Delta plans $1billion fleet upgrade, declines comment on 787
Delta Airlines said on Monday that it plans on upgrading its fleet and airport facilities within the next four years.
The world’s largest airline by revenue said it would invest $300 million a year through mid-2013 to add flat beds and entertainment systems throughout its fleet, alongside other service upgrades.
Delta said the move didn’t change its existing investment plans. Capital spending will drop to $1.1 billion this year from $1.3 billion in 2009.
Seeking a place at airports
Startup airlines like Virgin America are having problems securing landing slots at the nation’s busiest airports.
“We’ve been told at Newark that we can’t get in, and we’ve been told at J.F.K. that we can’t expand,” David Cush, Virgin America’s chief executive, said, referring to negotiations with the Federal Aviation Administration, which has limited flight operations at both airports to ease delays.
Even if an airline can gain access to runway slots at appealing times, it must negotiate the right to use an airport’s gates, which are typically controlled by the airport authority and airlines that have long-term leases.
BA begins training replacement cabin crew as Unite launches strike ballot
United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority has approved British Airways’ request to train pilots and ground staff in the event of a strike by the cabin crew.
The carrier planned to launch the first of nine training courses yesterday, when the Unite union started balloting its 12,000 BA cabin crew members on industrial action. The vote closes Feb. 22.
Formal negotiations between BA and Unite were abandoned this month and tensions have risen since.
(Photo: superciliousness/Flickr Creative Commons)
