- In Federal Register dated Aug. 14...Issued an airworthiness directive on Fokker F28 aircraft requiring inspections of the sealwire of the fireguards on the engine fire shutoff system...Issued an AD on Fokker F28 aircraft requiring inspection of the wing leading edge sections...Issued an AD on McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft requiring inspections of certain fuselage skin panels...Issued an AD on Hartzell E4A-3 propellers requiring inspection of blade counterweight clamps.
AirLiance Materials appointed Gwen Loquercio controller. Aviation Group appointed Thomas Smith president and chief operating officer. Dassault Falcon Jet promoted John Miller to director-interiors engineering. Electrosystems appointed Ronald Wilkinson VP-engineering and quality. Envirotainer named Michael Navaroli president. Fairchild Aerospace appointed Michael Vance director-government sales. Flight Dynamics named Robert George Seattle area representative.
China Airlines will become the first Asian airline to operate the new- generation 737-800 aircraft when the company takes delivery of its first 737-800 in September. CAL has ordered 15 737-800s for more than US$750 million. They will be configured to carry eight passengers in business class and 150 in economy class. A CAL official said the aircraft will set a high standard of safety, and its cockpit instrumentation is similar to that of other aircraft in the 737 series, making it easy for pilots to adjust to the new model.
Southwest will not replace its Quicket automated ticket vending machines it is scrapping (DAILY, Aug. 20), not because they can't handle Year 2000 software bugs but simply because they aren't used often. Now, 65% of Southwest's passengers fly ticketless.
Friday was the deadline for Air Line Pilots Association members at TWA to mail in ballots on their new tentative contract. Unit Chairman Joe Chronic told members that even if the contract "isn't everything it could have been," it has substantial improvements in pay and work rules. It's a "measured exercise of our collective will" that produced a document in a relatively short time, he said.
Last week's representation vote at Ryan International (DAILY, Aug. 21) made the carrier's pilots the 50th group represented by the Air Line Pilots Association and pushed ALPA membership past 50,000. Tower pilots joined in June, and Midway, Midwest Express and Reno were added during the past year.
Noel Hanlon, chairman of Aer Rianta, the Irish airport operator, will soon launch a "fundamental review" of his company's future development. The review was requested by Mary O'Rourke, Ireland's minister for public enterprise. Although Aer Rianta has managerial autonomy, it is a state-owned company and has come under attack from Ryanair and other private-sector aviation groups to reform its pricing policy on airport charges and other fees. Hanlon said proposals outlining Aer Rianta's strategic choices will be transmitted to O'Rourke early next year.
United's Denver hub flights departing within five minutes of schedule have improved from 61% in 1996 to 66.4% in the first seven months of 1998. The gain, via some 100 process changes recommended by employees, came despite a four-percentage-point increase in load factor during the same period.
Partner airlines promoting the benefits of frequent flyer links seldom mention blackout restrictions. The new American-US Airways link has such restrictions on 46 days in 1999. The US Airways-Air France link is even more restrictive - 68 days, one out of every six, are blacked out next year.
Lufthansa Cargo, Japan Airlines and SAS Cargo are working jointly to set up direct freight services between Frankfurt, Gothenburg and Osaka, starting Sept. 2.
EPA is developing national emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, for aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. The standards must be issued by Nov. 15, 2000. FAA, Aerospace Industries Association, Air Transport Association and other industry groups are working with EPA.
Japan Asia Airways will request an increase in the number of flights it is permitted to operate between Japan and Taiwan, an official of Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration said. To meet increasing demand for flights between Japan and Taiwan, JAA will request permission to add 40 charter flights to its annual quota. The request, expected to be made at an upcoming bilateral aviation consultation between Japanese and Taiwan officials, will be the first of its kind by a Japanese carrier.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Traffic January 1998 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles % (000) Change (Miles) (000) Change Alaska 828 5.41 838 693,589 7.92
Austrian Airlines Group's consolidated half-year pre-tax operating result increased 15% from 543.5 million schillings (US$43 million) last year to ATS626.9 million ($49.5 million) for the first six months of 1998. Most of the improvement came from consolidating the Tyrolean Airways subsidiary into the group's accounts. The group includes Austrian Airlines AG, Lauda Air and Tyrolean. The pre-tax operating result at Austrian (AUA) soared from ATS7.8 million ($616,000) to ATS458.8 million ($36.3 million) due to lower expenditures and much higher worker productivity.
Austrian Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A330-200. The aircraft is the first A330-200 delivered to a European airline and the first powered by Pratt&Whitney PW4000 engines to enter customer airline service. Austrian's fleet includes A310-300s and A340s, and the A330-200s will gradually replace Austrian's A310s on scheduled services. The change will enable Austrian to "fully enjoy the benefits of commonality between the A330s and A340s," Airbus said.
Fields Aircraft Spares reported sales of $5.8 million for its fiscal second quarter ended July 3, up from $2.9 million in the same period last year. The company had operating income of $621,000, up from $395,000, but a net loss of $1 million due to a one-time charge of $1.2 million. The results are down from net income of $115,000 the previous comparable quarter.
Air France's initial 20% share offering could be delayed until next year due to longer-than-expected pilot negotiations, according to French government statements. The airline would not comment on the government's privatization timing but did not deny the French Transport Ministry statements. Negotiations with pilots concerning pay rates were scheduled to conclude by Aug. 31 but are expected to continue into September. The delay is the second in as many months.
TWA was first among 30 carriers in on-time departures from London Gatwick Airport in July, the company told employees, another positive result of company efforts to improve operational performance. So far this month, the carrier completed 98.7% of its domestic scheduled flights, within striking distance of its 99% goal.
Omni Air International has sold its 727 cargo aircraft to Kitty Hawk Aircargo and will shift its focus to its DC-10 passenger business, the company said. Stan Burnstein, chairman, said that although the cargo business has been "very successful since we started it in 1993, our new strategic focus is to become the preferred DC-10 operator in the contract flight markets. Omni's current fleet comprises two DC-10-10s in 380Y configuration, which it purchased from American and placed in service last year.
Northwest said Friday it will waive fees if passengers want to rebook travel scheduled through Sept. 5. The airline, facing a possible strike Aug. 29, also advised passengers on transatlantic trips to consider flights operated by partner KLM. Separately, Northwest pilots planned Aug. 22 rallies in Minneapolis, Detroit and Memphis. "We remain confident in our ability to work out a new collective bargaining agreement provided Northwest management comes to the table with reasonable proposals," said Northwest Master Executive Council Chairman Steve Zoller.
International low-fare startup carriers will be a burgeoning sector of the aviation industry, according to one startup specialist. "A lot of regions are going very quickly from highly regulated skies to a multidimensional market where the environment is right for new airlines," said Stuart Klaskin, consultant with Klaskin Kushner&Co. After success of startups in Europe and two new airlines in Japan, Klaskin says there is "a big opportunity to launch a low-fare carrier in Latin America."
Atlantic Southeast Airlines pilots Friday approved a contract that was tentatively signed by management and Air Line Pilots Association leadership on July 22 after a three-day bargaining session. More than 91% of the 500 ASA pilots voted, 89% in the affirmative. Randy Poole, chairman of the ALPA unit at ASA, said the contract was a significant improvement over the offer members turned down on March 12. Poole said a new cooperative approach with ASA management would help keep the carrier in its position as an industry leader.
Qantas posted a 13.6% rise in operating profit to AUD$478 million (US$282.3 million) for the year that ended June 20, despite a withdrawal from some Asian routes and depressed yields on others. Net profit increased 20.7% to AUD$305 million ($180 million). Qantas Chairman Gary Pemberton cited the airline's swift alterations of its Asian routes as the chief reason for the improved results. "The timely rationalization of our Asian services, together with the reallocation of capacity to stronger routes, has reduced the adverse impact during the year," he said.
Lockheed L1011 and McDonnell Douglan MD-11 Systemwide Aircraft Utilization Per Day First Quarter 1998 L1011-1/200 Delta Number of Aircraft Operated 28 Total Fleet Operations Departures 93 Block Hours 277 Flight Hours 234
