Japan Air System (JAS) canceled 28 domestic flights Friday, with more cancellations expected this week after pilots staged a strike to protest the carrier's plan to contract some operations to Harlequin Air, a wholly owned subsidiary. No international flights were affected by the cancellations, which hit several profitable routes between Tokyo Haneda Airport and Sapporo, Aomori, Misawa, Komatsu, Osaka and Fukuoka.
French regional airline Air Liberte last week joined the Europe by Air pass program. The carrier, which is partially held by British Airways, becomes the 17th airline to join the European network. Air Liberte, which started in 1987, operates 42 aircraft, including DC-10s, MD-83s and Fokker jets. Europe By Air passes are sold in countries outside of Europe only and are not available to European residents. Each pass costs US$99, is subject to a minimum purchase of three tickets, and is valid for 120 days.
Survey by National Air Traffic Controllers Association of its members shows the rate of controller retirements will rise sharply until 2007, when it will peak at 1,260, or 8.4% of the work force. Retirement rates will remain high until 2018, when they will drop below 4%. Cumulative retirements will exceed 50% of the current work force in 2010. This rate is higher than General Accounting Office estimates, which do not exceed 5% in any given year.
Association of Flight Attendants said ProAir's 55 cabin crew next week will receive ballots for an AFA representation election. The National Mediation Board will mail the ballots June 28 and count them July 16.
FAA did not publish a petition by the Air Force to fly unlighted aircraft at night in Military Operations Areas. When the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association protested, FAA published the petition but gave the public just two weeks to respond. "It appears that FAA does not want to get any meaningful comment on this lights-out proposal," AOPA said.
Fairchild said its Dornier unit has selected Israel Aircraft Industries as a major supplier partner for the 44-seat 428JET program. Under an initial agreement valued at $80 million, IAI will be responsible for system engineering and integration, flight testing and certification support. Fairchild said further discussions could lead to a deal under which IAI would manufacture the fuselage and perform final assembly.
Air France's traffic rose 7.7% in April and May helped by growth on its domestic and European routes, the airline said last week. Capacity grew 9.3% in the first two months of its fiscal year, while the load factor dropped 1.1 points to 75.2%, slightly lower than in the same period last year. Air France officials plan to raise capacity 8% this summer and strengthen international routes to offset the lower yields from low-cost airline competition in Europe. The best result in April and May came from traffic to the Americas, which jumped 12.1%.
National Airlines will begin service between its Las Vegas hub and Dallas/Fort Worth on Aug. 25 and add a third daily Las Vegas-San Francisco nonstop. The Boeing 757 service to DFW will include two daily nonstops. Reservations for the new flights can be made beginning today. The carrier, which started service May 27, offers nonstop 757 service between Las Vegas and Chicago Midway, Los Angeles and New York Kennedy.
AirTran is discounting fares to promote its new service to Newardk, beginning July 1. Sample fares from Newardk to 21 cities are $79 to Atlanta, $89 to Fort Lauderdale and $135 to Moline/Quad Cities, Ill.
American and its code-share partner Canadian have become the first carriers in the industry to implement an agreement that enables them to issue electronic tickets to each other. Customers will be able to use e-tickets when their itinerary includes travel on the two airlines or on code-shared flights. The pact covers American's regional division, American Eagle, and Canadian's regional affiliates.
-- In Federal Register dated June 11...Superseded an airworthiness directive on Boeing 737-200C aircraft concerning inspection of the lower lobe cargo compartment...Issued an AD on certain AlliedSignal VN411B VHF navigation receivers...Issued an AD on certain Raytheon 1900D aircraft requiring replacement of passenger oxygen containers and masks...Proposed to supersede an AD on all Boeing 737-600/700/800 aircraft concerning inspection of the power distribution panels...Proposed an AD on certain Dornier 328 aircraft to require tests of the flight idle backup system...Revi
Iberia has begun flights under a code-share agreement with Deutsche BA. Iberia officials said the arrangement will increase the number of flights between Madrid and Munich, and the number of Madrid-Munich-Berlin flights also may be expanded in the near future. As of June 1, Iberia passengers could accumulate frequent flyer points with all flights on Deutsche BA.
Sikorsky has launched a fractional ownership program - Sikorsky Shares - which it called the first such program offered directly by a major helicopter manufacturer. Sikorsky Shares makes the S-76 helicopter available for "as little as $2 million a quarter," the company says. This entitles the share owner to 290 trips or flight units per year in the eastern U.S.
Boeing said it received orders for 19 jet transports from four customers - Tarom for four 737-700s and four 737-800s, Lauda for one 767-300ER, Delta for six 737-800s, one 757-200 and two 767-300ERs, and Hapag-Lloyd for one 737-800. Tarom will serve expanding markets in Europe and the Middle East. Delta plans for modest growth.
Continental last Friday ended discussions to purchase a stake in AeroPeru, only days before the debt-ridden carrier was to resume flying. Sources told The DAILY that Continental's top executives met with Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori last week requesting a six-month moratorium on new approvals for pending startup airlines in the country, and they were refused.
Northwest plans to convert options on 30 A320 family aircraft into firm orders. The decision affects options agreed to as part of a 1997 purchase agreement and calls for 18 A319s and 12 A320s. Northwest, with a total of 150 orders for A320 family aircraft, of which 70 have been delivered, is the largest customer for the type.
Airline Tariff Publishing Co. elected Aleks Popovich, general manager-revenue management of British Airways, chairman, and Henry Sienciewicz, ATPCO VP-computer services, an officer of the company.
Air Transport Association said domestic yields fell 3.1% in May, which analysts found discouraging but was in line with Wall Street expectations. Domestic capacity rose 4.7%, compared with a 3.5% increase in April. The lower yields are particularly frustrating to the nation's airlines in light of three fare increases this year. PaineWebber analyst Sam Buttrick believes Continental and Delta fared better in May than other majors, while Northwest and US Airways were underperformers.
Airbus will assemble "a certain number of A319s" in Toulouse, in addition to Hamburg, said Airbus President Noel Forgeard. The move "is a very good compromise" following the decision to build the A318 in Hamburg.
Air-India is looking for an investor, possibly an Asian carrier, to buy a stake in the airline as part of its privatization plans. The Indian government wants to reduce its stake in the carrier to 49% or less. An official of the Civil Aviation Ministry told The DAILY that the process to privatize the carrier, already under way, is expected to be completed by early next year. The official said the badly managed state carrier needs a foreign partner to keep it afloat.
Wayne County Circuit Court in Michigan Friday granted a motion brought by attorneys against Northwest on behalf of passengers stranded on Northwest flights during a snowstorm last winter. The judge certified about 8,000 claims brought by Charfoos&Christensen, P.C., charging negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment and breach of contract. Northwest spokesman Jon Austin said he was not surprised by the judge's decision. "It does not change our expectations going forward about the case."
