Tag Archives: Star Alliance

EVA Air joins the Star Alliance today

EVA Air (Taipei) today (June 18) joined the Star Alliance network, further strengthening the Alliance’s presence in Asia/Pacific. At the official joining ceremony held at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Mark Schwab, CEO Star Alliance said: “EVA Air has successfully completed all joining requirements and I can confirm that our Chief Executive Board (CEB) has now unanimously accepted EVA Air into our Alliance.”

Founded just over 16 years ago, Star Alliance has progressively built its presence in Asia/Pacific and now has eight member carriers based in this region, which continues to show a growing demand in air travel, posting 5.2% growth in 2012. At present, 19 Star Alliance member airlines operate more than 4,000 daily flights to, from and within the Asia / Pacific region, serving 280 airports in 44 countries.

Austin Cheng, President, EVA Air said: “Star Alliance membership gives us the privilege of serving new customers from all corners of the globe and introducing our passengers to the seamless services and status recognition that the Alliance provides. As a member, we have the opportunity to introduce travellers to new ways of connecting to destinations throughout Asia via our hub in Taipei.”

Star Alliance was founded with the mission of providing seamless global air travel for the high value international traveller. EVA Air’s customers will now have access to a global network of 28 airlines, operating more than 21,900 daily flights to 1,328 airports in 195 countries. In addition to bringing Kaohsiung in Taiwan and Surabaya in Indonesia as unique airports to the network, EVA Air expands the Alliance’s presence on the important Cross-Straits market, which has grown from an annual passenger volume of just over 3 million in 2009 to around 9 million in 2012. Moreover, Taiwan’s geographic location is such that it has the shortest average distance to all major cities in the Asia-Pacific region, making Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport an important hub in the region. In total, Star Alliance now offers 10 hubs across Asia / Pacific: Tokyo – Narita and Haneda, Seoul – Incheon, Beijing, Shanghai – Pudong, Taipei – Taoyuan, Shenzhen, Bangkok, Singapore and Auckland.

Top Copyright Photo: Star Alliance. The flight attendants (in their uniforms) of the member airlines welcome EVA Air at Taipei.

EVA Air:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Yuji Wang/AirlinersGallery.com. EVA Air is a big corporate sponsor of the Hello Kitty cartoon series and brand created and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. The third Hello Kitty logojet, in the form of Airbus A330-302X B-16333 (msn 1274) prepares to land at Shanghai (Hongqiao) (please click on the photo for the full-size view).

Star Alliance Members:

Croatia Airlines gets back to normal operations after its unions end their strikes

Croatia Airlines (Zagreb) is getting back to normal operations after its pilots and later the flights attendants on May 21 ended their strikes. This settlement ended eight days of strikes against the airline which is attempting to reorganize and lower costs.

Copyright Photo: Dave Glendinning/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-112 9A-CTI (msn 1029) in the Star Alliance livery taxies to the gate at London (Heathrow).

Croatia Airlines:

Croatia Airlines is hit again by a strike of its three unions

Croatia Airlines (Zagreb) today (May 15) was hit again by a strike of its employees protesting wage and job cuts as part of the state airlines’ restructuring. The airline cancelled 22 flights today per Global Post. The company issued this statement:

Current Travel Information: Strike actions announced for Wednesday, May 15, 2013

All information about flight status for Wednesday, May 15, 2013 you may find under the link below:

www.croatiaairlines.com/Industrial-action-of-Croatia-Airlines-employees

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding and patience.

The three unions representing the pilots and flight attendants started their strike against the company yesterday after negotiations failed to reach a new contract.

Read the full report from the Global Post: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Bernhard Ross/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-212 9A-CTM (msn 671) in the Star Alliance motif rests between flights at Frankfurt.

Croatia Airlines:

Lufthansa faces additional strikes by Verdi

Lufthansa (Frankfurt) is facing additional strikes by its Verdi union.

According to this report by Reuters, Verdi is demanding a 5.2 percent pay raise over 12 months and job security for about 33,000 cabin crew and ground staff.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography. Airbus A340-311 D-AIGC (msn 027) in the Star Alliance livery climbs away from the runway at Toronto (Pearson).

Lufthansa:

AviancaTaca Holding S.A. reports a net profit of $195.63 million for 2012

AviancaTaca Holding S.A. (Avianca Colombia and TACA) (Bogota) has reported a net profit of $195.63 million for 2012.

The company added 14 new aircraft in 2012: two Airbus A330s, four Airbus A319s, seven Airbus A320s and one Airbus A330F freighter. Similarly, the company announced the purchase of 15 ATR 72-600 aircraft and purchase rights for 15 additional aircraft of the same type, which will be used to cover regional routes within Colombia and its short and medium markets in Central America.

Read the full report (in Spanish): CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Luimer Cordero. Airbus A330-243 N342AV (msn 1342) in the Star Alliance livery touches down at Miami International Airport.

Avianca:

TACA:

TAP Portugal posts a $20.6 million profit in 2012

TAP Portugal (Lisbon) posted a $20.6 million profit in 2012.

The airline issued the following financial statement:

With a profit of 15.9 million euros in 2012, this was well above the 3.1 million in 2011, TAP SA achieved positive results for the fourth consecutive year.

In 2012, total debt was reduced from 1042 TAP million to 862 million, which represents an improvement of 21%. Note also that the total debt, which in 2011 represented 46% of total income and gains, fell to 35% in 2012.

Obtaining a positive net income for the fourth year was made possible by the company’s growth, which reached 4.4% with over 10,186 million passengers, surpassing for the first time in its history the barrier of 10 million.

Total revenues in financial year 2012 amounted to 2,429 million euros, showing an increase of 6.9% compared to 2273 million in the previous year, highlighting the Maintenance Assistance (Third Party) with an improvement of 23% and ticket revenues with a growth of 6.7%.

Operating costs, excluding fuel, stood at 1,422 million euros, 4.8% more than the 1,357 recorded in 2011. The fuel bill, whose cost has not stopped growing since 2008, had in 2012 an additional 93 million euros, up 13% compared to 2011.

The positive results of TAP reflect the continuing effort to improve efficiency, achieved through productivity gains and decreased consumption.

Operating results were also positive at 43.4 million euros, 5.6% better than the 41.1 recorded in 2011.

While increasing the supply (PKO) 4.1%, the national airline increased demand (PKU) of 4.8%, which allowed also improve the load factor of 76.3% in 2011 to the 76.8 percent in 2012.

Copyright Photo: Dave Glendinning. Airbus A320-214 CS-TNP (msn 2178) in the Star Alliance livery taxies to the runway at London (Heathrow).

TAP Portugal:

United Airlines to operate summer seasonal service from Newark to both Anchorage and Traverse City

United Airlines (Chicago) will launch summer-season service from its Newark Liberty International Airport hub to Anchorage, Alaska, and Traverse City, Michigan. The new flights will offer the only nonstop service between the New York area and Anchorage, and the only nonstop service between Newark Liberty and Traverse City.

United will operate the Anchorage service on Saturdays from July 6, 2013 through August 31, 2013, using Boeing 757 aircraft. United Express service to Traverse City will operate on weekends from July 5, 2013 through Aug. 25, 2013, with 50-seat regional jet aircraft flown by ExpressJet Airlines (Atlanta).

United Airlines:

Will this be the week of an American-US Airways merger announcement?

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) and US Airways (Phoenix) are working towards a February 15 deadline to finalize their merger details. According to this report by Reuters, under the draft proposal, Chief Executive Doug Parker of US Airways would become CEO of the new American Airlines, while AMR Corporation’s Tom Horton would serve as a non-executive chairman of the AA board until the spring of 2014, when the combined new company holds its first annual meeting and votes on its management.

The boards of both airlines are expected to vote this week on the merger proposal. AMR’s creditors are due to vote today on the proposal. Depending on these votes a merger could be announced on Thursday or Friday.

US Airways would leave the Star Alliance with any merger. This merger would create the world’s largest airline and would be subject to regulatory government approvals. American Airlines would exit Chapter 11 with any merger.

Even though the merger will be stock merger, in reality, it will be US Airways management taking over American Airlines and retaining the name like America West did with the original US Airways. Since US Airways is still being operated as two airlines (East and West) the new American Airlines will have to get all of its labor agreements together finally with single contracts. A lot of work remains.

Read the full story: CLICK HERE

Top Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum. With a merger, the Star Alliance logojets would probably be one of the first US Airways aircraft to be repainted. Airbus A319-112 N703UW (msn 904) arrives at the Charlotte hub of US Airways.

American Airlines:

US Airways:

Air Canada reports record load factors for December and the full year of 2012

Air Canada (Montreal) for the month of December 2012, reported a record system load factor of 82.1 per cent, versus 81.0 per cent in December 2011, an increase of 1.1 percentage points. System traffic increased 3.2 per cent on a system-wide capacity increase of 1.8 per cent. For the full year 2012, load factor was a record 82.7 per cent, versus 81.6 per cent, an increase of 1.1 percentage points. Air Canada reports traffic results on a system-wide basis, including regional airlines from which Air Canada purchases capacity.

“For both the month of December and full year 2012, Air Canada achieved record load factors of 82.1 and 82.7 per cent, respectively,” said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Led by increases in traffic in the U.S. transborder market of 6.6 per cent and in the Atlantic market of 5.1 per cent, Air Canada generated greater traffic for the month of December in all markets the airline serves with system wide growth of 3.2 per cent on a capacity increase of 1.8 per cent through higher utilization of our existing fleet. These strong results, for both the month and full year, underscore the effectiveness of Air Canada’s disciplined capacity management and our award winning product. I want to thank our employees for taking care of the more than 33 million customers Air Canada served in 2012 and, above all, transporting them safely to their destination. Their professionalism and efforts in earning our customers’ loyalty have been recognized by many industry awards, including the selection of Air Canada by frequent world travelers as the Best International Airline in North America.”


		DECEMBER			Q4			YEAR-TO-DATE
		2012	2011	Change	2012	2011	Change	2012	2011	Change
Traffic (RPMs mln)		4,394	4,256	+3.2%	12,574	12,064	+4.2%	55,646	54,223	+2.6%
Capacity (ASMs mln)		5,349	5,253	+1.8%	15,485	15,290	+1.3%	67,271	66,460	+1.2%
Load Factor		82.1%	81.0%	+1.1 pts	81.2%	78.9%	+2.3 pts	82.7%	81.6%	+1.1 pts

Canada	RPMs	1,272	1,259	+1.0%	3,831	3,708	+3.3%	16,403	15,971	+2.7%
	ASMs	1,520	1,550	-1.9%	4,591	4,588	+0.1%	19,858	19,666	+1.0%
	LF	83.7%	81.2%	+2.5 pts	83.4%	80.8%	+2.6 pts	82.6%	81.2%	+1.4 pts

US Transborder	RPMs	771	723	+6.6%	2,063	1,979	+4.2%	8,921	8,649	+3.1%
	ASMs	1,020	958	+6.5%	2,696	2,625	+2.7%	11,409	11,094	+2.8%
	LF	75.6%	75.5%	+0.1 pts	76.5%	75.4%	+1.1 pts	78.2%	78.0%	+0.2 pts

Atlantic	RPMs	933	888	+5.1%	2,837	2,687	+5.6%	13,951	13,675	+2.0%
	ASMs	1,109	1,100	+0.8%	3,583	3,580	+0.1%	16,845	16,839	0%
	LF	84.1%	80.7%	+3.4 pts	79.2%	75.1%	+4.1 pts	82.8%	81.2%	+1.6 pts

Pacific	RPMs	806	792	+1.8%	2,403	2,287	+5.1%	10,013	9,706	+3.2%
	ASMs	944	909	+3.9%	2,779	2,716	+2.3%	11,383	11,192	+1.7%
	LF	85.4%	87.1%	-1.7 pts	86.5%	84.2%	+2.3 pts	88.0%	86.7%	+1.3 pts

Other*	RPMs	612	594	+3.0%	1,440	1,403	+2.6%	6,358	6,222	+2.2%
	ASMs	756	736	+2.7%	1,836	1,781	+3.1%	7,776	7,669	+1.4%
	LF	81.0%	80.7%	+0.3 pts	78.4%	78.8%	-0.4 pts	81.8%	81.1%	+0.7 pts

* Includes Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America

Copyright Photo: Keith Burton. Boeing 767-333 ER C-FMWY (msn 25587) arrives at London (Heathrow). The airliner wears special “15 Years 1997 – 2012” markings on the Star Alliance color scheme.

Air Canada:

American Airlines and US Airways move one step closer to a merger with this announcement

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) will soon make a decision on whether it will proceed with the proposed merger with US Airways (Phoenix). The two airlines have issued this joint statement which brings a probable merger one step closer with a new agreement between its pilots:

American Airlines and US Airways, with participation of committee counsel for the Unsecured Creditors Committee, are pleased that they have completed discussions with the Allied Pilots Association and US Airline Pilots Association intended to develop a framework for the terms of employment for pilots, as well as a process for pilot integration, in the event of a merger between AA and US during restructuring. This memorandum of understanding was approved by the Allied Pilots Association’s Board of Directors and by USAPA’s Board of Pilot Representatives. This memorandum of understanding will assist all of the stakeholders, including the Boards of AMR and US Airways, in making an informed decision as to whether a merger should ultimately be pursued. The MOU is one of several elements to be considered before a decision on a merger can be made. Details regarding the MOU are still covered by the terms of a non-disclosure agreement so they cannot be further disclosed at this time.

American Airlines’ board of directors meets next week to consider its course of action. Read the analysis by Reuters: CLICK HERE

Top Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing. The Boeing 767-200s of both airlines are likely to be retired fairly soon if a merger is accomplished. American’s Boeing 767-223 ER N324AA (msn 22325) is mainly assigned to the transcontinental routes and is pictured departing from Los Angeles International Airport.

American Airlines:

US Airways:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum. A decision will have to made about US Airways’ membership in the Star Alliance if a merger is pursued. Boeing 757-2B7 N935UW 9msn 27201) arrives at Las Vegas.