Canadian Airlines is expanding service for business travelers at its lounge in Toronto. The newly redesigned and renovated two-level 10,000-square-foot domestic lounge offers high-tech business centers, conference rooms, Internet browsing stations, music listening areas, massage chairs, showers, games areas and fresh food. It is on the domestic concourse level of Terminal 3 at Toronto Pearson Airport.
Britten-Norman, touting the suitability of its BN2B-20 Islander for coastal patrol missions, is sending an Islander on a demonstration tour of Australia, the manufacturer said. The aircraft, just purchased by Celsius Hawker Pacific, the regional distributor for the aircraft, will be used in demonstrations focusing on its "rugged short field operating characteristics, twin-engined safety and...renowned suitability for short-haul and high-frequency operations." The aircraft also will take part in the Australian International Airshow Feb. 16-21.
Pro Air has promoted Detroit City Station Manager Hayes Jones to VP-community development. Jones, who won the Olympic gold medal in 1964 for the 110-meter hurdle, will coordinate the carrier's community affairs while developing government and corporate relationships in the cities Pro Air serves.
City of Chicago has filed in support of eight foreign carriers seeking slot exemptions from DOT for service to Chicago O'Hare during the 1999 summer season. Air France, SAS, Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Mexicana, Iberia and Czech Airlines, turned down for slots by FAA, asked DOT to grant their requests for operations to begin about April 1, under DOT's slot exemption authority, which the city said it "continues to support the liberal use of...to ensure the highest and best use of O'Hare's available capacity."
FAA's Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS), a key element of air traffic control modernization, has run into so many problems it is close to collapse, according to Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), chairman of the House Appropriations transportation subcommittee.
Mexicana has applied at DOT for an exemption to provide service between San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and San Antonio, Texas. Mexicana would provide the service through code-sharing partner Aeromar, which would use 48-passenger ATR 42 turboprops for the service. (Docket OST-99-5006)
United's labor unions and the Justice Department will kill any potential merger of United and America West, and if the deal survives them, Continental would consider seriously its right of first refusal to acquire 50% of partner America West, Continental Chairman Gordon Bethune said yesterday. Bethune's statement was one of several that cast a shadow over United's terse admission Wednesday night that it has expressed interest in "a possible acquisition" of America West, which would be the largest industry move since Delta's purchase of Western Airlines in 1987.
Denver-based Frontier has signed a five year agreement with EDS to improve its ability to offer internal booking through EDS's SHARESweb booking engine. The agreement also will increase Frontier's ability to offer special fares and programs for customers who use the web site to book travel. The new service will enable travel agents to offer their clients electronic ticketing on Frontier. In order to use EDS's services, Frontier is upgrading its participation level in some of the four major computer reservations systems.
The prospective merger of British Aerospace and Marconi Electronic Systems (DAILY, Jan. 20) is "an obstacle to the integration of European air manufacturing industry" and "too unbalanced" for continued talks about a potential German-British alliance, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace of Germany said.
Washington Dulles-based Atlantic Coast has hired The Stern Agency, Columbia, Md., to handle a new print and broadcast advertising campaign for the company. The campaign, which premiered today in a Washington Post ad but which later will be extended to media in key outstation markets, targets frequent East Coast business travelers, who are "the majority of ACA's passenger mix," the carrier said.
The Sabre Group says Delta's $1 surcharge on domestic flight segments not purchased through its Internet site constitutes a penalty to travel agencies and travelers who choose to purchase airline tickets from an unbiased source. Sabre was responding in part to Delta's claims that it imposed the surcharge because of rising distribution costs, including higher computer reservations system fees. Sabre spokeswoman Taylor Cole said over the last six years Sabre has raised its fees about 4% annually.
Northwest has strengthened its ownership position in Airlink Mesaba Holdings to 40.9% with stock warrants, an increase from the former stake of about 30%. The carrier has built its ownership to 9.8 million of nearly 24 million outstanding shares of common stock. The warrants are tied to the delivery of up to 36 BAe Avro RJ85 regional-jet aircraft to Mesaba from Northwest unit Northwest Aircraft as well as earlier turboprop aircraft. Northwest acquired Express Airlines I from Michael Brady, which may be an indication of its plans for Mesaba.
DOT has tentatively decided to renew the rights of Ellis Air Taxi to provide subsidized essential air service at Gulkana, May Creek and McCarthy, Alaska, for the two-year period beginning Feb. 1, 1999, through Jan. 31, 2001. DOT proposed annual subsidy rates of $84,082 for Gulkana service and $36,627 for May Creek and McCarthy service. (Dockets OST 1996-2009 and 1995-492)
Wrangell Mountain Air applied at DOT for certificate authority for interstate scheduled service. The Alaska-based carrier is 75% owned by Kelly Bay and 25% owned by his wife, Natalie Bay, an Australian citizen. (Docket OST-99-5010)
Zurich Kloten Airport, privatization of which began in 1998, intends to develop its business rapidly in an attempt to avoid being taken over by competitors. "We will and must double our turnover within three years. Otherwise, we take the risk of losing our independence," said Josef Felder, chairman of Flughafen Immobilien Gesellschaft (FIG), the company that owns Kloten's real estate and infrastructure.
Excerpts from the Jan. 20 Senate Commerce Committee hearing on Airport Improvement Program reauthorization will be shown on Aviation News Today, to air Sunday on Washington's NewsChannel 8 at 12:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
New Regional Aircraft Orders And Options October 1998 Firm Orders Options Carrier No. Type No. Type Engines Air Georgian 4 Beech 1900D - - PT6A-67D Danish Air 1 Beech 1900D 2 Beech 1900D PT6A-67D Transport Kendell Airlines 12 Canadair 12 Canadair CF34-3B1
Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group reported a 29.2% drop in traffic to 84.1 million revenue passenger miles, as capacity dropped 18.1% to 171.7 million available seat miles, compared with December 1997. The load factor declined 6.8 percentage points to 49%. Dec. 1998 Dec. 1997 12 Mths 1998 12 Mths 1997 RPMs 84,107,000 118,244,000 1,141,434,000 1,424,630,000 ASMs 171,722,000 212,050,000 2,173,519,000 2,528,462,000
Sanford, Fla.-based Comair Aviation Academy named regional aviation veteran Michael Yocum its president, the Comair Holdings unit announced yesterday. As president, Yocum will manage daily operations and training for the academy. Gary Green will continue as chief executive of the academy and will be involved with strategic planning and future growth of the unit.
The Sabre Group said its Travelocity.com web site recorded more than 49 million in sales for the week ending Jan. 10. Online revenue in 1998 for Sabre's consumer-direct product totaled $285 million, more than double the 1997 amount.
Irony or just bad luck? Mesa Air Group, dropped last year by United as its Express carrier at Denver and through its WestAir unit on the West Coast, also had difficulties with code-share partner America West. But it patched up those relations, signed a new long-term agreement and is expanding its America West Express operations from Phoenix. Former partner United now is in discussions to acquire America West. Where does that leave Mesa if such an acquisition goes through? It still has US Airways Express.
The average December load factor for 15 domestic regional airlines improved by just over a percentage point from 53.87% in the year-ago period to 55.03%. United Express Air Wisconsin led the group and posted the largest increase as well. Its load factor jumped 8.3 points from 60.3% to 68.6%. Horizon Air was second with a load factor of 65.7%, up marginally from the previous December's 65.6%. Other airlines posting above-60% load factors were American Eagle at 61.4%, up 2.1 points, and Delta Connection Comair at 60.9%, up only 0.01 points.
Engineering managers at Rolls-Royce's Indianapolis-based Allison Engine unit hope to have a handle on a permanent fix for oil leaks on AE 3007 turbofans by the end of the month, following three inflight shutdowns in a week during extremely cold weather in early January (DAILY, Jan. 11,&15).
