Northwest is offering customers from 40 cities a chance to shop at the Mall of America on Saturday with special roundtrip fares of $59-$99. Fares are available only through Northwest's web site at www.nwa.com, where passengers can make reservations and buy tickets online. Sample roundtrip fares to Minneapolis/St. Paul include $59 from Duluth and Sioux Falls, $89 from Kalamazoo and Rapid City, S.D, and $99 from Boston and Dallas/Fort Worth.
Flight reservations on Swissair's Zurich-Milan service have dropped by 25% to 30% since the inauguration of Milan Malpensa Airport, a Swissair spokesman said this week in Zurich. Unlike European Union airlines, which have won the right to resume one-third of their Milan operations at Milan Linate, the Swiss airline was forced to move all its flights to the new airport, which is 53 kilometers from the city. Efficient rail and road linkups between the city center and Malpensa are not yet operational. Swissair unsuccessfully challenged the forced move in court.
Japanese airlines are facing "serious challenges" after a significant drop in the number of Japanese traveling overseas, but the situation is expected to improve next year, according to All Nippon Airways Executive VP-Marketing Koji Yamashita. "In the middle of next year, we'll see some new trends," he said recently in Manila. Japanese carriers have been protected from domestic competition for nearly five decades, he said, and until they improve efficiency and competitiveness, carriers should not expect to be profitable.
Cincinnati-based Comair, Inc., which flies as a Delta Connection carrier, posted a 21.7% gain in traffic last month to 178.8 million revenue passenger miles as capacity rose 20.4% gain to 293.5 million available seat miles, compared with the same month last year. The load factor climbed 0.6 percentage points to 60.9%, and passengers flown increased 19.3% to 527,978. Nov. 1998 Nov. 1997 11 Mths 1998 11 Mths 1997 RPMs 178,797,000 146,952,000 1,887,586,000 1,619,320,000
Federal investigators are looking into an incident in which a US Airways 737 flew over a King Air and landed in front of it at New York LaGuardia Airport. FAA described the Dec. 2 incident as an operational error. The agency said the King Air turboprop was sitting on Runway 31 awaiting instructions when the US Airways 737 was given permission to land on the runway. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating. A US Airways 737 was involved in a fatal accident Feb. 1, 1991, when it landed on top of a commuter airplane at Los Angeles.
Atlanta-based Atlantic Southeast reported gains of 18.2% in traffic and 9.7% in capacity for November 1998, compared with the same month last year, which boosted the load factor 4 percentage points to 55.7%. ASA flew 89.3 million revenue passenger miles and 160.4 million available seat miles. Passengers flown increased 12.5% to 342,471. Year-to-date RPMs climbed 13% on 2.4% more ASMs over the 11-month period last year, pushing the load factor up 5.3 points. Passengers flown grew 6.8%.
KLM said yesterday it did not know a passenger had AIDS when it decided not to let him continue to fly on the airline from Johannesburg to Amsterdam and then Washington. The carrier issued the statement after the passenger, not identified, and his family initiated a boycott against the Dutch airline. KLM denied adamantly that it has an anti-AIDS policy, saying it flies "every customer without discrimination."
EVA Airways, on the verge of applying for a listing on Taiwan's over-the-counter exchange, is trying to look more like a holding company than an airline to potential investors, according to analysts in Taipei. By being seen as a holding company, they say, the price of the company's stock, which is expected to be listed in the first quarter next year, would be less susceptible to the extreme fluctuations in price that airline shares often experience.
The Reno/Tahoe parties told DOT that the issue of Reno Air's "dedicated Reno-Chicago O'Hare slots is irrelevant to the continuing slot dispute" between United and American and their respective regional partners. United proposed that DOT consider withdrawing Reno Air's slots for use by American Eagle, which is seeking three O'Hare slots for Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C.-O'Hare service (DAILY, Dec. 8), citing American's planned acquisition of Reno Air. United affiliate Atlantic Coast Airlines wants slots for Savannah, Ga./Hilton Head, S.C.-O'Hare service.
Austrian Airlines will expand its code share with Delta to include Delta's Atlanta-Guatemala City nonstop, effective today. The move allows single-ticket booking to the Central American city rather than via Miami or New York. Delta partner Sabena added the same route earlier this year.
LanChile on Dec. 26 will begin offering three-times-weekly service from Orlando to Santiago, via Miami. The flights, to be operated with 767-300ERs, will depart Orlando on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Indianapolis-based American Trans Air reported a 5.2% increase in systemwide traffic on 0.2% more capacity for November 1998, compared with the same month last year. The airline flew 636.9 million revenue passenger miles and 957 million available seat miles. Block hours flown gained 3.3% to 11,845 and passengers flown grew 19.9% to 451,998. Charter service experienced a 25.7% decline in RPMs to 172.5 million and 27.4% less ASMs, 290.3 million. Block hours flown dropped 25.1% to 2,582, and passengers flown declined 7% to 95,890.
City of Dallas yesterday rebutted the City of Fort Worth's assertion on the DOT Love Field service interpretation proceeding that "there is absolutely no reason why the Texas court system cannot determine the federal law questions in this case." Dallas said, "While some critical questions of federal aviation law have been presented in both this proceeding and the state lawsuit, the two actions are not mirror images of each other." Fort Worth itself has noted that through- and double-ticketing - critical to service beyond Texas under the Wright and Shelby amendments
Used Regional Aircraft Transactions September 1998 Carrier No. Type Engines Previous Operator Air North 1 HS-748 Srs 2A Dart534-2 Air Manitoba Charter ATR 1 AA ATR 42-300 PW120 American Eagle ATR 2 AA ATR 42-300 PW120 Air Mauritanie Aviation Mar- 1 Cessna 208 PT6A-114 Aero Condor keting Group
DOT plans to issue an order keeping its hands off Continental's international route authority for one year, a department source said, despite the sale of company equity to Northwest. DOT has the power to alter, revoke or transfer international route authority with a change in airline control, but in this case, the department will grant a one-year exemption on Continental's routes, monitor the Justice Department's suit against the deal "and see if there has in fact been a de facto transfer" of control, the source said.
Spanair has introduced a complimentary limousine ride to and from Washington Dulles Airport for first- and business-class passengers who book full one-way or roundtrip fares. Spanair, which operates five weekly Washington-Madrid nonstops, has contracted with RMA Chauffeured Limousine for the service.
Milwaukee-based Midwest Express reported an 18.7% increase in traffic and 21.1% more capacity for November 1998, compared with the same month last year, which depressed the load factor 1.2 percentage points to 62%. Midwest flew 129.6 million revenue passenger miles and 209.2 million available seat miles. Passenger boardings grew 17.7% to 150,970. Year-to-date RPMs were up 15.1% and ASMs 13.1%, boosting the load factor 1.2 points. Passengers flown increased 13.4%.
US Airways is selling vacation packages through its web site, www.usairwaysvacations.com. To celebrate launch of the site, the carrier is giving away a four-night Paris vacation for two. Visitors must register by Dec. 31.
Appleton, Wis.-based Air Wisconsin, which flies as United Express, flew 76.9 million revenue passenger miles last month, a 79.5% increase from November 1997. Capacity climbed 48.6% to 116.1 million available seat miles, driving up the load factor 11.4 percentage points to 66.2% Enplanements were up 82.3% to 249,131. Nov. 1998 Nov. 1997 11 Mths 1998 11 Mths 1997 RPMs 76,885,000 42,834,000 789,402,000 557,055,000 ASMs 116,143,000 78,172,000 1,164,595,000 874,247,000
Atlas Air has taken delivery of its fourth 747-400 freighter from Boeing. Atlas expects a fifth delivery within two weeks. Atlas said that, due to the configuration of its aircraft, the FAA directive concerning 747 fuel tanks "should have minimal impact on our operations." Atlas also said the production cutback announced by Boeing will not affect its delivery schedules.
Aerospace Industries Association President John Douglass said yesterday aerospace exports reached record level this year. The trade surplus will total $37 billion, 15% higher than the record level set in 1997. "This year, we exported a record $59 billion in aerospace products. The bulk of that figure is $48 billion in civil exports." Civil sales were up $8.6 billion, or 22%, to $47.2 billion. Douglass predicted sales this year will reach a record $140.5 billion. "That is an increase of $6.8 billion, or over 5%.
Kellstrom Industries said this week it is buying the Solair subsidiary of Banner Aerospace for $57 million cash and other considerations. The acquisition will place Kellstrom in the market for avionics and high-end after-market rotables when the deal closes Dec. 31. Banner said it expects to realize a book loss of about $12.5 million from the sale. Kellstrom purchases, overhauls, resells and leases aircraft and engines.
American's plan to buy Reno Air passed the mandated waiting period under the federal Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust act, satisfying one condition of the acquisition. The deal cleared at midnight Tuesday.
