News from FlightGlobal – Page 2393
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News
Finnair merits a mention
Your February feature on SAS included comments such as an SAS executive talking of 'a bunch of competitors snapping at SAS' heels'. I was surprised to find mention of smaller competitors at Stockholm, such as Braathens Safe, but no mention of Finnair. We established Arlanda as our second ...
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Aircraft news
Emirates has ordered 16 Airbus A330-200s, with options on a further seven, with deliveries of the Trent 700-powered aircraft starting in 1999. Dragonair has ordered one A330-300, scheduled for delivery in late 1998. Croatia Airlines has ordered six A319s, with deliveries commencing in early 1998. ...
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Why the customer must still be king
Survival is key for airlines but their main focus should be on the passenger. British Airways' chief executive Bob Ayling was recently asked what he would do to change the aeronautical world were he given the power to do so. His answer went along these lines: 'It's flattering to be ...
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El Al tackles weekend trip
The Israeli government is coming under fierce pressure to lift the ban on flag carrier El Al's operations on the Sabbath. The limitation of a six-day operation is blamed for $50 million of the airline's $120 million loss in 1996 and contributed to last year's shelving of its planned privatisation. ...
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Euro agents' work cut out
European travel agents need to start convincing airlines of their worth. The decisions by alliance partners Lufthansa and SAS, as well as KLM, to slash their agents' commissions are expected to trigger Europe-wide cuts, following the trend set by US carriers. KLM plans to lower domestic commissions from ...
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United target on legal front
Low-fare carriers in the US are avidly watching how a predatory pricing complaint against United Airlines by one of their number, Frontier Airlines, pans out. A win for the minnow could encourage other no-frills operators to follow suit. Denver-based Frontier has asked the Department of Justice to investigate ...
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Indian policy is a let down
India's revised civil aviation policy has led to charges of protectionism after it failed to set an investment limit for foreign airlines and airports in Indian carriers. The strategy is being viewed as another setback for Singapore Airlines' planned joint venture with Tata Industries, which remains on hold in the ...
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Surviving the customer
Innovation has always been difficult in the airline business. The basic airline product is uniform throughout the industry, and any incremental change by one carrier is usually taken up by its competitors quickly - if it is successful. To survive and stay ahead of their competitors, airlines are constantly looking ...
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Startups slot into Japan
Japan's incumbent carriers are bracing for their first tussle with new competition in four decades, though analysts doubt that air travellers' expectations of dramatically reduced fares will be met. The incumbents are also facing a battle for the 40 new slots that will be created at Tokyo/Haneda when ...
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Competition rules, ok?
The buy/sell slot rules in the US are premised on the simple proposition that the market is better at determining the efficient use of a scarce resource than is an administrative or bureaucratic entity. Competition rules, however, are a different matter and properly the province of governments. To ...
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Top of the curve
In some airline boardrooms, the champagne corks are finally popping. After years in the doldrums, the airline business appears to be on course to report record profits for the second year running. Still, in this business even the best news tends to come with a few caveats, and this initial ...
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Alitalia in for a rough ride
The European Commission has asked Alitalia to reassess its proposed restructuring plan and even then looks set to rule that the carrier's planned injection is state aid. It will also be looking at Alitalia's linkup with Air France, while both carriers suffer further industrial unrest. The revelation that ...
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BA-AA rivals round on DOT
The posturing surrounding the proposed American Airlines-British Airways alliance has moved across the Atlantic with the US Department of Transportation coming under growing pressure from rivals to act. In the most extreme case, the outspoken chairman and chief executive of Continental Airlines, Gordon Bethune, is threatening to ask ...
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Weber pens strike plea
Chairman Jürgen Weber is attempting to stir up an internal debate at Lufthansa in a bid to persuade the pilot-dominated DAG union to pull back from strike action. In an unprecedented move Weber sent a letter to all Lufthansa employees in late January outlining the threats to Lufthansa ...
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Growth at a premium
When Salomon Brothers Hong Kong released a report on Malaysia Airlines in late December, it left little doubt that the airline was no gilt-edged investment opportunity. Recommending a 'hold' on the carrier's shares, which put in a weak performance during the carrier's latest financial year, the report's title says it ...
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Latin five set to liberalise
South America's five Mercosur nations are taking a significant if limited step towards open skies in the southern cone. The presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay have inked an accord that would give airlines from those countries the right to launch third and fourth freedom services ...
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It's all in the name
Martin Shugrue is being self-effacing these days. 'Hey, if it was just me calling up people and telling them about Air Marty Start-up Airlines, that would not get us anywhere,' he admits. What is attracting attention within the industry, he maintains, is the fact that his new airline is called ...
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Disquiet on the state aid front
The debate over continuing state support to Europe's airlines refuses to roll over and die, just like the concept of the national flag carrier, which lies at its heart. With four cases on Brussels' books, 1997 may yet prove to be a landmark year. The European Commission's scrutiny of ...
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US cracks softest nuts
Hard on the heels of a landmark open skies pact between the US and Singapore, neighbouring Malaysia is poised to sign a similar deal - giving Washington a significant boost in cracking the tough nut of protectionism that exists in Asia-Pacific. The US hopes the breakthroughs will have ...