The U.S. airline industry finds itself in a pleasantly surprising sweet spot these days. While the economic recession is wreaking havoc on industries which have done better in tough times historically, U.S. airlines have found themselves in very good shape and returning to profitability so that they can begin to grow once more.
The Global recession has been treacherous for many industries, but in the midst of the turmoil the American airline industry is showing remarkable resilience. Delta Airlines announced Tuesday that it expects to report a full-year profit despite forecasting a 14% drop in operating revenue for the first quarter.
Regional carriers from overseas have been hiring a lot of airline pilots from the United States in the last year or so. Now a new regional airline is beginning operations just south of our border and may be looking to staff its new Regional Jets with American flightcrews.
Frontier Airlines announced Thursday it has a $40 million commitment from Republic Airways Holdings Inc., essentially refinancing a loan it received nearly a year ago when the Denver-based carrier filed for bankruptcy protection.
Pinnacle subsidiary Colgan Air’s Flight 3407’s crash near Buffalo, New York shouldn’t hurt Pinnacle Airlines Corp.’s financial picture or its relationship with Continental Airlines, company officials said.
Gulfstream International Airlines was founded in 1988 by Thomas L. Cooper, a former captain for Eastern Airlines. Gulfstream began operating initially as an “on-demand” charter airline serving South Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas. In 1990 Gulfstream was granted a permit to operate scheduled flights into six additional destinations in the Bahamas Islands, soon followed by routes from Miami and Ft. Lauderdale to Nassau and Freeport, Bahamas.
Even in a tough economy there are opportunities in the airline business. In a letter sent to former Eastern Airlines employees, an investor group announced that they have concluded a deal with the Eastern Airlines estate to acquire the name, trademarks and affiliate names (including Eastern Express and Eastern Shuttle) for the purpose of re-starting the airline as a scheduled airline.
Lynx Aviation, Inc. is the successful regional carrier that operates solely for Frontier Airlines based in Denver, Colorado. It is the only regional carrier that Frontier uses, and has been performing extremely well in the western states.
ATP welcomes three of its Airline Career Pilot Program Graduates as new CFIs:
Denver based Frontier Airlines reported an operating profit of $2.8 million in January. Frontier’s President and CEO, Sean Menke, said in a statement that the results show “we are charging in the right direction.”