Delta and its pilots union report some progress in Contract 2000 talks, which continue this week at Air Line Pilots Association International headquarters in Washington. Union spokeswoman Karen McGuffey told members that negotiators are preparing an update that will go out to all pilots highlighting sections agreed to so far.
Air France will launch Philadelphia-Paris service on March 26, providing direct competition to US Airways nonstop service from its hub. The flights, to be operated with Airbus A310s and A300s, will depart daily except Thursdays. "Air France chose Philadelphia as our 11th U.S. gateway because it is a strategic area for the company's commercial development and traffic expansion," said Pascal de Izaguirre, executive VP and chief operating officer for the Americas. The new Air France route will directly compete with US Airways' daily Boeing 767 service to Paris.
Aviation programs will take the greatest hit in DOT funding reductions, made necessary by the 0.38% cut made in a congressional appropriations deal, but no money is being taken from agency safety programs, including FAA's, according to a DOT spokesman. The biggest cut, $53 million - about 2.5% of its $2 billion-plus appropriation - is in the Airport Improvement Program, which remains suspended without an authorization.
Congressional debate over a rise in passenger facility charges next year "is dead," according to Mark Anderson, United's senior director of governmental affairs. He said the main reason for PFCs being on in the legislative back burner is the 2000 presidential and congressional elections. "The mood is more hostile toward a PFC increase in 2000 than in 1999," he said.
WARBIRDS: AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT 1915-2000 by John Fredriksen. Presents more than 300 photographs of famous and lesser-known military aircraft. ABC-CLIO; $75. To order, call 800-368-6868.
FlightSafety International has received its type rating training organization (TRTO) approval from Europe's Joint Aviation Authorities, allowing the company to offer type rating training to European pilots at their facilities in North America. FSI is expected to make an announcement about the approval today. "It primarily establishes a base organization to conduct type-specific training for Europeans under new JAA regulations in North America," FlightSafety Head of Training Mark Chapman told The DAILY.
Boeing engineers and technical workers will resume contract talks on Wednesday with the help of a mediator after workers last week overwhelmingly rejected the company's latest contract offer. Members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) rejected the offer by a more than 98-2 margin. A union spokesman cited the company's plan to impose a 10% medical premium on employees and strip medical benefits for new hires who wanted to retire early as reasons for the contract's failure.
Brazil's Embraer has finalized a deal in which Liebherr Aerospace will take a 49% share in subsidiary Embraer Divisao Equipamentes (EDE), according to President Mauricio Botelho. The new company, called EDE Liebherr, will produce the landing gear for Embraer's new family of regional jets, the ERJ-170/190, with industrial responsibility remaining at Liebherr Aerospace. Embraer says there is no decision yet about where the gears are being assembled. EDE's plant is located near Embraer's headquarters in Sao Jose dos Campos in Brazil.
Approved a one-year exemption renewal for Queen Air to conduct, under wet-lease, scheduled service be-tween Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and co-terminal points Miami, New York and San Juan...
Airline frequent flyer miles have become a significant asset for an "enormous" number of people "that should not be overlooked in a divorce, and should be included in most wills," according to a report in Lawyers Weekly USA newspaper. "It's amazing how, even if they are inheriting millions of dollars, the kids want to know where the frequent flyer miles are going," said Chicago attorney David Handler.
Air New Zealand announced the international flight attendant union, FARSA, has withdrawn its notice of a 24-hour strike in New Zealand on Dec. 14. Negotiations are scheduled to resume tomorrow. "Both parties are now able to resume negotiations on a collective employment contract in a way that has averted the strike that was scheduled," said Managing Director Jim McCrea.
United Technologies acquired all the shares of Great Lakes Turbines, a supplier of serviceable components for small gas turbine engines. The deal includes the company's parts distribution business in Muskegon, Mich. Great Lakes will be integrated into the operations of Pratt&Whitney Canada's Service Centers. Gilbert Gaudette, VP -of Pratt's service centers, said the acquisition is an important step for the company's efforts "to expand its global aftermarket services focused on offering customers reduced engine-operating costs."
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Traffic June 1999 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles % (000) Change (Miles) (000) Change Alaska 1,168 4.89 852 994,819 2.51
AirTran's fourth quarter earnings are likely to surpass expectations, according to Warburg Dillon Read analyst Michael Stellwag. The stronger results should come from "better-than-expected traffic, significant growth in unit revenues and lower expenses." AirTran's business-cabin load factors have more than tripled to nearly 50% from 16%, year over year. AirTran also is the most hedged jet airline in the U.S., with 80% of its fuel needs hedged at about $0.55 per gallon.
DOT granted Atlas Air U.S.-South Africa and beyond authority, allocating two U.S.-South Africa all-cargo frequencies to the carrier. Atlas plans initially to operate two weekly roundtrips, on Chicago-Detroit-Birmingham-Luxembourg-Cairo-Johannesburg-Harare-Nairobi-Cairo-Luxembourg-Detroit and Detroit-Birmingham-Luxembourg-Cairo-Johannesburg-Vitoria-Luxembourg-Detroit routings. Under the U.S.-South Africa bilateral, U.S.
THE HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICAN SMALL GAS TURBINE AIRCRAFT ENGINES by Richard Leyes and William Fleming. Memorializes small engine development from its early stages in the 1940s to the present with a detailed account of people and machines. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; $44.95. To order, call 800-682-2422.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers International Traffic June 1999 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles % (000) Change (miles) (000) Change Alaska 68 9.68 1,101 74,365 9.46
ILFC announced a lease placement of a new Boeing 767-300ER to Air Seychelles. The airline committed to a 10-year lease. The aircraft, powered by CF6-80C2-B6F engines, is scheduled for delivery in April 2001.
