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INFOline
2011 Archive |
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Bob Greene's INFOline | December 22, 2011This is Bob Greene, Manager of Ground Operations & Compliance, with the ABX Infoline for December 22, 2011. SMS Update Ho Ho Shop Update Replacement Jumpseat Badges Wellness Program Aircraft 827 That's all for this week. Here's wishing you and your family a happy and safe Christmas and New Year season. John Starkovich's INFOline | December 8, 2011Good Afternoon. This is John Starkovich with the ABX INFOline for December 8, 2011. Safety & Compliance The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) that is being opposed by the airlines in the European Court of Justice remains scheduled for implementation on January 1, 2012. A decision from the European Court is expected before the end of the year and perhaps as soon as December 21. In the meantime, Senator John Thune from the state of South Dakota has introduced a bill in the US Senate that would prohibit US air carrier operators from participating in the EU ETS. You may recall that the House of Representatives passed a similar bill with bipartisan support some time ago. Company News We want to congratulate the employees that are reaching a Milestone Anniversary during December. Manager of Flight Simulators Jack Greenwood is celebrating 25 years with ABX. Also, the following employees have reached the 20 year mark: First Officer Tom Shanks; Capt. Keith Bednar; Capt. Phil Myers; and Capt. Bob Walter. Thank you for all that you have done for ABX. Our on-time service performance for DHL during the fourth quarter stands at 98.63%. Other News & Information As many of you know, ABX has supported the Ho Ho Shop during the Christmas season as it provides gifts for children and families in need. If you are interested in sponsoring a family, please contact Beth Allen at extension 62157. For those of you that have already volunteered, please remember that the Santa Bags are due back no later than December 15. For your planning purposes, ABX Air offices will be closed on Monday, December 26, and Monday, January 2, for the Christmas and New Year's Day Holidays. Please look for the ICOM that explains how your PTO applies. That is all for this weeks INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX a success. Take care. Jeff Walling's INFOline | November 23, 2011 Hello, this is Jeff Walling, Manager of Human Resources, with the INFOline update for Wednesday, November 23, 2011. Safety & Compliance Service Update Office Closure Jumpseat Badges If you do not have a jumpseat badge, your badge does not expire and will not be replaced. If you have any questions about the process, please let your supervisor know. Open Enrollment Ho Ho Shop Fall Charity Drive We have a new raffle item this week courtesy of the Cincinnati Reds. We are raffling off four two-day VIP passes to RedsFest being held at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati on December 2 and 3. RedsFest is a fun family event featuring many current and former Reds players and coaches and lots of baseball-related activities. The raffle will be held on Tuesday, November 29. We are also raffling off 12 gift baskets created by the employees of ABX. The gift baskets are on display in the Administration Building second floor hallway in Wilmington (ILN) or online at myabx.com/charity. The drawing for the gift baskets is Thursday, December 1. Raffle tickets for both the RedsFest and the gift baskets are on sale for $1 each or six tickets for $5. Please see Vicki Ertel in Aircraft Maintenance or Jeff Walling in Human Resources to buy raffle tickets. All proceeds go to the Fall Charity Drive. So far we’ve raised $41,774 corporate-wide for charity. However, just 23 percent of ABX employees have signed up for payroll deduction. Every employee that signs up for payroll deduction and gives at least $1 a pay period is eligible for the Fall Charity Drive prize drawing. Prizes include reserved parking spaces, a paid day off, a flight simulator ride, logo items, and the Grand Prize of two round trip Delta Air Lines tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S., Mexico or the Caribbean plus $200 cash for travel expenses. If you have not yet turned in your pledge form, won’t you please consider giving just $1 a paycheck to help? Well, that’s all I have this week, except to wish you and your family a warm and Happy Thanksgiving! Goodbye. John Starkovich's INFOline | November 10, 2011 Good afternoon. This is John Starkovich with the ABX INFOline for November 10, 2011. Safety & Compliance All aspects of the IOSA Audit have been completed, and ABX is approved until October 2013. Just a reminder that training sessions must be held for employees exposed to adverse weather. Training must be documented and kept on file for one year as required by OSHA. Safety Management System (SMS) is a new initiative that
has come about with the passage of the HR Bill 5900 into Public Law
111-216 on August 1, 2010. This new law requires the FAA to conduct
rulemaking to have all FAA 121 air carriers implement an SMS by August
1, 2012. ABX has requested to be a part of the SMS Pilot Project that
will allow the FAA to assist ABX and allow us to take advantage of other
projects in developing an efficient and effective SMS. We will keep you
advised as this project develops. We have many of the pieces that will
complement this program already in place, as our recent IOSA audit
shows, and we look forward to working with the FAA on the SMS project. Tomorrow November 11 is Veterans Day. Thank you to all of our Veterans for the sacrifices and service so that we can enjoy the freedoms of living in the US. Did you know that ABX employs 184 veterans and that all of the ATSG companies employ 447? Thank you all. For your planning purposes, ABX Air offices will be
closed on Thanksgiving November 24 and most departments will be closed
on Friday November 25. Please look for the information that explains how
your PTO applies. Jan Woolums' INFOline | October 27, 2011 Good morning, everyone. This is Jan Woolums, Director of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) operation, with the INFOline for Oct. 27, 2011. CVG Deice Operations Winter is still a few months away for most of us, but that's not the case for DHL in CVG, which has been preparing for the winter operation since late summer. Carson Latham, Manager of Airline Winter Operations Compliance for DHL/CVG, reported yesterday that the deice training is progressing very well due the outstanding support from the ABX Air crews and management. The mock deice has added another task and complexity to the outbound flights, but it has really helped the deice team to learn how to navigate around the equipment and orchestrate movements more fluently on the CVG ramp. DHL, in coordination with their deice vendor Integrated Deicing Services (IDS) in CVG, has conducted familiarization exercises on the DHL ramp for the past several weeks. IDS will operate 20 new Global deicers this year with the Air Plus System. This system has high pressure air that will remove snow, just like the two Tempest units used previously by DHL in CVG. What is unique about the equipment is for the first time all deicers on the ramp will have air capability, which is great from a safety, EPS, and economical aspects. Fifteen of the 20 units are on site, with the remaining units arriving within the next couple of weeks. Mock events began with the modest one- and two-aircraft operation to a ten-aircraft event on Wednesday, Oct. 26. No water or fluid is used in these exercises. Mechanical movements only; no actual spraying has occurred. The exercises have been going very well, and continuous improvement has been made. IDS has hired 80 employees, 57 IDS Way ground school trained, 41 airline-trained, 34 completed on-the-job training. New hires are supplemented by 10 IDS supervisors and experienced sprayer from IND regularly in addition to local experienced IDS management for back-up who are not included in these numbers. With all the planned training and backup plans from the IDS group, and with the support of all the air carriers in CVG, this should be a successful winter season. CVG Expansion DHL will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 1, 2011, for the expansion to their airport ramp. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Non-DHL employees will require an escort. The plan is to close operations on the temporary C36 runway by Thanksgiving. The ramp expansion should be open by mid-November. The GSE expansion lot should be ready for use/setup by early December. DHL is looking at the possibility of a sort expansion for the non-conveyable product and some minor modifications to the north ramp for facilitating additional aircraft. If you remember, in February 2011, DHL announced it would be expanding it's hub facility at CVG to support the growing demands. The expansion would enable parking for nine additional wide-body aircraft that would connect the United States to Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Then in March, 2011, DHL began the process of land improvement for the runway expansion, with the plan for operation of the expansion in mid-November. Even with the record rainfall this summer the construction never completely stopped. Fall Charity Drive The Fall Charity Drive kicks off today and runs through November 30. This year's theme is "A Dollar Makes a Difference!" Everyone is asked to give at least a dollar per pay period. Pledge forms will be distributed starting today. In Wilmington during the month of November, there will be fun events which employees can participant in to raise additional funds for charity. All of us have or has someone who could benefit from these donations, be it through the United Way of Clinton County, American Heart Association, or the American Cancer Society. It's all for a very good cause, and we hope to have broad participation this year. Please give generously. Open Enrollment Employee Benefits Open Enrollment runs from November 1 thru November 30. Information will be mailed to your home address starting today, Oct. 27. Flu Shots Over 100 employees received the flu shot that was offered in the Administration Building on Oct. 11. If you were unable to attend or are stationed out-base you can get a flu shot at any facility that accepts UnitedHealthcare insurance, such as Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, and Target Retail pharmacies. Reminders Cargill has moved into the first floor space formerly occupied by DHL in the Administration Building at ILN. Please be respectful regarding the areas in the building that other tenants occupy. Also, Monday is Oct. 31 and Trick-or-Trick night in most areas. Just a reminder to stay focused as you drive through your neighborhoods. That's all the news for this week's INFOline. Thanks for all your support. John Starkovich's INFOline | October 13, 2011 Good afternoon. This is John Starkovich with the ABX INFOline for October 13, 2011. Safety & Compliance In previous INFOlines, we told you about what the European countries are doing in an effort, they claim, to control emissions caused by aircraft, and that the US airlines were opposing the system that was being proposed to be effective on Jan. 1, 2012. On October 6, 2011, the European Advocate General issued a preliminary opinion in the case brought by the Air Transport Association and others challenging the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The preliminary opinion went against the ATA and recommended that the ETS be affirmed. While its decision is not binding on the European Court of Justice, it was not good news for US air carriers. Twenty-one countries have signed a joint declaration in opposition to ETS. The FAA Rulemaking on flight crewmember Duty and Rest Requirements is currently up for review before the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The FAA web site indicates an expectation that a final rule will be published by late November. The Cargo Airline Association (CAA) supports changes to existing FAA regulations, provided the changes “take into account the operational realities of the aviation marketplace and must be firmly rooted in fatigue science as that science applies to the airline industry,” says Stephen A. Alterman, President of the CAA. In a piece published in the September 9, Aviation Daily, he went on to say that the “FAA needs to revamp its rule to ensure that it is based on existing sound scientific principles as they relate to the aviation environment and reflects the vastly different operating sectors of the airline industry. CAA’s proposed rules would accomplish those objectives and should be adopted in lieu of the FAA’s 'one size fits all' proposal." Company News USTranscom has notified us that we performed at 100 percent reliability. Thanks and appreciation go to all ABX employees for their efforts in accomplishing the CRAF flights for the U.S. military during the months of July through September 2011. Congratulations to everyone for another great month of on-time performance for DHL. During the month of September, we finished at 99.2 percent on-time performance, which is only eight delays on over 1,032 lanes. For the quarter, this places us in Service Level 2 for the quarterly service portion of the incentive pay program. The financial performance portion of the quarterly incentive has yet to be determined. It is projected to be complete by the first week in November. Our on-time performance so far for October is 98.93 percent. The Fall Charity Drive will be starting soon. This year, the annual campaign for the United Way (and other charities) will have a higher profile. ABX is planning a number of events and providing opportunities for prizes and other incentives to encourage donations to help those in our community that are less fortunate. AMES, ATSG, AGS, and LGSTX will be holding events as well, and you are invited to participate in their activities where appropriate. It is all for a very good cause, and we are hoping to have broad participation this year. Please give generously. Other News & Information Flu shots were administered here in the Administration Building on October 11. Over 100 employees received the shot. For those of you that were unable to attend or are stationed out-base, you may still get a flu shot at any facility that accepts UnitedHealthcare insurance, such as Walgreens, CVS, RiteAid, and Target Retail pharmacies. For the month of October, we would like to congratulate the following employees for marking milestone anniversaries with ABX: 30 years, Capt. Bill Kocher; 25 years, Capt. Rich Kearney; 20 years, Jim McCoy, Mike Reed, Bernie Phillips, and Michael Goodman; and 15 years, Dave Morton. Thank you for all that you have done over these years of service to help make ABX a success. If you have not yet seen the trailer for the new Avengers movie that is due out in May of 2012, you may want to take a look at it on the Internet. The film has a number of scenes that were done in the F building here at the air park, and you may want to see if you recognize anything in the recent film trailer. On October 4, 2011, Ohio Governor John Kasich visited AMES and ATSG for a media event with other dignitaries to announce the new JUMP hangar that is scheduled to be constructed here at the airport. Once built and fully utilized, over 250 additional jobs are expected to eventually be added to the AMES workforce to handle the additional business. Cargill is starting its move into the first floor space formerly occupied by DHL here in the Administration Building. If you have the opportunity, please make them feel welcome. As always, please be respectful regarding the areas in the building that other tenants occupy. That is all for this week’s INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX a success. Take care. Bob Gray's INFOline | September 29, 2011 This is Bob Gray with the September 29, 2011 INFOline. Safety National Fire Prevention week is October 9-15. One home structure fire was reported every 87 seconds in 2009, with cooking equipment being the leading cause of those fires and associated injuries. Heating equipment was the second leading cause of all reported home fires and home fire deaths. Roughly two-thirds of home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms, and about one in five smoke alarm failures was due to dead batteries. Test all of your smoke alarms, develop an escape plan for your home, and have a drill; make it a game for the kids. Retirement Planning The Second round of Fidelity investment and retirement workshops is scheduled for Friday, October 7, in Flight Training Room B in the Administration Building at Wilmington Air Park (ILN). To enroll, please email abx.benefits@abxair.com. Seating is limited, so please register early, and indicate in the email whether your spouse will be attending. Employees not based at the air park will need a government-issued photo ID to enter the air park. Online workshops on various investment topics are available to all employees, including those at outbased locations. Log on to www.401k.com and click on "Tools & Learning" at the bottom of the page. From there, on the left side of the page, click on "e-Learning". You will find several options to fit your time schedule and educate you in the topics you choose. Flu Shots A Walgreen's pharmacist will be on site to administer flu shots at the Wilmington Air Park (ILN) Administration Building Conference Room A (in the hallway behind the security desk) on Tuesday, October 11 from 2 to 6 p.m. Employees, spouses, and dependents (age 14 and above) covered by the company-sponsored UnitedHealthcare (UHC) medical insurance are eligible. No appointment is necessary. The cost is FREE for those enrolled in the company health care plan. You must bring your UHC insurance card. In addition, you will need to complete the health questions and informed consent form, which can be downloaded in advance or obtained on site the day of the flu shot clinic. If you are not covered under a company insurance plan and would like to take part in the on-site clinic, please email your name, date of birth, and insurance plan details to abx.benefits@abxair.com. Your claim will need to be pre-processed, and the Benefits Department will notify you of the amount you will owe at the day of the clinic. Payment by check for the exact amount will be accepted. Outbased employees and those unable to attend this clinic may go to any pharmacy that accepts UHC insurance (including Walgreens, CVS, Target Pharmacy, and Rite Aid, among others) to receive their flu shot. When you present your UHC insurance card and complete the paperwork, the vaccination will be free for you and eligible dependents. For more information about how the flu shot can protect you from the flu, visit www.flu.gov. Local News On Sept 28th, Lynchburg, which is just 16 miles from ABX, opened a food pantry to serve the residents in need. As you know, our whole 5-county area was impacted by the recent downsizing of our Company, and a lot of people from Lynchburg worked at ABX. As a matter of fact, a number of Lynchburg residents still work here. The food pantry is currently running solely on donations from local organizations, people, and churches. Hopefully, as they grow, they will be able to offer more than food (such as personal care items). Lynchburg is in 2 counties, both Clinton and Highland, and their unemployment rate is high like Wilmington’s. As a community of only 1500, they have really seen what it takes to pull together, and make something this wonderful happen. They’ve had some great people who have stepped up and worked hard to achieve this success. As a matter of fact, ABX Employee Jerry Nesbitt is on the board for the food pantry. If you would like to support this worthwhile cause, I’m sure Jerry would be happy to hear from you. ACMI Business Over the past few months the airline operation has experienced an unusually high level of schedule uncertainty. While the DHL part of the operation remains consistent from night to night, our charter schedule doesn’t share that kind of stability. We have taken on additional flights, over complex international routes, with only a few days notice. You have successfully reacted to repeated changes initiated by our customers, only to find that the plan will change several more times before the flight actually is initiated. One of our Captains recently told us that his September schedule had been changed 13 times since the beginning of the month! Upon checking his schedule, we learned that he had underestimated that number, and there had actually been 17 changes recorded in his flying line for the month. This reflects the ACMI business that we are in, and to continue to grow the charter business, we must be able to react to our customer’s changing needs. You have adapted well to this new environment, and you have learned to manage the business of change very effectively. Considering the amount of planning and preparation that is involved in operating an aircraft into airports all over the world, this is not a simple task even under ideal situations, with plenty of time to plan. Doing it as well as we do, considering the amount of changes we must react to with short lead times, is evidence of the quality and skill of our people. Thanks to all of you for making it work as well as it does. John Starkovich's INFOline | September 15, 2011Good afternoon. This is John Starkovich with the ABX INFOline for September 15, 2011. Safety and Compliance A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned the Fatigue Risk Management Plan (FRMP) that ABX is in the process of implementing. This is a program to monitor, manage, and mitigate fatigue, improving flight crewmember alertness and reducing the risk of flight crewmember fatigue. One critical aspect of the program is an on-line form being developed with pertinent questions for crewmembers to answer relative to the facts and circumstances surrounding and leading up to the work assignment. A full and accurate completion of the questions contained on the form will help to identify potential areas to be addressed so our pilots can take pro-active measures to mitigate fatigue and manage it in a fashion to improve alertness and reduce the risks that arise with fatigue. We intend to post a PowerPoint presentation about the program along with the actual FRMP on the Flight Department web site in the near future. Company News ATSG announced last week that Cargo Aircraft Management, Inc. (CAM), its aircraft leasing subsidiary, has committed to purchase another Boeing 767-300 series extended range aircraft from Quantas Airways Ltd. This will be the fifth 767-300. Delivery is expected in the fourth quarter and conversion to freighter configuration to be done by mid-year 2012. ABX extends its thanks and appreciation to all of the ABX employees for their hard work and efforts during the month of August with respect to on-time performance for DHL. August finished with a 99.3 percent on-time result, and DHL representatives have made it a point to thank and congratulate us for it. Please keep in mind that our on-time performance measures for the incentive plan are based on our quarterly results, not just one month's performance. On a quarterly basis through September 14, we are at 98.73 percent. The Fall Charity Drive will be starting soon. The annual
campaign for the United Way (and other charities) has been a tradition
here at ABX, although in the last couple of years our attention was
focused on the many changes and adjustments to our business. This year,
we are looking to give the campaign a higher profile again, and we
encourage everyone to participate and give what you can to those less
fortunate than we are here at ABX. You will be hearing more about the
campaign in the days ahead. Flu shots are again being offered and covered by ABX’s UnitedHealthcare insurance. They are being scheduled for October 11, so circle that date on your calendar. We will announce the time and location soon. Outbased employees can obtain flu shots at any pharmacy that accepts UnitedHealthcare such as Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and Target retail pharmacies. Please watch MyABX and the bulletin boards for more details. Some ABX employees recently had advised that a local bank was purchased by another financial institution, which required those patrons to update their routing numbers for electronic funds deposits and payments. While that is your personal responsibility to handle with your bank, we thought it would be helpful to remind folks that you can update your direct deposit information due to changing banks or your accounts via the Employee Self Service system. After logging into Self Service, just click on “Payroll” and then click on “Direct Deposit Change” and enter your banking information. You have until the Monday of each pay week to make your change for the Friday deposit. After entering your new information, be sure to check back on-line to verify that your new information has been confirmed by the Payroll Department. I can tell you folks that it is pretty easy to do, so easy that I have even managed to make changes in the past. We are going to make some changes to the INFOline.
Starting today, we will be doing the INFOline every two weeks rather
than every week. By doing it every two weeks, we are hoping to keep the
information fresh and relevant to what is happening around ABX. If you
have an idea on how to improve the INFOline, please feel free to send
your suggestions to me for consideration. Terry Scherz' INFOline | September 8, 2011 Good afternoon, everyone. This is Terry Scherz with the ABX INFOline for September 8, 2011. Safety and Compliance Certainly even one injury is one too many, but considering we have over 650 full-time employees engaged in a broad range of tasks, this is a remarkable performance. Your attention to safety procedures and your environment is acknowledged and greatly appreciated. Service Performance During July and August we flew sixteen CRAF missions in support of the US Department of Defense. We achieved a 100 percent on-time completion rate. These flights will continue each week through September with a couple of additional trips in November. The service performance you have delivered during August is a tribute to the entire ABX team. It is a direct reflection of the knowledge, effort, and commitment of all of you. Performance like this does not happen by accident or luck. Thank you very much. Employee Milestones Air Park Activity We Remember 9/11 That is all I have for this week. Thank you for all your hard work in keeping ABX successful. Take care. John Starkovich's INFOline | September 1, 2011Good afternoon. This is John Starkovich with the ABX INFOline for September 1, 2011. Safety & Compliance ABX Air, the FAA, and Teamsters Local 1224 recently renewed the ASAP Memorandum of Understanding for a two-year period. ASAP is the Aviation Safety Action Program, which provides a mechanism for flight crewmembers to identify safety issues and improve flight safety through a systematic process of pilot self-reporting, cooperative follow-up, and appropriate corrective action. It is a voluntary program and is in effect on other carriers. One union representative characterized the ABX ASAP as the best ASAP program that he has seen “by far.” ABX also is in the process of implementing a Fatigue Risk Management Plan (FRMP). The establishment of these plans on the various air carriers can be attributable in part to the tragic Colgan commuter air mishap in Buffalo, which led to the passage of Public Law 11-216. The purpose of the program is to monitor, manage, and mitigate fatigue, reducing the risks of flight crew member fatigue and improving flight crew member alertness. An ancillary goal is to strike an honest balance between the company’s responsibility to establish a viable and effective fatigue call-off and incident reporting environment, and the crewmembers' responsibility to exercise due diligence in reporting for work in a rested state that allows for completion of the required duty assigned. ABX is currently in the 90-day implementation period for establishing this program. Company News ATSG announced last week that Cargo Aircraft Management, Inc. (CAM), its aircraft leasing subsidiary, delivered a second 767-200 freighter to RIO Linhas Aereas, S.A., of Brazil. Rio will dry lease the freighter for 59 months and have access to engine maintenance services through CAM’s contract with Delta Tech Ops. Another freighter leased from CAM under the same terms entered revenue service with RIO earlier in August after becoming the first Boeing 767-200-series special freighter to receive certification by ANAC, the Brazilian civil aviation authority. ABX extends its thanks and appreciation to the all of the ABX employees for their hard work and efforts in keeping ABX operational along with the schedule changes and the repositioning of aircraft as a result of dealing with Hurricane Irene and its effects. While Hurricane Irene did not cause as much damage as originally projected, the damage that it did cause was substantial and even more significant was the tragic loss of lives in its wake. Our sympathy is extended to the families so affected. Last week, ABX employees donated over 250 food items and approximately $100 to Your Father’s Kitchen here in Wilmington. The money will go toward the purchase of a walk-in cooler, and the food will be distributed to local families in need. Our sincere thanks and appreciation to all who donated. Other News & Information UnitedHealthcare (UHC) announced that those whose doctors have been displaced by the hurricane should call the customer service number on the back of the UHC card for assistance in scheduling a medical appointment. The phone number is 888-609-5607. Individuals needing early refills on prescription medicines should contact their pharmacy to request an early refill. Finally, UHC has trained counselors available through its Employee Assistance Program to help deal with emotional or stress-related conditions as a result of the hurricane’s effects. That number also is on your UHC card, and it is 800-888-2998. As reported in previous INFOlines, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is ever closer to making commercial flights. Boeing has received certification from the FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency. The first delivery to launch customer ANA is now scheduled for September 26 in Everett, Washington. Next week, in conjunction with Labor Day, is National Payroll Week. According to its web site, National Payroll Week "celebrates the unique partnership among America’s workers, their companies, the payroll professionals who pay them, and the critical government programs such as Social Security, Medicare, fair labor standards, and child support. [...] This week celebrates many things important to each of us who work. From the economic, cultural, and social achievements of workers, to the significance of “an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay, National Payroll Week is a celebration on many levels.” I want to take the opportunity to thank Tammy Voss, Melody Joy, Janice Sheets, and Rachel Bernard for all they do to make certain we are all paid on time and accurately here at ABX. Monday is Labor Day. Have a safe and enjoyable weekend. That is all for this week's INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX a success. Take care. Eric Plas' INFOline | August 25, 2011Good afternoon. This is Eric Plas with the ABX INFOline for August 25, 2011. Safety and Compliance Employees On-time Performance Business News Boeing received FAA certification for 747-8F. Atlas Air has 12 on order with the first aircraft scheduled for delivery in October 2011 and two more in November 2011. It's good to keep an eye on competitors and an ear to the ground. The competition is tough, and it's always present. In ABX charter business news we will begin operations for our new customer ABX World using open time with our Europe-based tails. Inaugural service will begin this weekend operating from Liege (LGG) through Lagos (LOS) and Accra (ACC). Plans call for weekend trips on this routing going forward. Please note that ABX World has no affiliation with ABX Air or our family of companies. Our CRAF flying continues to go well. Thus far we have completed 7 of 12 trips awarded via fixed buy for fiscal year 2011, all operating between Navy Norfolk and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Of special note our on-time performance has been 100%. Performance is key for the CRAF folks and used in computations for future fixed and expansion buys. Just this week we were awarded two additional trips for November. Thanks to all involved in these missions. That is all for this week's INFOline. Thank you and have a great weekend! John Starkovich's INFOline | August 18, 2011 Good afternoon. This is John Starkovich with the ABX INFOline for August 18, 2011. Safety Compliance Retirement Planning Workshops Company News In past INFOlines we have mentioned that the European Union has extended its cap and trade system to airlines in a claimed effort to reduce aviation pollution and carbon emissions. It is really nothing less than another tax on airlines that will cost $3.1 billion by 2020 according to an article in the Washington Times authored by U.S. Representative F. James Sensenbrenner. The article says there is no obligation on the European countries to even use the funds for climate-related programs. ABX Air will be covered by the program and has already taken preliminary steps mandated by the EU as the January 1, 2012 effective date is fast approaching. Unless a challenge to the law is successful before the European Court of Justice, the added tax will make all air cargo shipping and air traveling more expensive. Along with the significant fuel prices, it only makes doing business more difficult and it is not in our best interests as our customers continue to look for less expensive ways to ship their goods. ABX Air is going to be part of a new team of air carriers providing air service to the U.S. military under the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) program. The new Patriot team will include Omni Air International, Southern Air, Sky Lease, Inc., United/Continental, and ABX Air. The new team is scheduled to begin after the first of the year. In the interim, ABX will continue to be a member of the UPS team. Boeing is continuing its efforts to having the new 787 aircraft complete type certification by late August to allow delivery of the first Dreamliner to ANA by the end of September. Why is that important to ABX? Because the 787's introduction and delivery to passenger airlines is expected to result in more 767 aircraft being released from the passenger carriers and available for cargo conversions. The availability of more 767 aircraft has a number of obvious benefits to ABX to allow us to potentially grow our fleet subject to customer demand. It also, however, results in the possibility of competitors entering the 767 air cargo business. That is what the marketplace and competition is all about, and ABX has to continue to work smarter to meet and surpass the competition in providing reliable, efficient, and reasonably priced services to our customers. That is all for this week's INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX a success. Take care. John Starkovich's INFOline | August 11, 2011 Good Afternoon. This is John Starkovich with the ABX Infoline for August 11, 2011. Safety The IOSA Audit was completed during the first week of August. The audit had three findings. All three findings were not of a serious nature, and we will work to have the necessary changes or corrections in place by September 26, 2011. If accepted, we will be advised prior to October 26. Upon final approval, this will extend our IOSA registration to October 26, 2013. Congratulations to everyone at ABX. The audit committee was very complimentary to our operation and reminded us that in our previous IOSA Audit, we had 20 findings; so the improvement down to three along with all of the changes at ABX in the interim is a sign that we have good processes in place. The bottom line is that these types of results are no accident. They come from hard work. Again, we appreciate all that was done by Director of Safety Steve Janasov and his core team of Dan Hendershott, Rex Gunning, Bob Greene, Mark Wilt, and a whole list of others that are too many for me to list here who made this audit a success. Retirement Planning Workshops To register for a session, please send an email to ABX.Benefits@ABXAir.com providing your name and the session that you would like to attend. The sessions are also open to spouses so please indicate if your spouse will be in attendance. These sessions are only for our non-pilot ABX employees that are enrolled in the Capital Accumulation Plan which includes the frozen pension plan and the 401k plan. The programs will be available online as well so that outbased employees may take advantage of them. Company News That is all for this week's INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX a success. Take care. Steve Janasov's INFOline | August 4, 2011 Good afternoon, this is Steve Janasov with the INFOline for August 4. Safety As
proclaimed in our
Safety and Security Policy , Safety is a Core Value at ABX and it is
"every employee’s responsibility to work and act safely as an integral
part of every task or assignment." In addition, every employee should
take an active role in the identification and reporting of hazards that
could affect the safe completion of duties or otherwise compromise
operational safety. This concept is at the heart of a working Safety
Management System and an organization with a viable safety
culture. There are a variety of means to report safety issues or
concerns including the
Report a
Safety Issue link on the
ABXNet web page or the Safety Reporting System contained within the
Flight Operations Manual. As indicated in the policy, Safety Reports can
be submitted anonymously, if so desired. Your input regarding hazard
identification or other safety issues or concerns is always welcome,
taken seriously, and handled professionally. Compliance Beginning
this past Monday, we began our renewal audit with ICF–SH&E to remain an
IOSA compliant carrier. The IATA Operational Safety Audit is the
benchmark for global safety management within the airline industry and
the most comprehensive commercial audit available. To successfully
complete the audit, we must demonstrate compliance with 967 IOSA
Standards and Recommended Practices (ISARPs) contained within the
current IOSA Standards Manual. -
Organization and Management System,
Industry News
ATSG News: Yesterday, ATSG reported sharply improved financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 20011, as compared with results for the second quarter of 2010. Pre-tax earnings were up 24 percent compared with the second quarter of 2010. Revenues increased 21 percent due to higher leased aircraft and airline service revenues. Excluding reimbursements, ATSG’s revenues increased 16 percent as compared to the prior year second quarter.
Employee Activity Fund Board: There are 30 tickets available for the Cincinnati Reds game on September 17. The Reds will be hosting the Milwaukee Brewers and the game starts at 7:10 p.m. The tickets are in section 136 and cost $10.00. Contact Holly at extension 62360 to reserve your tickets. This is the last Reds home game; you don’t want to miss it!
John Starkovich's INFOline | July 28, 2011Good afternoon. This is John Starkovich with the ABX INFOline for July 28, 2011. Safety
Wilmington Air Park News As part of that growth in tenants, all employees of the ATSG companies including ABX are reminded that they should stay within the areas of their leases and common use areas, and not take short cuts through other areas. Being respectful of areas leased by others is a first step to ensuring that others will be respectful of our space as well. Audits Retirement Estimates Fidelity Investments is planning workshops for August 23, 2011 on getting ready for retirement. This is part one of a three-part series and is provided without cost. Sessions are planned for noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. in Flight Training Room B on the first floor of the Admn building. Posters are up. To register for a session, please send an email to ABX.Benefits@ABXAir.com providing your name and the session that you would like to attend. The sessions also are open to spouses, so please indicate if your spouse will be in attendance. These sessions are only for our non-pilot ABX employees that are enrolled in the Capital Accumulation Plan, which includes the frozen pension plan and the 401(k) plan. Other News I am always amazed at all of the things that ABX employees do as part of giving back to the community. A recent article off the Zanesville Times Recorder web site involving an ABX flight crewmember and his father was just another example. Doug Wright and his father contribute their time to the Young Eagles, which is geared toward children ages 8 to 17 as part of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles Program. They, and others, “donate their time to flying and describing the safe operation of airplanes and principles of flight”, according to the article by Zanesville Times Recorder Staff writer Holly Richards. Our thanks to the Wrights and all of the ABX employees that give back to their community. Finally, for those that are interested, the EAFB still has some discounted Cincinnati Reds baseball tickets available for September 17. This is team photo night and the last home game of the season. Apparently, there are 40,000 team pictures available for distribution to fans in attendance that evening. Please contact Holly McCammon at ext. 62360. That is all for this week's INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX a success. Take care. John Starkovich' INFOline | July 21, 2011 Good afternoon. This is John Starkovich with the ABX INFOline for July 21, 2011. Safety Wilmington Air Park News We have also learned that the Clinton County Port Authority has approved a lease to a company to start the dismantling and parting out of 25 DHL-owned DC-9 aircraft on D Ramp. Audits 1. The FAA completed the Anti-Drug and Alcohol Misuse Program with no findings. Our thanks and appreciation to Tina Reed and all others involved for being prepared and doing such a great job. 2. The Department of Defense Commercial Air Carrier Quality and Safety Requirements Audit also was completed during the week of June 13. One discrepancy was found, and it was satisfactorily corrected during the audit. We appreciate the efforts of Steve Janasov, Director of Safety and everyone else who assisted in the audit. In particular, our congratulations and thanks to Paul Schimanski for all the work he did to make the audit a success. Without being asked, Paul collected and organized the data prior to the auditor’s arrival. This allowed the information to be efficiently reviewed and reduced or eliminated the retrieval of information during the actual audit. Paul worked several weekends in advance of the audit to accomplish this, and we truly appreciate his dedication and effort. He received a Letter of Recognition and has our thanks for job done extremely well. Retirement Estimates Other News Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services (AMES) has partnered with Laurel Oaks for a Jr. Technician/Structures Program. The European Union has initiated an Emissions Trading Scheme that will be effective in 2012. ABX through Mike Lueck has already been doing preparatory work, since this will affect our flights going over to Europe and our intra Europe flights. It basically extends a program in place for utility power companies that the EU claims to be for pollution control of carbon dioxide emissions to airlines operating in the EU. Without getting into all of the ins and outs of the legitimacy or effectiveness of the program, it is very costly program. US airlines are formally challenging its implementation in the EU court system. There also is a bill being proposed in the US Congress that would prohibit US airlines from participating in the EU ETS. We all will be hearing more about this in the news and at work as 2012 is quickly approaching. Finally, for those that are interested, the EAFB still has some discounted Reds baseball tickets available for July 31 and September 17. Please contact Holly McCammon at ext. 62360. That is all for this week's INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX a success. Take care. Tammy Voss' INFOline | July 14, 2011Hello, this is Tammy Voss, with the ABX Air INFOline for July 14, 2011. I hope everyone is doing well. Safety & Compliance With summer quickly upon us, please take precautionary action to avoid heat exhaustion and heat stroke. It is important to recognize the symptoms of these conditions and take immediate action if they occur. The Safety department has issued a Safety Bulletin regarding Heat Stress. For more information, talk to your supervisor. Our People We have a number of anniversaries to celebrate this month. Aircraft Maintenance Planner, Chris Theofilos, and Crew Member, Gary Watts, are celebrating 25 years with ABX. Mike Lueck, Manager of Safety, is also celebrating 20 years of dedicated service. Congratulations! I was at a meeting today and heard that a couple of weeks ago, the family of Billie Flint in Aircraft Maintenance was trying to contact her here at work to let her know that a family member had been rushed to the hospital with a serious health issue. While navigating the phone system, Billie’s family ended up on Pat Ederer’s line. Pat immediately tracked Billie down and forwarded the call. The Flint and Gibson family would like to thank Pat for being so compassionate and professional. Incidences like this occur at ABX everyday but hearing this story reminded me that we are lucky to work beside such caring, hardworking, and professional people. Performance I am pleased to report that our on-time performance for June 2011 was 98.53 percent. Our 2nd Quarter 2011 CMI performance was 98.64%. We encountered some very challenging issues during the quarter and achieving this level of on-time performance day in and day out is a huge accomplishment. As soon as our 2nd Quarter audited financial results are reviewed and approved, we will update you on the 2Q results of the ABX Employee Incentive plan. Dispatch moving to AGS On June 30, ATSG announced that ABX Air's Dispatch Services group had been selected to become a new division under Airborne Global Solutions (AGS). While Dispatch will continue to provide the same services to ABX Air that it currently does, AGS will market the group's expertise to other operators and supplemental airlines as well. To avoid disruptions in the operations, the separation process will occur over the next few months. Your feedback during this period is important. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any ideas or suggestions on making this transition a smooth one. CCPA The Clinton County Port Authority has announced that Hollywood is coming to ILN in August. I am sure that many of you have noticed the “GH” signs all around the airpark. GH is short for Group Hug the name of Marvel's production company which will be filming the movie The Avengers in Building F. Over 400 people will be involved in the production. It is estimated that the economic impact on the local economy will be between $1.2 to $1.4 million. That is all the news we have for this week. Thank you for your time and all that you do for our Company. Eric Plas will be back with an update to the INFOline next Thursday. Bob Greene's INFOline | June 30, 2011 This is Bob Greene, Manager of Ground Operations & Compliance, with the ABX INFOline for June 30, 2011. Safety and Compliance If it seems like ABX has been going through one audit after another recently - it's because we have. Let me take this opportunity to quickly discuss our just-completed and upcoming external audit activities. Recently ABX began flying within Europe under a wet-lease arrangement with West Air Luxembourg. As is typical with a wet-lease, the Luxembourg civil aviation authority (like our FAA) had to approve this agreement. This approval was granted based upon ABX successfully passing an audit of our flight, maintenance, and ground operations as conducted by a West Air Luxembourg auditor. The last two INFOlines mentioned that the Department of Defense (DOD) was visiting to conduct their bi-annual survey of ABX. Several auditors from Scott Air Force Base spent the better part of a week checking our various airline operations. Passing such an audit is essential if ABX wants to continue to bid on and fly lucrative DOD contracts. According to the DOD auditors, ABX did very well during the audit. Based upon the auditors' recommendation, we expect that the DOD will determine ABX's continuing fitness to fly DOD contracts. This week you may have noticed the auditors from Japan Airlines (JAL) visiting here at ABX. JAL has completed an annual follow-up audit of ABX operational areas with very good results. JAL can now report back to the JCAB (the Japanese FAA) regarding our capability to continue to operate safely in the JAL system in Japan and China. In July ABX will get a visit from the FAA who will be auditing our compliance with the DOT Drug and Alcohol Prevention Program. Lastly, let me mention the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) upcoming in August. This will be ABX's third IOSA audit. With IOSA, ABX will undergo a week-long, very rigorous external audit of all of our airline operational areas. What makes the IOSA audit challenging is not just that it is so in-depth, but because it is so far-reaching. To continue to qualify for its IOSA registration, ABX must show not only that we meet FAA and TSA standards, but also that we exceed those by adhering to many additional IATA / ICAO quality standards and best practices. With an IOSA registration comes the benefit that ABX can more easily compete for international business and operate globally. Since IOSA is recognized around the world as the benchmark safety audit program, many international business partners and civil aviation authorities expect air carriers such as ABX to be IOSA registered, as an indication of our commitment to operational safety and continuous improvement, and as a prerequisite to doing business. EAFB News You may contact Holly McCammon at ext. 62360 to get discounted Reds tickets for July, August, and September games. United Way of Clinton County A cornhole tournament to benefit the United Way of Clinton County will be held Saturday, July 9 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Elk’s 797 Lodge (2593 Rombach Ave.) in Wilmington. On-site registration begins at 4:30 p.m. and is $20 per person, or you can pre-register for $15 per person by calling 937-383-4846. Pay Plan ABX has rolled out its new Pay Plan for non-bargaining employees. As part of that Plan, performance appraisals will now be done for employees at mid-year rather than on an employee’s anniversary date with ABX. Employee appraisals are being completed by supervisors during the next few days. For those who qualify, a pay increase will be included in the July 15 payroll. People Diane Hibbett, Flight Operations Administration Supervisor, was recently recognized for developing an Aircraft Mishap Response Plan training course for ABX. ABX had previously contracted with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to provide an instructor to do this mandatory training for ABX mishap team members. With Diane's computer-based course we were able to bring this training in house and save the considerable cost of an external consultant. Speaking as a member of the mishap team who has taken both courses, we now have a training program which is more personal and relevant to the ABX team and is a superior product in all respects. Jean Radcliffe, Contracts Administrator, was also recognized for her efforts above and beyond in assisting Aircraft Maintenance with the purchase of a 25K forklift. Jean worked countless hours in determining the exact requirements, identifying a pool of potential units, and negotiating with several suppliers to obtain a unit to meet ABX specifications. Thanks to Jean's persistence and negotiating skill ABX was able to get price and warranty concessions, saving ABX thousands of dollars over the life of the forklift. Please have a safe Fourth of July weekend. That's all the news for this week. Jeff Walling's INFOline | June 23, 2011 Hello, everyone. This is Jeff Walling, Manager of Human Resources, with the INFOline update for Thursday, June 23, 2011. Safety
More information is available at the National Safety Council’s website at www.nsc.org. Compliance Update Business News HR News Retirement Statements John Graber's INFOline | June 16, 2011 Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is John Graber with the ABX Air INFOline for June 16, 2011. I hope everyone is doing well. Safety Starting with safety, June is National Safety Month, sponsored by the National Safety Council. The council points to a stark set of statistics: accidental deaths reached an estimated 128,200 in 2009. Over 10,000 people a month die accidentally across our country. The council points to motor vehicle crashes, falls and overexertion as the leading causes of preventable death and injury. Make sure you aren’t one of those people. If you want a good resource, go to the National Safety Council’s web site (nsc.org) for a lot of information on how to stay safe at home, at work, and on the road. Compliance The Department of Defense (DOD) is here this week for our bi-annual survey. We are part of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), and to participate in that government program, we have to pass muster from a team of experts. They will review our maintenance and flight operations and our business control systems. You will see inspectors on our aircraft and around our business. Please make them feel welcome and answer any questions they may have. We always welcome outside auditors because there is value in a different perspective. We run an excellent airline, and every survey confirms that. But there are always new ways of doing things, and having experts from the DOD here often helps us see some. We’ll get the survey results back in a few months, and when we do, we’ll share them with you. Business News The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported April international cargo traffic up 5.4% year-over-year. The strongest growth was among carriers from the Middle East (up 21.4%), followed by European carriers (up 13.4%) and North American carriers (up 7.9%). Carriers from the Asia-Pacific region--a place we fly--reported international cargo traffic down 2.6%. It is important to remember the negative impact of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan when you look at the Pacific numbers. According to CargoFacts, UPS Chief Executive Scott Davis has downplayed any interest in acquiring the newly-independent TNT EXPRESS. He said UPS was focused on smaller scale acquisitions in eastern and central Europe and in Asia. Davis also indicated that UPS believed the US economy would probably grow at an annual rate of 2.9% in 2011. Thank you Finally today, I need to announce my departure from ABX Air. I’ve accepted a leadership role in another aerospace organization. My last day at ABX will be in early July. For the interim, Joe Hete will take over executive functions because he is the CEO of ABX, and John Starkovich will assume our day-to-day administrative functions. My four years here have been very challenging and very rewarding. There is much to be proud of in what our team has been able to do together. ABX today is a completely different company than we were four years ago. We are executing on our plan for 2011, and though there is always work to do, we are very well positioned for long-term success. Though everyone has worked hard, I want to specifically thank Joe and my senior team for their leadership. I have learned a lot from them. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with you all. Thank you. I’ll transition my responsibilities to Joe and John over the next couple of weeks. If there is any guidance I can provide you during this transition, please stop by and ask. That is all the news I have for this week. Please email me your questions or comments, or if you need any help at all, drop me a note. My email address is john.graber@abxair.com. Take care. John Graber's INFOline | June 9, 2011 Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is John Graber with the ABX Air INFOline for June 9, 2011. I hope this finds everyone doing well.
Safety Jan Woolums' INFOline | June 2, 2011Good morning, everyone. This is Jan Woolums, Director of CVG Operations, with the INFOline for June 2, 2011. Safety This week also marks the end of the school year and the start of summer break. It's exciting for the kids and a change of routine for most parents. That's why it's particularly important this time of year to make it a point to slow down and show more caution while driving through your neighborhood. What was a quiet cruise between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. will now be filled with overly excited kids. There's a lot going on, but we still need to stay focused on the weather. The official tornado season runs through the end of July. CVG News The DHL/CVG Hub Operations recently welcomed Alan Bogard to his new role as Senior Manager of the Ramp and Tug Dispatch Operations. Alan has been with DHL since 2005 when he was hired as a Network Control Manager for the Wilmington hub. Prior to that Alan spent eight years with Emery Worldwide Express. Next month it will be two years since DHL moved their hub from ILN to the CVG location. DHL has made good progress, hitting their goals for service in the United States. The last two years ABX has proven to be a reliable carrier for DHL. Through your hard work and determination to support our largest customer DHL, we have seen the number of ABX aircraft departing the CVG operation increase from 13 a year ago to 17 aircraft currently departing nightly from the CVG hub. It has been a very productive two years for both companies. In February 2011, DHL announced it will be expanding its
hub facility at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport to support the
growing demands. This will expand its existing aircraft parking apron
and involve construction of nine new aircraft gates. The expansion will
enable parking for nine additional wide-body aircraft that will connect
the United States to Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The new aircraft
gates will include a hydrant jet refueling system for a more efficient
operation as well as the capability to de-ice aircraft at the gate. In
March 2011, DHL began the process of land improvement, which requires
the movement of the earth from the expansion site. September 2011is the
projected completion date. Congratulations, and thanks for all that you do for our company. That's all the new for this week. Stay focused and be safe. John Graber's INFOline | May 26, 2011Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is John Graber with the ABX Air INFOline for May 26, 2011. I hope everyone is doing well.
Safety Bob Gray's INFOline | May 19, 2011This is Bob Gray with the May 19, 2011 INFOline. Safety Recently we had an employee traveling on business who was robbed while walking back to his hotel. He was not injured. The incident occurred at approximately 11:30 p.m., a half a mile from the hotel at which he was staying. Remember, especially when traveling away from home, be very aware of your surroundings; and when walking in areas which might be unfamiliar to you, avoid being out alone especially after dark. We are careful to select hotels that provide a secure environment for our employees and hotels that are often used by other major airlines. Venturing out late at night, alone, can be risky in any neighborhood, especially one in which you may not be familiar. About Our Simulators One of the things we are most proud of at ABX is the level and quality of training that our flight crews receive. Besides the classroom, most of that training occurs in our Boeing 767 simulator. The ABX simulator is a “Level C” certified simulator, which means that crewmembers may receive all of their flight training, including their check rides, in the simulator. Crewmembers trained in a “Level C” simulator may first operate the actual aircraft in revenue service with passengers or freight on board. This equipment is maintained to very high standards and receives regular FAA inspections. For those of you who have never “flown” in one of our simulators, the quality and realism of the visual display, the sound system, and the motion combine to make it easy to forget that you are simply bolted to the ground in a big box, rather than actually flying in an aircraft. Our simulators are managed and maintained by a department of four highly qualified technicians: Chris Custis, Don West, Richard Kline, and Michael Goodman; and led by Manager Jack Greenwood. Together these individuals, with over 90 years of experience at ABX alone, have managed to keep the Boeing 767, the DC-9, and the DC-8 sims operating and performing at 99.6 percent, 99.8 percent and 100 percent reliability respectively. In addition to providing an excellent tool for the training of ABX pilots, the simulators bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue each year from leasing arrangements to other airlines. Customer Update Cargo Facts has reported that Deutsche Post DHL reported a first quarter consolidated net profit of 325 million euros, down 81.4 percent year-over-year, as total revenues rose 6.9 percent to 12.84 billion euros, and operating profit jumped 22.9 percent to 629 million euros. DPDHL is exceptionally pleased with the result, pointing out that the big drop in net profit from 1.75 billion in last year’s first quarter to just 325 million euro this year is the result of the inflation of the first quarter 2010 results by almost 1.5 billion euro by derivative valuation effects related to the sale of Postbank. Adjusted for this effect, DPDHL said net profit was actually up by nearly 30 percent. Revenue was up in all four of the company’s major operating divisions, and operating profit was up substantially in all divisions except Mail, which reported a 4.1 percent decline. Revenue in Express division rose 5.5 percent to 2.77 billion euros, and operating profit almost doubled to 216 million euros. It is worth noting that the revenue increase actually understates Express growth, because the first quarter 2010 figure includes revenue increase of 125 million euros from the day-definite domestic businesses in France and the UK. These businesses were sold last year, and removing their impact from the first quarter 2010 figure leads to an adjust revenue increase of 10.8 percent. Revenue in DHL’s core European region declined 5.1 percent in the first quarter, mostly as the result of the sale of the day-definite domestic businesses in France and the UK, but substantial increases in the Americas, Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, Middle East and African regions more than compensated for this drop. That's all for this week. Thanks for all you do, and your hard work and dedication to ABX. John Graber's INFOline | May 12, 2011Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is John Graber with the ABX Air INFOline for May 12, 2011. I hope everyone is doing well. Safety The weather is warming up in the Midwest. Remember to think Safety as you and your family move outdoors. You need to know the signs of heat distress, and you need to know how to avoid it in the first place. Stay hydrated and protect yourself from the sun. Keep yourself safe this summer. Business Update ATSG held its annual shareholders’ meeting this week, reviewing 2010 results, and announcing its first quarter 2011 numbers. You need to go to the ATSG web site for all the details – that’s ATSGinc.com – but I’ll summarize the major points here. Remember these results are for all of ATSG. That’s ABX, Capital Cargo, ATI, AMES and AGS all together – everything ATSG does. These are not ABX Air’s numbers alone. Our company’s results are rolled up into ATSG’s ACMI business. ATSG reported $4.6 million in pre-tax earnings for the first quarter of 2011, compared with $10.8 million in last year’s first quarter. This year’s number was lower because ATSG refinanced its credit facility, and wrote off $6.8 million in non-cash charges from the old one to get that done. Look at the web site for all the specifics behind that transaction. If you adjust results for the refinancing costs, ATSG’s pre-tax earnings were actually up 57% year over year. ATSG’s original financing package was scheduled to come due next year. As you have read, the current financial climate makes this a good time to borrow money, so rather than wait, ATSG decided to go to the market now, and came away with a new five-year agreement that is more favorable than the old package. Of note, is that there were more banks than we needed wanting to lend us money. That’s always a good position to be in. Revenue for the first quarter – the total amount of money ATSG was paid – increased 9 percent to $175.1 million, driven by higher aircraft leasing revenues and the higher cost of jet fuel reimbursed by our customers. Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and
Amortization (EBITDA) is a measure of a company’s cash flow. ATSG’s
EBITDA was up 14 percent from the first quarter of 2010 at $37.8
million. In ACMI Services, ATSG reported a loss of $2.5 million for the quarter. Though block hours were up 12 percent, revenues were $102.5 million, down 13 percent from $117.4 million in the first quarter of 2010. This year isn’t quite an apples-to-apples comparison over last, because in 2010 this line of work included our flying under the old cost-plus DHL agreement, and $3.6 million in last year’s earnings came from severance and retention payments from DHL. Those differences were part of the $7.4 million ATSG made in the first quarter of 2010. This year, ATSG reported that its airlines, and in particular Air Transport International, experienced significant operating challenges that affected pre-tax results. Principal factors were unanticipated costs to repair a Boeing 767 freighter prior to deployment to a leased customer, and revenue shortfalls and operating expense increases due to unanticipated downtime for DC-8 combi and 767 aircraft operating in remote locations. Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM) recorded substantial increases in revenues and pre-tax profits during the first quarter. A big driver for CAM’s results is the new DHL CMI agreement we signed last year. CAM agreed to provide 13 Boeing 767 freighters to DHL under seven-year leases. All of those aircraft are now leased to DHL by CAM. We operate the CAM-owned 767s for DHL, plus the four additional DHL-owned 767s. CAM's revenues were $32.1 million during the first quarter, up 80 percent from 2010. CAM’s pre-tax earnings were $13.5 million, more than double last year. At the end of March 2011, CAM had 61 aircraft under lease, 17 to non-ATSG companies. Aircraft Placements In speaking to the first quarter results, Joe Hete said, “Our goals for 2011 are the same as they were for 2010: to generate strong cash flow for shareholders as we acquire, convert, deploy, maintain and operate freighter aircraft for some of the world's leading air-cargo network operators, with margins that reflect our unique ability to deliver complete air cargo solutions for our customers. We are proceeding with our plans to deploy eight additional 767 freighters to lease and ACMI customers during the remainder of 2011, and to acquire additional feedstock aircraft we can profitably convert and deploy in 2012. This past week, we agreed with Qantas on the purchase of an additional 767-300 passenger aircraft which will be acquired in late June and converted to a freighter early next year.” I’ve covered a lot of material today and summarized a
lot. I encourage you all to go to the
ATSG web site for detailed information on the quarter’s results. Terry Scherz' INFOline | May 5, 2011Good Morning everyone. This is Terry Scherz with the ABX Air INFOline for May 5, 2011.
Safety
All NTAS alerts will provide a concise summary of the
potential threat, information about actions being taken to ensure public
safety, and recommended steps that individuals, communities, businesses,
and governments can take to prevent, mitigate, or respond to the threat.
All NTAS alerts also will contain a “sunset provision” indicating a
specific date when the alert expires.
Mother's Day John Graber's INFOline | April 28, 2011Good morning ladies and gentlemen, this is John Graber with the ABX Air INFOline for April 28, 2011. Safety The severe weather we’re seeing across the nation this spring is a perfect way to start today. I always talk to you about Safety during transitions – cold weather to warm, day to night, inside to outside. The convective activity we’ve seen in the last two weeks demonstrates exactly why we all have to understand our roles in operational Safety. In April we’ve evacuated ramps, diverted aircraft, and suspended operations due to high winds. We’ve faced severe thunderstorm warnings, flash flood warnings and tornado warnings. The FAA evacuated its control tower during sort operations in CVG. Two ABX aircraft have had lightning strikes, and the wind has blown ramp equipment into one of our jets – but we have had no injuries. And we have flexed in response to the huge weather systems we’ve faced, skillfully moving aircraft around the weather, minimizing its impact on our customers. We’ve taken this round of severe weather as an opportunity to review our severe weather procedures. Our Director of Safety, Steve Janasov, and our Director of CVG Operations, Jan Woolums, are coordinating that review with our operators. If we need to make changes, we will. In the meantime, if you see something we need to do differently, let me know. And thank you all for the hard work and professionalism it takes to run Safely every day. Japan Operations We are finalizing moving our Asian operations from Tokyo to Osaka next month. Our plans are to have the major elements of the move complete by May 9. DHL is changing their schedule slightly, and has asked us to adjust our operation there. Though it is not in the news everyday anymore, we are still paying careful attention to the safety of our operations in Japan. Aftershocks are still common. Radiation levels at the airport in Narita are stable, and below typical background levels. DHL Update All four of the DHL-owned 767-200 aircraft we have told you about are now on our certificate and in operation for DHL. They are using one of those planes to fund a paint line, and they intend to paint most of their leased 767s in their traditional yellow livery. They’re using the jets to provide a second crewed operational spare in CVG, to operate to Newark, and to run a second Miami flight. Plans for the fourth airplane aren’t yet public. AMES Hangar Funding Ohio State Representative Cliff Rosenberger announced Monday that the Ohio Department of Development will provide $15.2 million for the Clinton County Port Authority to build a new hangar at the Wilmington Air Park. The port authority would use the money to build a 100,000 square foot Joint Use Maintenance and Paint (JUMP) hangar and lease it to AMES, our sister ATSG company. AMES would hire more than 200 people to work in the new facility. Hangar space is a large constraint for AMES. If the project moves forward, the new hangar could be complete next year. Joe Hete said that knowing the state has committed to support the project allows ATSG to “complete an analysis of the project and move toward consideration by the ATSG Board of Directors.” ATSG Annual Shareholder’s Meeting The annual meeting of ATSG shareholders is May 10 in Wilmington. Joe Hete and Quint Turner will review ATSG’s 2010 results at the meeting. All ABX Air employees are welcome to attend. You can see all the meeting details on the ATSG website at ATSGinc.com. That is all the news I have for this week. Please email me your questions or comments, or if you need any help at all, drop me a note. My email address is john.graber@abxair.com. Eric Plas' INFOline | April 21, 2011Good afternoon. This is Eric Plas with the ABX INFOline for April 21, 2011. John Graber's INFOline | April 14, 2011Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is John Graber with the ABX Air INFOline for April 14, 2011. Much of the nation is enjoying the start of spring, and we’ve still got de-ice on call in Cincinnati – respect the conditions where you are.
John Starkovich's INFOline | April 7, 2011Good Afternoon, this is John Starkovich with the INFOline for April 7, 2011. 2011 Pay Plan and Employee Incentive Plans This week, informational briefings were given on the ABX 2011 Pay Plan. The new system for merit pay increases for qualifying employees will begin on June 27. In addition, the ABX Air Management and Employee Incentive Plans were explained. The plans provide eligible full-time and part-time ABX employees the prospect of receiving additional monetary incentives based on reaching goals for quarterly ‘on-time’ and ‘financial performance’ and are in effect as of April 1. Like the recently implemented Paid Time Off plan, these programs were redesigned to provide the employee group with new opportunities to share in the success of ABX and to focus not only on service but also on profitability and cost controls. If you have unanswered questions about any of these programs, please speak to your supervisor, manager, or one of the folks from Human Resources. Japan Operations Last month our Director of Safety, Steve Janasov, had the opportunity to spend a week in Japan assessing and observing our operation during the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, tsunami, and reactor problems experienced at the Fukushima power station. The station is located approximately 120 miles to the northeast of Narita airport (NRT). He reported finding our employee group doing well, and aside from the day of the actual earthquake and tsunami, they have sustained our operation in support of Japan Airlines (JAL) without missing a scheduled flight, in spite of aftershocks and other distractions such as power outages and transportation challenges. The ABX management and safety team continues to maintain contact with our employee group to closely monitor the situation for new developments, including during today’s 7.4 level earthquake. Our thoughts and prayers remain with those located well to the north where substantial damage and devastation has occurred due to the initial event. We continue to have every confidence that our resourceful and resilient Japanese friends will overcome this tragedy with record speed. Safety Management System SMS is recognized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other civil aviation authorities as the next step in the evolution of aviation safety and involves itself chiefly with organizational performance. The preceding steps were technical, involving mechanical and technological improvements and human, involving crew resource management and other human performance skill enhancements. The SMS proponents felt the next logical step towards actions that could have broken a chain of events leading to an accident or incident were contained within the organization itself. The major components of SMS are a safety policy that establishes the senior management’s commitment and defines methods, processes, and the structure needed to meet safety goals; a safety risk management process that determines the need and adequacy of controls based on the assessments of acceptable risk; a safety assurance program charged with evaluating the continued effectiveness of implemented controls and supporting the identification of new hazard; and finally, all of this occurs in an atmosphere of safety promotion, which includes training, communication, and other actions to create a positive safety culture at all levels in the workplace. Like our new PTO, Pay Plan, and Employee Incentive Plans, the eventual implementation of SMS will represent a departure from the old way of doing business in some ways. In other aspects, we can expect many of our present safety-enhancing programs--along with our continuing commitment to partner with our workforce by soliciting safety improving recommendations anonymously, by name, or by committee--to remain intact and become incorporated into the comprehensive SMS process. That’s all for this week’s INFOline. Please have a great day and a safe and productive April! John Starkovich's INFOline | March 31, 2011Good afternoon. This is John Starkovich with the ABX INFOline for March 31, 2011. We have a number of items to cover today so I will get started. On-Time Performance ABX Air is currently at a 98.63 percent on-time performance level for the month of March. Safety ABX Air is scheduled for its Department of Defense (DOD) audit during the month of June. These audits are done in two-year cycles. We also are scheduled for an IOSA audit in August. This will be the third such audit for ABX, and we appreciate the efforts of Steve Janasov, Director of Safety, in managing ABX through these audits. Maintenance Congratulations to the Maintenance Department. The fiftieth B-767 cargo conversion has been completed. It is really a milestone and an accomplishment. In addition, we have reached four consecutive months of 100 percent reliability performance in the Japan operation. Much work and dedication from many folks has contributed to reaching this level of performance, and you all have our thanks and appreciation for a job well done. Flight There are two items from the Flight Department. First, Flight has been selling simulator time on all three simulators. Through the month of March, it is looking to exceed $150,000. Kudos to Jack Greenwood and his troops for doing a fantastic job. Second, on the legislative and regulatory front, the FAA Reauthorization Bill, which authorizes funding for the FAA, is currently being considered in Washington, DC. At the same time, and on a different track, efforts continue on Flight and Duty time review and reform as part of the rulemaking functions of the FAA. Both of these have an impact on all airlines, including ABX Air. Completion of both of these efforts in a timely, diligent, and informed manner will enhance and promote the interests of all stakeholders. Japan Update The Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism indicated in a recent release that all four major airports in Japan (which excludes Sendai) have been operating normally. Currently there is no restriction on landings and take-offs of all aircraft. Additionally, the areas critically affected by the nuclear power plant accident are limited, and radiation at a level that has harmful effects on human health has not been detected at any of the four major airports in Japan. The web site for this and more information is www.mlit.go.jp/koku/flyjapan_en. Transition Center Just a quick note that we have been informed by the Transition Center management that they intend on consolidating their offices into the downtown Wilmington office. This means that the center will be leaving Building 2 by the end of May. The Transition Center has helped many former ABX Air employees, and I want to thank all of the folks over there for their fine service over the past couple of years. Employee Recognition I would like to congratulate the following employees for their milestone anniversaries in March and April: Captain Ken Norton for 35 years, and Jan Woolums for 25 years. The following folks have 20 years here at ABX: Captains Bruce Douglas, David Lawhorne, Bradley Maxwell, Patrick McCauley, Scot Prescott, and Kenneth Taylor. Also, for 15-year employees: David Bedard, Corey Butler, Chris Cousineau, Richard Fellie, Scot Kingan, Richard Reid and Bryan Windham. And, 10 years recognition goes to Ron Dusseau and David Kircher. That is it for this week’s INFOline. Thank you for all you do to make ABX a success. Take care. John Graber's INFOline | March 24, 2011Good morning ladies and gentlemen. This is John Graber with the ABX Air INFOline for March 24, 2011. Safety Japan Our Director of Safety, Steve Janasov, has been in Japan almost a week now. We dispatched him quickly. Steve met all our people on the ground in Japan, surveyed the situation in Tokyo and out at Narita, and has flown our trip to Osaka and Shanghai. Steven has confirmed what our maintenance and flight operations leaders get through their frequent discussions with our team in Tokyo – that things are Safe, and it can be a challenge to be in Tokyo today. Our Chief Pilot, Captain Joe Ezell, got to Tokyo Monday, as did our international maintenance manager, John Chiaffitelli. We will make sure our people on the ground have access to our leadership team. Our Tokyo station manager, Shig Takahashi, has been a real hero for us through this disaster in his homeland. My special thanks to Shig-san. We could not do what we’re doing without you there. As I said last week, we watch the situation in Japan every day, several times a day. We rely on official sources for the factual information we use, and we’re providing links to most of what we see on ABXnet. I encourage you to go to the sites and read the latest information for yourself. As of today, the US government says, “Within the 30-kilometer perimeter established by the Japanese government, aerial measurement data shows the degree of radioactive contamination at ground level varying considerably by location, with the most affected areas thus far stretching to the northwest of the reactor site, well within the 50-mile recommended perimeter.” The government goes on to say, “Farther from the reactor site, radiation monitoring…all indicate that levels of radiation measured in Tokyo…remain at background levels, well below levels which are dangerous to human health.” One other important data point from the US government is, “US government experts have also continuously monitored radiation levels on Embassy grounds since March 14, using sophisticated radiation detection meters including high-volume pump samplers that collect information on a 24-hour basis. We have consistently observed normal background levels of radiation.” The information we have indicates that our people are Safe working in and flying from Tokyo. We understand that things can change there, and if they change for the worse, we’re ready to quickly adjust our operations. Junior Man Events If you don’t fly for us, you’ve probably never heard of a junior man. When an airline “junior mans” a pilot, it forces the pilot with the least seniority to fly a trip that can’t be covered any other way. Junior manning is an emergency valve many airline contracts allow. It is disruptive for the pilot, and expensive for the airline, so it is in everyone’s interests to keep junior man events to a minimum. We will always have some small number of junior man assignments, but if we are doing our jobs right, we won’t return to the higher numbers we had late last year. That’s all the news I have for this week. Thank you all for all you are doing for our Company. Drop me a note with any questions or comments you have. My email address is john.graber@abxair.com. John Graber's INFOline | March 17, 2011Good morning ladies and gentlemen. This is John Graber with the ABX Air INFOline for March 17, 2011. You know of Japan’s earthquake, tsunami, and the subsequent nuclear reactor issues. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the millions of people impacted by this unprecedented series of disasters. ABX Air has offered our help as a company, and many of you are helping individually. If you are looking for a source for donations, consider the Red Cross. Shig Takahashi, our manager in Tokyo, is our lone Japanese national employee. Shig, his wife and two children live west of Tokyo, and we are glad to be able to report that they are all right. When the earthquake struck, in addition to Shig, we had three mechanics, two family members, and four pilots on the ground in Japan. Everyone is Safe. Like American Airlines, Atlas, Continental, Delta, Evergreen, FedEx, United and UPS, we’re operating in and out of Tokyo today. We’re operating because it is Safe to do so, but I understand that looking at the media reports, that decision isn’t necessarily the intuitive one, so I want to walk you through how we make these decisions. We’ve assembled a team of senior flight operations, maintenance, HR and Safety personnel to constantly monitor the situation in Japan, and review what we are and should be doing there. We start from the point of view that we are not experts on these issues, and that the media gets lots of things wrong. We rely on governmental authorities to tell us when it is Safe to fly and be in Japan, and when it is not. We cross-check our decisions with FedEx and UPS, the two other large freight operators in Asia. Since the earthquake, we’ve been in contact with or monitored guidance from the FAA, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Patrol, the State Department, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, the Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, and the Japanese Civil Aviation Board. The consensus today, is that, though the situation at the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors is very serious, with over 100 miles between those reactors and our operations in Tokyo, we have an adequate buffer. Every airport around Tokyo is open, and the Japanese government has given no indication they are going to close them. Today Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officials said its scientists believe the risk of an aircraft operating in Japan being contaminated “remains very low”. CBP said that for the last 10 years it has routinely spot-checked arriving international flights for radiation. In those 10 years CBP said it has seen 580,000 alerts for possible radioactive issues. CBP resolved those alerts, every single one, satisfactorily. Alerts came from things like medical radioactive cargo. Since the earthquake, CBP is checking every flight arriving in the United States from Japan, and CBP officials said they have seen nothing that alarms them. There have been indications of radioactivity in some cargo, but they have seen no higher levels than they saw in the last 10 years. The highest levels they’ve seen since the earthquake equaled half the amount of radioactivity a person would get flying in an airliner for an hour. In spite of facts like that, there is a lot of concerning information out there. Yesterday the US State Department issued a Travel Warning advising against non-essential travel to Japan. Then today, March 17, the White House said that the US government is “not encouraging an evacuation of American citizens from Japan. American citizens who are within a 50-mile radius of the nuclear reactors are being instructed to evacuate that area. Outside of that area, we’re urging American citizens to carefully monitor both our guidelines and the guidelines of the Japanese government.” Our operations in Japan are important, especially so in times like these. But they are not important enough for us to take risks with the Safety of our people. If we ever think we cannot operate Safely, we will stop. The FAA and Japanese aviation authorities support our operations in Japan today, and have committed to tell us – and all the other carriers operating today – if something changes. We think our decisions are sound, based on the facts we have today. If you see anything we have overlooked, please let us know. We’re putting the latest information we have on our ABX intranet, so you can see the latest material we are working with. That’s all the news I have for this week. Thank you all for all you are doing for our Company. Drop me a note with any questions or comments you have. My email address is john.graber@abxair.com. Tammy Voss' INFOline | March 10, 2011Hello, this is Tammy Voss with the ABX Air INFOline for March 10, 2011. I hope everyone is doing well. Safety & Compliance We cannot emphasize the importance of Safety and Compliance enough. If you identify an issue, point it out immediately and follow up to insure that the issue is addressed. People We would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate John Chiaffitelli in Aircraft Maintenance on his award of the Silver Wings of Excellence. John worked tirelessly with DHL, JAL and the JCAB to insure the successful start up of ABX operations in Japan. On behalf of everyone at ABX, congratulations and thank you! On a sad note, Neal Cook, Aircraft Maintenance, lost his battle with cancer on Feb. 24. Neal had been a dedicated and loyal ABX employee for 31 years. Neal was a positive influence on everyone who had the privilege of working with him. His upbeat attitude, work ethic and sense of humor will be missed but not forgotten. Performance Expense Reporting and Credit Card Process Update
Please note the following changes: Business Update - ATSG Transformation Yields Strong
Results Thank you for your time and all that you do for our Company. John Graber will be back with an update to the Infoline next Thursday. John Graber's INFOline | March 3, 2011Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is John Graber with the ABX Air INFOline for March 3, 2011. Safety We operate on four continents now. That makes world events something to be aware of. Like every other major international airline, we review the local situation in every place we go, and we do that often. We talk to people on the ground, we talk to other carriers, we talk to our union representatives, and we send our security and leadership personnel in to look at things themselves. We do all we can to make sure our people and our operations are Safe, but nothing we do as a corporation can take the place of what you can do to keep yourself Safe when you’re out in the system. The things you do in Memphis to watch out for yourself and your fellow employees apply in Monterey. There are good neighborhoods and bad ones in both, but it is important for all of us to be more careful overseas. Be aware of your surroundings. Stick to the beaten path. And tell us if you see anything that doesn’t seem right. We’ll check it out right away. DHL Tails Industry News ATSG Annual Results Tailwinds That’s all the news I have for this week. Thank you all for all you are doing for our Company. Drop me a note with any questions or comments you have. My email address is john.graber@abxair.com. Bob Greene's INFOline | February 24, 2011This is Bob Greene, Manager of Ground Operations & Compliance, with the ABX Air INFOline for February 24, 2011. For those who don’t know me, I’ve been with ABX Air for nearly 18 years working with our Ground Operations training and auditing functions that entire time. The Ground Operations Department staff consists of four Instructor/Auditors and a Supervisor. The combined ABX experience for the six training/audit staff is more than 120 years, which is in addition to outside air cargo experience for several of us. We also have a staff of 30 highly experienced Professional Loadmasters (8 full-time, and 22 casuals) who fly many of our ABX international charters. Safety & Compliance As a US air carrier, ABX Air is accountable to our employees, the public, our shareholders, and various regulatory agencies for conducting safe and compliant airline operations. A typical airline includes several operational areas - Flight and Aircraft Maintenance are two that immediately come to mind. Another area for which ABX still has responsibility and accountability is our Ground Operation. The ABX Ground Operation includes two main sub areas: the carriage of cargo and the ground handling of ABX aircraft.
Under our new business model, ABX Air no longer directly performs most of these ground operations functions. For the most part, we now have agreements with various cargo forwarders and aircraft ground handling agents to perform these services on our behalf. We have such agreements with some of our largest customers – DHL, TNT, Aeromexpress, SAS, Solar, and JAL, for example. There is an exception in some of our international operations, where we use ABX Professional Loadmasters who fly on-board our aircraft to perform and supervise the ground operation at certain international aircraft ramp locations. Even though others now perform most of our ground operations functions on behalf of ABX, we are still accountable to ensure the safety, compliance, and quality of those contractor operations – and that is where the ABX Ground Operations Department provides service. The Ground Operations Department develops and publishes FAA- and TSA-approved procedures to guide our contractors in conducting safe and compliant operations for ABX Air. The department provides technical assistance to our contractors, other company departments, and customers. We develop training programs for our approved procedures, and either do the training ourselves or train others to provide our training. Finally, we conduct our own operational safety and compliance audits of ABX and our contractors, as well as assisting outside agencies, such as the FAA, the TSA, the Department of Defense, IATA (IOSA), and our contractors, in completing external audits of ABX Air. During our own audits we make continuous on-site visits of ABX and contractor stations and aircraft ramp locations worldwide to ensure the safety, compliance, and quality of those operations. As part of our effort to continue to improve our business as it changes and grows, I invite any of you to contact me at bob.greene@abxair.com if you have any observations, suggestions, or concerns that might help us to improve the quality or safety of any aspect of ABX’s Ground Operation. Our People That’s all the news for this week. John Graber will be back with next week’s INFOline. John Graber's INFOline | February 17, 2011Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is John Graber with the ABX Air INFOline for February 17, 2011. Safety Compliance STAR We improved January’s reliability despite a very challenging set of weather systems that absolutely shellacked the nation. Thank you for all you did to help us achieve that performance for our Customers. We had 15 delays in January – two more would have knocked us out of the second tier. Every flight counts. ATSG on the Road We’ve worked hard to do the four things we staked out in June of 2008: (1) we’ve lowered our costs and retained DHL’s US business, (2) we’ve diversified our freight airline business, (3) we’ve leased aircraft to other operators, and (4) we’ve grown our non-airline revenue streams. That strategy is working well for ATSG and ABX, and the stock price reflects it. It was $2.80 on January 4, 2010; yesterday it closed at $8.34. I invite you to see Joe and Quint’s presentation. You can see the slides and listen at the link on ATSG’s website, ATSGinc.com. DHL in CVG Industry News Auf Wiedersehen, Suz That’s all the news I have for this week. Thank you all for all you are doing for our Company. Drop me a note with any questions or comments you have. My email address is john.graber@abxair.com. Jeff Walling's INFOline | February 10, 2011Hello, this is Jeff Walling, Manager of Human Resources, with the ABX Air INFOline update for Thursday, February 10, 2011. Safety It's more important than ever to make sure you're following your procedures and training during adverse weather. Be especially careful when walking across snow and ice. Slips and falls make up a large number of our accidents this time of year. Ice is especially slippery when there is a thin layer of water on top, which can be difficult to see. Whenever possible hold on to something to help your balance when crossing icy surfaces. Our People I also would like to recognize Holly McCammon and Jean Radcliffe, both in the Administration Department, for their efforts with the Christmas project and last October's Breast Cancer Awareness fund drive. Holly and Jean, along with Beth, organized a fundraiser resulting in ABX employees donating over $2,000 to the Foster J. Boyd M.D. Regional Cancer Center here in Wilmington. Both Holly and Jean received Letters of Recognition for their efforts. Employee Self Service STAR Payment 401(k) Well, that's all I have this week. John Graber will be back with next week's update. In the meantime, there are just 39 days until Spring. John Graber's INFOline | February 3, 2011Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is John Graber with the ABX Air INFOline for February 3, 2011. I hope everyone is well. Safety My thanks to all of you who worked Safely through this week. Our results speak for themselves – you adjusted, followed procedure, and respected the conditions you faced. When we could operate, we did, and when you decided we could not Safely run the system, we stopped. That is how large, complex organizations manage Safety. Thank you. Compliance The second compliance event we face this year comes from the Department of Defense. Because we fly in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program, the Air Force sends a team to audit our operations every other year. Like the IOSA process, the Air Force representatives will spend about a week with us. Both teams will examine every aspect of our operation. They’ll look at record keeping and aircraft maintenance. They’ll fly jumpseat in our aircraft. They’ll watch our training and examine our manuals. I always look forward to these external inspections because they make us a better operator. As good as we are, every organization can get complacent, and a new set of eyes can help us see things differently. Business Update Efficiency and Growth Miami is a key opportunity for us. We face low-cost competitors there, many of them from South America. To gain efficiencies, lower our costs, and grow our Miami business, we’re experimenting with how we schedule our crews in Miami. We have a crew base there, and for a long time we’ve flown the bulk of our Miami trips with crews based in Miami. An issue we face in our Miami business is that the schedule changes constantly. In December, for instance, our Customers asked us to change the departure times or routing for every single expansion trip we had scheduled. Some of our Miami business operates like clockwork, but clearly our Customer base there values flexibility. If we are to grow there, we have to find a way to operate both fixed and flexible schedules. For some time our Flight Operations department has been studying the problem, and we’ve started experimenting with more efficient pilot schedules. We have not gotten this right every time so far, but we will. With our new schedules we’ll blend some Miami flying across our system to operate known Miami trips – those we know won’t move – while creating more reserve – stand-by – pilot capacity in Miami to respond to last-minute Customer changes. Flight Ops believes we can make these changes Safely, and that we can make Miami more efficient. If we’re right, we’ll make ourselves a better competitor in that marketplace. Another thing we’re doing to gain efficiency comes from our affiliate, Airborne Global Solutions. AGS is helping us from the sales and marketing end by serving as our independent sales agent. AGS is advertising heavily in the air freight marketplace, and generating interest in ABX services around the world. Their focus is to sell more block hours on our aircraft in Europe and Asia. As their leads mature into expansion flying for us, we become more efficient with those aircraft – flying more block hours without increasing our costs. As we gain internal efficiencies, and as we market our capabilities around the world, we cement our future. And that’s what everyone’s working for. That’s all I have for this week. Drop me a line with any questions or comments you have. My email address is john.graber@abxair.com. Jan Woolums' INFOline | January 27, 2011Good morning. This is Jan Woolums with the ABX INFOline for Jan. 27, 2011. Our People Rex worked with JAL and JCAB on approval of all the JCAB manuals and flight kits. This isn't something easily done, trying to resolve language and culture barriers. Rex promptly responded to every request with dedication and determination, allowing ABX to met our promised timeframes to receive approvals. Also Mike Woodford led the Flight Department with outstanding customer service and many long hours on regulatory documents, meeting all customer service goals. Mike's efforts resulted in ABX getting the first 767-300 on the ABX certificate. Great job, guys. Thank you. Safety Last Tuesday a friend of hers had a mobile home burn down due to a power strip that was being used in the bedroom. A sock had fallen on the power strip. The fire department determined that the fibers from the sock had worked into one of the unused outlets and sparked the fire that destroyed their home. Luckily no one was injured. The power strip did not have a surge protector on it. The fire department recommends that if you are using power strips make certain they are not covered or hidden from view. Also replace any power strips that do not surge protectors. Weather With the outstanding coordination and efforts of the contingency group, the Flight Department, crew schedulers, and NDO Alex Kosch on the ground in CVG, the challenge was met. The execution of the plan was absolutely amazing. This type of dedication and determination is why ABX will continue to be successful. Others supporting the CVG operation are the large number of flight crews. I'd like to thank the ABX flight crews for their efforts in support of DHL's CVG operations. We’ve seen many changes and will continue to see them in the future. Your cooperation and flexibility affords us the ability to expand and be successful. The future of ABX is looking promising, given the changes of last year. 2011 looks no different, and your cooperation, with a long list of others, is not only appreciated but vital for the success of ABX. Also on the ground in the CVG operation are Tim Pinkerton, Josh Howland, and Eric Taylor. These three are there in the nightly operations to support the safety and compliance of the ABX aircraft by working with DHL management. They are also on call to assist with recovery aircraft or extra sections. As a group they made 20 trips to support DHL outbase -- OJT training on the 767, setup and training on de-ice in Houston -- always trying to ensure safety and compliance on and around the ABX aircraft. Guys, thank you for your efforts nightly. Give Blood Stay warm, be safe, and John Graber will be back next week. John Graber's INFOline | January 20, 2011Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is John Graber with the ABX Air INFOline for January 20, 2011. I hope everyone is well. Safety 2010 was an excellent year for us in Safety. As a company we met or exceeded every Safety goal we set for ourselves – thank you all for working every day to make that happen. On a rate adjusted basis, we’ve cut accidents and incidents in ABX Air operations more than 80 percent the last two years. We can’t rest on our laurels for 2011, so I’m asking for you to do better. Your department leaders will discuss our goals with you, and I’ll count on you to hit the mark this year, just as you did in 2010. We are making a real difference in the Safe operation of our airline, and we have to keep that up going forward. Compliance In compliance this week, it is worth noting that we have been recertified by the Japanese Civil Aviation authorities – the JCAB – to continue our operations there. The JCAB approved our return to Japan last fall. Late this year they came back to check our operations again as part of their normal process. Thanks to Line Maintenance leaders Brad Hamlin, Dan Hendershott, John Chiaffitelli and Wes Ballard for all their work in the surveys. Rex Gunning in Flight Operations also played a key role, as he always does in aviation certification issues. Business Update We operate two large lines of business at ABX – we fly for the DHL network, and we fly for our ad hoc charter Customer base. You have listened to me talk for some weeks now about the recovery we’re seeing in demand for air freight. This week I want to talk specifically about ad hoc charter. The change in ad hoc charter demand from a year ago is striking. The number of charter legs we fly is up more than 70 percent in the last 12 months. The geography behind that increase follows almost exactly the global statistics for air cargo growth. Asia, Africa, South America; and between those markets are the places our Customers want to fly today. Compared to those marketplaces, there is virtually no demand for our ad hoc services in the domestic US market. You’ve probably heard the old saying, “you fish where the fish are.” That’s what we’re doing. To find our fish, we’re projecting our assets and our people thousands of miles from Wilmington, Ohio. To catch those fish, we have to operate at a cost structure that wins business from the significant, home-grown competition we face in these international markets. We compete with well-known local operators like LAN in South America and Korean Airlines in Asia. Startups and smaller carriers dot the globe, too – all of them angling for the same flying we are. Though some of these carriers have the advantage of experience over us, we are catching up fast. This summer marks the third year since ABX Air first forecast this shift in our business – the third year since we expanded our international operations. We’ve used that time well. We’ve run 100 percent on time in our Asian operations for weeks. In our South American operations we did a great job of supporting Customers’ demands for expansion flying during the peak holiday season, and across the Atlantic our operational performance has been exceptional. Our challenge always is to maintain high service levels while at the same time driving efficiency into our business and costs out. That is not easily done when our airplane is sitting right down the road on the CVG ramp, much less when it is thousands of miles away. But we’re finding ways to do it – and we have to find more ways. Remember, that’s what our competitors are doing every day. That’s all I have for this week. Drop me a line with any questions or comments you have. My email address is john.graber@abxair.com. Bob Gray's INFOline | January 13, 2011This is Bob Gray for the January 13, 2011 INFOline. We have almost completed the first two weeks of the New Year. For those of us in Ohio, the weather has been cold and miserable, and the snowy drives to and from work have made the day seem that much longer that normal. Many of us are leaving from home in the dark, and returning to home in the dark. January can be a particularly depressing time of year for some people as the post holiday blues set in and we face the challenges of the new year. It is particularly important this time of year to make it a point to take a moment or two to laugh. A smile to a coworker, or the sharing of a humorous thought is particularly appreciated during a month when things otherwise look dreary. You are all working hard to keep our company moving forward, and we thank you for that. You deserve a good laugh once in a while! Stay Alert Badge Reminder Flu Season With the start of a new flu season, please remember to take precautions. Use proper hand hygiene, cover coughs and sneezes, and if possible, avoid people with flu-like symptoms. The best protection against the flu is vaccination; and it’s not too late to get a flu shot. The flu shot can be effective in as little as two weeks and protects you against the H1N1 virus. For the latest international health information, check the HTH Business website at www.hthbusiness.com. 401(k) That’s all for this INFOline. Stay safe and warm, and look for warmer weather. John Graber's INFOline | January 6, 2011Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is John Graber with the ABX Air INFOline for January 6, 2011. I hope everyone is well.
Safety and Compliance
Wednesday, June 19, 2013 04:58:01 PM |