The actions of a pioneering US airport are set to make history for a second time. Branson Airport in Texas became the United States’ first public-owned and public-controlled hub when it opened for business in May last year. This same airport now intends to launch an in-house airline service in two month’s time, it has emerged.

Branson AirExpress’ operations will commence on 17 May and the carrier will serve as a public charter service under the same ownership as that of the airport.

“What a wonderful way to celebrate our one-year anniversary in May”, Jeff Bourk of
Branson Airport stated in a recent press release. “This is an exciting time for us and our partner airports as this service will provide travelers flexibility, convenience and low fares when flying to and from Branson or any of the connecting cities.”

Two airlines presently operate from Branson Airport: AirTran Airways and Sun Country Airlines. A third - Frontier Airlines – will launch a Branson-Denver service in April.

Branson AirExpress

Branson AirExpress will operate on a trial run basis, initially. Through a contract established with local airline ExpressJet, it will have use of twin-engined Embraer ERJ-145 regional jet airliners, along with associated crew members and support infrastructure. The airline describes these ERJ-145s as being fuel-efficient and featuring cushioned leather seats.

Aspects like ticket booking, meanwhile, will be the domain of the airport itself.

Branson Airport Airline

Branson Airport’s airline will serve five destinations: Austin, Des Moines, Houston, Terra Haute and Shreveport. Until April 17th, reduced fares are available on flights to all of these destinations through an introductory offer, with prices of between $39 and $49.

Branson Airport has a single, 7,000-foot-long runway capable of accommodating aircraft up to Boeing 757 size. It is sited on a 922 acre expanse of land situated over 1,300 feet above sea level. Its terminal, meanwhile, covers 58,000 square feet and boasts four gates.

A newly-opened Japanese airport has attracted criticism over the very limited number of flights taking place from it.

Ibaraki Airport is the 98th airport to have been opened in the country and it was inaugurated on 7 March 2010. Three days later, the first flight departed from it, but – for the next few weeks – there will only be a single daily scheduled flight taking place.

This sole daily flight takes place between Ibaraki and South Korea, and is operated by Asiana Airlines. Another carrier – Skymark Airlines – will soon join it, flying to Kobe on a daily basis.

Ibaraki Airport: Japan

Japan’s Ibaraki Airport is a brand new facility, but its construction took place on an existing military base used by the Japanese Air Self Defence Force.

Located approximately 50 miles from Tokyo, the airport boasts a 2,700 metre runway and was created as a site for low-cost airline operations, but very few passengers passed through it on its opening day.

New Airport in Japan

Within Japan itself, Ibaraki Airport is being viewed as a bit of a waste of money. Critics have pointed out that this new airport in Japan represents yet another example of the country spending as a means of boosting the economy, and not necessarily for other practical reasons. At the same time, however, some sources have highlighted how – with its very restricted flight portfolio - Ibaraki Airport might offer an alternative travel gateway to international passengers more used to busier airports and the delays associated with them.

According to information detailed on the airport’s website, the new runway complements the base’s existing one which – at 3,300 metres in length - is used by military traffic. In all, the airport has the capacity to handle four airliners: one large twin-engined airliner type such as the Airbus A300 or Boeing 767, and three medium-sized twin-engined aircraft of the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737-type class.

While the operating hours of the airport per se are 8.00am to 9.00pm each day – as a military base- the site remains open around the clock.

Three airlines have linked up to offer highly-prized airport takeoff and landing slots at several key hubs in an attempt to suppress EU competition fears, it emerged on 10 March.

The airlines in question are American Airlines, Iberia and British Airways – all of which belong to airline alliance Oneworld – and the airports associated with their offer include John F. Kennedy International in New York, and London’s Gatwick and Heathrow Airports.

The European Commission confirmed in a statement that parties interested in acquiring these slots have until 10 April to register their interest. “If the market test confirms that the proposed commitments remedy the competition concerns, the Commission may adopt a decision ... making the commitments legally binding on the parties”, it added.

“The slots can be leased from the airlines' current slot portfolio and don't have to be slots currently used on the specified routes”, British Airways said in a separate statement. “The European Commission has agreed that the airlines should be compensated financially by those airlines wishing to lease slots.”

The EC also said it would discard an antitrust case with the potential to generate multi-million Euro fines.

Oneworld Airport Slots

In excess of 8,000 flights take place each day involving airlines belonging to Oneworld, and 328 million passengers are carried each year. British Airways, Iberia and American Airlines all joined it in 1999. Supplementing the Oneworld airport slots offer – which involves airports in Miami, Boston and Dallas as well as New York and London - all have also offered membership to their frequent-flier programmes.

As far as the EC is concerned, BA, AA and Iberia’s plan will encourage other carriers to fly between the UK and the US, and passengers won’t suffer as a result. “There will still be a choice of flights so consumers are not harmed by this deal”, spokeswoman for the commission, Amelia Torres, commented.

However, one airline – Virgin Atlantic – has criticised the move. “The proposals are woefully inadequate in counteracting the anti-competitive harm of a combined BA-AA”, Sir Richard Branson stated.

“I continue to question why the Commission is even considering these proposals to try and put right the consumer harm of this monster monopoly when it does not seem to have any evidence of concrete consumer benefits.”

Two US carriers are seeking exemption from a new US airport rule – soon to be introduced – that caps the time that airliners can be held on the ground prior to take off.

The airlines, Delta and JetBlue, have highlighted the financial implications of delays arising out of the shut-down of John F. Kennedy International Airport’s main runway: a prime operating hub for them.

Airport Tarmac Rule

As previously covered by Airport International, the Department of Transport is introducing this new airport tarmac rule with effect from 29 April 2010. Its terms compel airlines using US airports to release passengers from aircraft that experience “lengthy” (three-plus hour) delays, except for cases where security or safety issues are the cause. Fines will be imposed on airlines that fail to comply with the rule.

December 2009 saw 22 instances take place in which passengers endured waits exceeding three hours: episodes that – from the end of April onwards – will be penalised to the tune of $27,500 for each passenger. A fully loaded medium-sized twin engined airliner like the Boeing 737, therefore, could attract a multi-million dollar fine.

Airport Delays: JFK

Delta Airlines and JetBlue are JFK Airport’s two dominant passenger-carrying airlines, and JFK itself was especially hardly-hit by delays in 2009. The closure of its main runway at the start of March 2010 has already resulted in further airport delays taking place and this is one of the issues of concern for the two airlines. This is exacerbated by the timing of the tarmac rule’s introduction, as they see it: May marking the start of the traditionally-busy holiday period.

Both Delta and JetBlue have imposed temporary schedule cuts to try and offset the impact of JFK’s runway shut-down, as was pointed out in a JetBlue statement issued to the Department of Transport. “Although JetBlue has already taken several steps to minimize the impact of this closure on its JFK operations, this exemption is necessary to ensure that JetBlue is not penalized if JFK becomes gridlocked at peak operating times”, it stressed.

According to the FAA – Federal Aviation Administration – the JFK runway closure – which lasts up until July – will generate circa-50 minute delays at peak times and circa-29 minute delays at other times of the day, across the board.

See also:

JFK Airport Opens JetBlue Terminal

Singapore Airlines – the first carrier to operate the Airbus A380 twin-decked airliner - is breaking new ground at one of the busiest airports in the world. The airline – it emerged on March 5th 2010 – has now been approved to adjust the way it currently flies A380s out of Heathrow, and the benefits of its new departure profile include reduced noise pollution and increased fuel efficiency.

For more than 12 months, Singapore Airlines has been collaborating with three key parties: A380 manufacturer Airbus, airport operating group BAA (which owns Heathrow) and NATS – National Air Traffic Services.

As a result of its work, the new style of A380 departure has now been put in motion and, consequently, individual fuel savings are now being achieved of approximately 300 kilograms per aircraft. According to Airbus, nitrogen oxide emissions are being reduced by 10 per cent, too.

Singapore Airlines: Airbus A380

Singapore Airlines operates 10 Airbus A380s and a similar number of older Boeing 747-400s. According to an Airbus representative, experience in operating the earlier type out of Heathrow dictated the approach adopted for initial London Heathrow Airport A380 flight operations.

“When the airline introduced the A380 at Heathrow in March 2008, it continued with the procedure developed for its Boeing 747-400s to comply with London noise limits, which was to use TOGA take-off/go around [full] thrust for maximum climb”, engineer Nicolas Mourney told weekly aerospace publication Flight International.

”After positive feedback with regards to acoustic performance, the captain suggested a revised procedure using the 'Flex' flexible lower thrust take-off setting”, he added.

A380 Heathrow Departure

The revised A380 Heathrow departure capitalises on its low noise output and overall performance. It sees the aircraft using less power during the take off itself and – once it has climbed to 1,500 feet – flexible acceleration is used for the next 2,500 feet.

“The Airbus A380 is already the most fuel efficient aircraft in commercial service, burning 17 per cent less fuel per passenger than other large aircraft”, Heathrow’s Operational Noise and Air Quality Manager stated. “By 2020 one in ten flights at Heathrow could use A380s. It is important that we work constantly with our airlines to improve operating processes, and the introduction of these new departure procedures demonstrates our commitment to reducing emissions.”

BAA has said it will discuss Singapore Airlines’ A380 Heathrow Airport operations with the other airlines that fly this aircraft in and out of the airport – Australian carrier Qantas, and Dubai flagship airline Emirates. “We look to work with all airlines in order to minimise noise and emissions through optimal departure procedures”, the airline commented in a statement.

The Airbus A380 is a four-engined airliner that first flew in April 2005 and entered airline service approximately two-and-a-half years later. It has the accolade of being the largest commercial aircraft in current scheduled service.

The US TSA (Transport Security Administration) is breathing new life into a plan to integrate shoe-scanning technologies into US airport security networks in coming months. Once these shoe-scanners are in place, passengers should no longer have to remove their shoes prior to being allowed on board airliners.

The administration intends to acquire 100 airport shoe-scanning machines by 2011, according to information provided at the beginning of March 2010.

Earlier airport shoe-scanning trials took place in 2007, but were not successful. They were carried out at Orlando International Airport but – after seven months of tests – were pulled when it was found that some weapons and parts used to make Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were not being detected.

The scanners involved in the 2007 trials also picked up on metal components in shoes that were part of the design (so entirely safe), and this proved alarming to some passengers.

Shoe Scanning Technologies

As of 2010, more than 10 firms have developed shoe scanning technologies for use in airports. All have raised the prospect of a more successful outcome than the 2007 tests yielded, while the TSA has highlighted the boost they will give US airport security.

What’s more – a spokesperson for the administration said – there would be further benefits to them, too. Allowing passengers to refrain from having to remove their shoes “would help checkpoints run more smoothly and allow our officers to focus on other aspects of security”, Sterling Payne told USA Today.

Airport Security: Shoe Removal

The requirement to remove shoes at airport security checkpoints was established in 2001, in light of an attempted mid-air terrorist act, in which infamous ‘shoe bomber’ Richard Reid tried to detonate devices on an American Airlines flight between Paris and the US. Only certain passengers were made to do this at first but shoe-removal became a universal requirement in 2006, after a fresh attempt at causing mid-air terror was unwrapped.

The machines being developed are various sizes and work in different ways. Some of them employ electromagnetic technology, others employ chemical sensors.

Airport International will provide further coverage of these new airport shoe-scanning machines as future facts emerge.

See also:

Shoe Scanner Technology Trial at LAX

Freight carrier American Airlines Cargo has opened a new cargo facility at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport.

The facility was inaugurated on March 1st 2010 at JFK – an airport described by the company’s president as “one of our most important hubs.”

“After 45 years in our previous facility, we are pleased to provide a state-of-the-art cargo terminal at New York JFK - one of our most important hubs”, Dave Brooks said in an American Airlines press release issued online.

“Our investment in high-speed handling systems for containerized freight, expanded dock and storage capacity, and a beautiful interior environment is designed to maximize the experience of our valued customers.”

American Airlines Cargo Facility

The new American Airlines cargo facility at JFK boasts an ETV (Elevated Transfer Vehicle) handling system that offers storage capacity equivalent to almost 400 top-deck cargo aircraft positions. In addition, it features:

• Warehouse space totalling in excess of 135,000 square feet
• Three coolers that can store objects with a limited shelf life
• A so-called “environmental room”
• An area dedicated to live-animal handling

American Airlines Cargo flies to more than 240 airports located in 40 countries. It operates 11 different types of aircraft including cargo variants of the Boeing 777 and 767 twin-engined airliners.

JFK Airport: Cargo Handling

JFK Airport is a significant cargo-handling site, with almost 100 different carriers that use it on a regular basis. Among those that have cargo facilities at the airport are DHL, FedEx Express and United Airlines.

At the end of February, AA opened a new cargo facility at another hub: LAX – Los Angeles International Airport. “AA Cargo’s new facility is designed to enhance our customers’ shipping experience by increasing our cargo handing capability at LAX – one of the world’s busiest airport” President Dave Brooks said of this one.

“The new facility represents a significant investment, which not only strengthens our cargo operation in Los Angeles, but also solidifies it as a major airfreight hub to and from Asia-Pacific, Europe and beyond.”

See also:

Memphis International: 2009's Biggest Cargo Airport

2009 was the second-safest year for air travel in recent times, new data issued by the International Air Transport Association has shown.

While increased fees, overcrowding and other airport-related issues have all affected overall airport passenger satisfaction, this news may offer travellers some positive news. It may also reinforce the high working standards and achievement of airport and airline workers alike.

Air Safety Report

The International Air Transport Association’s air safety reports date back to 1964 and, it said on February 22nd, 2009 was second only to 2006. The result was attributed by head of communications for the US branch of IATA, Steve Lott, to ongoing investment programmes. “It's the airlines continuing to invest in training and technology on the aircraft”, he said.

“We like to remind passengers that they are still in very safe hands. Aviation is still the safest form of transportation, and looking at the statistics, it's still very rare and growing increasingly rare that we see any accidents.”

Air Travel Report

The 2009 air travel report covered aircraft accidents for the year. The overall worldwide accident rate in terms of commercial airliners built by aircraft manufacturers in the West was one accident per 1,400,000 flights. Expressed another way: one accident experienced by a passenger flying every day for almost 4,000 years!

This rate was higher for Eastern European and Asian aircraft, but it should be noted that these airliners only made up approximately two per cent of global flights.

Overall – said the IATA:

• 35 million flights occurred during 2009: 27 million involving jet-powered airliners, and the remainder – smaller turbo-powered aircraft.
• 2.3 billion passengers travelled by air
• There were 19 accidents in which Western-made airliners were involved: three less than in 2008
• There were 90 accidents in all: 19 down on 2008. Of these, 18 involved passenger fatalities, and 685 people lost their lives in all.

“Safety is the industry’s number one priority”, the Chief Executive Officer of IATA, Giovanni Bisignani, stated in an online press release. “Even in a decade during which airlines lost an average of US$5 billion per year, we still managed to improve our safety record.

“Last year, 2.3 billion people flew safely. But every fatality is a human tragedy that reminds us of the ultimate goal of zero accidents and zero fatalities.”

A multi-billion dollar airport expansion project has got underway at LAX – Los Angeles International Airport. Specifically, LAX’s international terminal – considered sub-standard by some – will be enlarged so as to incorporate additional departures gates, more passenger facilities and other features. The expansion project at the airport’s Tom Bradley International Terminal is scheduled to take over three years to complete, so should be finished in 2013.

Passengers passing through LAX are not expected to be affected by the upgrades, logistically speaking. However, passenger charges - along with airline fees – will likely increase in line with the project’s funding mechanism. No information has yet been provided on the possible scope of these price hikes.

Tom Bradley International Terminal: LAX

Almost 60m passengers used Los Angeles International in 2009: only six other airports handled more people-traffic. It has nine Terminals in all, of which TBIT – Tom Bradley International Terminal – has been in operation for over 25 years.

TBIT was named after former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and its own passenger-handling numbers typically hit 10m per annum, while in excess of 30 different international carriers operate scheduled airline flights to and from it.

As a result of its upgrade, TBIT will gain an extra nine gates and, therefore, be able to handle the likes of the Airbus A380 and the latest jumbo jet: the Boeing 747-800. It will also have new corridors which will streamline the terminal’s current security screening for passengers using other parts of the airport.

"Most of the construction is going to take place behind the scenes”, Albert Rodriguez – a spokesman for LAX – stated.

LAX: Airport Upgrade

The costs associated with the LAX airport upgrade at Tom Bradley International Terminal – at $1.55bn - will make it Los Angeles’ most expensive project ever.

Worldwide marketing organisation J.D Power and Associates recently surveyed 12,000 passengers to discover their opinions on 20 airports in the US. Among the areas that were covered were ease of access, the quality of facilities provided by the airport, the service provided by airport security workers and how happy, overall, those using them were.

LAX achieved a overall ranking of 19th in this.

See also:

New Taxiway to Improve Safety at LAX

Critics of London Heathrow Airport’s third runway have launched a legal challenge based around flaws in the runway consultation process, it has emerged.

These critics include environmental campaigners, people who live in the Heathrow area and others and, together, they plan to derail the runway’s go-ahead.

Governmental approval for Heathrow Airport Runway 3 was given at the start of 2009, along with approval for a future Terminal 6 to support it.

Supporting its original Runway 3 decision, the Department for Transport said it intended to offer a “robust” defence to the legal challenge.

Third Runway at Heathrow

The coalition behind the legal challenge to a third runway at Heathrow Airport includes representatives for six West London authorities. One of these – Ray Puddifoot of Hillingdon Council – referred to the Runway 3 approval as “fundamentally flawed.” Consultation, he told the BBC, had taken place in respect of initial proposals, but this process was sidelined of new proposals.

“If this airport runs at full capacity... it will produce an extra 23 and a half [million] tonnes a year of CO2 - that's as much as the 54 least polluting countries produce every year, and that's just one airport”, he added.

"The department stands fully behind the decisions on Heathrow announced last year and will be defending them robustly in court”, a representative for the Department for Transport countered, adding: “As matters are currently subject to legal proceedings, it would not be appropriate to comment further.”

Heathrow Runway 3

At 2,200 metres in length, Heathrow Runway 3 will be shorter than Runways 1 and 2, which both exceed 3,500 metres. According to its supporters, once in place, it will boost London Heathrow’s aircraft/passenger traffic by 50 per cent. It will also result in the creation of thousands of new jobs and, therefore, boost the UK’s economy in general.

The themes of discontent raised by critics of it, meanwhile, include its environmental impact (both in terms of additional aviation emissions, and increased noise pollution), the loss of local villages and the need for it at all in a world where fewer people are flying.