Flight Services Group is offering online corporate aviation operating budget estimates based on prospective buyers' needs and plans. The Aircraft Acquisition and Budget Center at the service company's web site - www.FSG-Inc.com - prompts customers to enter the number of people who normally travel, their destinations and an approximate number of trips per year. Based on FSG's experience and the operating specifications of 46 aircraft types in its database, the web site recommends an aircraft suitable for the customer's intended use.
Continental's lawsuit against Delta to remove plexiglass carry-on bag sizers at security checkpoints in San Diego is a marketing ploy aimed at making Continental look like the good guy in the ongoing war over carry-ons, Delta said. Delta spokesman Todd Clay said the company is "quite miffed" by the unexpected lawsuit and Continental's public statements about baggage sizers at San Diego.
American Eagle will launch jet service Jan. 6 between Peoria, Ill., and Chicago O'Hare Airport, replacing a turboprop with a new 50-seat ERJ-145 on one of its six daily flights in the market. The jet service will leave Peoria early in the morning and return late in the evening to accommodate business travelers and increase connection opportunities at O'Hare. American Eagle also will double service between Bakersfield and Los Angeles, beginning Dec. 15. It will operate eight roundtrips using 34-seat Saab 340Bs.
Fedex Pilots Association (FPA) leadership has been trying to assuage initial anger among rank and file over its decision to hold off on a possible strike until after the holidays. In a recorded message to members, FPA said none of its leaders "made a conscious effort to betray the trust or subvert the efforts of this membership." It said the backdown was a strategic "quid pro quo" with the company. FPA lead negotiator George Sees has stepped aside in an effort to restart the talks. His replacement is Bryan Davies.
Industry and FAA appear to be diverging on what approach to take to develop new fire-resistant insulation materials and eliminate inflight ignition sources. Industry wants research and development now under way to come up with one approach to cover both scenarios, but a top FAA official says the agency's priority is to develop within six months a new protocol for testing the fire resistance of aircraft insulation.
New Aircraft Orders And Options August 1998 Last 12 Months Firm Orders Options Orders Options Carrier # Type # Type Engines Del. Dates # Type # Type Alitalia* 1 767-300ER - CF6-80C2 Apr99 4 A320-200 - American 15 777-200IGW - Trent 800 00-01 25 737-800 -
Cathay Pacific named John-Michael Barros, Gavin Cribbs and Carol Hom sales executives; named Ben Ni and Julie Lei customer service supervisors and appointed Yiu Ming Lai cargo service manager-San Francisco.
America West and its flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), will resume contract talks tomorrow, the National Mediation Board (NMB) said last week, indicating that NMB will not release flight attendants from mediation in time for a holiday job action. AFA had requested the release so it could enter a 30-day cooling-off period preparatory to launching a CHAOS (Create Havoc Around Our System) campaign. The union asked NMB last Monday to release it from mediation when the company turned down its offer to submit to arbitration.
US Airways and American urged DOT Wednesday to establish an expedited carrier selection proceeding to allocate the seven U.S.-Italy frequencies available April 1. US Airways said none of the four applicants for the frequencies - itself, American, Delta or Tower - has provided traffic data and other information DOT usually requires for an award. American said its Chicago-Rome proposal would replace Alitalia's nonstops in the market, lost when Alitalia moved most of its international service to Milan.
Continental will add "significant enhancements" to its OnePass frequent flyer program, including a new Platinum Elite level, a lower mileage requirement for a free domestic ticket, more confirmed upgrade opportunities for Elite members and elimination of blackout dates for EasyPass rewards, the carrier said last week. Continental, which is planning a reciprocal frequent flyer program with Northwest subject to regulatory review, said it is improving the OnePass program to increase the types of benefits customers prefer.
Northwest will begin Detroit- and Minneapolis/St. Paul-Houston service with three daily DC-9 nonstops in each market, beginning Jan. 31. Service will be aboard DC-9 aircraft.
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey estimates that bird and wildlife strikes to aircraft cost the U.S. civil aviation industry more than 500,000 hours of aircraft downtime, $250 million in direct aircraft damage and $77 million in other costs per year. Garvey is calling on industry to help collect information for a national data base to help control the problem.
Brazilian airline TAM took delivery of its first two A330-200s last week. It has five firm orders and five options on the aircraft, which will enable TAM to start long-range intercontinental services, initially between Sao Paulo and the U.S. TAM plans service later to Paris and other European destinations.
The Canadian government, in a rebuttal before the World Trade Organization (WTO), has disputed claims by Brazil that it has engaged in improper export subsidies for Canadian-built civil aircraft. The WTO last week in Geneva conducted four days of hearings on the Brazil claims as well as those of Canada concerning Brazil's ProEx interest-rate equalization program for aircraft exports (DAILY, Oct. 30, Nov. 13).
Air France is launching a winter fare sale for travel to seven European cities. Fares from New York, Boston and Washington start at $298 roundtrip, or $338 roundtrip from Chicago, Cincinnati, Houston or Miami. Sale fares from Los Angeles and San Francisco are $398 roundtrip. Travelers who book before Dec. 1 will receive the biggest savings, said Jean-Louis Pinson, VP and general manager-U.S. The discounts are valid for travel to Barcelona, Brussels, Lisbon, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Rome. Travel must occur Nov. 20-Feb. 28.
