Aloha to end passenger service

photo by Cubbie_n_VegasOnly days after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection (for the second time in as many years), Hawaiian carrier Aloha Airlines announced that it will terminate all passenger service effective today. The airline has been fighting a three-way price war with Hawaiian Airlines and startup go!, which is owned by Mesa Air Group."This is an incredibly dark day for Hawaii,”" said David A. Banmiller, CEO of Aloha. "“Despite...

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"Defective airplanes or parts"? I think not

This morning I reported on how several U.S. airlines that operate the MD-80 had to perform additional checks on wiring covers. A few hours later, I received a comment on that blog post that was rather entertaining. (Here are a few excerpts - for the entire comment in all of its gloriousness, click here.) To: NATIONS OF THE WORLD – GOVERNMENTS, EMBASSIES, AND PRESS (Please See The Distribution List Below). DEFECTIVE AIRPLANES AND PARTS POTENTIALLY...

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American, Delta inspect MD-80s

photo by Kevin Boydston American Airlines yesterday announced that it was canceling 300 flights on Wednesday in order to inspect wiring covers in its 300-strong MD-80 fleet, with an American spokesperson calling the move an "abundance of caution" by the airline. Later in the day, Delta also said that it would voluntarily reinspect 117 of its MD-88s as well as 16 MD-90s. Delta said that as of last night, it had not found...

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ANA to start budget airline

photo by Giyu (Velvia)Japan's All Nippon Airways, which has been experiencing increased pressure in recent years from growing low-cost carriers in Asia, has announced plans to launch a budget airline of its own. ANA is considering a joint venture with another Asian airline, and the new carrier could be flying as early as March 2009. The Wall Street Journal has reported that the airline would probably be based in another country in Asia - Japan is...

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United to downsize fleet

photo by Drewski2112United Airlines, facing a slumping economy and rising fuel prices, announced today that it would ground 10 to 15 of its "older, less fuel efficient, narrowbody aircraft" as part of a plan "to offset what could be more than a $1 billion increase in fuel costs in 2008". "We are taking a prudent step now by reducing our fleet, taking assets out of the network that don't make sense at these fuel prices, to better position United...

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Northwest: $100 oil to lead to mergers

photo by caribbOil, which has been hitting record highs seemingly every day now, has always been a problem for airlines. But when the price of oil starts getting above $100, it becomes a really big problem. On a pre-recorded telephone message for Northwest employees, CEO Doug Steenland said that oil was becoming a "serious budget-breaker". "If fuel remains where it is today, our increased fuel costs will again create a difficult financial challenge...

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