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

FAA Reminded American Airlines Aircraft Maintenance Violations

For the second time in a week, the Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it has proposed fining American Airlines for aircraft maintenance violations.

The FAA revealed Thursday that it sent a letter to American last week proposing a $300,000 civil penalty for the maintenance lapses, which could have endangered the aircraft, flight crew and passengers.

American Airlines maintenance workers, the FAA said, failed to properly document a malfunctioning speed indicator on an MD-82 jet in February 2009.

Not knowing about the defective indicator, crews flew the plane five times, including at night and in inclement winter weather. Such flights are allowed under American’s FAA-approved procedures, but only in daylight and clear weather.
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Suit Filed Over Airline Deicer Incident

A passenger who was gassed with deicing fluid while aboard an Alaska Airlines flight on Christmas Eve has sued the Seattle-based carrier, claiming the blast of ice remover has caused persistent headaches. Read more

Zambian Airways Suspends All Flights

Privately owned airline, Zambian Airways, has suspended all flights and left passengers stranded at various southern African airports. Read more

South Africa Airlines Regulation : Charge Air Travellers

A new dimension in airline business is in the offing and if all goes according to plan, there will be air travellers will be charged on the basis of time.
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