All air transport news – Page 2255
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News
Travel agents outraged by commission reductions
KAREN WALKER WASHINGTON DC Taking their lead from United Airlines, most major US carriers have slashed travel agent commission rates from 8% to 5%. The cuts have provoked outcry from travel agent groups, already reeling from efforts by the airlines to steer customers towards Internet bookings. Within days of ...
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Boeing reverses policy to create full-service finance unit
DAVID KNIBB SEATTLE In a major policy reversal, Boeing is turning the customer finance unit it inherited from McDonnell Douglas (MDC) into "a full-service financing organisation". The former MDC finance unit, renamed Boeing Capital, will be combined with the finance services of its treasury as part of the move ...
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Ansett NZ wins pilot contract battle amid sale talk
New Zealand's second airline has won the struggle with its pilots over a new contract, but it is dogged by reports that it is preparing the airline for sale. Ansett New Zealand and its pilots have been at odds most of this year over a company demand that they ...
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In brief
Joint operations - Qantas Airways and British Airways are to merge commercial operations in Hong Kong from next April. The carriers say the new organisation is designated to integrate commercial operations such as telephone sales, ticketing and marketing. The two have joint operations in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. ...
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A year to forget
PETER CONWAY LONDON It took a while for the Asian downturn to affect the air cargo industry, but last year the bad news really hit home. There is little hiding from the fact that 1998 was a dismal year for the air cargo industry. And final figures from the ...
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Hong Kong cuts fees
DAVE KNIBB SEATTLE A deal between Hong Kong's airport authority and government has cleared the way for a 15% cut in landing and parking fees at Chek Lap Kok from 1 January. Hong Kong's Government has agreed to take over fire and rescue operations at the airport to save the ...
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Government cash to rescue Garuda
NICHOLAS IONIDES SINGAPORE Garuda Indonesia is to receive a financial boost from its government owners from next year, with a promise of annual cash injections of $62 million over the next eight years. The cash-strapped airline, Indonesia's flag carrier, says the government made the promise in September, allowing for payments ...
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New contenders join the contest in Peru
DAVID KNIBB SEATTLE Substitute LanChile and Grupo TACA for Cintra and Delta Air Lines and a new chapter opens in Peruvian aviation. LanPeru and TACA Peru, backed by their main patrons LanChile and Grupo TACA, have replaced the fallen AeroPeru that was owned by Mexico's Cintra and Delta. Meanwhile, a ...
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In brief
Air Canada expands in USA - Air Canada has signed a new code-share agreement with United Express carrier Atlantic Coast Airlines, effective from 31 October. The agreement will enable Air Canada to offer 11 new destinations along the Eastern seaboard via Washington Dulles and Chicago. Cuban contract for TransAer ...
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Aeroflot calls in US bank for long-term debt advice
PETER BENNETT VIENNA Russia's flag carrier Aeroflot has selected Chase Manhattan Bank to help restructure its mounting debt problems and finalise plans for a possible re-entry into the world capital markets. The airline insists, however, that there is no chance of a fresh share issue to raise new cash ...
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Alitalia plans strategy amid growing competition
Alitalia has announced an upbeat two-year strategic plan, but in the short term it could be in for a bumpy ride. The Italian carrier forecasts a drop in net consolidated profit from 1998's L408 billion ($223 million)to L202 billion this year, blaming declining domestic yields and a rise in ...
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Iberia faces attack as shares go on sale
BARRY CROSS LONDON Iberia's initial public offering is finally going ahead on 22 November, following the resolution of a dispute between 9% shareholder British Airways and major company shareholder Caja Madrid over voting rights. A 53% stake held in the flag carrier by state holding company SEPI will be floated. ...
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Forced marriages
PETER CONWAY LONDON The big three global alliances have produced few cargo synergies so far. Will they ever? Cargo departments could be forgiven for feeling a little excluded amid all the clamour surrounding global alliances. While vast amounts of management time have been focussed on cementing the right strategic relationships ...
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Births, deaths and marriages
Sifting the sands of global alliance networks is quickly becoming an art. Over the next year to 18 months this skill will be tested to the limits as exposed "independent" carriers seek shelter in global alliances. These are interesting times for alliance watchers everywhere. Swissair's long-running Atlantic Excellence alliance ...
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Mind the capacity gap
Chris Tarry of Commerzbank unveils a new model to measure the true gap between capacity growth and underlying traffic demand. A constant theme of our analysis over the last few months has been the relationship between capacity - or more precisely excess capacity - and yields. A recent surge ...
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Routes
MAS boosts partnerships Malaysia Airlines has firmed up plans with Northwest Airlines for a long-awaited codesharing agreement that will take MAS closer to the Northwest/KLM alliance. The two signed a memorandum of understanding for the tie-up last February and seek governmental approval for the strategic partnership to take effect ...
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Routes
British Airways franchise operator British Regional Airlines has been cleared to take over services from Jersey in the Channel Islands to Southampton from KLM uk. Jersey European Airways and Aurigny had also been vying for the route. American Airlines and French rail company SNCF are to market jointly air-to-rail ...
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Intrepid Explorer
Flying the MD 902 Explorer proved it to be vice-free - as befits a helicopter with a design dictated by pilots and operators Peter Gray/REDHILL The MD Explorer should be the perfect helicopter. The design was conceived in the early 1990s when McDonnell Douglas asked owners round the world what ...
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Destination unknown
Replacing its current fleet could be the least complicated issue facing Canadian Regional Airlines as an airline takeover battle looms Paul Seidenman/CALGARY As Air Canada and Canadian Airlines (CAI) face up to each other in what is becoming one of the hardest-fought airline takeover battles in recent years, shock waves ...
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Brazilians lose contact with faulty research satellite
Brazil's INPE space agency has been unable to make contact with its $4.6 million SACI-1 satellite, launched last month. It is thought to have suffered a communications, antenna or computer fault, which may be correctable. The small Brazilian technology research satellite was launched on the second Chinese Long March ...