Archives

May 2016

Saker gets off to a flying start

Saker Aviation Services, which operates in the aviation services segment and serves as the operator of a heliport, an FBO and acts as a consultant for a seaplane base, has announced its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2016.

Revenues and operating income for the three months totaled US$2,967,080 and US$373,078 respectively; these figures are up by 19.3% and 341.5%, compared to figures taken for the same period last year. A 17.6% upturn in total fuel gallons offset lower average fuel costs, which led to lower average fuel prices charged: this had the effect of driving fuel sales revenue up 9.9%. A corresponding increase in services and supply items contributed to the 19.3% rise in total revenues.

Commenting on the results, company President Ron Ricciardi said that it was an excellent beginning to the year, with double-digit increases in revenue and triple-digit improvement to operating income.

May 2016

AERO Specialties awarded for excellence by US Department of Commerce

During a ceremony in Washington yesterday, AERO Specialties became one of 123 companies and organizations across the US to earn the President’s “E” Award for exporting excellence.

Brad Streeter, General Manager for the company, commented on the achievement.
“It is gratifying to have this award bestowed on us, as we have worked hard to build a global market for our aviation ground support equipment.
“Thanks to the US Commercial Service, AERO Specialties has developed mutually beneficial relationships with many international organizations that have contributed to our success.”

The US Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, praised the recipients for their efforts and achievement, saying:”The recipients being honored today demonstrate the opportunity inherent in selling Made-in-America products to the broad customer base that exists outside our borders.Their success contributes to growth, job creation, competitiveness, and the success of the American economy,” she concluded.

May 2016

Dnata looks to North America

Handler dnata has just acquired a 100% stake in Ground Services International, a US ground handling provider. Dnata’s plan is to use this acquisition as a launch pad for further activity within the North American market.

Ground Services International is currently present in 14 cities around the US and provides both cargo and ground handling services. The acquisition comes in the wake of other deals that have seen the handler buy stakes in companies in Brazil, Australia, Holland and Italy.

May 2016

Jet Aviation FBO at Van Nuys

Jet Aviation has been awarded a 30 year lease for a 17 acre site by the City of Los Angeles to establish an FBO facility at Van Nuys airport.

This comes in the wake of Jet Aviation winning a competitive tender process last year and being selected by Los Angeles World Airports to operate the FBO facility. Jet Aviation will offer FBO services in an interim terminal once operational control has been granted by Los Angeles World Airports, which is expected within the next few months. Jet Aviation has also initiated planning for its long-term Van Nuys airport FBO. The company is to build a 10,000 square foot LEED Silver certified terminal as well as two 40,000 square foot hangars and associated back shop and office space, all of which is due to be completed by the end of 2018. The full service FBO will offer domestic and international handling, complete line service and executive conference rooms, along with a crew lounge, a flight planning room and a business center.

Airport Butler now at San Francisco

Airport Butler, the meet-and-greet concierge service, has just opened up operation at San Francisco International. This is an historic occasion since San Francisco becomes the first US airport to officially offer a concierge amenity in its service portfolio.

Airport Butler, which first launched in 2012 in Vancouver, British Columbia, is a cutting-edge business model in the North American travel market. A personalized and unique customer service concept is deemed ideal for infrequent travelers or non-English speaking travelers, as well as VIPs, business travelers, senior citizens, travel groups or any passenger who wants a customized experience traveling through the airport. To that end, Airport Butler simplifies the airport navigation process and provides professional and seamless service to clients.

“As Airport Butler sought to expand its unique service offering in the US specifically, San Francisco was a key airport for our future network as it is very innovative in terms of airport service offerings, a primary gateway for Asia Pacific travelers and city full of people seeking new experiences in traveling,” commented Airport Butler/ATS President and CEO, Sally Leible.

Airport Butler services are available for all arriving, departing and connecting passengers, regardless of airline or class of service.

May 2016

Malabar signs agreement with Aero Express

Malabar International has announced that it has signed an agreement with Aero Express to be its exclusive US representative for distributing business jet maintenance equipment. Aero Express will be providing Malabar jacks and other maintenance equipment for Gulfstream, Bombardier Global Express and Challenger series, Embraer Legacy and Dassault Falcon business jet aircraft.

John E Carroll Jr, Malabar’s Chairman and CEO, commented on the agreement. “With our reputation as a supplier of top quality jacks and other maintenance equipment to the commercial, military and business jet markets, adding Aero Express with its experience and capabilities will help us expand in the business jet market within the United States.”

April 2016

RFID for Delta by end of year

Delta Air Lines is set to deploy RFID baggage tracking technology, a first for any US carrier, thereby providing its customers with improved real-time tracking of luggage throughout the travel experience.

This move is something of a milestone for Delta, which handles around 120m bags annually. RFID will replace the traditional barcode hand scanning, which has been the industry standard since the early 1990s. With RFID, scanners emit radio waves to capture the data stored on an RFID chip embedded in the luggage tag: the virtually foolproof technology will drive superior tracking and permit increased transparency within the operation.

Thanks to RFID implementation, customers will be able to see their bags on and off the aircraft during their journey via push notifications to the Fly Delta mobile app. The implementation is due to get underway in the fourth quarter of 2016.

April 2016

Virgin Atlantic Cargo is to reintroduce its summer service to Chicago with daily flights to and from the city as of April 27.

VirginAtlanticAirbusA330
Customers already benefit from a year-round service to the region in the form of daily flights linking London and Detroit – but, with the addition of these Airbus A330-300 services, the capacity offering will increase by 16 tonnes a day. The extra services will also provide US customers with quick connections to the UK and Europe, as well key markets in India and South Africa.

John Lloyd, Senior Vice President, Cargo, said the Chicago service, “has enabled us to strengthen our year-round presence in the US Midwest, where are have very strong support from our customers on both sides of the Atlantic.”
According to Lloyd, even before the start of the seasonal services to Chicago, UK commitments already account for more than half the total capacity. UK cargo exports are expected to be wide ranging and to include fresh fish, flowers and perishables as well as airmail.
“For customers in the US,” he went on to say, “the early morning arrival of our Detroit and Chicago services into London means we can help them to quickly connect to markets across Europe and to other online destinations such as Johannesburg and Delhi.”

Virgin Atlantic’s Chicago flights will touch down at London’s Heathrow airport at 07.55am, enabling same day connections to India and South Africa, as well as with Virgin’s road feeder services.

April 2016

Change of direction for United?

United Airlines workers have voted to approve contracts that will effectively improve the salaries of some 30,000 baggage handlers, gate agents and other groups employed by the carrier. Although United said last year that it would not be outsourcing more jobs in baggage handling or customer services until at least 2019, clearly that strategy has been reviewed – and ultimately reversed.

In all, there are seven deals tabled that relate to a 30% increase in wages over the next five years, along with US$100m in lump sum payments. Included in the deal is protection against outsourcing; more than that, there is an undertaking to bring more airport work in-house at the carrier’s Los Angeles and San Francisco hubs.

April 2016

All change at Philadelphia?

Any Philadelphia International airport subcontractor who is paying its workers less than US$12 an hour may need to reconsider the arrangement. Unless they do, there is the distinct possibility of their being evicted from the station.

Late last year the city’s now mayor, Jim Kenney, announced plans to this effect. Eviction would, of necessity, be the last resort, for the mayor was more concerned with gaining compliance.

One local union, 32BJ SEIU, which does not actually represent the airport staff, nonetheless praised the move; in the past it has accused several subcontractors of failing to comply with the lease agreement since it went into effect in 2015.

Whilst no compliance date has been given, it is thought that the situation will be addressed sooner rather than later.

March 2016

More Global catering trucks for Southwest

Air T has said that its subsidiary, Global Ground Support, was awarded a GSE order from Southwest Airlines earlier this month. The order, which is reputed to be in excess of US$2.8m, is for the supply of Global Ground Support’s catering trucks. These trucks will be equipped with Global’s own design of scissor-lift, which functions with two, single stage hydraulic lift cylinders and which carry payload capacities of 6,000 pounds. Global has been in the enviable position of being Southwest’s sole supplier of provisioning trucks since 2003. To date, Global Ground Support has delivered over 230 trucks and deliveries of the latest order for 35 trucks are expected to be completed during this year.

Menzies boosts salaries at Sea-Tac

Menzies announced on March 25 that the base rate for its employees at the Seattle-Tacoma International airport had been increased to US$15.24, effective February 15, 2016. The increased wages have affected staff up to the level of Lead and Supervisor a, with some 900 employees in all set to benefit from the rise.

Aviation worker salary concerns and protests have made the news headlines regularly since 2013, with Sea-Tac activity very much in the vanguard. Those concerns have not been solely restricted to aviation employees, however, with fast food workers and other sectors also joining in the fray. Sea-Tac is seen as the landmark case, though, and Menzies’ decision to go ahead with the pay award, despite continued opposition to the Proposition 1 that was voted for earlier, is an indication of the value that it places on its workforce. In a statement, Menzies stressed that it invests a great deal in its handling staff, ensuring that they are correctly trained and that there is an evident focus on career growth. Commenting, Menzies’ Vice President Philip Harnden, added: “In Seattle, we felt this wage increase was consistent with that approach and Menzies’ policy of continually investing in its employees. We also determined to do so despite Proposition 1 continuing to be debated in the courts.”

Harnden went on to say: “Our investment in our employees is about more than just wages. In addition to its competitive pay packages, Menzies Aviation also invests considerable resources and time into training and helping its employees with career growth and development. We believe that is why we have been able to attract and retain a dedicated and hard-working group of core employees who have been the cornerstone of our success at this important hub location for our key airline customers.”

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