Continental Express is adding nonstop service from Houston to Puebla and Aguascalientes, Mexico, on May 2 and June 15 respectively. The service is subject government approval. It recently announced service from Houston to San Luis Potosi on March 2.
GATX Capital yesterday ordered five Boeing 737-800s and two 757-200s. This brings its new 737 orders to 20 and its 757 orders to 10. Deliveries will begin next year.
Joint venture partners Alitalia and KLM Cargo, in what could be a harbinger of future airline moves, are adding a fuel surcharge Feb. 1 in those countries where it is permitted. The two carriers cited the "soaring price of aircraft fuel" in imposing a surcharge of .10 euros per kilogram or the equivalent in local currency, to all cargo consignments. Two years ago when fuel prices rose, several European carriers imposed fuel surcharges, but only after one airline stepped forward to be the first.
Calgary-based WestJet said it sees growth opportunity in a consolidated Canadian airline industry. WestJet Chief Executive Stephen Smith said the carrier "sees continued opportunities for our growth and expansion. It is our intent to become Canada's low-fare, short haul carrier." Smith said the remaining issue is the timeline for the embargo against Air Canada to operate a low-fare carrier and he intends to ask the government for clarification on how this relates to WestJet.
World Airways has requested authority to render long-term wetleasing services for Cielos del Peru, S.A., an all-cargo carrier based in Peru, between several South American points and Miami.
International Lease Finance Corporation unveiled an aircraft order for up to 100 Boeing 737s. The company signed an agreement for 50 firm orders and 50 options. The ILFC order was listed as being from an "unidentified customer" in cumulative order totals published by Boeing on Dec. 15.
SkyWest Airlines has placed a firm order for 20 CRJ200s valued at $470 million, its third CRJ order this year from Bombardier Aerospace. SkyWest also took 20 more options on the 50-seat jet. Bombardier now has received orders for a record 167 CRJs this year, up 35% over last year's 123 orders. SkyWest ordered 25 CRJ200LRs in January and 10 more last April and now has 55 orders for the aircraft, plus options on another 55. Alison Gemmel, marketing director of the Delta Connection airline, said the two are now deciding where to place the new equipment.
Hawaiian Airlines traffic rose 18% and traffic 16.6% in November 1999 compared to the same 1998 month, which grew load factor 0.9 percentage points to 75.9%. Passenger boardings surged 11.6%.
UniCapital Corp.'s Air Group has acquired 11 Boeing 757-200ERs from LTU International Airways in a sale-leaseback transaction of varying lease terms. UniCapital simultaneously sold three of the aircraft to an unrelated commercial aircraft operating lessor. The acquisition of the remaining eight aircraft was financed by a combination of UniCapital equity and a loan underwritten by Chase Manhattan.
Frankfurt and Amsterdam Schiphol airports plan to cooperate closely in the coming years. The two airport operators said Tuesday they would like to join forces to be prepared for the upcoming wave of airport privatizations in the next few years. Both airports want to invest together in some of the more than 100 privatization projects that are expected in the near- to medium-term future. The two parties already have signed a strategic paper that outlines the further proceedings.
A Korean Air cargo Boeing 747 crashed yesterday shortly after takeoff from London Stansted Airport. The aircraft was heading to Milan Malpensa and went down in an open field approximately one mile south of the airport at 6:33 p.m. local time. A large explosion was reported after the plane went down. The BBC reported that local roads had been closed and about 100 emergency vehicles were at the scene. It is believed that all four crewmembers died in the accident.
DOT granted Virgin Atlantic rights for London Gatwick-Las Vegas service. The U.K. selected Las Vegas as a new gateway point to replace Pittsburgh, where British Airways stopped serving. The carrier will operate the first nonstops in the market, twice weekly, beginning June 8, using Boeing 747 aircraft, and will operate London-San Francisco flights the other five days during summer 2000. Virgin operates daily London Heathrow-San Francisco flights and Las Vegas will be Virgin's 10th U.S. gateway. U.S.-U.K. flights would rise to 16 daily. (Docket OST-99-6379)
Garuda Indonesia is working on producing operating profits for three straight years - 1999-2001 - to qualify it to apply for listing on the Jakarta Stock Exchange the following year. The carrier plans privatization in 2003. Local regulations require a company to have an operating profit for three consecutive years before it is allowed to apply for listing. It must wait another six-12 months before the Securities Commission acts on the application.
At least five people were killed yesterday when a Chartered DC-10 airliner carrying Guatemalan medical students skidded off the runway and into residences while landing at Guatemala City's airport. The aircraft, chartered by state-owned Cubana de Aviacion, crashed into neighboring houses after the pilot miscalculated the landing on a rain-slicked runway, according to a Reuters report. Cubana launched flights between Guatemala City and Havana this year with three weekly flights. The crash severed the cockpit and the first-class cabin from the rest of the plane.
US Airways flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants, have voted to strike if the union cannot reach a tentative deal with management. Flight attendants and the company are talking under the auspices of the National Mediation Board, which has not released them from mediation. Although the union sought the release Nov. 22, NMB sent the two sides back to the bargaining table on Dec. 13 and has scheduled the next round of talks Jan. 3. Of roughly flight attendants, 6,662 cast ballots and 6,571 voted to strike.
Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority and American Eagle Airlines asked DOT to transfer to Eagle Chicago O'Hare slots held by Trans States Airlines for service to Chattanooga. Trans States is terminating its "successful" service to the community Feb. 9. The carrier had been awarded the slots in April 1998 (DAILY, April 22, 1998) and operates three daily regional jet nonstops. Chattanooga has "enthusiastically supported that service," the loss of which "would be a tremendous blow both to the airport and the Chattanooga community.
GetThere.com posted a fiscal third quarter loss of $14.1 million, but revenues soared 33% since last quarter. The company is a provider of Internet-based products for business-to-business travel procurement and travel suppliers. Total revenues for the third quarter were a record $4.4 million, up 33% from
NG Lease International Equipment Management signed a lease agreement for a Boeing 757-200ER with Martinair Holland. This deal was the first 757 transaction for ING Lease IEM.
U.S.-U.K. aviation talks likely will occur Jan. 4-5 in Washington, according to an industry source. U.S. expects that Pittsburgh service restoration will be resolved then, as DOT Secretary Rodney Slater has made clear to the British that Pittsburgh is a high priority.
Canadian Transport Minister David Collenette yesterday gave Air Canada the government's blessing to move ahead with its plan to acquire and merge Canadian Airlines. The C$92 million plan comes with caveats. Air Canada would have to relinquish slots at Toronto Pearson Airport to give competing airlines better access, scale back its plans to start a low-fare carrier out of Hamilton, Ontario, until there is more competition, and ultimately divest itself of Canadian Regional Airlines. If another Canadian carrier starts discount service in Eastern Canada before Sept.
As carriers continue to cut back the amount and size of carry-on baggage, British Airways plans to double the amount of hand baggage passengers allowed in its Club World business cabin. Beginning Jan. 3, BA passengers will be able to carry a total of 18kg (40 pounds) of baggage, an increase from 9kg. "For business passengers, time is money and they want to carry all their bags including their laptop and briefcase with them," said Cindy Allam, general manager of global service standards.
FAA is monitoring the current situation in light of the recent arrest in Port Angeles, Wash., and is consulting with law enforcement and intelligence agencies to determine if any further changes in security are necessary. It said that since the arrest of an Algerian with bomb-making materials, it is "redoubling" efforts and asking industry to do the same.
