Lineas Aereas Privadas Argentinas (LAPA) purchased six Boeing 737-700s, the manufacturer has confirmed. This order was accounted for in cumulative order totals published recently by Boeing, but the customer was listed only as "unidentified." LAPA has operated the 737-700 since July 1998, making it the first Latin American carrier to operate the model. The purchase is another step in the carrier's recovery after the crash of one of its 737s that killed 67 persons last June.
Legend Airlines is looking at the Boeing 717, Airbus 318 and Fairchild 728 JET as possible additions to its fleet, and CEO Allan McArtor told The DAILY he plans to make a decision by this summer. "All three options have very appealing dynamics," he said. Legend, with the bulk of its legal challenges behind it, is seeing more growth than its founders anticipated.
Airbus says there will be an 11-month or longer delay in A340-600 deliveries to at least the first eight customers due to problems with the wing, stemming not only from the "shortcomings" of suppliers but also from lack of proper management oversight. While empty weight is above specifications, Airbus believes flight trials will permit it to deliver the aircraft as promised.
Vancouver-based Canada 3000 intends to proceed with an initial public offering in late June to strengthen its operations and develop a "strategic position" in the e-commerce marketplace. The carrier filed a preliminary prospectus last week with regulatory authorities in each of the Canadian provinces. Canada 3000 operates about 70% scheduled service and since the restructuring of the Canadian airline industry has been able to add more international routes.
Fuel Cost and Consumption U.S. Majors, Nationals and Regionals March 1999 to February 2000 Total Total Cost Cents Per Gallons (Dollars) Gallon 1999 March Domestic 1,209,830,109 530,270,716 43.830 International 443,274,360 206,611,472 46.610
FAA proposed a $70,000 civil penalty against Southwest Friday for allegedly violating DOT hazardous materials regulations. FAA alleged Southwest "knowingly accepted" a shipment containing hazardous materials as checked baggage aboard a flight from Houston to Dallas. The shipment, clearly marked "lighters," consisted of a box packed with 20 smaller boxes each containing 50 disposable lighters. Southwest has 30 days to respond to the FAA.
Southwest identified 16 city stations that are "severely understaffed" on the ramp and in other key areas. Over the next two months, the airline will put a "renewed emphasis" on hiring new employees, according to an internal letter. Cities with the most "dire needs" are Hartford, Providence, Seattle, Las Vegas, Oakland and Phoenix.
Ryanair decided last week to remove itself from the Galileo computer reservations system, beginning July 31, citing "exorbitant costs" and three successive price increases over the past 12 months. Travel agents already have been advised of the change, although agents still will be able to book Ryanair tickets through three other "recommended" CRS systems -- Amadeus, Sabre and Worldspan. The airline said Galileo has been the dominant CRS in the U.K.
House Transportation Committee ranking Democrat Rep. James Oberstar (Minn.) wants the proposed merger of United and US Airways "carefully reviewed" by the Justice Department for antitrust implications and DOT for implications for further consolidation in the airline industry. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N. Y.), a frequent critic of US Airways and its fare structure to medium-sized cities, such as Rochester, N.Y., has asked the General Accounting Office to conduct a "thorough review" of the impact of the merger.
Delta will enhance service between its Atlanta hub and Manchester, N.H., with new MD-88 flights on Sept. 1. The two new Delta flights will replace the two 50-passenger Canadair regional jet flights flown by Delta Connection carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines since January. The ASA RJs now serving the Atlanta-Manchester route will be reallocated to provide new service from both the Atlanta and Dallas/Fort Worth hubs to Monterrey, Mexico, beginning in September.
Boeing last week began preliminary wind tunnel testing of scale models of a 717-100X and 717-100X "Lite" aircraft. The proposed new smaller 717 versions would be sized at 86- and 70/75-passengers, respectively. In roughly one month, Boeing plans to begin a series of workshop-like meetings with potential airline operators to help gauge demand and optimal aircraft size, price and features, according to Rolf Sellge, director of 717 product marketing. Boeing could make first deliveries about 36 months after program go-ahead, Sellge said.
European Economic Area Council, meeting in Brussels last week, welcomed the European Union's initiative to establish a new European Aviation Safety Authority. The council hopes to see participation by Norway and Iceland in a European Common Aviation Area, which would broaden the internal air transport market to more than 30 countries.
DC Air, a key negotiating tool in the proposed United/US Airways merger, unveiled its proposed service to 44 cities from Washington National last week, while its leader vowed that the carrier will be a moneymaker from the start. "DC Air will be financially profitable from the first time it lifts off the runway," said Black Entertainment Television founder and CEO Robert Johnson.
Delta on Friday filed for the U.S.-Paris rights held by Tower Air, seeking to add a second daily New York-Paris nonstop. It plans to begin service Oct. 29, using Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. United applied to serve the route with 767s, proposing an April 1 startup date (DAILY, May 19).
Mexicana selected NCR Corp. and Datalex last week to provide outsourcing, including NCR's Teradata database and Datalex's ARIVA MarketProfile analysis and query reporting tool. The NCR and Datalex product, specifically designed for airlines, aims to provide the carrier with customized analysis of reservations data, using an NCR Teradata Warehouse. NCR and Datalex provide Mexicana with customized market profile views of the reservations data.
An Air Liberte MD-80 crashed into an all-cargo Shorts 360 on takeoff at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. In the accident, the co-pilot of the Shorts was killed and the captain seriously injured. No one of the 151 on board the MD-80 was injured, but the plane was heavily damaged. The Air Liberte aircraft was accelerating down the runway bound for Madrid to fly Spanish soccer fans home after the European cup final between Madrid and Seville. The Shorts taxied onto the runway and was struck by the tip of the left wing.
