Ryanair cancels 737 order plans, may reward shareholders
Ryanair plans to reduce the number of 737-800s it ordered from Boeing. It originally planned on taking delivery of 200 but will now settle for 112.
CEO Michael O’Leary, who has warned repeatedly that the deal may fall through (ATWOnline, Dec. 9), said the parties found common ground on pricing and a 2013-16 delivery schedule but that Boeing was “unwilling to incorporate some other terms and conditions from our existing agreement” into the new order. “We will not order aircraft if we believe that either the pricing or the other contractual terms and conditions will be inferior to those which we currently enjoy, as this would not be a wise or sensible use of shareholders funds,” he stated.
High-performance airlines: What distinguishes air transport’s consistently successful players?
What distinguishes a successful airline from a non-successful one? Global management consulting firm Accenture recently released a study that may provide the answers.
It stuck to airlines that generate at least 60% of their revenue from passenger services and operate at least 50 billion ASKs [Available Seat Kilometers] annually, though it did make exceptions for smaller carriers that “demonstrated exceptional growth during the period under review.” It also studied both traditional network airlines and LCCs.
A characteristic that particularly distinguished the high performers is that they were more successful in winning premium passengers, which Accenture defines as both traditional first/business class passengers and “more profitable economy-class customers,” such as business passengers that fly frequently on LCCs and often pay walkup fares.
CityCenter grand opening brings a renewed optimism to Las Vegas
You can tell how people feel about the new Aria at the CityCenter just by looking at their faces.
The wide eyes and eager smile of Jeff Korbelik told you everything you needed to know about the sentiment towards the dazzling new CityCenter project in Las Vegas late Wednesday night. The 46-year-old Nebraska native was one of thousands of people to stream through the doors of the Aria Resort & Casino just before midnight, seconds after the centerpiece of the new development on the Las Vegas Strip officially opened for business.
In brief, this was the feeling everyone who was present for last week’s grand opening gala seemed to have for the lavish $8.5-billion project. Everyone from the employees, to the city’s cab drivers to MGM Mirage CEO Jim Murren had glowing things to say about the potential of CityCenter and what it could mean to Las Vegas, a city that has been hit quite hard by the economic recession.
(Photo: Motel George/Flickr Creative Commons)
