July 2009 Archives

Southwest Airlines announced yesterday that it has submitted a nonbinding proposal to bid for bankrupt Frontier Airlines, which now is scheduled to be sold at auction next month.

The parent company of Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air continued its rapid earnings pace, reporting a double-digit percentage increase in revenue and earnings that increased more than 90% over the same quarter a year ago.

The parent of Frontier Airlines said it recorded a $12.6 million net profit for the second quarter, compared with a year-ago-loss of $57.7 million.

Hawaiian Airlines parent Hawaiian Holdings remained profitable in the second quarter, posting a $27.5 million profit.

After months of seeming free fall, it feels like the business jet market is starting to stabilize, said Jack Pelton, head of Cessna Aircraft.

If you look at the bottom line, general aviation locally and nationally has taken an undeserved beating from a political controversy concerning the use of business jets and it has been slow to recover.

Three U.S. airlines said Thursday that they made money in the April-June quarter, the start of the summer travel season, with help from cheaper jet fuel and extra fees on passengers.

AirTran Airways, Inc. today reported a net profit of $78.4 million for the second quarter of 2009. This represents a $93.3 million improvement over the same quarter of 2008, reversing a net loss of $14.8 million according to a company press release.

Southwest Airlines posted a $54 million profit for the second quarter, its first profitable quarter after three straight quarters of losses.

The chief executive of Boeing’s commercial jet division on Monday sought to dispel some of the pessimism at this year’s Paris Air Show, arguing that the global economy was showing signs of a recovery and predicting a resumption of global growth in airline traffic as early as 2010 according to the New York Times.

By next summer, passengers flying from Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport on Midwest Airlines will likely see more nonstop flights and lower fares. These are a few of the changes taking place under the new ownership of Republic Airways Holdings Inc., according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

SkyWest, Inc., which owns and operates Skywest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA), reported a 4.9 percent increase in revenue passenger miles for June, while available seat miles increased 1.9 percent compared to the same period last year.

A bankruptcy judge on Monday approved a plan by Republic Airways Holdings to buy Frontier Airlines for $108.8 million, although other bidders could still come forward according to the Associated Press.

Passenger traffic for both Pinnacle Airlines and Colgan Air increased in June compared to the same month in 2008, according to the Memphis Business Journal on Friday.

Atlantic Southeast Airlines was formed after Southern Airways, a local carrier based in Atlanta, agreed to merge with North Central Airlines in 1978. Atlantic Southeast Airlines was registered on March 12, 1979 and began service on June 26.

Frontier Airlines reported that their load factor, the measure of how full flights are, came close to the rarely seen 90% level in June, becoming the latest in a line of carriers to report historically high levels of full aircraft.

Republic Airways Holdings reported Thursday that preliminary figures show that its June traffic and capacity rose from last year, boosted by growth in passenger traffic.

Frontier Airlines Holdings Inc. says it had a net profit of $1.1 million in May, marking the seventh straight month the company has reported gains.

ATP welcomes two of its graduates as new CFIs:

• Ryan Z. from ATP Daytona
• Ryan M. from ATP Raleigh-Durham

Republic Airways, the growing regional airline which bought Frontier Airlines and Midwest Airlines last week, is still in the market to buy other airlines.