Top 25 U.S. Gateways For Nonstop Travel To/From Far East/Australia The Year 1997 % Change % Change Departures 97 vs. 96 Passengers 97 vs. 96 1 Los Angeles 25,315 3.2% 6,694,750 1.3% 2 Honolulu 21,915 -1.9% 5,555,803 -2.7% 3 San Francisco 12,982 -1.9% 3,190,322 -0.5%
Top 25 Far East/Australia Gateways For Nonstop Travel To/From The U.S. The Year 1997 % Change % Change Departures 97 vs. 96 Passengers 97 vs. 96 1 Tokyo, Narita 42,206 0.2% 9,193,128 2.2% 2 Osaka 15,267 18.6% 3,380,105 8.3% 3 Seoul 20,852 7.3% 3,041,495 -4.0%
General Electric - CF34-8D engines, which Fairchild Aerospace said have "the service-proven reliability, environmental and operational characteristics of current CF34 models." The -8D has 100% common turbomachinery, a common full authority digital electronic control, and 87% overall parts commonality with GE's CF34-8C1 engine, now "in an advanced stage of development."
Lockheed Martin's C-130J Hercules has received FAA type certification under Part 25 covering transport aircraft. Bill Bernstein, VP-Hercules programs, said the company now will concentrate on deliveries to customers requiring FAA certification, including the Royal Australian Air Force and the U.S. Air Force. The first aircraft was delivered Aug. 25 to Britain's Royal Air Force, which did not require FAA certification.
American Eagle will offer an introductory fare of $158 roundtrip for its new nonstop ERJ-145 service between Duluth and Chicago O'Hare, Eagle announced. Beginning Sept. 28, it will operate three daily roundtrips in the market using the 50-passenger jet. Separately, the carrier said it will begin replacing turboprop service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston Hobby Airport with jet service on Dec. 6. American will initially replace turboprops with new 50-passenger ERJ-145 jets on two of its 11 daily roundtrip flights. On Dec.
What was thought a dead concept - the AI(R)JET, a notion floated before the three-partner Aero International (Regional) consortium dissolved - could be revived.
BAX Global has divided its service area into four regions, each headed by a president - Steve Dearnley, Asia-Pacific region; Greg Montgomery, Latin America and Canada; Malcolm Heath, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Dennis Eittreim, U.S. George Arseneau was named senior VP-human resources and administration.
American officially has become a 10% shareholder in Aerolineas Argentinas, the carriers announced Wednesday in a ceremony in which Iberia also participated. American's regional VP-Argentina, Diego Cousino, will be chief executive of the Argentine carrier and American's David Cush was named chief operating officer, according to Aviation Latin America&Caribbean. American's 10% equity, valued at $25 million, came from holding company Interinvest. When the share sale is completed next May, American and Iberia will be the largest shareholders, each with 10%.
Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways said this week they will ban smoking on all international flights, starting with the spring 1999 schedule. The move is in line with practices at other international carriers, though the Japanese carriers are among the last to enact a total international ban. ANA's international ban will begin March 28, 1999 and JAL's April 1. The Japanese carriers, which usually announce competitive service initiatives on the same day, already have taken steps to ban smoking on domestic flights.
Travel agents told a House panel yesterday that a bill addressing their concerns over anticompetitive practices by major airlines is urgently needed, but an Airlines Reporting Corp. executive said travel agents continue as a thriving industrial sector that does not need protection. Rep. Michael Forbes (R-N.Y.), who introduced the Consumer Access to Travel Information Act of 1998 (H.R. 3704) in April, told the House Transportation aviation subcommittee yesterday his proposal addresses concerns that were overlooked in the recent focus on DOT's competition policy.
Top Africa/Middle East Gateways For Nonstop Travel To/From The U.S The Year 1997 % Change % Change Departures 97 vs. 96 Passengers 97 vs. 96 1 Tel Aviv 2,140 -11.9% 777,964 -9.2% 2 Istanbul 1,398 93.4% 238,170 88.3% 3 Cairo 935 17.6% 162,880 17.6%
Yugoslav airline JAT has stopped operating to Sweden and Germany, following a ban by the Council of Ministers of the European Union, which became effective this week. Other EU nations are expected to implement the ban soon. The EU took action against JAT because of Yugoslav military intervention in the province of Kosovo. JAT carries about 400,000 passengers per year to EU points.
DOT issued an order yesterday stating that United holds economic authority to operate its proposed Chicago-Buenos Aires service, and no further proceedings are needed. It dismissed requests by Continental and Delta for U.S.-Argentina certificate authority. (Dockets OST-98-3764, -3814, 97- 3218}
Fairchild Dornier has made final the configuration of its new 728 family of regional jets, which will be slightly skinnier than originally advertised. The cross section has been reduced from 134 inches - the same as the British Aerospace RJ85/100 series - to 128 inches. Put into perspective, it's still five inches wider than the MD-80's 123 inches. The change was requested by proposed launch customer Lufthansa CityLine for several reasons, Fairchild Aerospace President Jim Robinson told DAILY affiliate Farnborough Show News in an exclusive interview.
The Association of Asia/Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has established a Year 2000 task force to handle issues related to the anticipated computer glitch. AATA's 19 member airlines will be able to voice concerns and share information about Y2K issues, especially reliance on third-party providers, such as airports and air traffic control, which may not be Y2K-compliant. AAPA Director General Richard Stirland, confident that member carriers, their aircraft and systems will be Y2K-compliant, spotlighted regional infrastructure elements.
Rolls-Royce has wrapped up two new supply and upgrade contracts. The first deal, announced Monday at Farnborough, concerns a $36 million order from American Trans Air, the 11th largest U.S. carrier, for two RB211-535E4 engines to power 757-200s. The engines will be delivered in September and October 1999. The order also includes a spare engine to be delivered in November this year. The second deal is an order from Qantas to upgrade all the engines of its 18-strong fleet of B747-400s.
Embraer Chief Executive Mauricio Botelho sees the regional jet manufacturers benefitting from the world economic crisis, a crisis he said is still warming up. "It is getting hotter. Industry as a whole is starting to feel the impact," he told Show News. Embraer by Wednesday at the Farnborough Air Show had rung up 109 firm RJ orders - for 75 ERJ-135s from American Eagle, 25 ERJ-145s from Continental Express, five ERJ-145s from Luxair of Luxembourg and four ERJ- 145s from National Jet Services of Australia (DAILY, Sept. 9).
Northwest said recent actions demonstrate the folly of DOT's proposed competition policy, including steep fare increases by niche carrier Vanguard in the wake of the Northwest pilots strike. The major, like many other parties, filed its reply to comments on the policy this week while DOT was extending its deadline to Sept. 25. Within 48 hours after the pilots strike shut down Northwest, the carrier said, Vanguard increased Minneapolis-Kansas City fares. One-day advance purchase tariffs rose from $169 to $249 and walkup fares from $219 to $299.
United's flight attendants rejected a tentative agreement with the company regarding 300 flight attendants based in Honolulu made surplus when the airline withdrew from some Asian markets. The tentative deal with the Association of Flight Attendants would have reduced Honolulu flight attendants' cost of living allowance by 50% and permitted crews from the base to fly routes to the U.S. mainland without a layover. United said it already is subsidizing flying at the Honolulu base and costs will become worse in October when it ends Honolulu-Osaka service.
DOT Inspector General will begin an audit Sept. 28 of FAA's progress in applying new technologies to reduce runway incursions, especially in developing and deploying the Airport Movement Area Safety System and the Airport Surface Target Identification System.Industry has complained in the past about the pace of both programs.
Sun Country increased nonstop service from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Boston, Chicago, Washington Dulles, Los Angeles, Seattle and Phoenix. The charter carrier has added 21,250 seats through Sept. 21 for service from the Twin Cities to 16 cities since the Northwest pilots strike began.
Swiss World Airways' inaugural flight yesterday from Geneva to New York was piloted by Pierre A'Porta, the airline's founding chief executive. A'Porta, a longtime pilot and now chief operations and safety officer, is required to hold a line pilot's qualifications.
Northwest filed an emergency motion in an appeals court yesterday to stay DOT's order that the major provide support services to enable Northwest Airlink commuters Mesaba and Express I to fly to Essential Air Service communities. The filing, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, repeated arguments DOT turned aside when the carrier petitioned it directly: Northwest has been denied due process, and DOT is making factual errors because it does not fully understand how to apply the law to the carrier's commuter contracts.
Top U.S. Gateways For Nonstop Travel To/From Africa/Middle East The Year 1997 % Change % Change Departures 97 vs. 96 Passengers 97 vs. 96 1 New York, Kennedy 5,704 -5.6% 1,323,020 -7.5% 2 New York, Newark 332 -2.9% 123,682 18.7% 3 Miami 390 15.7% 94,018 22.6%
