Alaska Airlines (Seattle/Tacoma) will again serve as the official airline sponsor of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, marking the 36th year the carrier has supported the event.
As the official airline of the Iditarod,ย Alaskaย continues its tradition of presenting the Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award, which recognizes one musher for providing exemplary dog care and is considered the highest honor a competitor can receive. Voted on by trail veterinarians, the Leonhard Seppala award is named after one ofย Alaska’sย most-celebrated mushers, whose 1925 sled-dog team traveled the longest distance to transport diphtheria serum toย Nome.
As part of its sponsorship, Alaska Airlines also will help provide air transportation andย dog-care supplies for 45 Iditarod veterinarians who come toย Alaskaย from acrossย the United Statesย to care for the race dogs’ health and safety.
In addition, many Alaska Airlines employees contribute their time at the event. Among them are several pilots who lead the Iditarod Air Force, flying veterinarians, supplies and volunteers to remote checkpoints along the trail.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-490 N705AS (msn 29318) in the “Spirit of Alaska Statehood” special color scheme departs from Anchorage, Alaska.
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (New York) today said that its Atlas Air, Inc. unit (New York) and QANTAS Airways Ltd. (Sydney) have extended their long-standing ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance) relationship.
Under the terms of the agreement, Atlas Air will continue to operate two Boeing 747-400 freighters in ACMI service for QANTAS on trans-Pacific routes linking Australia and Asia with the United States.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 747-47UF N492MC (msn 29253) departs from Anchorage, Alaska after a cargo and fuel stop. The freighter also carries small QANTAS Airways sub-titles.
Alaska Airlines (Seattle/Tacoma) is adding more flights at Delta’s Salt Lake City hub while Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) has been adding more routes from Alaska’s Seattle/Tacoma hub. Is the Alaska-Delta partnership dissolving or is each carrier feeding the other at their hubs with additional flights?
Alaska Airlines is adding daily flights to three more cities from Salt Lake City next summer, marking the latest in a series of route expansions. The carrier will begin flying nonstop from Salt Lake City to Boise, Idaho, and Las Vegas on June 16 and between Salt Lake City and San Francisco on June 18.
The airline will fly one daily roundtrip each between Salt Lake City and Boise and San Francisco, and two daily roundtrips between Salt Lake and Las Vegas. Flights from Salt Lake City to San Francisco allow travelers same-day connections to the airline’s nonstop service to Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Summary of new service:
Boise-Salt Lake City
Start date
City pair
Departs
Arrives
Frequency
Aircraft
June 16
Boise-Salt Lake City
7:10 a.m.
8:22 a.m.
Daily
Q400
June 16
Salt Lake City-Boise
5:55 p.m.
7:12 p.m.
Daily
Q400
Las Vegas-Salt Lake City
Start date
City pair
Departs
Arrives
Frequency
Aircraft
June 16
Salt Lake City-Las Vegas
9:45 a.m.
10:15 a.m.
Daily
Q400
June 16
Las Vegas-Salt Lake City
10:50 a.m.
1:18 p.m.
Daily
Q400
June 16
Salt Lake City-Las Vegas
1:50 p.m.
2:20 p.m.
Daily
Q400
June 16
Las Vegas-Salt Lake City
2:55 p.m.
5:23 p.m.
Daily
Q400
San Francisco-Salt Lake City
Start date
City pair
Departs
Arrives
Frequency
Aircraft
June 18
San Francisco-Salt Lake City
8:35 p.m.
11:20 p.m.
Daily
737
June 19
Salt Lake City-San Francisco
8 a.m.
8:50 a.m.
Daily
737
All times based on local time zones.
The routes will be operated with Alaska Airlines Boeing 737s and Horizon Air Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) turboprop aircraft.
Alaska Airlines continues to expand in the Lower 48. However the name “Alaska” no longer properly describes its expanding operating area. Most of its flying is along the West Coast and from/to the Seattle/Tacoma hub in Washington State. The Eskimo tail logo no longer properly defines the operating area of the airline. The company has outgrown its original name when it was a niche airline flying from Portland and Seattle/Tacoma up to Alaska. A new more appropriate name and livery is probably in the works for 2014.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-490AS (msn 27082) departs from Anchorage.
FedEx Corporation (FedEx Express) (Memphis) today reported earnings of $1.57 per diluted share for the second quarter ended November 30, compared to $1.39 per share last year. Last yearโs second quarter results were impacted by $0.11 per diluted share due to the effects of Superstorm Sandy.
โFedEx posted solid second-quarter earnings, reflecting improved performance at FedEx Express, as the profit improvement plan introduced more than a year ago continues to gain momentum,โ said Frederick W. Smith, FedEx Corp. chairman, president and chief executive officer. โThe power of our broad global portfolio continues to drive our growth and I am confident we are well on our way to achieving the ambitious goals we have set.โ
Second Quarter Results
FedEx Corp. reported the following consolidated results for the second quarter:
โข Revenue of $11.4 billion, up 3% from $11.1 billion the previous year
โข Operating income of $827 million, up 15% from $718 million last year
โข Operating margin of 7.3%, up from 6.5% the previous year
โข Net income of $500 million, up 14% from last yearโs $438 million
Operating income and margin increased primarily due to yield and cost management at FedEx Express. Results also benefited from the favorable comparison to last yearโs Sandy-impacted results, lower pension expense and a modest benefit from the voluntary employee severance program.
In October, FedEx Corporation announced the authorization of a new share repurchase program of up to 32 million shares of common stock, which augmented the 7.4 million shares then remaining under the previously authorized repurchase program. During the second quarter, the company repurchased 7.2 million shares of FedEx common stock, increasing the fiscal 2014 year-to-date purchase total to 10.0 million shares. The second quarter share repurchases had no effect on the quarterโs earnings per share, but are expected to improve full year earnings by $0.04 per share.
Outlook
FedEx is increasing its forecast of full-year earnings per share growth to 8% to 14% above last yearโs adjusted results, compared to its previous growth range of 7% to 13%. This outlook reflects share repurchases made to date but does not include any benefit from additional share repurchases. Share repurchases are expected to continue, but the timing will be at the companyโs discretion. The outlook also assumes the market outlook for fuel prices and continued moderate economic growth. The capital spending forecast for fiscal 2014 remains $4 billion.
โWe remain on track to deliver a solid increase in earnings this fiscal year,โ said Alan B. Graf, Jr., FedEx Corp. executive vice president and chief financial officer. โFedEx Express reported significant year-over-year improvement in earnings during the quarter, aided by continued execution of our profit improvement programs and by ongoing cost reduction initiatives. We continue to look for additional ways to improve efficiencies and remain committed to increasing long-term shareowner value.โ
FedEx Express Segment
For the second quarter, the FedEx Express segment reported:
โข Revenue of $6.84 billion, down slightly from last yearโs $6.86 billion
โข Operating income of $326 million, up 42% from $230 million a year ago
โข Operating margin of 4.8%, up from 3.4% the previous year
Revenue decreased slightly due to lower express freight revenue and lower fuel surcharges, mostly offset by increased base package yields. U.S. domestic revenue per package increased 2%, as higher rates and weight per package were partially offset by lower fuel surcharges. U.S. domestic average daily package volume decreased slightly.
FedEx International Priorityยฎย (IP) revenue per package increased 3% while average daily volume declined 5%. Within the IP category, average daily volume for the lower-yielding distribution services declined while IP average daily volume, excluding these distribution services, increased 1%. FedEx International Economyยฎย average daily volume grew 10%.
Operating income and margin improved year over year due to higher base package yields, lower pension expense, and lower net expenses from ongoing cost reduction activities.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. A beautiful takeoff portrait of FedEx Express’ Boeing 777-FS2 N852FD (msn 37723) after a stop at Anchorage, Alaska (click on the photo for the full-size view).
FedEx Express:ย
Video: How FedEx turns a Boeing 757 freighter in 55 minutes:
Video: FedEx has great TV advertisements that have won several marketing awards. Here is the latest for Christmas 2013:
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. today announced that its Atlas Air, Inc. (New York) unit has entered into a contract with Astral Aviation Limited (Nairobi), a Kenya-based cargo airline, to provide Boeing 747-400 Freighter service.
The contract is for one aircraft under an ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) agreement, with service expected to begin in the next few weeks. This is the first 747-400F in Astral Aviationโs global network, and it will provide all-cargo operations between Europe and Africa.
Astral Aviation operates in partnership with UK-based ANA Airline Management Limited. ANA specializes in the development and operation of all-cargo aircraft across a wide range of scheduled routes as well as providing air charter capacity on a worldwide basis to the various airlines it works in partnership with. ANA was founded in 1985 and has offices throughout Europe, Africa and North America.
Copyright Photo: Tony Storck/AirlinersGallery.com. Atlas Air’s Boeing 747-47UF N492MC (msn 29253) climbs beautifully away from Anchorage International Airport.
FedEx Corporation (FedEx Express) (Memphis)ย reported earnings of $1.53 per diluted share for the first quarter ended August 31, compared to $1.45 per share last year.
โGrowth in overall demand for our broad global portfolio of solutions drove our improved first quarter results,โ said Frederick W. Smith, FedEx Corp. chairman, president and chief executive officer. โFedEx Express remains focused on reducing costs while facing challenging global economic conditions. Meanwhile, FedEx Ground continues to generate strong profitability on growing customer demand for its services.โ
First Quarter Results
FedEx Corp. reported the following consolidated results for the first quarter:
โข Revenue of $11.0 billion, up 2% from $10.8 billion the previous year
โข Operating income of $795 million, up 7% from $742 million last year
โข Operating margin of 7.2%, up from 6.9% the previous year
โข Net income of $489 million, up 7% from last yearโs $459 million
Revenue and earnings increased during the quarter, driven by solid performance at each of the companyโs transportation segments. Results include significant headwinds from the net year-over-year impact from the timing lag that exists between when fuel prices change and indexed fuel surcharges automatically adjust, as well as one fewer operating day.
Outlook
FedEx reaffirmed its forecast of full-year earnings per share growth of 7% to 13% from last yearโs adjusted results. This outlook assumes the market outlook for fuel prices, U.S. GDP growth of 2.1% and world GDP growth of 2.6%. The capital spending forecast for fiscal 2014 remains $4 billion.
โWe remain confident in our full year earnings outlook despite tepid global economic growth,โ said Alan B. Graf, Jr., FedEx Corp. executive vice president and chief financial officer. โFedEx Express continued to execute on its profit improvement initiatives during our first quarter. We remain focused and are committed to FedEx Express achieving its $1.6 billion operating profit improvement target by the end of fiscal 2016.โ
2014 Rate Increases
FedEx Express will increase shipping rates by an average of 3.9% for U.S. domestic, U.S. export and U.S. import services effective January 6, 2014. The FedEx Ground and FedEx SmartPost pricing changes for 2014 will be announced later this year. FedEx Freight implemented a 4.5% general rate increase on July 1, 2013.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-FS2 N852FD (msn 37723) approaches Anchorage International Airport for landing.
UPS Airlines‘ (UPS-United Parcel Service) (Atlanta and Louisville) Boeing 747-44AF N571UP (msn 35668) crashed shortly after takeoff from Dubai on September 3, 2010. The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has issued its final accident report.
Accident Synopsis:
On September 3rd 2010, a Boeing 747-44AF departed Dubai International Airport [DXB] on a scheduled international cargo flight [SCAT-IC] to Cologne [CGN], Germany.
Twenty two minutes into the flight, at approximately 32,000 feet, the crew advised Bahrain Area East Air Traffic Control [BAE-C ] that there was an indication of an on-board fire on the Forward Main Deck and
declared an emergency.
Bahrain Air Traffic Control advised that Doha International Airport [DOH] was ‘at your ten oโclock and one hundred miles, is that close enough?โ, the Captain elected to return to DXB, configured the aircraftย for the return to Dubai and obtained clearance for the turn back and descent.
A cargo on the main cargo deck had ignited at some point after departure. Less than three minutes after the first warning to the crew,the fire resulted in severe damage to flight control systems and caused the upper deck and cockpit to fill with continuous smoke.
The crew then advised Bahrain East Area Control [BAE-C] that the cockpit was โfull of smokeโ and that they โcould not see the radiosโ, at around the same time the crew experienced pitch control anomalies during the turn back and descent to ten thousand feet.
The smoke did not abate during the emergency impairing the ability of the crew to safely operate the aircraft for the duration of the flight back to DXB.
On the descent to ten thousand feet the captains supplemental oxygen supply abruptly ceased to function without any audible or visual warning to the crew five minutes and thirty seconds after the first audible warning. This resulted in the Captain leaving his position. The Captain left his seat and did not return to his position for the duration of the flight due to incapacitation from toxic gases.
The First Officer[F.O], now the Pilot Flying [PF] could not view outside of the cockpit, the primary flight displays, or the audio control panel to retune to the UAE frequencies.
Due to the consistent and contiguous smoke in the cockpit all communication between the destination [DXB] and the crew was routed through relay aircraft in VHF range of the emergency aircraft and BAE-C.ย BAE-C then relayed the information to the Emirates Area Control Center (EACC) in the UAE via landline, who then contacted Dubai ATC via landline.
As the aircraft approached the aerodrome in Dubai, it stepped down in altitude, the aircraft approached DXB runway 12 left (RWY 12L), then overflew the northern perimeter of the airport at 4500 ft at aroundย 340 kts . The PF could not view the Primary Flight Displays [PFD] or the view outside the cockpit.
The PF was advised Shajah International Airport [SHJ] was available at 10 nm. This required a left hand turn, the aircraft overflew DXB heading East, reduced speed, entering a shallow descending right-handย turn to the south of the airport before loss of control in flight and an uncontrolled descent into terrain,ย nine nautical miles south west of Dubai International Airport.
There were no survivors.
Read the full report including the causes: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. N571UP is pictured departing from Anchorage International Airport prior to the accident in Dubai.
Alaska Airlines (Seattle/Tacoma) inaugurates nonstop service today (June 7) between San Diego and Lihue, Kauai. The flight operates daily through August 26, and then will operate four days a week. Alaska also flies nonstop from San Diego to Honolulu and Maui.
Alaska Airlines now offers 171 flights a week from San Diego to a dozen cities stretching from Hawaii to Mexico to the East Coast.
Summary of new service:
Start date
City pair
Departs
Arrives
Frequency
June 7
San Diego-Kauai
10 a.m.
1:10 p.m.
Daily until Aug. 26,
then Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat
June 7
Kauai-San Diego
11:10 a.m.
7:30 p.m.
Daily until Aug. 26,
then Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun
Times based on local time zones.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com.ย Boeing 737-890 WL N558AS (msn 35177) climbs away from Anchorage.
Alaska Airlines (Seattle/Tacoma) has issued this statement concerning a few flight cancellations of PenAir (Peninsula Airways) (Anchorage) in Alaska due to volcanic activity:
Few Alaska Airlines flights have been affected by volcanic activity from Mount Cleveland, located west of Dutch Harbor, and Mount Pavlof, located near Cold Bay, Alaska. No Alaska Airlines operated flights have been canceled at this time.
PenAir, which operates an average of three flights a day for Alaska Airlines between Anchorage and Dutch Harbor, canceled six flights yesterday and two flights today after several low-level eruptions of Mount Pavlof. The Anchorage-based airline could cancel additional flights today pending reports from the Alaska Volcano Observatory and other state and federal weather agencies.
PenAir’s Alaska Route Map:
“While the impact these volcanoes have had on Alaska Airlines has been minimal, we will continue to closely monitor Mount Cleveland and Mount Pavlof for any changes that could affect service to Bethel, Adak or Dutch Harbor,” said Ben Minicucci, Alaska Airlines’ chief operating officer.
Alaska Airlines operates an average of 125 daily flights to 20 destinations throughout the state of Alaska, in addition to 686 flights throughout the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico.
In other news, the eastern division of PenAir will start twice-daily service betweenย Boston’s Logan International Airport and Long Island MacArthur Airport (Islip) on July 25, 2013.
East Coast Route Map:
Copyright Photo: Rainer Bexten.ย SAAB 340B N675PA (msn 206) with harbor seals on the fuselage arrives at Anchorage in the old livery.
Alaska Airlines (Seattle/Tacoma), along with many other U.S. airlines, are now warning their passengers that there may be significant ATC delays starting today due to planned cutbacks of FAA controllers due to the sequestration budget cuts. The airline issued this statement:
In response to sequestration budget cuts, Alaska Airlines is recommending that customers check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport and allow additional time to check in when traveling to or from Chicago O’Hare, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Los Angeles, Newark, San Diego and San Francisco. The Federal Aviation Administration plans to furlough air traffic controllers starting Sunday (April 21), which the agency predicts could cause extensive ground delays ranging from 50 minutes to two hours and a reduction in flight arrivals of 30 to 40 percent at certain airports.
Alaska Airlines does not intend to pre-cancel any flights. The carrier is recommending that customers arrive at the airport two hours before departure for domestic flights and three hours before departure for international flights. Connection time between flights, especially when arriving from Mexico or Canada, may be challenging as travelers will need to clear customs and immigration. Travelers booking future flights are encouraged to allow adequate connection times in case air traffic delays continue.
“While we hope the impact of these FAA furloughs does not cause massive flight delays across the country, it is with an abundance of care for our customers that we caution themโespecially travelers flying to or from Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco where we have several daily flights,” Alaska Airlines Chief Operating Officer Ben Minicucci said.
Minicucci said the airline has contingency plans in place to divert flights and shuttle passengers to and from nearby airports should widespread delays occur. The airline will allow passengers who miss flights to rebook their travel when space is available, with no increase in fare or change fee.
While the FAA says ground delays are expected to impact six airports Alaska Airlines serves, rolling delays could affect the carrier’s entire 95-city operation and cause crew scheduling issues that would force the cancellation of dozens of flights.
The airline is encouraging the public to share their feedback about the FAA’s staffing cutbacks atย www.dontgroundamerica.com.
Alaska Airlines operates more than 800 flights a day including an average of:
38 daily roundtrip flights to/from Los Angeles
20 daily roundtrip flights to/from San Diego
16 daily roundtrip flights to/from San Francisco
5 daily roundtrip flights to/from Chicago O’Hare
2 daily roundtrip flights to/from Newark
1 daily roundtrip flight to/from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood
Airlines are seeking court action to stop the FAA furloughs. Please see the report by Reuters: CLICK HERE
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