Walter Henry Hagan, 77, special services consultant for American Airlines, died Feb. 13 at his home in Dallas. Hagan retired from the airline as its Dallas/Fort Worth manager of special services in 1995.
Air Canada will begin daily nonstop service between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Toronto June 5 with Airbus A319 aircraft. With the introduction of this new service, Air Canada said it will become the first carrier offering scheduled international service from Austin, and the only airline linking Austin and Canada.
American Eagle plans on launching nonstop regional jet service from Baton Rouge, La., to its Chicago O'Hare hub on April 24. American Eagle will offer two daily round-trip flights with 50-seat Embraer ERJ-145 and 37-seat ERJ-135 regional jets. The regional carrier also plans to upgrade some its equipment on its service between Lubbock and Dallas/Fort Worth to ERJ-145s from turboprops on April 2. American Eagle will replace the turboprops on five of the 11 daily flights the airline operates between Lubbock and DFW.
Delta will boost its international feed from the Northeast by launching nonstop Hartford-New York Kennedy service with Boeing 767-300ER equipment, starting June 1. Delta's new service will connect at JFK with international departures.
British Airways remains "interested" in purchasing the Airbus A3XX but does not want to be considered a launch customer. Carl Michel, BA's commercial director, told The DAILY yesterday the airline will maintain a wait-and-see approach. But "if the price is right, and the economics make sense, count us in," he said. The super-jumbo project, however, appears "more political than rational," he added.
Trans States Airlines pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, authorized their union to strike if contract talks do not result in an agreement. Negotiations with management began in June 1998 and are continuing at a "disappointing rate," said ALPA President Duane Woerth, ALPA president. Trans States is a regional carrier with code share ties to several U.S. carriers, including TWA, United and Delta.
Triumph Air Repair, a Triumph Group company based in Phoenix, was named the exclusive factory service center for the Honeywell GTCP660 Series APU, installed in Boeing 747-100, -200 an -300 aircraft. Triumph Air Repair will be responsible for the full repair support role for the 660 program, previously handled by AlliedSignal, now Honeywell. Commenting on the transfer of the program to an outside source, Ulf Henriksson, Honeywell's VP-commercial APU program, said, "The service provided to our customers will essentially be seamless.
Ozark Air Lines President John Ellis said the carrier was awarded its Part 121 operating certificate by FAA following a "long and difficult process," which brought it "from a blank piece of paper to full certification." Ozark plans to open its reservations office tomorrow and begin offering scheduled service from Columbia, Mo., to Chicago Midway on Feb. 21. Flights will follow to Dallas/Fort Worth.
GE Aircraft Engines has another, less expensive option for customer of the CF6-80C2 to comply with a recent FAA airworthiness directive. FAA estimated the fix, involving two models of fan mid-shafts, to cost $90,085 per engine. But GE, noting that FAA's estimate is based on replacement of shafts by new parts, is giving customers an option that also provides one-third more part life -- to 20,000 cycles versus 15,000 currently.
Airbus and Fokker Systemwide Aircraft Utilization Per Day Third Quarter 1999 A320-100/200 America West Northwest United Total Number of Aircraft Operated 33 70 53 156 Total Fleet Operations Departures 140 294 175 608
Olympic Airways yesterday cut over to a new revenue accounting system designed and implemented by Mercator, the Dubai-based provider of aviation computer systems and the technology subsidiary of the Emirates Group. The system, branded "Rapid by Mercator," and Socrates by Olympic, provides the airline "with an integrated package of passenger and cargo revenue accounting, and will enable the airline to maximize profits." The contract with Mercator was signed last year, and Olympic is the largest passenger carrier on Mercator's client list.
Sun Country Airlines asked DOT for scheduled U.S.-Mexico authority, with plans to begin scheduled seasonal and year-round nonstops May 22, using Boeing 727-200 aircraft. The carrier, which operates charter services in the markets, "seeks only to convert the character" of its services. It plans to offer twice-weekly flights in transborder markets lacking scheduled nonstop service by a U.S. carrier, including Dallas/Fort Worth-Cozumel, DFW-Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, San Antonio-Cancun, San Antonio-Cozumel, Austin-Cancun and Austin-Cozumel.
Airbus and Fokker Aircraft Operating Costs Third Quarter 1999 Dollars Per Block Hour A320-100/200 America West Northwest United Average Crew Cost $614 $614 $879 $656 Fuel&Oil 606 454 639 553
U.S. airlines found 23 Douglas twinjets with horizontal stabilizer jackscrew problems by FAA's deadline yesterday for inspecting the 1,100 aircraft in the fleet, FAA said. FAA ordered the inspections following evidence that the jackscrew may have contributed to the crash of an Alaska Airlines MD-83 Jan. 30 off the coast of California. The findings ranged from "gritty grease," which is a function of normal wear-and-tear, to metal slivers, which are shavings off the gimbal nut, FAA said.
Aloha Airlines launched its first service to the mainland U.S. yesterday with an inaugural flight departing Oakland Airport for Honolulu with Boeing 737-700 equipment. Aloha's new service will include one daily roundtrip flight between Honolulu and Oakland and another, starting Feb. 28, between Kahului, on the island of Maui, and Oakland.
As the House Transportation subcommittee prepares to hold a hearing today on the breakdown in U.S.-U.K. aviation negotiations, the U.S. yesterday turned down an offer by the U.K. to settle one of the points of contention. In a call to U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair last week, President Clinton urged Blair to resolve the matter of Pittsburgh-London service and also pressed for greater access to London Heathrow for U.S. carriers. Blair's written offer, made Friday, was "rebuffed" yesterday, according to a British official, who said U.S.
Midwest Express reached a tentative contract agreement with its pilot group over the weekend that avoided mass cancellations. The airline's 330 pilots are expected to vote on the agreementby monthend, and the pilot negotiating team assured the airline's management that no work action will be taken. The carrier canceled 15 flights in anticipation of a potential strike on Friday and Saturday but reported normal operations by late Saturday.
There may be "some slippage" in Boeing's aircraft deliveries due to a strike by its engineers and technicians, but a spokesman said yesterday the company will still remain "well within the contract delivery month." The strike by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) began last Wednesday, and the union said yesterday, "To our knowledge, no airplane has been delivered since this started." Both sides said resumption in contract talks has not been scheduled.
The Lebanese government plans to privatize national flag carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) in June. As part of the privatization, the government wants to sell 40% of its equity to a foreign carrier that has the expertise and management skills to expand MEA's operations. It will hold 51% and float the remaining 9%. Bids for foreign carriers will open next month. MEA is the second Arab carrier within a month, after Royal Jordanian, to seek a foreign carrier as a partner. Like Royal Jordanian, MEA also plans to sell its engineering division.
Thai Airways is expected to report a drop in its first-quarter earnings today, largely due to significantly higher fuel costs.The government has not allowed the Star Alliance partner to raise fares and, therefore, Thai has been unable to compensate for higher operating costs.
U.S. and Australian aviation negotiators were not able to reach a full open-skies accord after three days of talks last week in Hawaii. The two sides agreed to open skies for cargo late last year. They plan to "work through diplomatic channels to resolve differences" before scheduling additional talks, according to a DOT spokesman.
American Trans Air (ATA) will continue its aggressive expansion this spring by leasing coveted slots at Washington National to launch nonstop Boeing 757 service from its Chicago Midway hub. The airline will begin double-daily flights April 3, but it expects to offer a third daily in the near future. New service to National "has been one of our primary, long-held objectives," said Chief Executive John Tague. Officials would not say who leased ATA the slots or gates. Flights leave Washington at 6:45 a.m.
AccessAir relinquished two of its four Boeing 737s on lease from Pegasus Aviation after the bankrupt airline could not afford the $500,000 monthly cost, an airline executive told The DAILY. AccessAir plans to continue charters with its two remaining 737s as it restructures.
Senate Budget Committee analysis of the Clinton administration's fiscal 2001 FAA budget request raises questions about White House intentions to cut aviation excise taxes. The committee said Clinton assumes collection of $965 million in user fees and claims current taxes would continue at a reduced rate. However, the President's projection shows user fees increasing to $2 billion in 2005 but does not show reductions in excise taxes in outyears.
