Domestic traffic decreased 2.7 percent year over year on a 1.9 percent decrease in capacity. Domestic load factor decreased 0.6 points to 75.8 percent. International traffic decreased 8.3 percent year over year on an 11.0 percent decrease in capacity, and load factor increased 2.3 points to 78.0 percent.

Delta Air Lines
                                 Monthly Traffic Results (a)

                            January 2010      January 2009      Change
                            ------------      ------------      ------
  RPMs (000):
  Domestic                     8,450,223         8,686,572       (2.7%)
    Mainline                   6,625,438         6,880,692       (3.7%)
    Regional                   1,824,785         1,805,880         1.0%
  International                5,355,584         5,840,401       (8.3%)
    Latin America              1,153,441         1,161,123       (0.7%)
      Mainline                 1,135,997         1,139,026       (0.3%)
      Regional                    17,444            22,098      (21.1%)
    Atlantic                   2,507,178         2,877,987      (12.9%)
    Pacific                    1,694,965         1,801,291       (5.9%)
  System                      13,805,807        14,526,973       (5.0%)

  ASMs (000):
  Domestic                    11,145,298        11,364,447       (1.9%)
    Mainline                   8,576,928         8,742,918       (1.9%)
    Regional                   2,568,370         2,621,529       (2.0%)
  International                6,866,900         7,716,831      (11.0%)
    Latin America              1,457,533         1,516,672       (3.9%)
       Mainline                1,432,399         1,482,812       (3.4%)
       Regional                   25,134            33,860      (25.8%)
    Atlantic                   3,387,246         4,040,565      (16.2%)
    Pacific                    2,022,120         2,159,594       (6.4%)
  System                      18,012,198        19,081,278       (5.6%)

  Load Factor
  Domestic                          75.8%             76.4%       (0.6) pts
    Mainline                        77.2%             78.7%       (1.5) pts
    Regional                        71.0%             68.9%        2.1  pts
  International                     78.0%             75.7%        2.3  pts
    Latin America                   79.1%             76.6%        2.5  pts
       Mainline                     79.3%             76.8%        2.5  pts
       Regional                     69.4%             65.3%        4.1  pts
    Atlantic                        74.0%             71.2%        2.8  pts
    Pacific                         83.8%             83.4%        0.4  pts
  System                            76.6%             76.1%        0.5  pts

  Passengers Boarded          11,628,151        12,169,602       (4.4%)

  Mainline Completion Factor        98.1%             98.9%       (0.8) pts

  Cargo Ton Miles (000):
    Passenger Cargo              153,295           114,244        34.2%
    Freighter Cargo                    0            35,595     (100.0%)
    System                       153,295           149,839         2.3%

  Endnote:
  (a) Results include flights operated under contract carrier arrangements.

Delta Air Lines Reports January Traffic is a post from: Aviation news - Planegrazy

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SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
              PRELIMINARY COMPARATIVE TRAFFIC STATISTICS           

                                                JANUARY
                                                -------               

                                     2010        2009        CHANGE
                                     ----        ----        ------   

  Revenue passengers carried      6,500,716    5,988,116       8.6% 

  Enplaned passengers             7,576,013    6,993,566       8.3% 

  Revenue passenger miles (000)   5,499,087    5,135,380       7.1% 

  Available seat miles (000)      7,622,575    8,172,539      (6.7)%

  Load factor                          72.1%        62.8%      9.3 pts.

  Average length of haul                846          858      (1.4)%

  Trips flown                        88,406       94,606      (6.6)%

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According to Frost & Sullivan’s Asia Pacific Research Analyst of Aerospace & Defense Practice Cheong Chern Wai, passenger traffic statistics clearly indicate the significant decline across the globe, with 2% growth in 2008 against a high of 8% growth in 2007.

He continues, “The first half of 2009 saw traffic declined even further, bringing a negative growth to the industry. As the economy began its slow ascent to recovery, passenger traffic also followed the same path to recovery with the fourth quarter showing much improved growth. The regions of Middle East, Latin America and Asia Pacific are the first regions to show positive signs of recovery.”

Tourism is one of the key factors that have sustained the aviation industry as business traffic suffered most during the two year period. Relationships that have developed between both airlines and airports have strengthened as all are emphasizing on sustainability to weather this storm.

“Alternative revenue streams, code sharing, route optimization, collaboration, green initiatives, innovative fuel saving techniques are all strategies employed by industry stakeholders to remain afloat. However, there have been casualties as well for those that were unable to overcome the challenges,” adds Cheong.

Moving into 2010, airlines will continue to thread carefully, looking at profitable routes and reorganizing their network to drive growth in their business.

“Both the point-to-point and hub-to-hub network will continue to be key factors as they cater to the different travel needs across the globe. The important role of low-cost carriers have contributed to the growth of passenger traffic especially in Asia Pacific and is expected to be the pillar in pushing the aviation industry forward, once again imparting confidence in travelers to take to the skies again,” says Cheong.

He adds, “With airlines spearheading the aviation industry from the skies, the pillars fixed on the ground are the airports. Unlike airlines, airports have managed to sustain their business differently by seeking alternative revenues especially from their landside business.”

“Non-aeronautical revenues are contributing even higher percentages of the total airport earnings as airports are no longer merely transportation hubs but a whole experience by itself. Airport cities, developed around the airport as the center will be the key to the aviation growth in the coming years,” he continues.

Airport development has not dwindled but has continued to support to the industry moving forward. According to Cheong, despite the slowing economy, some airports have continued to show growth in their traffic and revenues.

“Strategic implementation of best practices in optimizing cost, seeking alternative revenues, developing their landside businesses and investing in green initiatives have enabled airports to continue to move forward with confidence to drive the aviation industry back to its glory days,” he says.

In Asia Pacific, airport development in South East Asia, China and India are staging the scene for future growth and expansion of the travel network bringing the world closer to one another. Frost & Sullivan estimates potential spending of almost US$100 billion in airport development and expansion within the next 10 years. It is also estimated that there will be over 300 airports to be developed within the next 10 years in China and India alone.

Security in airports has been one of the most discussed issues in recent times, with the latest being the terrorist attempt near the end of 2009. Many technology implementations have been developed to create a safer environment for passengers, since the tragedy that befell the world on September 11, almost a decade ago.

Cheong says, “There have been many types of airport security technologies over the years like x-ray detection, metal detection, fingerprint, CCTV and more. Over the next ten years, more technologies will be implemented to maintain a higher level of security and confidence of passengers that are traveling by air. Electronic passports, face detection technologies, digital IP-based surveillance, and nanotechnology sensors are some of the potential technologies that will see its implantation at airports around the world.”

In term of industry specifics, the cries of environmental activists have given rise to green initiatives across the air travel and transportation industry which contributes about 2% of the total carbon emissions globally.

According to Cheong, “In the past 15 years, airlines have shown decreasing usage of aviation fuel, indicating increased fuel efficiency and new technologies being introduced to improve the usage of fuel in aircrafts. This trend is expected to continue over the next 10 years as bio fuel and other alternative fuel is being research and developed to support the industry.”

Overall, 2010 is expected to be a better year for the industry. The major push factor for the aviation industry to see brighter skies this year would be the World Cup and Commonwealth Games that will be held this year in Africa and India respectively. The demand for air travel during these periods will escalate, driving growth for the aviation industry across the world.

“Being touted as major global sporting events, the World Cup and Commonwealth will definitely be a driving factor in the aviation industry, increasing passenger traffic and revenues for both airlines and airports,” Cheong says.

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Ding to you!

Your iPhone is perfect–you just wish you could hear that Southwest trademarked DING!, right? Well now you can. Southwest Airlines announces its first app for iPhone and iPod touch now available from the App Store. Customers can book reservations, checkin for flights, check flight status, view flight schedules, and download DING! to get exclusive, deeply discounted fares on Southwest flights. And, in true Southwest style, the app is free!

“Southwest is known for convenience and simplicity, and our new app is a great example of that,” said Kevin Krone, Southwest Airlines Vice President of Marketing, Sales, and Distribution. “Whether you are managing Rapid Rewards credits or need to checkin for your flight, the Southwest Airlines App now offers Customers the flexibility to do that and more–with plenty of Southwest flair!”

To celebrate the new app, Southwest Airlines is offering special DING! fares for Customers today. These fares are only available through the DING! feature so Customers have to download the app and register for DING! to access them. Click here for details: www.southwest.com/iphone

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported December and full-year 2009 demand statistics for international scheduled air traffic that showed the industry ending 2009 with the largest ever post-war decline. Passenger demand for the full year was down 3.5% with an average load factor of 75.6%. Freight showed a full-year decline of 10.1% with an average load factor of 49.1%.

“In terms of demand, 2009 goes into the history books as the worst year the industry has ever seen. We have permanently lost 2.5 years of growth in passenger markets and 3.5 years of growth in the freight business,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

International passenger capacity fell 0.7% in December 2009 while freight capacity grew 0.6% above December 2008 levels. Yields have started to improve with tighter supply-demand conditions in recent months, but they remained 5-10% down on 2008 levels. “Revenue improvements will be at a much slower pace than the demand growth that we are starting to see. Profitability will be even slower to recover and airlines will lose an expected US$5.6 billion in 2010,” said Bisignani.

Seasonally adjusted demand figures for December in comparison to November 2009 indicate a 1.6% rise in passenger traffic while freight remained basically flat with a 0.2% decline.

International Passenger Demand
December 2009 passenger demand recorded a 4.5% improvement compared to December 2008, with a load factor of 77.6%. While this is an 8.4% demand improvement from the February 2009 low point, it is still 3.4% below the early 2008 peak.

• Carriers in Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America recorded year-on-year declines in passenger demand of 5.6%, 5.0% and 5.6% respectively in 2009. Asia-Pacific carriers stand out as benefitting most from the year-end upturn with an 8.0% year-on-year improvement in December. This reflects their 35% contribution to the year-end rise boosted by the significant economic upturn in the region. By contrast, European carriers saw a 1.2% decline and North American carriers declined by 0.4%. While both North American and European carriers saw demand improvements in the first half of the year, the second half was basically flat.
• Middle Eastern carriers generated the fastest growth in passenger traffic at the end of the year with a 19.1% increase in December (and 11.2% growth for the entire year). These gains result from Middle Eastern carriers taking a larger share of long-haul connecting traffic over their hubs.
• Latin American carriers recorded 7.1% growth in December. Full-year traffic growth was constrained to 0.3% due to the impact of Influenza A(H1N1) fears during the second and third quarters.
• Africa’s carriers experienced a sharp decline of 6.8% in 2009 primarily on an exceptionally weak first half. Their year ended with December demand at 3.1% above previous year levels.

International Freight Demand
December 2009 freight demand showed a 24.4% improvement on December 2008 with a load factor of 54.1%. This improvement is exaggerated by the exceptionally weak performance in December 2008 which was the low point on the cycle. Freight demand is still 9% lower than the peak in early 2008. Optimism is returning to the industry as purchasing managers survey indicators reached a 44-month high in December pointing towards increased freight volumes in the coming months.

• Asia-Pacific carriers accounted for over 60% of the increase in international air freight markets over the past 12 months—outperforming their 45% market share. Despite this improvement, Asia-Pacific carriers’ freight volumes remain 8% below peak levels.
• European carriers remain 20% below 2008 peak levels reflecting the glacial pace of economic recovery in Europe compared to Asia-Pacific.
• Middle East carriers and Latin American carriers are smaller market participants, but ended the year better than peak levels by 7% and 21% respectively.

“The industry starts 2010 with some enormous challenges. The worst is behind us, but it is not time to celebrate. Adjusting to 2.5-3.5 years of lost growth means that airlines face another spartan year focused on matching capacity carefully to demand and controlling costs,” said Bisignani.

“We also face a renewed challenge on security as a result of the events of 25 December 2009. The approach of the Obama administration is encouraging with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano visiting IATA’s offices in Geneva to engage industry to find solutions. We agreed that governments and industry must cooperate and we are preparing for a meeting in the coming weeks to follow-up on our recommendations which focused on finding more efficient ways to implement intelligence-driven and risk-based security measures,” said Bisignani.

“Governments and industry are aligned in the priority that we place on security. But the cost of security is also an issue. Globally, airlines spend US$5.9 billion a year on what are essentially measures concerned with national security. This is the responsibility of governments, and they should be picking up the bill,” said Bisignani.

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Rescue workers located the pilots two kilometers from the scene of the crash an hour after the jet went down. Neither pilot sustained serious injuries; however, the jet, a US-made F/A-18 Hornet, was completely destroyed.

Rescuers brought the 32-year-old captain and 44-year-old wing commander who parachuted out of the plane to Tampere University Hospital.

The jet had been flying a routine training mission for 40 minutes when it crashed in a forest on the edge of a field. No one else was injured in the crash.

The cause of the accident is still unknown.

History of Mishaps, Close Calls, but No Serious Injuries

The first of the US-built Hornet planes were acquired in late 1995. The first Finnish accident involving the model happened the following year, and it has been involved in eight mishaps and close calls. No serious injuries have occurred in any of them.

Potentially the worst situation until Thursday took place in 2001 in Lappajärvi, when there was a midair collision between two Hornets. One of them crashed in a swamp, while the other made it back to Pirkkala Airport.

Frankenplane

Monday’s crash is linked with the one in 2001 in a curious way. The aircraft in question had been assembled using the rear part of the plane that had been damaged in the collision, and the front of a used plane from Canada.

The new aircraft was pieced together by the Finnish defense contractor Patria. The high-tech fighters are very expensive – the reassembly job alone cost about 15 million euros. It was dubbed the Frankenplane, according to a classic character from horror literature, who was, likewise, assembled from spare parts. With the crash in Juupajoki the Frankenplane also goes down in aviation history as a rare veteran of in-flight mishaps.

YLE, AFP

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Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General said, “We have been through downturns before, but none as severe as we’ve experienced in the past two years. Overall, Asia Pacific airlines are expected to report significant losses for 2009, following similar heavy losses suffered in 2008.”

Herdman noted that air cargo “is regaining some of its dynamism,” as his members focus on conserving cash and matching capacity with demand.

“Whilst we remain hopeful about future prospects, the outlook for 2010 very much depends on the sustainability of what still appears to be a rather fragile global economic recovery,” he added.

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Budget airlines in particular may charge extra fees for services such as check-in or luggage transportation.

The Association of Finnish Travel Agents (AFTA) says airlines are often lax when it comes to providing advance information about such charges.

The Association says that budget airlines have revolutionized the airline industry in many ways. One of the new practices includes tickets priced on different fare bases, as well as additional charges.

One operator that stands out in terms of innovative pricing is the Irish airline Ryanair, which last year investigated the possibility of billing passengers for use of its toilet facilities. In its most extreme plans, Ryanair has proposed the sale of separate standing places at the back of its aircraft. However, these proposals were thrown out because of safety concerns.

”Neither washroom charges nor standing places were accepted, nor do I know how these proposals were planned. Ryanair has only succeeded in attracting marketing attention with these ideas,” said AFTA CEO Heli Mäki-Fränti.

Additional Charges Ratchet up Ticket Prices

In spite of the Ryanair experiences with inventive charges, many additional charges are still billed to passengers. Ryanair charges passengers to transport their luggage: charges may run 15 euros for the first piece of luggage and 35 euros for the second piece on each leg of a flight. If the flight involves one stopover, carrying a single piece of luggage would cost a passenger 60 euro. The baggage charge increases if it is paid at the airport rather than when the passenger reserves his or her flight.

Printing a Ryanair check-in ticket can also be an expensive affair. If the passenger arrives for the flight without a printed check-in voucher, the company charges 40 euros for printing it at the airport.

Air Baltic also applies charges for carrying luggage. The company charges passengers 15 euros per flight leg for each piece of baggage. Air Baltic’s charges are also slightly lower if they are paid online before check-in. The airline plans to introduce a check-in charge of around five euros, which is already being applied at some airports.

Drive to Harmonise Fees

AFTA says that airlines’ extra charges often vary and passengers are often informed at the last minute when new fees are introduced. Consumers often contact the Consumer Agency because of such surprise charges.

”The problem is these fees often don’t show up in the reservation systems of travel agencies, which means passengers only find out about them when they show up at the airport, and then they can be higher than if they were paid before the flight,” AFTA’s Mäki-Fränti explained.

The highest number of complaints lodged with Finland’s Consumer Agency involve online reservations. AFTA officials say that the EU has also woken up to the tangle of extra fees faced by airline passengers. Efforts are currently on at the EU level to harmonize the system of airline fees and to make the process more transparent.

YLE

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