Sky Talk

Southwest wins DOT approval for slots at Reagan National

Southwest Airlines received approval from the Department of Transportation to operate new service between Washington's Reagan National airport and Houston's Hobby airport.

The slot exemptions became available when Spirit Airlines stopped using its slots for flights between Reagan National and Fort Lauderdale.

"Southwest's service will provide air travelers with a new, low-cost option when they fly between Reagan National and Houston," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a statement.

Southwest beat out US Airways and JetBlue Airways who had also applied for permission to use the slots. US Airways had proposed service to Oklahoma City while JetBlue wanted to start service to Jacksonville, Fla.

Southwest will have to begin its new service to Houston by August 5, according to the DOT ruling.

-Andrea Ahles

 

DOT fines Southwest $150,000 for late responses to customer complaints

The Transportation Department fined Southwest Airlines $150,000 on Wednesday, saying the Dallas-based carrier was not responding to consumer complaints in a "timely manner."

The DOT found that Southwest did not respond to a large number of disability-related complaints received from June 2011 through January 2012. There was a problem with the carrier's website and when responses were sent it did not contain information that the DOT requires, the agency said.

"When airlines receive complaints from passengers, we expect them to provide prompt responses that appropriately answer the specific complaints," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins said the carrier learned of a technical glitch that unintentionally rerouted customer complaints. Following the issue, Southwest put in safe-guards to ensure similar website errors would not occur in the future.

"In this situation, Southwest refunded the full ticket amount of every customer affected," Hawkins said.

-Andrea Ahles

Some flights headed for DFW Tuesday morning diverted to Love Field

Delays at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport are possible as the Federal Aviation Adminstration continues to deal with air traffic controller furloughs.

An agency spokesman said nine flights were diverted to Dallas Love Field on Tuesday morning due to "weather and staffing challenges."

"The cold front that moved through this morning brought with it a change in wind direction, as well as mist and rain," said FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford. "The ceilings at DFW are beginning to improve and we're working to return the diverted flights as soon as possible."

The FAA said controllers at its regional TRACON centers, including the one in Fort Worth, will continue to space planes farther apart to manage the air traffic with its current staff which could lead to delays at DFW, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

-Andrea Ahles

Delta carried the most passengers in 2012, BTS says

Delta Airlines carried the most passengers last year of any U.S. airline, according to a new report released on Tuesday.

However, Southwest Airlines had the most domestic passengers, more than any other carrier, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics said.

As an industry, U.S. airlines carried 0.8 percent more passengers in 2012 for a total of 736.6 million. Airlines carried 642.2 million passengers domestically, up 0.6 percent from the previous year while they carried 94.4 million passengers internationally, up 2.0 percent from 2011.

According to the BTS numbers, Fort Worth-based American Airlines ranked fourth. Third-place United Continental, which had several operational problems with its merger integration last spring, carried 3.4 percent fewer passengers in 2012.

The top three airports all increased their enplaned passenger numbers including third-ranked Dallas/Fort Worth Airport which had 1.6 percent more passengers for 27.5 million. Atlanta retained the top spot with 45.1 million passengers, up 3.2 percent while Chicago O'Hare had 29.9 million enplaned passengers.

Rank	Carrier	2012 Enplaned Passengers	2011 Enplaned Passengers	Pct. Change
1	Delta	116.445	113.485	2.6
2	Southwest**	112.234	110.587	1.5
3	UA/CO Combined***	92.367	95.611	-3.4
	United***	92.367	50.474	NA
	Continental	-	45.138	NA
4	American	86.335	86.042	0.3
5	US Airways	54.238	52.921	2.5
6	EV/XE Combined****	32.376	30.412	6.5
	ExpressJet****	32.376	16.194	NA
	Atlantic Southeast	-	14.218	NA
7	JetBlue	28.934	26.353	9.8
8	SkyWest	26.163	24.408	7.2
9	AirTran	21.745	24.596	-11.6
10	American Eagle	18.731	17.348	8.0

 

-Andrea Ahles

FAA announces 149 airport tower closures including two Dallas towers

The Federal Aviation Administration announced it will close 149 airport towers on April 7 as part of the budget cuts required by sequestration.

Two Dallas towers - Dallas Executive and Collin County Regional airports - will be shut down under the plan.

Under a previous plan, Fort Worth Spinks, Arlington municipal and Grand Prairie's airport towers had been scheduled to close, however, the FAA reconsidered its decision since "doing so would have a negative impact on the national interest."

"We will work with the airports and the operators to ensure the procedures are in place to maintain the high level of safety at non-towered airports," said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.

-Andrea Ahles

FAA budget cuts because of sequestration could close some North Texas air traffic control facilities

The Federal Aviation Administration said it may have to close several air traffic control facilities in North Texas if budget sequestration cuts are implemented on March 1.

The agency said it is considering furloughing 47,000 employees for one day per pay period, closing over 100 air traffic control facilities and eliminating overnight shifts at 60 facilities nationwide. The cost cutting measures will total $600 million for the remainder of its fiscal year.

"We are aware that these service reductions will adversely affect commercial, corporate and general aviation operators," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a letter to industry officials. "We also expect that as airlines estimate the potential impacts of these furloughs, they will change their schedules and cancel flights."

In North Texas, the FAA proposes eliminating its overnight shift at Fort Worth's Meacham airport air traffic control tower. The agency also suggests closing air traffic control towers at Fort Worth Spinks, Arlington Municipal, Grand Prairie Municipal, Dallas Executive and Collin County Regional in McKinney.

The furloughs and facility shutdowns are expected to begin in April, the agency said.

-Andrea Ahles

 

Delta buys 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic

Delta Air Lines announced Tuesday it is purchasing a 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic and will invest $360 million in the British carrier.

The Atlanta-based carrier said it is buying the stake that is currently owned by Singapore Airlines. Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson will retain control of Virgin Atlantic with a 51 percent stake in the airline.

Delta and Virgin Atlantic will also ask U.S. and European Union regulators for anti-trust immunity to operate trans-Atlantic flights. American Airlines and British Airways already have a joint-business agreement that allows them to jointly operate and market trans-Atlantic flights.

"By combining the strengths of our two companies in a joint venture, we can provide customers with a seamless network between North America and the U.K., and continue building a better airline for our customers, employees and shareholders," said Delta chief executive Richard Anderson.

With the deal, the airlines will operate a combined nine daily round-trips between London-Heathrow and New York's JFK airport and Newark airport. Passengers will also receive reciprocal frequent flyer benefits, the two airlines said.

"We have always been known for our innovation and service and have punched above our weight for 28 years. That is why our customers love us so much," Branson said. "We will retain that independent spirit but move forward in a strengthened partnership with Delta."

-Andrea Ahles

 

Airline employment down 4.4 percent over the past five years

Payrolls at airlines shrunk 4.4 percent over the past five years, according to a new report from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

U.S. carriers employed 388,992 workers in August 2012, which is 0.1 percent more than the industry's payroll in August 2011. But it is the highest employment total within the industry since 2008.

Of the network carriers, Fort Worth-based American Airlines reported the largest decline, down 7.9 percent in when comparing August 2008 to August 2012, the BTS said. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines increased its payroll 5.8 percent in August 2012 when compared to what Southwest and AirTran reported separately in August 2008.

BTS' spokesman Dave Smallen also provided Sky Talk with American's individual payroll numbers since 1990. I have included that chart, which shows American's employment each August for the past 22 years, below.

Airline employment in August from 2008-2012

Year	Network	Low-Cost	Regional	All Passenger Airlines
2008	276,118	62,870	60,346	406,716
2009	258,569	62,775	56,236	384,304
2010	256,122	64,022	52,179	377,835
2011	263,063	67,682	53,284	388,523
2012	262,426	69,379	52,079	388,992
Pct. Change 2008-2012	-5.0%	10.4%	-13.7%	-4.4%

American Airlines employment in August from 1990-2012

Year	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time + Part-time	Full-time Equivalent*
1990	72,513	9,694	82,207	77,360
1991	76,887	11,029	87,916	82,402
1992	85,148	13,404	98,552	91,850
1993	83,306	14,498	97,804	90,555
1994	78,786	14,976	93,762	86,274
1995	78,335	12,783	91,118	84,727
1996	73,716	12,268	85,984	79,850
1997	74,977	13,358	88,335	81,656
1998	75,472	13,850	89,322	82,397
1999	80,007	14,901	94,908	87,458
2000	85,140	14,676	99,816	92,478
2001	88,665	14,177	102,842	95,754
2002	91,839	15,472	107,311	99,575
2003	75,801	12,236	88,037	81,919
2004	74,245	11,137	85,382	79,814
2005	70,200	11,409	81,609	75,905
2006	68,037	10,585	78,622	73,330
2007	67,812	10,616	78,428	73,120
2008	67,187	10,628	77,815	72,501
2009	62,959	9,692	72,651	67,805
2010	61,133	9,164	70,297	65,715
2011	61,831	8,942	70,773	66,302
2012	59,655	8,193	67,848	63,752

-Andrea Ahles

U.S. carriers collected $1.6 billion in bag and reservation change fees in the second quarter, BTS says

U.S. airlines continue to rake in the fees as the industry took in $1.6 billion in baggage and reservation change fees in the second quarter, up 6.2 percent from the same period in 2011, a new government report says.

Baggage fees grew 5.2 percent to $932 million while airlines received $661 million from reservation change fees, an increase of 7.8 percent over the second quarter of 2011, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The agency does not collect information on all ancillary fees charged by airlines such as seat assignment or early boarding fees.

Delta Air lines collected the most bag and reservation change fees, $231 million and $201 million respectively.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines made the top 10 baggage fees list for the first time as this was the first quarter where it reported combined figures with its subsidiary AirTran Airways. While "bags fly free" on Southwest, AirTran charges $20 for the first checked bag.

Baggage fees for top 10 airlines

Rank	Airline	2Q 2012  (in millions)
1	Delta	231,351
2	United	194,587
3	American	149,194
4	US Airways	136,230
5	Southwest	50,523
6	Spirit	44,036
7	Alaska	38,452
8	Allegiant	20,751
9	Frontier	17,908
10	JetBlue	17,132

Reservation change fees for top 10 airlines

Rank	Airline	2Q 2012   (in millions)
1	Delta	201,025
2	United	174,977
3	American	133,647
4	US Airways	76,503
5	JetBlue	33,404
6	Southwest	11,439
7	Virgin America	7,078
8	Spirit	6,848
9	Alaska	6,171
10	Hawaiian	4,350

-Andrea Ahles

FAA to study use of iPads, smartphones and tablets for in-flight use

With the growing number of portable electronic devices, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday it plans to study the use of devices like iPads and tablets for use during passenger flights.

The agency said current rules require the airline to determine if the device is not a flight risk. Now, the FAA said it wants to establish new rules that could allow these devices to be used all the time.

"With so many different types of devices available, we recognize that this is an issue of consumer interest," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Safety is our highest priority, and we must set appropriate standards as we help the industry consider when passengers can use the latest technologies safely during a flight."

A group of government and industry executives will meet over the next six months to examine portable device issues. The public can also provide comments for the group via the FAA for the next two months.

But forget about using your phone to make a call. The FAA said there are no plans to reconsider the use of cell phones for voice calls during flight.

-Andrea Ahles