The Impact of Airline Bankruptcies on Airports

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Impact of Airline Bankruptcies on Airports May 2009 AIRPORT COOPEratiVE RESEARCH PROGRAM Sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration Subject Areas: IC Transportation Law; V Aviation Responsible Senior Program Officer: Gwen Chisholm Smith Legal Research Digest 6 THE IMPACT OF AIRLINE BANKRUPTCIES ON AIRPORTS This report was prepared under ACRP Project 11-01, “Legal Aspects of Airport Programs,” for which the Transportation Research Board (TRB) is the agency coordinating the research. The report was prepared by Jocelyn K. Waite, Waite & Associates. James B. McDaniel, TRB Counsel for Legal Research Projects, was the principal investigator and content editor. Background There are over 4,000 airports in the country and bankruptcies at an alarming rate. In 2005 alone, most of these airports are owned by governments. there were at least seven airline bankruptcies. Ma- A 2003 survey conducted by Airports Council Inter- jor network carriers began reducing operating costs national–North America concluded that city owner- and restructuring operations by cutting back on seat ship accounts for 38 percent, followed by regional capacity, reducing or withdrawing service or service airports at 25 percent, single county at 17 percent, frequency, and, in some markets, replacing large air- and multi-jurisdictional at 9 percent. Primary legal craft with smaller aircraft. services to these airports are, in most cases, provid- Bankruptcies not only impact the debtor-bank- ed by municipal, county, and state attorneys. rupt party, but they may significantly impact airports CONTENTS Reports and summaries produced by the Airport when affected airlines are dependent upon the bank- I. Introduction 3 Continuing Legal Studies Project and published as rupt airlines for a significant revenue flow. Accord- A. Scope of the Report 3 ACRP Legal Research Digests are developed to as- ingly, a significant number of airports, particularly B. Overview of Airport sist these attorneys seeking to deal with the myriad those served by major network carriers, faced cru- Financial Issues 4 of legal problems encountered during airport devel- cial financial challenges during these proceedings. II. Legal Issues 12 opment and operations. Such substantive areas as As with any legal proceeding, numerous issues A. Bankruptcy Theory 12 eminent domain, environmental concerns, leasing, were raised by these bankruptcies—questions for B. Statutes/Regulations 13 contracting, security, insurance, civil rights, and tort which the answers could greatly impact airport rev- C. Bankruptcy Process 26 liability present cutting-edge legal issues where re- enues. Such issues include: prepetition and postpe- D. Cases 27 search is useful and indeed needed. Airport legal tition amounts owed by airlines for terminal rental III. Treatment of Airport research, when conducted through the TRB’s legal fees, landing fees, fees for the rental of other airport Claims 40 studies process, either collects primary data that usu- facilities, and other amounts owed to airports by A. Under the ally are not available elsewhere or performs analysis airlines; passenger facility charges, including issues Bankruptcy Code 40 of existing literature. raised by Federal Aviation Administration regula- B. Under 49 tions created and/or proposed to protect passenger U.S.C. § 40117/FAA Regulations 45 Applications facility charge revenues; and the debtor’s acceptance IV. Conclusions 46 The basic theory of a succession of the United or rejection of leases for real property and improve- A. Summary of States Bankruptcy Acts has been to provide debtors ments at airports. Legal Issues 46 protection from their creditors while providing an This digest should provide a better understanding B. Mitigating Losses 49 orderly system for paying all creditors. Bankruptcy of the bankruptcy process. It should be helpful to C. Sounds Good, was considered so essential that it was entrusted to airport managers, attorneys, planners, aircraft own- But… 51 Congress under Article One of the Constitution of ers, financial officials, and the aviation community Appendix A 53 the United States. in general. Appendix B 55 Following the September 11, 2001 (9/11) attacks Appendix C 59 on the World Trade Center, U.S. airlines have filed TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES 3 THE IMPACT OF AIRLINE BANKRUPTCIES ON AIRPORTS By Jocelyn K. Waite Waite & Associates, Reno, Nevada I. INTRODUCTION • Discusses bankruptcy theory. • Provides an overview of the most salient provisions of the Bankruptcy Code and relevant federal aviation A. Scope of the Report requirements. Given the importance of airline revenue to airport • Discusses the bankruptcy process. operations and the prevalence of airline bankruptcies, • Reviews bankruptcy cases on several topics most lawyers representing airports should be cognizant of relevant to airport concerns. bankruptcy issues so that they can anticipate issues • Examines the treatment of airport claims under when negotiating agreements with airlines before the Bankruptcy Code and under federal aviation re- bankruptcies occur, and take appropriate steps in the quirements. event of airline bankruptcies, including consulting with and adequately monitoring bankruptcy counsel. After reviewing applicable legal authority, the report Airline bankruptcies not only pose significant finan- concludes by: cial hardship on airports dependent on airlines for revenue, but also raise significant legal issues concern- • Reviewing the major legal issues at play under the ing treatment of airlines’ obligations to airports under Bankruptcy Code and under federal law and regulation the bankruptcy process. The objective of this report is to that should be of greatest concern to airport counsel. examine those legal issues presented by the filing of • Offering some points for airports to consider in or- airline bankruptcies that are relevant to airports, and der to mitigate losses due to airline bankruptcy, both to explore how airport lawyers and courts have re- before and after airlines file for bankruptcy protection. sponded to those issues. The report is intended to pro- • Sounding a cautionary note about steps that ap- vide a solid understanding of the basics of bankruptcy pear helpful, but in fact may not be. theory and law relevant to airport operating agree- ments with airlines, and to identify issues such as lease The report primarily addresses federal business recharacterization and payment of stub period rent1 bankruptcy cases, although it does identify issues on that particularly affect airports dealing with airlines in which state law will govern. The analytical emphasis is bankruptcy. Such an understanding should assist air- on airline bankruptcy cases, although nonairline cases port lawyers in conducting research on bankruptcy- are also referenced. The intent is to provide a starting related issues in their own jurisdictions, in negotiating point for airport lawyers to conduct research on the law agreements that include appropriate protections of the in their specific jurisdictions in evaluating airline airport’s interests in the event of airline bankruptcy, agreements and other issues; further research is advis- and in mitigating damages to the airport’s financial able. In fact, given the complexity of bankruptcy law, interests in the event of bankruptcy under existing as airport lawyers are likely to be working with bank- well as future agreements. ruptcy counsel, and the report may be particularly use- The balance of the Introduction provides an overview ful to airport counsel in that regard. of airport financial issues, including the precarious na- The report is meant to provide an overview of bank- ture of airline finances, the importance of airlines to ruptcy basics. Readers in need of specific details of airport financing, and the Federal Aviation Administra- bankruptcy procedure should consult practice guides2 tion (FAA) study on the Impact of Air Carriers Emerg- 2 ing from Bankruptcy on Hub Airports, Airport Systems, See, e.g., PAMELA EVERETT NOLLKAMPER, BANKRUPTCY and U.S. Capital Markets. The main body of the report: COURTS AND PROCEDURES (2005) (Procedural information on Chapter 7, Chapter 11, creditors’ proceedings, adversary pro- ceedings, appeals, and U.S. Bankruptcy Courts); THOMAS J. SALERNO & JORDAN A. KROOP, BANKRUPTCY LITIGATION AND PRACTICE: A PRACTITIONER’S GUIDE (4th edition 2007). (Over- 1 Stub period rent is the rent owed for the “stub period,” view of U.S. bankruptcy law—including suggested resources, that is “the period from the bankruptcy filing date to the end of bankruptcy court system, Chapter 7, and Chapter 11; Appendi- the first month of bankruptcy administration.” In re UAL ces include forms and samples of pleadings and related docu- Corp., 291 B.R. 121, 122 (Bankr. N. D. Ill. 2003). Discussed in ments); D.M. LYNN, MICHAEL R. ROCHELLE & SANDER L. § II.D.4, Stub Period Rent, infra. ESSERMAN, HANDBOOK FOR DEBTORS IN POSSESSION (2007) , 4 and bankruptcy counsel. Rejection of collective bargain- More specifically, for example, the recent bankrupt- ing agreements, while important to airlines in bank- cies of Aloha Airlines, Skybus Airlines, and ATA Air- ruptcy,3 is also beyond the scope of this report. lines may cost Oakland International Airport over $2 It is beyond the scope of the report to render legal million in annual revenue, due to loss of gate leases and opinions or recommend specific approaches to negotiat- landing fees.5 ing operating agreements with airlines. However, the While airports draw to varying degrees on nonairline
Recommended publications
  • Business & Commercial Aviation
    BUSINESS & COMMERCIAL AVIATION LEONARDO AW609 PERFORMANCE PLATEAUS OCEANIC APRIL 2020 $10.00 AviationWeek.com/BCA Business & Commercial Aviation AIRCRAFT UPDATE Leonardo AW609 Bringing tiltrotor technology to civil aviation FUEL PLANNING ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Part 91 Department Inspections Is It Airworthy? Oceanic Fuel Planning Who Says It’s Ready? APRIL 2020 VOL. 116 NO. 4 Performance Plateaus Digital Edition Copyright Notice The content contained in this digital edition (“Digital Material”), as well as its selection and arrangement, is owned by Informa. and its affiliated companies, licensors, and suppliers, and is protected by their respective copyright, trademark and other proprietary rights. Upon payment of the subscription price, if applicable, you are hereby authorized to view, download, copy, and print Digital Material solely for your own personal, non-commercial use, provided that by doing any of the foregoing, you acknowledge that (i) you do not and will not acquire any ownership rights of any kind in the Digital Material or any portion thereof, (ii) you must preserve all copyright and other proprietary notices included in any downloaded Digital Material, and (iii) you must comply in all respects with the use restrictions set forth below and in the Informa Privacy Policy and the Informa Terms of Use (the “Use Restrictions”), each of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Any use not in accordance with, and any failure to comply fully with, the Use Restrictions is expressly prohibited by law, and may result in severe civil and criminal penalties. Violators will be prosecuted to the maximum possible extent. You may not modify, publish, license, transmit (including by way of email, facsimile or other electronic means), transfer, sell, reproduce (including by copying or posting on any network computer), create derivative works from, display, store, or in any way exploit, broadcast, disseminate or distribute, in any format or media of any kind, any of the Digital Material, in whole or in part, without the express prior written consent of Informa.
    [Show full text]
  • Airline Competition Plan Final Report
    Final Report Airline Competition Plan Philadelphia International Airport Prepared for Federal Aviation Administration in compliance with requirements of AIR21 Prepared by City of Philadelphia Division of Aviation Philadelphia, Pennsylvania August 31, 2000 Final Report Airline Competition Plan Philadelphia International Airport Prepared for Federal Aviation Administration in compliance with requirements of AIR21 Prepared by City of Philadelphia Division of Aviation Philadelphia, Pennsylvania August 31, 2000 SUMMARY S-1 Summary AIRLINE COMPETITION PLAN Philadelphia International Airport The City of Philadelphia, owner and operator of Philadelphia International Airport, is required to submit annually to the Federal Aviation Administration an airline competition plan. The City’s plan for 2000, as documented in the accompanying report, provides information regarding the availability of passenger terminal facilities, the use of passenger facility charge (PFC) revenues to fund terminal facilities, airline leasing arrangements, patterns of airline service, and average airfares for passengers originating their journeys at the Airport. The plan also sets forth the City’s current and planned initiatives to encourage competitive airline service at the Airport, construct terminal facilities needed to accommodate additional airline service, and ensure that access is provided to airlines wishing to serve the Airport on fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory terms. These initiatives are summarized in the following paragraphs. Encourage New Airline Service Airlines that have recently started scheduled domestic service at Philadelphia International Airport include AirTran Airways, America West Airlines, American Trans Air, Midway Airlines, Midwest Express Airlines, and National Airlines. Airlines that have recently started scheduled international service at the Airport include Air France and Lufthansa. The City intends to continue its programs to encourage airlines to begin or increase service at the Airport.
    [Show full text]
  • My Personal Callsign List This List Was Not Designed for Publication However Due to Several Requests I Have Decided to Make It Downloadable
    - www.egxwinfogroup.co.uk - The EGXWinfo Group of Twitter Accounts - @EGXWinfoGroup on Twitter - My Personal Callsign List This list was not designed for publication however due to several requests I have decided to make it downloadable. It is a mixture of listed callsigns and logged callsigns so some have numbers after the callsign as they were heard. Use CTL+F in Adobe Reader to search for your callsign Callsign ICAO/PRI IATA Unit Type Based Country Type ABG AAB W9 Abelag Aviation Belgium Civil ARMYAIR AAC Army Air Corps United Kingdom Civil AgustaWestland Lynx AH.9A/AW159 Wildcat ARMYAIR 200# AAC 2Regt | AAC AH.1 AAC Middle Wallop United Kingdom Military ARMYAIR 300# AAC 3Regt | AAC AgustaWestland AH-64 Apache AH.1 RAF Wattisham United Kingdom Military ARMYAIR 400# AAC 4Regt | AAC AgustaWestland AH-64 Apache AH.1 RAF Wattisham United Kingdom Military ARMYAIR 500# AAC 5Regt AAC/RAF Britten-Norman Islander/Defender JHCFS Aldergrove United Kingdom Military ARMYAIR 600# AAC 657Sqn | JSFAW | AAC Various RAF Odiham United Kingdom Military Ambassador AAD Mann Air Ltd United Kingdom Civil AIGLE AZUR AAF ZI Aigle Azur France Civil ATLANTIC AAG KI Air Atlantique United Kingdom Civil ATLANTIC AAG Atlantic Flight Training United Kingdom Civil ALOHA AAH KH Aloha Air Cargo United States Civil BOREALIS AAI Air Aurora United States Civil ALFA SUDAN AAJ Alfa Airlines Sudan Civil ALASKA ISLAND AAK Alaska Island Air United States Civil AMERICAN AAL AA American Airlines United States Civil AM CORP AAM Aviation Management Corporation United States Civil
    [Show full text]
  • Airline Schedules
    Airline Schedules This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on January 08, 2019. English (eng) Describing Archives: A Content Standard Special Collections and Archives Division, History of Aviation Archives. 3020 Waterview Pkwy SP2 Suite 11.206 Richardson, Texas 75080 LIBSPCO@utdallas.edu. URL: https://www.utdallas.edu/library/special-collections-and-archives/ Airline Schedules Table of Contents Summary Information .................................................................................................................................... 3 Scope and Content ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Series Description .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Administrative Information ............................................................................................................................ 4 Related Materials ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Controlled Access Headings .......................................................................................................................... 5 Collection Inventory ....................................................................................................................................... 6 - Page 2 - Airline Schedules Summary Information Repository:
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix C Informal Complaints to DOT by New Entrant Airlines About Unfair Exclusionary Practices March 1993 to May 1999
    9310-08 App C 10/12/99 13:40 Page 171 Appendix C Informal Complaints to DOT by New Entrant Airlines About Unfair Exclusionary Practices March 1993 to May 1999 UNFAIR PRICING AND CAPACITY RESPONSES 1. Date Raised: May 1999 Complaining Party: AccessAir Complained Against: Northwest Airlines Description: AccessAir, a new airline headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, began service in the New York–LaGuardia and Los Angeles to Mo- line/Quad Cities/Peoria, Illinois, markets. Northwest offers connecting service in these markets. AccessAir alleged that Northwest was offering fares in these markets that were substantially below Northwest’s costs. 171 9310-08 App C 10/12/99 13:40 Page 172 172 ENTRY AND COMPETITION IN THE U.S. AIRLINE INDUSTRY 2. Date Raised: March 1999 Complaining Party: AccessAir Complained Against: Delta, Northwest, and TWA Description: AccessAir was a new entrant air carrier, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. In February 1999, AccessAir began service to New York–LaGuardia and Los Angeles from Des Moines, Iowa, and Moline/ Quad Cities/Peoria, Illinois. AccessAir offered direct service (nonstop or single-plane) between these points, while competitors generally offered connecting service. In the Des Moines/Moline–Los Angeles market, Ac- cessAir offered an introductory roundtrip fare of $198 during the first month of operation and then planned to raise the fare to $298 after March 5, 1999. AccessAir pointed out that its lowest fare of $298 was substantially below the major airlines’ normal 14- to 21-day advance pur- chase fares of $380 to $480 per roundtrip and was less than half of the major airlines’ normal 7-day advance purchase fare of $680.
    [Show full text]
  • 21 December 2020 Case No.: 2018-AIR-00041 in the Matter Of
    U.S. Department of Labor Office of Administrative Law Judges 2 Executive Campus, Suite 450 Cherry Hill, NJ 08002 (856) 486-3800 (856) 486-3806 (FAX) Issue Date: 21 December 2020 Case No.: 2018-AIR-00041 In the Matter of KARLENE PETITT Complainant v. DELTA AIR LINES, INC. Respondent DECISION AND ORDER GRANTING RELIEF This matter arises under the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (“AIR 21”), which was signed into law on April 5, 2000. See 49 U.S.C. § 42121. The Act includes a whistleblower protection provision, with a Department of Labor complaint procedure. Implementing regulations are at 29 C.F.R. Part 1979, published at 68 Fed. Reg. 14,100 (Mar. 21, 2003). The Decision and Order that follows is based on an analysis of the record, including items not specifically addressed the arguments of the parties, and the applicable law. I. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Complainant filed an AIR 21 complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) on June 6, 2016. In its July 13, 2018 letter, OSHA, acting on behalf of the Secretary, found that the parties are covered under the Act, but there was insufficient evidence to establish reasonable cause that a violation occurred. Accordingly, OSHA dismissed the complaint. On August 1, 2018, Complainant objected to OSHA’s findings and requested a formal hearing before the Office of Administrative Law Judges. Subsequently, on August 27, 2018, this matter was assigned to the undersigned. On August 28, 2018, this Tribunal issued the Notice of Assignment and Conference Call. Complainant responded to the Notice of Assignment by letter dated September 6, 2018, and attached her statement, which was originally transmitted as part of her Complaint to OSHA.
    [Show full text]
  • Garmin Reveals Autoland Feature Rotorcraft Industry Slams Possible by Matt Thurber NYC Helo Ban Page 45
    PUBLICATIONS Vol.50 | No.12 $9.00 DECEMBER 2019 | ainonline.com Flying Short-field landings in the Falcon 8X page 24 Regulations UK Labour calls for bizjet ban page 14 Industry Forecast sees deliveries rise in 2020 page 36 Gratitude for Service Honor flight brings vets to D.C. page 41 Air Transport Lion Air report cites multiple failures page 51 Rotorcraft Garmin reveals Autoland feature Industry slams possible by Matt Thurber NYC helo ban page 45 For the past eight years, Garmin has secretly Mode. The Autoland system is designed to Autoland and how it works, I visited been working on a fascinating new capabil- safely fly an airplane from cruising altitude Garmin’s Olathe, Kansas, headquarters for ity, an autoland function that can rescue an to a suitable runway, then land the airplane, a briefing and demo flight in the M600 with airplane with an incapacitated pilot or save apply brakes, and stop the engine. Autoland flight test pilot and engineer Eric Sargent. a pilot when weather conditions present can even switch on anti-/deicing systems if The project began in 2011 with a Garmin no other safe option. Autoland should soon necessary. engineer testing some algorithms that could receive its first FAA approval, with certifi- Autoland is available for aircraft manu- make an autolanding possible, and in 2014 cation expected shortly in the Piper M600, facturers to incorporate in their airplanes Garmin accomplished a first autolanding in followed by the Cirrus Vision Jet. equipped with Garmin G3000 avionics and a Columbia 400 piston single. In September The Garmin Autoland system is part of autothrottle.
    [Show full text]
  • INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE on AIR LAW (Montréal, 20 April to 2
    DCCD Doc No. 28 28/4/09 (English only) INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AIR LAW (Montréal, 20 April to 2 May 2009) CONVENTION ON COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGE CAUSED BY AIRCRAFT TO THIRD PARTIES AND CONVENTION ON COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGE TO THIRD PARTIES, RESULTING FROM ACTS OF UNLAWFUL INTERFERENCE INVOLVING AIRCRAFT (Presented by the Air Crash Victims Families Group) 1. INTRODUCTION – SUPPLEMENTAL AND OTHER COMPENSATIONS 1.1 The apocalyptic terrorist attack by the means of four hi-jacked planes committed against the World Trade Center in New York, NY , the Pentagon in Arlington, VA and the aborted flight ending in a crash in the rural area in Shankville, PA ON September 11th, 2001 is the only real time example that triggered this proposed Convention on Compensation for Damage to Third Parties from Acts of Unlawful Interference Involving Aircraft. 1.2 It is therefore important to look towards the post incident resolution of this tragedy in order to adequately and pro actively complete ONE new General Risk Convention (including compensation for ALL catastrophic damages) for the twenty first century. 2. DISCUSSION 2.1 Immediately after September 11th, 2001 – the Government and Congress met with all affected and interested parties resulting in the “Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act” (Public Law 107-42-Sept. 22,2001). 2.2 This Law provided the basis for Rules and Regulations for: a) Airline Stabilization; b) Aviation Insurance; c) Tax Provisions; d) Victims Compensation; and e) Air Transportation Safety. DCCD Doc No. 28 - 2 - 2.3 The Airline Stabilization Act created the legislative vehicle needed to reimburse the air transport industry for their losses of income as a result of the flight interruption due to the 911 attack.
    [Show full text]
  • The Predatory Pricing Puzzle: Piecing Together a Unitary Standard
    The Predatory Pricing Puzzle: Piecing Together a Unitary Standard Kimberly L. Herb∗ Table of Contents I. Introduction ................................................................................1572 II. Overview of Antitrust Law and Predatory Pricing......................1576 III. Predatory Pricing in Practice—Spirit Airlines, Inc. and AMR Corp. .................................................................................1580 A. Spirit Case History...............................................................1581 B. AMR Corp. Case History.....................................................1585 IV. The Economics of Predation—Evaluating Below-Cost Pricing ........................................................................................1588 A. Overview of the Economics of Predation ............................1589 B. Evaluation of Cost and Revenue in Spirit............................1591 C. Evaluation of Cost and Revenue in AMR Corp. ..................1596 V. Do the Spirit and AMR Corp. Holdings Constitute a Circuit Split?...............................................................................1599 A. Both Courts Tacitly Accept Marginal Cost..........................1599 B. Calculation of Marginal Cost...............................................1602 VI. A New Test for Predation...........................................................1604 A. Proposed Rule and Its Benefits............................................1604 B. Application to Spirit and AMR Corp. ..................................1607 C. Application
    [Show full text]
  • Flying Under the Radar: Multimarket Contact and Tacit Collusion in the U.S
    Flying Under the Radar: Multimarket Contact and Tacit Collusion in the U.S. Airline Industry A SENIOR THESIS Submitted to the Faculty in the Department of Economics at Miami University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of Departmental Honors By Henry Jameson Shaneyfelt* Miami University Spring 2021 ABSTRACT This paper serves to identify the effects of multimarket contact on tacit collusion through the measures of average price and price dispersion. Implementing methods used in Evans and Kessides (1994) and Ciliberto and Williams (2014), I employ gate-use data to instrument for the average multimarket contact variable and address any potential bias from endogeneity. Additionally, squared gate-use instruments, which are novel to the existing literature, are included in the analysis. When using the novel instruments, a significant positive relationship is found between average multimarket contact and both prices and price dispersion. Advisor: Dr. Charles Moul *I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Moul for all the help he has provided me throughout this process. I would also like to thank the Miami University Economics Department for giving me the opportunity to complete this research project. 1 Introduction The majority of classical microeconomic theory is based in the analysis of market behavior that does not extend beyond the market’s scope. External markets and their effects on firm behavior are typically not studied at length. However, the modern-day economy is seeing an increasing number of firms competing with rival firms in numerous differing markets at a given time. An intriguing attribute of this newly structured economy is the ability for firms to interact with rivals across markets.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of U.S. Commercial Domestic Aircraft Operations from 1991 to 2010
    THE EVOLUTION OF U.S. COMMERCIAL DOMESTIC AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS FROM 1991 TO 2010 by MASSACHUSETTS INSTME OF TECHNOLOGY ALEXANDER ANDREW WULZ UL02 1 B.S., Aerospace Engineering University of Notre Dame (2008) Submitted to the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics in PartialFulfillment of the Requirementsfor the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE at the MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY June 2012 0 2012 Alexander Andrew Wulz. All rights reserved. .The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part in any medium now known or hereafter created. Signature of Author ..................................................................... .. ...................... Department of Aeronautr and Astronautics n n May 11, 2012 Certified by ............................................................................ Peter P. Belobaba Principle Research Scientist of Aeronautics and Astronautics / Thesis Supervisor A ccepted by ................................................................... Eytan H. Modiano Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Chair, Graduate Program Committee 1 PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 2 THE EVOLUTION OF U.S. COMMERCIAL DOMESTIC AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS FROM 1991 TO 2010 by ALEXANDER ANDREW WULZ Submitted to the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics on May 11, 2012 in PartialFulfillment of the Requirementsfor the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS ABSTRACT The main objective of this thesis is to explore the evolution of U.S. commercial domestic aircraft operations from 1991 to 2010 and describe the implications for future U.S. commercial domestic fleets. Using data collected from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, we analyze 110 different aircraft types from 145 airlines operating U.S. commercial domestic service between 1991 and 2010. We classify the aircraft analyzed into four categories: turboprop, regional jet, narrow-body, and wide-body.
    [Show full text]
  • January 2002 Airport Statistics
    DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TOTAL OPERATIONS AND TRAFFIC JUNE 2003 JUNE YEAR TO DATE % OF % OF % GRAND % GRAND INCR./ INCR./ TOTAL INCR./ INCR./ TOTAL 2003 2002 (10) DECR. DECR. 2003 2003 (9) 2002 (10) DECR. DECR. 2003 OPERATIONS (1) Air Carrier 27,433 29,763 -2,330 -7.8% 65.0% 161,686 164,827 -3,141 -1.9% 65.4% Air Taxi 13,547 13,238 309 2.3% 32.1% 79,589 74,980 4,609 6.1% 32.2% Military 236 111 125 112.6% 0.6% 587 506 81 16.0% 0.2% General Aviation 1,005 1,210 -205 -16.9% 2.4% 5,238 5,948 -710 -11.9% 2.1% TOTAL 42,221 44,322 -2,101 -4.7% 100.0% 247,100 246,261 839 0.3% 100.0% PASSENGERS (2) Internationals (3) In 43,249 36,269 6,980 19.2% 237,792 192,333 45,459 23.6% Out 43,112 36,479 6,633 18.2% 233,405 192,301 41,104 21.4% TOTAL 86,361 72,748 13,613 18.7% 2.5% 471,197 384,634 86,563 22.5% 2.6% Majors (4) In 1,215,397 1,284,629 -69,232 -5.4% 6,338,411 6,494,178 -155,767 -2.4% Out 1,194,347 1,256,744 -62,397 -5.0% 6,354,761 6,503,330 -148,569 -2.3% TOTAL 2,409,744 2,541,373 -131,629 -5.2% 70.7% 12,693,172 12,997,508 -304,336 -2.3% 71.2% Nationals (5) In 341,085 279,940 61,145 21.8% 1,767,989 1,520,288 247,701 16.3% Out 341,345 283,878 57,467 20.2% 1,784,475 1,531,075 253,400 16.6% TOTAL 682,430 563,818 118,612 21.0% 20.0% 3,552,464 3,051,363 501,101 16.4% 19.9% Regionals (6) In 107,550 62,126 45,424 73.1% 515,646 280,887 234,759 83.6% Out 111,376 60,944 50,432 82.8% 521,556 282,518 239,038 84.6% TOTAL 218,926 123,070 95,856 77.9% 6.4% 1,037,202 563,405 473,797 84.1% 5.8% Supplementals (7) In 5,377 37,727 -32,350 -85.7% 34,295 146,112
    [Show full text]