Data/Airline Economics Channel

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SITA/ATW Self-Service Survey

By Aaron Karp

Passengers are responding positively to automated interaction with airlines and want more.

Southwest's RNP investment: Is $175 million pledge too far ahead of US government, industry?

By Aaron Karp

Southwest Airlines has committed boldly to investing $175 million to implement Required Navigation Performance fleetwide, an endeavor that includes retrofitting at least 115 737 Classics' cockpits, ensuring its more than 320 737-700s are equipped to be RNP-capable, training its pilots and working with US FAA to develop RNP procedures for the more than 65 airports into which it operates. But will the US government and other airlines similarly move forward, or will SWA within the next 2-3 years have aircraft and pilots capable of operating at a level of efficiency that FAA and much of the rest of the US industry is unable to reach for the foreseeable future?

Liberalizing air transport: Has frustration over ownership restrictions reached a tipping point?

By Aaron Karp and Christine Boynton

As the global airline industry struggles through one of the worst years in its history, with IATA projecting a collective full-year loss of $11 billion, dissatisfaction with restrictive ownership and control regulations is mounting. The complaint that airlines are hamstrung by a limited ability to pursue capital and mergers across borders is certainly not new, but industry leaders believe the current economic environment brings a higher level of urgency to efforts to ease nationality constraints.

High-performance airlines: What distinguishes air transport's consistently successful players?

By Aaron Karp

Consistently generating revenue and earning profits is perhaps more of a challenge in the airline industry than in any other global business. Air transport's high costs, cyclical nature and vulnerability to twists and turns in the general economy leave many carriers searching for answers. But there are a small number that, while not completely immune to financial pressures, have managed through the years to outperform their industry peers in good times and bad.

Forecast 2010: Shuffle the Cards

By Perry Flint

This looks to be a transition year for the struggling airline industry. Profits won't flow but traffic will start to recover.

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IATA halves forecast 2010 loss to $2.8 billion from $5.6 billion

Friday March 12, 2010

IATA slashed its projected 2010 loss for the global airline industry by half, stating in a new forecast issued yesterday that a stronger-than-expected recovery in demand, particularly in Asia and Latin America, will result in a full-year loss of $2.8 billion instead of the $5.6 billion predicted in December. [more]

Lufthansa targeting 'slight' improvement after rough 2009

Friday March 12, 2010

Lufthansa yesterday released details of a year that ended with its first net loss in six years, a €112 million ($152.5 million) deficit that marked a reversal from the €542 million profit posted in 2008, but with an operating profit that reflected "broadly poised and ideally equipped" business segments, according to Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber. [more]

Qatar Airways to serve Argentina, Brazil

Friday March 12, 2010

Qatar Airways will launch its first flights to South America when it begins flying to Sao Paulo Guarulhos and Buenos Aires from Doha later this year. Frequency and dates for the 777 services were not announced. QR already has announced plans to start serving Copenhagen (March 30), Ankara (April 5), Tokyo Narita (April 26) and Barcelona (June 7). Its summer schedule from March 28 will feature capacity increases to 15 additional destinations, including third daily flights to both Colombo and Kathmandu.

Friday March 12, 2010

Russian government set aside RUB2.5 billion ($84.3 million) to subsidize 11 airlines to carry passengers to/from the country's far east from April 1 to Oct. 31, an official told ITAR-TASS. Aeroflot, Transaero Airlines and S7 Airlines are among the group.

Special items, cuts return Cathay Pacific to profit

Thursday March 11, 2010

Cathay Pacific Group returned to profit in 2009, posting a HK$4.69 billion ($604.9 million) surplus that was reversed from a restated 2008 loss of HK$8.7 billion, as fuel hedges, one-time gains and capacity and cost cuts boosted the bottom line. [more]

US regional growth could hinge on major airline labor negotiations

Thursday March 11, 2010

The current round of pilot negotiations at US major network airlines "will be the most important since deregulation" and could determine the future growth path for the regional airline segment, according to William Swelbar, a research engineer at MIT's International Center for Air Transportation. [more]

Air Astana enjoys record profit

Thursday March 11, 2010

Air Astana reported a $47 million net profit in 2009, a record result for the airline that represented a 176% improvement from the $17 million surplus posted in 2008. Revenue fell 16% to $546 million and the carrier benefitted from an $8.2 million foreign exchange gain. "The result represents the effectiveness of cost-saving measures from mid-2008," President Peter Foster said. "The fact that we were not fuel hedged until April 2009 meant that we took full advantage of price falls. Add to that unit cost savings across the airline, and in particular the dismantling of general sales agency agreements in Kazakhstan and Russia following the implementation of IATA eBSPs in both markets, and the year was very satisfactory in spite of the drop in revenues." Astana currently operates 22 aircraft and plans to take delivery of two E-190s in early 2011.

Delta boosts first-quarter forecast

Thursday March 11, 2010

Delta Air Lines expects March unit revenue to soar 16% year-over-year, but the February snowstorms will impact revenue by an estimated $30 million, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Nevertheless, operating margin now is expected to be 1%-2% rather than the breakeven forecast in late January. System capacity will be down 4%-5%.

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