08 May 2017

USA Aviation Industry Newsletter 8 May

Airlines for America: U.S. Airlines are Taking Action to Improve Customer Service Sharon L. Pinkerton, senior vice president for legislative and regulatory policy at Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today testified before the Senate Commerce Committee, demonstrating that carriers are listening to the traveling public and taking action to improve the travel experience for every passenger who takes to the skies. In her testimony, Pinkerton addressed the recent unacceptable failures in customer service, and how the U.S. airline industry is ready to deliver on its responsibility to implement meaningful solutions to ensure such incidents never happen again. ANCA and LAX hold discussion about establishing Los Angeles to Yerevan direct flights The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) said its representatives met Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) officials about launching direct flights between the United States and Armenia, an ANCA policy priority that will – in addition to saving travelers time and inconvenience – substantially boost tourism, increase business travel, expand cargo traffic, and strengthen U.S.-Armenia bilateral economic relations. BTS: US airlines’ profit down in 2016 US scheduled passenger airlines reported an after-tax net profit of $13.5 billion in 2016, down from $24.8 billion in 2015, the US Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported. The 25 US scheduled service passenger airlines reported an after-tax net profit as a group for the seventh consecutive year. In addition to the after-tax net profit of $13.5 billion based on net income reports, the scheduled service passenger airlines reported a $24.8 billion pre-tax operating profit in 2016, down from $28.0 billion in 2015. The airlines reported a pre-tax operating profit – as a group – for the eighth consecutive year. Latvia's Primera Air Nordic eyes US flights in 2018 Primera Air Nordic has announced plans to begin scheduled passenger flights to the United States from May 2018 onwards. The Latvian leisure specialist said in its application to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for exemption authority as well as a Foreign Air Carrier Permit (FACP) that it may use aircraft wet-leased from its Danish sister carrier Primera Air Scandinavia to operate the flights pending receipt of US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authority Stanfield airport getting new U.S. airline U.S.-based Elite Airways dipped its toe into the Atlantic Canadian market Wednesday, announcing it will have three weekly flights from Halifax to Portland, Maine starting at the end of June. The Bombardier-built CRJ-200 jets Elite Airways is going to use initially only carry 50 passengers, excluding the flight crew. United Airlines announces additional service between New York/Newark and Bogota United Airlines is increasing its year-round, daily service to Bogota, Colombia, with an additional daily flight starting June 8 through August 14. The carrier’s year-round service would begin Oct. 28, pending regulatory approvals, and would feature one daily round-trip flight on Boeing 767-300 aircraft. U.S. airlines collected $4.2 billion in baggage fees last year Airline passengers paid about $1 million more a day in baggage fees last year, according to figures released by the Department of Transportation. Baggage fees collected across the 25 largest U.S. airlines in 2016 totalled $4.2 billion, up 10% from 2015. Not all fees climbed last year -- fees collected for changing a reservation actually fell by 4% to $2.9 billion. Total passenger fares also dipped by a bit more than 1%, falling to $124.2 billion. Lower fares meant that revenue declined even though the number of passenger miles flown grew by 3%. Acumen Aviation © 8 May All Rights Reserved.