Raytheon was awarded a $180 million contract for the FAA Security Equipment Integration program. Under the five-year contract, Raytheon will provide services required to test, integrate and install government-furnished security equipment at 400 airports and facilities in the U.S.
Higher-than-expected aircraft leasing costs mean National Airlines will be able to support a fleet of six 757s in its first year of operations rather than the eight aircraft estimated earlier, DOT said in an order reissuing the carrier's certificate and confirming oral approval to sell tickets. National, which launches Las Vegas-based service today with flights to Los Angeles and Chicago Midway, found when it leased four 757s that the average monthly lease payment per aircraft would be about $20,000 higher than it had expected, according to DOT.
Eurocontrol said the airspace of Yugoslavia remains closed and large parts of the airspace of adjacent states are closed or severely restricted due to the conflict in Kosovo. The restrictions, coupled with an increase in seasonal traffic, are putting additional pressure on available airspace capacity and leading to an increase in delays, Eurocontrol said. Another source of delay is the high priority given to the large number of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees humanitarian flights to and from the region, according to Eurocontrol.
ERA Aviation President Chuck Johnson, Midway Chief Executive Bob Ferguson and U.S. Airways Express VP Greg Taylor were named to the Regional Airline Association board of directors. The board elected David Siegel, president of Continental Express, as vice chairman, replacing Bob Martens, who resigned when he left Business Express. Andy Price, president of Commutair, was elected RAA treasurer, replacing David Reeve, who resigned when he left Skyway to take a position at Midwest Express.
The House Transportation Committee today is expected to cut $20 billion and alter the general fund guarantee in its $89.1 billion AIR-21 aviation package in a move reflecting an agreement between Chairman Bud Shuster (R-
A $600 million increase in House Appropriations transportation subcommittee allocation of funds over the Senate version has raised optimism but not assurances that Senate subcommittee cuts will be restored today. The Senate Appropriations transportation subcommittee proposed reductions of $250 million in FAA operations and $300 million in facilities and equipment (DAILY, May 26).
Amtran Inc., parent company of American Trans Air, said yesterday it has completed the previously announced acquisition of all outstanding stock of Chicago Express Airlines Inc., the privately owned carrier that provides commuter services for American Trans Air, connecting Lansing, Des Moines, Dayton, Grand Rapids, Madison and Indianapolis to Chicago Midway. Amtran Chief Financial Officer Ken Wolff said the acquisition will enable Chicago Express to expand and eventually provide service with larger aircraft to more cities.
United applied for an exemption for Denver-London Heathrow nonstop service, telling DOT it wants comity and reciprocity as British Midland seeks an extrabilateral exemption to operate double daily service between London Heathrow and New York Kennedy. The U.S. carrier made its application subject to a U.S.-U.K. open-skies agreement, joining US Airways, American, British Midland and TWA (DAILY, March 29; April 15; May 12, 21). It said its proposal offers greater benefits for London service than American's, from San Jose, or US Airways', from Pittsburgh.
US Airways, seeking to become the "shuttle of choice" for the northeastern U.S., said yesterday that it will incorporate 15 daily nonstop Boston- Washington Reagan roundtrips into the US Airways Shuttle July 9. The Shuttle will get the carrier's hourly Washington Dulles-New York LaGuardia and -Boston service. US Airways will introduce its new 154-seat, single-
United Technologies and Sundstrand yesterday received antitrust clearance from the Commission of the European Communities for the Hamilton Standard-Sundstrand merger. Sundstrand shareholders are to vote on the merger June 10.
National Transportation Safety Board, citing two accidents, yesterday termed the autopilot systems on Boeing MD-11s "not acceptable" and said FAA should require them to be modified to "prevent upsets from occurring when manual inputs to the flight controls are made." FAA also should review the autopilot systems of all types of transport aircraft and require modification of those capable of creating upsets when manual inputs are made, the board said.
DOT approved applications by United, Northwest and Polar Air Cargo to renew Russian overflight frequencies. Northwest and Polar both would fly over Afghanistan as well - Northwest with eight weekly frequencies to operate between the Indian subcontinent and points in Europe and Polar with one for eastbound service from Helsinki to the Indian subcontinent - so DOT delayed dormancy conditions because FAA still is restricting flights over Afghanistan and neither carrier can use the Russian overflight frequencies immediately.
FAA, dropping its "not invented here" policy toward acquisitions, plans to capitalize on experience gained by other nations in replacing all of its existing oceanic infrastructure associated with air traffic services. FAA expects the new product to be "up and running by late 2001," according to Nancy Graham, oceanic and offshore integrated product team leader. And for once, the agency even has a working agreement with its unions as the product develops.
The House's version of Passenger Bill of Rights legislation likely will be watered down and may not be needed at all if airlines make customer service improvements, according to House Transportation aviation subcommittee majority counsel David Schaffer. Speaking at a Cato Institute aviation policy forum yesterday, Schaffer said elements of the legislation will be modified if they "cost too much" or affect safety.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Traffic October 1998 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles % (000) Change (Miles) (000) Change Alaska 962 9.00 817 785,195 10.48
FAA is developing a regulation and advisory circular concerning engine seizure and engine torque loads, saying the old rule does not adequately cover modern turbofans.In the meantime, the agency says that a "special condition is needed to establish appropriate criteria" for the engines on the Boeing 767-400ER.
The Metropolitan Airports Commission has agreed at FAA's request to extend from May 21 to June 9 the deadline for comments on aircraft noise restrictions at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The commission served notice in early May that it proposes an ordinance to prohibit operation of aircraft exceeding the noise limits for Stage 3 aircraft as of Jan. 1, 2000. FAA said it requested a lengthened comment period because of the late publication of the notice.
Frontier has been authorized to list on the Nasdaq National Market, effective immediately. The airline's stock had been traded on the Nasdaq SmallCap market. Frontier's stock will retain the FRNT ticker symbol. Frontier President Sam Addoms said the announcement marks "another step forward in creating a strong capital structure and adequate investment liquidity" for shareholders.
DOT Secretary Rodney Slater met yesterday with House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) to discuss issues surrounding a potential TWA strike. Management and the International Association of Machinists, representing flight attendants and mechanics, are in a 30-day cooling off period that began May 11.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers International Traffic October 1998 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles % (000) Change (miles) (000) Change Alaska 65 24.05 1,119 72,896 25.24
United has contacted 4,000 business partners and suppliers, including recent meetings with Pratt&Whitney and Boeing, to determine their Year 2000 readiness. The airline has passed more than 150 milestones for Y2K compliance and expects no service disruption from upgrades and changes. The Apollo computer reservations system is operating "trouble-free" to book tickets next year, United said, and the carrier also has tested and validated ground-to-air communications in the Y2K environment.
China Airlines opposes a proposal to require foreign air carriers to have in their home airports security measures identical to those required of U.S. airlines at U.S. airports. "An FAA requirement that foreign airlines employ, at airports in their home countries, the exact procedures, facilities and equipment required by the FAA of U.S. airlines would be an unlawful, extraterritorial application of U.S. jurisdiction and would be wholly inconsistent with U.S. international obligations," China Airlines said.
Hawaii asked DOT for expanded operating flexibility and economic incentives intended to increase U.S. and foreign carrier activity at Honolulu and Kona, its two international airports, in an attempt to offset tourism and air cargo declines caused by Asia/Pacific economic instability. The state wants DOT to grant blanket exemptions for service via Hawaii to foreign carriers that hold or obtain DOT authority, including authority to move cargo through Hawaii from Asia/Pacific points and the U.S.
Atlantic Coast Airlines has repurchased 423,000 shares of its common stock in the open market. It may continue to purchase shares in open-market or private transactions, depending on market conditions, pursuant to its previously announced stock buyback program. As of May 3, ACA had 19,513,323 shares issued and outstanding.
Northwest is launching onboard domestic entertainment June 1. Programming will be available on video-equipped aircraft on flights three hours or more. A portion of the $1 passenger charge for headsets will go toward the Northwest AirCares charitable assistance program.
