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October 15

Lift-A-Loft announces newly redesigned APX20-DPL boarding bridge

Global lift specialist Lift-A-Loft has made improvements to its line of boarding bridges to better the experience of passengers with reduced mobility. Using customer feedback, the new unit has been redesigned to make it easier to operate and highly maneuvrable in busy areas around the airport. Interfacing with the aircraft is now easier and the fully enclosed upper cabin provides improved comfort for passengers, ensuring plenty of natural light thanks to multi-aspect windows and a translucent roof.

The newly redesigned APX20-DPL has an extended range of platform heights, from a minimum 4’9” to a maximum platform height of 21’5”, allowing a single unit to interface with regional jets all the way up to wide body aircraft. The bridge also comes with a recessed L-Track in the floor and walls to ensure wheelchairs are fully secure during transport. Additional extras for units can include air conditioning, an intercom system and fold down seats.

Special functions include adjustable front guardrails, a 24” extendable deck and front swivel bumper, which make the final aircraft interface safe and easy to accomplish. An auto-close, folding lift gate is also integrated into the apparatus, which can be easily raised or lowered by one person and can accommodate two stretchers or four wheelchairs at a time. All lift functions can be operated from either the driver’s cab or from the van body. From here, the operator can move and position the lift as necessary for maximum visibility.

Jet2 under investigation by US authorities

The US Department of Transportation is investigating low cost airline Jet2 in relation to its conditions of carriage for disabled passengers.

Jet2 is the only UK and EU registered carrier to enforce strict weight limits on the carriage of wheelchairs and mobility scooters. As a result of this policy, owners of electric wheelchairs (often weighing over 100 kilograms) are unable to take their mobility aids with them on Jet2 flights. To make matters worse, the weight cap imposed by the airline is half that imposed by other airlines, such as Norwegian or Ryanair, using the same Boeing 737 model of aircraft. In addition to the imposed weight limit, Jet2 also states on its website that disabled passengers who fail to pre-book assistance may be denied boarding or may be forced to pay to re-book on to a later flight.

Jet2 is soon to operate a number of flights to and from the United States, which will mean the airline will become subject to American disability law and the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA). In light of this, DOT is taking steps to ensure the airline complies with the newly applicable regulations. “DOT will contact the carrier to discuss the policies posted on its website that may not be in compliance with Part 382,” a DOT spokesperson has said, referring to the ACAA.

Breaching the ACAA can have serious consequences for the offending carrier and may result in penalties of up to US$27,500 per violation. In November 2013 The US Department of Transportation fined Virgin America US$150,000 for making safety videos that were inaccessible to deaf passengers, and US Airways US$1.2m for failing to provide adequate wheelchair assistance to disabled passengers in Philadelphia and Charlotte.

TCR signs contract with SAS

TCR International has announced the signing of a major contract through its subsidiary TCR Denmark with SAS for the purchase and leaseback of all vehicles, motorised and otherwise, at Copenhagen airport.

Now present in 19 Scandinavian airports, TCR is to become wholly responsible for SAS’s GSE fleet at Copenhagen and for providing ground services to the airline at this base. Through this agreement, TCR is consolidated as the main supplier of all GSE for SAS throughout most Scandinavian airports, reaffirming its leadership position in Europe. This contract marks the culmination of the group’s regional expansion plans, increasing the TCR activities in the region by more than 1,800 vehicles. As part of the deal, TCR will also build a brand new 4,000 square metre workshop at Copenhagen airport.

TCR’s first major contract in Scandinavia started in 2011 at Oslo airport with the sale and rent-back of Menzies’ entire GSE fleet, followed by the signing of contracts with Aviator in 2012 and with SAS in 2014. In February last, TCR launched its subsidiary TCR Sweden as part of a long-term agreement with SGH on three Swedish airports: Stockholm Arlanda, Göteborg Landvetter and Malmö.

September 10

WestJet selects Jettainer to manage ULD fleet

The management and maintenance of WestJet’s pallets and containers has been assigned to Jettainer, whose operations will begin with the launch of the airline’s new wide-body service.

The first of four newly delivered Boeing 767-300 aircraft will carry approximately 400 pallets and containers as it begins operations with the launch of WestJet’s non-stop service from Canada to Europe and other regions of the world. The ULD fleet will continue to expand as additional units are added to WestJet’s inventory.

Of the recent acquisition, Managing Director of Jettainer, Carsten Hernig, said: “We are delighted to have won WestJet as a new customer. By signing with this Canadian airline, we were first of all able to further strengthen our position in the Americas, one of our most important growth markets.”

Jettainer has been paying particular attention to this region of the world recently, having established Jettainer Americas in 2014 with the opening of several offices in North America. Additionally, the company took over the ULD management for American Airlines and KF Aerospace as part of its regional investment and wider aim to achieve close market presence in the Americas.

Hernig went on to say: “This new contract also confirms our aim at approaching low cost carriers and leisure airlines, which are expanding their product portfolio, for example in terms of adding wide-body aircraft to their fleets in order to serve long-haul destinations. Such companies highly appreciate having a strong partner offering both a global network and the complete ULD management service portfolio, which includes the steering, positioning, maintenance and repair of loading devices.”

United to allow time-saving taxi-ing

Weight and balance sheets are traditionally signed off at the stand prior to pushback, but United Airlines is challenging the status quo with its proposal, stated on July 31, to revert to a pre-merger policy that permits all pilots to taxi before receiving final weights.

Despite United Airlines having long permitted this of its pilots, Continental Airlines, with whom it merged, has contrastingly required pilots to wait in the gate area for final numbers prior to taxi-ing. Thus, the United-Continental combined carrier preferred the latter approach, making the recent proposal somewhat controversial.

United argues that waiting for final numbers is problematic in that it can lead to delays and has told pilots that the new policy will help to ensure that aircraft leave gates and runways in a more timely manner. The carrier hopes the new policy will “reduce gate-availability delays for inbound flights” and told pilots that the new system should enable a “safer, more efficient and reliable operation.”

Pilots were also told: “[This] allows our airport operations co-workers a realistic amount of time to input accurate payload values into the load planning system, getting it right the first time as opposed to sending through revisions.”

Several of United’s fleet have already started using the new policy and the remaining aircraft models should soon join the ranks. It was hoped that by the end of last month United’s largest fleet, the Boeing 737, would have implemented the new policy, bringing the airline into alignment with other US carriers, most of which allow pilots to begin taxi-ing before final numbers are calculated.

 Asia Pacific’s top five airports see decline in cargo

A large percentage of the world’s major airfreight hubs are located in the Asia Pacific region. Following the recent decline in key developing markets like China, in addition to oil producing economies, and the subsequent weakness this has caused in other areas of the economy, a slowdown in airfreight volumes has been recorded. Volumes were flat this July, showing no year-over-year growth from the previous July. In fact, of the region’s top five airports, all experienced a reduction in freight volumes for the month of July, with Hong Kong seeing a 1.9% decrease.

The story was slightly different in North America, where air cargo figures were rather more mixed amongst the region’s busiest cargo hubs, in terms of year-over-year growth. Memphis, a FedEx hub, and Louisville, a UPS hub, experienced growth of 2.5% and 4.2% respectively; however airports that have a larger international component to their freight saw volumes drop. Anchorage and Miami, for example, saw air freight traffic drop by 5.6% and 2.3% respectively. Subsequently net growth for the region as a whole was still flat.

Air Canada Cargo introduces e-booking

This September, Air Canada Cargo brought its online operations up to speed, launching an updated version of its website that enables customers to book cargo shipments directly on aircanadacargo.com

Air Canada Cargo account holders can now log in online to book and manage all their cargo shipments, including even specialized consignments, such as AC Cool Chain, AC DGR (dangerous goods) and AC Live (animals). Such bookings can be made for flights within Air Canada’s global and interline networks. The airline has commented that the new e-booking and management tool provides a “simple, intuitive interface.”

The system’s e-booking capabilities include quote estimation for the cost of the shipment and an interface for managing and tracking multiple shipments. Customers can also view the status of all their current shipments, fill out an e-AWB, add to the house air waybill, edit a shipment or print a document pouch. With the arrival of e-booking and e-AWB capability such as this in most of its network, Air Canada Cargo has been encouraging its customers to fully participate in the digitization of their shipping systems and aims to renew emphasis on the benefits of going paperless, with a specific promotion campaign intended for a launch in the coming weeks.

AA team executives join E-team

Episcale, the Florida-based technology company which specializes in paperless transactions, recently saw two former American Airlines executives join the team to help promote a cloud-based e-air waybill solution, the eFreight360.

David Brooks, former President of American Airlines Cargo, has joined Episcale as an advisor. Remarking on the new product’s potential, he said: “It leverages cloud and XML technology to reduce the barriers users face in moving to a paperless environment.” He added, “When I formally left the industry, the community was whining that to go paperless meant duplicate processes and rekeying of data, which mitigated the benefits of getting rid of the paper. eFreight360 makes it possible to harvest shipment data, consolidate and distribute it more efficiently.”

Also joining the line-up is former Executive Vice President of AA customer service, Jon Snook, who has joined Episcale as an advisor, too. He brings 25 years’ experience working in various departments for American Airlines, including cargo, trucking, ground handling and passenger processing, and has held positions including Vice-President Operations Planning and Managing Director Sales and Marketing for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Jon Snook described Episcale’s eFreight360 as the world’s first and only fully paperless air cargo solution, bringing “modern cloud-based technology to the air cargo market that will not only dramatically streamline air freight processes, but will truly revolutionise the way world commerce is transacted.”

Mr Brooks concluded that the eFreight360 “will bring huge value to any organization involved in the air freight shipping process.”

June 19

Latam Airlines Group bottom place on Americas Airline Index

The Latam Airlines Group has been ranked the bottom of the league table for this decade on the Bloomberg Americas Airline Index, just three years after the merger between Chilean carrier LAN and Brazil’s TAM. Latam Airlines’ stocks continue to drop and post poor results, sending shares to a six-year low this month. When the merger took place Brazil’s economy was thriving, but recent statistics show that last year Brazil’s GDP was dormant and actually dropped by 1.6% in the first quarter of 2015, compared to 2015’s Q1.According to Bloomsberg’s data, only 22% of analysts recommend buying Latam now, compared to 71% in June 2012.

 

Hybrid airship breakthrough

For over 20 years, US-based company Lockheed Martin Aeronautics has been developing a hybrid airship to address the difficulty of bringing heavy equipment into areas with inadequate infrastructure. Just this week, Hybrid Enterprises, announced a breakthrough on behalf of Lockheed at the Paris Air Show: it will be taking orders for this new class of aircraft for delivery as early as 2018.

These airships will be the solution to the problems presented by the delivery of cargo to the parts of the world that have no direct access to paved roads. This comprises over two-thirds of the world’s land surface and half the human population – thus a great deal stands to be gained by this invention.

The airships would enable the affordable and safe delivery of cargo and personnel anywhere, weather permitting, with little or no infrastructure. Rob Binns, CEO of Hybrid Enterprises, said of the creation: “Lockheed Martin’s Hybrid Airships will significantly reduce the cost and environmental impact of remote operations, making it possible to reach locations previously thought inaccessible.” In addition to making hard to reach areas viable destinations, the airships burn less than one-tenth the fuel of a helicopter per ton, and will therefore be much more sustainable.

Lockheed Martin’s P-791, a fully functional, manned flight demonstrator has already been used to test the technologies required for hybrid airships in flight. Orlando Carvalho, Executive VP of Lockheed Martin, said all necessary planning steps for FAA certification of a new class of aircraft are finalised, and the company is ready to start producing its first model for the commercial market. Work is already underway on the 20 ton variant at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics facility in Palmdale, US.

United leaves JFK

United Airlines has decided to do away with its operations at JFK, New York’s main airport, to focus its efforts at Newark, New Jersey, at which it has a hub.

Only 15 United aircraft fly from JFK, carrying out transcontinental routes to places such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, most often utilizing aircraft with fewer seats and more beds to appeal to its premium-class passengers. If the Wall Street Journal is to be believed, however, these routes have not made a profit since United launched them seven years ago. Poor results are likely due, at least in part, to stiff competition from the likes of JetBlue, American Airlines and Delta, which are also based at JFK.

Operating these flights out of JFK has also meant that the airline could not feed passengers into its network at Newark, from where it operates 500 flights a day, including transatlantic routes. United has sold its JFK slots to Delta Air Lines, which intends to reciprocally sell its own Newark slots to United, dependent on the go-ahead from regulators.

EPA to address aircraft GHG emissions

The Environmental Protection Agency Administrator is predicting to find that greenhouse gas emissions from certain classes of aircraft engines contribute to climate change and endanger public health and welfare, as per section 231(a) of the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act). At this time, the EPA is not at this time submitting aircraft engine GHG emission standards.

The EPA is also releasing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that will provide details on the process for implementing an international CO2 emissions standard for aircraft with ICAO.

June 9

Three-year drug smuggling scheme at Oakland International

A group of Southwest baggage handlers at Oakland International airport was reportedly involved in a drug smuggling conspiracy that has been going on for more than three years. The employees abused their positions of authority, using their security badges to enter secure areas of the airport carrying bags containing marijuana. After smuggling the bags past security checkpoints they were then given to waiting accomplices in the airport who had successfully cleared security. These mules then transported the drugs in carry-on bags to other cities around the country.

The handlers were amongst some 14 accused that have been charged for participating in the illicit scheme. The accused employees are no longer permitted access to the airport and are now under internal investigation.

Delta to load carry-on in advance of passenger boarding

As of the summer travel season, Delta intends to preload passenger carry-on bags into overhead bins on some flights in the hope that it will speed up the boarding process.

Airlines have long been searching for a more efficient boarding method: most simply let first-class and other elite customers board first and following this will either fill the remaining seats working from the rear rows forward or by filling window seats first and working towards the aisle. Some use a combination of the two. Other methods, like letting passengers board early if they do not have carry-on bags, have also been tried.

Passengers are well aware that boarding late means there might not be any room left in the overhead bin for their hand luggage, which leaves them anxious, and airlines, too, know that slow boarding creates delays, which can lead to missed connections, unhappy customers and incurred costs.

It has been calculated by researchers from Northern Illinois University that every extra minute an aircraft stands idle at the gate adds US$30 in costs. About one in four US flights runs at least 15 minutes behind schedule, which, multiplied by thousands of flights each day, quickly mounts up.

Delta is taking a proactive approach by launching its Early Valet service, which involves airline employees taking carry-on bags from passengers at the gate and putting them in the bins above the seats assigned to those passengers. The aim is to see if its airline workers can load the bins faster than passengers. The service, already in action, is expected to increase slowly throughout the month of June, according to Delta spokeswoman, Morgan Durrant.

Air Canada recruits Mercator to provide new software

Air Canada has signed on software provider Mercator and will implement the RAPID Cargo solution in the hope of enhancing its revenue accounting system for cargo operations.

The carrier has said that it was looking for an integrated, modern revenue accounting solution that would interface with its existing cargo system and this new application offers to tend to these concerns, helping align its processes to “industry leading practices, standards and quality”.

Air Canada wants to improve the efficiency of accounts, reduce manual processing and intervention, and enable the generation of real-time reports.

The RAPID Cargo application works by transforming the data on cargo air waybills into a flow of financial and strategic information. Bernard Donoghue, Chief Commercial Officer at Mercator, added: “Air Canada joins a growing community of more than 60 air carriers worldwide that use RAPID to manage their revenue accounting as they seek innovative ways to streamline their businesses and reduce costs in challenging economic times.”

Chris Isford, Vice President and Controller at Air Canada, said: “We reviewed and evaluated several cargo revenue accounting solutions on the market, and ultimately chose Mercator for its track record in rapidly responding to the changing financial needs of airlines by using the latest industry-tested technologies.

“We sought a modern, reliable and robust framework to handle our revenue accounting processes, and RAPID Cargo enables us to handle the most complex revenue accounting demands with speed, accuracy and profitability.”

Main News May 15

Southwest Airlines seeks to fill 500 ramp agent positions

Southwest Airlines is looking to hire an additional 500 ramp agents, and is even offering possible financial relocation assistance for candidates hired from outside the company moving more than 100 miles for a ramp agent position in Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston or Baltimore.

Julie Weber, Vice President of People, said: “We’re looking for people who desire more than just a job. More than 71% of Southwest employees define their work at Southwest as a calling. The ramp agent position can be demanding, with non-traditional hours and exposure to a wide variety of weather conditions. We are looking for hardworking, fun-loving, and caring people who love working with others and giving it their all.”

The airline has spent the last 21 years on FORTUNE’s list of World’s Most Admired Companies, ranking number seven in 2015. Additionally, Southwest was ranked as the top airline employer and one of the top 20 best employers overall on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Employers.

Employment with Southwest boasts an excellent benefits package, including a dollar-for-dollar match in the 401(k) plan, up to 8.3-9.3% of eligible salary, as well as annual profit sharing payments, which, in 2014, equalled five weeks of pay toward employee retirement accounts.

Amadeus acquires AirIT

Amadeus has purchased the previously Fraport-owned company AirIT; this becomes the second acquisition of a well-established airport industry business for Amadeus in the past 15 months.

With this gain, the IT business has fully established itself in the North American market, which is seen as a key region for the airport IT sector; it will also better enable Amadeus to respond to those customer needs outside of North America. AirIT’s solutions are in operation at 30 of the top 50 busiest airports in the US, which includes Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and Charlotte. Thus, AirIT will serve to complement Amadeus’ business with a strong customer base that comprises over 115 airlines and 120 airports mostly in the US, Canada and the Caribbean.

Combining its existing airport management solutions with the AirIT PROPworks portfolio, a highly configurable property and revenue management solution for airports of all sizes, Amadeus will be able to manage contracts, invoices, sales, tenants and more besides. PROPworks is already in use at four of the five busiest airports.

LEKTRO celebrates 70th anniversary

This year electric aircraft tug manufacturer LEKTRO is celebrating not only its seventieth anniversary – an impressive milestone in itself – but also the sale of its four thousand, five hundredth tug, which took place earlier this year.

“We weren’t always a towbarless aircraft tug company, but it seemed fitting to have our kick-off celebration in the same city where our towbarless story began,” said Henry Balensifer, LEKTRO’s Communications Manager.

Company founder, Wilt Paulson, along with his friend Sy King, who owned Flightcraft in Portland, developed the first towbarless aircraft tug. King realised that aircraft could be saved from common damage if the towbar was eliminated and instead the nose landing gear was simply lifted. The pair developed the Airporter by turning the LEKTRO mink feeder chassis around so that the steering tyres were at the rear of the vehicle, under the operator, and the drive tyres at the front, where a hydraulic lift cradle would be attached. The nosegear of the aircraft would then be lifted off the ground by this cradle, transferring the aircraft nose weight on to the tug. Subsequent to this invention, the first towbarless aircraft tug was born.

Air Canada and its union announce agreement

A new seven-year contract, covering more than 500 US-based Air Canada employees, was confirmed by Teamster members when they voted 200 to 101 in favor of the agreement.

Capt David Bourne, Director of the Teamsters Airline Division, said: “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, in effect through June 2019, imposes 2% increases to the top of the wage scale each year for the first three years of the contract beginning July 1, 2012; and 3% increment each year for the next two years of the contract, followed by a 2% rise for the last two years of the contract. In 2018 member will receive a lump sum bonus of 2%.

The Air Canada contract also expands job security, with a non-subcontracting provision protecting Teamster work, even if flights at a station are entirely replaced with another carrier’s flights. The agreement also gives newer employees access to retirement benefits and new health care options for all members covered by the contract.

Main News April 29

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.

Main News April 24

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.”

Main News April 16

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.

Main News April 2

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.

Main News March 25

United: cutbacks continue

United Airlines is to effect 66 redundancies at Jacksonville International as of May. This comes following an announcement in January that it was considering cutting up to 2,000 jobs at 28 airports in total, with the intention of outsourcing the positions. The decision will mostly affect baggage handlers or gate and customer service agents.

Additionally United has announced 69 redundancies at Palm Beach International and a further 115 at Miami International. United says that staff were told of the decision earlier in the year, and the hope is that they will have the opportunity to transfer to other stations in due course.

Servisair accused of violating drug testing policy

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed fining Servisair (Las Vegas) US$105,500 for alleged violations of drug and alcohol testing regulations. The FAA believes that the handler failed to administer drug and alcohol tests to the minimum required number of employees during 2013. It is also believed that, following the completion of their training, five employees were excluded from the company’s random testing pool for a length of time. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that Servisair failed to distribute its drug use policy, and to display and distribute educational material, along with an employee assistance helpline, after moving to a new terminal.

FAA plans alterations to drone restrictions

The US Federal Aviation Administration plans to facilitate the commercial use of drone aircraft for specific business operations. Generally, drones of this nature are banned in the States, except in a small number of cases where the FAA has granted an exemption. More than 750 requests for exemptions to the ban have been received but up till now only 48 have been awarded.

However, the FAA now intends to simplify the process by removing the need for companies with exemptions to acquire new authorisation for each new use of a drone. The policy change could benefit a host of companies that are pushing for a removal of bans on commercial uses of automated aircraft, and boost business operations for manufacturers and service providers built around drone technology. Also in line to benefit are companies that already have exemptions from the commercial drone ban, such as Chevron, Berkshire Hathaway’s BNSF Railway Company, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance and a number of film and media companies. All stand to gain more flexibility in the use of pilotless aircraft for rail and pipeline inspections, crop surveys and aerial photography for commercials or movies.

Currently awaiting exemptions are Amazon and Yamaha Motor Company.

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