Delta pilots on Friday ratified an agreement that provides pay rates, rules and working conditions on new-generation Boeing 737 aircraft, which the airline began operating in July. Approximately 60% of the pilots voting approved the agreement, which will be incorporated into the new contract. More than 88% of eligible pilots cast ballots.
Air France last week reached a complex wage agreement with the Syndicat National des Pilotes de Ligne (SNPL), which represents 55% of the airline's 3,450 pilots. SNPL plans to organize a ratification vote in the coming weeks. The accord already has come under criticism by ground staff because it increases pilots' decision-making power within the company. SNPL spokesman said the agreement was "largely inspired by advice from U.S. ALPA" (Air Line Pilots Association). Its main points are:
SkyMall, Inc. has launched a 256-page holiday catalog with merchandise from nearly 120 companies. The catalog, available to more than one million passengers on the domestic flights of SkyMall's 16 airline partners, features selections from 55 specialty retailers new to the program, including 1-800-FLOWERS, Gump's By Mail, Reliable Home Office and Tri-Star Products.
TWA has entered an agreement with the Archdiocese of St. Louis to fly Pope John Paul II on Jan. 27 from St. Louis back to Rome. The flight is aboard a specially chartered TWA aircraft with an official papal seal affixed to the side. The flight is the pontiff's fifth on TWA.
Air traffic control delays in Europe next summer threaten to reach the record levels of 1988 and 1989, particularly on routes to Southeastern Europe, according to the International Air Carrier Association. The Belgium-based group, whose members mainly serve Europe's regional, low-fare and charter markets, noted that ATC delays were substantially higher in many regions of Europe last summer than in 1997 and said it is "greatly concerned that delays will continue to rise, reaching the unacceptable levels" of 10 years ago.
Europe and the U.S. should form a common transatlantic aviation market as quickly as possible, while avoiding blanket regulations that lack to flexibility to deal with specific competitive situations, said Scott Yohe, Delta senior VP. Tackling narrow regulatory differences one at a time between the EU and U.S., such as cabotage, instead of the larger market's creation "will do no good," he said.
US Airways Friday took delivery of its first Airbus, an A319, beginning a delivery cycle for 124 firm orders. The airline has options on another 276 of the A320 family and a commitment for up to 30 widebody A330s, making it one of Airbus's largest customers. Airline Chairman Stephen Wolf said the Airbus fleet "will help us simplify and modernize our fleet, heighten passenger appeal and position US Airways for the changing competitive environment in which we operate."
Travel and tourism GDP within the U.S. this year is expected to increase by $15 billion and create 240,000 jobs, the World Travel Tourism Council predicts. Travel and tourism in many other countries is down, reflecting economic uncertainty.
Washington is ruminating about reconvening the Gore Commission shortly after Jan. 1. Among several topics that could be reviewed are critical infrastructure issues related to the national airspace system plan.
Delta has opened its first satellite reservations call center in Huntsville, Ala. The 125-position facility will employ 200 sales representatives and 20 management and administrative personnel.
Industry observers say they will be taking an interest in how FAA will justify, on a cost-benefit basis, rulemakings that will cost U.S. airlines billions of dollars to replace fire-resistant insulation on more than 4,000 aircraft when there is no evidence of a single injury or fatality attributable to an insulation blanket fire.The agency is required by law to do the cost-benefit analysis.
Flight Safety International promoted Chuck Urad to director-regional marketing and Richard Deuve to assistant manager at FlightSafety Paris Learning Center; and named Bill Nugent executive director-government contracts; Michael Grabbe director-maintenance training at the FlightSafety Learning Center in Bethany Okla., and Mark Tomasevich director-maintenance training marketing at FlightSafetyBoeing Training International.
Regional airlines' September traffic jumped 24.3% year-over-year - a 10.6-percentage-point spread over capacity, which was up 13.6%. The results were affected by the pilot strike at Northwest, which prompted a two-week shutdown by Airlink carriers Express Airlines I and Mesaba Airlines. Express I, which also cited the effects of Hurricane Georges on the Gulf Coast, saw revenue passenger miles and available seat miles drop by 69.8% and 54.7%, respectively. Mesaba traffic dipped 46.5% and capacity 32.1%.
Sabena will expand its route network during the winter season as it takes delivery of a new A321 aircraft and three new Avro RJ100s. The A321, scheduled for delivery in February, is the first of 33 Airbus aircraft ordered last year. Deliveries will continue through 2002. Developing its hub structure at Brussels Airport International, Sabena will serve Stockholm, Gothenburg and Manchester five times daily for business travel and increase frequencies to Tel Aviv, Palma, Ajaccio and Beirut for the winter leisure market.
Canadian Airlines reported a 16.9% increase in systemwide traffic on 9.2% more capacity in September, which pushed the load factor up 5.4 percentage points to 82.3%. The carrier, which benefited from Air Canada's 12-day pilots strike, reported 1.8 billion revenue passenger miles and 2.2 billion available seat miles. Domestic RPMs grew 16.9% to 610 million and ASMs 3.4% to 692 million, boosting the load factor 10.2 points to 88.2%. International RPMs rose 15.4% to 1.1 billion on 11.8% more ASMs, 1.3 billion, increasing the load factor 2.6 points to 80.8%.
United will offer electronic tickets for around-the-world flights, beginning Dec. 15. E-tickets will be available on United One and United Two, globe-spanning flights connecting New York, London, Delhi, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and back to New York. E-ticketing will go on sale Nov. 15 to Buenos Aires and Dec. 1 to Delhi, Bangkok, Seoul and Taipei, and in each case the first date of travel is Dec. 15.
Malaysia Airlines will launch Kuala Lumpur-Manchester, U.K., service in July 1999. The three weekly flights, to be operated with 777s, complement 14 weekly Kuala Lumpur-London operations. The new service will operate via Munich in both directions. MAS said the move was part of its goal of establishing the new Kuala Lumpur Airport as the major hub of the region.
Delta yesterday reported net profits of $327 million in the quarter ending Sept. 30, a company record for a third quarter and up 29% from the year-earlier period. Revenue increased 7% to a record $3.8 billion, while expenses grew 4.1% to 3.3 billion. Delta's quarterly load factor of 76.7% was the best of any quarter in its history and operating margin improved 2.4 percentage points to 14.5%. The airline posted earnings per share of $4.16, up 28% and well above the $3.90 per share Wall Street consensus.
A refusal by the Delta board to grant its pilot member full voting rights may cost the carrier a tentative agreement on flying its new 737-300G, 737-600, 737-700 and 737-800 aircraft (DAILY, Aug. 18). Pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, are voting today on whether to approve a tentative deal laying out pay, scope and working conditions for flying the new aircraft. Delta and its ALPA unit reached a tentative agreement on the new aircraft in June (DAILY, June 25).
