Aloha Airlines will introduce electronic ticketing to Hawaii's interisland travelers in the first quarter of 1999. E-ticketing also will be available on Island Air, Aloha's affiliate carrier. Aloha and Island Air are the first interisland carriers to offer e-ticketing on interisland flights.
TPI International Airways' majority shareholder and president, Fred Catchpole, filed a $94 million tort claim against the federal government Monday, charging negligence in the FAA shutdown of TPI in 1990 and the loss of a U.S. Air Force cargo contract. The claim, which names the U.S. Attorney General, DOT, FAA and the U.S. Air Force, was filed in U.S. District Court in Brunswick, Ga. The suit cites the Air Force for negligence in failing to investigate allegations of sabotage against TPI's Lockheed Electras based at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.
London City Airport has acquired its third U.S.-built FMC LA1000 de-icing rig at a cost of #36,000 (US$57,240). Ground services Manager Greg Davidson said the new machine, delivered by Falcon Aviation, Duxford, will enable London City to offer a more efficient and safer de-icing service to its customer airlines.
Airbus Industrie is likely to fit into European industry consolidation as the commercial aircraft manufacturing arm of a giant European Aerospace and Defense Company (EADC) or, perhaps more likely, the umbrella under which such a company can be formed, Moody's Investors Service believes.
Emirates Airlines is extending a range of special offers popular with U.K. business travelers and rebranded it as The Collection. The offers are aimed at travelers paying full business- or first-class roundtrip fares. There is a free economy-class return flight with every booking; a free return first- or business-class flight with every three bookings of a like flight, and a companion fare at 10% of full price with every booking of a business- or first-class flight to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Muscat or Singapore.
United, Delta and Continental weighed in with DOT yesterday in their continuing battle for seven new frequencies to Brazil. Continental asked DOT for a delayed startup date on the basis of its just-completed assessment of Brazil's economic conditions, which show that the original 90-day startup requirement is "unrealistic in light of Brazil's current economic difficulties" (DAILY, Nov. 23). The frequencies were scheduled to become available Oct. 1.
The Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA) is becoming too formal an organization for Continental pilots, who want to remain independent of the umbrella group formed largely as a solidarity organization protecting pilot jobs. The Independent Association of Continental Pilots (IACP) this week abandoned plans to join CAPA after CAPA developed its constitution and bylaws and adopted its Statement of Solidarity Principles (DAILY, Nov. 24).
The European Commission will "state its position" on three transatlantic airline alliances "around Easter" 1999, European Union Competition Commissioner Karel Van Miert said yesterday in Brussels. The alliances concerned are KLM/Northwest, United/Lufthansa/SAS and Delta/Swissair/Sabena. The EC's "position" will consist of pointing out the aspects of the agreement it sees as a threat to fair competition. The EC also has been reviewing the planned alliance between American and British Airways, which is "stalled on both sides of the Atlantic," according to Van Miert.
AlliedSignal said yesterday it has delivered its first multi-mode receiver (MMR) to Southwest on a new 737-700. The MMR, which recently obtained initial type certification from FAA aboard the same aircraft, uses the instrument landing system for precision approach guidance and the Global Positioning System for non-precision approaches. Additional MMR type certifications are expected this year for the 757 and 767.
US Airways Group's board of directors has authorized the purchase from time to time on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions of up to $500 million of the company's common stock. The company will start the purchases after completing the stock purchases authorized by its board earlier this year.
Philippine Airlines resumed service last week on its Manila-Taipei route. The company originally wanted to use an A320 on the route but, in response to heavier-than-expected demand, used the larger A340-300. A company official said the route will be served by A340-300s or 747-400s, depending on the number of passengers booked.
I.M.P. Group International, Montreal, has acquired Air 500 Ltd. of Toronto, an air charter company providing business charters and specialized cargo transport.
Airport and Airway Trust Fund -- Income Statement October 1, 1997 - September 30, 1998 RECEIPTS (Revenues) September 1998 Revenues: Excise Taxes (Transferred from General Fund): Liquid Fuel other than Gas (23,696,000.00) Transportation by Air, Seats, Berths, etc. (306,863,000.00) Use of International Travel Facilities 61,246,000.00
US Airways filed its expected application for the seven U.S.-Italy frequencies that become available April 1, and Tower Air made the proceeding a four-carrier competition, moving to secure two of the frequencies for service between New York Kennedy and Rome. Updating and amending its November 1997 application for exemption authority, US Airways said it would use the frequencies for a daily roundtrip between its transatlantic gateway, Philadelphia, and Milan, using a 203-seat 767-200ER, beginning April 1.
Air Canada has announced the sale of its 10.2% interest in GPA Group plc (GPA) for a total gain on the sale of C$26.3 million (US$17 million) before taxes and $18 million (US$11.6 million) after taxes, or 10 cents Canadian per share. GPA is an aircraft leasing company based in Ireland.
UPS has applied to DOT for renewal of its exemption to fly to the Philippines. DOT granted the exemption in January 1997 and it expires in January 1999.
China Airlines and TransAsia Airways will invest in a company being formed to provide speed-post service between Taiwan and mainland China. The largest investor in the US$6.17 million venture - Chinese SpeedPost Corp. - will be Taiwan's Directorate General of Posts, which will take 49%. The remainder will be shared by CAL, TransAsia and Hsinchu Transport. The company, to be set up early in 1999, is expected to be fully operational by mid-year.
ProAir has taken delivery of a new 737-300 aircraft and will begin service Dec. 13 from Detroit City Airport to Atlanta and Orlando. The carrier will increase frequency Dec. 6 on routes from Detroit to Baltimore/Washington and Newark/New York. ProAir currently has three aircraft and plans to have four in service by mid-December.
Sabreliner Corp. said its Dimension Aviation unit in Goodyear, Ariz., received FAA approval to overhaul and maintain 727 aircraft. The operation already has FAA repair station certificates for 737 and DC-10 and MD-11 aircraft.
Pan Am International Flight Academy was selected by DHL Airways to provide training on DC-8-70, 727-200 and A300 aircraft. The academy will develop and build a training facility in Cincinnati with five simulator bays.
Airports increasingly are shifting away from the residual cost approach to setting airline fees, in many cases combining it with compensatory pricing, according to a new report on airport financing prepared by the General Accounting Office (GAO) for House Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Frank Wolf (R-Va.).
The rate of traffic growth at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport is expected to fall significantly as a result of the Asian economic crisis and a move by airlines to form global alliances. Sydney Airports Corporation (SAC) Chief Executive Tony Stuart said last week he is reassessing earlier growth forecasts in the light of these problems. According to an environmental impact study conducted by SAC last year, the number of passengers passing through the airport would double from the current leve to 40 million by 2000.
FAA said yesterday that the minimum percentage rate for random drug testing will remain at 25% next year and at 10% for random alcohol testing. The positive rate for drug tests in 1997 was about 0.7%, FAA said, and the positive rate for alcohol was 0.1%. There is a one-year lag in data that are not reported to FAA until the following year, the agency said.
