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Main News June 26

Wage optimism yet to crystallize

Philadelphia is the latest airport to start looking at wage rates and remuneration for its staff.

Despite the fact that an executive order was signed some weeks ago by the town’s mayor, at the time of writing no tangible progress had been made in moving the statutory wage from US$7.50 an hour up to US$10.88.

The order actually applies to any bids or proposals issued after May 20, and starting January 1, all proposals and contracts will include a US$12 an hour minimum wage requirement. However, city officials have said that they cannot enforce current contractors and subcontractors to pay the minimum wage until new contracts are signed. In the interim, the service employees union, SEIU 32BJ, which represents the airport workers, is pressurizing City Hall and airlines to force subcontractors employing cabin cleaners and wheelchair attendants to comply with the order.

Mass cargo handling: cause for concern?

The coming Air Cargo Advance Screening Program has had a lengthy gestation but there are still those who are worried that testing has not been as thorough as it could be. In this respect the Airforwarders Association, the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders’ Association, the Express Delivery and Logistics Association and The International Air Cargo Association have all contacted the TSA and the Customs and Border Protection to voice their fears.

The problem seems to revolve around the fact that whilst ACAS has been operating as a pilot program, it has only been with a very small number of forwarding companies, and working out of a limited number of locations.

There is, though, plenty of evidence to suggest that Congress is keen to see the ACAS concept adopted, despite the fact that further testing may be desirable.

Sao Paulo automation coming

Come August, travelers passing through São Paulo International in Guarulhos who are over the age of 18 and have an electronic passport will be able to take full control of their terminal experience. This will be made possible through the automated border control eGates that are being installed in terminals 2 and 3 at the airport. These work through the expedient of facial recognition and secure documents to provide passengers with an autonomous experience that is divorced from contact with the federal police.

The most trusted…?

We all know that carriers enjoy their catchphrases but once these take the form of statements of fact rather than aspirations, what then? Can an airline legally claim hold of something as intangible as a description, especially one that is open to conjecture? Delta certainly thinks so – which is why it is in the process of trying to trademark the epithet of “The world’s most trusted airline.”

Is it?

And if it is successful in its bid, will a traveler be more likely to opt for the Delta experience in the future?

Environmental progress for Air Transat

Air Transat has become the first US carrier to complete the initial stage of IATA’s Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) Program. The voluntary program is based on the core principles of compliance with environmental obligations and a commitment to continual environmental management improvement. Adopting the standard IEnvA procedures and recommended practises, says IATA, allows an airline to focus resources on improving its environmental performance rather than having to develop an Environmental Management System from scratch.

The actual program follows a two-stage implementation approach which involves a detailed assessment of flight operations, corporate and management activities that allows for early recognition of environmental management achievements. In this manner Air Transat joins the likes of Finnair, South African Airways, LAN, LAN Cargo, Malaysia Airlines and Kenya Airways as the only airlines so far to have achieved Stage 1 certification.

AA in agreement

American Airlines Group has said that it has reached a tentative agreement with mechanics and ground workers at its partner US Airways. The airline confirmed that the three-year contract agreements will be subject to member ratification and that they will cover 11,000 workers who are represented by the International Association of Machinists.

This union, it should be noted, was the only labor group at US Airways and American Airlines that did not publicly support the merger.

The Transport Workers Union represents both mechanics and ground workers at the pre-merger American Airlines. The machinists and the transport workers had previously agreed to represent the work groups jointly after the merger, and after the machinist groups had received a new contract.

On time ratings improve

The US’s largest carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 79.6% in April. This represented an improvement on both the 77.3% on-time figure recorded in April 2013 and the 77.6% on-time rate posted in March 2014, says the latest US Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report. The reporting carriers canceled 1.1% of their scheduled domestic flights in April: this was down from both the 1.8% cancellation rate posted in April 2013 and the 1.9% rate declared in March 2014.

Main News June 10

Two new beneficiaries from IAG

Global businesses are set to benefit as Montevideo in Uruguay and Santa Domingo in the Dominican Republic are added to IAG Cargo’s worldwide network, which comprises more than 350 destinations in total. Flights to the two new cities will start on September 1 and will build on the strength of the IAG Cargo network in Latin America, which will grow to 16 destinations. The new routes will be served from IAG Cargo’s hub in Madrid by Iberia Airbus A330 and A340-300 aircraft. Each flight will deliver between 9.4 and 12.7 tonnes of capacity on the Madrid–Santo Domingo route, and between 6.5 and 11.7 tonnes of capacity on the Madrid–Montevideo route.

SMS at core of new standard

The National Air Transportation Association, along with the International Business Aviation Council, has announced the creation of the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (known as IS-BAH).

This represents a set of global industry best practices for business aviation ground handlers, at the heart of which lies a safety management system. The IS-BAH follows the long-established structure of the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations Program and incorporates NATA’s Safety 1st Ground Audit Program. IS-BAH is set to provide standardization to handlers and operators around the world to meet the coming SMS requirements that have been mandated by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

De-icer and distributor to form venture

Integrated De-icing Services and GTA Aviation have announced the formation of a strategic agreement to develop new business opportunities within Canada.

Both companies are industry innovators, with IDS widely considered as one of the most technologically advanced independent providers of de-icing/anti-icing services. The company is presently de-icing aircraft at 15 airports in the US and Europe. IDS also operates the largest fleet of forced-air de-icing trucks in the world and has twice earned a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s Fastest Growing Companies. GTA is a leading global distributor of high quality ground support equipment. The Canadian company offers a wide variety of new and refurbished ground handling equipment to airlines and airport authorities in dozens of countries.

Better boarding: time for change?

What’s the best way to board an aircraft?

It’s a thorny issue, and probably one that has dogged the sector’s logistics experts for many a year. A recent survey from the GO Group has found that the most favored method, at 55% of the vote, was that of boarding from the back. This was deemed most efficient of all, along with boarding from window seat to aisle seat, although there were other methods suggested.

Almost 300 people were sampled for the study, which was conducted in response to news some airlines have been testing boarding from back to front as well as outside in, with window passengers first, then middle seats then aisles.

Other suggestions included a desire that carry-ons be placed in bins above the owner, rather than being scattered around the cabin. Random boarding was also put forward as a method worthy of adoption, on the basis that everything is spread out and therefore bottlenecks would not occur.

The findings, though, don’t look as if they are going to change the status quo. After all, whether boarding is conducted from the back or front is immaterial provided that row numbers are clearly called out and, perhaps more importantly, travellers actually follow the boarding instructions in the first place…

Main News May 16

Airline investing in the future

Alaska Airlines is to pledge a total of US$1.5m towards job training at Seattle-Tacoma International airport.

This local investment will be made over the next four years in collaboration with the Port of Seattle, with an initial contribution to Port Jobs, a non-profit organization that is committed to preparing workers for the Port of Seattle economy.

In the first year, Alaska’s grant should help Port Jobs expand access to college courses through the Airport University, effectively doubling the number of courses, college credits and students. The grant will also enable Port Jobs to add more advanced courses than are currently offered. Alaska Airlines has been involved with Port Jobs since its inception in 1993 and has several key executives serving on its Board of Directors.

“As one of the largest employers at Sea-Tac airport, we believe it’s important to invest in a strong local workforce for the future of our business, our regional economy and the many families who rely on jobs at the port,” explained Toby Skey, Managing Director of Human Resources and board member at Port Jobs.

The Port of Seattle supports more than 200,000 jobs and generates US$6.8bn on its payroll. Alaska Airlines employs more than 7,000 workers at the company and partner vendors in the Seattle area to a greater extent than any other air carrier. Over the duration of the jobs training grant, Alaska expects to fill 2,000 family wage jobs in the Seattle market, and will be working closely with the Port of Seattle and Port Jobs to prioritize hiring graduates of the program.

Monterey on a roll

Monterey Regional airport has been celebrating its handling operation.

The efforts of the 42 staff, who take care of customer baggage, as well as other services, have culminated in the winning of the Outstanding Baggage Performance of the Entire Year 2013 award from United Airlines. The ground handling crew was the only station in the Western Region to win the award but sadly it comes from an airline that recently announced its plans to end a major route with the airport.

How good is the operation? The airport received 37 complaints about baggage operations in 2012, just 13 last year and has recorded none so far this year.

Baggage handling used to be effected by all the individual airlines, each with its own workers. But in mid-2012, the airport switched to just one company, Envoy Incorporated, to take care of the whole operation.

The crew also won two awards, which they received at the start of the year, for work in 2013. They were the Proppy Award (from Horizon Air) for Excellent Leadership and Performance and the Commitment to Safety award, from American Eagle Airlines.

New venture looks to help GSE acquisition

Sasser Family Holdings has announced the launch of its ground support equipment finance and asset management subsidiary, that of Xced Aviation Services. Xced is positioned to provide single investor equipment financing solutions and life cycle management relevant to all GSE for the North American market.

The new company will be headed up by William R Long, who joined the organization in January 2014 to help establish this particular service offering.

“I am excited about this opportunity. Even this early on, I know that the level of service that Xced will be able to provide the industry is remarkable. Thanks to the expertise of our parent company, and our team, we’re entering the market with the immediate ability to provide tailored solutions to the marketplace,” he stated.

Xced’s services will include lease financing and traditional fixed purchase option financing structures on new and used ground support equipment, as well as a wide range of incremental asset management services, including trade-in of used ground support equipment, purchase and selling services, refurbishment services and refurbishment financing.

Baggage fees on the wane?

It’s official: a recent report has highlighted the fact that airlines are raking in less money from bag fees than they did two years ago. That said, they are actually making up for it by adding charges for extras, which includes securing a favorable seat.

The government has reported that US airlines raised some US$3.35bn from baggage fees in 2013, which was actually down 4% on 2012. That is the biggest decline since fees to check in a bag first appeared, back in 2008.

It’s known that some passengers will try to avoid bag fees through the use of airline credit cards or through earning elite level frequent-flier status. Others simply carry their bag on board in the hope of finding a slot in the overhead storage compartments.

The bag fee statistics were part of the information released by the US Department of Transportation, which added that airlines earned US$7.3bn in the fourth quarter of last year, reversing a loss of US$188m experienced during the same period in 2012.

The airlines also raised US$2.81bn in 2013 from fees for changing a reservation or ticket: this represented a 10% hike compared to the previous year. All that said, fees for checked bags, along with reservation changes and other services, have become a larger share of airline revenue and a principal reason why (some) airlines are now in the black.

Main News May 6

Over a barrel?

Delta Air Lines made the headlines when it bought the former ConocoPhillips refinery in Trainer a while back, with the aim of securing an alternative source of jet fuel. The move was criticized by some at the time as a drastic measure with no short-term benefit. That point of view was underlined this month when the refinery posted losses of US$41m in the first quarter or 2014. However, it is expected to be profitable by the end of the second quarter. The refinery is operated by Delta’s subsidiary, Monroe Energy, in agreement with BP and Phillips 66.

In its defense, Delta said that one major unit at the refinery had been shut down for scheduled modifications, and that this had led to a decrease in production. Another fly in the ointment has been the impact of the rising cost of Renewable Identification Numbers credits: these are credits that refiners purchase to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard and they have created pressure on fuel prices.

Delta is now making infrastructural changes to the plant in order to increase refined production and boost jet and diesel production to around 50% of the refinery’s total output.

Five out of five for Southwest Cargo

Southwest Airlines Cargo was recently named the Airforwarders Association’s “Domestic Carrier of the Year” for the fifth year in a row. It also earned the Express Delivery & Logistics Association’s “Domestic Airline of the Year” accolade. This represents the fourteenth year in a row that Southwest has won the award.

The Airforwarders Association awarded Southwest the designation as the carrier of the year based on its on-time performance, customer service, problem resolution, claims handling, technology support, service options and its overall value.

Queues and views

A recent survey of passengers at US airports has come up with little conclusive evidence to suggest that travelers are unhappy with the laborious process that typifies check-in at today’s airports in a post 9/11 world.

In fact, Americans appear to be less than concerned about the level of security provided by Transportation Security Administration screenings at US airports, although most are in favor of the agency’s more fluid Pre-check program.

In the Harris Poll, only half of those surveyed said that they thought security screening performed by TSA agents was making air travel any safer. This figure compares with 43% who believed that the screenings made flying neither more nor less safe.

Overall, some 48% say that they believe the screenings are an effective deterrent to hi-jacking. This compares with 36% who reckoned that it made little difference one way or the other. Interestingly, some 15% felt that such security measures represented an ineffective deterrent overall.

In brief

Landmark Aviation has announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ross Aviation, a US-based FBO network, from investment funds affiliated with Centre Partners Management LLC and management. The acquisition will be subject to satisfying customary closing conditions.

JBT has said that its JBT AeroTech business has been awarded services contracts totaling more than US$7m by the United States Air Force to support its fleet of Halvorsen 25K cargo loaders. The services contracts continue through March 2015.

Main News April 15

More personnel promised for Miami

Miami International is to benefit from more passport control agents to handle its long immigration lines: the announcement comes from the US Customs and Border Protection department.

The actual number has not been disclosed yet but the additional staffing has been promised by the end of September 2015. In all, some 2,000 additional agents will be deployed across 44 ports in 18 states.

Miami is one of four Florida ports that will benefit from the staffing boost, according to Greg Chin, an airport spokesman. The others are Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, Orlando International and Port Canaveral.

Staff happy with five year contract

Alaska Airlines’ 2,500 clerical, office and passenger service employees, who are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, have ratified a new five-year contract. The contract was approved by 62% of those who voted.

“Ratification of this contract demonstrates the great strength and commitment our COPS employees have for our customers and our company. It further shows our frontline employees’ dedication to maintaining Alaska’s position as an industry leader in customer service,” commented Jeff Butler, Vice President of Airport Operations and Customer Service.

The contract includes pay increases and job security provisions, amongst other improvements.

New shared-use lounge opens

Airport Lounge Development, the leading US independent shared-use lounge developer, announced earlier this month that it had opened the first and only shared-use airport lounge at Phoenix Sky Harbor International airport, called The Club at PHX. This marks group’s sixth club, which goes to reinforce its position as the largest portfolio of independently-operated, shared-use lounges within the US.

DAL cedes cleaning contract to Air Serv

Delta has played down talk of any direct redundancies resulting from the change of cleaning contract at Minneapolis-St Paul airport. In mid-April the carrier’s subsidiary, DAL Global Services, said that its existing contract would be taken over by Atlanta-based Air Serv, which already provides wheelchair, cart driving and skycap services at the Twin Cities airport for Delta. The change will apparently affect 400 or so full-time workers: about 100 are expected to remain with DGS but work elsewhere in the country, while a further 200 will move over to Air Serv in the Twin Cities. The remainder, about 100, had at the time of writing not expressed an interest in future employment with either DAL or Air Serv.

Main News April 1

Seattle on a charge

The Port of Seattle, along with Alaska Airlines and Western Washington Clean Cities, has unveiled a new project aimed at providing nearly 600 electric charging stations throughout the airport for ground support equipment: items will include baggage tugs, bag ramps and pushback vehicles.

By converting the GSE from fossil fuel to electric, those behind the project calculate that each year savings of around US$2.8m in airline fuel costs as well as 10,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions will be achievable: this equates to the removal of 1,900 cars from the road.
The port has installed bright yellow charging corrals with smart, fast-charging plug-ins for vehicles which will be able to receive a full charge in fewer than four hours. The smart technology determines which vehicle needs the most charge and meters out the power. The initial phase will provide 296 charging locations throughout concourse C, D and the north satellite. The second phase will cover the rest of the terminal at concourse A, B and the south satellite, for a total of 576 charging locations by September.
“This project provides the infrastructure for airlines to convert their vehicles from diesel to electric in Sea-Tac’s effort to become the first major airport in the US to provide charging stations at all gates,” commented Courtney Gregoire, Co-President, Port of Seattle Commission. “As many as 650 vehicles could eventually be covered by electric technology and make a huge difference in the airport’s carbon footprint.”
Alaska Airlines has taken the lead in this green opportunity, and has 204 electric vehicles (146 with Alaska, 58 with Horizon) in operation on the ground at Sea-Tac. The environmental benefits are substantial, since Alaska’s conversion to electric vehicles is the equivalent of taking 360 passenger vehicles off the road for a year, or a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of around 1,000 tons a year.
“Switching from fossil fuels to electric-powered equipment not only benefits the environment by reducing carbon emissions and fuel use, but the transition is expected to save Alaska Air Group about US$300,000 a year in fuel costs,” commented Jeff Butler, Alaska Airlines’ Vice President of the Airport Operations and Customer Service segment. “These sustainability efforts help us keep our costs down in order to provide better value for our customers.”
Federal grants have provided the bulk of the US$31m project. The US Department of Energy provided US$5m through a grant with the Western Washington Clean Cities Coalition and US$3.5m came from a Federal Aviation Administration grant. Part of the grant money is being used to help airlines fund the purchase of new electric vehicles. Encouragingly, additional airlines are scheduled to join the program later this year.

Alaska aiming for the easiest experience

April will see Alaska Airlines launch its online self-bag-tagging options.
Self-tagging online gets underway on April 21 for passengers traveling non-stop between Seattle and San Diego, Anchorage or Juneau, whilst there are plans to expand the option for customers traveling from other airports later this summer. This launch follows the completion of a successful pilot program, which was offered to customers traveling between Seattle and Hawaii in 2013.
“Our goal is to be the easiest airline to fly. That’s why we’re introducing additional self-tagging capability so customers who prefer self-service options have the ability to print bag tags at home during the check-in process,” explains Curtis Kopf, Alaska Airlines’ Vice President of Customer Innovation. “Tagging your bags at home can save some time at the airport. If printing your bag tags at home isn’t your preference, our friendly airport staff will gladly help check your bags to your final destination.”
In consequence, travelers flying to or from any of the four debut cities will receive a pre-trip e-mail with a link to request a free reusable bag tag holder by mail. Tag holders will also be available for collection at each of the four airports. Passengers who elect to self-tag will enjoy a designated Self-Tag Express lane when they arrive at the airport.

Luggage theft: arrests made at Los Angeles

Following a period of sustained police surveillance at Los Angeles airport, in March officers swooped on the homes of a number of baggage handlers suspected of pilfering bags at the airport over a period of months.

According to reports 14 handlers, all working for Menzies, were detained whilst a further six were arrested. Police have revealed that further workers may also be implicated in this scheme, which allegedly has involved the theft of thousands of valuable items from passenger bags as they made their way through the sorting systems at the airport. Acting on the spike in passenger complaints at Terminal 4 and Tom Bradley, the UK-headquartered handling company was identified. For its part Menzies has been working with the LAX and the Los Angeles police departments in an effort to resolve the situation.

Main News March 14

Passenger baggage to be scrutinized

United Airlines is looking out for travelers who try to bring oversized bags into the cabin.

The crackdown on oversized bags on behalf of the carrier is a strategy, it says, aimed at dealing with one of the biggest complaints in terms of customer feedback. Overhead bins are frequently so overfilled with carry-on bags that a slower boarding process becomes the norm.

“We are getting feedback from customers who have the right-size bags, telling us that there is not enough space in the overhead bins,” said a United spokesman.

United communicated its plans to its MileagePlus members, reminding them that carry-on bags can be no bigger than 22 x 14 x 9 inches. The airline has also been distributing size gauges, which are installed in the airport terminals, to allow the traveling public to measure their carry-on baggage before boarding. This type of aid has been in use in Europe for some years now amongst the low cost carrier sector.

Streamlining the process at Lambert St Louis

US Customs and Border Protection has admitted Lambert St Louis International to its Automated Commercial Environment Cargo Release Pilot with immediate effect.

The ACE Cargo Release Pilot (which was formerly known as Simplified Entry) allows importers to file a streamlined set of data earlier in the import process, and gives them the opportunity to update their entries, right up to the carrier’s arrival, so that information submitted is the best available.

Under ACE, CBP can review shipment information much earlier in the supply chain, and either issue an admissibility message or request additional data. Filers can then resolve issues before the aircraft departs for the US, or during transit, resulting in fewer goods being held on arrival.

ACE Cargo Release streamlines electronic transmission for the filer, and assists importers in planning and arranging their logistics. The carrier submits the manifest and/or the Air Cargo Advance Screening security filing, while the importer submits the Simplified Entry data set.

ASIG in acquisition mode

ASIG has agreed to acquire the assets of Skytanking USA, an independent provider of aviation fuel services. The company, which is headquartered in South Florida, has operations at 14 US airports, six of which represent new markets for ASIG. Skytanking USA provides commercial aircraft refueling and jet fuel facility maintenance. It also provides fuel facility maintenance and inspections for the US military forces at a total of 47 installations, which is a new addition to ASIG’s fuel services portfolio. Under the terms of the agreement, ASIG will divest four operations in Germany and Austria to Skytanking Holding, of which Skytanking USA is a subsidiary. The acquisition of assets should be completed in March subject to customary transaction approvals.
Tony Lefebvre, ASIG’s President and COO, commented on the strategy. “This acquisition represents a strategic expansion of our core fuel business in the United States. Skytanking USA, which began operations in 2003, has created a strong customer base by leveraging their expertise in aviation fuel services.”

 

Main News February 28

New flight kitchen opened in Miami

To facilitate last-minute requests in the busy South Florida region, in-flight catering provider Air Culinaire Worldwide has opened an owned-and-operated kitchen in Miami.

The idea behind the scheme is that where last minute changes in schedules occur, the caterer may well be able to accommodate such contingencies.

The new Miami kitchen represents the third Air Culinaire Worldwide kitchen to be based in Florida, which includes its Tampa headquarters and West Palm Beach location, bringing the total number of owned-and-operated kitchens in the company’s growing network to 19. Air Culinaire Worldwide Miami is actually located just three miles from Miami International.

Winter weather hits schedules

December wasn’t a good month for US carriers in terms of on-time performance, irrespective of whether the carrier was legacy or low cost. Altogether, 16 airlines submitted data for the monthly report.

American Airlines came in at ninth in terms of punctuality whilst American Eagle could only manage fourteenth place. For Southwest, that doyen of cut price travel, only just over half of its flights arrived on time. US Airways managed to battle on despite the elements and its on-time figure of 78.3% reflected its level of perseverance and determination. Despite the doom and gloom (the average on-time arrival rate for the 16 carriers worked out at just under 69%), Hawaiian Airlines still managed to post impressive figures of 92.4% to lead the pack.

The factors that skewed the statistics included a snowstorm at Chicago (December 8) and some days of snow at Dallas Fort Worth. In all, airlines reported a total of ten tarmac delays of over three hours: the majority of these occurred at Chicago O’Hare airport during the above-mentioned snowstorm.

Speedier passenger processing at Dallas

On February 18, Dallas Fort Worth International unveiled 30 automated passport control kiosks, which have been designed to significantly reduce waiting times for US and Canadian citizens who arrive at Dallas from international destinations. The system is alleviating lines by allowing returning travelers to enter their own passport information on touchscreens and register their return to the country electronically. Dallas Fort Worth’s Automated Passport Control is the latest in a number of initiatives being implemented at the airport to reduce queueing times and expedite the entry process for international travelers. In the next few months, the authority plans to add an additional 24 kiosks to serve customers who are permanent US residents as well as those who come from countries that hold visa waiver agreements with the US, such as the UK and The Netherlands.

Later in the year, the airport authority plans to implement a lane for a One Stop service for international arriving customers who have traveled without any checked-in baggage.

Detroit: handlers’ jobs secure…

Delta Air Lines has said that no workers will lose their jobs in April when it changes contractors at Detroit Metro airport. The jobs revolve around regional jet cabin cleaning and ground handling.

The workers, hitherto employed by DAL Global Services, a Delta subsidiary, total almost 750 and they are due to be taken on by Menzies and Prospect Airport Services.

“No loss of employment for any worker is expected as they become employees of Prospect and Menzies,” declared Delta’s spokesman, Morgan Durrant. He added that the government notice filed by the current provider DGS had not clearly stated this assurance and he looked to clarify the matter.

…but some concern at Southwest

Southwest’s proposals to add more contract workers to its staff continues to be a thorny issue for some of its employees.

Members of the Transport Workers Union Local 555, who have been in negotiations with the airline since 2011 over some its policies, have expressed apprehension over Southwest’s plans to hire contract workers and to expand the number of its part-time workers. Arguing that the level of customer care will be eroded if part-time staff are employed (on the basis that such staff will have no long-term loyalty to the company), the Local 555 has flagged up the issue of under-staffing at some stations where B737-800s are turned, pointing out that Southwest’s on-time performance has suffered since the last quarter of 2013.

For its part, Southwest has denied any furtive agenda, saying that it is not seeking to outsource any jobs, but rather that it wants to add more flexibility to its operation.

Main News February 11

Orlando moves ahead with biometric kiosks

Orlando International has become the first US airport to process travelers from so-called Visa Waiver countries with biometric kiosks: these will streamline the arrival experience. These self-service kiosks are now operational and processing international passengers who have acquired an Electronic System for Travel Authorization approval prior to travel.
The kiosks will enable travelers from arriving international flights to complete their Customs Declaration Form on touchscreens, and have their passports read and fingerprints and facial images captured.

It’s official: welcome to O’Hare!

The Chicago Department of Aviation has announced that O’Hare International airport has won the Global Traveler GT Tested Reader Survey Award for Best Airport in North America for the tenth straight year.

Business travelers who participated in a survey, which was conducted between January and August 2013) overwhelmingly voted for O’Hare. O’Hare was also inducted into the Global Traveler 10-Year Hall of Fame for having won the award for every year of its existence.

Alaska reaches tentative agreement with workforce

Alaska Airlines and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have reached tentative agreement on a new five-year contract for around 2,500 of the airline’s staff, which includes those in clerical, office and passenger service posts.
The proposed contract includes enhanced pay levels and job security provisions, amongst other improvements. At the beginning if this year the current three-year contract became amendable but the results of a ratification vote on the new contract are not expected before April.

Labor dispute causes flight delays

Flights to and from Buenos Aires’ international airport were delayed recently after a union offshoot, representing baggage handlers for Aerolíneas Argentinas, went on strike to protest against the company’s proposal that would see it employing handlers for six hour shifts. The strike also extended to the port, where cruise ship passengers were obliged to wait up to five hours for their luggage. The baggage handlers, who are part of the APA airline workers’ union, were urged to fulfill the mandatory conciliation order that the ministry issued. At least 3,000 passengers were affected by the action and the union has demanded that the airport company hire more workers for 12 hour shifts, since they claim that the operation is currently understaffed.

Fuel hedging comes at a price

Delta Air Lines has run into a problem in the wake of its Philadelphia refinery purchase in 2013.

The plan was simple enough: faced with unpredictable market movements in terms of the price of fuel, Delta’s idea saw it employ subsidiary Monroe Energy to produce fuel and thereby cut out the middleman and the variable factor. All well and good – save that the purchase came with strings, primarily that of the requirement to produce a specific quantity of renewable blending fuel that is destined for the nation’s gasoline and diesel stocks. This quantity rises each year in line with the EPA’s guidelines: it will total some 36bn gallons by 2022.

The Delta/Monroe venture is without the requisite blending infrastructure and so the carrier would be obliged to purchase credits from other facilities that do blend in order to offset the envisioned shortfall.

Delta has lodged an objection to the scheme, which it feels favors those with the requisite facilities whilst alienating those who are unable to comply. It will be interesting to see the outcome of the case since this is the first time that the infrastructural situation is being used as a defense. Critics point out that at the time of the acquisition, Delta had the option of purchasing the blending infrastructure yet it opted instead to employ a merchant refiner which lacked these facilities.

Delta Air Lines has since announced that that its Trainer oil refinery in Delaware County would post a small loss in the current first quarter, after posting a loss of US$46m in the three months ended December 31, together with a US$116m loss for 2013 overall. However, a modest profit was anticipated by the end of the current year.

 

Main News January 22

Thefts at airport to be addressed

At Las Vegas’ McCarran airport, Delta Air Lines has started a two-month pilot program aimed at curbing the incidence of theft from the airport’s baggage claim carousels. Delta will test the effectiveness of the so-called positive bag match program before determining whether to continue the trial and roll it out at other airports. The strategy involves cordoning off the two Terminal 1 baggage carousels where Delta passengers claim their bags with employees who check that bag tag numbers match up with the passenger’s bag claim stub.

According to sector sources, theft from bags is something of a cyclical crime of opportunity. At McCarran, the Metro Police department works with the Clark County Aviation Department to prevent pilfering. In this, both security cameras and undercover operations are employed. McCarran officials believe that increased airline staffing in the vicinity of carousels and tag match programs will add a further layer of security against potential theft.

World Fuel in acquisition mode

World Fuel Services announced last week that a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Watson Petroleum, a leading distributor of gasoline, diesel, heating oil, lubricants and other products and related services across England and Wales, for a purchase price of £117m (US$191m). The purchase price will be funded through cash-on-hand and the company’s existing credit facilities.“We are very excited to be joining a company with the capabilities and breadth of products and services of World Fuel. Coupled with World Fuel’s solid financial foundation, this transaction will allow us to expand our product and service offerings and further grow our distribution network” Watson Petroleum is headquartered in Brinkworth, the UK, and has 670 employees. With expected 2013 revenues of US$2.2bn, Watson Petroleum is one of the largest fuel distributors in the UK.

 

Have gun, won’t travel

It’s official: travelers flying out of Florida either cannot read or are extremely forgetful… or both.

According to the latest statistics, released by the TSA, Orlando International clocked up more gun arrests than any other airport in Florida last year.

In all, 47 travelers fell foul of the regulation that prohibits firearms to be carried on board an aircraft. Although the vast majority of those arrested had permits authorizing them to own a firearm, nonetheless the once-a-week occurrence has led the airport authority to look anew at its methods when trying to ensure that handguns remain firmly within checked-in luggage.

The holiday period and signage changes were blamed for the last couple of arrests although the fact that Orlando, pro rata, handles more passengers than other local airports was also recognized as a reason. Orlando processed 35m passengers in all in 2013 whilst Fort Lauderdale, only the third busiest airport in the list, still managed to confiscate 45 firearms during the same period.

 

Signature makes its mark in Van Nuys

Signature Flight Support Corporation has completed the acquisition of the assets of Maguire Aviation Group at Van Nuys airport. Through this acquisition, Signature Flight Support thus expands its FBO facility at Van Nuys, with a combined footprint of 1.17m square feet of hangar, ramp, passenger lounge and office space. The expanded Signature Flight Support footprint at Van Nuys is set to provide customers with the added convenience of multiple locations on the field for both FBO services and aircraft storage.

Close of play for Evergreen

Evergreen International Aviation’s future seems to be less in doubt at the time of this upload. McMinnville-based Evergreen International Airlines has now filed a Chapter 7 petition in a federal bankruptcy court in Delaware, a filing that followed a period of uncertainty about the company’s future.

In a statement, the parent company admitted that Evergreen’s business had been adversely impacted over the past few years by a decreased demand in military spending and a weakness in global economic markets.

Offshoot Evergreen EAGLE had struggled on, continuing to provide ground handling at more than 35 domestic airports, where a range of services had been on offer, including aircraft cleaning, towing and pushback. The handling side has also now ceased operation, however.

App to make passengers happy

Allegiant Air has introduced a paperless mobile boarding pass capability for its passengers at all the airports it serves. In this, the carrier worked with many small to mid-size airports throughout its network to introduce mobile boarding pass scanners.

Of the total of just over 100 airports, some 55 did not have scanners in place: this occasioned the company to purchase the requisite scanners for these airports and during the procedure it worked with the TSA to gain approval.

Allegiant has also extended its service to other carriers serving the airports to ensure that the mobile boarding pass scanners could be utilized by other airlines’ passengers.

To use the new service, users have to install the Allegiant-To-Go mobile app, which is available for free on Apple and Android mobile devices.

 

 

 

 

 

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