Lufthansa placed its planned order for 10 A340-300 aircraft, to be powered by CFM56 engines valued at $350 million. The carrier took options on seven more A340-300s. Lufthansa Cargo selected the General Electric CF6-80C2 engine to power six MD-11s. The GE order was valued at $150 million.
American asked DOT for authority to display Asiana's code on American flights beyond Asiana's U.S. gateways - between Los Angeles and Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago, Washington and Newark; San Francisco and Dallas/Fort Worth and Chicago; Seattle and Dallas/Fort Worth and Chicago, and New York and Boston and Washington - beginning Nov. 4. DOT previously approved code sharing on Asiana's transpacific flights.
Continental confirmed Friday that it, Northwest, KLM, Air France and Alitalia are exploring an international partnership that may be called "Wings." Other names are being considered and airline groupings are not yet set, a Continental spokeswoman said. The five carriers have held preliminary discussions but nothing has been finalized. "Right now, our focus is on getting the Continental-Northwest alliance approved," said Continental's Karla Villalon. The two U.S. carriers formed an alliance in January, but the U.S. Justice Department has yet to approve it.
Michigan's Unemployment Agency ruled that non-striking Northwest workers, such as flight attendants, baggage handlers, ticket agents and mechanics, will receive state unemployment benefits. Striking pilots do not qualify for the benefits, said Acting UA Director Jack Wheatley.
FAA will meet with Joint Aviation Authorities of Europe in a couple of weeks to go over safety standards for Very Large Aircraft, according to Tom McSweeny, newly named associate administrator for regulation and certification.Among other issues, the size of the prospective superjumbo has created concerns about evacuating hundreds of passengers under emergency conditions.
A push by European flight attendants to be licensed as crew members lost out at the Joint Aviation Authorities Operations Committee, which decided against a licensing program recently but is requiring flight attendants to carry an attestation of their training accomplishments and when they completed their last qualification training. The Association of European Airlines doesn't think licensing is necessary.
Tom Stuckey wants to leave FAA's Southwest Region, where he is manager of flight standards, to be director of Flight Standards Service at FAA headquarters. He has traveled to Washington three times since September, the last time visiting Tom McSweeny, the new associate administrator for regulation and certification. The job has been vacant nearly two years.
Delta china may not replace Wedgewood at elegant dinner tables, but it's becoming collectible. At least one Internet gift gallery has put pieces used on VIP international flights up for sale. A cup and saucer set is going for $25 and a dinner bowl or plate for $19. The pieces are marked on the underside as "Made for Delta Air Lines, Mayer China."
German Aircraft Industry and Production 1933-45, by Ferenc Vajda and Peter Dancey, traces in painstaking detail the Luftwaffe's rise and the manufacturers that made it possible in the 1930s, through postwar dismantling in 1945. Co-published by Society of Automotive Engineers and Airlife Publishing. $39.00. To order call 724-776-4970.
Canadian asked DOT for an exemption from the high-density slot regulations at Chicago O'Hare and a grant of six exemption slots to operate three additional transborder flights - daily Vancouver-Chicago-Toronto service and roundtrips to Calgary and Vancouver - at the start of the winter season. Canadian said Chicago "appears to have more slot capacity than is currently allocated," but it has been unable to obtain slots by purchase or from FAA.
House and Senate FAA appropriations and authorization bills remained unreconciled last week, but a House-Senate conference on the Fiscal 1999 appropriations bill started Friday. Airport Improvement Program spending authority expired Sept. 30 as Fiscal 1998 ended, and the program is suspended until renewed except for minor grant actions, an FAA spokeswoman said. A continuing resolution is keeping FAA and other federal agencies running in the absence of appropriations bills signed by President Clinton.
Braathens Group, absorbing Malmo Aviation into its operations in Sweden, will decide future strategy and establish winter and spring programs as soon as a new management team is in place. Its objective is to be the clear number two airline operator in Scandinavia and offer real competition to SAS. The company confirmed that it may expand its fleet of BAe 146 aircraft.
United's growing list of Internet-only international economy fares includes some previously unheard-of prices for roundtrip travel to Latin America. In this week's regular electronic mailing, the airline is offering New York Kennedy-Buenos Aires roundtrips for $399, Washington Dulles-San Salvador for $225 and Chicago-Mexico City for $199. Tickets must be purchased through United's web site, www.ual.com.
The Boyd Group predicts that the issue of small jets and who operates them "will be the biggest transportation labor issue in the next 36 months....It is going to be an issue of job security as it relates to mega-carriers operating 33- to 70-seat jets. Depending on how this unfolds, the issue could get real nasty." The scope question is the pilot unions' raison d'etre.
Comair has signed a 10-year agreement with Bombardier to acquire 50 additional regional jets - 20 of the new 70-passenger CRJ-700 and 30 more 50-seat CRJ-100s - for more than $1 billion, the Delta Connection carrier said yesterday. Comair, which already operates 67 CRJ-100s, also took options on 70 CRJ-700s and 30 to 45 CRJ-100s. All are powered by engines from General Electric, which valued the new order at $140 million.
An "overwhelming majority" of European Union member states support a European Commission mandate to negotiate a multilateral aviation agreement with the U.S., European Union Transport Commissioner Neil Kinnock said yesterday. Counting votes at the EU transport ministers meeting in Luxembourg, an EU official said "only three countries - Ireland, Germany and the United Kingdom - are still firmly opposed" to letting the commission negotiate on their behalf. But the commission needs a unanimous vote from all 15 EU member states to obtain such a negotiating brief.
MetroJet, US Airways' low-fare division, has launched its own web site at www.flymetrojet.com. Customers also can make reservations and buy tickets using the US Airways Internet reservations and information system, Personal TravelWorks. The MetroJet site features an animated ticketer with the latest MetroJet news and promotions, information on how to earn free travel, a route map, MetroJet information and news releases, and direct links to the US Airways web site.
European Union transport ministers took another step yesterday toward the phased ban of hushkitted Chapter 2 aircraft in the EU, adopting a "common position" to be referred to the European Parliament for a second reading. Under the agreement, European Union carriers will not be allowed to add hushkitted Chapter 2 aircraft to their fleets after April 1, 1999. After April 1, 2002, only aircraft EU carriers were operating before April 1999 will be allowed to resume flights.
DOT, frustrated by the lack of response from 47 foreign carriers among the 252 required to file family support plans, proposed yesterday to terminate the carriers' permits and exemption authorities. The 47 carriers are smaller airlines, mainly cargo carriers. About a dozen each are from Latin America and Canada and several are from Mexico and the Caribbean. A DOT source said roughly half of them do not currently operate to the U.S. In a show cause order, DOT gave interested persons 21 days to file objections and seven to file answers.
Richard Mintz, Invision Technologies' director-business development, discusses the status of explosives detection system deployment at U.S. airports, the work of FAA's Integrated Product Team, fiscal 1999 funding for airport security and new Invision products on Aviation News Today, to air Sunday on Washington's NewsChannel 8 at 12:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Delta is offering special sale fares to select domestic markets for customers who reserve and purchase travel through its web site at www.delta-air.com. Sample Internet roundtrip fares include $78 Atlanta-Knoxville, $98 Atlanta-Richmond and $138 Atlanta-Boston.
Delta Connection Comair, which initiated weekend Canadair Regional Jet service between its Cincinnati hub and Nassau in June, yesterday upgraded the operation to daily service. The Nassau service continues on to St. Louis from Cincinnati. The carrier also initiated two daily roundtrips between Cincinnati and Colorado Springs and added three flights from the hub to Washington Dulles. A fourth Dulles frequency will be added Nov. 1, bringing the total to five daily.
