DALLAS, Tex. and ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ —
Southwest Airlines Co. and AirTran Holdings, Inc. announced today that each received a request yesterday for additional information from the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection with Southwest’s previously announced proposed acquisition of AirTran. This action, often referred to as a “second request,” is a common part of the regulatory approval process under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. Both parties are in the process of gathering information to respond to the second request and will continue to work cooperatively with the DOJ as it reviews the transaction. Completion of the transaction remains subject to the approval of AirTran stockholders, receipt of DOJ and any other necessary clearances, and fulfillment of customary closing conditions. While a definitive closing date cannot yet be determined, Southwest and AirTran maintain their expectation that the transaction will close in the first half of 2011.

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American Airlines Orders Two New Boeing 777-300ER Widebody Jets to Support Network Strategy and International Growth

American Continues to Invest in Products to Enhance the Customer Experience

FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — American Airlines, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of AMR Corp., today announced it has entered into a purchase agreement with the Boeing Company under which American will acquire two Boeing 777-300ERs to support its global network strategy and to capitalize on international growth opportunities. The two aircraft are expected to be delivered in late 2012.

“These additional widebody aircraft will bolster our network strategy, particularly the international growth opportunities we expect from our joint businesses with oneworld® partners in the trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific markets,” said Tom Horton, President, AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines and American Eagle. “We value the combination of size, range and performance of the 777-300ER, as well as the extensive customer amenities it offers. The seating capability of the aircraft will give us growth flexibility in slot-constrained airports and provide us with greater ability to serve new long-haul markets.”

“American Airlines is an industry leader whose vision and disciplined approach to growth has made it one of the largest airlines in the world,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Jim Albaugh. “American is the first carrier in the United States to order the 777-300ER. These new airplanes will complement their large fleet of 777-200ERs by offering additional flexibility in serving nonstop routes while providing increased efficiency and reliability.”

Additional terms of the commitment were not disclosed.

“We hope that this positive step for our airline signals the beginning of a period of domestic and global expansion which will allow our airline to aggressively compete and prosper in the years to come,” said Captain David Bates, President of the Allied Pilots Association, the union that represents American’s 8,600 pilots.

From 2007 through 2010, American has invested $4.2 billion in aircraft, cabin, and facility improvements to enhance the customer experience.

International Growth Opportunities

The 777-300ERS will expand international service, either incremental frequencies in markets American serves today, or new routes largely resulting from its alliance initiatives.

As part of their recently launched trans-Atlantic business, oneworld members American, British Airways and Iberia announced service on five additional international routes, beginning in spring 2011. They are: New York JFK-Budapest and Chicago-Helsinki (operated by American Airlines), London Heathrow-San Diego (operated by British Airways), plus Madrid-Los Angeles and Barcelona-Miami (operated by Iberia). Also in spring 2011, American will add additional frequencies from New York JFK to Barcelona and Miami to Madrid.

On Jan. 11, American Airlines and Japan Airlines announced the launch of their trans-Pacific joint business. Customers can expect to benefit from better flight schedules, expanded codesharing, more coordinated services, and greater access to a wider variety of fares. Additional consumer benefits over the coming months are anticipated as the cooperation level deepens between the two airlines. Additionally, American plans to start its new nonstop daily service between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport next month, and to launch service from Los Angeles to Shanghai, China, in April. Japan Airlines began service from Haneda to San Francisco in late October. The carriers have already begun, or plan, to codeshare on these flights.

The trans-Atlantic joint business opportunity, initially representing approximately $7 billion in combined revenue between the carriers, will offer seamless service to 430 destinations in 105 countries, with nearly 5,200 daily departures worldwide. The trans-Pacific joint business, which represents more than $1.5 billion in combined revenue between the two airlines, represents significant growth opportunities for American long term as the Pacific region currently accounts for only about 4 percent of American’s total system capacity.

American also continued to grow its service in Latin America in 2010. Last year, it began service from New York’s JFK to San Jose, Costa Rica, and to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Dallas/Fort Worth to San Salvador, El Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It also began service from Miami to Brazil’s capital, Brasilia. American is Latin America and Mexico’s premier airline with 43 destinations to 17 countries.

“We believe it is important to grow but to do so sensibly, in the right places and, importantly, under the right economic circumstances,” Horton said. “Our purchase of additional 777s, our first growth aircraft since 2001, further demonstrates that philosophy and we will continue to look for growth opportunities that make the most sense for our customers, shareholders and employees.”

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Boeing Marks a Milestone With Rollout of 1,000th 767


EVERETT, Wash., Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) marked a proud moment in the company’s history today at a ceremonial rollout of the 1,000th 767 airplane. Hundreds of current employees, joined by Boeing retirees who worked on the first 767, gathered to celebrate the occasion at the Everett, Wash., factory.

“It was great to see so many people here today – the engineers, the technicians, the machinists – who have made the 767 the wonderful airplane it is,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “As we salute the 1,000th 767, the next 767 is already being built in a new bay where we can produce airplanes much more efficiently for years to come. We hope many of the new 767s will become U.S. Air Force tankers built right here.”

The 1,000th airplane is a 767-300ER (extended range) passenger model for ANA (All Nippon Airways) and was the final 767 to complete assembly on the current production line. Final production work already is underway on the 1,001 unit in a new, smaller bay that repositions the production line toward a leaner, more efficient operation.

Today’s milestone is a chance for the 767 family to celebrate its past, present and future showcased in this video: http://bit.ly/eMZIVv.
Boeing has offered the 767 as the platform for its NewGen Tanker if it wins the U.S. Air Force KC-X Tanker competition. A decision on the contract award is expected early this year.

The 767 family is a family of clean, quiet, fuel-efficient airplanes that provide maximum market versatility in the 200- to 300-seat market. The 767 family includes three passenger models – the 767-200ER, 767-300ER and 767-400ER – and a medium-widebody freighter, which is based on the 767-300ER fuselage.

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Las Vegas-Bound Southwest Airlines Flight Hits Turbulence; 2 Injured

southwest_airlines_logoSouthwest Airlines flight WN-1932 encountered turbulence while descending towards Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 31st.

The Boeing 737-800 plane was flying from Seattle, Washington, when it ran into severe turbulence.

The plane continued for a safe landing.

Two crew members sustained minor injuries in the incident.

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Boeing Names 14 Companies 2009 Suppliers of the Year

SEATTLE, April 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) tonight honored 14 companies as winners of its 2009 Supplier of the Year award.

The winners, chosen from among the company’s more than 12,000 active suppliers worldwide, are located in Germany, India, Japan and the United States. They were judged on quality, delivery performance, cost, environmental initiatives, customer service and technical expertise. Four are small businesses as defined by the U.S. government.
The winners, and the categories, are:

  • AZX International Corp. (Huntington Beach, Calif.) – Aerospace support
  • Bridgestone Corp. (Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan) – Electro, hydraulic and mechanical standards
  • Cytec Engineered Materials Inc. (Greenville, Texas) – Common aerospace commodities
  • Deharde-Maschinenbau H. Hoffmann GmbH (Varel, Germany) – International
  • Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, Fla.) – Academia
  • Frontier Electronics Systems Corp. (Stillwater, Okla.) – Avionics
  • GE Commercial Engine Operations (Evendale, Ohio) – Propulsion
  • GM Nameplate Inc. (Seattle) – Interiors
  • Hamilton Sundstrand, Electric Systems – 787 Team (Rockford, Ill.) – The Pathfinder Award, a new award recognizing outstanding efforts and significant strides in performance
  • Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (Bangalore, India) – The Alliance Award, a new award recognizing unique capabilities and services that are instrumental to a new Boeing product
  • OfficeMax Inc. (Naperville, Ill.) – Non-production
  • San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind (San Antonio) – Diversity
  • The Toolroom Inc. (Owensville, Mo.) – Outside manufacturing
  • Honeywell’s UOP (Des Plaines, Ill.) for technology

“Boeing and our suppliers are more interconnected now than ever before – combining our talents and capabilities to create the most innovative products and services for our customers and the aerospace industry worldwide,” said Ray Conner, Boeing enterprise leader of Supplier Management and vice president and general manager of Supply Chain Management and Operations for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
“Every supplier – small and large – is critical to our success, and it is important to recognize these suppliers for demonstrating industry-leading standards of quality, efficiency and performance.”

Before being chosen a Supplier of the Year, each company was named as one of the 486 recipients of a Boeing Performance Excellence Award. For information on the 2009 awards, visit the Boeing Supplier Performance Awards Web site.

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Southwest Emergency Landing

What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 en route from Saint Louis,MO to Dallas
Where: Saint Louis
When: Dec 7th 2011
Who: 137 passengers and 5 crew
Why: After takeoff, systems revealed unsafe gear.
The pilot returned to Lambert and made an emergency landing. No injuries were reported, and passengers were provided alternate flight.

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Boeing, Air China Announce Order for Boeing 777s

SEATTLE, Sept. 27 Boeing and Air China today announced an order for four 777-300ERs (Extended Range), which have a total average list price value of $1.1 billion at current list prices.

“This is a great day in the history of our long and enduring partnership with Air China,” said Marlin Dailey, vice president of Sales & Marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Today’s order of 777s also underscores Air China’s confidence in the world’s most successful twin-engine, long-haul airplane.”

Air China, the flag carrier of the People’s Republic of China, will use the airplanes to expand its international routes.

“The 777-300ER will be the backbone of our long-haul international fleet,” said Fan Cheng, vice president of Air China. “The airplane’s high efficiency and performance features will enable Air China to launch more direct long-haul routes to meet the increasing demand of our passengers.”

The Boeing 777 is the world’s most successful twin-engine, long-haul airplane. The 777-300ER extends the 777 family’s span of capabilities, bringing twin-engine efficiency and reliability to the long-range market. The airplane carries 365 passengers up to 7,930 nautical miles (14,685 km).

Boeing incorporated several performance enhancements for the 777-300ER, extending its range and payload capabilities. Excellent performance during flight-testing, combined with engine efficiency improvements and design changes that reduce drag and airplane weight, contributed to the increased capability.

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