American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers has proposed a standard for a minimum ventilation rate and methods for monitoring air contaminants, ozone, humidity, temperature and pressure inside airline aircraft. The society says that no standard currently exists for filtration inside aircraft, but that the new standard will "take out the majority of viruses from the air that pass through a filter and almost all bacteria and fungus." And "with good filtration, passengers will be comfortable."
Pegasus Aviation leased two Boeing 737-300s and one 737-200 to Turkish carrier EuroSun, which will operate the aircraft on flights to various destinations in Europe. Pegasus bills itself as the "largest, privately held commercial aircraft leasing company" with more than 200 passenger and freighter aircraft on lease to 60 airlines.
Swissair was named the best-managed major airline by DAILY affiliate Aviation Week&Space Technology in its annual "Best in the Business" issue. Ryanair was the best-managed national airline for the second consecutive year, and Utah-based SkyWest was the top regional carrier. Bombardier is this year's best-managed large aerospace company. AW&ST's annual company ratings are based on the magazine's proprietary competitiveness index.
New York jet fuel spot prices ended last week at $0.82 per gallon, down 6% from the beginning of the week and up 53% from a year ago, according to Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown. Crude oil futures crept up last week, trading at roughly $31.50 a barrel, after dropping 9% earlier in the month.
DOT, implementing new rights for U.S. carriers under U.S.-Ghana open skies, Friday granted third-country code sharing to United and Northwest while deferring action on American's bid to serve the market via London with British Airways pending the department's action on the American/BA code-share application. Under the phased bilateral, agreed to in March, 14 additional third-country code-share frequencies are available now for U.S. carriers; the three carriers requested a total of 12.
FedEx Pilots Association wants members to help stop a movement in Congress forcing FAA to raise the mandatory retirement age for pilots from 60 to 65. FPA says risks for catastrophic health emergency problems and risk for fatigue increases after 60, while reaction time decreases. The current wide pilot shortage is helping push the movement forward on Capitol Hill, but pilots say better pay and working conditions are a better solution.
AirTran's strong earnings last week are a harbinger of things to come as major airlines begin reporting quarterly earnings this week, according to Merrill Lynch analyst Candace Browning. AirTran's earnings exceeded the Wall Street consensus by 14%, and estimates are up on several other carriers, including rises of 5% for Northwest and United.
DOT granted Ghana Airways comprehensive U.S.-Ghana rights under open skies in spite of opposition to expanding the carrier's authority lodged by a Florida-based fuel company with which Ghana Airways has unpaid obligations. World Fuel Services told DOT the carrier owes more than $400,000 and asked that DOT condition approval on resolution of its outstanding debts and proof of its financial capability (DAILY, June 27). DOT said the carrier has held U.S.
FAA on Friday ordered Boeing 747 operators to inspect a section of fuselage for cracking and expanded an existing rule calling for outboard engine fuel valve replacements. The fuselage joint airworthiness directive (AD) mandates a June 15 Boeing alert service bulletin triggered by reports of serious fatigue cracking found along the bottom of the aircraft during routine maintenance. One operator found a 25-inch crack, another uncovered an 8.5-inch crack, and a third found four smaller cracks, Boeing told FAA.
JetBlue Airways is expected to announce today that it will launch service from New York Kennedy to Burlington on Sept. 7. The airline begins Ontario, Calif., service July 21.
BAX Global added a DC-10-30F to its cargo fleet in its growing Southern California market. The aircraft joins a fleet of DC-8s and 727s. It will be operated for BAX by Gemini Air Cargo. BAX also plans to add "substantially" to its ground fleet.
Celtic Tech Jet Ltd., a new Canadian carrier, filed at DOT for U.S.-Canada charter authority. The carrier, which received operating authority from Canada in late June; for the past nine years it operated as a corporate flight department under Newbridge Networks Corp. It leases two aircraft -- a Falcon 50 and a Falcon 10 -- from 2872814 Canada Inc., its sole owner, and does not plan to use additional aircraft.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Revenues and Expenses Fourth Quarter 1999 Total Operating % Passenger Freight Revenues Change Revenues Revenues Alaska 373,587,000 6.69 317,832,000 13,720,000 America West 545,645,389 12.45 507,368,289 5,297,326 American 2,849,269,000 6.42 2,614,045,000 41,783,000
British Airways awarded a 1 million pound (US$1.5 million) contract to Wedgwood last week to supply tableware for its new first-class service. The service is slated to launch this fall, and the Wedgwood collection will be introduced early next year.
The House aviation subcommittee this Thursday and next will concentrate on two important but less noticed subjects -- whether portable electronic devices pose a safety hazard aboard an aircraft and whether criminal investigations of those involved in airline accidents are impeding safety investigations. This Thursday, aviation subcommittee Chairman John Duncan (R-Tenn.) will focus on the cell phone issue.
It is "unlikely" the current ATC system will be able to cope with FAA's predicted 4.6% passenger growth for the next 12 years, according to Shelley Longmuir, United senior VP-international regulatory and government affairs. Longmuir, speaking to the American Bar Association in New York last week, said that ATC-related costs to United are projected at $400 million in 1999. She spoke soon after DOT's on-time report showed that United had a poor 56.6% on-time performance and an 8.7% cancellation rate in May (DAILY, July 6).
Pilot training issues made June another tough month for Midwest Express, which had 3% lower traffic. Capacity fell 0.4%, forcing load factor down 1.8 percentage points. CEO Tim Hoeksema told employees in a recorded message last week that the airline cannot grow while pilot training problems remain. The company hopes to see improved traffic results in the fourth quarter, however, as it resumes a more normal pattern of capacity growth.
After the crash-landing of a Hapag-Lloyd Airbus A310-300 in Vienna, indications are getting stronger that the aircraft ran out of fuel in mid-flight. The crew tried an emergency landing at Vienna Schwechat Airport after they reported that both engines had stopped functioning. Twenty-six people were injured in the accident, and the aircraft was severely damaged. It is unclear so far if it had to be written off.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers International Revenues and Expenses Fourth Quarter 1999 Total Operating % Passenger Freight Revenues Change Revenues Revenues Alaska 36,070,000 19.83 34,429,000 505,000 Latin 36,070,000 19.83 34,429,000 505,000 American 1,285,774,000 7.49 1,118,865,000 89,302,000
