Airport News - North America.

May 24, 2009

The number of passengers travelling on US carriers in April fell 6.3 percent year-over-year despite declining ticket prices, according to US airline lobbying group the Air Transport Association of America. The decline represents a slight slowing of March's 10 percent year-on-year decline, but this may be due to Easter falling in April this year versus March last year. May 21, 2009

Airlines are doing a better job of taking care of the passengers they still have, according to a new study. Passenger satisfaction with airline service rose 3.2 percent earlier this year, the first increase in six years, according to a University of Michigan study to be released today. The increase came as the number of passengers dropped and airlines reduced flying. Also passengers checked fewer bags as luggage fees became more common, making it easier for airlines to keep track of the bags that remained. Enplanements on US routes dropped 1.5 percent in 2008, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. And if fewer passengers are the reason for the improved satisfaction score, imagine how happy they'll be this year, when the FAA expects domestic boardings to fall 8.8 percent. Southwest Airlines Co. had the highest score, 81 on a zero-to-100 scale. After that it was Continental Airlines Inc. at 68, Delta Air Lines Inc. at 64, AMR Corp.'s American Airlines at 60, US Airways Group Inc. at 59, Northwest Airlines at 57, and UAL Corp.'s United Airlines at 56. The overall satisfaction improvement at airlines masked some big jumps at individual carriers, according to the university's American Customer Satisfaction Index. The most improved were Continental Airlines Inc., up 9.7 percent, and US Airways Group Inc., up 9.3 percent. Customer satisfaction at US Airways was on the rebound after a big drop in 2007, when it had the worst on-time showing among big carriers. For 2008, US Airways was first among big carriers for on-time arrivals. May 19, 2009

The number of air passengers travelling business class fell by 19.2 percent in March compared to the same month in 2008, according to new figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The Association in its premium traffic figures said the March fall was slightly less than the 21.1 percent decline for February. IATA said economy had slowed marginally year on year from 8.3 percent in 2008 to 8.2 percent this year. It said the weakest premium market was in Asia Pacific. Premium traffic on flights from the region across the Pacific fell by 29.3 percent, to and from Europe by 20.1 percent and within the region by 29.2 percent. www.iata.org May 19, 2009

Nearly 500 elected and public officials from across the United States have sent letters asking the Federal government to level the playing field by granting global antitrust immunity to five oneworld[umlaut] airlines. These officials state that businesses, consumers and communities they represent all will benefit from the proposed arrangement among American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia Airlines, Finnair and Royal Jordanian. May 19, 2009

Despite fears of the potential impact of the swine flu virus, statistics from OAG (http://www.oagaviation.com), the world's leading aviation data business, reveal the year-on-year decline in global airline capacity has not accelerated for May 2009 compared to figures for April when the outbreak began. The world's airlines have scheduled 5 percent (127,000) fewer flights for May 2009 compared with the same month last year, with a 2.7 percent drop in seat capacity of 8.3 million fewer seats. Last month, the year-on-year global frequency and capacity figures were down by 5.5 percent and 3 percent respectively. The total number of flights scheduled to operate worldwide this month is 2.43 million, offering 298.6 million seats to travelers around the globe. May 19, 2009

The Transportation Security Administration has moved a step closer to pre-screening all air passengers before they board their flights. Secure Flight, the long-delayed computerized screening program, has begun requiring passengers to submit their full name when making airline reservations. Passengers will have to enter their names as they appear on the government-issued identification with which they will travel. The new requirement, announced May 15, is the first step in shifting the responsibility for checking passenger names against government watch lists from the airlines to the federal government. Since 2004, TSA has been working on the Secure Flight technology, recommended by the 9/11 Commission and required by a 2007 law. The second phase of the program is slated for Aug. 15, when passengers will be required to enter their date of birth and gender when booking flights. TSA's goal is to vet 100 percent of passengers on domestic commercial flights by early 2010 and all passengers on international commercial flights by the end of 2010. May 18, 2009

Economic doldrums are expected to push down Memorial Day travel among Southern Californians by 2.3 percent compared to last year's holiday, with just over 2.5 million Southland residents expected to take trips this holiday, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. More than 80 percent of local travelers, or just over two million people, are expected to travel by car to their holiday destinations -- a 2.1 percent decrease from last year. Air travel is expected to decrease by nearly 6 percent to 213,000 Southern Californians, and 264,000 will travel by bus, train or ship -- a decrease of 1 percent. The dip in Southern California travel is also reflected statewide, where just over 4 million holiday travelers are projected. Of those, 3.3 million will travel by car and 343,000 are expected to take plane trips. May 18, 2009

Air Canada

Air Canada, beginning today until June 15, 2009, will be giving away over 3,000 instant prizes including discounts ranging from 10 to 75 per cent off future Air Canada flights, access to the airline's Maple Leaf Lounges, and a total of up to one million Aeroplan Miles. Other instant prizes include discounts on hotels and vehicle rentals with Avis and Budget. In addition, the airline will draw two grand prizes featuring a trip for two in Executive Class / Executive First to any Air Canada destination, including hotel stay and Avis car rental. To obtain more information about the contest, and to enter, go to aircanada.com/fingertips. May 20, 2009

Air France KLM, Delta Air Lines

For customers, the Air France KLM-Delta joint venture should result in more choices, frequencies, competitive fares and harmonized services on all trans-Atlantic flights operated by the partners. The joint venture represents approximately 25 percent of total trans-Atlantic capacity with annual revenues estimated at more than USD 12 billion (approximately 9.3 billion euros, reference year 2008/09). Global passengers will benefit from access to a vast network offering over 200 flights and approximately 50,000 seats daily. That network is structured around six main hubs: Amsterdam, Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York-JFK and Paris-CDG, together with Cincinnati, Lyon, Memphis and Salt Lake City. The airline partners will provide their corporate clients with a broad, global offering that best meets their expectations for the most convenient airline system, while providing efficient account management as well as ease of travel for their clients. Going forward, this structure will represent a major strength for the SkyTeam alliance, of which all three airlines are members. May 20, 2009

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand gets digital throughout Los Angeles this weekend. The kiwi airline announces the nationOs first human interactive billboard controlled entirely by mobile users to promote the Los Angeles to London roundtrip fares starting at USD 599*. The digital billboard projection launches May 21 starting at 9:30 p.m. at the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles and will feature a 1970s-era airline pilot holding a sign that reads OTXT WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO 310310.O The 1970s-era airline pilot character will respond to more than 150 different text commands including eating fruit, moon walking or even attempting to strip. The character responds with quirky text messages inviting users to enter the OreLAX to LondonO sweepstakes. May 20, 2009

AirPlus

Women business travellers cost much less than their male counterparts, new research by AirPlus International has revealed. Not only do they book much earlier than men but they get noticeably cheaper flights, Christian Gall, the card company's executive director international markets, said. Mr Gall said that on average a woman traveller booked her flight 19.2 days before she travelled. For men the comparable figure was 15.4 days. Women got an average flight price of U1505 for business class and U230 for economy while men paid U1575 for business and U277 for economy. Mr Gall told the Crossroads Paris conference, organised by the Paragon Partnership and attended by 200 delegates from Europe and America, that women fly less, buy early, sit in economy and incur less costs than men. www.airplus.com www.paragon-partnership.org May 18, 2009

AirTran Airways

AirTran Airways announced its expansion to additional gates at General Mitchell International Airport, increasing to six gates on Concourse C. These gates will be used to support 34 peak-day flights, a 57 percent growth in the airline's Milwaukee operations since last year, making AirTran Airways the fastest growing airline at the airport. Earlier this month, the carrier began flights to Branson, Mo., and Minneapolis/St. Paul. The carrier will also begin nonstop service to Denver and St. Louis on May 21. Additional nonstop flights from Milwaukee to New York (LaGuardia), Baltimore/Washington, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, and Tampa/St. Petersburg are planned for the summer. These new gates will be used to accommodate this significant increase in flights. May 20, 2009

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