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.

U.S. Merger Not Expected to Impact Air Canada Or Westjet

The proposed merger between United and Continental airlines is unlikely to have any impact on Canada’s two dominant carriers, industry observers said Monday.

Since both U.S. airlines are members in the Star Alliance along with Air Canada, the union creating the world’s largest airline shouldn’t have any material operational impact on the Canadian carrier, said Cameron Doerksen of Versant Partners.

The U.S. carriers says there isn’t much overlap in their networks.

So there shouldn’t be any significant impact on Air Canada’s schedule since the partner are already co-ordinating their activities.
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Air Canada and WestJet Airlines Reported Higher Level of Passengers in March

Air Canada and WestJet Airlines Ltd said on Tuesday that passenger levels raced higher in March, with customers flocking to the top two Canadian airlines as pressure from the economic downturn eased.

WestJet, the country’s second-largest carrier, said its March load factor, a measure of how full its flights to destinations in Canada, the United States and elsewhere were during the month, rose 1.9 percentage points from March 2009 to 83.8 percent, even with a big rise in its capacity.

The Calgary-based airline said it flew 94,000 more passengers last month compared with the year-earlier period, as the economy strengthened.

Capacity, measured in available seat miles, rose 7.4 percent to 1.63 billion as it increased space to southern vacation destinations. Read more

South African Airways Vacations Packages Airfare and Accommodation

South African Airways Vacation promotion holiday package with airfare, accommodation, game drives and sightseeing in South Africa. Flight service from New York or Washington, DC with the goal of South African aviation. Promo package ” South Africa on Sale ” provide domestic flights within South Africa, four nights in Cape Towns’s Commodore Hotel, two nights in one of the Kwa Maritane or Bakubung Bush Lodge in Pilanesberg National Park, and a variety of games that you can enjoy.

South Africa will be hopping this summer with the soccer World Cup from June 11-July 11, however the dates for “South Africa on Sale” steer clear of the busy period with travel up until May 31 and again Aug. 15-Dec. 15.

South African Airways Vacations, which has offices in Toronto, is the tour operator division of the airline. South African Airways doesn’t fly direct out of Toronto — yet. But as part of the Star Alliance it offers connections with airline partners, including Air Canada. Read more

Strike of British Airways Cabin Crew Has Begun, Thousands Of Passengers Stranded

British Airways cabin crew have started a three-day strike that is set cause severe disruption for thousands of passengers.

The BBC’s Chris Rogers was on a BA flight from Heathrow to Amsterdam on Saturday morning.

Terminal 5 was teeming with stewards acting as guides for thousands of BA staff who have volunteered to replace striking cabin crew, the stewards were there to guide them though their first day on the job.

The airline has assured passengers the volunteers have been fully trained for the job.

I was a passenger on one of just a few scheduled flights with BA cabin crew who did turn up for work.

The three-man team told me they decided to cross the picket line and were allocated on the flight to Amsterdam.

One worker – who didn’t wished to be named – said he may regret it “but he and other colleagues were thinking about the long term effects the strike would have on the company”.
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British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia Near Deal for an Expanded Alliance

European antitrust regulators on Wednesday took a step toward approving an expanded alliance between British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia after the airlines offered to give up landing and takeoff slots at airports serving London and New York.

The European Commission said the three airlines, all members of the Oneworld alliance, had offered to cede slots at Heathrow, Gatwick and Kennedy Airports.
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Light At End Of The Tunnel For Canadian Airlines

After suffering through one of its most grueling years in its history, there might finally be some light at the end of the tunnel for Canadian airlines.

Analysts were quick to react to better-than-expected traffic results for the month of August from Canadian carriers Thursday, saying they may indicate that the third quarter could prove to be the bottom not only to their declines in demand but also to the softness in pricing.
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Air Canada Union Begins Negotiations With Call For Airline To Change

Air Canada’s largest union began two days of scheduled contract negotiations Monday with a call for the airline to change the way it operates in order to secure a contract agreement.

The International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers said its 10,000 members who work at the country’s largest airline feel ignored. Read more

Airlines Flight Service Policy : Obese Travelers and Airlines Seat Service for Air Travel

Airlines in Canada are now asking doctors to write notes for obese travelers who would need to book two seats on an airplane. The two Canadian airlines who have started asking doctors to do this are Air Canada and West Jet Airlines. Read more