The History of Austrian Airlines at JFK
1. Austrian Airlines' Origins
Austrian Airline's genesis can be traced back to March 20, 1918, at which time the Austrian Post was inaugurated daily scheduled mail service from Vienna to Kiev where the train stops in Cracow, Lwów, and Proskurow, a route with an average stage length was 250 km. When space was allowed, were passengers also been implemented. The highly successful, faithful service was later extended from Proskurow to Odessa and from Vienna to Budapest. However, had a flight ban, implemented at the end of the First World War resulted in his termination.
When the ban was finally repealed, Austria subsequently re-enter the civil aviation market by founding Oesterreichische Luftverkehrs AG (OELAG), 12 May 1923 with an initial one million Crown investments financed by the Junkers, a German aircraft manufacturer (49 percent), and various Austrian shareholders (51 percent). Beginning scheduled flights from Munich to Vienna some two days later, it had utilized a Junkers F.13, a single-engine low-wing Monoplane which had played a closed cockpit and passenger cabin and had rested on a tail wheel. OELAG eventually run multiple versions of this harsh, but (then) modern design and the increased demand was soon required a larger aircraft, the first one had a larger capacity, tri-motor Junkers G.24 delivered in 1927 and the other who had more advanced G.31, delivered the following year. Perhaps the ultimate design had been Junkers Ju.52/3m, a tri-engine 18-passenger aircraft with a gross weight of 24,000 pounds and a cruising speed of 150 km / h who had joined the fleet in 1936. Most major east-and west European national carriers had also operated the type at this time.
By the following year, had OELAG routing system radiated to Athens, Belgrade, Berlin, London, Paris, Prague, Rome and Zurich, in addition to incorporating several Austrian domestic destinations, with a large part of the service daily. It ended up being the fourth largest European airline after Lufthansa, KLM and Air France, with 975,840 weekly seat-km. Coinciding with OELAG growth was the completion of five Austrian airports – namely, Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Salzburg and Vienna.
Since Austria had been admitted in the Third Reich in 1938, had OELAG been integrated within the Deutsche Lufthansa (DLH). Nevertheless, it had flown 120,000 passengers, 7.5 million miles without fatality of his reign.
2. Initial Growth
When the Second World War was over, Austria, now independent, had signed a peace agreement with all four occupying powers in 1955, and again tried to enter the civil aviation field by forming a flag carrier. Two such national companies were actually suggested: Air of Austria, founded by the Austrian People's Party and operated by KLM and later Fred Olsen, a Norwegian charter company, and Austrian Airways, formed by the Austrian Social Democratic Party and financially supported by SAS. Neither ever flew, and the two were eventually combined, 30 September 1957 to form an integrated company with an initial AUS 60 million investment, which has adopted, Phoenix-like, pre-war name Oesterreichische Luftverkehrs AG, but the English equivalent of "Austrian Airlines "had now been spent. The airline had thus been born.
Ownership had included the Austrian private investors at 42 percent, public enterprises, at 28 percent, SAS, at 15 percent, and Fred Olsen, at 15 percent. Austrian inaugurated scheduled service March 31, 1958 after a 20-year suspension with four leased Vickers V.779 Viscounts, a medium capacity, four-engine turboprop aircraft designed in the United Kingdom and initially deployed over in Vienna, Zurich-London route. Austrian had finally returned to heaven.
Growth proceeded rapidly, and in 1960 it took delivery of the first of four larger capacity stretched Vickers V.837 Viscounts, who inaugurated the in use, 23 May and the following year it received Vickers V.845 Viscount to slightly lower capacity routes. Both British turboprop provided reliable, economical service, V.837 not retired before the 1971st Douglas DC-3, the best selling civilian airliner of all time, had also been acquired by this time, and had enabled Austrian inaugurate housework than 1 May 1963, a route that would later be served by Austrian Air Services. This aircraft was replaced by the more advanced, higher capacity, turboprop-powered Hawker Siddeley HS.748-2 in 1966, another British design.
Austrian Airlines went into the jet age, 20 February 1963, when it inaugurated the first of five Sud-Aviation SE.210-VIR Caravelle twin planes in use and load up to the final strategy for operational short-to medium-range, low-to medium-capacity, T-tailed twin-jet at a predominantly European (and later in North Africa and Middle East) route structure. Designed in France, the Caravelle was quiet, crossed over the weather, and reduced flight times between Europe capitals, and had actually been the first design to allow the economic, short-range, pure-jet service.
3. Transatlantic Experiment
In contrast to most European airlines, which had driven transatlantic service to the United Stares and Canada with a quad-motor with DC-4s since the Second World War, Austrian Airlines had maintained its medium-range missile system scheduled until April 1, 1969. It was at this time that it had stretched its wings across the Atlantic with a large capacity for intercontinental Boeing 707-320, registered OE-LBA and chartered by Sabena Belgian World Airways, which had been inserted at the Vienna-New York route a stopover in Brussels. This so-called "transatlantic experiment," despite Austrian delay in launching it, had finally shown both an early and economically unhealthy one for two principal reasons:
1. The domestic market had still been too small.
2. Vienna-Schwechat was insufficient developed as a hub providing air links to some that this transatlantic service to transfer passengers.
Resultantly, after a two-year trial period, the 707 had been returned to Sabena, 31 March 1971, leaving the Austrian again to concentrate on its main continental route system, nine short to medium range, low capacity McDonnell-Douglas DC-9-30s had been ordered.
Similar in overall design to the Caravelle, but manufactured in the USA, T-tailed airliner offered a little higher passenger capacity, greater payload capacity, a higher gross weight, more powerful engines and better economy, and with the Austrian into a new era that would span almost two decades. It was later described this design as "the start of something big, classic and still modern." The first DC-9-30 had been delivered on 19 June 1971 and the type soon proved to be the mainstay of its fleet.
In 1974, Austrian rented a McDonnell-Douglas DC-8-63f, registration OE-IBO, from Overseas National Airways (ONA) for freight to Hong Kong, but these were subsequently lost. Other than the 707-320 was the DC-8-63f its only other large-capacity long-range, quad-motors jet.
So versatile and popular had DC-9-Design proved that the Austrian later ordered five stretched, higher capacity DC-9-50s. The first of these had been delivered on 14 September 1975.
That these twin-engined aircraft and the abolition of its transatlantic service were the right strategies for the Austrian national carrier was reflected by the positive growth. On 26 June 1974, for example, had a new maintenance base was opened at Schwechat International Airport, Vienna. Its value was also continue to swell: in 1967 its share capital was increased by one million two AUS 140 AUS 290 million. In 1969 it was increased to 390 million. And in 1962 had reached the one billion mark. Under each of the three years 1972 to 1974, had sent a profit. Its route system was also expanded: in 1976, the Austrian stretched its wings to Cairo in the Middle East and to Stockholm and Helsinki in Scandinavia.
Demand exceeds capacity soon, had demanded an initial order of eight McDonnell-Douglas DC-9-80s to replace The existing DC-9-50s. Also designated DC-9 Super 80, this aircraft was a more modernized version of the previous -50 series variation for medium-range missile deployment and highlighted additional fuselage stretch ever higher capacity and refanned, more traction, and more fuel-efficient Pratt and Whitney JT8D-209 engines. Austrian, who shared the honor of being the launch customer for the design, with Swissair, inaugurated the first elongated DC-9 to 81 in use, 26 October 1980 on the Vienna-Zurich route by plane OE LDR "Vienna." The Twin-jet was later renamed MD-81 and was quickly in the short to medium-range workhorse of its fleet.
New additions to the ever-growing route system included Larnaca in 1979, Jeddah, also in 1979, and Tripoli in 1981.
Another milestone in 1980 had been the basis for the Austrian Air Services (AAS), which eventually will become a wholly owned subsidiary, to operate Austrian domestic routes with two 19-passenger twin turboprop Fairchild Swearingen Metro II commuter aircraft. The first service were run on 1 April.
Austrian plied slippery sky. Indeed, had forecast a 1980-AUS 71.5 million net profit, its tenth consecutive one.
MD-81, intemittently prove itself to be so perfectly suited to its route system as a dual-jet SE.210-VIR, DC-9-30 and DC-9-50 had been followed by his short-hull derivative, MD-87, which commissioned the Austrian 19th December 1984 for a lower-capacity route sectors and the Austrian Air Services fleet was upgraded with the addition of two 50-passenger Fokker F.50 twin-turboprop, which was ordered on 25 September the following year.
4. Transatlantic Returns
Operation of a modern, fuel-efficient fleet with an expanding route and implementation almost 1.5 million passengers in 1986, Austria had to reconsider intercontinental service, now both to New York in the west and to Tokyo in the east and to the final had converted his previous order for two medium-range Airbus Industries A-310-200 long-range A-310-300 version, 25 June 1986. Austrian had signed the original memorandum of understanding A-310-200s could be as far back as April 18, 1979, a date that would prove a full decade before the service would actually get out in the field. Three factors mentioned for why the time may have been ripe for a relaunch of this service:
1. In the 15-year interval since the last intercontinental service was terminated, home had increased significantly, a fact reflected in the prevailing increases in non-stop US-Vienna service, provided by Pan Am, Royal Jordanian, and Tarom from New York, and American from Chicago.
2. Its route structure in general as offered good relations with West European, North African and Middle Eastern destinations.
3. A-310 had thus enabled long, thin routes as Lyon-New York with Air France, Frankfurt-Newark with Lufthansa, the Istanbul-New York with Thy, and New York Stockholm with Pan Am to take place.
The decision to reinstate intercontinental service, planned for spring 1989, had officially been two years previously, 25 June 1987, and will be powered by two Pratt and Whitney-powered A-310-300, which would serve the Vienna-New York and Vienna-Moscow-Tokyo routes, the latter in cooperation with Aeroflot and ANA-All Nippon Airways. These services had been predicted to have depended on connecting passengers on profitability. On the New York route, for example, a 66-percent break-even load factor had been necessary in the first year of operation, consists primarily of U.S. origin, Austria-originating and connecting passengers. Both routes had relied in the lucrative, high-performance, frequent business travelers, who had been able to take advantage of the lower, restricted fares. Austrian Airlines will offer a luxury chalet on its A-310-300 for the first time in its history.
The first aircraft, registered as OE-LAA "New York" had been delivered on 22 December 1988; the second, OE-LAB ", Tokyo, had" followed in January. aircraft had represented the company's first wide body, twin-aisle type.
Austrian had returned to the Transatlantic U.S. market on Easter Sunday, March 26, 1989, when two smoke puffs had signaled touchdown zone lights of the red-white-red livery Twin wide-body jet, configured with 12 first class, 37 business class and 123 economy class passengers at JFK middle hot spring weather. After a short turnaround, the aircraft serves as Flight OS 502 and guided by Captain Braeuer and First Officer Kutzenberger had been tug-maneuvered away from the gate at 1900 with 121 passengers will be served of nine flight attendants, and went out into the deep purple dusk of a takeoff weight of 153,603 kg, 40,300 who had been the fuel required for the Atlantic crossing. The flight had been 18 years underway.
Airport, reservations, sales and marketing staff had subsequently assembled in Icelandair Saga Lounge used by its business class passengers for a solemn drink and a group photograph.
Tokyo route had been opened in the summer and A-310, to be Austrian's intercontinental wide body, had been for more than a decade, operating at several American, African and Far Eastern destinations, with four aircraft in a final two-class seat configuration recorded as follows:
1. OE-LAA
2. OE-LAB
3. OE-LAC
4. OE-LAD
By the summer of 1989, Austrian Airlines had served 54 cities in 36 countries in USA, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Northern Africa, Middle East and Japan with a total route length of 100,358 km duplicated. These services have been operated by 26 aircraft consists of the Fokker F.50, MD-81/82/83/87 McDonnell-Douglas, and Airbus A-310-300, whose average age was then four years and had been describable as follows:
1. Airbus A-310-300: A wide range, medium-capacity, wide-body, twin-aisle, twin-engine jet airliner – Austrian Airlines' intercontinental jets. Austrian Airlines had called it an "inter-continental Europe."
2. McDonnell-Douglas MD-81: A medium-range, medium-capacity narrow-body, single aisle, twin-engine jet airliner – Austrian Airline European, North African and Middle Eastern workhorse. Austrian Airlines had described it as a "universal medium-range flights airliner and a cornerstone of its fleet. "
3. McDonnell-Douglas MD-82: The airline had ordered variant "for special duty scheduled and charter flights services. "
4. McDonnell-Douglas MD-87: The short-fuselaged, lower-capacity version was "tailored to its needs in capacity and reach."
5. Fokker F.50: short-and regional-range, low-capacity narrow-body, single aisle, twin-engine turboprop aircraft operated by Austrian airline is Austrian Air Services subsidiary domestic and select long, thin international routes. Austrian Airlines had considered it "a propjet specialist in town-hopping".
Out the Austrian Air Services Austrian Airlines, owned 80 percent of the Austrian Air Transport (AAT), which operated throughout the world charter and inclusive tour (IT) operations with both Austrian Austrian Airlines and Air Services aircraft, which carried out 506,000 passengers in 1988. It has also maintained a close marketing agreement with Tyrolean Airways operated services from Innsbruck with 37-passenger de Havilland Canada DHC-8-100s and 50-passenger DHC-7-100s.
5. JFK Station Evolution
Initial training, held in the Austrian Airlines' North American headquarters in Whitestone, New York, and taught by Peter "Luigi" Huebner, began on 6 in February 1989, or about six weeks before the inaugural flight, and had included "Passenger Action I" and "Adios Check-In" rates.
Austrian Airlines' first JFK location, the East Wing of the no-longer-existing International Arrivals Building, had shared facilities with Icelandair, including five Austrian-specific check-in counters and commonly used Icelandair Saga Lounge, the former is equipped with computers, electronic boarding pass printers, and laser can be scanned baggage tag printers. Ground personnel exclusively recruited and trained by Austrian and equipped with a uniform, had performed the full spectrum of functions, Passenger Services, Tickets, Lost and Found, Load Control, administration, supervision and management.
However, the success of the operation relies on the equipment which had serviced it and it had been the decision of Airbus Industrie to scale down its full size A-300, which had resulted in A-310-300 and had it reinstated transatlantic operation possible. Its long-range, twin-engine, wide body design of competing technology had offered the same range and twin-aisle passenger comfort as the comparable quad-engined 747, or tri-engined DC-10 or L-1011, but at the same time had been a quiet, fuel efficient aircraft with a small enough capacity to make a profit, year-round. The larger 747, DC-10 or L-1011 want, because of market size, has been forced to operate at a loss for most of the year except during the peak summer travel season. Each of the other long-range aircraft including the Boeing 707 and McDonnell-Douglas DC-8, had played an older generation, fuel-thirsty, noise-emissive, four-engined technology in the early 1960s design that would result from new enforcement stage 2 noise requirements, have been banned in the U.S. operation unless they had been hush-kitted or even engine be retrofitted. It had been due to the very A-310, as Austrian Airlines and other smaller European carriers, as had been able to return and the long, thin Vienna-New York route sector.
The original schedule in 1989 had offered six weekly flights during the summer and five in winter, at which time two A-310-300 had worked in both the trans-Atlantic to New York and the Far East, via Moscow, to Tokyo. They alternately flew longer range of sectors to Tel Aviv, Istanbul and Tehran. During the first six months of JFK operations, an aircraft had never experienced a major delay because of flight scheduling and on-time performance had been exemplary.
In-flight service had represented a large proportion of an airline's costs. As a result, many of the airlines started to reduce this in order to reduce costs. Austrian Airlines, however, remained unique in a world aloft reduced to snacks and paper cups of providing printed menus, amenity kits, china service, free alcoholic drinks and complimentary headsets in the coach cabin on Vienna-New York and New York-Vienna route, a concept which had placed its product on top of the quality list.
Due to the size of the A-310, however, lower deck cargo had been limited, with the front usually include home luggage load devices (ULDs) and the aft cargo hold accommodating himself, who had often been limited to two pallets and a single AKE unit.
There had always been a certain "prestige" to fly to New York. Although the number of annual passengers entering the U.S. via JFK had begun to decline as an increasing number of alternative U.S. gateways had become, had it still been the main entrance. New York would have been the most logical destination for a small company, which had only served a single American city. Since 1990 JFK had handled traffic with a (then) is not sufficiently large, old-fashioned 1950's International Arrivals Building fixtures, often little service degradation, particularly during peak periods arrival times when it had become very strained, causing delays in the taxi, and subsequent immigration baggage reclaim and customs formalities. The saturated air traffic, which stretches from Boston to Washington through which the plane had to fly it later close approach pattern formed from JFK, La Guardia and Newark International Airports, and the final difficulty in obtaining a landing slot equally affected operations. Passengers were often underestimated the time required to complete treatment after arrival actually leave the plane. It had however been this environment that Austrian Airlines was chosen because it had chosen to eating of "New York experience."
Although these negative facets of the operation was sometimes put it in a bad light, it actually had been JFK's operations, and not the Austrian who had been respected, as all airlines operating at JFK had been victims of these ills, and because of them, an extensive renovation and refurbishment project, designated "JFK 2000," had by this time been launched, which would ultimately lead to the construction or renovation of nearly all terminal, new parking garages, and an international airport light rail system.
Although New York-Vienna load factors had initially been low these had increased steadily until the vast majority of flights had been full. Large tour groups had constituted a growing share of the passenger mix, along with the expected connection passenger who had been able to take advantage of the expanding Vienna hub. It had been the ultimate tribute to a carrier when a passenger had chosen to fly with it and create a connection at its intermediate node as opposed to flying nonstop with a national carrier.
As a "second trial" Across the Atlantic, had Austrian airline's intercontinental A-310 service to New York, ultimately proved successful.
With the purchase of its third A-310-300, registered OE-LAC, Austrian Airlines had tried to serve a second U.S. gateway in the spring of 1991 and wished to establish a presence on the West Coast, especially in Los Angeles, but A-310-300's 11-hour flight duration had ruled that reality. Chicago had been alternatively considered, but America's own non-stop Boeing 767-200ER service to Vienna from Chicago O'Hare, where it had established its second largest hub, had proved to be too competitive and Washington Dulles had therefore chosen instead.
For continental European network, a higher gross weight McDonnell-Douglas MD-83 had been scheduled for 1991 delivery and several of the existing MD-81s had been convicted of conversion to this standard, thus allowing greater range and / or payload capability. two more Fokker F.50s had also been on order or the ability to facilitate increased domestic and long, thin international service.
During the five year period from 1989 to 1994 had Austrian Airlines operated independently at JFK, offering as few as four weekly flights during the winter and as many as seven in the summer.
6th Delta Air Lines code-share
Changing market conditions made it necessary to change strategies at JFK. Trying to adapt to a U.S. domestic airline to get vital "fodder" for its transatlantic flights had been able to achieve on their own, Austrian Airlines had signed a marketing agreement Delta Air Lines in 1994, where it would locate its two letters "U.S." code on Delta flights, while Delta in love would place its two letter "DL" code on Austrian's services. Two Delta flight attendants, in their own uniforms, originally also served in the huts of Austria's A-310s to and from Vienna.
Although the concept was slow to reap financial advantage, the plane had finally reached a high load factors of both Austrian and Delta passengers from several dozen American cities via New York to Vienna, often with the outward journey.
To reduce handling costs, and achieve synergy, inter-carrier services were Austrian Airlines moved its operations Delta Terminal 1A (later renamed Terminal 2), 1 July 1994, retains only nine of the original 21 employees. Delta Air Lines, the newly appointed ground handling airline, had performed arrivals, lost and found, passenger check-in, departure gate, ramp and baggage compartment features while Austria had continued to act in ticketing, cargo inspection, administration, supervision and management capacities.
Also in 1994, had Austrian taken delivery of the first of two long-range, quad-engined A-340-200s configured with 36 business class and 227 economy class passengers. The two aircraft would regularly serve New York throughout the next decade, emerged with the following registrations:
1. OE-LAG
2. OE-LAH
From February 1997 to February 1998, also Austrian moved its check-in counters and the operational office of Delta Terminal 3, but otherwise operated within a market framework.
1997 also marked the first time that the transatlantic route to New York were sufficiently mature to support a second flight on selected days during the summer schedule, with flights arriving in 2045 and redeparting in 2205th Usually operated by aircraft OE-LAC, an A-310 with a reduced capacity of business, but higher-capacity economy class section, the late flight had promoted better relations dinner bank of flights from Vienna.
7. Atlantic Excellence
Once again succumbed to the airline deregulation-necessitated realignment and endeavoring to achieve further cost-cutting synergies, Austrian Airlines had integrated its JFK operations with Sabena and Swissair, 1 March 1998 Atlantic Excellence Alliance forming the first tri-carrier station. Although the staff of the three companies had continued to wear their uniforms, they had operated from a single passenger service and load control offices used a joint Austrian, Sabena and Swissair check-in facility, and equally handled each other's flights. In peak summer season, had seven daily flights, operated by four airlines have been offered.
The Atlantic Excellence station was composed of eight functions, including control, Arrival, VIP / Special Services, ticketing, Load Control, Ramp Monitoring, and Troubleshooting. When Swissair was already contracted for delivery Malev-Hungarian Airlines' cargo declaration services had Load Control function in itself entailed handling around six aircraft, including 747, A-340, MD-11, A-330, the 767, and A-310, and the Atlantic Excellence Integration was often required for inter-carrier rates.
Who had unusual happened with Austrian Airlines, Delta had just completed reciprocal two-letter code share agreements with Sabena and Swissair, but now they took the former marketing scheme to full alliance status on Delta's significant maturation, New York-JFK flight hub. Delta continued to provide ramp and baggage space functions for all three Atlantic Excellence airlines.
In August the same year, Austria had taken delivery of the first of four longer range, higher capacity A-330-200, registration OE-LAM and configured with 30 business and 235 economy class passengers, and the type was eventually replaced workhorse A-310-300-fleet. They four aircraft later operating with a reduced business-class capacity of 24, when the Grand class concept was introduced, had included the following registrations:
1. OE-LAM
2. OE-LAN
3. OE-LAO
4. OE-LAP
During the summer timetable for 1998 JFK had fielded its first dual-plane type operation with the first flight operated by Standard light A-330 and the second by A-310.
8. Star Alliance
Although the ultimate "Swissport solution" under which everyone would Atlantic Excellence JFK ground staff will be transferred to ground handling company, had imagined itself, the possibility had never played out. Rumors rumbling through the station as gentle forewarnings of a pending storm, had permeated the atmosphere by mid-1999. A new strategy seemed to loom on the horizon and its seeds planted long before it had flourished, had been multifaceted and omni-comprehensive.
1. In June 1999, Delta Air Lines and Air France formed the basis for a new global alliance, later known as SkyTeam, thus dissolving the 25-month Austrian / Delta / Sabena / Swissair Atlantic Excellence Alliance if the contract without renegotiation would have expired in August 2000.
2. Despite an agreed investment limit of 10%, Swissair had nevertheless tried to buy extra Austrian Airlines stock to prevent Austrian goal of self-identity, and independent ownership and compel it to withdraw from by Swissair-led Qualiflyer alliance of European airlines.
3. Swissair and Sabena had formed a combined commercial management structure, which again proved in contrary to Austrian Airlines' independent direction.
4. In early 2000, both Sabena and Swissair had signed a code-share cooperation with American Airlines a U.S. carrier-adaptation in violation of Austrian Airlines' U.S. feed strategy.
Austrian Airlines, a small but profitable international carrier of high quality, had yet to reach the needs of a global alliance to remain financially viable and therefore signed a membership agreement with Lufthansa and United Nations-led Star Alliance, which had become effective on 26 March 2000. still the largest and longest-standing alliance, it had since been made up of Air Canada, Air New Zealand, All Nippon, Ansett Australia, Austrian Airlines, British Midland, Lauda Air, Lufthansa, Mexicana, SAS, Thai Airways International, Tyrolean, United States, and Varig, and had been jointly carried out 23-percent of world passenger traffic. At the same time, the decision was allowed continued self identity and self-management, yet growth potential for both the company and its Vienna hub. Expressed as a sense, the decision can be expressed as: "Here we are again!"
The transition from the Atlantic Excellence for Star Alliance, which has begun as early as January 2000 had resulted in four integral changes:
1. A whole new IT (information technology) systems and frequent flyer program.
2. The operational relocation to a new terminal, passenger service from passenger check-in counter, load control-plane transit center, and the gate at JFK.
3. New Alliance airline code-share flights and traffic feeding had resulted in the closure of the Atlanta station and the subsequent opening of Chicago and the reopening of the Washington stations in the United States.
4. The entire enterprise migration training Oberlaa, Austria.
Star Alliance membership, again resulting in a move to Terminal One at JFK, had asked for a second air handling transition, from Delta to Lufthansa, which was now completed and Luggage Service Passenger Check-In functions, while Austria had continued to act in the capacity Arrivals, ticketing, Load Control, Ramp Supervision and Management. Under a mutual agreement, it also had these passenger services to Lufthansa for its own Frankfurt flights during non-operational hours. Aircraft loading and baggage compartment functions were handled by Hudson General, which was later renamed GlobeGround North America.
In a further cost-reduction strategy, Austrian Airlines had moved to a smaller and lower rental Passenger Services office on the ground floor of Terminal One in September 2002, which had time Load Control / Ramp Supervision function has been assigned to Lufthansa. no longer serving the Lufthansa plane, the Austrian staff was further reduced to six full-time and two part-time positions and the working day was reduced from nine to eight.
Austria's largest capacity aircraft, A-340-300 – forthcoming 30 business class and 261 economy class passengers – had at times also be delivered to JFK, especially during the summer 2002 schedule, when a late Saturday departure had been planned. Two such aircraft had then been in the Navy:
1. OE-LAK
2. OE-LAL
9th Swissport USA
The consistent lines to reduce costs had resulted in yet another handler change at JFK on 1 January 2003, when most of the ground services had been transferred from Lufthansa for Swissport USA.
In preparation for the change that had Swissport passenger staff attended the Guide Check-In course in Vienna in December 2002, while a Swissport agent who had structured Baggage Services department had participated in World Tracer Basic Course in October the following year.
Equipped in Austrian Airlines uniforms, had Swissport staff performed Arrivals, Lost and Found, Passenger check-in, departure gate, Load Control, Surveillance and Ramp functions, while the Austrian had to continue providing ticket sales, administration, monitoring, and management services. Load control, which had originally been performed in Terminal 4 by use of Swissair DCS system were transferred to Terminal One and Lufthansa WAB system after Swissport operations personnel had completed a computer course load control in Vienna, March.
10. North American Station Training Program
Because most of Swissport agents had had little previous airline experience had been aware of Austrian Airlines' product and procedures, and have mostly only had a basic, entry-level Passenger Services course, I had tried to create a local training program in the preparation of course descriptions, write textbooks, development of quizzes and exams, training courses themselves, and the subsequent issuance of diplomas for a more complete prepare them to perform their functions.
The program, tracing its routes to Austrian Airlines passenger handling Course established in 1989 and initial Load Control material written in 1998, had evolved into a full-fledged North American Station Training Program, the content, updated in accordance with the aircraft, system, procedure and changing alliance, had led the four integrated curriculum of "Initial Passenger Service," "Ramp Supervision Certification," "Load Control Licensing, "and" Airline Management, "and was ultimately included 27 Passenger Service, Ramp Monitoring, Load Control, Air Cargo and Airline Station Management procedural and training manuals; station two stories; 28 curriculum; and 63 courses taught to Austrian Airlines and Austrian Airlines handling airlines Delta, Lufthansa Passenger Handling Services / Maca, SAS, Servair and Swissport at the eight North American stations in Atlanta, Cancun, Chicago, Montreal, New York, Punta Cana, Toronto, and Washington.
Program, which had quickly become equivalent to an "Airline University", and had often been positioned as the reason why Swissport staff had all sometimes tried to transfer to Austrian Airlines account, had often proved to be instrumental in their career progress, facilitating their promotions or acquisitions of other airlines.
11. Boeing and Lauda to JFK
JFK, to date only served by Austrian Airlines and its fleet of A-310, A-330 and A-340 Airbus wide-body aircraft that had received its first regular Lauda Air 767 running in the summer of 2004, while the frequency was multiplied four-fold by the following year. In 2007 it had completely replaced the 17-year-old Airbus service.
Founded in April 1979 by Niki Lauda, in racing car fame, had acquired Lauda Air Alpair Vienna's charter license for 5 million ATS and had initiated charter and air taxi service in cooperation with Austrian Airlines for two Fokker F.27 Friendship turboprop, predecessors Fokker F.50s Austrian Air Service had later surgery. Niki Lauda, born in Vienna, Austria, in 1949, had accumulated his wealth as a Formula I racing driver who won two World Champion titles and 25 Grand Prix races. It was soon proved that two Austrian airlines could not coexist because of fierce competition, declining profits pressure and an insufficient local market base and F.27s had ultimately been leased to Egyptair.
Six years later, had in January 1985, two BAC-111-500s, a British Twin jet not unlike SE.210 Caravelle in size, scope, and design, has been hired from Tarom Romanian Airlines, to expand its fleet capacity to 208 seats and these had later been placed in the charter and inclusive-tour (IT) services, primarily to Greece, but later to other European destinations. Demand was so high that it eventually had exceeded available capacity and a larger 737-200, leased from Transavia Holland, had replaced one of the BAC-111s, with both types later disposed of by delivery of two still-higher capacity, new technology 737-300s. These had been operated on a growing charter network.
In May 1986, Lauda Air used for the Austrian Ministry of Transport for a license to operate scheduled international service. It was approved in November 1987, thus ending Austrian Airlines 'longstanding monopoly. A to later-acquired, 235-passenger, had a dual class Boeing 767-300ER allowed long-range, intercontinental flights to be inaugurated, of which the first, 7 May 1988, had been a scheduled weekly Vienna-Bangkok-Hong Kong service, soon joined by a Vienna-Bangkok-Sydney sector. fill the need for lower fares long-haul, leisure-oriented travel, Lauda Air grew rapidly. In 1985, for example, had carried 95,768 passengers, and had flown 2522 flight hours with 67 employees, while in the first ten months of 1987, had carried 236,730 passengers, and had completed 5,364 flight hours with 169 employees, a 147-percent passenger increase. In 1990, its fleet swelled up to five aircraft, which consists of three 146-passenger 737-300s and two 235-passenger 767-300ER, which had been placed on charter flights to European destinations Spain and Greece, Middle Eastern destinations such as Israel, and to Africa and the Far East, and on scheduled flights to Vienna, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Sydney.
Earning his license for European scheduled flights, 23 August 1990 for the first time, a right hitherto only the established Austrian Airlines, it had begun service from Vienna to London-Gatwick with five weekly 737-300 flights.
Seeking to enter the Austrian market, Lufthansa German Airlines announced a marketing collaboration with Lauda Air In July 1992, sealing the alliance the following January with a 26.5-percent increase in capital, shortly after the two companies had inaugurated a quad-weekly 767-300ER service to Los Angeles.
Well aware of competition from Austrian Airlines at inter-European routes from its limited market in Vienna, Lauda had tried to inaugurate its own service with less capacity, 50-passenger, two-engine Canadair Regional Jets, ordering six of the type in October 1993 which had been deployed on routes to Barcelona, Madrid, Brussels, Geneva, Manchester, and Stockholm, with the start of the summer timetable on 27 March 1994. Singapore, which had replaced Bangkok, in November the same year, was the new "bridge" between Vienna and Sydney / Melbourne, and the weekly 767 service had been doubled.
On 26 March 1995, Lauda Air had established another European hub, Milan-Malpensa in cooperation with Lufthansa, which now had a 39.7-percent stake in the fledgling Austrian air bases, three of the original six-order CRJ-100s there. These had been deployed to Vienna, Manchester, Brussels, Paris, Barcelona and Dublin. Candair Regional Jets, along with a growing number of 737, had provided the backbone of the European fleet.
It had quickly become clear that until the European deregulation would probably not tolerate dozens of flights, airlines, unless they had served very small, niche markets. Lauda Air had been able to survive despite competition from Austrian Airlines once before. Both had driven in the medium and long range, twin-engine aircraft bases in Vienna and had offered high quality passenger service. An ultimate cooperation with Austrian Airlines appeared inevitable. This was partly enforced in June 1996, at which time, Austrian Airlines and Lauda Air had driven single-plane, dual-code flight to Nice, Milan and Rome with regional jets for the first time. In March 12, 1997, this had been extended, with announcement of a strategic, tri-carrier Austrian / Lauda / co Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines now taking a 36-percent stake in its former competitor with Lauda himself keep 30 percent and Lufthansa 20 percent.
On 24 September the same year, Lauda Air took delivery of its second wide-body aircraft type, 777-200, which was inaugurated in use on Vienna-Singapore-Sydney-Melbourne route on 1 October, replacing the venerable 767th
On 21 September 1999, today one of the three integral "Austrian Airlines Group members together with Austrian Airlines itself and Tyrolean Airways, Lauda Air was intended to become a member of Star Alliance, which became effective it 26 March 2000.
Given the lower cost arm in the three-airline group, briefed Lauda Air had submitted in the medium and long range scheduled and charter flight service at leisure – routes with a four-type 22-aircraft fleet, the maintenance of its own brand identity. During 2004, however, had the first step towards integration with the Austrian Airlines brand happened to ratification of a joint Austrian-Lauda Air cockpit crew contract and in January 2005, aircraft OE-LAE was the first of four 767-300s that have been painted in Austrian Airlines Livery, with the new interior color scheme and a 24-business class and 230 economy-class passenger configuration. Lauda Air had turned completely to a single class, high-density charter airlines, Austrian Airlines Group with a narrow body fleet of Boeing 737 and Airbus A-320s.
Summer 2004 Lauda 767 aircraft which was operated as a supplement to the daily Austrian frequency during the 11-week period from June 26 to September 5, had arrived at 2055 on Saturday evening and went about 25 hours later on Sunday at the 2200th To prepare station for the extra service, local Boeing 767 Passenger Services and Boeing 767 Load Control courses had been created and taught the Swissport staff. Since Lufthansa had not been licensed to 767 aircraft had maintenance contract for Delta Air Lines, which had driven all three -200, -300 and -400 series 767, and a comprehensive night jams and safety procedures had been performed before aircraft push-back to Terminal One hard state, at which time security seals had been used at all access doors. Received Galley equipment had been unloaded and washed and prepared for the following evening.
The late departure had proved difficult to sell in the business cabin without significant market promotion and fare reduction because of the aircraft's then 36-passenger Amadeus class capacity. Because of the size of its tail, lower deck door, cargo pallet loading had been limited to four positions in the front room. The plane itself had functioned in a combination of Lauda Air and Star Alliance liveries.
During the summer 2005 timetable 767-300 had driven up to four additional weekly flights from June 14 to September 2, resulting in 11 weekly flights from JFK, with A-330 Standard light operates the beginning of service and 767-300 operates the late flight.
In 2007 it had completely replaced the type A-330 and A-340 fleet.
12th Centralized Load Control
In late 2006, a concept called "Centralized Load Control (CLC) system had been implemented at JFK, and the station, just nucleus of an atom, was the core of it all.
Conceived by Michael Steinbuegl, JFK Station Manager, procedure, following trends in Swiss International in New York, Lufthansa in Cape Town, and SAS in Bangkok, had its origins in an earlier survey project, which he had explored the cost savings by using a large, single Centralized Load Control Section in Vienna or more Regional them, although the latter is by nature made language and time zone barriers. Michael, formerly Aircraft Handling Manager had accumulated considerable experience in creating operational procedures and methods, central to which was weight and balance.
Attempting to apply this knowledge while trying to rectify the system's incompatibility and communication difficulties with SAS Bangkok event in Washington that he tackled this station first, like JFK, has already spent Lufthansa WAB system. In the process, he set course for the many transitions to come by making several trips required to establish local station-compatible procedures and then develop a detailed brochure about them. The first centralized cargo declaration for the Washington trip, OS 094, took place on 1 November 2006.
Charlie Schreiner, head Austrian Airlines Load Control, subsequently marked in the following words: "With Austrian Airlines Flight OS 094 November 1, our first line station had been connected to a regular Centralized Load Control process WOOL aircraft. All activities at the operational flight plan preparation, load planning, coordination RD, and WAB System documentation, including cargo declaration transmitted to the cockpit via ACARS, had been checked by our JFK station yesterday. I would like to thank our colleagues Mike Steinbuegl and Robert Waldvogel for the professional and excellent organized by the CLC preparation procedures, as well as the Austrian ladies, Regula Munz, Eva Lingeman in Washington and handling of agents in JFK and Washington (Swissport and SAS Scandinavian Airlines System) in their dedicated work during this transition. This good work, had also led to the first flight three minutes ahead of his departure. I wish all participants continued success of the CLC process. "
The rest of the CLC program, however, involved the gradual implementation. In May the following year, had been reinaugurated service from Chicago. Since this is now considered a "new" station, it is logically followed to its load indication will be integrated into the CLC system from the start and, despite the computer system differentiation that had been adjusted with the first flight on 29 May following procedural changes.
With these cities are served by JFK, it had been decided to integrate the last North American station, Toronto, the first centralized load sheet was issued on 1 July.
Three Austrian Airlines dedicated Swissport Load controllers, two of whom had worked on a given day during the peak summer season, had formed Centralized Load Control System team.
As the fourth station was integrated, JFK had produced around 120 cargo sheets per month, and the very successful system had resulted in numerous benefits.
1. This was mainly brought about significant savings.
2. All flights had departed on time compared to load scheduling and load indication preparation.
3. All four U.S. aircraft had been operationally processed by a single multiple daily load controller than JFK had a single outlet.
4. All loading instruction reports and load plates were generated in the Lufthansa WAB system.
5. And Vienna had immediate access for all loading control-related data and documentation.
13th Boeing 777
When Austrian Airlines had turned the page of its winter 2008-2009 schedule on 29 March, JFK had fielded its first Boeing 777-200ER operating carrier's largest capacity equipment and the fifth basic type, which served New York after that A-310, A-330, A-340 and 767th
The aircraft was originally acquired by Lauda Air, had been configured for 49 business and 258 economy class passengers but two recent examples, which had played a higher gross weight and modified passenger events had accommodated 260 economy class passengers in ten-oriented, three to four-three, configurations.
During the six-month period between April and September 2009, the same plane had carried 34 percent more arriving and departing passengers, together with significantly increased complement of cargo and mail than the corresponding period the previous year when 767 had been deployed.
The four 777 records had included the following:
1. OE-LPA
2. OE-LPB
3. OE-LPC
4. OE-LPD
14. Lufthansa Acquisition
2009 was a pivotal year for Austrian Airlines. Because of the global economic slowdown, rising fuel prices, eroding yields, and strong competition in Western Europe from low cost carriers, continued its economic viability, and therefore existence as a company had been threatened, despite earlier unsuccessful attempts to curb its losses by selling its A-330 and A-340 fleet, reducing its long-range routing system, and implementing several restructuring plans. Its savior in the form of an agreement with Lufthansa German airlines to assume its debt and get the bulk of its shares, has made it possible to continue operations.
On 28th August, the European Commission officially approved the planned takeover of Austrian Airlines Group of Lufthansa German Airlines, which consists of 500 million euro restructuring assistance from the state holding company and the merger between the two carriers, and thus pave the way to Austrian Airlines' integration into the Lufthansa Group in September. To achieve the requested antitrust immunity, Lufthansa had agreed to waive important flight slots and reduce the number of services between Brussels and Vienna, Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich and Stuttgart. For Austrian Airlines, which will be one of Lufthansa's many independent European hub carriers had signaled economic survival; a better economic foundation, cost synergies, such as joint fuel and aircraft procurement and access to Lufthansa's extensive international sales and network. Austrian Airlines' own niche within this system had involved the establishment of Vienna as a high performance hub for traffic to feed its dense central and eastern routing system.
As a result of this change in ownership, many people had basic North American changes occurred.
In Toronto and Washington, For example, there were agreements in which Lufthansa took over ground handling operations at these stations.
In New York, had the employees more than half of its Whitestone, North American headquarters, has been dismissed and the location for nearly a quarter of a century for its "fortress" is located on the fifth floor of the Octagon Plaza, had been closed, while the remaining staff moving to Lufthansa's East Meadow, Long Island facility, and integration with its staff.
At JFK, had Austrian Airlines Cargo moved to Lufthansa facility on 1 November and 16 days later Swissport had passed the ground-handling torch to Lufthansa German Airlines.
Michael Steinbuegl, Manager of the station in four years, was promoted to Key Account Manager, North America, but four-Ticket Sales Booking positions had become redundant because Lufthansa had assumed these functions, reducing the Austrian Airlines' staff to just three members, all of which had received limited six-month contracts which had expired on 15 May 2010. They had subsequently been integrated into the Lufthansa-operation and schedule.
The last Austrian Airlines "red presence," there have been purely Austrian Airlines or Swissport staff had taken place on 15 November, and first floor office in Terminal A, which has hitherto been "home" both Austrian Airlines and Swissport Management, Passenger Services, Centralized Load Control, Ticket Sales, Reservations, and luggage Service / Lost and found departments have been dropped to three counters in the Lufthansa systems, of which two had been Duty Manager stations on the main level and one was Key Account Manager position located at lower level of Station Operations Unit.
All things seem to come completely cycle. Event, effectively ending 21 years of autonomous Austrian Airlines presence had mark the carrier's return to its 1938 integration with Lufthansa and its 2000 ground-handling event at JFK.
15. JFK Station Forces
Throughout its 21 year presence at JFK International Airport, Austrian Airlines had handled five aircraft – Airbus A-310, Airbus A-330, Airbus A-340, Boeing 767 and Boeing 777, had adopted four strategies – its original, independent operation, Delta Air Lines code-share agreement, and tri-carrier Atlantic Excellence station, and Star Alliance integration, had driven from four JFK terminals – Terminal One, Terminal Two, Terminal Three, and the International Arrivals Building, had been treated by three companies – Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa German Airlines and Swissport USA, and had used two computer systems.
Because the talents and abilities of many of the employees had been channeled to produce creative and innovative achievements in the last chapter of its existence, JFK was chopped up several strengths and successes, some of which had enabled it to play an increasingly important role in nucleic North America. These results can be divided as follows:
1. Textbooks and courses, which had subsequently been used to repeat this success at the Austrian Airlines' other North American stations.
2. Centralized Load Control (CLC) Department, involves the development of loading instructions / reports and load sheets for the four North American stations in Chicago, New York, Toronto, and Washington had been very successful, and had once involved four aircraft types: Boeing 767, Airbus A-330, Airbus A-340 and Boeing 777th
3. Omar himself had often traveled to other stations in order to restructure their baggage Services Departments.
4. Ticket Sales Reservations counterpart, led by Sidonie Shields, had consistently collected large amounts of annual revenue in ticket sales, excess baggage and other fees.
5. The visible presence of Austrian Airlines, in red uniforms, the passenger, whether worn by Austrian Airlines or Swissport staff.
6. The special flights, such as those carrying Rabbi Twersky group, American Music Abroad group IMTX group, the Vienna Boys' Choir, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Life Ball, the latter with its high-profile celebrities, colorful characters, and predeparture parties.
7. The special events including "The Year in Review," Pennsylvania ski trips, summer pool parties, birthday, Thanksgiving dinners and secret Santas at Christmas.
8. And Finally, the daily briefings, family atmosphere, the jokes, the laughs, the rapping, and human connection, which had always stressed life forces behind it all.
Michael Steinbuegl who assumed command as JFK Station Manager in September 2005 had grown Environment and orchestrated the steps that had allowed each of these strengths and achievements has been made.
16. Two decades of Elasticity
Austrian Airlines, which has hitherto been among the smaller European airlines had to assume a considerable degree of necessary "elasticity" during his 21 years at JFK, ebb and flow of the ever-changing swirl of current market conditions, seeking financial advantage, synergistic strength niche alliance realignment, and ultimate ownership. Defying Darwinian philosophy that if "the strongest survive "prediction is often translated as" survival of the biggest, "Austrian Airlines had, despite the numerous, necessary redirections, proved the opposite, maybe ask a reformulation of the philosophy that read, "survival of the least" – which must be added "as a global player."
To this end, the latest strategy had enabled the carrier to survive. For station JFK and its employees, but it had not.
Epilogue
Because I had been hired by the Austrian Airlines two months before the inaugural transatlantic flights from JFK, 26 March 1989 and had held several positions there throughout his 21-year history, I had felt singularly qualified to write his story. It is, in essence, my story. That is what I lived. And what I leave …
About the Author
A graduate of Long Island University-C.W. Post Campus with a summa-cum-laude BA Degree in Comparative Languages and Journalism, I have subsequently earned the Continuing Community Education Teaching Certificate from the Nassau Association for Continuing Community Education (NACCE) at Molloy College, the Travel Career Development Certificate from the Institute of Certified Travel Agents (ICTA) at LIU, and the AAS Degree in Aerospace Technology at the State University of New York – College of Technology at Farmingdale. Having amassed almost three decades in the airline industry, I managed the New York-JFK and Washington-Dulles stations at Austrian Airlines, created the North American Station Training Program, served as an Aviation Advisor to Farmingdale State University of New York, and devised and taught the Airline Management Certificate Program at the Long Island Educational Opportunity Center.
