Major Events in 2013
May 19-22
85th Annual AAAE Conference and Exposition 2013
Reno, NV
July 29-Aug. 4
2013 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
Oshkosh, WI
July 31-Aug. 01
2013 Deicing Management Conference
Arlington, VA
Business Buzz
EU opens ground handling: The European Parliament approved revisions to ground handling regulations at major European Union airports. All airports with a capacity of at least 15 million passengers and/or 200,000 tons of freight per year will have to deploy at least three ground service providers, up from the current two providers.
Improvements in baggage handling: Baggage handling improved last year with the rate of mishandled bags dropping 1.78 percent, according to the ninth annual SITA Baggage Report. One area the industry is focusing on is improving baggage transfers between flights. In 2012, SITA’s report showed an improvement in this area with transfer bags, as a proportion of all mishandled bags, down 9 percent from 2011.
Judgment against Swissport: A Ukraine commercial appeals court ruling allowed the transfer of a 70 percent stake in Swissport Ukraine, the country’s largest airport cargo handler, to Ukraine International Airlines for $433,000, giving the airline a combined 100 percent stake and control over the business. In other news, Swissport Executive Aviation Nice has been voted 3rd of the top FBOs in Europe, Middle East, Russia and Africa by readers of European Business Air News. Also, Swissport Hellas joined the International Air Carrier Association as an associate member.
No bridges for LAN: LAN Argentina is in dispute with Intercargo over ground handling fees. Intercargo hiked its rates by 55 percent despite a contract with the airline that ran until next March. According to press reports, LAN balked at the increase and, as a result, LAN passengers are unable to deplane via passenger boarding bridges at any Argentinean airport.
Late to the gate: Airlines are struggling this year to get planes to the gate on time, according to data from the Department of Transportation. The government said 80 percent of flights by U.S. carriers arrived on time in January and February. That's down from a record 85 percent during last year's storm-free winter. Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time rating in February at 92 percent. Delta was best among the nation's five largest airlines at 86 percent.
Weigh-in at check-in: Samoa Air asks passengers to declare their personal weight during booking, which is then charged per kilogram at a rate dependent on flight length to calculate airfare. The customers will also be weighed at the check-in counter. Children under 12 are charged 75 percent of the adult rate, with fares also based on weight. Any overweight baggage is calculated at the same rate as the passenger's personal weight.
Cargo award for SWA: Southwest Airlines Cargo received continued recognition for excellence in air cargo and has once again been recognized in Air Cargo World's annual Air Cargo Excellence (ACE) Survey as the Diamond Award winner of the "up to 299,999 tonnes" category.
Patent lawsuits settled: Lift manufacturers Vehicle Service Group (VSG) and Stertil®-Koni USA Inc. agreed to license patented heavy-duty vehicle lift technology to each other. The mutual licensing agreements resolve patent infringement lawsuits the companies filed against each other last year.
United saves on fuel: United Airlines announced its new goal to save 85 million gallons of fuel in 2013, equivalent to 828,750 metric tons of CO2 or roughly $275 million dollars at current fuel prices. United has already improved its fuel efficiency by 32 percent since 1994 through programs, such as improved flight planning, single engine taxiing, lighter products onboard and use of ground power instead of the onboard APU to save fuel and reduce carbon emissions while aircraft are parked.
Check on checked bags: US Airways’ passengers can track their checked bags in real time by going to the US Airways Web site, and typing in bag claim information. US Airways rolled out the service on all flights last March. Delta Air Lines was the first U.S. carrier to launch real-time baggage tracking.
ULDs obtain approval: Nordisk Aviation Products, a subsidiary of AAR Corp., has received Chinese technical standard order approval on several of its products through a working arrangement between the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the European Aviation Safety Agency. Nordisk is the first manufacturer from Europe to benefit from the cost-saving collaboration.
FBO management education: The Fundamentals of FBO Management course will be an introduction to the basics of FBO management, with an emphasis on developing the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully manage an FBO, according to its developer John Goglia. The course will be taught this fall at Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in NY. For more information, please contact David E. Griffey, Jr. at [email protected].
New Deals
EVA, ASIG at LHR: ASIG has been awarded the contract to provide full ground handling and passenger services to EVA Air at London Heathrow Airport. At LHR, ASIG has been providing EVA with cabin cleaning and aircraft deicing services since 2005.
JBT wins Air Force contract: JBT AeroTech has been awarded service contracts totaling more than $7 million by the U.S. Air Force to support its fleet of Halvorsen 25K Loaders. The contracts continue through March 2014. JBT AeroTech was awarded contracts in excess of $9 million by a large international air carrier for the supply of aircraft deicing vehicles.
Postal business for Flight Extenders: Matheson Flight Extenders was awarded the Delta Airlines’ commercial U.S. Postal Service mail contract for its station at Spokane International Airport. Matheson will handle inbound and outbound USPS mail product assigned to Delta Airlines.
Dnata’s deals: Dnata, the ground and cargo handling unit of Emirates Airline, announced that it has expanded its partnership with Virgin Atlantic Airways at London's Heathrow Airport. In other news, dnata announced the acquisition of Australia-based Broadlex Air Services. Broadlex provides aircraft cleaning services, including cabin cleaning, laundry services and passenger support services, at Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane airports.
Swissport UK at LHR: Swissport UK announced a further partnership with Virgin Atlantic Airways at London Heathrow Airport.
Trego-Dugan hires at CVG: Frontier Airlines’ check-in at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport prompted Trego-Dugan Aviation to hire one full-time manager and 20 part-time employees to provide ground handling services.
New PAX bridges at SAL: Adelte Airport Technologies will design, manufacture and install three passenger boarding bridges at the El Salvador International Airport. The airport receives around 2 million passengers annually and is investing $70 million to refurbish and modernize its facilities.
People In The News
Glen Gates was named division president of Matheson Flight Extenders. Gates has more than 30 years of experience primarily related to air cargo and airline operations. He brings a variety of skills to Matheson, including familiarity with international and domestic freight forwarding; passenger and cargo charter in domestic, international and military environments; fleet planning; ramp and terminal operations; and trans-border services for large aircraft. In addition, Gates spent two years with the U.S. Postal Service in Washington DC where he designed the e-commerce system/digital communications/ performance measurement and financial control applications. He also developed the strategic business plans and corporate aircraft operations objectives for shared and peak season air networks.
Celine Gao joined Bosserman Aviation Equipment Inc. as its customer service manager. She has three years of experience in the customer service, and will be working closely to provide updates to customers and address any concerns.
Henrik Holming Werner was appointed the general manager for Swissport Cargo Services in Denmark. He brings 30 years of managerial, operational and sales experience to the role, much of which was gained within the transport and logistics sectors. Werner’s management experience includes operations director for DHL Express, operations manager for DHL Aviation’s Nordic hubs and gateways, and operations director East for GLS Denmark. His last position was with Nivart Consulting, including interim management roles for passenger transport group Anchersen and for Bring Denmark, a cargo, parcel and express carrier owned by the Norwegian postal group Posten Norge.
Dale Miller has joined Page Industries as vice president. Miller will be responsible for all the company's project work and military/government sales. Miller is a leading military aircraft external 400 Hz, 28V DC and 270V DC ground power systems expert. He received a BS degree in aviation management and administration from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL, campus and afterward had a highly decorated career in the U.S. Navy. Miller has worked with many DOD and DHS branches, including NAVAIR, NAVFAC, NAVSEA, aircraft manufactures and electrical design engineers, to develop specifications, facilities requirements, and design build criteria for the Navy, Marine Corp, Coast Guard, and Army on new construction and recapitalization projects.
Ingrid P. Braeuninger joined ATS as vice president of sale an d business development. Braeuninger started her career with ATS and served for 10 years. In the last five years, she has served in executive capacities in global sales, strategy and business development, most recently as vice president of global sales for Cooper Bussmann, a division of a $5 billion electrical products manufacturer.
Palmer Johnson Power Systems recently announced two new personnel changes: Mike Mulcahy joined the Chicago team as an outside sales representative. Mulcahy graduated from Western Illinois University and has more than 10 years of industrial sales experience and will cover Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin. Mulcahy replaces Andy Stehl, who will take over as service manager of Palmer Johnson’s Dallas, TX, branch. Stehl, with Palmer Johnson since 2003, worked as service technician until joining the sales force in 2010.
Hobart Ground Systems held its 15th Annual Golf Invitational, March 12th at The Revere Golf Club, in Henderson, NV. The popular event is typically held the day before the opening of AviationPros LIVE, an annual trade show presented by the publisher of Ground Support Worldwide; Airport Business; and AMT magazines.
At the end of the day, the company announced its winning teams of the scramble competition:
- First Place Team: Phil Saran, publisher, Cygnus Aviation; Jim Markus, CEO, Norlake; Tim Helm, sales manager, ThyssenKrupp Airport Systems; and Steve Campbell, CEO, S&B Metal Products.
- Second Place Team: Bill O’Connor, president, Fabric Marketing Group; Scott O’Connell, GSE division manager, Mark C. Pope Associates; Tom Giles, vice president/operations, Oxford ATS; and Fred Ratermann, president, Concept Machine.
- Third Place Team: Kyle Kee, general manager, Metal Works; Jeff Dunn, aviation products supervisor, Metal Works; and Michael McGuire, director/business development, SKO-DIE.
