The number of Taiwanese travelers on international and domestic flights has fallen significantly this year, according to statistics issued by Taiwan's Directorate-General of Budget Accounting and Statistics. The report, covering the first 10 months of the year, says the number of passengers flying on domestic routes fell 11.9% from the corresponding period a year earlier. The number of incoming tourists totaled 1.88 million during the 10 months, down 5%, while the number of Taiwanese traveling abroad fell 6.5% to 5.01 million.
Hawaiian Airlines said yesterday it has added two DC-10-30s to its fleet for use on new routes between Los Angeles and Maui and Los Angeles-Maui-Kona, beginning next March. The carrier plans to acquire a third DC-10-30 for its new charter route between Los Angeles and Tahiti beginning next August. Hawaiian currently operates 10 DC-10-10s on flights to Hawaii from the mainland and the South Pacific. It also operates 13 DC-9s on 140 flights a day among the Hawaiian Islands.
Mesaba Holdings said yesterday its board has authorized the repurchase of up to $30 million of its common stock through December 1999. Bryan Bedford, president, said the authorization was an "excellent investment opportunity for the company and our shareholders." Mesaba Holdings is the parent of Mesaba Aviation, which does business as Mesaba Airlines, a Northwest Airlink affiliate. The airline serves 91 cities in 18 states and Canada with a fleet of 92 turboprop and jet aircraft.
AB Airlines intends to sign two code-share agreements - one with a U.S. airline and one with a European carrier - covering passengers transiting London Gatwick, which would boost its biggest route, Shannon-Gatwick.The small U.K. carrier recently handed a boarding pass to its 500,000th passenger and next year plans to offer more than 250,000 seats on the Shannon route alone.
Continental yesterday filed suit in the Superior Court of California in San Diego against Delta over baggage sizers Delta has installed at security screening points at San Diego Airport. Delta shares the screening devices with Continental and America West. Continental has petitioned the court to stop Delta from "interfering" with its carry-on policy and operations.
Qantas has launched twice-weekly direct service between Sydney and Buenos Aires, using a 747-400 aircraft configured with three classes. The carrier will continue its twice-weekly code share in the market with Aerolineas Argentinas, which operates the service with a 747-200.
KLM uk is poised to launch two new routes to Italy Nov. 30 from the U.K. as part of its strengthening alliance with Alitalia. Both services will operate twice daily - one from London Stansted to Rome and the other from Manchester to Milan Malpensa. The flights, to be operated with Fokker 100 aircraft, are in addition to KLM uk's existing three-times-daily service between Stansted and Milan Linate. All services will operate under a code share with Alitalia.
Construction has begun in Sacramento of a new Cessna-owned Citation Service Center. The facility will be similar in size and layout to the company's San Antonio center, which opened in 1996.
British Airways Engineering will turn to BAX Global to manage its supply logistics at London Heathrow Airport under a new multi-year contract. BA said it chose BAX because the company understands BA's business better than its competitors. BA will use BAX's split storage concept for time-sensitive parts shipments on or close to Heathrow and less critical parts for use within five miles of Heathrow. The fast-delivery facility will be built and operating by the end of 1999.
Organizers of the GA Team 2000 learn-to-fly program are encouraged by an increasing number of student pilot starts and strong financial support from the industry. They are gearing up for a third year of the program and preparing to transition it into a long-term, continuing effort. The transition brings a new name for the project, Be A Pilot, and a new series of advertisements in selected magazines and cable TV stations.
Summary of U.S. National Carriers Systemwide Traffic Second Quarter 1998 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles % (000) Change (Miles) (000) Change AirTran Airlines 1,503 42.56 557 837,483 32.94
Aloha Airlines will introduce electronic ticketing to Hawaii's interisland travelers in the first quarter of 1999. E-ticketing also will be available on Island Air, Aloha's affiliate carrier. Aloha and Island Air are the first interisland carriers to offer e-ticketing on interisland flights.
TPI International Airways' majority shareholder and president, Fred Catchpole, filed a $94 million tort claim against the federal government Monday, charging negligence in the FAA shutdown of TPI in 1990 and the loss of a U.S. Air Force cargo contract. The claim, which names the U.S. Attorney General, DOT, FAA and the U.S. Air Force, was filed in U.S. District Court in Brunswick, Ga. The suit cites the Air Force for negligence in failing to investigate allegations of sabotage against TPI's Lockheed Electras based at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.
London City Airport has acquired its third U.S.-built FMC LA1000 de-icing rig at a cost of #36,000 (US$57,240). Ground services Manager Greg Davidson said the new machine, delivered by Falcon Aviation, Duxford, will enable London City to offer a more efficient and safer de-icing service to its customer airlines.
Airbus Industrie is likely to fit into European industry consolidation as the commercial aircraft manufacturing arm of a giant European Aerospace and Defense Company (EADC) or, perhaps more likely, the umbrella under which such a company can be formed, Moody's Investors Service believes.
Emirates Airlines is extending a range of special offers popular with U.K. business travelers and rebranded it as The Collection. The offers are aimed at travelers paying full business- or first-class roundtrip fares. There is a free economy-class return flight with every booking; a free return first- or business-class flight with every three bookings of a like flight, and a companion fare at 10% of full price with every booking of a business- or first-class flight to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Muscat or Singapore.
United, Delta and Continental weighed in with DOT yesterday in their continuing battle for seven new frequencies to Brazil. Continental asked DOT for a delayed startup date on the basis of its just-completed assessment of Brazil's economic conditions, which show that the original 90-day startup requirement is "unrealistic in light of Brazil's current economic difficulties" (DAILY, Nov. 23). The frequencies were scheduled to become available Oct. 1.
The Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA) is becoming too formal an organization for Continental pilots, who want to remain independent of the umbrella group formed largely as a solidarity organization protecting pilot jobs. The Independent Association of Continental Pilots (IACP) this week abandoned plans to join CAPA after CAPA developed its constitution and bylaws and adopted its Statement of Solidarity Principles (DAILY, Nov. 24).
The European Commission will "state its position" on three transatlantic airline alliances "around Easter" 1999, European Union Competition Commissioner Karel Van Miert said yesterday in Brussels. The alliances concerned are KLM/Northwest, United/Lufthansa/SAS and Delta/Swissair/Sabena. The EC's "position" will consist of pointing out the aspects of the agreement it sees as a threat to fair competition. The EC also has been reviewing the planned alliance between American and British Airways, which is "stalled on both sides of the Atlantic," according to Van Miert.
AlliedSignal said yesterday it has delivered its first multi-mode receiver (MMR) to Southwest on a new 737-700. The MMR, which recently obtained initial type certification from FAA aboard the same aircraft, uses the instrument landing system for precision approach guidance and the Global Positioning System for non-precision approaches. Additional MMR type certifications are expected this year for the 757 and 767.
US Airways Group's board of directors has authorized the purchase from time to time on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions of up to $500 million of the company's common stock. The company will start the purchases after completing the stock purchases authorized by its board earlier this year.
Philippine Airlines resumed service last week on its Manila-Taipei route. The company originally wanted to use an A320 on the route but, in response to heavier-than-expected demand, used the larger A340-300. A company official said the route will be served by A340-300s or 747-400s, depending on the number of passengers booked.
