March 2009 Archives

After shrinking for the first time in its history in 2009, Southwest Airlines has promised its pilots that it will resume its growth by next year. Southwest has announced that it is expecting to make a profit in 2009.

I recently watched an impressive group of airline industry experts discuss the future of the airline business. The group was composed of executives from major airlines, executives from the flight training industry and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The consensus is that the airline industry is an essential part of modern life, and will continue to grow into the future.

Hello again everyone this is Michael Bailey, I hope all has been well with everyone. I have been very busy flying the line at AirTran Airways. I woke up early this morning to catch a flight out of JAX to ATL to start a 4 day trip. I checked in for my trip at 7 a.m. and was about 45 minutes early. After chatting with folks around the crew room, I picked up my JEPPESEN Revision and flight bag and went to get some breakfast before heading out to preflight the Boeing 717 we have been assigned to fly.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that it has given permission for US Airways to begin flying to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The daily flights will originate in US Airways’ Philadelphia hub, fly to Charlotte, N.C. and then on to Rio de Janeiro. It will be primarily operated with Boeing 767 aircraft, and service is tentatively scheduled to begin in fall 2009.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the largest airline trade group, predicted Tuesday that the world's airlines would collectively lose nearly $5 billion this year, but said U.S. carriers will deliver the best performance with a combined $100 million profit for the year.

American Eagle Airlines is launching nonstop service to six new cities from the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, bucking a trend as the airline industry has contracted nationwide. American Eagle Airlines Inc. said Monday it will launch service to five new cities on June 11, with another destination added on Aug. 25.

Republic continues to expand through turbulent economic times. Over the last year Republic has made multi-million dollar investments in US Airways, Frontier Airlines and Midwest Express Airlines. They then entered into an agreement with Hawaii’s Mokulele Airlines to provide jet service to the islands, and additionally made a large cash investment in them.

Corporate aviation has been riding out some turbulent conditions lately, but there is optimism in the industry that smoother times are ahead. A top Cessna executive predicts the market for business jets is nearing its bottom and starting to pull up.

There was optimism expressed Monday by US Airways President Scott Kirby. Kirby said in an interview that demand and airfares seem to be stabilizing after sharp drops in January and early February.

Regional Jet manufacturer Bombardier announced it has sold 30 of its new environmentally friendly C-Series Regional Jets. These will be the “launch” deliveries of the first C-Series aircraft manufactured after a very long development period. The new design allows the C-Series to be quieter, use less fuel and emit fewer pollutants than other modern jets.

The U.S. airline industry finds itself in a pleasantly surprising sweet spot these days. While the economic recession is wreaking havoc on industries which have done better in tough times historically, U.S. airlines have found themselves in very good shape and returning to profitability so that they can begin to grow once more.

The Global recession has been treacherous for many industries, but in the midst of the turmoil the American airline industry is showing remarkable resilience. Delta Airlines announced Tuesday that it expects to report a full-year profit despite forecasting a 14% drop in operating revenue for the first quarter.

Regional carriers from overseas have been hiring a lot of airline pilots from the United States in the last year or so. Now a new regional airline is beginning operations just south of our border and may be looking to staff its new Regional Jets with American flightcrews.

Frontier Airlines announced Thursday it has a $40 million commitment from Republic Airways Holdings Inc., essentially refinancing a loan it received nearly a year ago when the Denver-based carrier filed for bankruptcy protection.

Pinnacle subsidiary Colgan Air’s Flight 3407’s crash near Buffalo, New York shouldn't hurt Pinnacle Airlines Corp.'s financial picture or its relationship with Continental Airlines, company officials said.

Gulfstream International Airlines was founded in 1988 by Thomas L. Cooper, a former captain for Eastern Airlines. Gulfstream began operating initially as an "on-demand" charter airline serving South Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas. In 1990 Gulfstream was granted a permit to operate scheduled flights into six additional destinations in the Bahamas Islands, soon followed by routes from Miami and Ft. Lauderdale to Nassau and Freeport, Bahamas.

Even in a tough economy there are opportunities in the airline business. In a letter sent to former Eastern Airlines employees, an investor group announced that they have concluded a deal with the Eastern Airlines estate to acquire the name, trademarks and affiliate names (including Eastern Express and Eastern Shuttle) for the purpose of re-starting the airline as a scheduled airline.

Lynx Aviation, Inc. is the successful regional carrier that operates solely for Frontier Airlines based in Denver, Colorado. It is the only regional carrier that Frontier uses, and has been performing extremely well in the western states.

ATP welcomes three of its Airline Career Pilot Program Graduates as new CFIs:

• Chris from ATP Jacksonville
• Dan from ATP Daytona Beach
• Danny from ATP Atlanta - Lawrenceville

Denver based Frontier Airlines reported an operating profit of $2.8 million in January. Frontier's President and CEO, Sean Menke, said in a statement that the results show "we are charging in the right direction."