The Biz Buzz » Aerospace

Alaska Air Group orders three new planes worth $98 million to expand Alaska service

John Gillie — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:59:20 +0000

Alaska Air Group’s Horizon Air regional subsidiary has ordered three new Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprop airliners to allow it to expand Horizon Air’s service to Alaska.

The order, announced Tuesday, is worth $98 million at list prices. Horizon Air, with 48 Q400 aircraft, is the largest operator of Q400 aircraft in the world. Horizon Air flies only Q400 aircraft.

The three additional planes will allow Alaska Airlines to substitute the 76-passenger turboprop planes for Boeing 737 jets on its Anchorage-Fairbanks route. Horizon flies on Alaska Airlines’ behalf connecting smaller cities and on shorter routes. Both Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air …

Delta inaugurates new Asian route from Sea-Tac

John Gillie — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:53:53 +0000

Delta Air Lines, which is making Sea-Tac Airport a mini-hub for overseas flights, Monday added yet another foreign destination to its Seattle-Tacoma repertoire.

The Atlanta-based carrier began service Monday connecting Sea-Tac with Shanghai. That city is the second destination in China for Delta from Sea-Tac. The airline already serves Beijing from Sea-Tac.

In addition to those two Chinese destinations, Delta also serves Tokyo and Osaka in Japan from Sea-Tac. The airline connects both of Tokyo’s two airports, close-in Handa, and Narita, to the Emerald City.

Delta serves both Amsterdam and Paris from the Puget Sound-area airport, and the airline has …

Horizon Air, flight attendants union reach tentative deal

John Gillie — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:37:56 +0000

Sea-Tac-based Horizon Air and the union that represents its nearly 500 flight attendants have reached a tentative deal for a new five-year labor contract.

The agreement comes nearly 18 months after the previous agreement became amendable. Labor contracts in the airline and rail industries don’t expire, they become “amendable” at the end of their terms.

Flight attendants represented by the Association of Flight Attendants will vote on the proposal in mid-July. The contract terms weren’t disclosed, but both the airline and the union said the deal includes pay raises, quality of life improvements and more flexible scheduling.

Horizon Air, which …

Boeing wins $10 billion in helicopter contracts from Defense Department

John Gillie — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:44:58 +0000

Boeing’s helicopter division has reason to celebrate this week.

The Defense Department awarded the company and a partner two contracts worth a total of $10.5 billion for rotary-winged aircraft.

One contract is for 177 CH-47F Chinook twin-rotor helicopters. The other is for 99 V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft that Boeing produces jointly with Bell Helicopter.

The CH-47F is the latest version of the classic Boeing twin-rotor aircraft used by military units throughout the world. The helicopter will be built in Boeing’s Ridley, Pa. plant.

The Osprey is an aircraft whose engines are mounted on the wingtips. Those engines drive large propellers …

Sea-Tac flights unaffected by French air controllers’ strike

John Gillie — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:10:59 +0000

A strike by air traffic controllers, now in its second day Wednesday, is having little if any effect on travelers at Sea-Tac Airport.

The airport’s sole daily flight to Paris, departed and arrived on time Tuesday. The Delta Air Lines flight from Paris was running ahead of schedule Wednesday afternoon, said Sea-Tac spokesman Perry Cooper.

Other European flights from Sea-Tac to Amsterdam, London and Frankfurt were also operating as scheduled according to Flightstats.com.

News reports from Europe Wednesday said about half of the 600 daily scheduled flights from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport had been canceled.

About two dozen flights …

Boeing says airliner demand will be robust, but will new planes be built here?

John Gillie — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 20:09:36 +0000

Boeing’s new 20-year forecast predicts airlines worldwide will need some 35,000 new airliners in the next two decades as the world’s airline fleet more than doubles.

That forecast, rolled out Tuesday by Boeing marketing vice president Randy Tinseth, predicts demand will be particularly strong from Asian carriers and in the single-aidle segment of the business.

That forecast predicted the demand for new planes would be 1,000 more than the company had predicted last year. The value of those planes would be about $4.8 trillion, some $300 billion more than last year’s forecast.

Tinseth said that demand is being driven by …

Alaska Air introducing turboprops to Anchorage-Fairbanks route, reshuffling jet schedule to provide non-stop flights from Alaska to warm weather cities

John Gillie — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:39:10 +0000

Alaska Airlines, the SeaTac-based air carrier, is reshuffling its schedule in Alaska to better utilize the planes in its fleet and that of its sister airline, Horizon Air.

The schedule changes also appears to be a defensive move by Alaska to counter moves by other airlines to connect Anchorage non-stop to vacation cities in the lower 48.

The airline announced this month that beginning in early March next year, it will use 76-passenger Q400 turboprop planes to fly between Anchorage and Fairbanks. Those planes will be operated by Horizon Air, Alaska’s regional airline subsidiary. Those flights, however, will be branded …

Boeing, Airbus to bring their newest planes to Paris Air Show

John Gillie — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:35:29 +0000

Both Boeing and its rival Airbus are planning to bring their newest offerings to the world’s biggest aerospace industry gathering, the Paris Air Show, next week to woo potential customers and the public.

Boeing said Monday it will bring a pair of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft to the air show which begins next Monday. The twinjet aircraft are the world’s first airliners built largely of composite materials.

The Dreamliner fleet was recently grounded for three months because of issues with its lithium ion batteries. Boeing modified the batteries, their containment box and the software that controls their recharging to lessen …

Pierce County, Economic Development Board hosting second Aerospace Summit July 17

John Gillie — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:48:39 +0000

Aerospace industry leaders and government officials will receive updates on the health of the aerospace business in the South Sound and tips on how to attract more business in mid-July at Pierce County’s second Aerospace Summit.

The summit will be held July 17 at Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood. Participants can register at www.edbtacomapierce.org.

Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy and the Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County are so-sponsoring this year’s event.

“Pierce County is home to a Boeing plant and more than 80 companies that work in the aerospace supply chain,” said McCarthy. “We will continue to connect …

Alaska pilots reach tentative accord on five-year contract

John Gillie — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:04:04 +0000

The union representing pilots flying for SeaTac’s Alaska Airlines said Thursday it has reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year labor contract.

The Airline Pilots Association International leadership is sending the proposed agreement to the union’s membership with a unanimous recommendation for approval.

The union’s members at Alaska will vote on the proposal in the near future.

“It is common for airline negotiation to last for years beyond the contract amendable date,” said ALPA official Chris Notaro, an Alaska captain. ”The fact that we were able to reach an agreement so close to our amendble date is indicative of …