Grupo TACA named Joaquin Palomo VP and chief financial officer, Richard Kromka senior VP and chief information officer, Julio Flores VP-cargo and regional operations, Roberto Carbone, VP-marketing and sales, Alfredo Schildknecht VP-fleet and maintenance, Larry Ganse, VP-operations, Scott Dickson, VP-planning and revenue management, Jose Rojas, VP-corporate and government relations and Enrique Beltranena, VP-human resources and communications.
Delta's new Atlanta-Tokyo nonstop has "taken off like a shot," says Chief Executive Leo Mullin, despite the depressed Japanese economy. Load factors have averaged around 90% lately.
Reno Air and Canadian Airlines have entered a code-share agreement that will offer passengers of both carriers broader access to destinations throughout North America, Canada and Asia, the carriers said. Under the pact, Canadian will place Reno's 'QQ' code on its flights between San Jose, Calif., and Vancouver, B.C., and between San Diego and Vancouver. The agreement becomes effective Nov. 22.
Hewlett-Packard said Friday it has acquired Open Skies, a privately held company in Salt Lake City that provides reservations services to small and medium-size airlines. HP said its HP Systems and Open Skies software will "enable small to medium-size airlines to achieve extremely affordable airline-passenger reservations services. For a transaction-based fee of just cents per ticket, airlines could save potentially millions per year in ticket distribution costs," said David Evans, president of Open Skies.
Boeing 727-200 and 737 Systemwide Aircraft Utilization Per Day Second Quarter 1998 B727-200 American Continental Delta Number of Aircraft Operated 640 336 562 Total Fleet Operations Departures 2,180 1,262 2,659
Delta Chief Executive Leo Mullin admits that the carrier is behind the competition on international alliances and plans to ask the U.S. and French governments for antitrust immunity to strengthen its ties to Air France. Both Delta and Continental signed code-share and marketing alliances with Air France in April 1997, and the Continental-Air France link could be jeopardized by Delta's move. Mullin indicated that Delta is considering all international options at the moment.
Justice Department Friday filed a complaint against Northwest in U.S. District Court in Detroit challenging Northwest's proposal to assume a controlling interest in Continental.
Congress's failure to fund the U.S. National Tourism Organization could jeapordize the organization's future, USNTO has said. USNTO will spend the next month exploring funding options and deciding the organization's future. If the board chooses not to continue, the action will end more than three years of cooperative effort by the U.S. travel and tourism industry. Congress passed legislation creating USNTO in 1996 but did not include funding. The Travel Industry Association of America has covered all expenses for housing and staffing USNTO.
Air Transport Association has hopes that forcing DOT to conduct a study of its proposed competition guidelines will help make the issue a political hot button for Democrats during the presidential campaign season.ATA President Carol Hallett told airline executives in a memo that "the likelihood of the guidelines being adopted is diminished" and, "by injecting presidential politics into the debate, we hope to change the political dynamic and make it difficult or impossible for DOT to act."
Kiwi International Airlines is offering a student standby program offering a fare of $55 per segment, for full- or part-time students aged 18-25 who present a current school identification card. The fare is good for travel only between Newark, Chicago, Atlanta, Flint, Miami, Orlando and West Palm Beach, and some blackout dates apply.
Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of California 1909-1996 by Gary Macha. A guidebook to locating historical aircraft crash sites in uninhabited wilderness. Info Net Publishing; $19.95. To order, call 714-489-9292.
Sabena has agreed to let French engine company become a major equity partner in its maintenance and repair division, Sabena Technics, located at Brussels Airport International. According to the terms of a letter of intent signed last week by Sabena President Paul Reutlinger and Snecma President Jean-Paul Bechat, Sabena Technics' engine overhaul and repair facilities will be spun off into a separate subsidiary in which Snecma will take a 50% stake.
DOT - Approved a one-year renewal for Sunworld International to provide scheduled foreign combination service from Cincinnati and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, to St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles...Approved a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries charter using a HeavyLift Volga-Dnepr An-124-100 for one flight carrying wings and fuselage sections weighing 40,000 pounds on a Kansai-Fairbanks-Toronto routing Oct.
Alaska Airlines is reducing fares on much of the West Coast with a companion fare sale good for travel through April 2. Two people can fly roundtrip at reduced fares provided they travel together. Tickets must be purchased by Dec. 9 and a one-night stay is required. Sample one-way fares per person, based on roundtrip purchase, are $36 Seattle-Spokane, $40 Las Vegas-Los Angeles and $56 Seattle-Reno.
Queen Air, Aeronaves Queen, S.A., applied at DOT for a foreign air carrier permit and an exemption to engage in scheduled foreign combination service between Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and co-terminal points San Juan, Puerto Rico, Miami and New York. The Dominican carrier also wants to operate non-scheduled combination transportation between points in the Dominican Republic and any points in the U.S. Queen Air told DOT that on Oct.
DOT has named Big Sky Airlines to replace Aspen Mountain Air's subsidized essential air service at seven Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas points. Aspen Mountain Air filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 in August and said it could not continue service at the seven communities - El Dorado/Camden, Jonesboro, Harrison and Hot Springs, Ark.; Enid and Ponca City, Okla., and Brownwood, Texas.
FAA said yesterday it plans to fine Mexican carrier Taesa $160,000 for "operating a DC-10-30 in a cargo-carrying operation in excess of its maximum allowable gross eight and for failure to make repairs." FAA alleged a ramp inspection in Miami showed the aircraft operated 23,564 pounds over its maximum allowable gross weight while the manifest said it was operating under maximum allowable gross weight. FAA also alleged the company failed to repair a main fuel quantity indicator.
British Aerospace Asset Management expects to have only 35 Jetstream 31/32 turboprops still idle by the end of the year, after having 120 "parked in a nearby desert" three years ago, Dewi Rowlands, VP-sales and marketing, said this week in Las Vegas. The target this year is to get 58 into service - most with business and charter operators and several NASCAR teams - of which 42 already have been placed. Rowlands said he sees a market for about 30 19-seaters a year for the next three to for the next three to five years...
Northwest Airlink affiliate Mesaba Holdings earned a $2.1 million net profit, or 10 cents per share, for its fiscal second quarter ended Sept. 30, down 63.8% from the same 1997 quarter's $5.7 million, or 28 cents per share. Results in profit and revenue categories fell, depressed by effects of a pilots' strike against senior partner Northwest. Operating revenues, however, dropped only marginally - 0.4% to $71.7 million from $71.9 million in the September 1997 quarter.
U.S. Major Carriers Unit Revenues And Expenses, By Region Second Quarter 1998 Operating Operating Operating Revenues Expenses Profit (Loss) Yield per ASM per ASM per ASM per RPM (cents) (cents) (cents) (cents) Alaska 9.73 8.34 1.39 12.20 Domestic 9.80 8.41 1.39 12.34
Independent Association of Continental Pilots has written travel agents alerting them to a possible strike by Express pilots that would disrupt Continental operations. Express pilots, faced with unsuccessful contract talks, asked the National Mediation Board to release them from mediation. IACP President Bill Borrelli wrote agents that "as management remains intransigent...we are left with no choice but to prepare for drastic action."
Wood Dale, Ill.-based AAR Corp. has acquired the assets of Tempco Hydraulics, a Miami Lakes, Fla.-based, privately held regional aircraft landing gear repair and overhaul specialist, AAR announced. The acquisition, to operate under the name AAR Tempco Hydraulics, will be integrated into AAR's existing landing gear repair business in Miami, "expanding that unit's capability to include regional airlines," AAR said.
America West Holdings Corp., parent of America West Airlines and The Leisure Company, reported a 22% increase in third quarter net income to $21.9 million, compared with $17.9 million in the same period last year. The results were buoyed in part by lower fuel costs and reduced travel agent commissions, down 17.5% and 29.1%, respectively. Total operating revenue rose 5.1% to $499.2 million and total operating expenses 3.5% to $453.2 million. Salaries and related costs went up 7% to $112.1 million. Diluted earnings per share were 49 cents, up from 40 cents last year.
