Category: February 2014

Main News February 28

New flight kitchen opened in Miami

To facilitate last-minute requests in the busy South Florida region, in-flight catering provider Air Culinaire Worldwide has opened an owned-and-operated kitchen in Miami.

The idea behind the scheme is that where last minute changes in schedules occur, the caterer may well be able to accommodate such contingencies.

The new Miami kitchen represents the third Air Culinaire Worldwide kitchen to be based in Florida, which includes its Tampa headquarters and West Palm Beach location, bringing the total number of owned-and-operated kitchens in the company’s growing network to 19. Air Culinaire Worldwide Miami is actually located just three miles from Miami International.

Winter weather hits schedules

December wasn’t a good month for US carriers in terms of on-time performance, irrespective of whether the carrier was legacy or low cost. Altogether, 16 airlines submitted data for the monthly report.

American Airlines came in at ninth in terms of punctuality whilst American Eagle could only manage fourteenth place. For Southwest, that doyen of cut price travel, only just over half of its flights arrived on time. US Airways managed to battle on despite the elements and its on-time figure of 78.3% reflected its level of perseverance and determination. Despite the doom and gloom (the average on-time arrival rate for the 16 carriers worked out at just under 69%), Hawaiian Airlines still managed to post impressive figures of 92.4% to lead the pack.

The factors that skewed the statistics included a snowstorm at Chicago (December 8) and some days of snow at Dallas Fort Worth. In all, airlines reported a total of ten tarmac delays of over three hours: the majority of these occurred at Chicago O’Hare airport during the above-mentioned snowstorm.

Speedier passenger processing at Dallas

On February 18, Dallas Fort Worth International unveiled 30 automated passport control kiosks, which have been designed to significantly reduce waiting times for US and Canadian citizens who arrive at Dallas from international destinations. The system is alleviating lines by allowing returning travelers to enter their own passport information on touchscreens and register their return to the country electronically. Dallas Fort Worth’s Automated Passport Control is the latest in a number of initiatives being implemented at the airport to reduce queueing times and expedite the entry process for international travelers. In the next few months, the authority plans to add an additional 24 kiosks to serve customers who are permanent US residents as well as those who come from countries that hold visa waiver agreements with the US, such as the UK and The Netherlands.

Later in the year, the airport authority plans to implement a lane for a One Stop service for international arriving customers who have traveled without any checked-in baggage.

Detroit: handlers’ jobs secure…

Delta Air Lines has said that no workers will lose their jobs in April when it changes contractors at Detroit Metro airport. The jobs revolve around regional jet cabin cleaning and ground handling.

The workers, hitherto employed by DAL Global Services, a Delta subsidiary, total almost 750 and they are due to be taken on by Menzies and Prospect Airport Services.

“No loss of employment for any worker is expected as they become employees of Prospect and Menzies,” declared Delta’s spokesman, Morgan Durrant. He added that the government notice filed by the current provider DGS had not clearly stated this assurance and he looked to clarify the matter.

…but some concern at Southwest

Southwest’s proposals to add more contract workers to its staff continues to be a thorny issue for some of its employees.

Members of the Transport Workers Union Local 555, who have been in negotiations with the airline since 2011 over some its policies, have expressed apprehension over Southwest’s plans to hire contract workers and to expand the number of its part-time workers. Arguing that the level of customer care will be eroded if part-time staff are employed (on the basis that such staff will have no long-term loyalty to the company), the Local 555 has flagged up the issue of under-staffing at some stations where B737-800s are turned, pointing out that Southwest’s on-time performance has suffered since the last quarter of 2013.

For its part, Southwest has denied any furtive agenda, saying that it is not seeking to outsource any jobs, but rather that it wants to add more flexibility to its operation.

Main News February 11

Orlando moves ahead with biometric kiosks

Orlando International has become the first US airport to process travelers from so-called Visa Waiver countries with biometric kiosks: these will streamline the arrival experience. These self-service kiosks are now operational and processing international passengers who have acquired an Electronic System for Travel Authorization approval prior to travel.
The kiosks will enable travelers from arriving international flights to complete their Customs Declaration Form on touchscreens, and have their passports read and fingerprints and facial images captured.

It’s official: welcome to O’Hare!

The Chicago Department of Aviation has announced that O’Hare International airport has won the Global Traveler GT Tested Reader Survey Award for Best Airport in North America for the tenth straight year.

Business travelers who participated in a survey, which was conducted between January and August 2013) overwhelmingly voted for O’Hare. O’Hare was also inducted into the Global Traveler 10-Year Hall of Fame for having won the award for every year of its existence.

Alaska reaches tentative agreement with workforce

Alaska Airlines and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have reached tentative agreement on a new five-year contract for around 2,500 of the airline’s staff, which includes those in clerical, office and passenger service posts.
The proposed contract includes enhanced pay levels and job security provisions, amongst other improvements. At the beginning if this year the current three-year contract became amendable but the results of a ratification vote on the new contract are not expected before April.

Labor dispute causes flight delays

Flights to and from Buenos Aires’ international airport were delayed recently after a union offshoot, representing baggage handlers for Aerolíneas Argentinas, went on strike to protest against the company’s proposal that would see it employing handlers for six hour shifts. The strike also extended to the port, where cruise ship passengers were obliged to wait up to five hours for their luggage. The baggage handlers, who are part of the APA airline workers’ union, were urged to fulfill the mandatory conciliation order that the ministry issued. At least 3,000 passengers were affected by the action and the union has demanded that the airport company hire more workers for 12 hour shifts, since they claim that the operation is currently understaffed.

Fuel hedging comes at a price

Delta Air Lines has run into a problem in the wake of its Philadelphia refinery purchase in 2013.

The plan was simple enough: faced with unpredictable market movements in terms of the price of fuel, Delta’s idea saw it employ subsidiary Monroe Energy to produce fuel and thereby cut out the middleman and the variable factor. All well and good – save that the purchase came with strings, primarily that of the requirement to produce a specific quantity of renewable blending fuel that is destined for the nation’s gasoline and diesel stocks. This quantity rises each year in line with the EPA’s guidelines: it will total some 36bn gallons by 2022.

The Delta/Monroe venture is without the requisite blending infrastructure and so the carrier would be obliged to purchase credits from other facilities that do blend in order to offset the envisioned shortfall.

Delta has lodged an objection to the scheme, which it feels favors those with the requisite facilities whilst alienating those who are unable to comply. It will be interesting to see the outcome of the case since this is the first time that the infrastructural situation is being used as a defense. Critics point out that at the time of the acquisition, Delta had the option of purchasing the blending infrastructure yet it opted instead to employ a merchant refiner which lacked these facilities.

Delta Air Lines has since announced that that its Trainer oil refinery in Delaware County would post a small loss in the current first quarter, after posting a loss of US$46m in the three months ended December 31, together with a US$116m loss for 2013 overall. However, a modest profit was anticipated by the end of the current year.