Penerbangan Nasional Bertambah 130 Rute Baru

Liputan6.com, Jakarta: Jalur penerbangan nasional bakalan kian gemuk. Kementerian Perhubungan melalui Direktorat Jenderal Perhubungan Udara berencana menawarkan sekitar 130 rute tambahan kepada maskapai nasional sehingg total rute penerbangan akan bertambah menjadi 200 rute.

Direktur Jenderal Perhubungan Udara Herry Bakti S Gumay mengaku tujuan rencana pembukaan rute salah satunya pemerintah ingin membuka isolasi daerah-daerah yang selama ini belum terbuka seluruhnya.

"Kita sudah menyusun rute-rute mana saja yang nantinya kita tawarkan kepada operator, jumlahnya sekitar 130 rute," ujarnya, Senin (26/11/2012).

Dia menambahkan, selain bertujuan membuka isolasi, penambahan rute-rute tersebut karena pemerintah ingin memajukan sektor pariwisata nasional dengan memberikan memudahkan wisatawan dalam dan luar negeri yang akan mengunjungi pariwisata di daerah tersebut.

Hinga kini penyusunan rute-rute penerbangan baru tersebut masih berlangsung. Selain berasal dari pemerintah juga merupakan usulan dari masing-masing maskapai, yang sebelumnya sudah melakukan kajian sendiri terhadap destinasi yang akan mereka terbangi.

Nantinya rute-rute baru ini akan ditawarkan kepada maskapai penerbangan nasional. Para pelaku dipersilakan memilih rute-rute yang ditawarkan pemerintah setelah melakukan kajian potensi pasar yang akan di layani.

“Misalnya, selama ini dari Medan untuk menuju Makasar harus transit di Jakarta. Atau dari Batam untuk menuju Surabaya harus transit di Jakarta. Bila operator maskapai melihat ada potensi pasar dari Medan langsung ke Makasar, mengapa tidak? Apalagi secara jarak lebih pendek. Dari segi penggunaan bahan bakar juga lebih hemat,” jelas Herry.

Herry mengakui tidak menutup kemungkinan nantinya ada satu rute yang kemudian diminati beberapa maskapai. "Bisa saja satu rute yang dianggap potensial diminati beberapa maskapai. Silahkan saja sepanjang pangsa pasarnya dianggap feasible," tuturnya.

Perihal dampak penambahan rute-rute baru pada kepadatan Bandara Soekarno Hatta Jakarta dan bandara-bandara lainnya, dia memastikan rute-rute baru yang ditawarkan sebagian besar di daerah timur dan tidak harus melalui bandara-bandara yang selama ini sudah padat seperti Jakarta, Surabaya dan Denpasar. Sehingga kepadatan di bandara-bandara tersebut kemungkinan tidak terjadi.

Lion Air Milik Singapura?

INILAH.COM, Jakarta - Status kepemilikan maskapai penerbangan Lion Air, mulai dipertanyakan. Kalau selama ini perusahaan swasta itu dibanggakan sebagai milik pengusaha nasional, belakangan muncul kecurigaan.
Nama pengusaha Indonesia di perusahaan itu hanya "di atas kertas" sementara sejatinya yang memodali perusahaan itu pemodal Singapura. Sehingga Lion Air sebetulnya perusahaan asing yang beroperasi dengan bendera merah putih.
Kecurigaan tentang kepemilikan itu disampaikan kepada INILAH.COM baru-baru ini oleh seorang pengusaha nasional yang sudah lebih dari dua puluh tahun aktif sebagai anggota Kamar Dagang ASEAN.
Kecurigaan tertuju pada penggunaan nama "Lion" dan kemampuan perusahaan tersebut membeli 230 unit pesawat dari Boeing, Amerika Serikat. "Lion itu khan, dalam bahasa Inggris artinya Singa. Dan yang paling banyak menggunakan nama Singa adalah Singapura. Kalau kita di Indonesia, nama Singa hampir tidak pernah digunakan," ujar pengusaha yang belum mau disebut identitasnya itu.
Tentang mengapa indentitas Singapura disembunyikan sebagai pemilik dari maskapai penerbangan tersebut, itulah yang sebetulnya menjadi sorotan utama. Sebab dengan demikian Singapura sebetulnya secara diam-diam berusaha mendominasi bisnis penerbangan di Indonesia dengan cara tidak terbuka.
Perusahaan penerbangan Singapura lainnya yang melayani rute Indonesia Silk Air. Anak perusahaan Singapore Airlines ini melayani rute-rute sejumlah ibukota provinsi maupun kota madya. Keadaan ini dirasakan sebagai sebuah kondisi yang tidak berimbang bahkan tidak sehat.
Singapura, negara yang penduduknya tidak sampai 5 juta jiwa itu, tetapi memperoleh hak terbang di angkasa Indonesia yang di bawahnya dihuni oleh 240 juta manusia.
Di luar bisnis penerbangan, Singapura diyakini semakin merangsek ke berbagai bisnis vital dan strategis di Indonesia. Seperti bisnis keuangan dan telekomunikasi. Sejumlah bank swasta nasional yang kolaps pada krisis moneter 1998, telah berada di bawah kendali Singapura, seperti Bank Danamon dan Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII). Singapura juga memiliki saham 35% di PT Telkomsel, operator telepon seluler yang saat ini memiliki pelanggan 140 juta.
Kecurigaan bahwa Lion Air sesungguhnya milik atau dimodali oleh pengusaha Singapura semakin kuat, ketika tahun lalu, tanpa ba bi bu, tiba-tiba mengumumkan pembelian sebanyak 230 unit pesawat buatan Boeing, Amerika Serikat.
Pengumuman itu begitu menarik perhatian sekaligus menimbulkan kontroversi. Sebab penanda-tanganan kesepakatan jual beli dilakukan pada 18 Nopember 2011, di tengah-tengah acara KTT ASEAN, di Nusa Dua Bali.
Penanda-tanganan perjanjian antara Lion Air dan Boeing itu disaksikan langsung oleh Presiden RI Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono dan Presiden AS Barack Obama. Pemesanan pesawat sebanyak itu, disebut-sebut mengalahkan rekor pesanan dari Emirates Airlines dari Uni Emirat Arab, negara yang memang dikenal kaya raya dari hasil minyak.
Penanda-tangan di Bali itu juga sempat mendapat protes dari fabrikan pesawat Eropa yang berkedudukan di Prancis, Airbus. Pasalnya, Obama sebagai Presiden dianggap telah melakukan intervensi dalam bisnis swasta, sesuatu yang melanggar etika.
"Kalau hanya modal Indonesia, saya tidak yakin Lion Air bisa membeli atau memesan pesawat sebanyak itu," kata pengusaha yang juga menjadi penasehat bisnis sejumlah Kepala Negara di kawasan Asia itu.
Menurut Wikipedia Indonesia, Lion didirikan pada Oktober 1999 oleh kakak beradik Kusnan dan Rudi Kirana. Modalnya US$10 juta dan secara resmi baru dioperasikan 30 Juni 2000. Kakak beradik ini tadinya mengelola bisnis perjalanan Lion Tours.
Data ini memberi petunjuk bahwa Lion Air berdiri ketika situasi ekonomi Indonesia sedang morat-marit sebagai dampak dari krisis moneter dan pelengseran Presiden Soeharto.

Garuda Indonesia Increases Abu Dhabi / Amsterdam Service from late-June 2013

Update at 0940GMT 27NOV12

Garuda Indonesia starting 22JUN13 is increasing service on Jakarta – Abu Dhabi – Amsterdam service, where overall operation increases from 4 to 6 weekly. GA previously served Amsterdam on daily basis but reduced to 4 weekly since March 2012.

Schedule:

GA088 CGK1920 – 0020+1AUH0220+1 – 0735+1AMS 332 x2
GA089 AMS1045 – 1930AUH2130 – 0925+1CGK 332 x3

Radar di Bandara Sepinggan Mendadak Tidak Berfungsi

BALIKPAPAN, KOMPAS.com- Radar di Bandara Internasional Sepinggan Balikpapan, Kalimantan Timur, mendadak tidak berfungsi tadi pagi, Selasa (27/11/2012). Hingga malam ini, perbaikan masih dilakukan.
"Belum kami ketahui penyebab radar tak berfungsi. Namun Kami sudah menginformasikan ke seluruh maskapai," kata Abdullah Husin dari Humas PT Angkasa Pura I (Persero) Bandara Sepinggan, malam ini.
Tidak berfungsinya radar membuat pesawat yang akan mendarat harus berputar mencari posisi pendaratan. "Butuh waktu tambahan 5-10 menit bagi pesawat untuk mendarat," katanya.
Radar berfungsi memandu pilot untuk menentukan lokasi dan arah bandara secara otomatis. Karena radar tak berfungsi, pilot mencari lokasi secara visual. Meski demikian, dengan panduan alat navigasi di darat tidak ada pesawat yang terlambat, sehingga tak ada penumpukan penumpang.

ANA Places Another Follow-On 787 Order

All Nippon Airways (ANA) says it will take another 11 higher capacity, long-range 787-9s, raising its totals to 66 aircraft, by far the largest order rate for Boeing’s twin-engine transport.
With the addition of these -9s, the Japanese carrier’s 787 fleet will eventually include 36 787-8s and 30 787-9s. This is the second follow-on 787 order for ANA, which originally purchased 50 of the type.
The 11 latest aircraft are scheduled to be delivered from 2018 to 2021, ANA says. As of August, ANA had taken delivery of 13 787-8s.
ANA is using the 787s on eight domestic routes and Tokyo-Frankfurt services from Hanada airport. In January it plans to launch flights from Tokyo’s Narita airport to San Jose, Calif., and switch a current Narita-Seattle service to the 787 on Oct. 1. On Oct. 28, ANA also will initiate Narita-Beijing 787 service.
The airline is yet to decide which engine option it will use for the additional 11 orders. The 55 existing 787 orders all have Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.
Correction: The story originally misstated the engine selection status of the latest orders.

787-9 Bringing Boeing Some Silver Linings

Boeing is understandably cautious when it comes to using the words “promises” and “787'” in the same sentence, but with a little more than three months to go before the start of final assembly of the first stretched version, it is already projecting a far smoother development path ahead for the 787-9.
The derivative has hit the 85% design drawing release point while assembly of all the large subassemblies for the first aircraft is beginning. All this is happening as Boeing marks the first anniversary of the initial 787-8 delivery to launch customer All Nippon Airways and comes as deliveries hit 25 aircraft.
However, Boeing is not fooling itself and knows that both the progress on the 787-9 and the accelerating deliveries of the 787-8 remain silver linings of a dark cloud still hanging over the company and its revenues after years of delays and problems. The bottom line is that deliveries still have a long way to go to match the rising production tempo and that, if the history of the 787 is anything to go by, Boeing would be wise to expect the unexpected when it comes to development of the stretch.
It is due to the hard-won experience on the 787-8, though, that progress on the extended fuselage variant is edging ahead of schedule, says vice president and chief project engineer for the 787, Mike Sinnett. “From a production standpoint, all the major structural pieces are in initial build. In a lot of cases, we're early. It's a significantly different spot we're in than we were with the -8,” he says.
While always intended to be a transformational aircraft for the operators, the 787 has ended up transforming Boeing in more ways than was ever anticipated. Beyond launching it on the path to more electric, more composite aircraft and modular assembly processes, the 787's huge development costs made its leaders gun-shy over opting for the New Small Airplane instead of a reengined 737 in the face of competition from the A320NEO. Similarly, Boeing's product development office continues to burn the midnight oil over the potentially costly 777X project. Memories of expensive triage for the 787 lurk in the shadows as Boeing weighs pivotal wing and engine decisions for the next generation of its larger sibling.
Industrially, the rescue effort also expanded Boeing's production footprint for the 787 well beyond that originally planned, with unexpected factory acquisitions in South Carolina and Utah. But it is now the same much-maligned production system that is starting to crank out 787s to a build standard that, according to Sinnett, is actively contributing to the better-than-expected performance of the first batch of aircraft to enter service.
“We are getting cleaner aircraft. When we designed it with an all-composite wing and fuselage, we were conservative,” he says. “Then, as we started looking at weight-reduction changes and we rolled in things like the improved wingbox and the results of full-scale fatigue and static tests, this allowed us to be less conservative.” The result is, “we're seeing some level of surprise that it is performing as well as it is. You always want to talk yourself into thinking that something is not quite right, but its performance is basically spot on,” Sinnett adds. “There was a misconception in part because of the weight challenges early on. People expected the initial aircraft would be heavy, and maybe they are by a little bit, but even the early aircraft are performing to specification.”

Structural block-point improvements progressively introduced to the -8 between Line Nos. 7 and 70 are paying dividends, particularly when it comes to the predicted empty weight of the -9, says Sinnett. “We have a very robust baseline and we've learned a lot of lessons. We're ecstatic with where we are with weight. When we hit firm configuration, we locked in on a number and we've just come down on that. As in any new aircraft design, at every turn there's a risk and an opportunity. On the -8, after firm configuration the weight grew, but the -9 is a more stable design that builds on the experience of the -8 in terms of structural static and fatigue.”
The 787-9 is 206 ft. long, or 20 ft. longer than the -8, with two five-frame stretch sections on either side of the wing. Although seating up to 290 passengers in a three-class layout, compared to 250 in the standard version, the -9 is designed to fly up to 8,500 nm, or 300 nm further than the -8. Maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is just over 50,000 lb. more for the stretch and currently set at 553,000 lb. Boeing has managed to keep the weight target fixed since the firm configuration freeze in 2010, before which the MTOW was around 545,000 lb.
Another advantage the -9 development has over the -8 is that “people are more familiar with the material,” Sinnett adds. Additionally, the results of structural testing following the design improvements to the wing box and side-of-body have built confidence in the underlying capabilities of the composite primary structure. This has allowed Boeing to trim original design margins that Sinnett says now appear to have been somewhat “over-cautious.”
Sinnett also confirms that, contrary to widely published reports this summer, the hybrid laminar flow control (HLFC) system developed to reduce the empennage drag of the 787-9 has not been dropped. The feature, which is the first form of passive HLFC to enter commercial airline service, is “still on the baseline,” he says. Final assembly of the first 787-9 is expected to begin in Everett early in the first quarter of 2013, with first delivery to Air New Zealand slated for early 2014.

Major Assembly Begins For Boeing 787-9

Major assembly of the first stretched 787-9 is getting underway with the installation of door frames in a forward fuselage section in Japan.
The lengthened Section 43 fuselage barrel is being built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) in Nagoya along with the aircraft’s keel beam, pressure bulkhead, wheel well bulkhead and wing fixed trailing edge. The one-piece barrel fuselage assembly, which is around 10 ft. longer than the units made for the standard 787-8, will be barged on completion to Central Japan International Airport in Nagoya for transport to North Charleston, S.C. on board the 747LCF Dreamlifter.
The remaining structural parts for the first 787-9 shipset will be sent on to Fuji Heavy Industries for integration with the center wing section. Final assembly of all the sections for the 787-9 will take place in Everett next year, with first flight “still set for 2013,” says Boeing Commercial Airplanes marketing vice president Randy Tinseth. First delivery to Air New Zealand is scheduled for 2014.
The buildup to the start of major assembly of the 787-9 has been accelerating since the program completed its critical design review in September 2011. By this stage last year the production tooling was also in development or under construction, including the extended fuselage assembly mandrel used by KHI for the Section 43.
The 787-9 will be 206 ft. long, or 20 ft. longer overall than the 787-8. The other major modified tooling is a new production jig at Alenia Aeronautica’s Grottaglie plant in Italy, which will make the extended Section 46 aft fuselage.
Although the fuselage is being extended to seat up to 40 more passengers, and its range increased to as much as 8,500 naut. mi., the aircraft will retain the same 197-ft. span as the baseline 787-8. The wing, fuselage and empennage skins will be heavier gauge, while other changes include a beefed-up main landing gear to handle the increased operating weights of the stretch version.
The main landing gear truck will be larger and the beam widened to accommodate the maximum take-off weight of between 545,000 lb. and 553,000 lb., around 50,000 lb. more than the -8. As a result, the landing gear will require additional stowage space, which will be created by raising the height of the pressure deck to avoid any changes to the outer mold line.

787-10X Customer Talks Kick Off Twin Derivative Plan

As Boeing moves closer to issuing the go-ahead for the 787-10X, arguably one of the easiest marketing decisions it has faced in a decade, its customers and suppliers alike are still waiting for the other shoe to drop over the launch of the 777X.
Potential buyers of what will be the world's largest twin-engine airliner were briefed by the manufacturer at the start of November, around the same time as Boeing officially began talks about the 787-10X double-stretch derivative with airlines and leasing companies.
This time, Boeing quietly acknowledged it had received board approval to begin talks on the 787-10X without the normal fanfare traditionally associated with “authority to offer” (ATO). The move nonetheless is being widely seen as a clear signal of both Boeing's determination to stave off competition from the Airbus A350 as well as its growing confidence in the improving health of its 787 production system.
The stealthy aspect of the ATO remains equally intriguing, though it is believed to be more closely linked to a desire to firm up a batch of initial launch customers than any last-minute uncertainty over the final configuration. Boeing says clearance to start discussing the 787-10X is “conditioned upon our obtaining final board approval to launch the program at a yet-to-be-determined date.”
The company adds, “The timing of a decision to launch the program will depend on market response during the next phase of our discussions about the airplane.” Given the current schedule, unidentified potential customers say a firm launch decision is not expected from the Boeing board until early next year.
The 787-10X is a 787-9 stretched by 18 ft. to 224 ft. to seat an additional 43 passengers. Although jutting up against the Airbus A350-900 in capacity, the stretch is targeted as an A330 “killer” with exceptionally low seat-mile costs. The 320-seater is expected to be a 6,700-6,750-nm-range aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight slightly less than 7,000 lb. heavier than the 787-9 now in initial assembly.
Boeing adds that it has been “working closely with airline and leasing customers to define the key capabilities and features of the 787-10X, and we anticipate strong market demand for this third and largest member of the 787 family.”

Pan-African low-cost carrier Fastjet launches scheduled flights

Pan-African low-cost carrier (LCC) Fastjet has commenced domestic operations from Julius Nyerere airport in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The maiden flight was operated to the northern city of Mwanza at 6:00 local time on 29 November - departing on-schedule and "almost full to capacity", says the airline. It was followed by a second service to Kilimanjaro later in the morning.
Fastjet will serve the twice daily routes with three Airbus A319s (MSNs 2176, 1145 and 1068) - two of which have entered service, while the third joins the fleet on 3 December.
Speaking to Flightglobal in Dar es Salaam before the launch of scheduled flights, chief executive Ed Winter said the carrier has already applied for flying rights to Nairobi and Mombasa in Kenya, Entebbe in Uganda, Kigali in Rwanda, and Juba in South Sudan.
"The bilateral agreements allow additional Tanzanian airlines on those routes, but it's not a straightforward case of just adding routes," he noted, adding that securing rights in east Africa can be a "convoluted, slightly bureaucratic process".
Fastjet says it hopes to "democratise" air travel through what amounts to the first concerted attempt to introduce European-style LCC models across Africa.
Its second base will be established in Nairobi in the first quarter of 2013, while subsequent bases will be added next year in the west African capitals of Accra, Ghana and Luanda, Angola.
Fastjet has air operators certificates (AOCs) in Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana and Angola due to its acquisition of regional carrier Fly540, which will continue to operate turboprop services in the latter three countries until Fastjet expands its operations.
The airline also confirmed this month that it is investigating an "earlier-than-expected opportunity" to enter the southern African marketplace.
Winter declined to comment on media speculation about Fastjet holding talks with South Africa's recently-liquidated 1time Airline, saying: "Clearly at some point we would want to be in South Africa...but we're in the middle of a number of negotiations and discussions in various parts of Africa."
He credited majority stakeholder Lonrho PLC with helping Fastjet lobby governments for lower taxes - a key obstacle to low-yielding LCC models - but accepted that other region-specific challenges persist on the continent.
Tanzanian deputy transport minister Charles Tizeba had struck a cautious note at a press conference in Dar es Salaam two days before the launch, urging transparency over Fastjet's ancillary charges.
Responding to his comments, chief commercial officer Richard Bodin told Flightglobal the airline is sensitive to differing cultural expectations. "The low-cost carrier model is new to east Africa," he noted. "It is our responsibility to make sure that customers are brought up to speed with what it looks like.
"One of the first things that we learnt as a small management team was that the pure...low-cost carrier model would not work in east Africa. We have to adapt and mould the model to fit the environment, culture, market, distribution channels and so on."
Winter agreed, saying that while Fastjet imposes charges for baggage and refreshments, his employees will be "sympathetic" when dealing with passenger misunderstandings.
The airline aims to expand its fleet to up to 15 A319s during its first year, with the fourth jet due to be based in Nairobi. It has signed agreements with Swissport International for ground handling and Sabena technics for line maintenance.
One-way ticket prices start at 32,000 Tanzanian Shillings ($20) excluding taxes and charges, with fares expected to average around $80.

ANALYSIS: American's paper bankruptcy anniversary

Happy paper anniversary American Airlines, it was a year ago today that you filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and ended an era.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based Oneworld alliance member long-held that it could achieve the cost savings and internal restructuring necessary to survive and prosper in the 21st century airline market - one where low-fares and low-costs dominate and everything from checked luggage to a bag of pretzels has a price tag - without going through bankruptcy. No other legacy carrier maintained a similar position and lived to tell the tale during the past decade.
The resignation of former chairman, president and chief executive of American-parent AMR Gerard Arpey and his replacement by company man Tom Horton complemented the bankruptcy filing on 29 November 2011. The intervening 12 months have been filled with labour strife, financial restructuring, headline maintenance issues and a very public merger proposal, to name a few.
American outlined a bankruptcy plan to cut costs by $2 billion annually while incrementally increasing revenue by $1 billion by 2017, this past February. Cost cuts included about $1.25 billion in savings from labour, while the new revenue is to come from "right-gauging" its fleet and organic growth.
From the beginning, the airline maintained that it would pursue a standalone restructuring plan.
Financial improvements
American has slowly improved its finances. It reported net profits excluding special items of $110 million in the third quarter and $142 million in the second quarter after a loss excluding special items of $248 million in the first quarter. It posted net losses during each quarter in 2011.
The carrier has made significant strides to reduce its labour costs. All of its unionised labour groups have ratified new multi-year contracts except its pilots (more on that later), management has been streamlined and it is in the process of reducing headcount by 13,000 people.
Other savings have come from rejecting leases on old aircraft, including Boeing 757-200s, Fokker F100s and McDonnell Douglas MD-80s, and renegotiating or refinancing American's debt. A pending up to $1.5 billion secured enhanced equipment trust certificates refinancing would hopefully reduce interest rates to below 6% from between 8.625% and 13%, and a deal with Embraer and Brazilian development bank BNDES reduced outstanding debt on AMR subsidiary American Eagle Airlines' Embraer regional jet fleet by more than a third to $1.08 billion from $1.75 billion.
Cost savings efforts have yet to hit the bottom line. Operating expenses have increased during each quarter this year to $6.38 billion during the three months ending 30 September. However, growth compared to a year earlier has slowed to less than 1% during the third quarter from 6.2% during the first quarter.
American reported that operating revenue also grew during each quarter. It rose 9.1% to $6.03 billion in the first quarter compared to 2011, up 5.5% to $6.5 billion in the second quarter and up less than 1% to $6.4 billion in the third quarter.
Outstanding long-term debt and capital leases are down, reaching $6.5 billion at the end of September from $6.9 billion at the end of the March.

Flightglobal Research

Maintenance concerns
Maintenance issues have plagued American. Flight delays and cancellations spiked in September and October due to increased maintenance reports by pilots that resulted in the airline trimming up to 2% of its flight schedule through early November. In addition, loose rows of seats resulted in 48 of the airline's 757-200s being temporarily grounded and additional seat clamps being installed on those aircraft and its Boeing 767-200s in October.
American has attributed the loose seats to fault clamps as well as simple wear and tear, however, recent external investigations have found that third-party maintenance providers that installed the seats may be partially at fault and that the airline knew about the issues before the seats came loose during revenue flights. The US Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incidents.
The airline will close its Alliance maintenance base in Fort Worth by the end of the year and has cut its maintenance staff around the country.
Labour strife
Relations with pilots remain a thorn in American's side. The carrier filed a section 1113 request to reject its labour contracts in March but was unable to reach a consensual deal with its about 10,000 Allied Pilots Association (APA)-represented pilots. A US bankruptcy court judge approved a revised measure to throw out its pilots contract in August, which resulted in the spike in flight delays and cancellations in September and October, according to American.
Ray Neidl, an airline sector analyst at Maxim Group, compared the dispute to the one that helped bring down defunct Eastern Air Lines in the late 1980s, in September.
The pilots deal is critical to American's plan to increase the number of large regional jets in its feeder fleet and expand its domestic codeshares - both are key elements of its revenue growth strategy.
American and the APA reached a tentative agreement earlier in November and voting will take place from 1 December through 15 December. APA president captain Keith Wilson has called on pilots to avoid Eastern style "martyrdom" and ratify the agreement in a recent letter to the union's membership.
The merger question
Merger speculation has taken a backseat to American's labour and maintenance issues in recent months, but is still very much on the table. Horton and the airline's management made an about face on the possibility in May, when they said that they would consider the option alongside a standalone plan. This followed months of public pressure by US Airways and other groups to consider an offer.
The Tempe, Arizona-based carrier claims that a merger would result in $1.2 billion in cost synergies and create the number one carrier by market share in the East and Midwest of the USA. The resulting carrier would retain the American name and Fort Worth headquarters, and remain in the Oneworld alliance.
Combined American and US Airways domestic USA routes, November 2012

Innovata Flightmaps Analytics

American and US Airways signed a non-disclosure agreement in August and discussions are reportedly on going. American has until 28 January 2013 to present a restructuring plan to the court after which other parties can propose plans.
The bankrupt carrier has also signed a non-disclosure agreement with British Airways-parent International Airlines Group (IAG).
Much remains to be done in American's bankruptcy restructuring. It must complete its pilots contract, answer questions about the future of wholly-owned subsidiary American Eagle, finalise its restructuring plan and then potentially battle against a hostile takeover in court before it can exit the process.
Whether the airline will celebrate its cotton anniversary in bankruptcy is debatable. Recent court filings indicate that American plans to exit chapter 11 in March 2013 but if previous US airline bankruptcies are any indicator - United took three years and Delta almost two years - we could be here for a while.