WASP wins Product Leader of the Year

WASP was named Product Leader of the Year in March for its “New Standard Dolly” during Ground Support Worldwide’s annual trade show, GSE Expo Worldwide, which was held at Las Vegas this year.

Far from a one-trick pony, the many types and combinations of containers and pallets the dolly can handle means it can replace multiple dollies and makes for greater fleet efficiency. The new Standard Dolly manages all standard container and pallet base sizes to 96-by-125 inches (244-by-318 centimeters).

ATA launches online ASCET training program

Aviation Training Academy (ATA) has revealed plans to launch a new online Aviation Customer Service Excellence Training (ACSET) program, specially for FBOs, airport personnel and other general aviation bodies serving GA aircraft, looking to improve their standards of customer service.

For US$249, you can take the specialized online training course, which combines first-rate customer service elements and techniques with years of firsthand FBO and general aviation experience.

As well as ACSET, ATA also offers other programs directed towards airport operations including; Line Technician in a Day, Line Service Technician Certification and Hazardous Materials Awareness, amongst others. All courses meet the latest industry training standards for aviation support personnel and, upon successful completion, Aviation Training Academy certification is awarded.

JetBlue emissions grow despite better fuel efficiency

Despite recording its best fuel efficiency performance ever, continued growth in traffic operations has resulted in an increase of 5.5% in JetBlue’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2014 compared to the previous year. In terms of greenhouse gas emissions (per 1,000 revenue ton miles) the airline managed a reduction from 1.65 tonnes of CO2e to 1.54 tonnes, a 6% improvement. However, according to ‘The Blue Review’, the carrier’s annual responsibility report, emissions for the whole year rose from 5.9m tons in 2013 to just over 6.2m tons last year. JetBlue is nonetheless averaging 2.2% improvement to its annual fuel efficiency, against an industry target of improving by 1.5% from 2009 to 2020. The airline is not only involved in initiatives to minimize its carbon footprint from operations but is also engaged in programmes to improve recycling and water conservation on board its aircraft, running an annual environmental campaign called ‘One Thing That’s Green,’ since 2008.

TSA adds new security measures

Since the recent gun smuggling operation carried out by baggage handlers at Atlanta airport, the Transportation Security Administration has implemented stricter security regulations for airline and airport workers.

Homeland Security’s Jeh Johnson ordered a 90-day review of security measures in the immediate aftermath of the operation and the TSA is no addressing some of the concerns the review has highlighted. Among the changes announced April 20 are new rules requiring real-time, recurring criminal background checks for aviation workers, including airline employees. Every two years fingerprint-based background checks will also be conducted for airport employees who hold Secure Identification Display Area badges. Airport and airline workers traveling as passengers will also have to go through TSA screening before boarding a flight and the number of access points to secure areas will be reduced to an “operational minimum,” Johnson reportedly said.

Napping baggage handler banned by Alaska

Unsurprisingly, the baggage handler who fell asleep inside an Alaska Airlines cargo hold during his shift will not be making the same mistake twice. Alaska Airlines has reported that the unnamed handler has been banned from working for the airline in the future. Menzies Aviation, a contractor for the airline and employer of the perpetrator, has said the unidentified man is still with the company but has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of its investigation.

Emirates SkyCargo set to expand in the US

Emirates SkyCargo plans to launch a daily service to from Dubai to Orlando, Florida, as of September 1, expanding its US cargo network to 11 destinations.

The new route will be operated by a Boeing 777-200 LR, which has a belly hold capacity of up to 17 tonnes of cargo per flight. This comes in addition to Emirates SkyCargo’s belly hold cargo services to San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC, Boston, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston, with the latter four cities also comprising part of the carrier’s US freighter network, along with Atlanta.

Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo, said of the expansion: “With the addition of Orlando to the Emirates SkyCargo network, we will now serve 11 points across the US, giving us good connectivity to serve our customers both within the country and across our network. Last year we carried more than 100,000 tonnes of cargo to and from the United States, facilitating foreign trade and opportunities between the world’s largest economy and markets within our network, mainly in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.”

Emirates Cargo expects exports from Orlando to include aircraft parts, pharmaceuticals, perfume and machine parts, while imports are likely to be electronics, garments, automotive spare parts, aircraft spare parts, construction equipment, hospital instruments and equipment.

EPIC and UAS launch collaborative fuel program

UAS International Trip Support and EPIC Aviation have announced the launch of their fuel program components, which will be a great value-add to their customers.

The details of the project became available to customers, who’ve been anticipating information regarding the enhanced programs since its announcement in February. Tailored UAS pricing has now been merged into the EPIC system, enabling EPIC Cardholders to fuel at more than 3,000 international locations.

Jay Husary, Executive Vice President of UAS, said of the venture: “This is an important step for this fuel program and great news for EPIC Cardholders. They no longer have to thumb through a stack of credit cards, trying to determine the best method of payment at FBOs overseas – plus they get the added value of enhanced trip support and expertise from an established network.”

Food workers protest against understaffing in Los Angeles

Flying Food Group workers in Los Angeles airport went on strike on April 14, requesting more staff be taken on to cope with the workload and better equipment to do their jobs.

The company provides in-flight meals for Air France, China Airlines and Virgin Australia, amongst others. China Airlines and Virgin Australia said they had not experienced disruption to their schedules as a result of the action.

The strike, organized by Unite Here, comprised some 100 employees who sometimes work 12-15 hour shifts to compensate for lack of staff, with four workers often required to do the work of seven. Additional they bemoaned a lack of equipment, machinery and meal ingredients to do their jobs properly. Flying Food Group had previously promised to resolve the understaffing problem, but is yet to take action.

Southwest 737s to have widest seats in US

From 2016, customers of Southwest Airlines can expect to enjoy wider seats on the carrier’s 737 flights. Southwest intends to enlarge seats by almost an inch, taking them from 17.1 inches to 17.8 inches wide and earning them the accolade of the widest 737 seat of any US airline. By comparison, seats on the same model of aircraft belonging to Alaska Airlines measure 17 inches wide, and as much as 17.3 inches on some United Airlines 737s in economy class, according to the SeatGuru.com.

Southwest’s Chief Commercial Officer, Bob Jordan, said: “The new aircraft seats are the widest economy seats available in the single-aisle 737 market, and offer a unique design that gives our customers what they asked for: more space.”

Air Canada Teamsters approve new contract

A new contract affecting more than 500 US-based Air Canada employees was confirmed by Teamster members who voted 200-to-101 in favor of the agreement. The seven year contract provides increases to the top of the wage scale of 2% in 2012 and 2013, 3% in 2014, 2015 and 2016, and 2% in 2017 and 2018. In 2018 employees will additionally receive a 2% bonus.

Captain David Bourne, Director of the Teamsters Airline Division, said of the agreement: “We are pleased that our members at Air Canada have approved a strong contract that keeps their jobs secure and raises workplace standards at the airline. Our focus was to negotiate a contract worthy of our members’ hard work and dedication. That’s why we went back to the table after members voted down the previous tentative agreement. The members have now spoken, showing the new contract meets the exceptional standards that our members deserve.” The new agreement will be in effect until June 2019.

CanJet cuts 70% of its staff

Layoff notices, to become effective as of May 6, were sent to 47 of CanJet’s 62 pilots and 68 of its 100 flight attendants as a consequence of the cancelation of its European routes for summer 2015. The carrier announced it had to “realign [its] employee group to a much smaller group” after terminating its European routes because they weren’t proving to be profitable.

In winter 2014, the airline had to make 21 pilots redundant as it canceled 40% of its scheduled flights because of overestimated sales for its first winter season. Soon to terminate is CanJet’s contract for charter flights on behalf of Transat Holidays, which will further decrease flights from the airline’s schedule. The carrier is reportedly considering its options, possibly scheduled flights in Canada and internationally.

Virgin Atlantic Cargo gains new Jan de Rijk contract

A new three-year road feeder services contract between Virgin Atlantic Cargo and Jan de Rijk Logistics has extended the carrier’s delivery network to over 50 airports across Europe.

Under the new contract, the airline is to offer an even greater choice of destinations to customers sending freight on its flights into the UK from North America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.

Virgin Cargo’s collaboration with Jan de Rijk will allow the airline to offer customers destinations across the Europe and Scandinavia, becoming responsible for moving some 50% of the airline’s cargo into Europe.

Sebastiaan Scholte, Chief Executive of Jan de Rijk, said: “Our customer service and operations teams are very familiar with the Virgin Atlantic Cargo product and this contract extension reflects the trust the airline has in our extensive trucking network. In addition, being Good Distribution Practice (GDP) and now IATA CEIV Pharma Handling certified will help to support Virgin Atlantic’s value proposition to customers in the pharmaceutical industry and their logistics partners.”

Jenny Holdaway, European Service Delivery Manager at Virgin Atlantic Cargo, said: “Jan de Rijk not only provides an extensive scheduled delivery network across Europe, they also understand our high customer service expectations and have consistently met our requirements.”

In addition to Jan de Rijk, Virgin Atlantic recently extended its contract with Cranleigh Freight Services, which provides its main trucking routes linking London with Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt and Paris, by a further three years.

Industrial action in Latin America

A number of flights of South American LAN Airlines were affected when the airline’s unions began a series of actions on March 25 in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Miami. The company has so far not responded to the union’s demands to improve working conditions. LAN Airlines workers are responsible for passenger safety, aircraft maintenance, and customer connections in airports.

A leaflet to be distributed to passengers at various airports in the aforementioned regions, reads: “National and international passengers could be subject to extensive delays and cancellations. Chile, Colombia and Ecuador are important hubs for the airline”.

The dispute has gained support from many of the large transport unions in the US, including Teamsters Local 769 of Miami and the community organization, South Florida Voices for Working Families. The latter will be joining others in handing out information at the 2015 Sony Open tennis tournament in Miami, Florida, of which LAN Airlines is an official sponsor. Leaflets will alert the public about the conditions of the LAN Airlines workers and the potential delays that could affect those attending the tennis tournament.

According to Luis Chavez, President of the LAN Express union in Chile, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador are important connecting hubs to flights throughout Latin America. “These difficulties are preventable and predictable. The problems are cascading due to LAN Airlines refusal to provide fair conditions for their workers.”

United issues job cuts at Will Rogers airport

United Airlines is cutting 79 union jobs at Will Rogers World airport as part of a companywide effort to cut costs through outsourcing. Three management and two administrative staff positions in Oklahoma City are also part of the jobs cuts.

The cuts affect United airport operations staff at Will Rogers, specifically 34 customer service workers and 40 ramp workers, according to a layoff notice the company sent to the Oklahoma Commerce Department.

United spokesman, Luke Punzenberger, said: “These were difficult decisions, but we need to ensure our costs are competitive.” He went on to say that in some instances, affected employees – who are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers – will have an option to transfer to jobs at other airports.

These cuts come as part of a cost-cutting plan the carrier revealed earlier this year, to outsource 2,000 jobs at 28 airports. The job cuts will not affect any of United’s Oklahoma City routes, said Will Rogers spokeswoman Karen Carney. She went on to comment: “It’s kind of an overall strategy by carriers to switch over to contract employees and Oklahoma City was not alone.”

Oklahoma City United employees are expected to lose their jobs over a two-week period beginning May 16.

ICAO to develop international drone standards?

The technology for small, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for domestic business use is evolving faster than standards for larger drones, but how to regulate them has been a point of contention. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is devising new safety standards for 2018 on large UAS that cross borders, and is considering helping countries draw up domestic rules for integrating drones into their airspace. It has been estimated by industry analyst Teal Group that the UAS industry will become a US$91bn market in ten years.

On March 23, aerospace manufacturers urged all 191 ICAO member countries to collaborate with the organization to create common global safety standards for drone use, such as licensing and pilot qualifications.

Marion Blakey, the chair of the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries, said of the matter: “We shouldn’t drag our feet on developing a global regulatory system.”

Following the FAA’s delayed response to Amazon and the company’s need to test new drones, FAA deputy administrator Michael Whitaker said the agency also favored international standards.

Amazon received approval from the FAA to test-fly its delivery drones in the US – with many restrictions – but by the time the company got the approval for the drone it was testing, the device was already obsolete. Amazon has since developed newer models, which it is testing in the UK and other countries, and has said that the FAA is too restrictive on their drone-related policies, and would prefer to have a commercial drone exemption, as has already been granted to roughly 50 operators in the US.