About 1,500 pilots found jobs in October, according to Atlanta-based AIR, Inc. Major carriers hired 344 and nationals 352. The current hiring rate will produce 14,594 jobs in 1998. So far, 12,245 pilots have found employment - 3,089 at the majors, 4,149 at nationals, and the rest divided among jet, non-jet, startup and other carriers. There were 734 pilots on furlough in October, 403 of them at the nationals. WestAir/United Express furloughed 350 pilots at the end of May.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Traffic June 1998 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles % (000) Change (Miles) (000) Change Alaska 1,114 4.62 871 970,426 7.83
Rockwell Collins is making public the Year 2000 compliance status of all 30,000 products it offers - via the Internet. The company's www.rockwell.com site has a Y2K section that enables vendors and customers worldwide to check the status of any product, reducing the workload involved to keep clients informed.
Austrian Airlines will begin taking part in US Airways' Dividend Miles program Dec. 1, joining alliance partners Sabena and Swissair. US Airways Senior VP-Planning Bruce Ashby said Austrian will make the program more valuable by increasing opportunities for mileage credit and redemption when traveling on the partner carriers. "We are delighted to link these world-class carriers to our highly recognized Dividend Miles program," he said. Between Dec. 1 and Feb.
Airline Pasionado by Robert C. Booth. Autobiography spans 50 years of observing the airline business and its cast of influential people in South and Central America. R.E.G. Davies's Paladwr Press; $30. To order, call 703-356-8352.
FAA denies reports that it will be at least a couple of weeks late attaining early operational capability for its Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) at Washington Reagan Airport. "That could change, but right now we are still managing toward the March 1999 date," the agency says.
Summary of U.S. National Carriers Systemwide Traffic May 1998 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles % (000) Change (Miles) (000) Change AirTran Airlines 497 46.31 585 290,739 42.95
DOT -- Approved a U.S. Agency for International Development charter using a Royal Aviation 737 for six one-way flights carrying emergency relief supplies and eight members of the U.S. Armed Forces on a New Orleans-Honduras routing Nov. 7-9...Approved a U.S. Agency for International Development charter using a HeavyLift Volga-Dnepr An-124-100 for a one-way flight carrying 176,000 pounds of humanitarian relief goods on a Fargo-Guatemala City routing Nov. 10-12...Approved a U.S.
Mesa Air Group reported a 29.2% drop in traffic on 18.1% less capacity in October compared with the same month last year, which pushed the load factor down 7.9 percentage points to 49.7%. Mesa flew 88.4 million revenue passenger miles and 177.9 million available seat miles. Passenger volume dropped 48.5% to 294,056. Year-to-date RPMs declined 18.5% and ASMs 13.2%, depressing the load factor 3.5 points, and passengers carried declined 33.7%. Mesa lost its United Express operations this year.
Japan Airlines will cut ground staff by 2,300 in the next three years, 800 more than the 1,500 layoffs it announced previously. The reduction will be accomplished through attrition and early retirement, said JAL spokeswoman Irene Jackson. At a news conference in Tokyo, JAL President Isao Kaneko said the airline wants to pare labor costs by an average of 10% per employee, according to the Associated Press. Kaneko also announced his intention to employ more foreign flight attendants. JAL is taking steps to lower labor costs 40% by yearend.
Global alliances may help airlines discipline capacity increases and protect pricing next year, which will be "particularly important, given the outlook for a global economic slowdown in 1999 and, possibly, 2000," according to Salomon Smith Barney's Andrew Light. In the long term, antitrust-immune alliances are expected to be the single biggest driver of earnings growth.
A study from the Midwest Aviation Coalition found that Chicago O'Hare is not garnering a large enough share of international travel and an increase would bring tremendous economic benefits to the region. MAC, started by the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, supports O'Hare and Midway airports. The independent study, conducted by Booz-Allen&Hamilton, said O'Hare's international traffic could grow fivefold in 15-20 years and the number of international cities served could double.
American International Group is considering purchasing up to an 8% stake in China Airlines, according to a report in Taipei Economic News. AIG could team up with the China Development Corp. in executing the US$100 million acquisition. AIG holds a 20% stake in Taiwan domestic carrier Far Eastern Air Transport, which it obtained four years ago through another venture with CDC. AIG and CDC officials in Taipei were not available for comment.
Executives of nine airlines from six African nations are visiting six companies in Wichita this week in an orientation visit sponsored by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. The carriers - Air Botswana, Air Inter Gabon and ASECNA of Gabon, Air Link and Ghana Airways of Ghana, Air Namibia, Ethiopian Airlines and Gosh Air of Ethiopia, and Southern Cross Aviation of Zimbabwe - are visiting Cessna, Raytheon and four other companies and will attend a meeting of the World Trade Council of Wichita.
Emery Worldwide named Richard Zablocki managing director-international services, Don Cox managing director-Emery Global Logistics and Stephen Cortell senior director-Emery customs brokers.
A number of House Appropriations subcommittee chairmanships will change hands in the likely event that the committee chairman, Bob Livingston (R-La.), becomes House Speaker and C.W. (Bill) Young, national security subcommittee chairman, takes over the committee. It looks like Frank Wolf (R-Va.) will remain as head of the transportation subcommittee, however. "I believe he's going to stay put," a Wolf spokeswoman said.
AMR Services is providing ramp and passenger services at Fort Lauderdale to support American Eagle's launch of service to the Bahamas. The carrier began offering four daily flights yesterday, using 64-seat Super ATR aircraft, and will increase the frequency to six per day Dec. 10.
American Eagle said Friday it will exercise eight of the 25 options it holds on the 50-seat Embraer EMB-145 regional jet. The move accelerates its plan to attain the maximum number of RJs permitted under American's pilot contract. Following the 42 firm -145s it ordered previously, the additional order boosts Eagle's commitment to 50 aircraft. The carrier has received 16 RJs so far and is taking delivery at a rate of two per month. The first of 75 ERJ-135 37-seat regional jets will begin arriving in July 1999.
World Airways will provide a DC-10-30 freighter for Grupo TACA and operate it between Miami and Central America four to six times per week. "Our agreement with Grupo TACA exemplifies World Airways' growing presence in the cargo market," said Russell Ray, chairman.
Boeing opened an office in Athens, headed by Ed Parazynski as managing director representing its defense, commercial and space business activities in Greece. Greek military forces operate several Boeing aircraft and its airlines operate Boeing equipment.
Nordam Group Manufacturing Div., Tulsa, Okla., said it expects to offer in 2001 an Advanced Single Pivot thrust reverser that eliminates the Strang fairings of conventional reversers. The ASP design can be used with engines from 2,000 pounds thrust to more than 10,000 pounds. The company expects to complete model testing next month, endurance testing in June 2000 and certification in March 2001.
Air France has set itself an ambitious target - to be among the top five preferred airlines in Asia/Pacific by 2000, with Singapore as its test station. As part of the Top Five Project (TFP), first-class and Club 2000 passengers will enjoy free limousine transfers from home or office to the airport. Other perks include free mineral water and sweets for passengers waiting at boarding gates. The check-in counter will advise passengers of the captain's name and the titles of the inflight movies.
