Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) introduced legislation yesterday that would give consumers better access to information about the airline industry. DeFazio, a senior member of the House Transportation aviation subcommittee, would require airlines and travel agents to identify the carrier providing service if it is not the carrier issuing the ticket, travel agents to disclose special incentives they receive for booking on a particular carrier, and airlines to disclose all available fares and keep records on frequent flyer benefits for specific city-pairs.
Charlotte, N.C.-based CCAIR, which provides service as US Airways Express in the Southeast, reported a 34.2% increase in traffic to 15.3 million revenue passenger miles as available seat miles swelled 20.6% to 27.4 million.
An Air Algerie pilots strike, entering its fourth day today, has virtually grounded air travel in the North African country.The strike's impact is worse than it would be in another country, since nearly all foreign carriers have withdrawn service from Algeria because its bloody six-year-old civil war made it too dangerous to operate there.
U.S. National Carriers Financial Results Second Quarter 1998 Second Quarter 1998 Operating Operating Revenues Expenses (000) (000) AirTran Airlines $ 123,988 109,564 Aloha 58,410 54,960 American Trans Air 229,463 202,442 Frontier 42,888 42,463
The FAA reauthorization bill may go to floor votes stripped of major policy provisions, including one that would return slots at Chicago O'Hare Airport to American and United and another affecting the perimeter rule at Washington Reagan. The Senate Commerce Committee asked the Appropriations Committee yesterday to attach the bill to the omnibus appropriations bill being prepared for end-of-session action. As of yesterday, the Chicago O'Hare slots provision was no longer in the reauthorization bill, a Commerce Committee spokeswoman said.
Cincinnati-based Comair flew 186.7 million revenue passenger miles last month, 23.5% more than in September 1997. Capacity climbed 11.8% to 281.4 milion available seat miles, allowing the load factor to rise 6.3 percentage points to 66.3%. Boardings gained 21.8% to 551,185. Sept. 1998 Sept. 1997 9 Mths 1998 9 Mths 1997 RPMs 186,664,000 151,168,000 1,513,321,000 1,307,365,000 ASMs 281,441,000 251,747,000 2,397,534,000 2,218,659,000
A week after informing Garuda that foreign carriers will be allowed to fly from their home base to any point in Indonesia, the government has denied this, saying there was a "miscommunication." Communications Minister Giri Hadihardjono told The DAILY in Jakarta that the government's statement was "misinterpreted," saying it applied only to charter flights, not scheduled services. Clearance from the Ministry of Communications must also be obtained.
Flight attendants at Dulles, Va.-based Atlantic Coast Airlines, who are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants, yesterday approved a four-year contract. Details of the pact were not available. ACA union leadership and management reached a tentative contract agreement Sept. 10.
Taiwan-based U-Land Airlines is reportedly facing serious financial difficulties after two other companies belonging to the U-Land group bounced checks for NT$140 million (US$4.06 million). Officials said several companies belonging to the group could seek protection under Taiwan's bankruptcy laws. Last Friday, the day on which the group's financial woes first came to attention, U-Land announced it was suspending indefinitely all 14 of its daily domestic flights.
Congressional consideration of giving slots at Chicago O'Hare Airport back to United and American would be tantamount to handing the two carriers a $100 million gift and make a mockery of the regulatory and legislative process, said Business Travel Coalition President Kevin Mitchell. Mitchell issued a statement yesterday opposing language under consideration by Congress as part of the FAA reauthorization bill that would return to the two carriers 42 O'Hare slots that were meant for foreign carrier use under bilateral agreements.
Vanguard Airlines said yesterday it will report an operating profit of more than $3.5 million for the third quarter on revenues of $30 million. The airline, which has struggled to turn a profit since its inception four years ago, would post an operating margin above 11% in an industry where double digits are rare. The carrier expects to show a $1 million operating profit for the first nine months of 1998 and has a goal to turn a profit for the year, which would compare favorably to last year's $25 million operating loss.
Air Canada will begin three-times-daily Ottawa-New York LaGuardia nonstop service Oct. 26, complementing its current schedule of daily Ottawa-Newark nonstops. On Nov. 2, the carrier will reduce Ottawa-Newark service from four to three times daily, bringing its total daily Ottawa-New York area nonstops to six. Air Canada will operate 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet aircraft on both the LaGuardia and Newark routes. It wants to draw more business travelers by serving airports close to Manhattan's business area, said Ronald Waters, general manager-passenger sales, U.S.
America West mechanics and related personnel, represented by the Teamsters, yesterday ratified a five-year contract. The carrier's roughly 400 union members approved the pact by 74%. Chairman William Franke said the contract "addresses key issues raised by America West's maintenance technicians while allowing the airline to maintain its productivity and strategic cost advantage."
U.S. Major Carriers Pacific Share of Service Second Quarter 1998 Total Revenue Departures American 637 Delta 754 Northwest 6,048 United 5,536 Total 12,975 Average Number of Seats Per Departure American 233
U.S. negotiators left the U.S.-U.K. bilateral talks early yesterday, ending the third and last scheduled day of the current round, "after determining that there was no possibility of making progress on any of the outstanding core issues for achieving an open-skies regime," according to a State Department spokesman. The two sides had "productive discussions" on technical matters but "failed to move forward" on significant issues, the spokesman said. A DOT spokesman said the U.S. is ready to resume talks once it has assurances that the U.K.
Boeing Co., which dismissed Ron Woodard last month as president of its ailing Commercial Airplanes unit, will restructure the division into three new business units "to help us deliver value and quality airplanes and services to our customers with significantly improved efficiency," Woodard's successor, Alan Mulally, said yesterday. The three new operations are the Single-Aisle Airplane Business Unit, Twin-Aisle Airplane Business Unit and Customer Services Business Unit.
Taiwan's China Airlines and Singapore Airlines have begun to implement a memorandum of understanding that broadens their alliance. The agreement includes a provision for SIA to buy 5-10% of CAL stock, building eventually to a 30% holding. SIA formed an alliance this year with CAL and sent several pilots and staff to assist CAL operationally; one pilot became special assistant to Chairman Hung-i Chiang (DAILY, Aug. 6).
DOT yesterday granted in part a joint request by Continental, Delta, Tower, TWA, US Airways and United to discuss - but not for a full day as the carriers requested - with BAA Plc and Airport Coordination Ltd. barriers to entry at London Heathrow Airport during the oral hearing on antitrust immunity for the proposed American/British Airways alliance, set for Oct. 26-28 in Washington.
France's competition watchdog, the Conseil de la Concurrence, fined Air France and airport manager Aeroports de Paris 10 million French francs (US$1.7 million) for anticompetitive traffic distribution. The decision, to be published soon, went unnoticed when it was issued June 2 because Air France was facing a pilots strike. The case pertains to the reorganization of traffic between Paris Orly's South and West terminals between 1994 and 1996. Several smaller French airlines, including Air Liberte and AOM, lodged complaints against their relocation.
America West's September traffic increased 12% on 2.7% more capacity, which boosted the load factor 5.5 percentage points to 66.6%. The airline carried 1.41 million passengers last month, versus 1.34 million in the year-earlier period. During the first nine months of 1998, America West's traffic was flat on 2.6% more capacity, which forced load factor down 1.8 percentage points to 68.2%. The airline has carried 13.96 million passengers so far this year, half a million fewer tha in the first nine months of 1997.
Kiwi International will begin daily flights between Newark and Flint, Mich., Oct. 26. The carrier is offering introductory fares, starting at $59 one way, and a free flight next spring to any of its Florida cities for passengers who fly three Newark-Flint roundtrips.
LOT Polish Airlines is offering domestic and international tickets for sale via its Internet site, www.lot.com. The airline has updated its site in other ways, including the ability to book hotels and car rentals.
