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.