Reno Air will close down its QQuick Miles frequent flyer program, effective Dec. 31. As of Jan. 1, 2000, each QQuick Miles member's remaining mileage balance will be credited automatically to American's AAdvantage program. All QQuick Miles elite members will retain their status in the American program. Between Aug. 31 and Dec. 31, Reno Air QQuick Miles members may earn QQuick Miles on American and American Eagle flights worldwide.
The Community of Savannah, Ga./Hilton Head, S.C., pressed DOT again for additional slots to expand its nonstop Chicago O'Hare service. For a second time after DOT awarded it three O'Hare slots on an experimental basis (DAILY, March 18, April 28), the community requested two additional slots to enable three daily roundtrips.
Used Aircraft Deliveries Carrier # Type Engines Previous Operator Air Alliance 1 DHC-8-100 PW120A Air BC Ltd. Air Littoral 1 Beech 1900C-1 PT6A-65B Air Svc Gabon Air Manitoba 1 DHC-8-100 PW120A Air Atlantic Atlantic Aero 2 Cessna 208B PT6A-114 Trans Wing BAe AM 1 BAe ATP PW126 British Airways
Japan Airlines' consolidated financial figures for fiscal 1998 showed a net profit of 26.77 billion yen, up from the 26.3 billion yen reported recently in preliminary numbers (DAILY, June 1). The profit is a significant improvement from fiscal 1997, when the airline lost 62.92 billion yen. Revenue for fiscal 1998, ended March 31, were 1.57 trillion yen, down 1% year-over-year. While Japan's economy "remained sluggish," JAL said business in Europe and the U.S. "remained firm."
Regional Aircraft Transactions January 1999 New Aircraft Deliveries Last 12 Months Carrier # Type Engines Delivery Air Wisconsin 1 Canadair RJ200 CF34-3B1 2
Senate aviation subcommittee chairman Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) said yesterday he is "much more optimistic" about the FAA's Y2K compliance than he was a year ago. FAA leadership have been confident they will meet the agency's June 30 deadline for 100% Y2K compliance. FAA has "approached this in a pretty constructive fashion," he said. Gorton's remarks were made in conjunction with the Senate bill to limit business liability in the event of Year 2000 computer breakdowns.
Boeing and Aviation Partners are forming Aviation Partners Boeing, a joint venture to offer blended winglet technology for in-service Boeing jet transports. The new company will design, develop, certify, fabricate, market, sell and install winglets on in-service aircraft. The technology has the potential to reduce drag, increase cruise performance, improve fuel burn, extend range and allow heavier payloads, Boeing said. Joe Clark, currently chief executive and co-owner of Aviation Partners, will manage the new Seattle-based company.
ALM 1997 d/b/a Air ALM asked DOT to amend its authority to allow the Netherlands Antilles carrier to display United's designator code on Atlanta-Curacao/Aruba, Atlanta-Curacao/Bonaire and San Juan-Curacao routes, on which Air ALM now operates and for which United holds authority. The carriers code share on Air ALM's flights to the Caribbean points via Miami. (Docket OST-99-5866)
Merpati Nusantara Airlines, Indonesia's state-owned domestic carrier, is looking for a foreign investor to bail it out of its US$215 million debt. According to Merpati Chairman Muchtarudin Siregar, the airline is technically bankrupt and has difficulty maintaining its operations. Flying an aging fleet of 35 aircraft, ranging in size from de Havilland Dash 6s to Boeing 737-200s, the airline may be grounded permanently if no investor is found within 60 days. Six leased Fokker F28s will be returned to the lessor.
Montreal's Innotech-Execaire Aviation Group added Air Atlantic to its operating companies. Air Atlantic, which operated as a regional airline until October, now specializes in maintenance, service, parts supply and aircraft leasing. It currently has third-party maintenance contracts for several U.S., European and Canadian airlines operating Dash 8s, BAe 146/RJ85, Jetstream 41 and Fokker F28 aircraft. The operating companies include, besides Air Atlantic, Innotech Aviation, Execaire, Air 500, Pacific Avionics&Instruments and Innotech Aviation Services.
Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise (SALE) posted a $21.8 million net profit for the year ended March 31, more than double the $9.2 million it earned the previous year. Revenue jumped to $66.5 million from $29.3 million, boosted by higher rental income from aircraft leases. SALE, which is 35.5% owned by Singapore Airlines, placed an order last week for 23 Airbus A320 family aircraft, bringing its total commitments to 39 (DAILY, June 16).
BFGoodrich Aerospace was selected by Airbus Industrie to supply a heated composite structural floor panel for new A340-500/600 long-range aircraft. The heated composite floor panel provides cost and weight savings by integrating the heat unit and structural composite floor panel and eliminating the need for a bolt-on heating system. The heating unit will improve passenger comfort on long flights by providing evenly distributed heat.
Air France and Delta sealed their long-awaited alliance yesterday, only to be upstaged by American, which unveiled a code-share agreement with Swissair and Sabena. While the linkages will give each carrier access to new markets, they will add a new layer of complexity to a market increasingly scrutinized by governments on both sides of the Atlantic. Air France and Delta expect their partnership to reduce costs by 300 million French francs (US$48 million) each year and generate profits of 700 million francs from additional revenue within two to three years.
Lucas Aerospace has purchased French flight systems supplier SAMM, a subsidiary of the PSA Peugeot Citroen group, "escalating the company into the number one market position in the supply of flight control actuation." Lucas said the acquisition is part of its strategy to "double its turnover and improve its global ranking from a top five player to top three player in a consolidating market." Lucas said the international market for flight control actuation is "highly fragmented, with more than 10 companies competing for approximately $750 million [in orders] annually."
DOT granted TWA and Kuwait Airways authority to engage in reciprocal code-share services between the U.S. and points in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. TWA's two-year exemption enables it to provide scheduled combination service between Chicago and Kuwait City and Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Muscat, and to integrate the authority with its certificate for service on operations between New York and St. Louis and Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. TWA holds authority to serve the Middle Eastern points from New York and St. Louis.
A NASA team led by Rockwell Collins is developing a synthetic vision information system to give civil flightcrews clear views in bad weather and darkness. The system will offer enhanced situational awareness, real-time guidance and predictive alerting before terrain awareness warnings become necessary.
Midway Airlines will begin jet service between Memphis and its hub at Raleigh/Durham on Aug. 6, offering three daily nonstops each way with new Canadair Regional Jets. Its CRJ fleet will grow to 13 with the addition. The service is another example of Midway's capitalization on CRJ acquisitions, noted President and Chief Executive Robert Ferguson.
American is shutting its aircraft doors five minutes ahead of time and closing the ramp and cargo operations two minutes early on some flights to better its on-time performance during the summer. Chief Executive Donald Carty said the airline's dependability has been "less than extraordinary" lately, and the company is taking measures to improve.
Sabre will provide Air Canada with assessment services for a possible long-term technology outsourcing relationship. The assessment will cover critical applications and systems, including all computer systems in all branches and systems governing the operational requirements for running the airline. "We are interested in what Sabre can offer Air Canada in line with our profitability and cost reduction initiatives in the information technology area," said Lise Fournel, the airline's senior VP-commercial.
AeroMexico will add capacity between Los Angeles and Mexico City effective July 9. The carrier's additional daily flight raises the number of daily nonstops to three.
Air France will announce today that it has chosen Delta as its exclusive transatlantic alliance partner, a move experts believe will give the French carrier a tremendous boost in its efforts to capture a larger share of business traffic over the Atlantic. In addition, Delta could gain a strategic advantage in Europe, where it has a smaller share of the market than its competitors. "It's a major coup for Delta," said Salomon Smith Barney analyst Brian Harris. "It also brings Air France into the alliance game."
In 2018, six of the top 10 major airports using large transport aircraft will be in the Asia/Pacific region, according to Airbus.More than half the world's 1,208 large aircraft will use the 10, with Tokyo Narita, London Heathrow and Los Angeles at the top of the list. Other Asian airports will be Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Osaka and Taipei, Airbus said.
Business Express flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants, agreed to their last contract with the Dover, N.H.-based airline, which is merging with American Eagle. The tentative contract offer paves the way for transition negotiations with American Eagle, said Business Express AFA Negotiation Committee Chairwoman Pat Davis. It provides a $1.30 per hour per diem, improved vacation pay and guaranteed pay for overtime.
