ANA Holdings said Tuesday it could take as long as 3 years to replace faulty turbine blades in the Rolls-Royce engines powering its Boeing 787s. ANA said last week that under certain flight conditions some of its 50 Dreamliners have been affected by vibrations caused by cracked turbine blades in the rear sections of the engines, forcing 3 flights since February to return to airports in Japan. The carrier has halted 18 flights this month resulting in US$800,000 in lost revenue as it works on the jets and has said it may cancel other flights in coming months. "It is an issue but it's a manageable issue," Rolls-Royce CE Warren East said Tuesday. "With the more intensive use, the natural wear and tear on the engines happens sooner," he said. All of ANA's Dreamliners are powered by Rolls-Royce engines. <br/>
star
THAI president Charamporn Jotikasthira has likened the carrier's previous performance to that of a "fat athlete" competing against "Olympic-class" competitors among Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian airlines. The carrier’s restructuring plan, focusing on boosting revenue, reducing costs, and improving revenue management and customer service, will enable the airline to compete with rivals, Jotikasthira said Tuesday. He says the first stage of the plan, dubbed "Stop Bleeding", was completed in 2014. THAI is now in the "Strength Building" phase until the end of this year. The airline will look to achieve sustainable growth from 2017 onward. Costs have already been cut roughly 10% by stopping the "don'ts", says Jotikasthira. Some of these savings were achieved by the mutually agreed early-retirement of a number of staff. <br/>
South African Airways has bought into moves by the govt to make Ghana the aviation hub in West Africa and has pledged its commitment to helping the country realise that goal. Consequently, the airline has expressed its readiness to use its experiences and expertise in the airline business in helping Ghana to establish a national carrier. The South African Ambassador to Ghana, Lulama Xingwana, said that the South Africa govt and SAA had realised that Ghana was blessed with enormous potential in the aviation industry, hence the decision to help the country to exploit them. For a start, SAA was putting in place a conducive environment that would inspire skills transfer between employees and their Ghanaian counterparts in the airline management and operation business. <br/>
Passengers aren't feeling a lot of love for two of America's largest airlines. Skytrax this month released its annual survey of the world's most loved airlines based on reviews submitted by passengers. It was not a good survey for United Airlines or its archival American Airlines. Of the 80 highest-ranking carriers in the survey of some 420 airlines globally, United and American finished 78th and 79th respectively with corresponding scores of 3.444 and 3.351 out of a possible maximum score of 10. What added particular insult to injury is that UA and AA finished just ahead of No. 80 Spirit Airlines (2.968), a carrier that is all about offering a bare-bones flying experience at rock-bottom prices. If you're wondering what airlines passengers really love these days, better look to Asia, where 9 of the top 10-ranked carriers are based. <br/>
United Continental Holdings released details Tuesday of the base salary and other compensation for its newly hired president, Scott Kirby, who shifted into the job from the same post at rival American Airlines Group. Kirby, who was hired Monday, is slated to collect an annual base salary of US$875,000 and a $5m sign-on bonus, among other incentive-based compensation. In the case of his termination, Kirby would be granted a severance package that includes a payment equal to double his salary, among other compensation. At United, Kirby will report directly to Oscar Munoz, the CE, and have responsibility for operations, marketing, sales, revenue management, and network planning. Kirby’s experience is seen as taking some of the burden off Munoz and providing the company with another source of deep industry knowledge. <br/>