Airline Finance News - North America

AirGuide Business, April 7, 2008

Aloha Airlines, Aloha Airgroup

Aloha Airgroup, parent of Aloha Airlines, is shutting down on Mar. 31, days after filing for bankruptcy protection, the Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition. The company, which employs about 3,500 people, had emerged from bankruptcy protection about two years ago. According to the Journal, the closely held carrier said marketing partner United Airlines, and other airlines are "prepared to assist and accommodate Aloha's passengers who have been inconvenienced." Aloha had blamed its inability to generate sufficient revenue from its inter-island passenger business on predatory pricing by Mesa Air's go! airline. The airline, which has also been hurt by high fuel costs, offered 700 weekly inter-island flights in Hawaii and 140 flights to six west coast cities, the Journal said. Mar 31, 2008

Aloha Airlines, ATA Airlines

Aloha Airlines and ATA Airlines decision to file for bankruptcy protection is an indication that other carriers will follow suit, observers say. Observers note that the airline faced soaring fuel prices and intense competition and low revenue. Mar 31, 2008

American Airlines

American Airlines' flight attendants union is calling for executives to decline bonuses linked to stock performance. A spokeswoman for the company noted that the bonuses are designed as a long-term incentive for management. Apr 2, 2008

American Airlines

Regulators have largely ignored a series of dangerous incidents in which cockpit windshields in commercial airliners shattered in midflight, sometimes forcing emergency landings, according to an American Airlines pilots' group. Since 2004, at least 10 windshields have had problems on Boeing 757s, mostly the result of wiring problems with windshield heaters that cause smoke to fill the cockpit and sometimes make those windshields crack, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Four incidents have been on American Airlines planes, the NTSB says. An American Airlines flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, made an emergency landing January 30 after the cockpit filled with smoke. The inner pane of the co-pilot's window shattered as the plane came in to land in Palm Beach, Florida. One of the crewmembers was injured by glass, and six passengers were treated for smoke inhalation. Another pilot said he had a similar experience on a 757 more than two years ago but did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation reported CNN.com Apr 2, 2008

ATA - American Trans Air

ATA Airlines said on Apr. 3 it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and shut down all operations after cancellation of a key military charter agreement. "ATA's scheduled service business had been severely impacted by the dramatic and unprecedented increase in the price of jet fuel in recent months," said ATA in a statement. ATA said "virtually all" of its 2,230 employees have been told their jobs have been eliminated. ATA operated 29 aircraft, serving destinations that included Hawaii, Guadalajara, Cancun, Oakland, Chicago, Las Vegas and Dallas and also had a code-share agreement with Southwest Airlines. ATA said it is no longer able to honor any reservations or tickets, and customers who bought tickets from Southwest for flights operated by ATA through its code-share agreement should contact Southwest. Apr 3, 2008