40 years ago March 26, 1962: FAA's new "general policy" on regional airports, which airport officials call rulemaking without proper industry participation, says new-airport location, communities served and scheduling will be factors in federal aid grant determinations. 20 years ago March 24, 1982: U.S. must decide whether to impose sanctions on JAL -- which would result in retaliatory action against U.S. carriers -- following collapse of talks with Japan over Tokyo landing rights for United. Five years ago
Delta's business jet subsidiary, Delta AirElite, continues to make money for its parent company and will continue to grow slowly, according to Delta CEO Leo Mullin. He told The DAILY last week that the operation "is going really well," but noted that AirElite "will never be a blockbuster kind of profit contributor" to Delta's bottom line.
Mexicana plans to start four weekly nonstop flights from Denver to Mexico City, beginning May 2. As of November, Mexicana will operate the flight on a daily basis. In addition to the Mexico City route, Mexicana will add nonstop service from Denver to Zacatecas as of May 4. Flights to both Mexico City and Zacatecas will operate with Airbus A320 equipment. Mexicana will continue to serve Los Cabos with a twice-weekly nonstop flight.
House Republicans on the Transportation Committee last week introduced an amendment to the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act extending the liability limit on damages caused by the Sept. 11 attacks.
Global Distribution Systems will need to rethink their booking fee structure to keep airline suppliers on board, predicts Forrester Research. "Rising fees make it possible for major airlines to pull out of GDSs in the next 18 months if they're unable to secure more favorable business terms," said analyst Henry Harteveldt. He noted that airlines are stepping up investments in direct-connect technology designed to bypass GDS reliance.
There is neither a fare war nor a capacity war occurring among U.S. major airlines, according to UBS Warburg. Analyst Sam Buttrick said recent press reports about fare wars are "wholly overdone," noting that there is significant discounting, but it has not intensified. The recent American/Northwest skirmish is "not material and a bit silly." Capacity is coming back at 1-1.5% pwr month.
Regional aircraft manufacturer Fairchild Dornier has rolled out the first 728-100 at its Oberpfaffenhofen headquarters but is desperately looking for an investor that could provide it with additional cash and credibility in the marketplace. Fairchild Dornier Chairman Chuck Pieper made clear that "the sense of immediacy is real" and that the company needed an "indication of interest" as soon as possible. Pieper said the company was in "productive discussions with several potential partners," but he declined to reveal their identity.
German Transport Minister Kurt Bodewig said the country would extend war risk coverage for German airlines by 60 days until the end of May. The previous commitment will end March 31. The European Union said it would approve of the measure if other member states follow.
SAS this week unveiled a new fare and service concept -- Scandinavia Direct -- that will scrap business class and reduce fares for business travelers by up to 30%, in an attempt to streamline operations and win back customers. The level of service will be equal for all passengers, while fares will be differentiated according to ticket flexibility and period of travel. In particular, the carrier is introducing "day-return" prices.
Air traffic controllers walked off their jobs for five hours yesterday at two of Australia's busiest airports in a dispute with employers over remedies for fatigue and stress. Flights were grounded for five hours mid-day at Sydney and Brisbane airports as the Civil Air Operations Officers' Association of Australia met with government officials. About 20 Qantas domestic trunk flights were canceled, and more than 30 domestic flights were rescheduled during the strike by the Airservices Australia employees.
Northwest and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 2000 reached an agreement yesterday to provide "separation/release" and self-defense training. The agreement was reached after the union held a member driven "Self-Defense Now" campaign. The Teamsters said they would work with Northwest management "in the development of curriculum and vendor selection for expert assistance in program delivery and design." Flight Attendants will be paid for the training, but it has not yet been decided if the training will be mandatory.
United named Jim Keenan as the new VP-engineering and technical support, succeeding Lou Mancini, who resigned this month. Keenan reports to Ron Utecht, senior VP-maintenance and engineering. Keenan joined United in 1988 and for the past five years has been general manager-engine maintenance.
GB Airways pilots will use Spirent Systems' Onboard Performance System software to calculate weight and balance and other aircraft-related performance figures. The software runs on various devices, including laptop PCs, and combines real-time airport and weather conditions with aircraft specifications to maximize payloads and optimize fuel loads. GB Airways, a British Airways franchise partner, operates Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s/A321s.
Austrian Airlines reported a EUR164.1 million pretax loss for fiscal 2001, reflecting the general industry downturn, as well as large-scale restructuring efforts targeting integrated group management of the concern's four airlines -- Austrian, Lauda, Tyrolean and Rheintalflug. Revenues were up 10.4% due to the full balance sheet consolidation of Lauda Air, according to preliminary results. Without the one-time effect, revenues would have decreased by more than 10%. Austrian will publish detailed figures April 18.
NTSB's final report on the crash of EgyptAir 990, issued yesterday, concludes that the relief first officer's (FO) "flight control inputs" caused the Boeing 767 to depart "normal cruise flight." As expected, the report did not cite a motive (DAILY, March 14). The Egyptian delegation immediately rejected the findings and said it would file a petition for reconsideration.
American, recently hit with various types of hate crimes, yesterday introduced a new zero-tolerance policy for all employees. In his weekly message to employees, CEO Don Carty reported incidents of staff coming to work "to find terrible things" such as nooses, swastikas or other symbols that target race religion, national origin, gender or sexual orientation. "Even worse, we have isolated reports of statements or behaviors that I can describe as insensitive at best and appalling at most," Carty said.
Singapore Airlines this summer plans to reinstate a large portion of its North American service that was suspended after Sept. 11. "In the past few months, we have seen a steady recovery in passenger traffic across many routes, particularly in the leisure segment," said Senior Executive VP-Commercial Michael Tan. "Business travel is also recovering in tandem with the economic recovery, albeit at a more measured pace."
Alaska Airlines, while encouraged by rising traffic and im-proved on-time performance, still is losing money and expects to post a full-year loss. "Barring a miracle, there's little chance of being in the black this year," Alaska CEO Bill Ayer and other senior executives said this month in a series of staff meetings around the system, according to an internal newsletter.
United, US Airways and American Trans Air yesterday eliminated base travel agent commissions for tickets issued in the U.S and Canada. America West and Southwest remain the only U.S. majors that have not matched the cut that Delta initiated a week ago. Low-cost Vanguard said it would not change its policy of paying a 5% commission with no caps.
Several hundred Olympic Airways employees demonstrated in Athens this week to protest privatization plans for the airline. OSPA, the Federation of Civil Aviation Unions, called for a three-hour strike Wednesday, which obliged the airline to cancel one flight to Crete and reschedule other operations.
Goodrich will supply new windshield heater controllers for both new and in-service Embraer ERJ 145s. Controllers regulate the amount of power drawn from the windshield's heating system. Goodrich says its controller will provide improved power regulation performance, which will increase the windshield's service life without sacrificing performance. Retrofit kits will be available in May.
