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.
Monthly Seat Departures At United's And US Airways' Top Airports CLT DCA DEN Airline Seats Share Seats Share Seats United Mainline 17,617 1.1% 77,118 6.7% 1,511,465 Atlantic Coast AWAC 143,268 Great Lakes 60,363 SkyWest UA
Tyrolean Airways has ordered the Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics Head-up Guidance System (HGS) for installation on its fleet of 12 de Havilland Dash 8-300 aircraft. Deliveries for the Dash 8 program are scheduled to begin in September. The HGS shows flight symbols on a glass combiner in the pilot's forward field of view and improves the Dash 8's landing capability from Category 2 to Cat 3, enabling the aircraft to land in visibility as low as 200 meters visual range.
China Southern Airlines reached an agreement with MTU Munchen to build and operate the new MTU Maintenance Zhuhai Co. Ltd., the largest engine maintenance overhaul facility in China. The investment of this joint project is US$180 million. "China Southern Airlines boasts the largest modern air fleet and the greatest number of aircraft engines in China," Chairman Yu Yanen. "The foundation of this new engine overhaul facility can minimize the expense of sending aircraft engines to Europe or the U.S.
Delta plans to implement an improved reissue process for electronic tickets. Customers have been required to visit a Delta airport or ticket office to complete a ticket reissue. The new system reads the customer's original fare, compares it to the new itinerary and quotes either the lowest additional collection required or the highest refund amount. The first phase of the program will begin this summer, allowing agents to re-price published fares within the U.S. Later phases will include corporate fares, international fares and unpublished fares.
America West named Douglas Parker president yesterday to oversee the airline's operations and its finance, planning, marketing and administration functions. William Franke will continue as chairman and CEO of America West and as chairman, president and chief executive officer of America West Holdings.
Malaysia Airlines has sold two of the six Boeing 777s on order to Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise (SALE). The aircraft, slated for delivery in March (Registration 9M MRL) and April (9M MRM) 2001, will be leased back. An official from the MAS lease-planning department confirmed the deal with SALE but declined to give the lease period. The sale would flow cash into the airline's depleted coffers. Four other 777s would be delivered in April and May 2002, and in March and April 2003.
Midwest Express' new beyond-Boston service will begin June 7. The carrier previously announced American Eagle-Business Express code-share service from Boston to 15 cities.
National Airlines has selected Telera's Talk@Net service for phone-based self-service applications. The system will answer flight information calls by customers, extending the capability of the existing web application to telephone users and reducing call center costs. It will enable reservations agents to spend less time answering flight inquiries and more on revenue generating calls.
New York jet fuel spot prices have risen again, ending last week at $0.85 per gallon, up 2.2% from the beginning of the week and up 107.3% from a year ago, according to Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown. More worrisome, however, are crude oil futures for July, which continued their climb, closing yesterday at $30.45 per barrel, nearing a nine-year high of $34.13 reached in March.
Atlantic Coast Airlines and Atlantic Coast Jet have signed a six-year product support agreement with Hawker Pacific Aerospace to provide brake overhaul services for the Fairchild 328 Jet fleet. The estimated value of the contract is $8.5 million.
U.S. National Carriers Productivity, In RPMs And ASMs Per Employee Fourth Quarter 1999 Revenue Available Passenger Seat Miles Miles Total (000) (000) Employees AirTran Airlines 919,504 1,536,264 3,882 Aloha 191,658 304,653 2,477 American Trans Air 2,197,325 3,089,586 5,777
Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA) faces a shortened timeline in collective bargaining to renew its contract with Air Canada following a decision by the labor minister to release the parties from the conciliation process to mediation. The report outlined outstanding issues, which likely include concerns by ACPA over integrating the pilot work forces of Canadian with Air Canada's under the carriers' merger. Mediation must completed within 21 days, which significantly shortens the timeframe available under conciliation.
GetThere.com plans to use Interwoven's TeamSite software to manage web content for its base of more than 350 corporate, airline and travel agent customers. Four of the top 10 U.S. airlines and six of the world's largest airlines use GetThere for online travel booking, the company said. GetThere also hosts corporate travel systems for Fortune 500 companies spending an aggregate of $10 billion in travel annually. TeamSite will enable GetThere to "better manage content modifications and additions required on their customer web sites."
Delta subsidiary Comair reached a tentative agreement with the International Association of Machinists yesterday after roughly a year of negotiations. Details of the agreement with the carrier's mechanics were not disclosed. The agreement was reached with the help of the National Mediation Board and senior mediator Larry Gibbons.
TravelNow.com met the NASDAQ Small Cap requirements and as of yesterday is listing its shares on the exchange under the symbol "TNOW." TravelNow has been trading on the OTC Bulletin Board since Aug. 2, 1999. Launched in March 1995, TravelNow claims to have been among the first real-time travel reservations services on the Internet. TravelNow now offers customers a "central, proprietary database interfacing with global suppliers," enabling Internet access to airline, hotel and car rental reservations.
Dennis Roberts, VP and executive director of government and technical affairs of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, has been named co-chair of the FAA team responsible for helping solve runway incursion problems. "FAA and Congress have placed a very high priority on reducing runway incursions, and general aviation should have a strong voice in this process," said Roberts. AOPA and its Air Safety Foundation "have proposed many solutions that could significantly increase safety at little or no cost to airports or aircraft owners," he said.
Travelbyus.com and Travel24.com signed a letter of intent to form a comprehensive partnership based on a combination of strategic and operational elements. This agreement is believed to be the Internet travel industry's first strategic transatlantic partnership and may "lead to a full merger between the two companies." Terms of the deal include the issuance of 13.8 million Travelbyus.com shares at an average price of US$2.50 in exchange for a combination of $5 million in cash and the issuance of 1.5 million shares of German-based Travel24.com at US$19.90 per share.
