Airlines
MOVE TO BLOCK AMERICAN, US AIRWAYS MERGER
The US Justice Department has filed an anti-trust case in an attempt to block the merger of American Airlines and US Airways. The deal, which would create the world’s largest airline, was approved in March by a federal judge. According to reports, the complaint says customers would see a price rise as the merger would “substantially lessen competition” in the US domestic market. Six US states and the District of Columbia have joined the suit....
AUSTRIAN INTRODUCES NEW LONG-HAUL CABINS
Passengers on Austrian’s long-haul flights will now benefit from the advantages of its new cabin, including a new level of seating comfort in Economy Class, an advanced on-board entertainment system offering non-stop entertainment, as well as innovative Business Class seats capable of being transformed into entirely flat beds. A total of 2,538 new seats were installed in the four B777 and six B767 airplanes belonging to Austrian’s long-haul fleet. The Boeing 777’s Business Class provides direct access to the aisle for four of five passengers sitting in a row, access enjoyed by every...
Air Canada Expands Services
Air Canada will launch daily, year-round service between Sydney, Nova Scotia and Toronto beginning Dec. 18, offering Sydney travellers convenient, one-stop connections to AC's extensive Canadian, US and international network. Flights will be operated by Jazz Aviation LP under the Air Canada Express brand using a 50-seat CRJ regional jet. In other news, Air Canada announced that its current seasonal flights between Montreal and San Francisco will be extended to year-round flights beginning in November. All flights will be operated with Airbus A319 aircraft. Montreal-San Francisco flights are...
AIR TRANSAT MARKS A FIRST
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports that Air Transat has become the first airline to renew its IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registration under the Enhanced IOSA audit process. Enhanced IOSA introduces the following: Airlines will assume responsibility for ensuring continued conformity with the 900+ IOSA standards and recommended practices through internal auditing throughout the 24 months registration period. Before each Enhanced IOSA renewal audit, airlines need to submit a conformance report to their Audit Organization as a record of their internal audit...
AIR CANADA HAS STRONG SECOND QUARTER
Air Canada has reported adjusted net income of $115 million or $0.41 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2013 compared to an adjusted net loss of $7 million or $0.02 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2012. Second quarter EBITDAR amounted to $385 million compared to EBITDAR of $312 million in the second quarter of 2012, an increase of $73 million or 23%. On a GAAP basis, Air Canada's net loss was $23 million or $0.09 per diluted share compared to a net loss of $161 million or $0.59 per diluted share in the same quarter of 2012. "Air Canada delivered its best second quarter...
WESTJET, CHINA SOUTHERN MOVE TO CODESHARE
WestJet has entered into a codeshare agreement with China Southern Airlines (CZ), which will now begin marketing and distributing WestJet-operated flights. The "CZ"code is on select WestJet flights connecting between Vancouver and Edmonton, Kelowna, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Prince George, Calgary, Toronto and Regina. "WestJet and China Southern Airlines have had an interline agreement since March 2012 and we are very pleased to see this evolve into a codeshare,"said Chris Avery, vice-president, Network Planning, Alliances, and Corporate Development. "We remain committed to partnering with...
EMIRATES’ A380 CRUISES INTO FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
Emirates has carried more than 18 million passengers on its double-decker A380 as the airline marks the fifth anniversary of the aircraft joining its fleet. It was Aug. 1, 2008 when Emirates operated its first scheduled Airbus A380 flight to New York. Toronto followed shortly after, launching the service in June 2009. Now, the airline flies to 21 A380 destinations including London Heathrow, Rome, Moscow, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Auckland. More than 7,000 cabin crew support a world-renowned fleet of 35 A380s, along with nearly 670 flight deck crew. Over the five years of operation, more than 35...
WESTJET SETS NEW SINGLE-DAY TRAFFIC RECORD
WestJet has announced that it flew 60,441 guests on July 31, setting a new single-day record for guests travelling with the airline. The previous single-day record was 57,474, set Dec. 21, 2012. "As we approach the August long weekend, we thank our guests for choosing to fly with us in record numbers,"said Bob Cummings, WestJet executive vice-president, Sales, Marketing and Guest Experience. "As we continue to develop our expanding network, introduce new products and appeal to new travel segments, we are seeing significant growth in the number of new WestJet guests we are welcoming on board...