Grupo TACA is developing programs that will help the citizens of several Central American countries left homeless and without food in the wake of Hurricane Mitch. The group of airlines is operating cargo flights to help Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala and running a domestic operation to support emergency operations in Honduras. Because major roads have been washed out, TACA has begun flying passengers from San Pedro Sula to Belize and Tegucigalpa in Honduras with regional aircraft. San Pedro Sula Airport has been closed to jet operations.
United said yesterday that under its effort to reduce costs and prepare for a possible economic recession it will cap the travel agency commission rate on international tickets purchased in the U.S., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada. Tickets bought elsewhere from these points will earn an 8% base commission with a $100 cap on each roundtrip and a $50 cap on each one-way flight.
Midway Airlines is offering Thanksgiving Holiday fares for travel originating Nov. 23 or 26 and returning Nov. 26-28. Sample roundtrip fares include $138 Raleigh/Durham-Washington, Columbus or Atlanta and $158 Raleigh/Durham-Boston.
Air Transport Association has named Robert Frenzel its new senior VP- aviation safety and operations. Frenzel, currently a VP at United Parcel Service, was a member of the National Civil Aviation Review Commission and vice chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee. He was selected based on a recommendation from ATA's search committee. ATA President Carol Hallett said he will hold "an extremely important position for the airline industry."
DHL Worldwide Express and UPS are preparing to expand their delivery network to accommodate increased shipments for the holidays and the possibility of a Federal Express pilots strike. FedEx pilots, in contentious talks with the company, will count strike ballots Dec. 3. DHL said it is acquiring supplemental temporary aircraft, increasing flights of existing aircraft and securing additional capacity from cargo carrying airlines. It is hiring temporary employees and moving some part-time employees temporarily to full-time status.
Airbus and Boeing are said to be in a real dog fight in the marketplace over the A318 and 717 Airbus and Boeing are said to be in a real dog fight in the marketplace over the A318 and 717, with prices being quoted as "under" $18 million for the 100-seaters. That being the case, they could have a major impact on the new 90-seat offerings by Bombardier, Fairchild Aerospace and potentially ATR - which are expected to come to market in the $22-$25 million range.
Atlas Air requested an initial two-year exemption to operate scheduled cargo service from points in the U.S. via intermediate points topoints in The Netherlands and beyond. It plans to operate three weekly roundtrip flights between Chicago, Miami and New York and Amsterdam, using 747 aircraft. The carrier told DOT it "is prepared to institute service as soon as it receives the necessary regulatory approvals." Atlas said that while it "initially intends to serve three U.S. points, it is requesting broad authority to serve any U.S.
Varig leased two Boeing 777-200IGW aircraft from International Lease Finance Corp. The GE90-powered aircraft are scheduled for delivery in March and April 2000 on 10-year leases.
FAA yesterday ordered MD-11 operators to inspect and possibly replace two cockpit dimmer switches, saying they sometimes overheat and emit a burning odor and smoke. The agency said there is no evidence that the overheated switches have caused damage to any other parts, but it is acting because smoke in the cockpit can distract the crew. "There also is nothing to indicate that these switches are related to the Swissair crash" - an MD-11 on Sept. 2 in Canada - the agency said.
Raleigh/Durham, N.C.-based Midway Airlines reported a 13.2% increase in traffic on 13.6% more capacity for October over the same month last year, which pushed the load factor down 0.2 percentage points to 65.7%.
Delta Connection affiliate Comair has painted its 70th, and most recently delivered, Canadair Regional jet with a design based on the skyline of the carrier's headquarters city, Cincinnati. A Comair pilot, Rob Damato, developed the design, winning a company-wide contest that included more than 70 entries. Comair claims to be the largest independently owned regional airline in the U.S.
Atlas Air has entered a standard wet-lease agreement with Federal Express Corp. for two Atlas 747-400 and one 747-200 freighters, with service to begin in the fourth quarter. FedEx, which is embroiled in a bitter contract dispute with its pilots' union, has set down a contingency plan in the event of a pilot strike that includes contracting for airlift. Atlas Chairman, Chief Executive and President Michael Chowdry said, however, that Atlas and FedEx have been discussing the deal for some time.
Royal Jordanian Airlines is offering passengers a mobile phone free while in Jordan. Business-class passengers can have a phone for up to 21 days, while those traveling in economy can have up to seven days free. The rental is free - passengers must pay for their calls, insurance and taxes.
Regional airline revenue passenger miles increased by an average of 32.4% in October among 14 of the nation's largest carriers. The average increase in available seat miles was 5.8 percentage points behind at 25.5%. Results for Mesa Air Group and United/Delta affiliate SkyWest were not available. United Express Atlantic Coast Airlines led all gainers with a 94.4% increase in traffic, 14.4 points more than its near 80% gain in capacity as more Canadair Regional Jets joined the fleet. United Express Air Wisconsin had the highest point spread of the group.
Indianapolis-based Chautauqua Airlines reported an 11.3% rise in traffic on 3.3% more capacity for October 1998 over October last year, which pushed the load factor up 3.9 percentage points to 54.6%. The carrier flew 16 million revenue passenger miles and 29.3 million available seat miles. Passengers boarded grew 11.8% to 73,335. Year-to-date RPMs increased 8.7% on 2.1% fewer ASMs, causing a 5.3-point gain in load factor. Passengers boarded grew 6.8%.
An audit by the DOT Office of Inspector General (OIG) concludes that FAA could do a better job of reacting to complaints received via the hotlines of the OIG and the FAA administrator. If it does not improve, the OIG said, allegations of fraud, waste or abuse might not be properly investigated. "We found deficiencies in FAA's reviews, or inadequate corrective actions for six, or 12%, of the 52 hotline referrals selected for review," the OIG said. "In addition, three of the six referrals exhibited more than one deficiency."
Amakusa Airlines of Kumamoto, Japan, barely one month old, has placed an order with Bombardier for one 39-seat Dash 8Q100, with delivery scheduled in October 1999 and revenue service planned for the spring of 2000, Bombardier announced. Amakusa Airlines, formed Oct. 9, is held 80% by local municipal governments, with the largest shareholder the government of Kumamoto Prefecture. The carrier plans to use the Q100 to fly two daily roundtrips between the tourist resort town of Amakusa and Fukuoka, as well as two daily roundtrips between Amakusa and Kumamoto.
Teamsters union promises to challenge Federal Express's right to call itself an airline under the Railway Labor Act if the company makes good on its plan to become more dependent on ground transport if its pilots strike. Two years ago, FedEx won dispensation from Congress to classify itself an airline and thus fall under the jurisdiction of the Railway Labor Act (RLA) rather than the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).Unionizing under RLA is more complicated and demanding than under NLRA.
Northwest pilots, in their recent contract, have agreed to allow Northwest Airlink affiliates to acquire up to 50 50-seat regional jets. Although details were not immediately available, the new scope clause would tie future acquisitions to the number of new narrowbodies added to the mainline fleet. The agreement also would grandfather the number of Avro RJ85s operated by Airlink carrier Mesaba. The regional affiliate has on order 36 RJ85s, which are limited to 69 seats under the previous scope clause. Northwest has been evaluating both the CRJ and the ERJ-145.
Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), a member of the Senate Appropriations transportation subcommittee, yesterday was declared the winner of last Tuesday's Senate race in Nevada by 401 votes. A recount of absentee ballots in one county shaved 58 votes off his election day margin of 459 votes. After announcement of the results yesterday, a Reid aide said, "It's complete. The Senator won by 401 votes. That's the final count." An aide to Rep.
The Canadian government has told the World Trade Organization that ProEx export subsidies granted Embraer regional jets are prohibited under Article 3 of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) and must be withdrawn.
Grupo TACA Chief Executive Federico Bloch was elected chairman of the 26- member ITAL, the association of Latin American airlines, at the group's annual meeting in Lima. The outspoken Bloch replaces SAETA Chief Executive Robert Dunn Barriero, who has led the group for the past two years.
Summary of U.S. National Carriers Systemwide Traffic April 1998 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles % (000) Change (Miles) (000) Change AirTran Airlines 525 47.88 593 311,744 46.28
TWA has donated five million frequent flyer miles to the Salvation Army. A Salvation Army spokesman said the miles will enable the organization to help victims in disaster areas. The Salvation Army sent 75 volunteers on TWA flights to the Caribbean to help victims of Hurricane Georges.
United Airlines Cargo has signed an integrated marketing contract with Wunderman Cato Johnson Chicago, which has been working on initiatives for United Cargo through 1998 and currently is planning for next year.
