- Hooters Air to go to all private charter[Mar. 30, 2006]
Hooters Air, which featured two scantily clad Hooters Girls on every flight, confirmed it is ceasing its public charter flights April 17 and will offer only private charters for large groups such as sports teams, according to the Myrtle Beach, S.C., Sun News. Hooters confirmed the newspaper report but declined to elaborate.
- Business jet buoy Bombardier bottom line[Mar. 30, 2006]
Bombardier Aerospace reported earnings before interest and taxes of $107 million for the fourth fiscal quarter ended Jan. 31, up 25.9% from $85 million in the year-ago quarter.
- All Nippon Airways shares gain[Mar. 30, 2006]
All Nippon Airways Co. shares advanced as much as 4.1 percent after Japan's second-largest airline raised its annual profit forecast by 35 percent as it attracted more passengers at home and overseas.
- Cathay & others lower HK fuel surcharge[Mar. 28, 2006]
Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong's dominant carrier, and other airlines will lower passenger fuel surcharges by up to 3.4 percent with effect from April, the first cut since the costs were imposed last June.
- BAA forecasting slower passenger growth[Mar. 29, 2006]
BAA is predicting annual passenger growth at its seven UK airports of 2% ? in line with expectations but lower than rises of around 4% recorded in previous years.
- BAA eyes China as UK growth slows[Mar. 28, 2006]
Bid target BAA said on Tuesday it was considering investing in airports in China as passenger growth at its UK airports slows this year, but said no more on the takeover proposal from Spain's Grupo Ferrovial.
- Virgin Atlantic woos premium passengers[Mar. 28, 2006]
Virgin Atlantic Airways is investing in premium services for business class passengers to help offset rising fuel costs, the company's chairman, Richard Branson, said on Tuesday.
- Boeing sees first passenger 747-8 order[Mar. 29, 2006]
Boeing expects its first order for the new 747-8 passenger plane shortly, global head of sales for the aircraft maker said on Tuesday.
- Etihad expects significant growth[Mar. 29, 2006]
Etihad Airways' owner, the government of the United Arab Emirates, expects a return on its investment by 2009, VP-Commercial Geert Boven told ATWonline.The government invested AED5 billion ($1.36 billion) to have its own national carrier, yet "we have to run the airline as a commercial enterprise. The government expects return on investment within the four or five years after its launch in 2003," according to Boven, who admitted the government is seeking recognition as an important player on the international business stage as well as financial return.
- Malaysia Airlines to lay off 6,500[Mar. 29, 2006]
Malaysia Airlines delivered the news its employees feared (ATWOnline, March 24), announcing it will abandon all but 19 domestic routes to AirAsia, take 19 aircraft out of service and lay off approximately 6,500 employees, or about 28% of its workforce.AirAsia will take over the remaining 96 routes and compete with MAS on the other 19, giving passengers the option of choosing a full-service or a low-cost carrier. The Malaysian government said it will stop subsidizing MAS from Aug. 1, according to press reports, although the carrier said in a statement that the government will compensate it for costs incurred in the restructuring of its domestic network.