Correction: Pay increases for flight attendants under the newly ratified Sun Country-Teamsters contract will range from 3% to 17%, not 3%-7% (DAILY, March 2).
United typically ranks among the lowest in the industry in on-time performance, but 74% of its February flights departed within five minutes of schedule, an improvement.The airline has not had an on-time month this good since May 1993. United was satisfied with its winter performance, especially since it faced higher volumes from American's multiple cancellations last month.
European Union Transport Commissioner Neil Kinnock, scheduled to address a luncheon meeting of the International Aviation Club of Washington on March 11, has postponed his visit to Washington. IAC has canceled the luncheon and will announce a new date for Kinnock's appearance.
Several pilot unions denied yesterday that they have endorsed increasing extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) by 15% to 207 minutes for the Boeing 777.
Lufthansa aims to increase its turnover 8%-10% by developing catering, aircraft maintenance, information technology, tourism, ground-handling and other services for other airlines, Lufthansa Chairman Jurgen Weber said in an interview published Monday in Die Welt. Weber told the German daily newspaper he intends to develop services that are less subject to cyclical variations than passenger transport, which accounts for 70% of the group's current consolidated turnover. He wants transport's share to drop to 60%.
Continental asked DOT for a "short extension" of the startup date for its Cleveland-London Gatwick service, which it intends to begin June 30. The carrier received "suitable" Gatwick slots last Thursday (DAILY, Feb. 26) after months of efforts to obtain them, and it told DOT it could not market or sell the service until then.
National Transportation Safety Board said yesterday that U.S. scheduled airlines - Part 121 and Part 135 - had no passenger fatalities in 1998, the first year without deaths since the board began keeping records. "Although there have been previous years in which no Part 121 fatalities were reported, there has never been a year with no Part 135 [aircraft with fewer than 10 seats] scheduled passenger fatalities before 1998." Before March 1997, Part 135 covered aircraft with up to 29 seats.
ATA President Hallett said Carol Carmody, who recently resigned as the U.S. representative to the ICAO, will provide consulting to ATA Air Transport Association President Carol Hallett said yesterday that Carol Carmody, who recently resigned as the U.S. representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization, will provide a variety of consulting services to ATA in areas such as the environment, safety, security and "building effective relationships within the aviation community."
Oneworld alliance has begun a $15 million advertising campaign in more than 90 countries. Messages conveyed include more rewards for frequent flyers, more recognition for top levels of each airline's loyalty program, better lounge access at airports and better customer service worldwide. The campaign will run in nine languages and 159 publications.
Lufthansa will allow its passengers to play CDs on portable audio devices and CD-ROMs on portable computers, beginning March 28. The carrier is aligning its rules with those of Star Alliance partners United, Air Canada, SAS, Varig and Thai Airways. Use of electronic devices still will be prohibited during landing and takeoff.
U.S.-based customers who originate travel in the U.S. can buy tickets to any of Delta's 353 cities in 56 countries through the SkyLinks web site at www.delta-air.com. SkyLinks offers real-time flight schedules, fares and availability, and users can search for fares and schedules to match individual needs. To purchase a domestic or international ticket, customers can click on "Book Online" from the home page.
American International Airways (AIA), a subsidiary of Kitty Hawk Inc., asked DOT to reissue its certificates in the name of Kitty Hawk International d/b/a American International Airways. On Feb. 12, DOT orally granted AIA's request to trade under the name Kitty Hawk International; the cargo carrier also has obtained FAA's consent to do so for about the next 12 months until its FAA manuals can be republished with the new name.
Cintra, the company that owns Mexicana and AeroMexico, posted a fourth quarter turnaround, reporting a net profit of 669 million pesos (US$68.6 million). The company lost Ps2.6 million ($264,000) in the fourth quarter of 1997. For full-year 1998, Cintra's profit was Ps409 million ($41.9 million), down more than 80%. Operating revenue last year was Ps22.2 billion ($2.27 billion), up marginally over 1997. Cintra did not break down the results by airline, but Mexicana and AeroMexico are nearly identical in size, both in terms of traffic and employees.
TWA is offering deep discounts on fares from Washington Reagan to St. Louis that the company says are part of its regular new fare structure. Walkup fares are $199 one way, a 70% discount. A 14-day advance purchase fare has dropped from $399 roundtrip to $119 each way with no roundtrip purchase required. A seven-day advance fare is $159 one way with no roundtrip purchase required, down from $630 roundtrip. A 21-day advance purchase one-way fare is $99.
Northern Airlines withdrew its application for DOT certification. A spokesman for the startup told The DAILY that it was unable to secure its financing and thought it best to refile when its financing package is complete. The Syracuse, N.Y.-based startup carrier filed in late 1997, intending to serve medium-sized communities and major metropolitan areas from Syracuse, using Fokker F28-4000s (DAILY, Nov. 4, 1997). (Docket OST-97-3075)
Anglo-French Concorde prototype made its first flight 30 years ago yesterday, taking off from the Aerospatiale airfield in Toulouse. The Concorde airliner, powered by four Rolls-Royce-Snecma Olympus 593 engines, has since logged more than 900,000 flying hours, two-thirds of them above the speed of sound. The 600,000 supersonic hours amount to more than the total flown by the fighter fleet in the western world. The record for a transatlantic crossing stands at two hours, 52 minutes, 59 seconds, at an average speed of about 1,300 miles per hour.
Continental Express, Continental's regional subsidiary, launched nonstop Charleston-Houston service using the 50-passenger Embraer ERJ-145. The once-daily service complements Continental's current Charleston-Houston flights, which stop in Atlanta.
US Airways is offering $49 one-way introductory fares on its hourly Washington Dulles-New York LaGuardia service. A roundtrip purchase with a Saturday night stay is required, and customers must purchase tickets by Friday for travel by March 31. The unrestricted walkup fare is $159 one way. US Airways will offer seven jet flights daily in the market, and US Airways Express will double its Dash 8 service from four flights per day to eight.
Reno Air, acquired by American in December, is expanding its service from Los Angeles to San Francisco and San Jose. Effective April 19, Reno will add one daily roundtrip to San Francisco for a total of nine from Los Angeles, and one daily roundtrip to San Jose for a total of eight. Reno is offering triple miles on flights between San Francisco and Los Angeles, San Jose and Orange County, and San Jose and Los Angeles.
