Quick Takes -- AE, Lynx, Flyaboo/Embraer, PT Riau/BAe

AE Adds to Grand Junction, Replaces Mainline to Other Routes As American announced its planned cuts, it said it was downsizing its equipment in favor of American Eagle/American Connection service between St. Louis and San Antonio and Raleigh/Durham (RDU) and RDU to LaGuardia. American Eagle Airlines adds a...

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AE Adds to Grand Junction, Replaces Mainline to Other Routes
As American announced its planned cuts, it said it was downsizing its equipment in favor of American Eagle/American Connection service between St. Louis and San Antonio and Raleigh/Durham (RDU) and RDU to LaGuardia.
American Eagle Airlines adds a third flight between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT), beginning July 2. American Eagle operates the service with 50-seat Embraer ERJ-145 jets. American Eagle started service to Grand Junction on April 7.
"The Western Slope community has been very supportive of our service," said Gary Foss, Vice President - Marketing and Planning for American Eagle. "We wanted to add an additional flight this summer, and we are confident that the community will support it."

Lynx Aviation Traffic
For April 2008, Lynx Aviation reported revenue passenger miles of 24,481,000 and available seat miles of 42,218,000. There are no year-over-year comparable statistics since Lynx did not start until last fall. This resulted in a load factor for April 2008 of 58.0 percent. Lynx Aviation carried 60,851 passengers during April 2008, generating passenger yield of 18.16 cents. Lynx Aviation passenger revenue per available seat mile was 10.53 cents and its average length of haul was 402 miles for April 2008.
"Although [Frontier’s consolidated] April mainline year-over-year passenger unit revenue decreased slightly due to a short slowdown in bookings after we announced our reorganization, we are very encouraged by the recovery to normal levels that took place as we demonstrated that it was business as usual for Frontier," said Sean Menke, President and CEO.

Flyaboo Takes First ERJ 190
Embraer delivered the first ERJ 190 jet to Swiss carrier Flybaboo S.A., on April 30. The Geneva-based airline, which previously flew a dedicated turboprop fleet, will begin operating the aircraft this year under a leasing agreement with M1 Travel Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lebanon's M1 Group. The 190s leased to Flybaboo will support the airline's current network and also enable it to expand to new destinations. Flybaboo has selected the steep approach option for its E-Jet, allowing the airline to operate out of London City Airport, as well as key existing destinations at Lugano, in Switzerland, and Florence Vespucci, in Italy, downtown airports, all with short runways.
"The delivery of our first E-90 is a milestone for this five-year-old company, heralding the beginning of exciting new developments," said Jacques Bankir, President of Flybaboo. "The ERJ 190 will be the catalyst to further grow both our aircraft fleet and our route network to Europe and beyond."

P.T. Riau Airlines Takes Avro RJ100s
BAE Systems Regional Aircraft signed lease agreements with Indonesian carrier P.T. Riau Airlines for two Avro RJ100s. Due for delivery in August, the two aircraft (msn E3243 and E3265) are the airline’s first jet equipment and will complement an existing fleet of five 50-seat Fokker 50 turboprops.
Riau Airlines has been operating since 2003 and is based at Pekanbaru, capital of the Riau Province in Sumatra. The airline operates a busy scheduled network linking major centres in Sumatra to smaller regional destinations and islands. It also operates a scheduled route into Malaysia, serving Malacca. In addition, it operates a number of Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes and has a thriving charter business servicing the oil and gas sector in the region.
The two Avro RJ100s, with 111 seats in six-abreast layout, will be used to replace the Fokker 50s on some busier routes, but also to open up new international services to Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia from points in Riau Province. These new services will start as part of the provincial government’s vision to establish Riau as a major regional centre for the Malay culture.
The airline is the only carrier in Indonesia to be fully-owned by a regional government. The major shareholder is the Riau provincial government, with neighbouring provinces also holding smaller shareholdings. The aim in setting up the airline was to improve air transport links in Riau province and to accelerate the region’s economic growth on the basis of a reliable and professional air transport company.