Just Plane News.Com

Charlotte/Douglas International Airport plans to begin design work next month on a 120-foot extension of Concourse E, which will include two new gates for international flights.

When finished, the expansion will add as many as 12 gates and will likely complete the concourse, which has been built in phases and is used by US Airways for commuter jets. The airline recently told the airport it will add six new flights to two of its banks of departures, which prompted the expansion.

LS3P, which designed the other sections of the concourse, was awarded a $125,7000 design contract by Charlotte City Council last month for the extension.  Read More

Republic Airways Holdings  today announced that it has promoted James Reichart, a 24-year veteran of Midwest Airlines, to a key position within the Company’s branded network. As vice president of Sales, Distribution and Loyalty Programs, Reichart will be responsible for agency and corporate sales; the Company’s e-commerce Internet presence; loyalty and reward programs, including direct marketing to its frequent flyer members; sponsorships; and distribution, including online travel agencies.

Republic is currently completing customer focus groups as it works to harmonize the customer experience across its branded network, which features recently acquired Frontier and Midwest Airlines.   Read More

Some steep discounts are available to air travelers in the next two days in what one industry analyst calls “the first big summer fare sale” of the year.AirTran sparked the sale this week, with US Airways, United, Delta and American among the airlines following close behind, says Tom Parsons, founder of Bestfares.com who tracks ticket prices and scouted the bargains.

But travelers will have to act fast. Tickets have to be purchased by midnight Thursday for travel through Nov. 16. There are blackout dates around Memorial Day and other holidays. And travelers may have to do some digging to find the lowest fares, particularly in July, or when flying cross-country, Parsons says. Read More

Continental Airlines Inc., after calling off a merger with United Airlines two years ago, would resume consolidation efforts to remain competitive, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Smisek said.

Continental, the fourth-largest U.S. carrier, will keep monitoring the progress of Delta Air Lines Inc. following its 2008 merger with Northwest Airlines Corp., he said today at a JPMorgan Chase & Co. aviation conference in New York. Continental’s decision to avoid joining UAL Corp.’s United in April 2008 was correct at the time, he said.

“We’ll continue to watch competitive dynamics,” Smisek said. “If we think it’s in our best interest to bulk up defensively, we’ll do so. But I think it’s premature to make that decision at this time.”

United CEO Glenn Tilton said in January that a merger involving U.S. carriers would be likely in 12 to 24 months, and that the path toward combinations is being smoothed by global alliances. Tilton has advocated U.S. airline industry consolidation since at least 2004.  Read More

Fliers are finding more products and services for sale aboard flights these days than at any other time in commercial-aviation history, as a small group of point-of-sale providers leads airlines into the retail world.

Already standard on budget carriers in Europe, companies such as Canada's GuestLogix (GUESF) and the U.K.'s Onboard Retail Solutions are out to change even the legacy U.S. airlines into flying shopping malls. With the use of wireless handsets, flight attendants can take purchase orders for food, luxury goods and ground-based services such as transportation and theme-park ticket sales.

Since the sales are all software-based, the carriers can keep better track of what sells, breaking the data down for specific flight routes, times and seasons.

That can be a huge benefit for airlines as they further unbundle their products and services to create new revenue streams. With average airfare prices plunging to five-year lows, many airline executives have said they are becoming more reliant on nonticket revenue to offset the difference.

“Several European carriers have shown great success with generating ancillary revenue on board … with up to four to five different 'selling opportunities' on a given flight like drink service, snacks, duty-free items and train tickets,” said Alison Croyle, a spokeswoman with JetBlue Airways Inc. (JBLU) in New York, which has made some inroads with onboard retail.   Read More

U.S. airline passenger numbers will reach 1 billion in 2023, two years later than projected, because of slow economic growth, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The revision in the agency’s annual forecast follows an “unprecedented” drop in operations last year, when take-offs and landings fell 10.4 percent, said Nan Shellabarger, the agency’s director of aviation policy and plans.

“We’re faced with an economic scenario we haven’t seen in my time in the forecasting business,” Shellabarger told reporters in a briefing in Washington. “There is no rapid recovery in demand predicted.”

The revision marks the third consecutive year the FAA has pushed back the expected date for 1 billion passengers, a milepost that compares with 704 million for the fiscal year that ended in September and the lowest in five years.  Read More

The Department of Transportation slapped US Airways with a $40,000 civil penalty Monday for violating price advertising rules.

“When consumers shop for air travel, they have a right to know how much they will have to pay,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We will continue to ensure that airlines comply with our price advertising rules.”

The carrier posted one-way fares on its Web site for a short time without indicating that additional fees and taxes would apply, violating a rule that requires clear disclosure of the existence of those charges on the first screen where fares are quoted, according to the Department of Transportation.   Read More