Pilot hirings continue to outpace last year's record growth, according to Atlanta-based AIR Inc. The rate of hiring will produce about 19,264 pilot jobs this year, more than 4,000 over last year's total. In June, 1,659 pilots found jobs, and hirings so far this year have reached 9,632. Major airlines hired 386 pilots in June and nationals 547.
Southwest plans to expand its current service in several markets beginning Oct. 29, with much of the capacity boost going to Las Vegas, its largest origin-and-destination market. The airline plans to add a total of six new daily nonstop flights from Las Vegas to Houston Hobby, Reno, Kansas City, Ontario, Tulsa and Louisville. "Our service in Las Vegas is expanding as a result of the city's growth spurt," said Joyce Rogge, VP-marketing.
Air Canada is enhancing its on-board medical support with air-to-ground medical support and automated external defibrillators. Air Canada has signed on with MedAir, which specializes in medical preparedness services and equipment for the aviation industry. Air Canada crews will be able to contact a MedLink physician, enabling crews to consult directly with a certified emergency physician at any time during a flight.
Atlanta-based LastMinuteTravel.com signed a content agreement with Yahoo! Inc. yesterday to provide last-minute travel offers to Yahoo! Travel site. Links to LastMinuteTravel.com will be added to the Specials section of Yahoo! Travel in addition to just-released offers, which will rotate between air fare, lodging and vacation categories.
Russian national carrier Aeroflot plans to purchase up to 20 Tupolev Tu-334-200 short- to medium-range 100-seat aircraft powered by BMW/Rolls-Royce BR-715 engines over five years. The basic version of the aircraft, planned for production at MiG Corp. in Moscow and Lukhovitsy, will be powered by Ukrainian Progress D436-T1 turbofans. Certification is expected by the end of 2002. According to Russian analysts, the BR-715 turbofan should significantly improve operational efficiency.
The Interactive Travel Services Association (ITSA) voiced its objection this week to the airline-backed Orbitz web site, complaining that it will offer special fares that will be made exclusively available to the site. "Orbitz claims it is just another Internet startup with a new technology. But this isn't about technology, it's about exclusivity," said recently appointed spokesman Rick White.
FAA is changing procedures for aircraft airworthiness directives by consulting with people who have first-hand experience with specific aircraft at the beginning of the process, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. "This is a revolutionary change in the way we resolve airworthiness concerns," said Dennis Roberts, AOPA VP of government and technical affairs.
FAA is assessing a $133,000 fine against Cosmetic Specialty Labs of Lawton, Okla., for offering Fritz Air Freight, an indirect air carrier, 21 boxes of hair styling spray for transportation from Dallas/Fort Worth to Oslo, Norway. The spray, classified as denatured alcohol, has a flashpoint of 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
All Nippon Airways this week launched "ANA Super Style" service on its daily nonstops from New York Kennedy and Los Angeles to Tokyo. In May, the airline revealed that ANA Super Style would feature an audio and video-on-demand system, a bar counter and an inflight rice cooker (DAILY, May 22). ANA Super Style is the service formerly known as ANA Chicago Style, which has been offered on the airline's daily Chicago-Tokyo flights since April 1999. ANA Super Style service will be introduced on San Francisco-Tokyo flights in November.
Northwest is investing significant financial and staff resources to tackle the heavy summer baggage loads on its transatlantic routes. Working with partner KLM, Northwest revealed yesterday that it assigned more than 100 additional staff members to assist with burgeoning baggage delays sparked by strong summer travel through KLM's Amsterdam Schiphol hub. The carrier also launched a temporary toll-free customer service number dedicated to assisting transatlantic passengers who wish to report or track mishandled baggage on flights arriving from Amsterdam.
U.S. domestic traffic has improved in the first six months of this year, compared with the same periods in 1999, including a 6.8% jump in June. As a result, Merrill Lynch analysts said this week that they expect the revenue environment "to remain robust." Merrill Lynch projects June's domestic revenue to grow roughly 7%. The strong traffic growth far outpaced the 0.7% increase in capacity.
British Airways plans to move all of its flights that serve Tel Aviv to London Heathrow from Gatwick airport on Oct. 29. The airline plans to increase total frequencies to Tel Aviv to 17 per week on the same day.
Correction: South African Airways operates daily nonstop flights from London Heathrow to Cape Town, plus a second daily flight on Sundays. The DAILY incorrectly stated the airline's service on the route (DAILY, July 5).
South African Airways took delivery of three Boeing 737-800s with winglets, Boeing said yesterday, adding that the order previously was listed under "unidentified customers." The three are the first of 21 new 737s the airline ordered, it said. Coleman Andrews, SAA CEO, said some of the airline's 737s will be retrofitted with winglets next spring for better fuel economy and longer range. GATX Flightlease Management will finance some of the airplanes. Boeing announced earlier this year that winglets are an option on the 737-800.
DOT Secretary Rodney Slater and FAA Administrator Jane Garvey today will dedicate the 20th and final Display System Replacement at the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center, Leesburg, Va. The $1 billion DSR program modernizes the FAA en route centers computer and display equipment.
GE Engine Services yesterday signed a 10-year maintenance and overhaul agreement with Japan Airlines valued at more than $140 million. The pact calls for GE Engine Services Malaysia to maintain and overhaul CFM56 engines that power Boeing 737-400s operated by JAL subsidiary Japan TransOcean Air (JTA), based in Okinawa. GE Engine Services Malaysia is a joint venture with Malaysia Airlines, which was established to repair and overhaul CFM56 and PW4000 engines.
Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.), noting reports that Northwest is "intensifying negotiations" with American, said yesterday Northwest has an obligation to the people of Minnesota to explain why Northwest feels a need to merge, what the new airline would look like and whether Minnesota would lose its hub airport, its headquarters and jobs.
Association of European Airlines Traffic April, 4 Months 2000 April 2000 Passenger Data % % Pts. RPKs Change ASKs Change Load Change Region (Mil) 00/99 (Mil) 00/99 Factor 00/99
United Parcel Service requested five one-way weekly Trans-Tashkent, Russia, overflight frequencies. The carrier plans to operate service on a Cologne-Mumbai-Singapore-Taipei routing, beginning Oct. 30, using a Boeing 767-300 freighter. Noting that "there are adequate frequencies to accommodate this service," UPS told DOT that approval of its request would enable UPS to connect service between Cologne and Taiwan, its principal European and Asian hubs, and "improve service for shippers worldwide." (Docket OST-00-7633)
United's International Association of Machinists said it is time "for United to bring its bankers to the bargaining table." Robert Roach, Machinists general VP, called for a renewed effort to settle the contracts for 44,000 Machinist members at United, noting that without protection for IAM at both United and US Airways there will be no merger deal. Roach noted that since 1994, United's stock has gone from $22 per share to $58 per share, and market capitalization has soared. "You don't get a 600% increase in a company's market cap by waving a magic wand.
Increased vegetable exports from Peru to the U.S. accounted for a 15% hike in air cargo volume for the first semester of the year, said Philippe Devietian, regional manager for Challenge Air Cargo. Domestic air cargo companies reported a 20% decrease, however, because they must use wet-leased aircraft, which hikes costs as much as 40%. This is one of the issues an FAA audit group will examine jointly with local civil aviation authorities when the group arrives next week.
American and TAP Air Portugal told DOT that Portugal likely will soon grant third-country rights to United and Spanair, making moot the United/Spanair objection to DOT approval of U.S.-Portugal and beyond code sharing by American and TAP. American/TAP asked DOT not to hold their application "hostage" while United and Spanair await Portuguese rights to code share to Lisbon via Madrid.
EasyJet sold 72.9% of its seats online for the week ending July 9, a feat partly driven by the online announcement of its fall fare sale. The airline booked 89,772 seats after it sent email messages to everyone registered with the carrier's service.
Few details have emerged from Wednesday's Hapag-Lloyd crash landing in Vienna. An Airbus A310-300, powered by GE CF6-80C2A2 engines, lost power in both engines and glided to a crash landing. Eleven of the 150 passengers and crew were injured during the evacuation. The left engine and wing were badly damaged.
