is the first time an upsurge like this has happened since the second quarter of 2012. For some four years, the quarterly ITF index has not been encouraging.

ITF also states that sea traffic is also recovering well, but significantly lagging behind the air cargo industry and that it is still 1% below its pre-crisis levels.

Pay protests at JFK

A one-day strike has ensued by Aviation Safeguards employees at John F Kennedy airport in New York. A picket line was set up outside the British Airways terminal by a few dozen baggage handlers protesting unfair labor practices, according to spokeswoman Amity Paye. Paye went on to say that about 30 members of staff walked out at 6am on February 12, one of four shifts of about 100 workers joining the picket line throughout the day. Reportedly no flights were disrupted.

Paye said the baggage handlers are fighting for higher wages, benefits and the right to unionize.

 

Hartsfield-Jackson International plans recycling facility

Proposals have been made for the construction of a large recycling facility in the city of Atlanta to deal with the waste generated at Hartsfield-Jackson International airport, estimated at 25,000 tonnes a year. The Atlanta airport handles over 96m passengers annually, making it the world’s busiest airport; yet a study found that only 5% of the waste stream from the airport’s passenger terminals and seven concourses was recycled in 2012. The city is now looking to avoid landfill use and recycle or compost at least 90% of its waste by January 2020. A 30 acre site has been selected and a tender has been allotted for the development and operation of the facility, which is hoped to be up and running by March 2017 and known as the Green Acres ATL Energy Park.

The aforementioned 2013 study indicated that around 80% of the current waste from the passenger complex consists of materials that could be recycled or composted, with 29% made up of food waste and 32% of compostable paper. In addition to food and paper, the new facility must be capable of handling 175,000 gallons of cooking oil and 50,000 gallons of grease trap fluids every year. Potential developments are already under consideration, including an education centre, a waste-to-fuel facility and local food production.

Airport workers request minimum standards

Airport workers, backed by a labor union, plan to ask the Port of Portland to implement a set of minimum standards to address their concerns over low wages, high turnover, understaffing, safety and equipment problems.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU Local 49) released a paper with findings from a survey of 148 workers employed by subcontractors at Portland International, including fuelers, cabin cleaners, baggage handlers, ramp agents, ticket agents, wheelchair attendants and skycaps. Of those surveyed, 64.6% felt that they did not have enough staff to do their jobs well, 68% felt at risk of repetitive strain injuries and 67% reported that their equipment was in poor condition or insufficient.

Airport workers planned to attend the Port of Portland Commission’s review of a workplace initiatives document and in order to call attention to the importance of adopting a set of minimum standards at the airport. Minimum regulations need to be established as the survey found persistent poverty because of low wages, with many subcontracted workers relying on public assistance programs to afford the bare essentials, such as food, shelter and healthcare.

Main News February 11

Cargo record at Port of New York and New Jersey

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced that it has beaten its previous annual cargo record from 2012 by 4.1%, handling a total of 3.3m cargo containers in 2014. This marks an increase of 5.4% from 2013 figures, in addition to breaking the previously established 2012 record. Subsequently the port maintains its position as the busiest on the East Coast, accounting for nearly 30% of the total market share.

Another annual record was broken in 2014 by ExpressRail, the port’s ship-to-rail system serving New York and New Jersey marine terminals, which handled 9.3% more cargo containers than in 2013, at a total of 465,405 containers. Once again, the previous annual record was set in 2012, with 433,481 containers handled. The agency has invested more than US$600m in ExpressRail, aiming to improve port efficiency, competitiveness and reduce emissions, and plans to build a new facility in Greenville Yard in Jersey City. Funding for all of the port’s road, rail and security projects is now provided by portwide Cargo Facility Charges.

FedEx changes domain at Illinois

FedEx launched new operations at Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington on February 2, following announcements that it was terminating business at Peoria airport, on the west bank of the Illinois River. Flights will mainly operate to Indianapolis and Memphis from the new location. According to the carrier, the move will allow improvements to its priority overnight service and enable earlier delivery times to the central Illinois customer base, while maintaining its Peoria delivery schedule.

The future of de-icing

Gary Lydiate, Chief Executive of Kilfrost, a major supplier of de-icing and anti-icing chemicals, predicts that within 15 years, a durable fuselage coating will be developed to combat icing in aircraft. This may mean an aircraft need only receive preventative treatment monthly, or potentially even less frequently, during the winter months. If the new concept is approved by industry regulators, Gary believes the sector would be open to a verified alternative to chemical spraying. Commenting on the main constraints of the endeavor, he said: “It’s mainly a technical issue at the moment… trying to make something that’s adhesive to the wing and does not distort the airflow.”

Similar ideas already in operation include liquid-metal “heating blankets” such as those bonded inside the leading edge of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner’s wings, which are powered electrically and are intended to deter or remove ice. Other “bleed air” designs use hot air from the engines to remove ice, though according to Boeing this is less efficient and creates additional drag and noise during flight. Eventually, the fuselage coating technique could merge with other aircraft designs and be used more extensively on aircraft. Some researchers even speculate that nanotechnologies might be implemented in aircraft design and used to combat ice-related problems by changing the shape of the wing or other flight surface.

Air Canada agreement with IBT

Air Canada’s US-based workforce has reached a provisional agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents approximately 650 Air Canada airport, cargo and call center employees based in the US. The tentative agreement is subject to verification by union membership. Details of the agreement will not be released prior to ratification and approval by the Air Canada board of directors.

In October last year, Air Canada reached a tentative agreement with the Air Canada Pilots Association, which represents 3,000 Air Canada pilots, on a ten-year labor contract.

Main News February 4

Airline catering employees protest unaffordable healthcare

A union representing some 27,000 airline catering employees has launched a national campaign, involving events in Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas, amongst others, aimed at leading airlines. Recent protests were held in major US cities by employees in the airline catering industry, deploring unaffordable healthcare. Workers claim their healthcare is so extortionate that many are consequently underinsured or uninsured altogether. A petition was delivered to representatives of United, American Airlines and Delta on behalf of nearly 12,000 workers at 31 US airports, who suggest that for just a nickel a ticket the airlines could resolve the issue.

According to a 2014 analysis of nearly 10,000 contracted airline catering workers nationally, over 40% make less than US$10.10 per hour. Such low wages mean workers are unable to pay the premiums of “minimum value plans,” but are also unentitled to purchase more affordable options from health care exchanges. Some employees pay annual premiums for company offered healthcare of over US$1,400 for individuals and US$5,000 for families, in addition to an extra US$5,000 minimum deductible. As a result, many struggle to make ends meet: in the aforementioned survey, 25% of airline catering workers reported receiving some sort of public assistance.

And while all this struggling is going on, the US airline industry is flourishing. American Airlines, for example, reported a record US$1.2bn net profit in the third quarter of 2014. Yet they, along with Delta, United and other airlines, continue to short change their catering staff.

Major jet fuel leak at Honolulu airport

A 43,000 gallon jet fuel spill at the ASIG facility is posing a threat to coastal waters in Honolulu.

The Hawaii State Department of Health, Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response Office and the US Environmental Protection Agency have been overseeing response efforts since the leak sprung from a 2.8m gallon capacity above ground storage tank, which supplies jet fuel to Honolulu airport.

ASIG is under strict orders from EPA to take measures that will stop contamination of further water or shoreline areas. The company’s recovery efforts include pumping the product from trenches and tank monitoring wells and so far approximately 16,000 gallons of fuel has been recovered. Efforts will continue to remove any released product, ensure the spill is contained and prevent an impact on State waters.

The Health Department has said that the spill poses no risk to drinking water, but fuel has spread from the facility through subsurface contamination and is within 150 feet of the harbor.

Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s regional administrator for the Pacific Southwest, said: “Our action is to make sure the fuel is cleaned up quickly to protect public health and Oahu’s ocean environment. We will be monitoring the work closely, and will investigate the cause of the spill to prevent one from happening again.”

Centurion faces eviction

US-based cargo carrier Centurion faces yet another lawsuit, shortly after returning to action in December 2014.

Aero Miami III, the carrier’s current landlord, is requesting that the airline be evicted from its facility at Miami International airport. In December 2014, Centurion was accused of owing more than US$10m in lease payments to AWAS subsidiary Pegasus Aviation Finance, which sought to repossess five aircraft operated by Centurion and its sister airline, SkyLease. The case was later resolved outside of court, and Centurion retained the aircraft, yet it is believed that Aero Miami filed its suit against Centurion the very same day. Centurion denies any outstanding rent payments on its 800,000 square foot facility, retaliating with counter-accusations that Aero Miami overcharged for services and criticizing US$9m worth of construction defects at the facility. The first hearing in Aero Miami’s eviction case was set for February 3, in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court. Next month, despite the ongoing legal disputes, Centurion has said that it is planning to relaunch its scheduled B747-400F Miami-Amsterdam service, to be operated by SkyLease. Centurion currently operates three MD-11F aircraft, while Sky Lease operates three B747-400ERF and a B747-400F type.