Strategy – Page 1080
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News
Twin sales with a twist
The sale of significant minority state holdings in two of Europe's leading carriers has caused consternation in financial markets, albeit for different reasons. At presstime, the German government was hoping to sell off its remaining 35.7 per cent stake in Lufthansa before the end of the year, while ...
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Toughing out the boom
In 1997, can the major airlines improve on their performance in the boom year of 1996? Airline Business previews the main issues which will dominate airline executives' thinking in 1997. These are the good times, but life for the average airline manager does not appear to be getting any easier. ...
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Asia rife with labour strife
Industrial unrest is spreading across Asia-Pacific as the region's carriers react to a worrying economic slowdown and stiff competition, compounded by the global hike in fuel costs. At presstime, All Nippon Airways was at loggerheads with its cabin crew unions after wage negotiations broke down: a 24-hour strike ...
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Harry heads to Air Afrique
Let's hope Sir Harry Tirvengadum is ready for a challenging 1997. The charismatic chairman of Air Mauritius faces a tough transition when he moves over to head up struggling Air Afrique on 1 January 1997. The west African carrier continues to suffer government interference and union pressures which ...
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Alitalia pays a small price
Alitalia has been fined by the Italian antitrust authorities for bullying tactics against domestic competitors, and as it succeeds in removing one through a codeshare deal with startup Alpi Eagles, another potential threat appears in the form of Azzurra Air. The authorities found that Alitalia had 'impeded, blocked ...
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The battle for AOM begins
Barely having caught their breath after the furious scramble to take over insolvent Air Liberté, potential bidders are now lining up in the race for struggling French rival, AOM. And potential political problems are already brewing. British Airways' recent acquisition of a 67 per cent holding in Air ...
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United allies down under
The fierce fight for market share on routes in and out of Australasia is set to hot up even further following Air New Zealand's alliance with United Airlines and a new capacity-boosting bilateral between Australia and the UK. The fledgling partnership of Air New Zealand and Australia's Ansett ...
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China puts on the squeeze
China is having mixed success in its aviation policy. Despite easing the moratorium on aircraft orders, Beijing is now having to curb international capacity growth for fear of Chinese carriers losing out to their foreign counterparts. But the authorities are having more success in their drive for domestic consolidation. ...
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Coded for no competition
A study on codesharing for the European Commission recommends ending the practice on nonstop routes and reducing the number of CRS listings for codeshare flights to one. These are two of the main findings of a study by Amsterdam-based consultants Strategem. Their report finds that codesharing by two ...
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Global traders will win economic war
In the final years of this century, the new global 'geo-economics' has become the driving force of international relations and commerce. Autocratic regimes and domestically focused businesses are more likely to fail, or grow less slowly, than those which recognise the reality of the globalised economy. The days ...
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Wheeling out the service
For major airlines seeking high-margin travellers, customer service will be a key to profitability. Still, Philip Festa says pressures within the industry are threatening to squeeze carriers' service levels. Customer service is now the norm throughout almost all sectors of commerce: supermarkets, hotels, banks and fast food chains vie ...
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Is candid Crandall correct about IT?
When Robert Crandall, AMR Corp chairman, noted at the last Iata annual general meeting that 'there is no reason to believe that technology will make airlines more profitable,' there had to have been a few sets of raised eyebrows in the audience. Crandall, after all, is the one credited for ...
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USAir wears Wolf clothing
In a move described as 'vintage Wolf', USAir will this year become US Airways, accompanied by a complete facelift. But below the cosmetic makeover, there are signs that the carrier's chairman is finally healing the longstanding rifts with labour. USAir chairman and CEO Stephen Wolf, who has master-minded ...
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New 737 launch stresses technology and low cost
Max Kingsley-Jones/SEATTLE Boeing CLAIMs that it has put itself "ten years ahead" of Airbus Industrie in the short-haul, jet-powered-airliner technology/low-cost stakes with the official unveiling of its first next-generation 737 (a -700) at its Renton plant, near Seattle, Washington, on 8 December. Sales of next-generation 737s ...
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Boeing delays 747X go-ahead
Guy Norris and Paul Lewis/SEATTLE Boeing has been forced to delay the 747-500X/600X programme by at least four months because of continuing market uncertainty and the late definition of the General Electric/Pratt & Whitney joint-venture engine. The stretched, rewinged 747 was expected to be given the ...
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US ATA plans to establish safety-information exchange
US airlines will have a prototype system for the exchange of safety information operational within a month if predictions by US Air Transport Association (ATA) vice-president operations Al Prest are realised. The aim is to build a database of safety-incident information, which will be large enough to enable ...
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Constellation prefers A320s to 737-300s
Constellation International Airlines has switched from its selection of the Boeing 737-300 to the Airbus Industrie A320 to replace its fleet of Boeing 727-200s. The Belgian charter airline will take delivery in April 1997 of two A320s on lease from International Lease Finance, in time for its 1997 ...
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Indian Airlines selects Saab 2000s for regional services
The Saab 2000 has emerged as the winner in the competition to supply the Indian Airlines low-cost division, Alliance Air, with a 50-seat regional airliner. Alliance is planning an initial acquisition of six aircraft. Alliance, launched in April with Boeing 737-200s transferred from its parent, had been evaluating ...
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Gulf Air considers share sale as part of shake-up
Gulf Air is considering a major revamp which could involve the Abu Dhabi Government acquiring a majority stake in the company, says a report in the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED). The airline's board met late in November to discuss the carrier's future. Chief executive Majed Bin Saud ...
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Lufthansa/Bombardier prepare business-jet charter venture
Lufthansa's supervisory board has approved a new business-jet charter company, to be formed as a joint venture between Lufthansa City Line and Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier. The board gave its go-ahead to the plan at a meeting in early December, after the signing of a joint-venture agreement ...