Frontier has added Las Vegas to its vacation packages and is offering travel agents up to 13% commissions. Packages include roundtrip air travel, a compact rental car, hotel accommodations, a $10 Planet Hollywood gift certificate, lunch or dinner at the House of Blues, Continental One-Pass mileage credits and sightseeing tours. Travel must be completed by May 30.
The four largest U.K. airports operated by local public authorities would be freed from borrowing controls April 1 under a proposal the national government will send to Parliament this month, Transport Minister John Reid said. Answering a question in the House of Commons, Reid said the companies that run the four airports - Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds Bradford and Norwich - applied for borrowing freedom and were found to be financially sound, a condition for approval.
More than half of the European Regions Airline Association's 40 members posted passenger growth rates greater than 11% in the first three quarters of 1998.The level is down from a year earlier, however - 56% instead of 70%. The average load factor was steady at 58.1%.
DOT assessed civil penalties yesterday against Delta and Northwest for code-sharing violations, the second and third times, respectively, that the carriers have been cited. In consent orders issued for each carrier, DOT said Delta and Northwest each failed to notify consumers that a carrier other than the one they contacted would be performing the service. "This notice must be given to the consumer regardless of whether the consumer makes a reservation," DOT said.
American's new monthly inflight entertainment guide, including Spanish translations of all articles, will be available this month on all international and hundreds of domestic flights. The guide, AAttractions, gives customers information about movies, first-class and international business-class personal videos, 12 audio channels, video games and other special programming. The inaugural issue highlights the Academy Awards. American is spending $11.5 million on a Latin service initiative, and the Spanish-language section of the guide comprises 31 of its 64 pages.
FAA yesterday ordered inspections of float switch wiring in the center fuel tanks of Boeing 737s and the removal or deactivation of the switch before an aircraft accumulates 30,000 total flight hours or within 30 days. "Wire chafing caused by vibration could potentially provide an ignition source inside the fuel tank," the agency said. The switch prevents the fuel tank from being overfilled by automatically closing the fuel valve when the tank is nearly full.
FAA yesterday ordered new inspections of the nacelle struts on certain Boeing 747s after finding new cracking at a lower threshold than is covered by an airworthiness directive the agency proposed last Nov. 24. The FAA emergency directive is aimed at 747s powered by Rolls-Royce engines. It reduces the compliance time for new, repetitive inspections for fatigue cracking or loose or missing fasteners from 12,000 total flight cycles or 90 days to 8,000 total flight cycles or 30 days.
Aviation Group reported net income for its second quarter of $67,000 on record revenues of $6.4 million, up from net earnings of $63,000 and revenues of $6.1 million in the same period a year ago.
House Transportation Committee Chairman Bud Shuster (R-Pa.) and ranking Democrat James Oberstar (Minn.) plan to introduce a multi-year FAA reauthorization bill today, a committee spokesman said. The timing of the bill is related to the need to inform the House Budget Committee of Shuster's intention to push legislation taking the aviation trust funds off budget, so that the Transportation panel is not locked into a low budget ceiling that could preclude such a move.
The government of Spain hopes to decide this spring how to privatize the national aerospace manufacturer, Casa. "We hope we will reach a decision before June," said Pedro Ferreras, chairman of Sociedad Espanola de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI), the state holding company that controls Casa. In an interview published by business daily Expansion, Ferreras said Spanish authorities are examining offers by British Aerospace, Aerospatiale of France, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace of Germany and Alenia of Italy.
World Airways lost $3.4 million in the fourth quarter, 15% worse than in the fourth quarter of 1997, when it finished $2.9 million in the red. The 12-aircraft airline lost $11 million in 1998, a reversal of its $11.5 million profit in 1997. The company's revenue dropped as its wet-lease business suffered from weakened Asian customers. Fourth quarter revenue was off 8.7% to $62.8 million, while expenses fell 7.6% to $64.1 million. World expensed $1.1 million in the quarter to bad debts.
American's passenger traffic dropped 13.9% year-over-year in February after a sickout by pilots caused it to cancel thousands of flights. The airline carried 5 million passengers during the month, 870,000 fewer than in February 1998. Capacity fell 11% and the load factor dropped 2.1 percentage points to 63.4%. American experienced significant declines in all areas of its operations. Domestic traffic fell 13.8% on 12.1% less capacity, pushing the load factor down 1.2 points to 64%.
The fourth quarter of 1998 capped a five-year run of profitability for the airline business, with U.S. airlines enjoying the longest run of profitability in their history. As Asia's weakness led to capacity shifts to Latin America and the Atlantic, the yields in those markets declined as well. The U.S. market continued to be a haven for the world's airlines, as carriers of all shapes and sizes continued to add capacity to the U.S. from weaker markets such as Japan and Hong Kong.
Clarification: Japan Airlines and Canadian Airlines will increase their code share between Vancouver and Tokyo to two flights per day, or 14 per week, with an expectation of increasing the frequency this summer. The airlines stated the frequencies incorrectly (DAILY, Feb. 25).
America West will launch nonstop service June 6 between Orange County, Calif., and Reno, offering four daily 737 flights with seating for eight first-class and 126 coach passengers. Reno is America West's fourth nonstop destination from Orange County, after Phoenix, Las Vegas and Sacramento. The carrier also is offering two vacation packages to Acapulco. Travelers can fly to Pierre Marques for a four-day, three-night package for $597 per person double occupancy.
Aviaco pilots agreed to lift their warning of strikes throughout March. Spanish union Sindicato Espanol de Pilotos de Lineas Aereas (SEPLA) launched a staggered strike at the beginning of 1999 to press its demand that Iberia's domestic subsidiary hire 43 additional pilots. The pilots went out on strike for six days in January and February, and nine stoppages were planned this month. Iberia's management asserts that the dispute results largely from dissensions between Iberia and Aviaco pilots, and it says SEPLA's hiring demands will be met.
Great Lakes Aviation will discontinue its United Express service at Aberdeen, S.D., on April 4. The airline has been flying three daily Aberdeen-Denver roundtrips, but traffic and revenue on the route have not covered operating expenses, Great Lakes said. The shutdown is Great Lakes' second in the market - it discontinued the United Express flights to Aberdeen in May 1997 and reinstated service the following December in hope of a reasonable return.
American yesterday initiated 737-800 service from Chicago O'Hare to Los Angeles and from Washington Dulles to Los Angeles. Bob Baker, executive VP-operations, said this "new top-of-the-line airplane is an example of our longstanding commitment to providing quality passenger service." He said the next-generation 737-800 flies faster, farther and higher than the older models. "This will allow us to begin using this airplane on long flights, such as from Dulles to Los Angeles," he said.
Qatar Airways has taken delivery of the first of four 144-seat Airbus A320s leased from Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise (SALE). The three additional IAE V2500-powered twinjets will arrive by the end of April.
