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.
United inspected 44 of its 75 Boeing 727s for fuel tank wiring, as mandated by FAA, and found no defects.American tested 60 of 76 727s with the same result. United said it takes two to three hours to examine all eight boost pump installations on a 727. One quarter of all 727s are used by cargo airlines.
United has added Internet perks for its Mileage Plus members, including the ability to redeem award miles for domestic travel online and view real-time account updates through the carrier's web site, www.ual.com. New frequent flyers can use the site to enroll in the Mileage Plus program.
Japan Airlines and British Airways said yesterday they will link frequent flyer programs beginning June 1. BA subsidiary Deutsche BA is part of the pact. Domestic U.K. travel will be eligible as of July 1. BA's frequent flyers will be able to accumulate miles on JAL's domestic flights as of July 1 as well.
COPA Airlines of Panama over the weekend took delivery of the first of 12 Boeing 737-700s on order or lease. The first airplane, delivered on lease from Tombo Aviation Services, also featured a new company image resulting from a recently formed alliance between COPA and Continental. COPA earlier this year announced an order for eight 737-700s as well as plans to lease four more, two from Tombo Aviation Services and two from GE Capital Aviation Services.
Northwest has launched a summer fare sale encouraging travelers to bring along up to two children on domestic flights for $69 each way, based on roundtrip purchase. Tickets must be purchased by June 4 for travel through Sept. 7. All passengers must travel together. The deepest discounts are available for travel Tuesday and Wednesday. For Florida, the best discounts are Sunday through Wednesday to Florida and Tuesday through Friday from Florida. Northwest also is promoting deals on travel to Europe and Asia.
Aer Lingus will start Los Angeles-Ireland service Friday with three flights a week on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday using a new Airbus A330-200 delivered May 7. The aircraft features a two-class configuration - premier and economy. Aer Lingus plans to increase service on the route to five times weekly by next year. With introduction of the West Coast service, Aer Lingus will expand its transatlantic capacity by more than 20%. The Los Angeles service also will provide access to Ireland from Australia and New Zealand. Los Angeles is Aer Lingus's fifth U.S.
Singapore Airlines made its ninth arrangement for the sale/leaseback of a Boeing 747-400. The latest was with Lease Holding III, a Singapore-based company owned by Bank of America, for a nine-year, eight-month lease.
KLM yesterday backed away from its plan to acquire 100% of fellow Dutch carrier Martinair after the airlines failed to satisfy the European Commission's scrutiny. KLM owns 50% of Martinair and had proposed to acquire the remaining 50% from Nedlloyd. "The Commission has expressed serious doubts whether the transaction met the requirements of European Union rules on competition," KLM said. The carrier made several proposals to ensure Dutch domestic competition, but the EC was not satisfied.
British Airways yesterday posted a stunning pre-tax loss of #85 million (US$137 million) in the January-March quarter as earnings for fiscal 1998 plunged 55%. While the carrier was expected to post lower earnings, the March quarter loss is its first in recent memory. In the first three months of 1997, BA reported an operating loss of #97 million but recorded a net profit for the period. In the most recent quarter, BA had a net loss of #73 million (US$117 million), compared with a profit of #72 million in the first three months of 1998.
FAA has followed up its airworthiness directive on Boeing 727 fuel tank wiring with a more comprehensive order for wiring inspections (DAILY, May 25). The agency will require operators to remove and inspect wire bundles carried in conduits through 727 fuel tanks. If chafing is found, the wires must be replaced. The latest order also requires that all the wires be wrapped with an additional protective layer of Teflon. FAA said this must be done immediately provided the Teflon wrapping is available. Otherwise, it must be done at the next scheduled maintenance check.
The U.S. is "working or planning to work" with all four countries holding an ownership stake in Gulf Air, according to an administration official. On Monday, the U.S. signed an open-skies agreement with Bahrain, hailed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Marchick as a "tangible sign...of Bahrain's commitment to aviation sector liberalization." Last week, the U.S.
United's Air Line Pilots Association unit Master Executive Council yesterday discussed an airline proposal to modify the union/management letter of agreement on regional jet flying and potentially expand the company's regional operations. The company presented the proposal to the MEC May 5. United ALPA spokesman Madison Walton emphasized that the two sides are not in negotiations about the proposal.
Austin-Bergstrom Airport, Texas, a converted Air Force base, opened last weekend, handling 17,000 passengers on its first day of commercial operations. The $585 million facility, which takes over from the now-closed Robert Mueller Municipal, has 25 gates, with room to expand to 55, and an airfield whose longest runway measures 12,250 feet. Southwest and American are the largest carriers at the airport with 33% and 29% of enplanements, respectively. General Aviation users were the only group to oppose the airport because of its sharply higher fees.
Air Force Space Command has convened an Accident Investigation Board (AIB) to look into the Global Positioning System IIR-3 space mishap that occurred May 8 at Cape Canaveral. Col. Edwin Noble, 21st Space Wing Logistic Group command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., will lead the AIB as its president. A separate Safety Investigation Board will be headed by Col. James Eken, 341st Space Wing Support Group commander, Malmstrom AFB, Mont.
Las Vegas-based National Airlines, set to start scheduled service tomorrow, is offering business travelers coupon booklets good for discounted flights and upgrades. National Fare Savers cost $1,000 and include 20 flight and five first-class upgrade coupons. The booklets were created "to address the needs of business travelers who are often unable to take advantage of advance purchase ticket prices," said Mark Suman, senior VP-strategic planning.
Indian President K.R. Narayanan yesterday commissioned India's sixth major international airport at Kochi, in the southwestern state of Kerala, civil aviation ministry officials said. Kochi International Airport, at Nedumbassery on the outskirts of the state capital, was built within a five-year schedule at a total estimated cost of 2.3 billion rupees (US$57 million). It is claimed to be the world's first and only international airport that is jointly owned by the state administration, non-resident Indians, commercial banks and several semi-government organizations.
Four projects proposing to serve airports with high-speed magnetic levitation (maglev) ground service are among seven selected for DOT's Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) maglev technology deployment program. DOT Secretary Rodney Slater announced that FRA will distribute $12.2 million among the seven grant recipients to fund up to two-third of the costs of feasibility studies, which will last one year, at the end of which one project will be chosen for construction and deployment of a maglev system.
Tower Air flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants, plan a protest rally at 8:30 a.m. today at the company's New York Kennedy headquarters. Flight attendants say they are upset over Tower's chronically late payrolls, the firing of a Tower AFA President Jason Weber, and Tower's treatment of Israeli cabin crew. AFA says one-
Singapore Airlines told analysts that load factors continued to rise in April, resulting in an overall increase of 2.8 percentage points. "Management thinks there will be more room to raise yields" and airport fee cuts at Singapore Changi Airport will help the carrier this year, Merrill Lynch analysts said.
Senate Appropriations transportation subcommittee yesterday cut $250 million from FAA's operations request and $300 million from facilities and equipment, and panel Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) attached passenger rights legislation, raising a threat to fiscal 2000 transportation appropriations and airline autonomy. The subcommittee also zeroed the $84.5 million request for the HOST and Oceanic Computer System software replacement program (Phase II) and rejected President Clinton's request for new user fees.
FAA named Ava Mims deputy director of Flight Standards Service and Ronald Wojnar deputy director of Aircraft Certification Service. Mims previously was manager of the Flight Standards Service Aircraft Maintenance Division and Wojnar manager of the Transport Airplane Directorate in Renton, Wash.
Alaska Airlines yesterday dropped a lawsuit against the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) after the two sides reached a tentative contract deal Monday. Alaska Chairman John Kelly said he would drop without prejudice the lawsuit against the union in the wake of an alleged mechanics' slowdown that forced the airline to cancel hundreds of flights since April. The 42-month pact will be sent to AMFA's 1,000 members for ratification over the next two weeks. Ballots could be returned before the end of June, said AMFA National Administrator Kevin McCormick.
