Worldspan has entered the Japanese market with the introduction of Worldspan Japan, as part of the company's plans for global expansion, especially into the Asia/Pacific market. To serve the market, Worldspan also announced that a Bank Settlement Plan ticketing procedure has been approved. Worldspan Japan plans to grow its customer base by giving Japanese travel agents connectivity to its global mainframe system, which provides travel distribution information, booking and transaction processing to travel companies in more than 50 countries.
Alaska Airlines will grow capacity 4-5% in 1999 after an 8-9% rise this year.Although the slower rate positions the carrier better for an economic downturn, Chief Executive John Kelly sees a stable market. "With $69 and $79 tickets readily available on the West Coast, flying has become so inexpensive we don't think leisure travelers are going to change their lifestyle," he said in the airline's newspaper.
Canadian Airlines said it will add four 767-300ER aircraft and one A320 to its fleet next year "as a result of exceptional leasing opportunities in the aircraft marketplace." The airline said it signed with GE Capital Aviation Services to lease two new 767s that will arrive in fall 1999, becoming its first new aircraft since 1995. Canadian also signed leases for two 767s returned to their lessor by an Asian carrier. It will receive these aircraft early next year.
Mike Terrett, Rolls-Royce's executive in charge of the RB211 and Trent large turbofans, yesterday was named president and chief executive of the International Aero Engines consortium, succeeding Rolls veteran Barry Eccleston.
Continental this week applied for authority to operate scheduled combination service between points in the U.S., either directly or via intermediate points, and points in France and beyond France to points in third countries.
Airline passengers across Canada stopped paying the nation's air transportation tax Nov. 1, shifting as planned to user fees on airlines and other aircraft operators. Nav Canada, created two years ago as a private, not-for-profit company to run Canada's air navigation services, will focus now on reaching 105% of air traffic controller staffing requirements by mid-2000. Nav Canada President John Crichton, commenting that Nov.
Delta's October traffic increased 5.5% on 2.8% more capacity, pushing the load factor up 1.8 percentage points to 72.2%. Domestic traffic rose 4.3% on 0.6% more capacity, raising the load factor 2.5 points to 70.7%. International traffic grew 9.4% on 10.9% more capacity, forcing the load factor down 1.1 points to 77.3%. The airline carried 8.9 million passengers last month, or an average of 286,764 every day. Oct 98 Oct 97 10 Mths 98 10 Mths 97
General Aviation Manufacturers Association President Ed Bolen reported that general aviation shipments soared 55.7% in the first nine months, while billings rose 21%. Shipments totaled 1,495 units, up from 960, and billings reached $3.9 billion, up from $3.2 billion. Export shipments jumped 21% to 356 from 294, and export billings grew 4% to $369 million from $355 million. For the September quarter, shipments were up 46%.
The China Aviation Development Foundation (CADF), a Taiwanese government-run board that controls China Airlines (CAL), said it will sell at least 50% of its stake in the airline, placing the carrier in private hands for the first time. CAL told The DAILY yesterday that Singapore Airlines will take a 5-10% stake. "This is the plan," said CAL's Sonia Hua.
EVA Airways has applied to Taiwan's Over The Counter Authority to list its stock on the market for public trading. The airline expects approval by yearend and first listing in early 1999. The Taiwanese carrier forecasts 1998 revenue of NTD42.5 billion (US$1.3 billion) and a net loss of NTD60.65 million ($1.8 million). EVA predicts revenues will rise 10.3% in 1999, and it will turn a profit of NTD400 million ($12 million). "Many Asian carriers are shrinking their operations," said Deputy Senior VP K.W. Nieh.
Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), a member of the Senate Appropriations transportation subcommittee, was declared a 459-vote winner yesterday in the Nevada Senate race against two-term Republican Rep. John Ensign (R-Nev.). Reid's office claimed victory and news organizations reported him as the winner. An Ensign spokesman could not be reached on whether Ensign will seek a recount of the more than 435,000 votes cast. Sen.
The FAA appropriations conference has directed the FAA administrator to submit a report by April 1 proposing a plan to minimize pay disparity between controllers serving the three major towers in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan region - Newark, Kennedy and LaGuardia - and the New York Tracon and en route center.
For the second straight month, Alaska Airlines reported higher capacity increases than traffic gains. The airline posted an 11.5% rise in October traffic on 13.2% more capacity, which lowered the load factor 0.9 percentage points to 60.5%. In September, traffic grew 13.9% on 15% more capacity. Traffic for the first 10 months of 1998 gained 8.4% on 9.2% more capacity. Oct 98 Oct 97 10 Mths 98 10 Mths 97 RPMs 857,000,000 769,000,000 9,392,000,000 8,665,000,000
Congress's final action on FAA appropriations provides $5.563 billion in fiscal 1999 operating expenses, more than the $5.533 billion approved earlier by the House and the Senate's $5.538 billion, but it falls short of the Clinton administration's $5.588 billion request. FAA funding was part of the omnibus appropriations bill that cleared Congress Oct. 21 and was signed into law that afternoon by President Clinton.
British Airways passenger traffic for October increased 11.7% on 11.2% more capacity, raising the load factor 0.3 percentage points to 72.6%. The growth was fueled by a 14.5% rise in non-premium traffic as business traffic declined 2.4%. "The weaker premium travel market combined with the faster growth in long-haul versus short-haul traffic will lead to overall yield reduction," BA said. "This change currently looks likely to continue." Intercontinental traffic grew 12.6%, while U.K./Europe traffic rose 7.9%.
The Greek government intends to sell a 15% to 20% stake of troubled state-owned Greek airline Olympic Airways, Transport Minister Anastassios Mandelis said this week in Athens while addressing the Greek Parliament. He said an international consulting firm was designated to seek a partner for Olympic but gave no further details. The Greek government launched a vast privatization plan this year in an attempt to reduce its budget deficit and join the single European currency in 2001.
Following are returns from Tuesday's congressional elections involving members of the subcommittees that handle the FAA reauthorization and DOT appropriations bills. Except for committee leadership, the order is by subcommittee, political party and subcommittee seniority. The * symbol denotes an incumbent. Senate Appropriations Committee Transportation Subcommittee * Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), chairman 63% Clayton Suddith (D) 37%
Stephen Wolf, US Airways chief executive, will speak at the International Aviation Club's monthly luncheon, Nov. 17 at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington. For more information, call Jon Ash at Global Aviation Associates, 202-457-0212.
DOT granted TWA an initial two-year exemption to serve Marrakech and Tangier, Morocco, and Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire, from New York via Casablanca. Cote d'Ivoire is one of eight countries participating in DOT's Safe Skies for Africa Initiative (DAILY, Nov. 2). TWA will operate the service under its code share with Royal Air Maroc (RAM), which received an exemption to serve eight U.S. points from New York. RAM has operated scheduled service between Casablanca and New York since 1975.
Boeing 767 Systemwide Aircraft Utilization Per Day Second Quarter 1998 B767-200 American Delta TWA Number of Aircraft Operated 30 15 12 Total Fleet Operations Departures 53 59 24 Block Hours 344 155 168
The 10 largest U.S. carriers posted an on-time record of 78.9% in September, higher than the August rate of 77% but lower than September 1997's 85%, according to DOT's Air Travel Consumer Report, isssued yesterday.
Hub airports increase a region's high-tech employment by more than 12,000 jobs on average, compared with regions of similar population without hubs, according to a George Mason University study on the economic value of airports. Hub cities Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, for example, had more high-tech activity than Nashville and Milwaukee. Authors Kenneth Button and Roger Stough examined data for the 321 metropolitan statistical areas - basically metropolitan regions - which include 56 hub airports as defined by FAA criteria.
Bell Helicopter Textron promoted John Murphey to president and P.D. Shabay executive VP and chief operating officer. Murphey previously was executive VP and Shabay executive VP-operations. Terry Stinson, who has been president and chief executive, is now chairman and CEO.
Ladeco applied at DOT for an exemption to engage in scheduled foreign cargo service between Chile and New York and Los Angeles via intermediate points, and to co-terminalize New York and Los Angeles with its current Miami authority. It linked the request to its planned merger with Fast Air, like itself a subsidiary of LanChile, which plans to effect the merger Nov. 17. Ladeco said it will own Fast Air's assets and aircraft. Fast Air will "cease to exist as a separate corporate entity," and it "will no longer use the authority granted to it" by DOT.
Grupo Taca carriers will unveil this month the company's first business-class sections, which will be called Clase Ejecutiva (Executive Class). New business-class seats are being installed in the carriers' Boeing 767s, 737-200s and Airbus A320s. The 737s will have eight Contour Mark-2 business-class seats with 38-inch pitch and a 54-inch width. The pitch is 38 inches for the 16 business seats on 767s, with 48-inch widths. The A320s will feature 12 AI-2000 seats with a 38-inch pitch and a 57-inch width.
