Airport News.

Large savings seen from RFID, but implementation is uncertain. At a time when lost and mishandled bags are costing the industry $2.5 billion a year, airlines collectively could save $768 million annually if passive RFID tags were implemented for baggage handling, replacing barcode tags and scanners, IATA RFID Project Manager Andrew Price said yesterday on radio frequency identification technology. Mar 22, 2006

Lost and mishandled baggage cost the airline industry $2.5 billion last year and the problem is worsening, SITA said yesterday in an annual review. SITA, which tracks baggage information for airlines and passengers in 220 countries and territories, also revealed "for the first time" that the number of lost or stolen bags is running at about 204,000 per year "on current calculations that 30 million bags are mishandled annually based on passenger numbers of 2 billion." It attributed the deterioration "on both sides of the Atlantic" to "airport congestion, tight turnaround times, increased interlining, security regulations and mounting passenger and baggage volumes which introduce delays and complicate handling procedures." Mar 22, 2006

In 2005, the single largest cause of baggage delay was in transfer mishandling, at 61%. This was followed by failure to load, 15%; ticketing error/passenger bag switch/security/other, 9%; loading/offloading error, 4%; space-weight restriction, 5%; arrival station mishandling, 3%, and tagging errors, 3%. The average delayed baggage file is open for 1.3 days or 31.2 hr. from the time the bag is reported missing to when it is found and returned to its owner. Mar 22, 2006

Fliers become even bigger buyers at duty-free shops. A boom in air travel is producing record sales at duty-free shops. Travelers are expected to spend a record $28.5 billion at duty-free shops this year, up about 6% from 2005, according to preliminary data from the Generation Group, a Swedish research company. The figure includes so-called travel retail shops in Europe, which are similar. A duty-free shop sells to international travelers items that are free of local taxes. Travelers entering another country with the items may be taxed, depending on local laws and limits. Americans, for example, are allowed to return home from most countries with $800 worth of duty-free or other items before being taxed. Rising domestic and international airline passenger traffic is crucial to the duty-free business, because half of global sales are made at airports. About 7% are made in-flight, Bia says. In the USA, up to 70% of sales are made at airports, says Michael Payne, executive director of the International Association of Airport Duty-Free Stores. Other factors: Mar 21, 2006

Belfast George Best Airport

George Best Airport is to be the new name for Belfast City (BHD). The official changeover will take place on Monday May 22, which would have been George's 60th birthday. Rebuilt in 2001 George Best Airport it is now one of the best small regional operations in the UK with an annual throughput of 2.2m passengers. It is owned by Spain's Grupo Ferrovial who is in the throes of a takeover bid for BAA Plc. http://www.belfastcityairport.com Mar 26, 2006

Berlin-Brandenburg Airport

Construction of Berlin-Brandenburg Airport can proceed, court rules. The 15-year campaign to replace Berlin's fractured three-airport system with a single modern facility built to international standards gained a major victory when a German court overruled environmentalists and local residents who objected to plans to replace Berlin Schoenefeld with a new Berlin-Brandenburg International. Mar 20, 2006

British Airport Authority

British Airport Authority rejects Grupo Ferrovial takeover bid. BAA said Friday that it had rejected a "pre-conditional" 810-pence-per-share, all-cash buyout offer from Spain's Grupo Ferrovial and its consortium partners. BAA shares closed at 839 pence Thursday. Ferrovial's offer valued BAA, which operates London Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, among others, at [pounds sterling]8.8 billion ($15.39 billion.). Mar 20, 2006

Dallas Love Field 

Lawmakers should do away with Wright law: The Wright Amendment was created 27 years ago to restrict flights out of Dallas Love Field, where Southwest Airlines operates a hub. The law benefits a small special interest at the expense of everybody else, the New York Times' David Leonhardt writes. He says Wright should be abolished because it hurts consumers. Mar 22, 2006

Frankfurt-Hahn Airport

Frankfurt-Hahn Airport began construction of a new cargo terminal on a 15,600-sq.-m. lot near Ramp 4. The Bucher Group is the principal investor, having contributed [euro]6 million to the facility that will include 16 loading gates and refrigerated compartments. It will be able to handle 80,000-100,000 tons of cargo per year and is scheduled to begin operations this fall. Mar 23, 2006

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is in the news and seems to have put the problems associated with the Chinese takeover and SARS well behind it. From an air travel point of view, Qantas has just introduced daily through flights from London to Melbourne and new airline Oasis Air has moved a step forward towards a launch before the end of the year with the acquisition of a pair of Boeing 747-400 from SIA, due to arrive in July. The world famous Mandarin Oriental Hotel, on Connaught Road, closed at the beginning of the year, will reopen this autumn following a [pounds sterling]10m renovation. Now 40 years old, it will actually lose rooms, the accommodation reducing from 541 to 503. Asian Aerospace, long established in Singapore, moves in 2007 to a new purpose-built exhibition center, AsiaWorld-Expo, adjacent to the Chek Lap Kok International Airport. If your other half does not like air shows, also just opened, Hong Kong's new Disneyworld is very close by. http://www.discoverhongkong.com Mar 26, 2006

Orlando Airport

Orlando project will streamline baggage screening. Orlando International Airport has begun a $140 million project to streamline the way luggage is screened. The airport will still screen bags for explosives, but the screening will take place behind the scenes. Mar 20, 2006