| November 2, 2009 | News for the commercial aviation industry |
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- Delta, Virgin Blue tie-up wins Australian approval
Australian regulators have approved a trans-Pacific joint venture between Delta Air Lines and Virgin Blue. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said the trans-Pacific routes enjoy "strong competition on price and service," though the two carriers will be required to show again in three years' time that their alliance has not harmed competition. U.S. regulators have yet to take a position on the proposed tie-up. The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
(11/2)
, Travel Weekly
(11/2)
     
- Continental's incoming CEO on alliances, biofuels
Jeff Smisek, soon to take over as CEO of Continental Airlines, says last week's switch to the Star Alliance leaves Continental better positioned in Asia and provides many of the benefits of a merger without the attendant risks. Smisek tells the London Telegraph that oil price swings continue to be a major concern, and that commercially viable biofuels remain one of the industry's great hopes. "You must have air transportation, and it will always exist," he says. "The question is how large will that industry be? At high fuel prices, it will be much smaller." Telegraph (London)
(11/1)
- American Eagle says cooperation with pilots union helps boost safety
The pilots union at American Eagle Airlines says it is working with management to create a safer carrier. Officials from the airline and the union meet monthly to review self-reported pilot fatigue, and the union is backing efforts to train pilots in a state-of-the-art simulator. "I really do feel we have the finest, best-trained pilots in the industry," says Jim Winkley, the airline's VP of flight operations. The Dallas Morning News
(11/1)
- Southwest starts Milwaukee service as Midwest changes planes
Southwest Airlines on Sunday started service to Milwaukee, while the city's longtime airline leader prepared for a major change. Southwest will operate 12 nonstop flights from Milwaukee on its Boeing 737 aircraft. Meanwhile, Midwest Airlines said Monday would mark its final Milwaukee flights with Boeing 717 aircraft operated by original Midwest crews. Parent company Republic Airways plans to serve Milwaukee with more fuel-efficient planes such as the Embraer 190 and Airbus 319. WTMJ-TV (Milwaukee)
(11/1)
, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(10/31)
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- GAO: Lack of data stymies effort to study mandatory retirement age
The Government Accountability Office says it lacks the data necessary to evaluate the safety impact by the FAA to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65. The GAO says a valid study is impossible to conduct because it has no way of determining how many pilots over the age of 60 are currently flying for U.S. airlines. But the Air Line Pilots Association says other data could be used, including statistics from foreign carriers and general aviation. The New York Times
(11/1)
- Small airports projects receive earmark funding
Airports that cater mainly to private planes have received $1.1 billion in funding for construction projects since 2001, according to a recent analysis. Lawmakers added the projects, known as earmarks, to annual spending bills. Airports have used the funds to extend runways to attract more corporate jets and renovate terminals used mostly by private pilots. Meanwhile, critics say some earmark projects are receiving funding ahead of higher-priority projects. USA TODAY
(11/2)
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| Energy Bulletin |  | |
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- More challenges await climate-change measure in Senate
The Senate's climate-change legislation is expected to face more problems, as the measure has deeply divided Democrats and provoked opposition from key Republicans, dimming the prospects for its approval. This comes even as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., supported the bill, which was co-written by Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. The senators are scheduled Wednesday to talk with Energy Secretary Steven Chu, White House climate adviser Carol Browner and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar for a possible compromise on the proposal. The Washington Post
(11/2)
| Regulatory Update | | |
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- ATA urges Europe to recognize airline alliances
The Air Transport Association is calling on European regulators to recognize that airline alliances are "compatible with European rules on restrictive business practices, and not anticompetitive." In a letter to the European Commissioner for Competition, ATA President and CEO James May said alliances open up new routes and boost employment, even as they increase competition. "No alliance holds a leading share of the U.S.-Europe market, and the three alliances have increased their combined share of that market by just 1% over five years," he noted. The Wall Street Journal
(10/30)
, Dallas Business Journal/Airline Biz Blog
(10/30)
- Report: N.Y. airspace initiatives showing few results
Two years after an advisory board recommended 77 changes to ease congestion in New York airspace, only 30 of those initiatives have been completed, according to a report from the Transportation Department's Inspector General. Of the 30 "completed" items, nine are used only infrequently, three have been discontinued and 13 need additional work. Only five of the completed items were found to create the expected benefits, and the 47 unaddressed issues "face a number of challenges" before they can be implemented. AviationWeek.com
(10/30)
- Technology, regulation weighed to keep pilots alert
As technological advances allow aircraft to fly themselves for long periods of time, airlines and regulators are looking for ways to ensure that bored pilots don't doze off or lose their focus. Some carriers have protocols that require pilots to perform certain inputs every 15 minutes; failure to do so sets off an alarm in the cockpit. Meanwhile, regulators are discussing a federal ban on personal electronic devices for pilots, along with cockpit cameras to detect violations of the policy. But Bill Voss, CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, says such steps could be more symbolic than substantive. "If regulation solved all the problems in aviation, we'd just have to outlaw crashes," he notes. The New York Times
(10/31)
, Newsweek
(10/30)
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| Industry Trends | | |
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- Expert says recession caused airlines to shrink premium offerings
David Jarach, a professor and airline analyst, explains how the global economic downturn has resulted in a fundamental shift in airlines' structures. "Business class on intra-European routes is at risk," Jarach said. "On long-haul routes, the chance to survive is higher, but ... one candidate for disappearing is first class. This is a trend that started some years ago for U.S. carriers, but [now] only Asian carriers will continue to maintain those first-class services." The Transnational
(10/29)
- Demand for Wi-Fi creates challenges for airlines
Airline passengers are increasingly interested in having Wi-Fi access while in flight, and airlines are eager to cater to those desires. However, the carriers face a number of challenges in trying to comply with federal laws as well as company policies regarding wireless communications. Travel Weekly
(10/30)
| Career Development | | |
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- 3 ways to bring a project back from the dead
If you decide to resurrect a failed project, figure out how much it will cost in terms of hours and resources; look at your past mistakes to figure out what you shouldn't do; and keep it simple so you can be flexible if things go wrong, Celine Roque advises. She also recommends never bring back a project "just because you have nothing better to do." Web Worker Daily
(10/31)
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 Air Service Development Positions, Varying Levels | Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Int'l Airport (Kenton County Airport Board) | Cincinnati |
| Planning Project Manager | Frontier Airlines | Denver, Colorado |
| Pricing Analyst | Alaska Airlines | Seattle, WA |
| Brokering and Rotables Manager | Wencor | Miami, FL (US) |
| Sr. Analyst Network Planning | Jetblue Airways | Forest Hills New York |
| ATC Coordinator | Virgin America | Burlingame, CA |
| Sales Manager - Cargo | Aloha Air Cargo | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Director, Business Development | Aloha Air Cargo | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Senior Engineer (Powerplant) | Alaska Airlines | Seattle |
| Manager of Public Relations, Houston, TX | Continental Airlines | Headquarters - Houston, TX |
| Customer Service Manager (LGA) | Spirit Airlines | Flushing, NY |
| Technical Purchasing Manager | Spirit Airlines | Miramar, FL |
| Senior Analyst Industrial Engineering | JetBlue Airways | Forest Hills, New York |
| Product Manager JetBlue Getaways | JetBlue Airways | Forest Hills, New York |
| Human Resources Manager | Hawaiian Airlines | Honolulu, HI |
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| Editor's Note | | |
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Poll: Over the past year, the frequency of lengthy (more than 3 hours) tarmac delays has:
Look for the ATA SmartBrief Year-End Report on Dec. 8 and 15. The results of this poll will appear in Part 2 on Dec. 15.
 | Increased |
| Decreased |
| Stayed about the same |
| Don't know |
| SmartQuote | | |
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 | Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory."
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| About ATA |
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Founded in 1936, the Air Transport Association of America, Inc. (ATA) is the nation's oldest and largest airline trade association, representing the leading U.S. airlines. ATA airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90
percent of U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the association's fundamental purpose is to foster a business and regulatory environment that ensures safe and secure air transportation and
permits U.S. airlines to flourish, stimulating economic growth locally, nationally and internationally. For additional industry information, visit
www.airlines.org.
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| | Recent ATA SmartBrief Issues:
- Friday, October 30, 2009
- Thursday, October 29, 2009
- Wednesday, October 28, 2009
- Tuesday, October 27, 2009
- Monday, October 26, 2009
| | | Lead Editor: Angela Giroux-Scheide
Contributing Editor: Robert Jones
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