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.
Air Transport Association Cargo Traffic, March 1999 Revenue Ton Miles (000) March March % 1999 1998 Change Domestic Freight 865,492 858,565 0.8 Mail 173,395 177,696 (2.4) Total 1,038,887 1,036,261 0.3 International Freight 889,151 862,927 3.0
British Airways and Starwood Hotels&Resorts have begun their marketing partnership with a bonus mile promotion that runs through Aug. 31. BA Executive Club frequent flyer members who stay at any of 600 Starwood hotels will earn 1,000 bonus miles for every visit. The miles are in addition to the two miles per eligible dollar spent during the visit.
Cade Industries said it was awarded contracts totaling $11.3 million from airlines, aircraft engine manufacturers and the U.S. government. The contracts call for engine test hardware, aircraft components and Y2K support for engine test equipment.
Ansett International received approval from the International Air Services Commission (IASC) to supplement its code-share service to Singapore and offer new access to points in Europe and Asia. IASC approved the extension of Ansett's code share with Singapore Airlines on all services between Australia and Singapore, effective July 1. The code share covers up to four daily services between Singapore and Bangkok and seven weekly SIA flights in each direction between Australia and the U.K. Ansett also intends to offer code-share service shortly to Frankfurt with SIA.
Southwest has declared a three-for-two split of its common stock that will be distributed July 19 for shareholders of record June 30. As of May 18, there were 335.9 million shares outstanding, and this figure is expected to increase 50% with the split. In addition, Southwest's board increased its regular dividend 10% to $0.00825 per share. Southwest's 91st consecutive dividend will be paid June 29. After the July 19 stock split, the dividend will be adjusted to $0.0055 per share.
EasyJet is holding an Internet competition to see if anyone can guess how much British Airways lost in its investment in the low-fare Go operation. "The 50 entrants nearest the correct figure will win themselves a pair of easyJet flights," the airline said in an advertisement yesterday. BA will reveal its financial results today.
US Airways, using British Midlands' London Heathrow-New York application as a platform for its own pending U.S.-London request, said competitive London service is a "vital and necessary component of any viable transatlantic network" and it is "incumbent upon the U.S.
Sri Lankan national carrier Air Lanka has begun talks with India's Director General for Civil Aviation about increasing "by at least 50%" its capacity to India, Air Lanka officials said yesterday. Air Lanka operates 27 flights to and from India in order to take advantage of the 4,029 weekly seats designated by the DGCA in each direction. Anticipating the sanction of additional capacity, the carrier plans to introduce four more flights to New Delhi, Mumbai, Trichy and Thiruvananthapuram, and start operations to destinations in southern India, officials pointed out.
SkyWest reported a 96.8% jump in income from continuing operations of $42.6 million for the year ended March 31. Net income, after accounting for a loss on the disposition and operations of Scenic Airlines, totaled $41.8 million, up 90.6%. Operating revenue rose 46% to $388.6 million, while operating expenses climbed 39% to $324.3 million. Other income gained 132.6% to $5.6 million. Yield per revenue passenger mile rose 7.7% to 37.5 cents, and revenue per available seat mile (RASM) jumped 16% to 21 cents.
Kicking off what could be Congress' busiest week of the year in aviation legislation, the Senate Appropriations transportation subcommittee will mark up the fiscal year 2000 appropriations bill today. The full committee will mark up the bill on Thursday, a spokeswoman said. Also on Thursday, the House Transportation Committee will re-mark AIR-21, the five-year, $89 billion FAA reauthorization that cleared the committee without dissent earlier this year. Chairman Bud Shuster (R-Pa.) is expected to reduce funding in the bill by about $20 billion over five years.
Fuel Cost and Consumption, U.S. Majors, Nationals and Regionals March 1998 to February 1999 Total Total Cost Cents Per Gallons (Dollars) Gallon 1998 March Domestic 1,178,267,670 602,531,663 51.137 International 429,063,752 239,431,676 55.803 System Total 1,607,331,422 841,963,339 52.383
College of Aeronautics in New York announced that beginning next September it will offer a Bachelor of Science degree in airport management. Commencement speaker Robert Crandall said, "Airport management is an emerging profession throughout the United States and around the world." Susan Baer, general manager of Newark International Airport and a member of the college's Airport Management Advisory Council, said, "Graduates of this program will have myriad opportunities in the aviation industry."
A planned Senate antitrust subcommittee hearing into anti-competitive practices will show that the airline industry is "a highly competitive industry" that "plays by the rules," an Air Transport Association spokesman said yesterday. The spokesman made the assertion in responding to The DAILY's request for comment on the antitrust subcommittee's planned hearing next month. A spokesman for subcommittee Chairman Sen. Mike DeWine ((R-
Japan's Ministry of Transport will construct a second runway at crowded Tokyo Narita Airport that likely will be 2,200 meters (7,216 feet) long, shorter than one it pursued for decades. Several landowners still have not agreed on a 2,500-meter (8,200-foot) runway proposal, though local leaders near the airport have "strengthened their movement to seek cooperation from the landholders," MOT said. "The expansion of airport capacity for international aviation in the Tokyo metropolitan area has been an urgent issue for the nation." Lately, it has been more urgent.
