Airlines Canceled More Than 200 Flights Today at Chicago’s O’Hare International

Airlines canceled more than 200 flights today at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport as the second day of a Midwestern storm caused flight delays averaging 45 minutes.

Winds may reach as much as 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) today in the Chicago area, according to the National Weather Service. A high-wind warning is in effect through 7 p.m. local time.

More than 450 flights were canceled yesterday at the second-biggest U.S. airport, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. O’Hare is a hub for United Continental Holdings Inc. and AMR Corp.’s American Airlines.

The storm knocked out power to thousands in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. The cyclonic system’s upper-atmosphere wind speeds topped 100 mph, said Jeff Masters, co-founder of Weather Underground in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

At Chicago’s Midway, airlines are reporting “minor” delays today, according to the aviation department. Midway’s largest carrier is Southwest Airlines Co.

United Airlines Gets First Tarmac Delay Fines

Federal officials penalized United Airlines $12,000 for over-reporting its May tarmac delays, even though the flights in question did not violate new rules aimed at eliminating nightmarish ground delays.

The fine is the first issued by Department of Transportation officials related to rules, which took effect April 29, mandating carriers provide passengers with food, water and the chance to exit before a tarmac delay hits the three-hour point. Airlines face fines of up to $27,500 per passenger, or $3 million for a typical Boeing or Airbus narrow-body jet, for any flight that doesn’t comply.

The United penalty is likely to add new fuel to the controversy over the three-hour limit, which was imposed amid intense lobbying by passenger-rights proponents. Airline executives, who sought a four-hour deadline, criticized the rules as arbitrary and warned they could spur greater numbers of flight cancellations.

“We are committed to providing fully accurate data to the (Transportation Department),” said United spokesman Rahsaan Johnson. “It is unfortunate that our effort to be fully transparent resulted in our inadvertently reporting four flight delays where we complied with regulations and with our own procedures to ensure the comfort and safety of our customers and employees.”

Chicago-based United operated four of the five flights that were reportedly delayed beyond the new limit in May. Delta Air Lines operated the fifth flight, which took off from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport two minutes after the three-hour cutoff point.

After thunderstorms halted takeoffs and landings at Denver International Airport on May 26, all four United flights were diverted to Colorado Springs, Colo., where foul weather caused additional delays, United spokeswoman Jean Medina told the Tribune in July. Tarmac delays for the flights ranged from 3 hours 10 minutes to 4 hours and 41 minutes, according to DOT data.

“All customers were offered the opportunity to exit the plane and were provided snacks and water as we waited for the weather to improve and air traffic control clearance to safely continue on to Denver,” Medina said.

However, United should have stopped the clock on the delays at the point where passengers were allowed to disembark, the Transportation Department determined in a Sept. 21 consent order. The carrier was penalized for reporting inaccurate data to the Transportation Department, which published the totals in its monthly Air Travel Consumer Report.

“United’s misreporting of this data wasted valuable Department resources,” said the consent order, since the department’s enforcement office initiated an investigation.

But United wasn’t the only carrier to misread the data reporting requirements. Delta reported a 182-minute delay for flight 2011 on May 28. Delta told the Tribune in July that air traffic controllers would not allow the plane to return to the terminal because of the threat of lightning, a permissible excuse for the delays under the new rules.

“The Department is looking into this delay and other reported 3-hour-plus delays,” said Bill Mosley, a Transportation Department spokesman, via email.

To avoid litigation, United agreed to pay half of the fine and to avoid similar clerical errors in the future. The carries will have to pay the additional $6,000 fine if it commits the error again over the next year.

“I suggest they pay the fine in pennies,” said aviation analyst Darryl Jenkins, a vocal critic of the new rules and author of a study suggesting that cancellations would soar above Transportation Department projections. Federal officials countered that his study was pre-mature and flawed since its results were based on one month’s data.

Hong Kong Airport Reported Passenger Traffic Up 9.2%, Air Cargo Up 17% in August

Passenger traffic at Hong Kong’s airport rose 9.2% in August from a year earlier on robust demand for air travel, the Airport Authority said Sunday.

The authority, which operates Hong Kong’s international airport, said the airport handled 4.7 million passengers in August.

Cargo throughput rose 17% from a year earlier to 346,000 metric tons, bolstered by strong exports, which grew 29% from a year earlier, the authority said.

In a statement, Airport Authority Chief Executive Stanley Hui said the authority expects growth momentum to continue in the coming months, as travel usually peaks at the end of the year, particularly during major festivals or holidays such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day Golden Week holidays.”

The Mid-Autumn Festival takes place in late September and China’s National Day Golden Week holiday takes place in the first week of October.

Delta Airlines Plans Improved Facilities for New York Airports

Largely due to the massive volume of airline passengers in the New York Metropolitan area – a major hub for financial and cultural affairs – New York is now considered to be one of the most important and competitive aviation markets in the world; and Delta wants to be crowned king of the castle.

Currently in competition for number one airline are Delta, American Airlines, Continental, and JetBlue. To get ahead of the competition, Delta is making major changes at two of its New York airports – LaGuardia and John F Kennedy.

At LaGuardia, where Delta is in charge of Terminal D, the airline has announced a major upgrade to its food and dining areas; adding full-service restaurants, wine bars, and designer pizza parlours as well as upscaling its fast food offerings.

At John F Kennedy, Delta plans to vacate its current home in Terminal 3 and head to better, brighter ground. (Terminal 3 is well-known to travellers as an old and dark building that is long past its sell-by date.) Instead, Delta will be housing its International flights in a $0.2 billion US expansion of Terminal 4, with the airline’s domestic flights continuing to run from Terminal 2. As for Terminal 3 – the plans are to demolish the old girl; as Pan Am Worldport she served Kennedy well, but it is time to say goodbye.

The scheduled renovations will begin later this month and are expected to take about two years to complete.

New York has long been a favoured holiday and business destination for UK travellers.

Continental Airlines Flight Service Change Due Tropical Storm Hermine

Tropical Storm Hermine has been attacked several towns in the American territory. The storm is expected early from northeastern Mexico and crossed into Texas. Hermine came ashore Monday night in northeast Mexico. By early Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said the storm was about 10 miles (15 km) south-southwest of Harlingen, Texas, and 20 miles (30 km) northwest of Brownsville.

Tropical Storm Hermine which hit several cities affect flight services at several airports and flight schedules of several airlines.

Continental Airlines has been announced, Tropical Storm Hermine to affect several flights schedule to and from Texas.

Several airports including those in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin may cancel and delay flights. Continental advised travelers to delay flights and will allow a one-time date or time change through Sept. 8 to customer’s flying from or through the affected airports without penalty.

Domestic Air Cargo Traffic Rises 25 Percent in 2009-10

Domestic air cargo traffic registered a 25-per cent increase in 2009-10 to 691 metric tonnes (mt) over the previous year’s 552 mt, marginally exceeding the government target of 686 mt for the country’s all airports, according to information provided by Praful Patel, minister for Civil Aviation, in Lok Sabha yesterday.

Although international cargo movement rose by over 10 per cent to 1270 mt for the year compared to 2008-09, it fell short of the target of 1402 mt by around 9 per cent, primarily on account of the global economic slow down.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) has forecasted around 10-per cent annual growth in international cargo traffic for the next five years from 2010-11 to 2014-15. For the domestic cargo, the anticipated growth is around 15 per cent in the first two years and 12 per cent in the subsequent years.

The statement said that several steps are being taken to improve cargo handling facilities at the country’s various airports.

In Kolkata, the phase 1 of new integrated cargo terminal was made operational in 2008 increasing the total cargo usage area to 21,906 sq.m with an annual capacity of 1.25 lakh mt.

In Chennai, phase 3 and 4 of the cargo terminal under construction will enhance the handling capacity from the present 3.5 lakh mt to 5.15 lakh mt, covering an area of 54,620 sq.m.

India Aviation Industry : Unisys Supports Delhi International Airport’s Successful Opening of Terminal 3

Unisys Corporation today announced that its Indian subsidiary, acting as system integrator for Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), worked alongside DIAL to successfully commence operations at Terminal 3 at the city’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. Terminal 3 was built to cater for India’s growing aviation industry, and will welcome visitors for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Terminal 3 is a state of the art integrated passenger terminal featuring world class facilities. It will provide additional capacity of 34 million passengers a year to Delhi’s IGI Airport. It will cater for increased air traffic expected for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and thereafter. The terminal covers 502,000 square meters of space with 92 automated walkways and 78 aerobridges. The new terminal is among the largest airport terminal buildings in the world. The total cost of the terminal is estimated at approximately Rs 12,850 Crores or US$2.7 billion.

In its first week of operation, DIAL Terminal 3 has handled approximately 140,000 passengers, 850 international flights and 5,845 metric tons of belly cargo.

“Passenger delight has always been one single goal for us at DIAL, and I strongly believe that we will achieve that with the opening and operation of T3. We have worked very closely with Unisys to implement the best ideas and solutions in the industry,” said Prabhakararao Indana, CEO – Airport Development, DIAL.

Sue Carter, Asia Pacific Vice President, Global Commercial Industries, Unisys said, “The eyes of the world will be on Delhi in the lead up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games. We are delighted to have worked with DIAL on Terminal 3 at such an exciting time in the development of India’s expanding aviation industry.”

DIAL awarded Unisys India two contracts in September 2008: master systems integrator for the entire airport and systems integrator for the Terminal 3 project.

As the master systems integrator, Unisys leveraged its expertise to advise DIAL on the organization processes and roles, and to develop the standard operating procedures for the Airport Operations Control Centre. Unisys was responsible for testing the systems against business scenarios to give DIAL the assurance that the integrated systems could support the airport’s operational requirements.

In the systems integrator role, Unisys was responsible for reviewing and coordinating the design, installation, commissioning and integration of IT systems delivered by 12 separate companies. These systems cover the full range of IT services required by a modern airport, including terminal-wide managed network, full CCTV coverage with more than 3,000 cameras, complete access control, public address system, flight information displays, check-in and boarding gate systems, and a fully integrated building management system.

To manage the project Unisys drew on the experience garnered from similar projects around the world, including a proven project management methodology which was customized to address the unique needs of DIAL’s Terminal 3 project in order to deliver an integrated systems environment.

Delta Airlines Filed Permit Application for Additional Flight Service Between Heathrow London Airport and Boston

Delta Air Lines today filed applications with the European Commission and the U.S. Department of Transportation requesting permission to operate twice-daily year-round service between London’s Heathrow Airport and Boston, and daily year-round service between Heathrow and Miami.

Delta’s new service would benefit consumers by increasing competition among airlines and airline alliances between the U.S. and Heathrow, which is tightly restricted by airport slot restraints. The oneworld alliance, which includes American Airlines and British Airways, holds 47 percent of Heathrow’s takeoff and landing slots, while the Star Alliance, which includes United Airlines, US Airways, BMI and Lufthansa, accounts for 25 percent of Heathrow’s slots.

SkyTeam, whose members include Delta, Air France-KLM and Alitalia, holds only 5 percent of Heathrow’s slots.

“Delta’s new service would provide more choices and competition for customers traveling between these important U.S. cities and London, one of the most popular destinations in Europe for both business and leisure travelers,” said Glen Hauenstein, Delta’s executive vice president – Network Planning and Revenue Management. “Awarding these slots to Delta and SkyTeam would significantly enhance competition among the major alliances across the Atlantic.”

The slots for the new service are available following the U.S. and E.U. governments’ approval of an immunized trans-Atlantic alliance between American Airlines and British Airways. The government required the airlines to divest some Heathrow slots in order to enhance competition in the most tightly restricted markets.

If approved, Delta’s Heathrow service from Boston and Miami would begin March 27, 2011, and would be offered in cooperation with its trans-Atlantic joint venture partners Air France-KLM and Alitalia.

Boston – Heathrow

Boston is one of the largest markets between the U.S. and Heathrow, with more than 270,000 passengers annually. The route is popular with business travelers in the financial services and technology industries.

Delta, the second-largest carrier in Boston with 75 peak-day departures to 17 cities, would operate two flights daily to Heathrow, using Boeing 767-300ER aircraft equipped with 36 seats in BusinessElite and 180 in Economy.

Delta’s proposed Boston-Heathrow summer 2011 schedule:

Flight Departs Arrives Frequency
270 Boston at 7 p.m. Heathrow at 6:45 a.m. (next day) Daily
144 Boston at 9:50 p.m. Heathrow at 9:35 a.m. (next day) Daily
271 Heathrow at 10:30 a.m. Boston at 1:25 p.m. Daily
145 Heathrow at 1:30 p.m. Boston at 4:25 p.m. Daily

New Delta service between Heathrow and Boston would complement existing trans-Atlantic service offered by the SkyTeam alliance from Boston, including year-round flights to Paris operated by Air France, Rome operated by Alitalia and Amsterdam operated by Delta.

Miami – Heathrow

As Florida’s largest carrier offering international service, and the second-largest carrier in Miami, Delta and its SkyTeam partners are well-positioned to enhance competition between Miami and Heathrow. If approved, Delta would operate one daily flight on the route using Boeing 767-300 aircraft.

Delta’s proposed Miami-Heathrow summer 2011 schedule:

Flight Departs Arrives Frequency
260 Miami at 5:30 p.m. Heathrow at 7:30 a.m. (next day) Daily
261 Heathrow at 10:20 a.m. Miami at 3:25 p.m. Daily

New Delta service between Heathrow and Miami would complement existing trans-Atlantic service offered by the SkyTeam alliance from Miami including year-round flights to Paris operated by Air France and Rome operated by Alitalia.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. With its unsurpassed global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 367 destinations in 65 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 75,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline’s service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, the world’s largest airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 45 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

source : Delta Air Lines

Columbus Airport Data Release : Airlines Passenger Traffic Rise in July

Passenger traffic at Columbus Airport inched up in July compared with a year ago, possibly reflecting higher fares that could have dampened leisure travel this year.

The airport served 587,461 travelers last month, compared with 584,125 in July 2009, according to data released yesterday by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority.

Delta Air Lines, Midwest Airlines (which is changing its name to Frontier), Air Canada and Southwest Airlines all reported year-over-year passenger gains, while the rest of the airlines serving Port Columbus reported decreases of between 1percent and 10percent.

Though airlines have added new flights from Port Columbus this summer, Delta is cutting back. After resuming daily nonstop service to Los Angeles International, the airline has cut back to three times each week.

Daily service is expected to resume in June, said David Whitaker, vice president of business development for the airport. He said Delta officials said passenger totals were good, and they were happy with the flight, but the cut was a matter of “equipment and crew” availability.

Delta also has reduced nonstop service from Richmond, Va., to Los Angeles, and dropped it altogether from Hartford, Conn.

Cargo shipments at Rickenbacker Airport, meanwhile, soared 27 percent. That was attributed to an increase in shipments by FedEx and a surge in flights from Asia, mainly serving Columbus-based apparel firms such as Limited Brands and Abercrombie & Fitch.

Total cargo shipments for July for Rickenbacker and Port Columbus were up 23percent year-over-year, though a weak start to the year means cargo shipments through July are up just under 2percent.

American Eagle Airlines Change Flight Services from Cheyenne

Subsidiary of American Airlines, American Eagle announces change in flight service from Cheyenne Regional Airport. Service flights from Cheyenne go to one a day. This flight service changes will apply from 18 November.

Changes in air service was for some regular passengers using the service airline American Eagle was surprised, but for the American Eagle officers these plans have been announced since the beginning.

“We started out working with this on a one flight (a day) deal,” Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dale Steenbergen said.

American Eagle wanted to offer two flights during the summer months when demand is greater, he said, so backing off to one in winter “was not an unexpected happening.”

The airline will resume the two daily flights plan next April, he said.

American Eagle began services out of Cheyenne Regional Airport with two flights to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on July 15. American Eagle is a subsidiary of American Airlines.

The chamber partnered with Cheyenne LEADS, the city and county’s economic development group; the city of Cheyenne; Visit Cheyenne; the Downtown Development Authority; and the local airport to make up the Greater Cheyenne Foundation and bring in a commercial air service beyond Great Lakes Airlines, which flies solely to Denver International Airport.

Great Lakes offers five daily flights to and from Cheyenne Monday through Friday, two on Saturday and four on Sunday.

Airport Manager Dave Haring said Great Lakes adjusts its number of flights annually. This year it added a connecting flight to Worland so people there have easier access to DIA.

“It changes from time to time, but we don’t do anything seasonal,” Great Lakes marketing coordinator Megan Crowson said. “The schedule isn’t set in stone, but it’s based on the availability of aircraft.”

Crowson said Great Lakes serves the business traveler market, meaning that the number of flyers doesn’t fluctuate a lot because they’re traveling year-round.

She said the number of fliers has decreased minimally so far this year compared to last year, but it generally stays steady.

Steenbergen said American Eagle provides monthly reports by day and flight, including load factors, to the Wyoming Aeronautics Division.

The division is providing a $1.4 million state subsidy to this project as an Air Service Enhancement Grant.

Although the original contract with American Eagle called for one daily flight year-round, the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission, the governing board of the division, approved the addition of one flight for the summer months during its February meeting.

According to the meeting minutes, the commission also increased the original grant from $1,050,000 to $1.4 million to cover the additional flight, and the community commitment from the Greater Cheyenne Foundation increased to $459,000.

Division air service/marketing manager Amber Schlabs told the commission during the meeting that after four months, American will evaluate whether to pull a flight.

American also required a $1.4 million revenue guarantee for its first year of service, the minutes show.

An official report of American Eagle flight loads will be available to the public in September, at the end of the first quarter.

Steenbergen said the new air service has been promising so far.

“Our rate of fill for the seats has been very good,” he said.

American Airlines representatives did not return calls for comment Wednesday.

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