Tower Air told DOT that awarding it the two U.S.-France frequencies it seeks for next year would bring lower fares to the routes. The carrier wants to operate two weekly Boeing 747 flights to Paris from Miami and/or Los Angeles (DAILY, June 17, 29). Countering "attempts by American and Delta to marginalize" its U.S.-France expansion proposal, Tower said DOT understands that small, low-cost airlines cannot afford to operate daily flights, or to continue service year-round. The fact that it "can't operate like mega-carriers...
Rolls-Royce said this week that its Trent 895 turbofan has received U.K and JAA certification. The 95,000-pound-thrust engine is due to enter service on British Airways' 777 jet transport early next year.
China Airlines has accepted delivery of a new Boeing 747-400 and two 737-800s. The new deliveries bring to 10 the number of 737-800s now operated by CAL. A company spokesman said that the carrier plans to further increase the number of 747-400s and 737-800s it operates. CAL will retire its older Airbus A300B4-200 and 747SP aircraft before the end of this year. By doing so, it will reduce the number of different types of aircraft in its fleet to five from the current seven.
Aeroflot's 1998 profit rose fourfold from the previous year as it boosted the number of domestic and international flights and carried five times more domestic passengers. Aeroflot's 1998 profit rose to 295 million rubles (US$12.2 million), from 73 million rubles in 1997. The airline will release results audited to international standards in August. "The most substantial growth was in domestic flights," said Managing Director Valery Okulov. The company's strategy is "to connect our international network with domestic flights."
Emirates yesterday began a third daily Dubai-London Heathrow flight to better serve passengers from North America and it has rescheduled its Hong Kong-Bangkok routes. The new flight to London Heathrow offers passengers the choice of a late afternoon departure from Dubai and a late evening departure from Heathrow, officials said. With the addition of the new flight, Emirates will have five daily flights to the U.K. including three to Heathrow, one to London Gatwick and one to Manchester.
The aviation industry's preparations for the turn of the century have focused on the more-than-500 small commercial airports for the past six months, a White House official in charge of Y2K-readiness said yesterday in Washington. John Koskinen, chairman of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion, said smaller airports generally are run by government authorities, and "some have taken this project less seriously." Operators of others "lacked funding" for conversion work, Koskinen said.
Canada's Labor Minister has appointed two mediators to help settle the labor dispute between Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Airline Division, which represents the airline's 5,100 flight attendants. The union is poised to vote on Air Canada's latest contract proposal, but CUPE said the deal would not be ratified (DAILY, June 24). CUPE will be legally free to strike July 7 but has not notified Air Canada of a possible strike date.
Aviation Industry Stock Performance, June 1999 Aviation Industry Stock Performance June 1999 Closed Closed Monthly Change Symbol 6/30/99 4/30/99 ($) (%) Majors Alaska Air Group ALK 41.750 44.063 (2.313) (5.2) America West (Class B) AWA 18.875 20.875 (2.000) (9.6)
Delta yesterday began nonstop service from its Atlanta hub to Guadalajara and one additional Atlanta-Mexico City flight. The carrier now offers daily service to Guadalajara from Atlanta and four flights from Los Angeles - one Delta flight and three code-share frequencies with AeroMexico.
Aircraft Owners&Pilots Association (AOPA) membership reached more than 350,000 for the first time, 60 years after the organization was founded in May 1939. In 1990, membership was 300,000. Membership has grown despite a 25% decline in the U.S. pilot population since 1980.
FAA Office of System Safety and the Experimental Aircraft Association is making available an informational video for pilots flying to the EAA AirVenture event in Oshkosh, Wis. The video outlines traffic flow into the regional airport, helps pilots locate landmarks and contains procedures for general aviation aircraft, warbirds and no radio aircraft. For a free video, call EAA at 800-564-6322.
United opposes Hawaii's proposal to grant foreign carriers extrabilateral authority to serve additional mainland U.S. points "provided they operate via Hawaii." The state wants DOT to expand foreign carrier authority to combat declines in passenger and cargo traffic at its airports resulting from economic instability in the Asia/Pacific region (DAILY, May 27).
DOT will consider views of parties seeking temporary waivers from rules requiring passenger notification when flights involve code sharing, change-of-gauge and long-term wet-leasing, slated to take effect July 13. DOT General Counsel Nancy McFadden and department staff met Tuesday with representatives of concerned parties, who outlined compliance issues and provided specifics "not captured in their filings," McFadden told The DAILY. DOT will respond to petitions for waivers filed by Midwest Express, the Air Transport Association, and others before July 13.
Air Canada and United applied jointly for indefinite-duration rights to display United's designator code on Air Canada's flights between Vancouver and Taipei, Taiwan. The code-share authority would enable United to hold out through service to Taipei from points in the U.S., connecting with United or Air Canada flights between the U.S. and Vancouver. (Docket OST-99-5907)
Former Mesaba President and Chief Executive Bryan Bedford is taking over as president and chief executive at Indianapolis-based Chautauqua Airlines, a post vacated by Ed Weigel in March. Chautauqua, which flies as a US Airways Express carrier, also appointed Bedford a member of its board. Bedford, 37, will join Chautauqua on July 5. Bedford has worked at Phoenix Airlines Services, WestAir Holdings, Aspen Airways and Continental Express and was named regional airline executive of the year in 1998 by the Regional Airline Association.
Bureaucracy will delay the Thai Airways privatization plan and it is not expected to materialize until early next year, a Thai airline official told The DAILY. The delay is due to the number of government departments and Thai Airways officials who are involved in appointing advisers to approve the plan.
An Air France 747 freighter was crossing the runway when an Icelandair 757 lifted off the runway and passed within 200 feet vertically and 50 feet horizontally of the Air France aircraft, FAA said yesterday. The incident, which occurred about 9:50 p.m. Sunday at New York Kennedy Airport, is under investigation by the agency. It also is being scrutinized by the National Transportation Safety Board, which considers FAA a party to the incident, in addition to the controller and the pilots. Icelandair claims its captain is a hero.
Air Transport Association today will unveil the airline industry's plan for compliance with Y2K issues and send a report to the White House.An ATA press conference this morning in Washington will include White House Y2K chief John Koskinen.
FDX yesterday reported fourth quarter revenue of $4.4 billion, up 7%, operating income of $390 million, up 21% and net income of $221 million, up 30%. For the year ended May 31, revenue was $16.8 million, up 6% , operating income $1.2 billion, up from $1 billion, and net income $631 million, up 26%. "The fourth quarter caps a record year at both FedEx and RPS," said Alan Graf, executive VP. For the quarter revenue of $3.6 billion, up from $3.4 billion. Operating income was $306 million, up 17% from $261 million.
DHL Worldwide Express has acquired DHL Internacional, its agent-run Argentina operation. DHL plans to invest $10 million in the Argentina market over the next 18 months. The two actions will enable DHL to better integrate the Argentina operation into its global network and bolster market leadership in Latin America, said Bruce Walker, regional director. DHL plans to invest in a hub operation at the Buenos Aires airport and dedicate aircraft to serve Argentina customers, he said.
Asiana Airlines has awarded a US$30 million exclusive maintenance contract to Rolls Royce for V2500 engines powering the carrier's new Airbus A321s. Asiana has ordered 12 aircraft, with two already delivered. The contract was decided after a stiff evaluation process involving bids from four other companies.
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said he is contemplating taking a leading role in pushing House Transportation Chairman Bud Shuster's AIR-21 measure when FAA funding legislation comes up in the Senate. Sources said last week that Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.), ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, is leaning in the same direction.
Alitalia pilots and flight attendants have threatened a four-hour strike July 5, but officials said they were optimistic about a negotiated end to the contract dispute. The unions and airline are in talks aimed at heading off the mid-day strike, which would affect all Alitalia flights originating in Rome. Local labor laws require unions to give the government notice of a strike and officials said most of the airline's flights are not within the planned strike times.
