Aerospace Diary

by  Neelam Mathews , Jan 7, 2016 Star Alliance founder member United Airlines’ network operations center in Chicago keeps abreast of flight planning, weather forecasting, crew scheduling, maintenance control and ATC liaison. (Photo: Neelam Mathews) Airlines pay a steep price for their memberships in global alliances, but with those costs come the benefits of pooled investment in modernizing information technology hubs and connectivity systems. For Star Alliance, the use of technology to accelerate complex booking and operational processes ranks among the chief advantages, according to executives attending a recent chief executive board meeting in Chicago hosted by founding member airline, United. In June, Star Alliance collaborated with Sabre to use an industry-first technology to simplify booking of its Round the World fares. Travel agents connected to the Sabre global distribution system ( GDS ) can now book and automatically calculate the corresponding f...

Neelam Mathews  -  December 28, 2015, 10:00 am (AIN-US)  United Airlines is using its new Boeing 787-9s to develop services to Chinese cities such as Chengdu. [Photo: Boeing] The rapid expansion of seat capacity to and from India by Middle East carriers is impeding United Airlines’ plans to build market share in the country. Instead, United, which already has daily nonstop service from New York to both Delhi and Mumbai, is mainly focusing on expanding operations to China’s secondary cities. Acccording to Brian Znotins, United’s network vice president, the carrier now has more nonstop flights to China than any other  U.S.  airline. “Despite the slowdown of China’s economy, as travel from China grows, we will be there in future,” said Znotins. One new route pending Chinese government approval is a nonstop seasonal service to Xian that it hopes to start in May 2016. Demand for flights to the fast-growing city of Chengdu has exceeded Unite...

Jane's Airport Review Neelam Mathews , Chicago 2015-Dec-14 Star Alliance plans to apply lessons learned from day-to-day operations at Heathrow Terminal 2 (T2), with particular attention to capacity-constrained airports. T2 opened in June 2014 as a base for all but one carrier (Air  India ) in the 28-member alliance, with an emphasis on self-service technology for passenger processing. Speaking to  IHS Jane's   in early December 2015 during the Star Alliance annual meeting of chief executives in Chicago, chief executive officer (CEO) Mark Schwab said that success in this area can be mirrored at other airports. Value-added initiatives include dedicated Star Gold Track security lanes for first and business class customers. Gold Track is available at around 70 airports worldwide. More locations will be added in 2016. Star Alliance is also looking at some airports "where we can offer this service for Gold Track members at immigration clearance and m...

By  Neelam Mathews  Dec 14, 2015 Star Alliance CEO Mark Schwab (right) discusses the group's new Connecting Partner Model concept alongside the CEO of the first airline to participate, Mango's Nico Bezuidenhout. (Photo: Neelam Mathews) South African Airways subsidiary Mango Airlines plans to join the Star Alliance network by the third quarter of 2016 under Star’s new “Connecting Partner Model,” concept, potentially paving the way for more budget carriers to enter the 28-airline alliance. Star Alliance made the announcement at its annual Chief Executives Board meeting in Chicago on December 10. With the addition, Star Alliance will get access to 51 percent of the South African market. The new model looks at adding routes operated by “low-cost” and “hybrid” airlines to the network. “With a focus on ‘Friends of the Family,’ the Alliance plans to add connectivity to these types of carriers within the family of Star Alliance,” said Star Alliance  ...

Neelam Mathews Dec 19 2014 Read full story on- http://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/2014/12/19/star-alliance-sees-unity-in-diversity-of-culture-and-product/ NEW DELHI: In an era of globalization, increasingly there is a tendency to standardize culture. In this rush to be part of an international cluster, one could easily lose track of the city one is visiting given the disappearance of the national dress and to an extent, local cuisine. It comes as a breath of fresh air when airlines take that extra step to retain a whiff of the best of their national identity. This is apparent in Star Alliance, a membership club of 28 airlines that propagates unity in diversity. Easier said than done? “Not so,” said Star spokesman Christian Klick this week during the alliance’s CEO board meeting in New Delhi. Klick firmly believes that each member airline projects its attitude in service, food, cabin interiors, and crew uniforms, and each makes a big effort to project its ...

Neelam Mathews July 19, 2014 If you thought the end of losses for airlines operating in India was history, you might want to think again. So volatile is the situation that with the possible start of giant Tata-SIA soon, even Jet-Etihad has realized it cannot be silent anymore. A press briefing called next week will have both Naresh Goyal and James Hogan addressing us mere mortals. Don’t bash me up for this, but besides the fact they are expected to inform us on how the India market figures in their strategy, we are hearing a buzz that they might even announce the acquisition of a large ailing budget airline (SpiceJet?) that is suffering from TDS and service tax payment defaults. However, AerospaceDiary could not confirm this.  Just reporting a buzz! Moreover, that is where, we suspect a blog differs from a newspaper report. Taking a bit of editorial leverage here! Air India has joined Star Alliance and that might give it a temporary relief as it adds more codeshares to ...

Neelam Mathews July 15, 2014 Air India became the 27th member of Star Alliance on 11 July in an official ceremony at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi, India. An earlier invitation for Air India to join Star was extended in late 2007, but was later withdrawn after the airline failed to meet the minimum criteria to join. The business environment has changed since then. Air India showed signs of stability while European airlines lost market share to Middle Eastern carriers, and Star approached Air India again in December 2013. Air India has met 221 of the 226 requirements to join the alliance, Air India chairman and managing director Rohit Nandan told  IHS Jane's  a few days before the ceremony. More on ...IHS Janes...

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS SITA expects the use of new technologies such as Apple’s iBeacon to enhance passengers’ experience at airports. (Photo: SITA/Ernst Tobisch) June 30, 2014, 11:53 AM IT  provider  SITA  has begun using new technologies such as Apple’s iBeacon to provide real-time information on mobile devices to help passengers move seamlessly across airports to board flights on time. American Airlines has become the first airline to use the  SITA common-use beacon registry, launched at the recent  SITA  Air Transport  IT  summit in Brussels. A six-month pilot program at Dallas/Fort Worth will use 100 iBeacons–the largest ever deployment and a precursor to a permanent implementation in eight hubs. SITA  installs the Apple-supported iBeacons on airport walls; they measure about one inch in diameter and carry a range of 2 meters to 100 meters. The iBeacons use Bluetooth low energy and g...

Neelam Mathews June 23, 2014 Air India will officially join Star Alliance on July 10, when  its systems -all ready to go- will be integrated into the global alliance systems, AerospaceDiary learns. We apologize for the long lapse in not connecting with you. This will follow approval-likely to be given- by the Board of members of Star in London on June 23, today. "The road has been an ardous one, but we've got there," said an AI official. Now we look forward to happier days ahead!

by    NEELAM MATHEWS February 12, 2014, 3:44 AM India’s newest domestic startup, full-service Delhi-based Tata SIA  Airlines, could have an advantage over newcomer budget-carrier AirAsia India as the latter is forced to wait for its air operators permit ( AOP ), which has been delayed by the decision of the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA ) to issue a public notice requesting comments. This could put on hiatus AirAsia’s plans of launching before summer. Tata  SIA , for its part, “expects to start operations by mid-2014,” a spokesman told  AIN . AirAsia India was due to have started operations by the end of 2013; investment company Tata Sons holds a 30-percent share in the budget carrier, while also holding an interest in Tata SIA –a potential conflict of interests it has refused to comment on. Somewhat surprisingly, India’s Competition Commission seems to have no objection to this, saying one carrier is ful...

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS Lufthansa CEO Christoph Franz (far left) greets Rohit Nandan, Air India chairman and managing director (far right), following the December 13 Star Alliance board meeting in Vienna as Star Alliance CEO Mark Schwab (center left) and Air Canada CEO Calin Rovinescu (center right) look on. (Photo: Star Alliance) January 10, 2014, 12:19 PM The Star Alliance has set a new target of 2015 for Air India to join its ranks following a unanimous vote by member airlines to restart the process of integrating the Indian flag carrier. The alliance suspended integration in 2011 on grounds that Air India had “not met minimum joining conditions agreed in December 2007.” With signs of stability and fleet rationalization, however, Star has agreed to give Air India a second chance. “When we stopped integration, we thought Air India needed more time for its merger and preparation for its future growth and development…We feel t...

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  JANUARY 6, 2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Air Astana plans to take delivery of a third Boeing 767-300ER this year. (Image: Boeing) January 6, 2014, 1:30 PM Resolved on tapping the booming Central Asian market, global alliances SkyTeam, OneWorld and Star Alliance have approached Kazakhstan national carrier Air Astana with offers to join their ranks. In response, the airline recently commissioned U.S.-based Seabury Group to prepare a report on whether it should enter an alliance “and which one, because all alliances want us to join them,” Air Astana president Peter Foster told  AIN  in Astana recently. “The year 2014 will be a big year for us as we will decide how to structure our medium-haul fleet,” said Foster. “Our first consideration will be range and then costs when we evaluate our options.” Over the past two years Air Astana rolled over virtually its entire fleet, replacing all its...