April 25 - May 1, 2011
WestJet sets new single-day record - WestJet Media Release
WestJet today announced it will fly 51,611 guests on April 22, setting a new single-day record for the airline. The previous record of 50,336 guests was set on December 23, 2010.
On average, WestJet flies approximately 40,000 guests per day across its 71-city network.
"We thank our guests for choosing us time and time again, which has helped us to achieve this milestone," said Bob Cummings, Executive Vice-President, Sales, Marketing and Guest Experience. "We are proud of this milestone for a number of reasons, but especially because we achieved it while continuing to nurture our brand, employee and financial health. And we expect to set more of these kinds of records, as we launch service in May and June to Orange County-Anaheim, California, from Vancouver and Calgary, and significantly expand service in the eastern triangle between Toronto and Montreal and Toronto and Ottawa beginning on May 2."
Website Editor: We hope they can find the runway amidst all the other developments in Anaheim.
LAX continues to lead area recovery
Los Angeles International Airport saw a 2.9 percent increase in passenger traffic in March, when compared to the same month in 2010. Year-to-date, LAX volume is up by 2.6 percent.
LA/Ontario Airport saw a 1.3 percent improvement in March. Year-to-date, the airport is ahead by 0.6 percent.
Orange County's John Wayne Airport saw a 0.7 percent increase in March volume. YTD, JWA is down by 0.1 percent.
April 11 - April 17, 2011
Frontier Airlines Leaving Long Beach - Press Telegram
Less than a year after beginning daily flights out of Long Beach Airport to Denver, Frontier Airlines is leaving the city amid a reshuffling of West Coast operations.
The low-cost carrier will abandon its two daily flights to Jet Blue Airways and Allegiant Airlines. It's unclear what destinations Jet Blue and Allegiant have chosen, but the shift will keep Long Beach Airport's 41 daily commuter slots capped.
The move is not expected to significantly alter Long Beach Airport's annual commuter flight totals, which now average nearly 3 million people per year.
Frontier's passengers accounter for less than 5 percent of that total, with Jet Blue the main carrier.
Airports preparing for biggest version yet of 747 - Kansas City Star
With air cargo growing quickly, smaller airports are eager to accommodate the huge new 747-8 freighter, but some airport neighbors are skeptical of Boeing's claims that the bigger plane will be 30% quieter than current models. The FAA so far has issued waivers to allow the 747-8 at 14 airports, and 13 others are seeking to win approval. Once the big new jet begins service in those markets, Boeing believes any neighborhood opposition will disappear. "They'll find out they're more quiet than previous generations," says a company spokesman. "It shouldn't be a problem at all."
Boeing says it is also working with airport officials to secure FAA approval for additional airports to receive 747-8s. Not all airports may require a waiver. Los Angeles International is the only Southern California airport on the list.
April 4 - April 10, 2011
‘Missed approaches' rattle onlookers at JWA - OC Register
When a passenger jet descends toward John Wayne Airport, then throttles up with a roar right before reaching the runway, it can look like disaster narrowly averted.
In fact, so-called missed approaches and go-arounds – frequent sources of calls to the media – happen about a dozen times each month at John Wayne Airport, according to anecdotal statistics provided by federal officials.
The ear-splitting noise, as well as steep banking and climbing associated with the maneuver, can impart the impression of an emergency, said Ian Gregor, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
"That's what can be fairly disconcerting to passengers, and what can make people on the ground think, 'Oh my God, that was close,' when in reality, it wasn't anything of the sort," Gregor said.
That's not to say it's never serious. On infrequent occasions – a dozen times in the past three years at JWA – the incidents result from "runway incursions," which involve planes or vehicles getting in the way of aircraft.
And though the tactic is, in Gregor's words, a "very standardized, carefully choreographed procedure," it isn't guaranteed to work. In 1981, when attempting a go-around because of a departing plane near its path, Air California Flight 336 was unable to abort its descent and landed on its belly at JWA; all 110 occupants survived.
In most cases, the circumstances stem from a jet traveling too fast or too high.
"Fast and high is really bad when you're down by the runway (at JWA), because it's only 5,700 feet long," said Bob McGowan, a retired United Airlines pilot and former Villa Park councilman. "You don't want to go down into Route 73."
That might make the aborted landing seem like a last-second evasive maneuver, but Gregor and McGowan said that's not the case, as pilots usually know several miles in advance if they're out of position.
March 28 - April 3, 2011
FAA Bill Passed Minus Curfew for Valley Airports - San Fernando Business Journal
The U.S. House of Representatives rejected an amendment April 1 on a mandatory nighttime curfew at two San Fernando Valley airports as part of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization bill.
The amendment for the curfew at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank and Van Nuys Airport was voted down by a vote of 243 to 178.
The curfew was backed by the three congressmen whose districts included the airports, and would have applied to aircraft departures and arrivals between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., with exceptions for emergencies and military aircraft.
The ban was opposed by the National Business Aviation Association, the Air Transport Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and a number of other aviation trade groups.
