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.

American Airlines Expands Mobile Boarding Passes to Eight More Airports

JFK and San Juan Airport, plus Six International Locations to Implement Mobile Boarding. Now at 50 Airports, Customers Departing on American and American Eagle Flights Can Avoid Printing Paper Boarding Pass and Show Barcode on Mobile Phone at Security and Gate

American Airlines customers departing from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) and San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU), as well as six international airports, including Barcelona, Spain (BCN), Rome, Italy (FCO), Frankfurt, Germany (FRA), Manchester, United Kingdom (MAN), Milan, Italy (MXP), and Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH), will now be able to save time and paper by receiving their boarding passes electronically on their mobile phones.

With the addition of these eight locations, American Airlines now offers the mobile boarding pass option to travelers departing on American Airlines and American Eagle flights from 50 airports. Mobile boarding passes use a two-dimensional (2-D) barcode and were rolled out in partnership with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in 2008.

“This is an exciting time for American Airlines, as we work to enhance the customer experience by giving our customers the options they want and need when and where they need them,” said Andrew Watson, American’s Vice President – Customer Technology. “With the addition of New York’s JFK Airport and San Juan, plus six international airports, an even greater number of our customers will be able to select the option to display their boarding pass on their mobile phone – speeding the process at the airport and eliminating the need for a paper boarding pass.”

The mobile boarding pass process is simple. When customers check in for their flight using AA.com and opt to receive their boarding pass on their mobile phone they will receive an e-mail with an Internet link to the boarding pass. Customers must have an active e-mail address where their boarding pass can be sent and an Internet-enabled mobile phone where the 2-D barcode can be received. The mobile boarding pass contains a 2-D barcode that can be scanned both at security checkpoints and at American Airlines gates.

At the airport, customers simply scan their mobile phone screen with the 2-D barcode displayed on it when going through Security (proper identification must be presented) and when boarding, just as they would a traditional paper boarding pass. Customers who wish to check bags can still use this mobile option by scanning the 2-D barcode on their mobile phone screen at any of the American Airlines self-service machines, ticket counters, or curbside check-in facilities located in the 50 participating airports.

At this time, customers who opt to use the mobile boarding pass option may only list one person in their reservation. They also must be traveling on American or American Eagle flights from any one of the 50 participating airports on a nonstop or connecting flight through a participating mobile-boarding airport. London Heathrow was the first international location to offer the program, and American Airlines is one of the first U.S. carriers to roll out the mobile boarding pass technology in the UK, as well as in Italy, Spain and Switzerland.

Customers who check in online and wish to print a paper boarding pass are still able to do so. At the end of the online check-in process on AA.com, customers can choose how they would like to receive their boarding pass by selecting either “Print” (customers can print the pass at that time, or use a self-service check-in machine to print at the airport), “E-mail for Print” (boarding pass is e-mailed and customers can print at their convenience), or “E-mail for use on Cell Phone or Other Device” (customers receive an electronic boarding pass via e-mail on their cell phone or mobile device).

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.

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.

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.

American Airlines Launches Flights to Chicago

American Airlines has launched nonstop flights between Lehigh Valley International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport, giving Lehigh Valley travelers a second option to reach a major midwest hub for domestic and global travel.

The three daily flights to and from Chicago will be through American Eagle Airlines, the regional affiliate of American.

“We are looking forward to the start of American Eagle’s nonstop service to Chicago,” said David Haines, Chairman of the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority board, which oversees the airport. Read more

American Eagle Airlines Launches Nonstop Jet Service Between Dallas/Fort Worth and Fayetteville

American Eagle Airlines, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, today launched nonstop jet service between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Fayetteville Municipal Airport (FAY) in Fayetteville, N.C. Eagle will operate the service with 44-seat Embraer ERJ-140 jets.

“American Eagle is delighted to introduce service from Fayetteville to our largest hub in Dallas/Fort Worth,” said Gary Foss, Vice President – Planning and Marketing for the AA Regional Network. “Not only will customers from the Sandhills region have convenient connections to more than 250 destinations throughout American’s global network, Read more

San Diego Airport, American And Southwest Airlines Spread Holiday Cheer

The holiday season can be a difficult time for many, especially during an economic downturn. It is also the darkest time of the year. Yet there are many signs of generosity and light which affirm our humanity and universal bonds. We came across several good news stories involving San Diego International Airport, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines that we’d like to share. May they brighten your day, and also help you to think about helping others. Read more

Bole International Airport Serving Flights With Airbus A380 Aircraft

Bole international airport will open the flight service with wide-body aircraft Airbus A380. Airbus A380 passenger capacity of 860 passengers. First landing at Bole international airport, the Airbus A380 will bring Airbus officials and 23 passengers. The plane departed from Toulouse, Peranci to Bole international airport.
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Continental Airlines Chairman : Struggling Airlines Look To Serve Airports With Low Fees

Continental Airlines Chairman and CEO Larry Kellner said yesterday that while the airline industry has seen slight economic improvement this year as fuel costs have lowered and credit markets have loosened, “we’re still bouncing along the bottom.”
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