News from FlightGlobal – Page 2118
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Changing channels
Tom Gill LONDON Global distribution systems face unprecedented challenges to their traditional businesses as the Internet gathers pace "They have had a very easy life for a very long time. But distribution is no longer secure. Supply is no longer secure. Other people have replicated the technology functionality at a ...
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Play by the rules
David Knibb WASHINGTON DC As momentum grows to liberalise the skies, the rules for fair and open competition become more important. But few agree on what they should be. When Grupo TACA accused Continental Airlines last November of predatory pricing and capacity dumping, a charge the latter denied, it ...
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Placing your bets on fuel
Oil price changes can have a fundamental impact on the industry, argues Chris Tarry of Commerzbank. You do not have to spend long in airline boardrooms to realise that the oil price hike has been a painful experience for carriers everywhere. Already the fuel hike is being cited as a ...
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Aboard the management express
Regional carriers provide a broad management training ground for senior executive roles in the mainline carrier argues Michael Bell, who leads the global aviation practice at executive search consultancy Spencer Stuart. What's the best way to groom an up-and-coming airline executive for general management? Put him or her into ...
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WestJet eyes move to number one
Calgary's second airline is on its way to becoming first. WestJet, which only started flying four years ago, is seizing the opportunity it senses following Air Canada's takeover of Canadian Airlines. WestJet plans to take nationwide the formula that has been the basis of its success in western Canada ...
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Travel agents hit back at Iberia's Internet ticket sales
BARRY CROSS LONDON Spanish flag carrier Iberia launched its first aggressive Internet sales campaign at the end of February, offering 150,000 seats to 30 destinations at discounts of up to 40%. To qualify, passengers simply had to book online. Travel agents reacted with a week's ban on Iberia ticket ...
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JAL/Swissair increase links
Japan Airlines (JAL) and Swissair have agreed to link their frequent flier programmes from June. The two carriers have operated codeshares between Japan and Switzerland since 1998. In a separate move, JAL, All Nippon Airlines and Japan Air Services have agreed to co-operate on a joint shuttle service between ...
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Plan set to solve dispute over Italian flight transfer
BARRY CROSS LONDON A new plan may have solved the long-running saga over the transfer of flights from Milan's Linate Airport to the new hub at Malpensa. The so-called Plan B is to be implemented on 20 April, even though the airlines involved are still far from happy. The ...
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British Midland steps up bid for transatlantic rights
COLIN BAKER LONDON British Midland (BM) has raised the stakes in its quest for transatlantic services from London Heathrow with a $1.2 billion order for four long-haul Airbus A330s. The order is despite the failure of the US and UK governments to reach an open skies "mini-deal" earlier this year, ...
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Continental speads out
Continental Airlines and its regional subsidiary Continental Express are beginning new services from Continental's three US hubs. The new routes are from Houston to Abilene, Texas, and San Luis, Mexico; from Cleveland to Hamilton, Ontario; and from Newark to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Continental Express also plans to increase its service ...
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OAG in search of new owner
OAG, the international travel information provider, is seeking a new owner. Parent company Reed Elsevier, which also owns Airline Business, put the business up for sale after a strategic review that will see the group focus on scientific, legal and business publishing - the last of which includes this ...
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Air Liberté takeover bid
Air France has received board approval to bid for 86% British Airways-owned Participations Aéronautiques, parent company of Air Liberté. If the sale goes through, it will strengthen Air France's grip on its regional network, which has seen heavy investment recently. SAir-owned AOM is also reported to have shown interest in ...
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Tokyo's runway slots awarded
Japan's transport ministry has allocated 48 of the 57 valuable new slots to be made available over the next two years at Tokyo's congested domestic hub Haneda Airport ahead of the opening of a third runway in July. As expected, new carriers Skymark Airlines and Hokkaido International Airlines - ...
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New lease for Air Do
Japanese low-cost carrier Hokkaido International Airlines, which operates as Air Do, is to lease a second Boeing 767-300ER from Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services. The aircraft will be added between April and June and will be used to double frequencies on the carrier's single Tokyo-Sapporo domestic route. Source: ...
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Vietnam-USA seal deal
NICHOLAS IONIDES ATI SINGAPORE Vietnam and the USA have finally signed a bilateral to allow codesharing. That could be the prelude to a full air-services accord when talks resume in June. The codeshare agreement was signed early in March in Hanoi and is described as a "memorandum of discussions", although ...
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Air Maldives hit by cash shortage
Air Maldives is in serious financial trouble, having been forced late in February to suspend all international services as a result of a cash shortage. The airline grounded its international operation on 28 February, although as Airline Business closed for press it hoped to have resumed flights before the ...
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Airbus wins Chinese orders
China Northern Airlines has signed with Airbus Industrie to acquire 10 A321s. The deal concludes the allocation of the purchase package of 30 A320-family aircraft placed by China Aviation Supplies Import and Export Corporation in May 1997. Ten other aircraft from the package were allocated to China Eastern Airlines, three ...
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SAA springs surprise with Boeing decision
ROGER MAKINGS JOHANNESBURG South African Airways (SAA) has acquired 21 Boeing 737-800s, plus 21 options, raising eyebrows among observers who expected the carrier to buy Airbus A320s. SAA chief executive Coleman Andrews claims that Boeing's offer was clearly ahead on price, but some in South Africa remain suspicious over the ...
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Biman sell-off
RAVI PARSAD NEW DELHI A Citibank-led consortium is preparing a restructuring plan with the aim of attracting a strategic partner for Biman Bangladesh Airlines. British Airways and Singapore International Airlines are among those reported to be interested. The consortium consists of consultancy SH&E, legal firm Clifford Chance Wirot and ...
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When size matters
The debate over the size of market for a new very large aircraft has become similar to a poker game; until the first cards are on the table, no-one knows which way the deck will fall. During a recent briefing in Washington, Airbus Industrie's senior vice- president, commercial, John Leahy ...