Essential Travel News for 3/26/07

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FAA/SECURITY

FCC chief: No in-flight cell phone usage on airliners

The head of the Federal Communications Commission said last week that the agency is likely to discontinue a proceeding that could change the existing rules to allow airline passengers to use their cell phones in-flight. Both the FCC and the Federal Aviation Administration have been considering new regulations that would allow such use, and the approval of both agencies would be necessary to make that happen. If the FCC decides to drop the rule change, the current restrictions would remain in place. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin told reporters last week that studies thus far have been inconclusive as to whether or not in-flight cell phone use would create problems of interference. There have long been safety concerns that signals from passengers’ cell phones could interfere with an aircraft’s sensitive navigation equipment – that is the FAA’s responsibility, and is under study. The FCC has been investigating cell phone companies’ worries that cell phone signals from an aircraft at altitude could link to more than one cell tower on the ground simultaneously, creating problems for other users. Aside from the technical considerations, it’s also become clear from a number of consumer surveys that many passengers don’t like the idea of having to sit near someone who is talking on a cell phone through much of the flight. The FCC’s five commissioners are currently considering a motion to discontinue the rulemaking proceeding, according to published reports. The current rules allow the use of cell phones before takeoff and after landing, but not when a plane is in the air. Even if cell phone usage is not allowed on aircraft in flight, airlines could still pursue technology to provide onboard WiFi service for Internet access – if they can afford it.

Will laser-equipped drones protect U.S. airports?

Picture this scenario: An unmanned drone aircraft is circling about 12 miles in the air above Chicago O’Hare Airport, and it is equipped with powerful lasers that can pinpoint targets on the ground. No, it’s not the latest terrorist plot – it’s a scheme that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the military plan to test as a means of protecting U.S. airports, according to USA Today. The government is concerned about the possibility of terrorists on the ground using shoulder-fired missiles against commercial airlines – even though they have never tried it in the U.S. The drones would reportedly be equipped with sensors that could detect a launched missile, and with lasers that could shoot it down. Previously, the government had been looking into a plan to equip every commercial aircraft with self-defense systems against missiles, but at a cost of more than $1 million per plane, it was something the airlines could hardly afford. There’s no word on how much the laser drones might cost, or who would pay for them.

AIRLINES

U.S. says Virgin America is “on track” for operating license

Nearly three months after it tentatively rejected Virgin America’s application for a license to operate as a new, low-cost airline based at San Francisco, the U.S. Department of Transportation now says that the company is “back on track” to win federal approval. The initial rejection was based on DOT’s concerns that the U.K.-based Virgin Group and its chief, Sir Richard Branson, exerted too much influence over the fledgling company, in spite of its majority ownership by U.S. investors. But Virgin America revised its application, proposing a number of changes in its structure, and bringing in even more U.S. investment. Federal law requires that U.S. airlines be controlled by U.S. citizens, and DOT said this week that it looks like Virgin America might now be able to meet that test. DOT said before it will issue a final decision, Virgin America will have to follow through on its proposed organization changes, including the replacement of CEO Frederick Reid, a former Delta and Lufthansa executive. DOT said Reid’s “longstanding association with foreign investors had raised concerns about who would control the new carrier.”

Northwest reportedly plans to shift fleet to more regional jets

In the years ahead, domestic passengers on Northwest Airlines will see a greater likelihood that their aircraft will be a regional jet instead of a full-sized one, according to a report in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The newspaper said it obtained a copy of the airline’s fleet plan from members of the pilots’ union. That plan reportedly calls for Northwest to reduce its mainline fleet of full-sized (i.e. 100 seats or more) planes from 375 last year to 337 by 2008, and to boost its fleet of regional jets (76 seats or fewer) from 226 to 262 during the same period. The newspaper noted that a larger portion of mainline jets will be used on international routes as the smaller aircraft take over more domestic services. The plan reportedly calls for Northwest to eliminate a third of its aging DC9s in two years, and to increase its overseas fleet from 61 planes this year to 74 by 2011. The newspaper noted that in bankruptcy court papers, Northwest projected a 4.3 percent annual growth in international capacity through 2010 and a 2.7 percent decline in domestic capacity. Northwest has announced plans to use 76-seat regional jets for a new wholly-owned subsidiary called Compass Airlines, which will replace mainline service on some domestic routes.

American seeks replacement carrier on regional St. Louis routes

American Airlines said last week it is negotiating with Great Lakes Aviation to serve as an AmericanConnection partner carrier at St. Louis, replacing flights to six Midwestern cities that ended on March 8 when the FAA grounded the airline previously serving them, Smyrna-Tenn.-based RegionsAir. American wants Great Lakes to resume AmericanConnection service from STL to Burlington, Iowa; Decatur, Marion, Springfield and Quincy, Ill.; and Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. However, American said it will not revive its former AmericanConnection/RegionsAir service from St. Louis to Cape Girardeau, Mo.; Jackson, Tenn. And Owensboro, Ky. RegionsAir, which also provided feeder service for Continental Airlines at Cleveland from three West Virginia cities, said on its website that it is continuing to review and revise its manuals and training procedures in an effort to correct the problems cited by the FAA I its decision to ground the airline.

JetBlue may start courting business travelers, corporate accounts

JetBlue Airways CEP David Neeleman told a group of corporate travel managers in New York last week that his airline is planning to make some changes in its policies and fares to appeal more to the needs of business travelers. According to the trade publication Business Travel News, Neeleman told the managers that JetBlue is “in the process of rolling out a program” that would reserve some preferred seats on the airline’s all-coach Airbus planes for passengers who book at the last minute and thus pay the highest fares. The preferred places would include aisle seats in the front of the aircraft – an area where JetBlue offers greater seat pitch than in the rear. He said the company is also testing refundable, changeable fares with a few corporations; currently, all JetBlue’s standard fares are nonrefundable. And he said the airline may also be open to negotiating fares with corporations based on the volume of travel they could provide.

INTERNATIONAL

U.S. approval of new open-routes pact with Europe is likely

The trade publication Air Transport World quotes a U.S. State Department official as saying the U.S. expects no significant Congressional opposition to a new aviation agreement with the European Union, and that the Bush Administration is prepared to sign the deal April 30. Last week, all 27 member nations of the European Union voted in favor of the “open skies” agreement, which should lead to a number of new non-stop transatlantic routes as early as next year. As originally envisioned, the agreement would have taken effect October 28, 2007, but the E.U. asked for a delay until March 30, 2008 at the request of Britain, and the U.S. is said to be agreeable. The British are concerned about the potential impact of the deal on British Airways, because its main hub – London Heathrow – would be opened up to new competitors under terms of the pact. Currently, only four transatlantic carriers have rights to operate at LHW under the existing U.S.-U.K. bilateral agreement: British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American and United. Within hours of the E.U.’s approval of the agreement, Continental Airlines applied at the U.S. Department of Transportation for new route rights to Europe – including a non-stop route from Houston Intercontinental to London Heathrow, which Continental said it wants to inaugurate before summer 2008. Continental already flies into London Gatwick from Newark, Houston and Cleveland. Ireland’s Aer Lingus also announced plans to serve three new U.S. cities from Dublin by the end of this year – San Francisco, Orlando and Washington Dulles. The E.U.-U.S. agreement, if it is approved by the U.S., would also allow airlines of E.U. member nations to fly any non-stop route from Europe to the U.S. – not just from their home countries.

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