Brazil´s largest domestic airline, TAM SA, is looking to place 20 more orders for aircraft with Airbus, local financial daily Valor Economico reported earlier this week. The company is in "final negotiations" to buy 20 of Airbus´ A320 aircraft, the newspaper said, quoting TAM President Marco Antonio Bologna. The 20 planes are currently options from a previous agreement signed in July 2004, under which TAM placed firm orders for 10 A320s. Those 10 aircraft are scheduled to start arriving this year, with deliveries continuing over the next four years.

Caribbean Star Airlines seems well on its way to eclipse the record half million plus passengers it carried last year. For the first four months of 2005, the carrier has already surpassed its last year´s uplift figures by more than 7 000. Since Caribbean Star began flying in October 2000, it has recorded increased growth every single year. In 2001, the airline´s first full year of operation, it carried a total of 169,677 passengers. Three years later in 2004, those figures had rocketed to 503,993.

Could any carrier beat a 95.2 percent promptness index these days? Well, that´s the number Copa Airlines put on the board during the first quarter of the ongoing year. And if that doesn´t sound good enough, check this out: the company reported no cancellations and a perfect score in operational compliance, both in Panama and in the rest of the destinations it flies to. "These figures are the result of a new fleet and well-coordinated operations," said Jorge Garcia Icaza, Copa´s Marketing Vice President.

Spirit Airlines said it will add nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale and Montego Bay, Jamaica, starting Nov. 10, and between Fort Lauderdale and Kingston, Jamaica, starting Dec. 15. Spirit said it will also offer connecting service to both Jamaican destinations from Atlantic City, Chicago/O´Hare, Detroit, New York/LaGuardia, Providence/Boston area and Washington, D.C./Reagan National.

At an evening ceremony at The Park Lane Hotel in London, OAG named Continental Airlines the Airline of the Year for the second year running. Continental also won the 2005 Best Executive/Business Class category, was voted Best Airline based in North America, and was short listed in two other categories. Last year, Continental became the first US based carrier to win the title since the awards were established 23 years ago.

In a move to compete with low-cost carriers, US Airways Group Inc. and America West Holdings Corp., the nation´s seventh and eighth largest carriers, respectively, announced a plan to enter into a merger. America West and US Airways are to form a new airline that will provide customers the full-service offering and reach of a legacy airline with the consumer-friendly pricing structure of a low fare carrier.