Now that US Airways and America West Airlines have officially announced their intention to merge, the question of what will happen with the various regional airlines that fly under those airlines’ codes seems a logical one. But to answer it requires insight into any changes in store for the two majors’ own route structures, details of which remain sketchy.
Low-cost airlines
October 9, 2006 - 7:23am
A group of current and former airline pilots rallied on Capitol Hill in late May to protest the 45-year-old FAA regulation that forces Part 121 pilots to leave the cockpit once they reach age 60.
The group actually spent several days drumming up support for two bills currently making their way through Congress. H.R.65 andS.65 would raise the mandatory retirement age to the Social Security retirement age.
October 9, 2006 - 7:08am
On September 1 Boeing’s new 737-900ER, the platform for the new BBJ3, made its maiden flight. The first -900ER is destined for Indonesia’s Lion Air. Boeing last November at the Dubai Air Show announced (though not for the first time) that it plans to offer a BBJ3 derivative, but a formal launch decision has yet to be made. A Boeing spokesperson said more information on the BBJ3 will be forthcoming at the NBAA Convention later this month.
October 9, 2006 - 6:11am
Club Airways, the Geneva-based members-only airline, has resumed operations under new ownership and management; it had filed for bankruptcy in late April. The company has resumed service with Citation IIs, Vs and Bravos between Geneva and Paris with three weekly flights and plans to step up to two daily flights in late August. Club Airways wet-leases aircraft from charter operators.
October 9, 2006 - 6:08am
Club Airways, the Geneva-based members-only airline, has resumed operations under new ownership and management; it had filed for bankruptcy in late April. The company has resumed service with Citation IIs, Vs and Bravos between Geneva and Paris with three weekly flights and plans to step up to two daily flights in late August. Club Airways wet-leases aircraft from charter operators.
October 4, 2006 - 5:13am
Charter operator Delta AirElite is offering a 10-hour Fleet Membership program through September 30. Pricing for the new program, called Perfect 10, starts at $41,400 for 10 hours in the light jet category, $59,900 for a midsize aircraft and $102,900 for a large aircraft. The program guarantees aircraft availability with 12 hours’ notice, and members can fly all or a portion of their hours as one-way flights.
September 29, 2006 - 10:42am
Despite the precariousness of the legacy airlines and their pension plans, their pilots still narrowly support the FAA’s mandatory age-60 retirement rule for Part 121 airline pilots. But most pilots flying for the lower-cost carriers advocate eliminating the rule or at least modifying it to enable them to remain in the cockpit longer.
September 28, 2006 - 8:30am
Rising load factors for the 30- to 120-seat segment are evidence that carriers are becoming more efficient. But with revenues improving only “mildly” and labor costs continuing to inhibit growth, operators continue to look for ways to trim the cost of doing business and to combat the rising price of fuel. That’s the view of Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer as it takes a long-range look at its segment of the airline industry.
September 26, 2006 - 8:14am
In a state-of-the-industry press release last month, the Air Transport Association (ATA) again called for a change in the way the FAA does business. The association said that restructuring the air traffic system is a critical first step for the airline industry to return to financial health.
September 26, 2006 - 4:27am
The experiment in discount-fare, 50-seat RJ flying known as Independence Air (formerly Atlantic Coast Airlines) ended once and for all when the company transported its last passenger on January 5, a year and a half after it severed ties with former mainline partner United Airlines.
