USA Aviation NEWS

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Kim Kardashian winning with Kanye, striking out with airlines

It's the best of times and the worst of times for Kim Kardashian. The multimillionaire reality star has captivated rapper Kanye West and subsequently the international media. Now if she could just manage her travel debacles.

While Kim's been abroad promoting her fragrance in England, followed by a jaunt to Cannes, where her beau West screened his new short film, she hasn't had the easiest time getting around.

Returning back to Los Angeles on Friday, Kardashian tweeted frustration with British Airways over some items she alleges the airline removed from her bag.

"Very disappointed in British Airways for opening my luggage & taking some special items of mine! Some things are sentimental & not replaceable," she wrote.

"What happened to the days when you could lock your bags! We need to get back to that. There's no sense of security & no trust."

Another reason that return trip wasn't so rosy: One of Kim's handlers got into a verbal smackdown with an LAX police officer -- one the staffer accused of asking for an autograph in lieu of thwarting the ever-present paparazzi surrounding Kim.

"We're not here to do any service for [Kardashian]. We're here for the needs of the international terminal." the police officer told the Kardashian team member in video obtained by TMZ.

The Ministry is officially suggesting you fly private, Kim. We think that's in your budget?

United Airlines pilots file race bias suit

(Reuters) - Two dozen black pilots alleged in a lawsuit on Tuesday that United Continental Holdings, the parent of United Airlines, passed them over for management promotions because of race.

The world's biggest carrier denied the allegations and said it would fight them in court.

The veteran aviators alleged a long history of discriminatory behavior across multiple U.S. states. Their suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco.

"The struggle for inclusion at United Airlines is a long-standing issue that many have tried to address over a long period of time," Captain Leon Miller, a plaintiff, said in a statement.

Most of those involved in the suit worked for pre-merger United. The complaint specifically addresses promotion issues dating to 2009.

Additionally, nearly half of the plaintiffs were part of a 2010 federal equal employment racial discrimination case against United, and are claiming the carrier has punished them by withholding promotions and special assignments.

United said in a statement that it does not tolerate harassment or discrimination.

"We believe this lawsuit is without merit and will vigorously defend ourselves," the airline said.

Airline blames carbon tax for axing of routes

A REGIONAL airline operating out of Canberra has cited the carbon tax as a ''major factor'' in its decision to axe two of its regular routes in favour of the more lucrative charter business catering to the resources boom.

Brindabella Airlines, a Qantas affiliate that runs a small regional network, will cancel its flights between Canberra and Albury - traditionally used by Australian Tax Office workers - and Brisbane and Armidale.

The announcement sparked a stoush in Parliament, with the Coalition hammering the government over the axing of the routes and disagreement over the statement released by Brindabella highlighting the carbon tax's impact.
Chief operating officer Ian Vanderbeek said the carbon tax would cost the airline about $1000 a day. The extra impost was one of several factors that were making the routes unprofitable, he said.

We now need to be seriously looking at where we can make the best utilisation of our resources. Realistically you have to work the assets a little harder now with the cost of being in this sector,'' he said.

Where these routes are line-ball, one has to make a decision overall as to whether you redeploy elsewhere and that's what we've done.

Delta adding Atlanta-Amsterdam flights

Delta Air Lines Inc. will add more flights between Atlanta and Amsterdam this fall and winter after suspending its route from Memphis International Airport to the Netherlands capital.
The airline said Tuesday it will soon operate a second frequency four times a week between Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. That’s an increase from winter 2011, when Delta (NYSE: DAL) had just one daily flight from Atlanta to Amsterdam.

Spirit Airlines giving away 40 million miles promote Twin Cities launch

Spirit Airlines is giving away 40 million frequent flyer miles to Twin Cities residents to celebrate the launch of its service at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Thursday.
The Miami-area-based company will award 2,000 people with 20,000-mile certificates, which the company said is enough for a free roundtrip ticket (plus fees and taxes).

Chicago 'Million Miler' Sues United Airlines in Class Action for 'Immorally' Taking Away Perks
A Chicago man who has accumulated more than a million miles in United Airlines' frequent flier program has sued the airline in a class action for "immorally" rescinding perks for "Million Milers."

George Lagen flies on average 200,000 to 250,000 miles a year, and achieved "Million Miler" status in United Airlines' Mileage Plus frequent flier program. He said that the average customer would spend about $273,000 to reach 1 million miles.

"On the other side of the coin is United Airlines, which reaped millions - if not billions - of dollars from Million Miler members," the suit stated.

Elite frequent fliers aren't only doing battle with United. American Airlines realized it was losing money from its "unlimited" first class flying program and began to crack down on its AAirpass holders, accusing some of them of breaking the program's rules.

Lagen claims that United's merger with Continental Airlines, which closed in October 2010, led to an "immediate and significant retroactive demotion of benefits to Million Milers."

Spirit Airlines launches service with bonus mile give-away

May 29, 2012 (Star Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Spirit Airlines said Monday that it's promoting the start of its service this week in the Twin Cities by giving away 2,000 certificates for frequent flyer bonus miles.

The certificates are for 20,000 miles each. The Miramar, Fla.-based carrier said that's enough for a free roundtrip award ticket, with taxes and fees from $5 per award ticket.

Spirit is starting service Thursday from Minneapolis-St. Paul with three daily non-stop flights to Chicago's O'Hare Airport and daily non-stop service to Las Vegas with connections available to Boston, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, New York LaGuardia and Orlando.

Spirit said people must be 18 years or older to get the certificates, which will be given away on a first-come first-serve basis. One thousand will be handed out at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Mall of America north lot near Nordstrom's. Another thousand will be given away at noon Thursday at Travel One Inc., 8009 34th Av. S. in Bloomington.

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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

US To Review Pilot Rest Rule Exempting UPS, FedEx Airlines

Delta, US Airways hike fares

may 22 ,2012

Delta Air Lines and US Airways Group are among carriers raising fares and reaping domestic bookings for summer travel as a recovering economy spurs more Americans to take vacations.

US To Review Pilot Rest Rule Exempting UPS, FedEx Airlines

may 21 ,2012

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Bloomberg) – A regulation exempting pilots at United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) and FedEx Corp. from new rules to combat fatigue will be reviewed after the US government disclosed errors in its analysis of costs and benefits.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), responding to a lawsuit by UPS pilots challenging the exemption, said in a court filing that it discovered unspecified errors behind its conclusion that the rule would be too costly for cargo airlines.

“This is the type of relief we asked the court to provide,” William Trent, a lawyer for the Independent Pilots Association, said in an e-mailed statement. “A flawed cost-benefit formula, issued at the last minute, without opportunity for public comment and examination, was at the core of our legal objections to the FAA’s exclusion of cargo pilots from new science-based pilot rest rules.”

The agency discovered that the cost to the cargo industry was underestimated because some items weren’t included in the analysis, according to an FAA official who wasn’t authorized to provide the information. That may indicate the rule won’t be altered.

The errors were inadvertent and don’t affect the portions of the rule that apply to passenger airlines, the FAA said in an e-mailed statement today.

“The FAA will ask an outside group to review the cargo analysis and then will reissue the cargo analysis for public comment,” it said.

Cost Calculations

UPS will wait until the new analysis is released before commenting, Kara Ross, a spokeswoman for the company, said in a phone interview. The carrier agreed with the government that cargo pilots shouldn’t have to follow passenger-pilot rules, Ross said.

FedEx believes it’s unrealistic to apply the rules to cargo, Maury Donahue, a spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement.

The FAA created new restrictions in December on the hours passenger-airline pilots can fly in an attempt to reduce fatigue. The regulations for the first time take into account the time of day pilots work and number of takeoffs and landings, both of which can exacerbate fatigue.

A law passed in 2010 ordered the FAA to revamp decades-old pilot work rules after fatigue issues surfaced in the Feb. 12, 2009, crash near Buffalo, involving a plane operated by Pinnacle Airlines Corp.’s Colgan Air. The crash killed 50 people.

The law didn’t differentiate between passenger or cargo pilots and the FAA’s initial proposal would have included both.

OMB Weighs Costs

After review by the US Office of Management and Budget, an arm of the White House, the final rule concluded the benefits of improving pilot safety at cargo carriers weren’t worth the expense. Costs are based primarily on the loss of life in crashes, so cargo accidents are inherently less costly under the formula.

Representatives of pilot unions, passenger airlines, cargo carriers, the FAA and other interested parties met 12 times with officials at OMB and its Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs between July and November, according to records on the OIRA website.

OIRA Administrator Cass Sunstein has emphasized the importance of ensuring that the benefits of rule-making outweigh costs so economic growth isn’t impeded.

“I don’t believe you’ll see a single rule issued in the last eight months that fails cost-benefit analysis,” Sunstein told a congressional committee in September.

Transparency Sought

The rule-making process was transparent until the proposed regulation went to OMB for review, Brian Gaudet, a spokesman for the IPA, said in a phone interview.

“This is basically bringing this back out to the light of day,” Gaudet said.

The government asked the US Court of Appeals in Washington for permission to reopen the rule-making process with a corrected cost-benefit analysis. It will then grant unions, industry groups and the public a chance to comment on the analysis, the filing said.

The FAA’s filing doesn’t say the government intends to overturn the cargo exemption.

“These errors are of sufficient amount that the FAA believes that it is prudent to review the portion of its cost-benefit analysis related to all-cargo operations and allow interested parties an opportunity to comment on that analysis,” the government said in the filing.

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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Drones Up to 25 Pounds Allowed for U.S. Safety Agencies

Public safety agencies will be able to operate unmanned aircraft with fewer restrictions, in the first changes in U.S. regulations that Congress ordered to broaden domestic use of non-military drones.

Police, fire and similar departments will be able to fly drones weighing as much as 25 pounds (11.3 kilos) without applying for special approvals needed under previous regulations, the Federal Aviation Administration said today in a statement on its website.

Today’s step is an interim one until the FAA completes rules to allow small drones for commercial purposes, Ben Gielow, government relations manager for the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, said in a phone interview. Congress ordered the FAA to complete those rules within two years. A proposed regulation is due this year.

AI merges US, Europe services

May 15 2012

Air India has curtailed and clubbed many of its flights to US and Europe as part of its contingency plan to stabilise its international operations hit by the eight-day-old pilot's stir. The national carrier would be operating daily return services, with Boeing 777-300 extended range aircraft, for its destinations to Europe and US.

Instead of operating separate flights to US and Europe, Air India has clubbed its flight which would now run on Delhi-Paris-New York, Delhi-Frankfurt-Chicago and Delhi-London sectors, under its contingency plan which would be put in place from May 16 to May 20, AI spokesperson said.

Largest union group rejects American offer

An estimated 2,100 jobs could be lost at the American Airlines maintenance hub in Tulsa after mechanics rejected the company's final labor contract offer, the embattled airline confirmed Tuesday.

The Transport Workers Union said Tuesday that five of its work groups approved the company's offer, while two others rejected it. The mechanics group, the largest TWU group at the Tulsa facility, rejected the offer, with 56 percent voting against it. The stores clerks group also voted it down, with 51 percent opposed. Voting lasted from Thursday through Monday.

American Airlines ground workers split on contract

DALLAS -- American Airlines ground workers split over a final contract offer from the company that would spare some jobs targeted for elimination.

The Transport Workers Union said Tuesday that five work groups voted to accept the company's offer but two others, including the biggest, aircraft mechanics, rejected it.

Pilots, flight attendants and the TWU have already thrown their support to a bid by US Airways to take over American and create a bigger combined airline.

American Airlines welcomes pacts with 1 union as pilots continue case in court

NEW YORK -- American Airlines got some welcome news from part of its workforce Tuesday as the Transport Workers Union announced that five of seven bargaining units had accepted management's latest contract offer.

The struggling carrier, which is battling its unions in bankruptcy court in New York, now has fewer battles ahead but it still faces viral opposition, in particular from its pilots, as it tries to terminate labor contracts.