Archive for March, 2010
Caribbean Airlines launched a new reservation and booking system on 8 March 2010 in an effort to increase functionality and cost savings which are needed to further improve its service offering to customers.
There is, however, a period of learning for users of the new system and together with the technological transfer of information and data the airline is still experiencing some delays.
“Caribbean Airlines continues to work with all our stakeholders to ensure that these issues are resolved within the shortest possible timeframe and we are making a concerted effort to improve the booking process especially at our ticket offices,” the airline said in a press statement.
“Caribbean Airlines apologize to its customers for the inconvenience caused and would like to thank them for their patience during this transition as we look forward to being able to offer an improved service upon completion of this system transfer,” the statement added.
BRUSSELS — (AFP) – The European Union and the United States took a ”major step forward” in aviation liberalization, paving the way for foreign ownership of their airlines after lengthy talks, Brussels said.
However, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said the results of the deal were disappointing as they did not go far enough on the sensitive issue of EU and US airlines owning controlling stakes in each other.
Under the draft deal to move towards EU-US ”open skies” in the airline industry, European airlines would be able to take majority stakes in US companies, and eventually, US firms would be able to reciprocate.
But the accord calls for legislative changes both in European nations and the United States, and needs to be signed off by the US Congress, an uncertain and lengthy prospect.
”Both sides have agreed to increase regulatory cooperation, and remove the barriers to market access that have been holding back the development of the world’s most important aviation markets,” EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said in a statement hailing the deal.
The draft accord represents ”a significant breakthrough in the process of normalizing the global airline industry,” the statement added.
”The new agreement affirms that the terms of the 2007 agreement will remain in place indefinitely,” a US Department of State spokesman said in a statement.
The 2007 deal, which took four years to thrash out and went into effect early 2008, eliminated air service restrictions between the United States and Europe, allowing airlines from both sides to select routes and destinations based on consumer demand for both passenger and cargo services.
The new accord ”deepens US-EU cooperation in aviation security, safety, competition, and ease of travel,” the US Department of State spokesman said.
Yet IATA remained decidedly underwhelmed.
”It is disappointing that, at this critical time, we did not make significant progress on the issue of ownership,” IATA director general Giovanni Bisignani said in a statement.
”The agreement was not a step backwards, but it did not move us forward. The long-term financial sustainability of the industry is dependant on normal commercial freedoms. I urge both governments to keep this on the radar screen for urgent follow-up,” he added.
EU companies currently can hold no more than a 25 percent stake in US counterparts.
Source mb
The US and EU have agreed to make permanent the 2007 agreement allowing airlines to fly between any EU and US city, but failed to move forward the issue of airline ownership.
They also agreed to deepen cooperation between the US and the EU over aviation security, safety, competition and ease of travel.
IATA (the International Air Transport Association) criticised the agreement for not going far enough. Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s director general and ceo, said: “It is disappointing that, at this critical time, we did not make significant progress on the issue of ownership.
“The agreement was not a step backwards, but it did not move us forward. The long-term financial sustainability of the industry is dependant on normal commercial freedoms. I urge both governments to keep this on the radar screen for urgent follow-up.”
The International Air Carrier Association said its members were “frustrated and disappointed by the failure to agree a balanced deal for all airlines”.
Sylviane Lust, IACA’s director general, said: “This deal is completely one sided in favour of US airlines… [it] hasn’t brought airlines any closer to a genuine open sky and provides no new opportunities for European carriers.
“IACA calls on both side to honour their commitments made at the start of the EU-US aviation talks in 2003. After all those years of trumpeting minor breakthroughs, it is really time to achieve a genuine open sky, with equal opportunities for both sides.”
Source ABTN
British Airways is planning to operate 70 percent of its long haul scheduled flights from Heathrow during the second phase of cabin crew industrial action due to start on Saturday March 27, the airline said in a statement on Wednesday.
Unite, the union representing British Airways (BA) cabin crew, is due to start the second phase of industrial action on Saturday March 27 and it is planned to continue until Tuesday March 30.
BA said in a statement that an increasing number of cabin crew said they were planning to show up for work and therefore it estimates that it will be able to operate 70 percent of its long haul scheduled flights from Heathrow.
As of 6pm on Wednesday, the BA.com reports that of the three of the nine flights scheduled to operate between Dubai and Heathrow between March 27 and 30 have been cancelled, while two of the ten due to fly on the Heathrow and Dubai leg will not go ahead.
On the Doha-Bahrain-Heathrow route, all flights are expected to operate on March 27, while all route’s scheduled flights on March 28 and 29 have been cancelled.
On March 30 all BA flights between Doha and Bahrain have been cancelled, while all the flights between Bahrain and Heathrow are due to go ahead as scheduled, according to BA.com at 6pm on Wednesday.
A spokesperson from BA said that full details of how Gulf flights from Heathrow would be affected during the second strike period would be released on Thursday morning March 25, London time.
He said: “Customers who are booked on flights that have now been cancelled will be offered seats on alternative British Airways flights or on services operated by other airlines or offered a full refund.”
He added: “British Airways has again made arrangements with more than 60 other carriers, so that customers can be rebooked free of charge on to their flights if they had been due to travel on a BA flight that has been cancelled,.”
On Monday, BA said that the daily flight on the London-Bahrain-Doha route had been cancelled on March 22, 23 and 24 and that it had cancelled one of the three daily flights between Dubai and London that were scheduled to operate on each of March 22, 23 and 24.
There has been no impact on schedules to Jeddah, Riyadh, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi or Muscat.
The industrial action is over proposed changes to pay and working conditions announced by BA management, which has said it needs to shave more than $90m off the airline’s annual expenditure.
BA made a pre tax loss in the nine months to December 2009 of $511m, compared to a loss of $104m in the same period in 2008.
The changes include a pay freeze in 2010, reducing the number of cabin crew on long haul flights from 15 to 14 and switching around 3,000 staff to part time work.
Customers have been advised to check their bookings on www.ba.com to see if their flight is still operating.
Source AB
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) in Barbados is the best airport in the Caribbean for service excellence.
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| Grantley Adama International Airport |
This is according to the Airport Service Quality (ASQ), an initiative of Airport Council International, a global association with over 130 participants in over 45 countries in pursuit of constructive and cooperative relationship with the airline associations, governments and regulators.
In the category of Caribbean and Latin America, Barbados was third only to Guayaqui (GYE), Ecuador and Cancun (CUN), Mexico, respectively.
In acknowledgment of the honour, Joseph Johnson, CEO (Ag.) of the airport in Barbados stated, “We are very pleased as it reflects the diligent team effort by all airport partners to create the ultimate airport experience.”
The best airports in the world were Incheon (ICN), South Korea; Singapore (SIN); Hong Kong (HKG), China; Beijing (PEK), China; and Hyderabad (HYD),India; in that order.
March 24, 2010
A security worker at London’s Heathrow Airport has received a police warning and faces disciplinary action over claims he ogled a female colleague using a full-body scanner, officials said on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old worker made lewd comments after his colleague Jo Margetson, 29, mistakenly strayed into the scanner, which can see through clothes to produce an image of the body, the Sun newspaper reported.
The case is believed to be the first of its kind since the full-body scanners were rushed into service at a number of British airports in the wake of an attempt by a suspected Muslim extremist to blow up a plane bound for Detroit on December 25.
They are now being rolled out at airports across the world.
Details of the incident at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 on March 10 emerged on the day lawmakers said concerns that the scanners were intrusive had been overblown.
Margetson told the Sun she had been “traumatised” by what had happened and had informed police and her bosses at the airport’s operator BAA.
“We treat any allegations of inappropriate behaviour or misuse of security equipment very seriously and these claims are being investigated thoroughly,” said a spokeswoman for BAA.
“If found to be substantiated, we will take appropriate action.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said officers had been informed of the allegation and “a first instance harassment warning has been issued to a 25-year-old man.”
Opponents of scanners have argued since their introduction that they risked breaching individuals’ rights to privacy. Britain’s Equality and Human Rights Commission has already said they might be breaking discrimination and privacy laws.
“For every official caught ogling like this, there are plenty more eyeing up law-abiding travellers,” Alex Deane, director of the Big Brother Watch campaign group, told the Sun newspaper.
“These expensive machines are totally disproportionate.”
The government says staff using the machines are properly supervised and would not be able to see the person being scanned. All images are deleted.
Britain’s parliamentary Home Affairs Committee said fears about the scanners were misplaced and they should be introduced at a faster pace to deal with the threat of terrorism.
“The Committee is satisfied that the privacy concerns that have been expressed in relation to these devices are overstated and… should not prevent the deployment of scanners,” it said in a report.
(Reuters)
March 24, 2010
Air Canada plans to go well beyond the CAD$500 million (USD$490 million) in cost cuts and new revenue-generating activities it set for itself as a goal by the end of 2011, the company’s chief financial officer said on Wednesday.
Canada’s biggest airline has so far cut costs or generated new revenues totalling CAD$223 million in 2010, Michael Rousseau said. Its target for the year is CAD$270 million.
Including 2009 savings, Rousseau said the company had achieved CAD$256 million of the full CAD$500 million goal.
“We will not stop there,” he said. “We are not going to be satisfied hitting CAD$500 million. We know of some things within our control and there is an incredible effort within the entire company to drive out costs.”
Last month, Air Canada reported fourth-quarter results that topped analysts’ expectations as it beat its cost-cutting target for the period.
Air Canada’s operating costs are about 30 percent higher than those of its main domestic competitor, WestJet Airlines.
Rousseau said Air Canada has no plans to shrink itself to help improve cash flows.
“We like our root structure, we know the economy is coming back and we are comfortable with where we are at this point in time,” he said in response to a question from an analyst.
From a balance sheet perspective, he said the company is in sound shape.
“We still have financing opportunities,” he said, adding that “at this point in time, we don’t think we need that money. It’s relatively expensive money as well.”
(Reuters)
March 24, 2010
The world’s airlines should post a combined profit in 2011, after an expected loss of about USD$2.8 billion in 2010, the head of airline industry body IATA said on Wednesday.
A shortfall in global air carriers’ revenues from their peak in 2008 should be made up within two years, IATA Director-General Giovanni Bisignani told a news conference at the FIDAE air industry fair.
“With a loss of USD$2.8 billion this year, I think we can say with a reasonable degree of certainty that we will be back in the black in 2011,” Bisignani said. He said the body would issue its forecast of 2011 industry results in June.
A gap of nearly USD$80 billion in annual revenues lost since a 2008 peak would be made up within two years, he said.
IATA forecasts industry revenues of USD$522 billion for 2010, which is still USD$42 billion shy of 2008 levels.
“We have an (expected) improvement this year of USD$43 billion (over 2009 levels), so we suppose that in two years we will recover the loss,” Bisignani said.
He expects airlines in North America to post a combined loss of about USD$1.8 billion in 2010, and sees European airlines losing a total of USD$2.2 billion.
However, Latin American airlines will post a combined profit of about USD$800 million this year, he forecast. Bisignani expects air traffic demand in Latin America to rise 12.2 percent in 2010 from 2009 levels.
(Reuters)
SkyMiles members to enjoy more worldwide mileage-earning opportunities
ATLANTA — /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) has announced six new SkyMiles partners and additional ways for members to accumulate miles. The new SkyMiles partners, which join more than 140 other mileage-earning partners in the world’s leading frequent flier program, are LetsTalk, E-Z Rent-A-Car, SpaFinder, La Quinta Inns & Suites, International Links Golf Club and Boingo.
Details related to each new SkyMiles partners are included below:
SkyMiles Mileage-Earning Partner Benefits
Partner Opportunity
LetsTalk 4,000 miles upon A leading online retailer
activation of a new cell of cell phones, wireless
phone and plan, including devices and service plans
qualified contract
extensions, netbooks and
wireless cards from AT&T,
Verizon Wireless, Sprint
and T-Mobile; 10 miles
for every $1 spent on
accessories
E-Z Rent-A- 100 miles per rental day Multiple locations
Car on qualified rentals at conveniently located
corporate-operated throughout the United
airport locations States
SpaFinder 5 miles for every $1 spent A network of more than
on gift certificates and 5,000 spas in 79
gift sets at countries
SpaFinder.com
La Quinta 250 miles per stay Available at more than 750
Inns & hotels located in the
Suites Special offer valid U.S., Canada and Mexico
through 4/30/10: Earn up
to 750 miles per stay at
any La Quinta Inns &
Suites
International 1,250 miles for joining Play golf almost
Links Golf everywhere Delta flies.
Club Get access to tee times,
concierge travel
services, exclusive
member tournaments and
logo gear. Enjoy hundreds
of amazing courses and
get 20% off golf fees.
Boingo 500 miles for signing up Wi-Fi networks in more
for unlimited Wi-Fi than 50 airports in North
access at more than America
125,000 hotspots
“Delta continually seeks new, innovative and relevant mileage-earning opportunities that appeal to our 74 million SkyMiles members,” said Jennifer Martin, managing director – partnership marketing. “These new SkyMiles partners offer the quality and value that our customers expect, while providing additional ways to earn miles in the world’s largest frequent flyer program.”
Visit delta.com/skymiles for program details and information on more than 140 other SkyMiles partners, as well as complete terms and conditions.
Now in its 28th year, SkyMiles is among the longest-running and most successful loyalty programs in the travel industry. The award-winning Delta SkyMiles program offers members multiple mileage-earning opportunities when flying Delta, Delta Shuttle, the Delta Connection carriers, Delta AirElite and all SkyTeam member airlines.
With more than 140 worldwide SkyMiles partners, SkyMiles members can earn miles through the Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express (available in the U.S. and 11 other countries), Delta SkyMiles Check Card, participating hotels, car rental companies, restaurants, SkyMilesShopping.com, SkyMilesDining.com, floral and gift retailers, financial and realty services, and more.
Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. With its unsurpassed global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 367 destinations in 66 countries on six continents. Delta employs more than 70,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of nearly 800 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France KLM. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 16,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline’s service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, the world’s largest airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.
Terms and conditions:
All SkyMiles program rules apply. To review the rules, see Membership Guide & Program Rules. All offers and awards are subject to the terms and conditions of each individual SkyMiles partner. Offers, rules and participating SkyMiles partners are subject to change without notice. Offers are void where prohibited by law. Other restrictions may apply. ©2010 Delta Air Lines, Inc.
SOURCE Delta Air Lines
March 23, 2010
British Airways is open to holding further talks with the Unite union to avert a second wave of strikes by its cabin crew but has made plans to cope with a fresh walkout this weekend, it said on Tuesday.
“BA is available to hold further talks with Unite, but wants customers to have advance notice of its flying schedule to remove uncertainty and allow sufficient time for alternative travel arrangements to be made,” BA said in a statement.
Cabin crew returned to work on Tuesday after a three-day stoppage the airline said had cost it an estimated GBP£7 million pounds (USD$10.5 million) a day.
Unions plan a second, four-day stoppage from Saturday, grounding flights before the busy Easter holiday period, in a dispute that centres on cost-cutting plans and staffing levels. BA said it had expanded its flight schedules for the second strike period because of an “increased number of cabin crew wishing to work as normal.”
The British carrier said it would run a full operation using its own aircraft at London’s Gatwick airport for the second strike period and that all flights to and from London City airport would remain unaffected.
At London’s Heathrow airport the airline said it hoped to run about 55 percent of its planned short haul flights and 70 percent of long haul flights.
The airline will supplement its short haul schedule by leasing up to 11 aircraft with pilots and crews each day from six different airlines based in the UK and Europe, it said.
(Reuters)