Airlines Information

LONDON (AFP) – British Airways (BA) cabin crew launched a four-day strike Saturday, the second wave of action in a week as part of a bitter, long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
BA has pledged that more than three-quarters of its passengers -- or over 180,000 out of 240,000 -- will still be able to travel as planned during the walkout, which follows a similar three-day action last week.
Another 18 percent of its customers have been rebooked with other airlines, or have switched their travel dates to avoid the strike period, it said.
BA chief executive Willie Walsh said the "vast majority" of its staff were "pulling together to serve our customers and keep our flag flying".
"At the same time, I feel really sorry for those customers whose plans have been ruined by the Unite union's completely unjustified action," he added.
Amid growing hostility between BA and trade union Unite, whose members are staging seven days in total of strikes, the union claimed the cost to BA would be 100 million pounds (111 million euros, 149 million dollars).
"If you add together the cost of lost bookings, of revenue effectively transferred to other airlines along with BA passengers, the cost of (leased) aircraft and the cost of knock-on post-strike disruption, this is the ball-park area we are in," the union said in a statement.
By contrast, BA said Monday that a three-day walkout from last Saturday would cost seven million pounds a day and that an assessment of the full cost of the seven-day action could only be made after it was finished.
Talks between the two sides broke down eight days ago, on the eve of the first wave of strikes.
Walsh came under fire from leading academics in a letter to The Guardian newspaper published Friday.
The letter, signed by 116 industrial relations experts from universities across Britain, argued that Walsh's actions were designed to break Unite, which represents BA's 12,000 cabin crew.
They added that Walsh had withdrawn an offer which could have prevented Unite's strikes -- and used airplanes from fierce rival Ryanair to combat last weekend's strike.
BA has also axed highly-prized perks like big travel discounts for all striking workers.
"It is clear to us that the actions of the chief executive of British Airways... are explicable only by the desire to break the union which represents the cabin crew," the academics' letter read.
"What other possible interpretation can there be for Willie Walsh tabling an inferior offer to BA's previous one, or indeed his marshalling of resources, including those of bitter rival Ryanair, to undermine the action of his staff?"
BA issued a curt response to deny that it was seeking to break Unite.
"We reject the suggestion that BA's real objective is to break Unite," the carrier said in comments emailed to journalists.
BA is hoping to fly a full and normal schedule from London's City and Gatwick airports over the next four days.
At London Heathrow, one of the world's busiest airports, the carrier said it would operate 70 percent of long-haul and 55 percent of its short-haul flights.
The airline, which is attempting to merge with Spanish rival Iberia, said last month it expected to notch up a record loss in the current financial year due to weak demand for air travel.
In December, BA won a legal battle to prevent a 12-day walkout by cabin crew over Christmas and New Year after a judge ruled that a ballot of staff by Unite was invalid.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has condemned the strike.
But with a general election expected to take place in May, the main opposition Conservatives have accused the government of a weak response to the strike because Unite is a major donor to Brown's ruling Labour party.

LONDON – A three-day strike by British Airways cabin crew affecting thousands of travelers began Saturday after last-ditch talks between the airline's management and union leaders collapsed.
The walkout has forced BA to cancel thousands of flights, but it still hopes to operate around 65 percent of its international schedule over the period.
The Unite union has gathered some support from unions in the United States, Germany and Spain for its action — taken to protest a pay freeze and changes to working conditions — but the other unions have so far stopped short of pledging direct action that would affect BA's ability to refuel and service its planes.
A total of 1,100 flights out of the 1,950 flights scheduled to operate during the walkout will be canceled, but the airline has leased planes and crew from rival carriers to take up some of the shortfall.
At its Heathrow base, more than 60 percent of long-haul flights will operate, but only 30 percent of short-haul. At Gatwick, all long-haul flights and more than half the short-haul flights will run as normal.
"Tens of thousands of BA people stand ready to serve our customers," said BA Chief Executive Willie Walsh. "BA will be flying tomorrow."
Adam Huberman of Issta, a flight and tour agency specializing in trips to Israel, said he was taking 60 to 80 calls a day from passengers planning to travel to Israel before Passover, which starts March 30.
He said the strike couldn't have come at a worse time.
"It is the busiest time of the year," he said, adding that the agency had put on some flights of its own. "Some will be able to go but fares are obviously higher because it's so last minute."
Among others whose plans were affected were the Cardiff County and Vale of Glamorgan Youth Band from Wales, who are scheduled to play in a wind band festival at Carnegie Hall in New York on Tuesday.
Their scheduled Saturday flight was one of the ones BA has canceled, but after television and radio appeals — and a letter to rival virgin Atlantic — BA managed to get them onto alternative planes.
Picket lines will be mounted over the weekend at several entrances to Heathrow, but Walsh said he had "no concern whatsoever" about the threat of solidarity actions in other countries.
The U.S. International Brotherhood of Teamsters urged travelers to find alternatives during the strike.
"We are keenly aware of British Airways' operations in the United States and the cities served by the airline," the Teamsters, who represent 40,000 workers in the aviation industry, said in a statement. "We continue to look at this situation as it evolves and are keeping our options open."
Walsh said it was "deeply regrettable" that the union declined to accept a proposal on pay and working conditions from the airline, adding that offer would be withdrawn once the strike begins.
Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley said that BA "does not want to negotiate and ultimately wants to go to war with this union."
The prospect of travel chaos in Britain in the run-up to the Easter break also intensified with news that railway signal workers voted in favor of a strike, joining rail maintenance workers. The Rail Maritime and Transport union has not called dates for a walkout of both groups of workers but has refused to rule out the Easter long weekend.
The prospective industrial unrest is an unwelcome turn of events for the ruling Labour Party on the eve of a national election.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for the strike to be called off immediately.
"The Prime Minister believes that this strike is in no one's interest and will cause unacceptable inconvenience to passengers," his office said in a statement.
"As the country struggles out of the recession, the last thing we need is the unions holding the country to ransom," said Theresa Villiers, the opposition Conservative Party's transport spokeswoman.
BA argues that the disputed changes — including a pay freeze in 2010, a switch to part-time work for 3,000 staff and a reduction in cabin crew sizes from 15 to 14 on long-haul flights from Heathrow airport — are critical for its survival. Unite argues it was not properly consulted on the changes.
BA said Friday it had offered to modify the changes, even though they had been approved by Britain's High Court, but Unite had declined to put the offer to its members to vote.
Analysts estimate that BA has already lost more than 25 million pounds because of canceled tickets and the cost of contingency plans, which include leasing fully crewed planes from other airlines.
Unite has a second, four-day walkout planned to begin March 27 and has said more strikes will be scheduled for after April 14 if the dispute is not resolved. It has pledged not to walk out over the busy Easter period.

HONG KONG - Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. returned to profit in 2009 as cost-cutting measures and bets on fuel prices helped Asia's No. 3 carrier rebound from its biggest loss ever the year before.

Hong Kong's flagship airline reported profit of $4.7 billion Hong Kong dollars ($601 million) in the 12 months ended Dec. 31, the company said in a statement Wednesday.

That compared to a record loss of HK$8.6 billion ($1.1 billion) in 2008 amid plummeting demand for travel and volatile fuel prices that soured the company's hedging contracts.

For all of 2009, revenue declined by nearly 23 per cent to around $HK70 billion (close to $9 billion).

Cathay said there was a pickup in passenger and cargo traffic as the recession abated but demand had yet to bounce back to levels seen before the slump.

Also helping the airline were measures it took to drastically reduce costs and the sale of part of its stake in Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering for $243 million.

Higher fuel prices, meanwhile, helped the company recoup on its hedging bets. Cathay reported a gains of nearly $258 million last year on its hedging contracts.

"While we welcomed the improvement in business in the latter part of 2009, we remain cautious about the prospects for 2010," Cathay's chairman Christopher Pratt said in a statement

Passenger traffic at Cathay and its subsidiary Dragonair was down by 1.6 per cent. Meanwhile, the company brought in about 30 per cent less revenue from cargo traffic, with the amount of freight carried by Cathay and Dragon slipping around 7 per cent.

Cathay shares were up 1.9 per cent in afternoon trade.

GENEVA (AP) — Global airlines are undergoing a surprisingly strong recovery with Asian and Latin American carriers leading the way, the leading industry group said Thursday as it halved its loss forecast for 2010 to $2.8 billion.

The International Air Transport Association said carriers began bouncing back late last year, and have continued to see stronger demand after posting record losses during the global economic crisis. The group also lowered its 2009 loss estimate to $9.4 billion from $11 billion because of the year-end rally.

"We are starting to see some blue skies ahead of us," said IATA chief executive Giovanni Bisignani.




The group, which represents 240 airline companies worldwide, had predicted in December that 2010 losses would total $5.6 billion because of the "extraordinarily low" yields airlines are generating — the average price someone pays to fly one mile.

Yields are now expected to improve 2 percent for passenger planes, and 3.1 percent for cargo traffic this year, despite a glut of planes on the market and lower corporate travel budgets. Both key statistics dived 14 percent in 2009.

Passenger demand should grow 5.6 percent for the year, while cargo demand could jump 12 percent, IATA added. It said strong growth in Asia and Latin America was offsetting lagging demand in Europe and the United States.

"We are seeing a definite two-speed industry," Bisignani told reporters. He noted that American and European travelers may take a longer time to return to higher-priced business class seats for short-haul flights, and said markets in their regions continued to contract.

European carriers are expected to post a $2.2 billion loss, the largest in the world, while North American airlines could lose $1.8 billion because of a jobless recovery and poor consumer confidence, the group said. By contrast, Asian-Pacific companies could make $2.7 billion and Latin American carriers another $800 million.

Bisignani said 2010 represents the halfway point in a recovery effort that could take three years — even if that still doesn't mean profits. Airlines should generate $44 billion in revenues more than last year, but that is still be $43 billion below the industry's 2008 peak, he said.

IATA warned, however, that higher fuel costs would hamper any industrywide rebound. It is now gauging an average oil price of $79 a barrel for the year, meaning $132 billion in costs for carriers. That's over a quarter of all operating costs.

"Oil is a wild card," Bisignani conceded.

Speaking on industry developments, he noted over 30 airlines were knocked out of business since the crisis began and that carriers have lost nearly $50 billion in the last decade. They now hold over $200 billion in debts.

"This is not the time for increases in salaries or prices for services," Bisignani said, without mentioning specifically Lufthansa's strike last month or similar action threatened at British Airways.

"It's certainly not the time for strikes," he said. "All the partners need to work together to get out of these red numbers."

Creditors of South Korea's cash-strapped Kumho Asiana group are considering a capital write-down of Asiana Airlines in return for a fresh fund injection, the group's top lender said, sending Asiana shares down 15 percent.

State-run Korea Development Bank is restructuring key units including Asiana Airlines, the country's second-biggest carrier, after the conglomerate's aggressive acquisitions prompted temporary cash shortages late last year.

"We have asked major shareholders (of Asiana) to take some responsibility, including capital write-downs, in return for a new capital injection," a KDB spokesman said on Friday.

"Nothing has been decided regarding which shareholders should sacrifice how much. The capital write-down may not take place at all, if we find Asiana Airlines financially sound enough," he said.

Creditors, which have agreed to provide KRW120 billion won (USD$106 million) in financial support to the airline, plan to complete their due diligence on the company by the end of March.

The group is burdened by the cost of its 2006 acquisition of Daewoo Engineering & Construction, having agreed to buy back Daewoo shares held by financial investors at a price far above current levels. It also bought logistics firm Korea Express in 2008.

Shares in Asiana Airlines dropped 14.7 percent to a three-week low before closing down 12.5 percent at 3,700 won, versus the broader market's 0.4 percent gain

Air France's insurance company said on Friday it will appeal a Brazilian court's ruling for the airline to pay USD$1.16 million in compensation to the family of a victim of a fatal crash last year.

French insurance company Axa said in a statement it did not accept Thursday's ruling as a precedent because compensation should be decided by a committee set up after the crash by Brazil's government, associations of victims' families and insurers. That committee agreed to define the criteria for fair compensation for the families.

Air France flight AF447 between Rio de Janeiro and Paris crashed into the Atlantic Ocean during a storm on June 1, 2009, killing all 228 people on board.

A Rio civil court judge ordered Air France on Thursday to pay BRR2.04 million reais (USD$1.16 million) as compensation for the death of Marcelle Valpacos Fonseca Lima, a 41-year-old woman who was the Rio state attorney-general.

Judge Mauro Nicolau Junior said in his ruling that the crash, the cause of which is still unclear, was in large part due to the "negligent conduct of the accused."

An Air France spokeswoman declined to comment while the airline studies the ruling.

The company said after the crash that it would compensate families of the victims through its insurers, with payments of around EUR€100,000 euros (USD$137,000) per victim as a compassionate gesture rather than an admission of liability.

Passengers from 32 nationalities were killed in the crash of the Airbus A330. Among them were 61 French and 58 Brazilians.

An international search to locate the wreckage failed to find the black box recorders that are crucial to pinpointing the cause of crash. It is due to resume this month.

Critics say it does not reflect better service but rather the frustration of passengers so fed up they're not filing complaints. Congress is pushed to adopt a passenger bill of rights.
TRAVEL BRIEFCASE
November 21, 2009|By Hugo Martín

After hearing Jim Engle of Sierra Madre talk about the headaches he and his wife endured on a round trip from Burbank to Detroit on American Airlines in the summer, you might be surprised to hear that the country's airlines continue to get great marks in customer service.

Engle and his wife suffered through several delays, an unscheduled stop in Ontario and airline staff who, he said, were curt and unhelpful.
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"And I don't have enough time to tell you about the extra charges for baggage and food and water, which ran out before half the plane was served," he complained.

Despite the experience of Engle and other passengers, the latest report from the U.S. Department of Transportation shows that complaints against airlines dropped nearly 12% in September compared with the same period last year and 32% from August 2009.

Even when the overall drop in passenger traffic is factored in, the complaint rate against the airlines is down to 0.88 complaints per 100,000 passenger flights this September from 0.99 complaints in September 2008.

Engle and other airline critics believe the reason for the drop in complaints does not reflect improved airline services but rather a growing frustration by passengers who are so fed up that they don't file complaints.

After all, Engle didn't file a complaint with American or the Department of Transportation.

"They're miserable and they are resigned that nothing is going to change," said Kate Hanni, founder of FlyersRights.org, a website that has been pushing Congress to adopt a passengers' bill of rights.

Hanni, who has become a vocal airline critic since she and her family were stuck on a plane for nine hours on a tarmac in Austin, Texas, in 2006, said her organization's complaint hotline -- (877) 359-3776 -- continues to get a steady stream of angry calls from frustrated airline passengers.

The complaints reported to the Department of Transportation come directly from airline passengers who either call the complaint line -- (202) 366-2220 -- write to the agency or file a complaint online at airconsumer.ost.dot.gov.

Airlines are required to report mishandled baggage, delayed flights, incidents involving pets, tarmac delays and other specific problems.

But they are not required to report general grievances about service, such as dirty seats, rude staff and excessive fees.

Hanni and other critics say it simply may appear that the airlines are doing a better job because of the deep drop in passenger traffic.
The Department of Transportation also reported improved on-time performances for the nation's largest airlines in September, when the on-time rate was 86.2%, compared with 84.9% in September 2008 and 79.7% in August 2009.

Airline experts say carriers have an easier time keeping flights on schedule because many have eliminated flights and grounded planes because of dropping demand. More-cooperative weather patterns this year also have kept airlines on schedule.U.S. airlines also lost or mishandled less luggage: 3.01 bags per 1,000 passengers in September, compared with a rate of 3.86 in September 2008 and a rate of 4.04 in August 2009, according to the department report.

American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith acknowledged that improved weather and declining passenger traffic have helped airlines reduce flight delays, lost-luggage reports and other problems. But he attributed the overall drop in complaints at American to improved service.

He said American's internal data show that the number of passenger complaints has dropped 20% to 30% over last year. He points to a new airline effort to deploy customer service workers throughout the terminals to help passengers solve glitches with luggage and flight schedules.

As for Engle's nightmare trip to Detroit, Smith said the airline gets more complaints than compliments because people with a gripe are more vocal.

Still, he said, American continues to strive to resolve every complaint.

"We are not satisfied if the customers are not satisfied," he said.

The key component of the passengers' bill of rights supported by Hanni and other airline critics is a guideline for returning passengers to the terminal when a plane is delayed on the tarmac for more than three hours.

Tarmac delays are a major headache, but lately air travelers seem increasingly angry about the fees that airlines charge to check luggage and get a snack, a pillow or a drink.

Now an airline consulting firm has proposed another "passenger bill of rights" to protect travelers from hidden, excessive and unfair airline fees.

Airline Information, a Miami firm that organizes airline conferences and consults for the industry, has created an eight-point bill of rights for airline passengers who are the target of such a la carte fees.

Among the mandates of the bill:

* All fees must be transparent.

* Customers have a right to know the total cost of a flight, plus extra fees, before paying the fare.

* Customers have a right to a refund if they don't get the purchased a la carte services that were promised.

The bill of rights have been debated among airline representatives at conferences in Huntington Beach and London in the last three months.

Roger Williams, managing partner of Airline Information, said his company proposed the bill of rights because it was clear that such fees are a permanent part of the industry.

Unless the airlines manage the extra fees in a responsible manner, Williams said he fears that the federal government may impose regulations on such fees.

"We are trying to stay ahead of the curve," he said.

So far, no airlines have endorsed the airline fees bill of rights. But Williams said he hoped to get many airlines to agree to the guidelines by the end of the year.

hugo.martin@latimes.com

At a JPMorgan investor conference on Tuesday, Delta executives offered their first public responses to unfavorable decisions last month by both the U.S. Transportation Department and Japan Air Lines.

On Feb. 9, Japan Air Lines rejected Delta's bid to replace American as its partner. On Feb. 10, the U.S. Transportation Department restrained Delta's bid to expand at LaGuardia Airport by acquiring more La Guardia slots from US Airways(LCC) in exchange for slots at Washington National and other assets.

In the regulatory case, the DOT said it would not approve the deal unless Delta and US Airways sold some of the slots to other carriers. On Tuesday, Delta President Ed Bastian said, "We are still helpful we can get the deal closed and we are working to that end." Previously, both airlines had said they were studying the issue.

Bastian said the DOT imposed restrictions "that neither (we) nor US Airways likes. We're looking at our options. We still have a strong interest in going forward and (we) continue to talk to US Airways ... we're hoping to get that transaction done."

In New York, Bastian added, Delta has "been doing a pretty good job of getting everyone's attention." He said the carrier continues to work on plans for a new terminal at Kennedy Airport. "We cannot maintain a revenue premium in this market if we're going to have a substandard facility," he said.

Arch-rival American(AMR) opened a $1.3 billion Kennedy terminal in 2007. "It's as good a terminal as there is anywhere in our country," said CFO Tom Horton, in a recent interview, who noted that "the opportunities to grow our presence (in New York) are significant," following the tentative approval of trans-Atlantic immunity for American, British Airways and Iberia.

Regarding the Pacific, Bastian said, "We are undeterred. We have a strong franchise there: we continue to be strong." He said other unnamed carriers have expressed interest in joining Skyteam or forming partnerships with Delta. "We're not going to stagnate, we're not going to sit, we're not going to lose any sleep over it," he said.
Executive Vice President Glen Hauenstein said Delta is disappointed by its rejection, but nevertheless remains "optimistic and confident in the strength of the Pacific." He said the airline merged with Northwest in order to acquire its hub at Tokyo's Narita Airport, and reiterated that unnamed Asian carriers are pursuing relationships with Delta.

"There's a considerable amount of interest we piqued over six months with respect to Asia that did not exist (before)," Hauenstein said, adding that Delta could add some "direct overflies" or nonstop flights from the U.S. to Asian cities without requiring a connection at Narita.

-- Written by Ted Reed in Charlotte, N.C. .

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Airline stocks got a boost Friday as the U.S. unemployment rate held steady at 9.7% in February with smaller monthly losses in nonfarm payrolls.

Investors continued to assess airlines' traffic results for the month, with results showing a slower loss in demand for air travel as well as some growth on the international side. Several carriers also detailed the impact from the month's severe snowstorms on their revenues.
/quotes/comstock/10t!xal.x XAL 36.60, +0.11, +0.30%

The NYSE Arca Airline Index /quotes/comstock/10t!xal.x (XAL 36.60, +0.11, +0.30%) rose nearly 1% to 36.78 points with all but two of its 13 components trading higher. In the last 52 weeks, the sector benchmark has moved in a range of 37.72 to 12.62 points.

Shares of American Airlines parent AMR Corp. /quotes/comstock/13*!amr/quotes/nls/amr (AMR 9.29, +0.11, +1.20%) added 1% to $9.27, while US Airways /quotes/comstock/13*!lcc/quotes/nls/lcc (LCC 7.43, +0.11, +1.50%) rose 1.4% to $7.42 and Continental Airlines /quotes/comstock/13*!cal/quotes/nls/cal (CAL 20.64, +0.14, +0.68%) climbed 1.3% to $20.76.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average /quotes/comstock/10w!i:dji/delayed (INDU 10,530, +85.48, +0.82%) gained more than 0.5% as the February unemployment rate and payrolls loss came in better than expected. Economists also predicted the trend of smaller job losses would lead to net gains in employment by the second quarter. Read Economic Report.

Outside of the index, Hawaiian Airlines /quotes/comstock/15*!ha/quotes/nls/ha (HA 7.85, +0.07, +0.90%) is making a grab for two open gates at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, taking on some of the world's largest airlines in the process. Read more about Hawaiian Airlines
Snow bruises February revenue
AM Report: Dissecting the Jobs Report

The News Hub panel argues what effect, if any, last month's snow storm had on the February jobs report.

Airlines' February traffic results have been showing a gradual increase in demand as well as the impact of several blizzards in the Northeast that led to airport closings and hundred of cancellations.

Earlier Friday, Southwest Airlines /quotes/comstock/13*!luv/quotes/nls/luv (LUV 12.59, -0.01, -0.08%) said weather-related flight cancellations during the month resulted in an estimated $15 million hit on passenger revenues.

Earlier in the week, US Airways said it suffered $30 million in lost revenue as the unusual weather led to hundred of cancellations, while Continental put the impact at $25 million.
/quotes/comstock/13*!dal/quotes/nls/dal DAL 12.72, -0.07, -0.51%
/quotes/comstock/15*!uaua/quotes/nls/uaua UAUA 18.25, +0.19, +1.05%
/quotes/comstock/13*!amr/quotes/nls/amr AMR 9.29, +0.11, +1.20%

American and Delta Air Lines /quotes/comstock/13*!dal/quotes/nls/dal (DAL 12.72, -0.07, -0.51%) were also affected, but they didn't release any data. Some analysts expect the total impact from the storms could easily exceed $100 million.

But aside from the one-time hit to revenues, airlines and analysts said the demand environment continues to improve along with the economy.

In a recent note from Macquarie Research, analyst Robert Stallard noted U.S. air-traffic demand rebounded to a 1.6% increase in January from a 1.2% decrease in December, with the majority of airlines seeing unit revenue growth.

Meanwhile, the carriers took advantage of the slower winter months to reduce capacity further, cutting out 2.3% for January. That followed a 3.7% reduction in December and a 4.7% cut in November, Stallard said.

Japan Airlines plans to reduce its work force by 2,700, or about 5 percent, by offering early retirement, the Nikkei business daily reported.

JAL, which employs about 51,800 group-wide, aims to cut 1,700 employees at its core unit, Japan Airlines International, and the rest at other group firms, the paper said.

The carrier, which did not disclose how much severance pay early retirees are to receive, will start with 400 flight crew and ground staff managers, the Nikkei said.

According to the paper, retirements will take effect on April 30 and JAL is expected to book the associated costs as an extraordinary loss for next fiscal year.

Earlier in January, JAL applied for protection from creditors with more than USD$25 billion in debts, making it Japan's biggest-ever bankruptcy by a non-financial firm, and vowed to cut 30 percent of its work force and drop money-losing routes.

Selling off subsidiaries is supposed to eliminate at least 10,000 jobs, but that process could prove difficult, making it necessary to expand early retirement offerings, the business daily said.

(Reuters)

HOUSTON, March 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE:CAL - News) today reported a February consolidated (mainline plus regional) load factor of 77.7 percent, 5.2 points above the February 2009 consolidated load factor, and a mainline load factor of 78.1 percent, 5.2 points above the February 2009 mainline load factor. Both February load factors were records for the month. The carrier reported a domestic mainline February load factor of 80.6 percent, 2.9 points above the February 2009 domestic mainline load factor, and a record international mainline load factor of 75.9 percent, 7.5 points above February 2009.

During February, Continental recorded a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on-time arrival rate of 75.0 percent and a mainline segment completion factor of 95.4 percent. Continental's operational results were adversely impacted by severe winter weather, particularly at its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport.

In February 2010, Continental flew 6.1 billion consolidated revenue passenger miles (RPMs) and 7.8 billion consolidated available seat miles (ASMs), resulting in a consolidated traffic increase of 3.3 percent and a capacity decrease of 3.8 percent as compared to February 2009. In February 2010, Continental flew 5.4 billion mainline RPMs and 6.9 billion mainline ASMs, resulting in a mainline traffic increase of 3.2 percent and a mainline capacity decrease of 3.7 percent as compared to February 2009. Domestic mainline traffic was 2.7 billion RPMs in February 2010, down 0.5 percent from February 2009, and domestic mainline capacity was 3.3 billion ASMs, down 4.1 percent from February 2009.

For February 2010, consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile (RASM) is estimated to have increased between 7.5 and 8.5 percent compared to February 2009, while mainline RASM is estimated to have increased between 5.5 and 6.5 percent.

Continental estimates that the suspension of operations at its New York hub on February 10, 2010, and February 26, 2010, due to severe winter weather in the New York area reduced its consolidated passenger revenue for the month by approximately $25 million. The combination of available seat mile reductions caused by the two February snowstorms and the company's re-accommodation of many customers who were impacted by its flight cancellations resulted in a year-over-year RASM benefit of approximately one percentage point, compared to the year-over-year RASM performance the company would have expected had the company flown the capacity it cancelled as a result of the storms.

For January 2010, consolidated passenger RASM decreased 1.3 percent compared to January 2009, while mainline passenger RASM decreased 2.8 percent compared to January 2009.

Continental's regional operations had a February load factor of 74.6 percent, 5.3 points above the February 2009 regional load factor. Regional RPMs were 657.0 million and regional ASMs were 880.2 million in February 2010, resulting in a traffic increase of 3.5 percent and a capacity decrease of 4.0 percent versus February 2009.

Continental Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,500 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 133 domestic and 135 international destinations. Continental is a member of Star Alliance, which overall offers 19,700 daily flights to 1,077 airports in 175 countries through its 26 member airlines. With more than 41,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with its regional partners, carries approximately 63 million passengers per year.

Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture. For the sixth consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1 World's Most Admired Airline on its 2009 list of World's Most Admired Companies. For more company information, go to continental.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are not limited to historical facts, but reflect the company's current beliefs, expectations or intentions regarding future events. All forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. For examples of such risks and uncertainties, please see the risk factors set forth in the company's 2009 Form 10-K and its other securities filings, including any amendments thereto, which identify important matters such as the potential for significant volatility in the cost of aircraft fuel, the consequences of its high leverage and other significant capital commitments, its high labor and pension costs, delays in scheduled aircraft deliveries, service interruptions at one of its hub airports, disruptions to the operations of its regional operators, disruptions in its computer systems, and industry conditions, including continuing weakness in the U.S. and global economies, the airline pricing environment, terrorist attacks, regulatory matters, excessive taxation, industry consolidation and airline alliances, the availability and cost of insurance, public health threats and the seasonal nature of the airline business. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this press release, except as required by applicable law.



PRELIMINARY TRAFFIC RESULTS
FEBRUARY 2010 2009 Change

REVENUE PASSENGER
MILES (000)
Domestic 2,659,180 2,673,822 -0.5 Percent

International 2,752,470 2,568,348 7.2 Percent
Transatlantic 1,215,540 1,158,555 4.9 Percent
Latin America 989,790 931,769 6.2 Percent
Pacific 547,140 478,024 14.5 Percent

Mainline 5,411,650 5,242,170 3.2 Percent
Regional 657,000 635,057 3.5 Percent
Consolidated 6,068,650 5,877,227 3.3 Percent

AVAILABLE SEAT
MILES (000)
Domestic 3,300,279 3,439,946 -4.1 Percent

International 3,625,653 3,754,257 -3.4 Percent
Transatlantic 1,672,655 1,855,310 -9.8 Percent
Latin America 1,244,275 1,216,195 2.3 Percent
Pacific 708,723 682,752 3.8 Percent

Mainline 6,925,932 7,194,203 -3.7 Percent
Regional 880,233 917,000 -4.0 Percent
Consolidated 7,806,165 8,111,203 -3.8 Percent

PASSENGER LOAD FACTOR
Domestic 80.6 Percent 77.7 Percent 2.9 Points

International 75.9 Percent 68.4 Percent 7.5 Points
Transatlantic 72.7 Percent 62.4 Percent 10.3 Points
Latin America 79.5 Percent 76.6 Percent 2.9 Points
Pacific 77.2 Percent 70.0 Percent 7.2 Points

Mainline 78.1 Percent 72.9 Percent 5.2 Points
Regional 74.6 Percent 69.3 Percent 5.3 Points
Consolidated 77.7 Percent 72.5 Percent 5.2 Points

ONBOARD PASSENGERS
Mainline 3,138,019 3,182,980 -1.4 Percent
Regional 1,195,138 1,163,130 2.8 Percent
Consolidated 4,333,157 4,346,110 -0.3 Percent

CARGO REVENUE TON
MILES (000)
Total 78,335 63,763 22.9 Percent



PRELIMINARY TRAFFIC RESULTS
YEAR-TO-DATE 2010 2009 Change
REVENUE PASSENGER
MILES (000)
Domestic 5,571,841 5,519,051 1.0 Percent

International 6,118,289 5,502,733 11.2 Percent
Transatlantic 2,705,390 2,474,820 9.3 Percent
Latin America 2,157,252 1,991,986 8.3 Percent
Pacific 1,255,647 1,035,927 21.2 Percent

Mainline 11,690,130 11,021,784 6.1 Percent
Regional 1,353,803 1,283,853 5.4 Percent
Consolidated 13,043,933 12,305,637 6.0 Percent

AVAILABLE SEAT
MILES (000)
Domestic 7,024,535 7,155,672 -1.8 Percent

International 7,952,871 7,848,764 1.3 Percent
Transatlantic 3,619,871 3,888,795 -6.9 Percent
Latin America 2,693,658 2,543,282 5.9 Percent
Pacific 1,639,342 1,416,687 15.7 Percent

Mainline 14,977,406 15,004,436 -0.2 Percent
Regional 1,865,166 1,892,959 -1.5 Percent
Consolidated 16,842,572 16,897,395 -0.3 Percent

PASSENGER LOAD FACTOR
Domestic 79.3 Percent 77.1 Percent 2.2 Points

International 76.9 Percent 70.1 Percent 6.8 Points
Transatlantic 74.7 Percent 63.6 Percent 11.1 Points
Latin America 80.1 Percent 78.3 Percent 1.8 Points
Pacific 76.6 Percent 73.1 Percent 3.5 Points

Mainline 78.1 Percent 73.5 Percent 4.6 Points
Regional 72.6 Percent 67.8 Percent 4.8 Points
Consolidated 77.4 Percent 72.8 Percent 4.6 Points

ONBOARD PASSENGERS
Mainline 6,591,174 6,567,382 0.4 Percent
Regional 2,449,089 2,342,969 4.5 Percent
Consolidated 9,040,263 8,910,351 1.5 Percent

CARGO REVENUE TON
MILES (000)
Total 162,976 126,867 28.5 Percent




PRELIMINARY OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL RESULTS

FEBRUARY 2010 2009 Change

On-Time Performance(1) 75.0% 77.7% (2.7) Points
Completion Factor(2) 95.4% 99.5% (4.1) Points
January 2010 year-over-year consolidated RASM change (1.3) Percent
January 2010 year-over-year mainline RASM change (2.8) Percent
February 2010 estimated year-over-year
consolidated RASM change 7.5 - 8.5 Percent
February 2010 estimated year-over-year mainline
RASM change 5.5 - 6.5 Percent
February 2010 estimated average price per gallon
of fuel, including fuel taxes 2.10 Dollars
First Quarter 2010 estimated average price per
gallon of fuel, including fuel taxes 2.13 Dollars

(1) Department of Transportation Arrivals within 14 minutes
(2) Mainline Segment Completion Percentage

This spring, American Airlines (AA) will introduce three new international routes from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

“New Yorkers are international travelers – whether for business or leisure travel – and we’re excited to add these three great destinations to our schedule,” said Jim Carter, AA Vice President, Eastern Sales Division.


The new Boeing 757 nonstop flights are to San Jose, Costa Rica; Madrid, Spain and Manchester, England.

Flights to San Jose will begin on April 6, while those to Madrid will begin on May 1. Flights to Manchester will take off on May 13.

This improved schedule brings the number of international destinations from New York to a whopping 31.

San Jose flights will depart every day from JFK except on Friday and Sunday. Known as a land of extreme beauty, Costa Rica has become famous for its wonderful ecological systems, terrific climate and friendly people.

“American Airlines has a long history in Costa Rica, and they have served our country for more than 20 years,” said Allan Flores, minister of tourism for Costa Rica. “We are pleased with the addition of New York service due to the importance of this market and look forward to welcoming visitors from New York on American Airlines to our beautiful and unspoiled country.”

Flights to Madrid will depart daily from JFK. Ángeles Alarcó Canosa, chief executive officer of tourism Madrid, said AA’s decision to expand a new connection between Madrid and New York would yield great results.

“The new route will help New Yorkers get to know Madrid’s gastronomy, which includes the best of Spanish international cuisine, its richness in culture and museums, its more than 450 performing arts attractions, as well as its amazing hotels and shopping opportunities,” he said. “At the same time the new route will open up additional opportunities for Madridians and other Spaniards to discover all the great things the Big Apple has to offer.”

The daily Manchester flight also welcomes travelers to an affordable getaway in the city known for its pubs, locally produced beer, fish and chips and the popular Indie music scene.

“We’re delighted that American Airlines is increasing its operation into Manchester,” said Andrew Stokes, chief executive of marketing Manchester. “We welcome the opportunity to work with them on promoting Manchester to the New York market.”

For more information on flights and fares through AA, visit AA.com.

COMPANY OVERVIEW

As a member of one of the world's largest airline companies, American Airlines Vacations is a trusted resource for travel packages that combine non-published rates on flights with hotels, rental cars and activities for significant savings.

American Airlines Vacations offers a choice of more than 10,000 hotels and resorts in over 320 cities across the globe.

Customers who book vacations online at AAVacations.com earn AAdvantage® bonus miles with every booking. American Airlines Vacations lets customers use AAdvantage® miles to pay for their vacation.

Telephone: 1-800-321-2121

Web site: http://www.aavacations.com

PACKAGES: American Airlines Vacations provides discounts and values on travel packages thanks to its unique access to non-published, discounted rates on American Airlines flights, combined with specially negotiated rates at hotels, rental car companies and activity providers.

All vacation elements are offered as components, so customers can design the trip that suits their interests. Choose a complete package or only certain elements, such as a hotel and rental car.

Through partnerships with tourism boards and associations around the globe, AAVacations is able to offer special packages in many destinations directly to consumers.

SERVICES: Customers may book entire vacation packages or hotels, rental cars, airport transfers, activities, theme park tickets, show tickets and tours online at AAVacations.com. Customers may also call a Reservations Specialist at 1-800-321-2121 to design a customized vacation package.

American Airlines Vacations offers customer support before, during and after vacations. Customers may call a Reservation Specialist while on vacation to handle any issues that arise instead of dealing with hotels directly.

AAVacations.com also features helpful information on a wide range of destinations to aid in travel planning, along with a selection of virtual brochures.

AIR MILES: American Airlines Vacations participates in the American Airlines AAdvantage® program. Every booking made online at AAVacations.com earns AAdvantage bonus miles. American Airlines Vacations is also the only travel company that allows customers to pay for all or part of their vacation with AAdvantage miles.

PASSENGER CHANGE DETAILS: Customers can change hotel accommodations, add AAdvantage numbers to flights, update reservations, change seat assignments and more by calling 1-800-321-2121.

EMAIL NEWSLETTER: American Airlines Vacations publishes two weekly email newsletters that highlight vacation specials and exclusive offers. One is for customers and the other is for travel agents.

Customers may subscribe here.
Travel agents may subscribe here.

Unite, the trade union that represents the majority of British Airways (BA) cabin crew, has announced that its strike ballot has closed with a vote in favour of industrial action.

The outcome of the ballot is very disappointing and brings a renewed threat of industrial action, which is completely unjustified.

In the weeks before and during the ballot period, Unite claimed that we had breached individual crew members’ contracts by making modest changes to onboard crew numbers on flights from Heathrow. We have always said this claim was false, and it was rejected by the High Court three days ago.

The vast majority of crew who voted in this ballot will have done so before the High Court decision. We hope Unite will bear this fact in mind as it considers its next steps.

We believe some progress has been made in recent talks under the auspices of the TUC and we reiterate our wish to resolve the issues between us in the interests of our customers and all our staff.

However, we will not allow Unite to ruin this company. Should a strike take place, we will do everything we can to protect your travel plans as far as possible.

We would like to reassure you that all of our flights are continuing to operate as normal at this time.

If strike dates are announced

All BA CityFlyer, codeshare and franchise flights will continue to operate as normal.

If strike dates are announced we will put contingency plans in place and communicate them as soon as possible.

You will be able to rebook, free of charge and subject to availability, onto other British Airways flights outside of the strike period for up to 355 days from the original date of travel.

Refunds will only be available if flights are actually cancelled or if the original booking conditions allow.


In the event that cancellations are made due to strike action

You will be able to:

* Rebook onto another British Airways flight to the same destination within 355 days of the original date of travel
* Rebook onto another British Airways flight to/from the nearest alternative airport (for example, if booked to/from Boston you could rebook to/from Philadelphia or New York)
* Cancel your booking and get a refund.

All rebooking options will be subject to availability.

More detailed information about rebooking options, including specific dates covered by these guidelines will be made available if a strike is announced.

Normal Conditions of Carriage will apply for any flights that are cancelled outside of the strike period.

British Airways Executive Club members will continue to earn Tier Points and BA Miles for flights cancelled due to any strike action.


Update your contact details

If you are affected it is our intention to inform you directly if we have your email address or by SMS text if we have your mobile phone number.

We will use the contact details supplied at the time of booking, so please ensure these are correct and up-to-date:

Update your contact details in Manage My Booking

Check-in
Online check-in is available from 24 hours until 90 minutes before the scheduled flight departure. For airport check-in, desks close 30 minutes before departure for domestic travel and 60 minutes before departure for international travel. Exceptions are when departing from the following airports, when passengers with bags must complete check-in hours before the departure time: Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Maui, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Washington (Dulles).


Baggage

Carry-on: One item plus one personal item which includes a purse, briefcase, laptop, or diaper bag. Items must fit in the overhead compartment or under your seat and cannot exceed linear dimensions of 51 in (length + height + width), or 45in on express flights.

Checked: Two items that cannot exceed 50lbs each or a total linear dimension of 62in.If you’re checking your bags at the airport, the first bag costs $20 ($15 if you check it online) and the second costs $30 ($25 if you check it online). You can check up to nine bags, but the third-ninth will cost $100 each.

Excess: Overweight bags range from $70-$200, depending on how many bags you’re taking, and how much each one weighs. No bags over 100 lbs will be accepted. Oversized bags (63-80 inches) charge a $100 fee.


Legroom
Seat pitch: 32 inches.


Pre-assigned Seating
Can be booked online or at check-in.


Passenger Change Details
Changes can be made online. No administrative fee is due if the original ticket was an unrestricted fare. Non-refundable tickets can be altered for the first 24 hours after booking. After that, penalty fees will apply. Name changes cannot be made, but the ticket can be altered for a standby flight on the same day for $25. Tickets can also be cancelled any time before or on the day of travel. The cost of the ticket can be used to book another non-refundable ticket with a departure date within a year, but an administrative fee of $100 will be charged.


Child Fares
Infants under two years of age travel for free on an adult's lap (the adult must be over 15 years old). Reservations for infants cannot me made online, but must be made at the reservations number (listed below). All other children up to the age of 12 will travel for the appropriate fare. Children's fares are available on some routes.


Senior Fares
Discounts for travelers 62+ have recently been phased out and replaced with the AARP savers discount program.


Pets
The number of pets that may be carried in each cabin is limited and you must make your reservations on flights with cabin pet space available to allow your pet to travel with you. There is an $80 fee each way to transport a small cat or dog. One exception: US Airways will not accept pets for travel to and from Hawaii.


Carrying Musical Instruments
Musical instruments are allowed as hand luggage as long as they do not exceed 45 linear inches. If the instrument is too large, an additional seat must be purchased.


In-flight Service
Deli-style meals are available to buy in-flight. Drinks services depend on how far you are flying. A full service is available for flights of 400 miles or more, a limited beverage service on flights between 225 and 399 miles and no beverage service on flights less than 224 miles. Films and TV programs are available.


Air Miles
Dividend Miles, the frequent flyer program for US Airways allows you to earn miles when you fly with US Airways, members of the Star Alliance, as well other partners: Bahamas Air, Caribbean Star Airlines, Caribbean Sun Airlines and Qantas.

Airline Food Link
There’s nothing like heading up in the skies to work up an appetite. Check out the airline’s menu before you fly so you can decide if you need to bring any extras. See US Airways' Web site for the meal plan, or see photographs taken by fellow flyers of meals they’ve been served and read reviews at AirlineMeals.net.




In-flight Magazine
Moby Dick, War and Peace, Leaves of Grass… Do you need to pack a weighty tome or will the in-flight magazine keep you happily occupied for the duration of the flight? US Airways Magazine is published monthly and is available on every flight. The magazine features celebrity interviews and destination information along with an in-flight guide. Read a preview online

Welcome to the Flight Messaging section. Here you will find the documentation and resources needed to implement flight alert solutions using the Flight Segment Messaging APIs and the Itinerary Monitoring & Messaging APIs. These two sets of services are closely related, but significantly different both in terms of what's required to implement a solution and the capabilities provided. This overview document should help you gain a good high-level understanding of both solutions.

* Flight Segment Event Messaging System (EMS)
o Message Events
o Message Formats
o Implementation Options
* Itinerary Monitoring and Messaging
o Message Events
o Message Formats
o Profile System
o FlightStats Attendant
o Implementation Options

Flight Segment Event Messaging System (EMS)

Segment-based messaging is the simpler of our messaging services to implement and provides a very powerful messaging solution for many applications. It is recommended for flight alert solutions based on single flight segments - ideal for mobile solutions, ground transportation companies, websites and any other solution where a travelers itinerary is not available.

Refer to the following White Paper for a good overview of how the system works, implementation options and benefits accrued.

Real-time Flight Status Monitoring and Notification White Paper (PDF)
Enhanced Service at Reduced Cost

Also, you can find a reference implementation of a flight alert system built using these services on the FlightStats.com website. This is a fairly simple implementation that doesn't take advantage of all capabilities, but it does provide an example of a working system.

Setup a Flight Alert on FlightStats.com

Message Events

The FlightStats EMS system has the ability to trigger messages based on a variety of flight events and to have scheduled events trigger messages. The events offered includes status changes (departed, landed, cancelled, and diverted), time changes, delays, and gate changes. Typically, only a subset of events are used in an implementation since triggering on all events may overwhelm a user with too much information.

Message Formats

Triggered messages can be delivered in the following formats:

* HTML Email (can be customized and branded)
* Long Text Email (can be customized and branded)
* Short Text Email
* SOAP
* XML over HTTP

Implementation Options

The Flight Segment EMS system offers at least three approaches to implementing such a system. Each of these approaches has tradeoffs in terms of flexibility and integration with other systems versus implementation costs and schedule.

* QuickStart - The FlightStats QuickStart option provides the fastest time-to-market and lowest implementation cost. Branded notification email messages, created from a simple template, are delivered based on rules and recipients defined through a simple web user interface. Email messages can be generated in multiple languages and custom email template design services are available. Short text emails or SMS formats are also supported in QuickStart.
* Third-Party Message Delivery - FlightStats customers can also choose to integrate the FlightStats notification system with a third-party message delivery platform. These third-party platforms offer message delivery to a wide variety of devices, including enhanced email capabilities, voice messaging, and wireless devices. They also typically include sophisticated logic that allows messages to be delivered to multiple devices or recipients based on user-defined rules.
* XML Integration - The FlightStats product has native XML input and output interfaces to set rules and generate messaging events. In situations where a customer needs tight integration with existing systems or where an internal messaging system already exists, the FlightStats XML interface provides ultimate flexibility for integration. The customer system creates an XML message to setup a rule for message delivery. When an event occurs that matches a pre-defined rule, FlightStats generates another XML message that describes the event. FlightStats can also be configured to send an event email in addition to the XML output.

Learn more about Flight Segment Messaging.

Itinerary Monitoring and Messaging

Our itinerary-based messaging and monitoring solution is both more powerful and more complex in terms of implementation. This is a second-generation solution that takes Flight Messaging to another level. The biggest advance in FlightStats technology over first generation notification systems is the ability to monitor a complete itinerary instead of just individual segments. By monitoring a complete itinerary, the FlightStats system offers relevant high-value information throughout the lifecycle of the travel experience.

Refer to the following White Paper for a more in-depth discussion of how the system works, implementation options and benefits accrued.

Intelligent Itinerary Monitoring White Paper (PDF)
The Next Step in Travel Service

The powerful advantages of Itinerary Monitoring are nowhere more apparent than at the critical point of flight connections in a multi-segment itinerary. First generation status notification systems simply notify the traveler if a flight segment is delayed or cancelled. However, these systems have no way to know whether the delayed segment impacts a connection that will affect the remainder of the itinerary.

With Itinerary Monitoring, the FlightStats system can send a message to the traveler, indicating not only that a flight segment is late, but also that the delay will (or may) cause a missed connection. The message might include a list of alternate flights to replace the missed segment with phone numbers for the airline or travel agency to handle re-accommodation or re-booking.

Message Events

Itinerary Monitoring allows for three categories of events to be monitored and messaged on. The first, flight segment events, allows for monitoring on all segments in the itinerary. The events offered includes status changes (departed, landed, cancelled, and diverted), time changes, delays, and gate changes.

The second category includes events that watch connections between flight segments. FlightStats offers three types of connection monitoring. The first provides a message upon landing of the inbound segment. The second watches for estimated connection problems (i.e. it considers estimated times), and the third operates only on actual connection times.

The third category of monitoring applies to Itinerary Legs – collections of flights that make up a portion of the overall travel trip. An example of an itinerary leg would be the outbound or return portion of the trip. It watches primarily the first and last segment of the itinerary leg.

Typically, only a subset of events are used in an implementation since triggering on all events may overwhelm a user with too much information.

Message Formats

Triggered messages can be delivered in the following formats:

* HTML Email (can be customized and branded)
* Long Text Email (can be customized and branded)
* Short Text Email
* SOAP
* XML over HTTP

Profile System

Many agencies and airlines already have some type of traveler profile system, so the FlightStats system can be configured to use the customer's profile system for message delivery options. However, if the customer does not have a profile system or the system does not accommodate messaging preferences, the FlightStats system offers a traveler profile system for messaging options. Information can even be combined between partial profiles stored in the customer system and additional message delivery profile data stored in the FlightStats profile system.

FlightStats Attendant

The FlightStats Attendant product offers a powerful tool for managing multiple itineraries and offering proactive service to travelers. Travel agents, corporate travel managers, risk management or security advisors, or anyone else responsible for monitoring a collection of travelers can use Attendant to quickly assess the status of an entire group of itineraries in a single screen and receive exception messages when a problem with one or more passenger’s itineraries arise.

Learn more about Attendant.

Implementation Options

To implement a solution based on our Itinerary Monitoring and Messaging services, the system must have access to the traveler’s itinerary. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways for FlightStats to capture itineraries for monitoring:

* GDS Queue Monitoring – FlightStats can obtain itineraries and schedule changes by accessing a GDS queue on behalf of the travel agency.
* Cornerstone iBank Adapter – FlightStats offers an iBank adapter for companies that use the iBank reporting system. There is no additional fee for iBank customers to push data to FlightStats.
* Web Service Interface – The FlightStats system also offers a Web Services interface that allows agencies to securely transmit itineraries to the FlightStats system for monitoring. SOAP, XML over HTTP and REST protocols are supported.
* Custom Adapters - Please contact FlightStats if you are a software developer who would like to provide a custom adapter.

DFWairport.com

The official site of the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport uses FlightStats Web services APIs to construct dynamic arrivals and departure pages with up-to-the minute flight status and gate information. The DFW team also deployed FlightStats flight tracker for flights that are en route (see the “Map” column) and deployed flight segment monitoring and messaging through a simple link labeled “Track” in the departures and arrivals table.

http://www.dfwairport.com

Pitairport.com

The official site of Pittsburgh International Airport uses a variety of FlightStats syndicated content very effectively. The site provides a link to our airport flight tracker for PIT – a nice way to show all incoming and outbound flights in the air with links through to FlightStats.com for detailed flight status on any of those flights. They also deployed our airport delay maps for North America and Europe to give travelers a view into global airport conditions at a glance.

http://www.pitairport.com

Massport.org

The official site for Boston Logan Airport. Their web site uses FlightStats for flight status (arrivals and departures) and offers a view of the location of flights en route via FlightStats FlightHistoryMapsService.

http://www.massport.com/logan/d_default.aspx

flysxm.com

This site provides flight status for the international airport on the island of St. Martin in the Caribbean. The site uses our premium airport arrivals and departures widget to accomplish a very clean and useful implementation. The premium widget allows all of the details provided by the widget to be displayed within an iframe on the flysxm.com site without referring traffic back to flightstats.com.

http://www.flysxm.com

aeropuertosmexico.com

A site with a wealth of information on airports throughout Mexico. aeropuertosmexico.com uses FlightStats' Flight Status and Airport Information widget to display arrival and departure status by airport in Spanish.

http://www.aeropuertosmexico.com/content/view/239/340/

US airlines finished 2009 with an overall on-time performance rating of 78.73% (flights arriving within 15 minutes of scheduled arrival). This is a measurable improvement over the two previous years when they posted on-time arrival percentages of 75.41% in 2008 and 73.47% in 2007.

Of the 36 airlines we analyzed, the airlines most likely to get you to your destination on time in 2009 and their on-time performance percentages were:


1. Hawaiian Airlines - 91.76%
2. Horizon Air - 85.88%
3. Chataqua Airlines - 84.6%
4. Shuttle America - 83.68%
5. Mesaba Aviation - 83.4%


Southwest led the majors closely followed by Alaska.


1. Southwest Airlines (6th overall) - 82.47%
2. Alaska Airlines (7th overall) - 82.38%
3. United Airlines (12th overall) - 80.54%
4. US Airways (13th overall) - 80.51%
5. Northwest Airlines (18th overall) - 79.61%
6. Continental (20th overall) - 77.91%
7. Delta (21st overall) - 77.84%
8. Jetblue (24th overall) - 77.2%
9. American Airlines (28th overall) - 75.7%


Here are some other notable findings:


* Airline with the highest rate of cancellations: Piedmont at 3.81%
* Airline with the highest percentage of flights delayed more than 44 minutes: Air Wisconsin at 14.76%
* Airline least likely to cancel your flight: Spirit Airlines (.002% cancellation rate)
* Airline least likely to arrive more than 44 minutes late: Hawaiian (1.71% )

Conducive Technology
Conducive Technology Corp. is a leading provider of worldwide flight on-time performance information to the global travel and transportation industries. Our FlightStats platform delivers real-time and historical flight information that lowers travel-related costs and improves the travel experience. With unique products that can deliver value at each stage of a travel transaction, to both business and consumer audiences, FlightStats is poised to benefit as travel management evolves.

Our roots trace back to 1993, with the formation of Sight & Sound Software, a firm focused on Internet and multi-media opportunities. Sight & Sound enjoyed a long-term relationship with American Airlines that resulted in the development of numerous Web-based travel applications, including the reservation engine upon which the www.aa.com website was built. The knowledge gained at American was translated into the BookSmart booking engine, which was deployed by major airlines such as Air Canada and Aer Lingus. In May 2000, Sight & Sound was acquired by Dublin-based Datalex plc.

In October 2001, Conducive was launched as the result of a spin-off of people and assets from Datalex into a new entity. We are now a privately-held concern focused on providing innovative flight information solutions that deliver high value to our customers.

Visit the Conducive Technology website at www.conducivetech.com .

I remember a reporter from a major newspaper asking me last year, “Do you think this ancillary revenue stuff is going to last, or is it merely a fad?” I was surprised by the question back then, and today it’s merely an amusing memory. The same reporter might ask today, “So do you think baggage fees will be charged by airlines all over the world?” The reader of this Guide shouldn’t be surprised by my answer . . . it is a definite “yes.”

It won’t be long before British Airways, Qantas, and Japan Airlines start charging fees for checked baggage. Why? Because it makes perfect economic sense and the precedent established by oneworld partner American Airlines will be too hard to ignore. As you will read later, oneworld has already set the mechanism in place to facilitate a la carte pricing initiatives between alliance partners.

You will also read about Gordon Gekko, who is the corporate-raider character from the 1987 American movie “Wall Street.” The part was superbly played by Michael Douglas as the ruthless and self-centered financier who attempted the takeover of fictitious Blue Star Airways. The movie revolves around his “greed is good” speech. This rant include nuggets of wisdom such as, “Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.”

He uses words here that are central to our ancillary revenue movement: clarifies and evolutionary. These words explain the magic of how we are serving consumers. A la carte pricing clarifies the value of services for the consumer. This allows them to pick and choose services and features based upon the desire to maximize convenience or minimize price.

The evolutionary part is represented by carriers that choose this path and those that don’t. US carriers faced a moment of truth during 2008 when they decided between baggage fees or financial peril. The Darwin-inspired concept of evolve or die will likely be faced by more and more airlines during 2009. Ancillary revenue is a crucial part of the evolutionary process. Ignore it at your own risk.
Click to Purchase Guide


Conferencia de Ingresos para Líneas Aéreas (CILA)
El nuevo paradigma de negocios
06/07 de Mayo 2010
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Nos complace presentar la primera conferencia en español para la industria aérea latinoamericana sobre “El Nuevo Paradigma de Negocios” donde se presentarán modelos de optimización de ingresos.

Pero, ¿qué es este “Nuevo paradigma de negocios”? Los márgenes de ganancias de las compañías aéreas apenas rozan el 2% en buenos períodos financieros, de manera que transportar a un pasajero de un “Punto A” a un “Punto B” no es suficiente para que una aerolínea sea rentable en el largo plazo. Si bien la mayoría de las compañías aéreas en Latinoamérica figuraban entre las más rentables durante esta última crisis económica, para mantener una constante rentabilidad, las aerolíneas de la región tienen que desempeñar un rol más activo como minoristas, haciendo más eficientes los canales de distribución y atraer la atención de su público objetivo de pasajeros a fin de generar ventas que no se originen solamente en pasajes aéreos.

Algunos de los temas que se presentarán durante CILA incluyen: La generación de ventas que no provengan de los pasajes aéreos; La Generación de ingresos provenientes de honorarios “a la carta”; La reducción de costos a través del uso de formas de pago alternativas; Los productos y servicios que pueden venderse a bordo de los vuelos en el mercado Latinoamericano, Incremento de ventas a través de las redes sociales; La maximización de ventas a través del programa de fidelización y muchos más...
mas información


There is no Substitute for face-to-face Networking
Ai Networking Cocktail - Amsterdam
"The New Business Model: Retailing Beyond Travel"

We live in challenging economic times! The forward-thinking businesses that will grow and prosper in this climate are those that increase face-to-face marketing time with current and potential customers and partners.

However, this same poor economic climate has reduced the travel budgets of airline/travel industry executives, making every networking opportunity more valuable to them. In this context, Airline Information and SeaMountain have agreed with Adyen to co-organise a complimentary cocktail reception and discussion forum for airline & travel industry professionals in Amsterdam on the 11th of February 2010.

The evening event will serve to bring together airline and travel industry professionals for high-level networking, as well as to discuss the critical bottom-line profit issues for a rapidly changing travel industry. This event is part of an ongoing series of “Ai/SeaMountain Networking Cocktails” that are tailored for airline industry executives in major hub cities worldwide.

Registration is completely free of charge but we recommend that you act quickly as our venue is limited in capacity to 50 people. Please limit two attendees per company.
Ai Networking Cocktails are Free!


New Events will be joining our Classic line-up in 2010
Ai Continues it's tradition on "First-Mover" events and unsurpassed value for airlines and suppliers

This year Airline Information will continue an aggressive schedule of events and introduce new conferences and innovative agenda and delegate interaction formats.

Stay tuned to AiGlobal.org for updates on our new 2010 lineup. Classic events such as FFP and ARAC will return under the “Mega Event” banner and so will the unmatched “a-la-Carte Pricing” conference.

Our logistics team has been working overtime during the holidays to design a fresh new approach to conference agendas and onsite room layouts – all in an effort to deliver more quality for less.

Tonight, the PBS show Frontline will air an airline safety oriented episode, "Flying Cheap," that focuses on the factors that led to the February 2009 crash of a Continental Connection airliner near Buffalo, NY. The flight was operated on behalf of Continental by Colgan Air, a regional carrier that flies routes under contract for US Airways, United and Continental.

This show provides a glimpse into the lives of regional airline pilots through interviews with former Colgan Air pilots. The overall argument of the show is that the rise of regional air carriers has benefited airline passengers by driving down prices, but at the possible cost of increasing safety risks.

Broadcast times will vary, so check out your local broadcast or cable listings. If you dont' have access to PBS, you can also visit this episode's web site out the PBS's web site for this episode. You can see an 11-minute excerpt from the show below:

A small aircraft crashed into an office building in Austin, Texas. The crash was apparently a deliberate act. The building contained offices of the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the pilot involved in the crash had a long and contentious relationship with the IRS. The pilot, Joseph Stack, had set fire to his house earlier, and had left a detailed letter on his web site that implied violent threats against the US government.

Stack's house caught fire at about 9:15 a.m. According to the FAA, the plane, a single-engine Piper Cherokee PA-28-236 Dakota (N2889D), took off from the Georgetown, TX municipal airport at 9:40 a.m. The crash site was about 20 miles (32km) SSE of the airport and the crash happened at about 10 a.m. The pilot and one person in the building were killed in the crash. At least one person in the building was seriously injured and airlifted to a burn center in San Antonio. About a dozen other building occupants were injured.

Austin police chief Art Acevedo stated that the crash “appears to be an intentional act, appears to be by a sole individual, and it appears this individual was targeting federal offices inside that building.” Numerous witness accounts were also consistent with a deliberate flight into the building.

Relevant Airline Security Issues
After the attacks of 9/11, the US government added multiple security measures affecting commercial airliners and private aircraft. While private aircraft face significant restrictions in the airspace around some areas, most notably the Washington, DC area, most areas have had no significant changes in procedures.

The airport used by Joseph Stack is a general aviation airport, and like most such airports there is no permanent security provided by TSA or any other federal agency. When the control tower is closed and the gates of the airport are closed, there is a system in place to allow anyone to gain access to the airport simply by driving through an automated gate. Security is mostly in the hands of airport users, who are encouraged to report unusual security situations.

Listen to ATC clearance for Joseph Stack (Source: LiveATC.net)

Notable Crashes of Small Aircraft into Buildings
12 September 1994 - After spending an evening with his brother consuming alcohol and smoking crack cocaine, Frank Eugene Corder, who was not a licensed pilot, stole a Cessna 150 and crashed into the South Lawn of the White House complex, with some parts of the airplane hitting the White House residence and causing minimal damage. Corder was killed, and no one else was injured.

5 January 2002 - A 15-year-old boy, who was not a pilot, stole a Cessna 172 and flew it into an office building in Tampa, FL. The pilot was killed and no one else was injured.

18 April 2002 - A Rockwell Commander 112 aircraft crashed into the Pirelli Tower in Milan Italy, killing the pilot and two others in the aircraft. A suicide was suspected, but not conclusively proven.

11 October 2006 - An aircraft carrying New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor crashed into a 50-story building on the upper east side of Manhattan. One person on the ground sustained serious injuries, two people on the ground sustained minor injuries, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and post crash fire

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