Continental is the first airline to sign on with E-Travel Inc.'s new online direct booking system, ETLink. The new system allows corporations to book travel directly with airlines, car rental companies and hotels.
Southwest is offering one-way fares of $99 or less in several city-pairs, including Providence-Los Angeles, Albuquerque-Orlando, Baltimore-Oakland, Houston-Seattle and Chicago-Phoenix. Examples include Austin-Las Vegas, $99; Phoenix-San Diego, $39, and St. Louis-Tampa, $99. The tariffs are available until Aug. 13 for travel Aug. 25 through Dec. 17. A minimum one- night stay-over is required, and certain holiday periods are blacked out.
Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance Systems and Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning Systems markets will remain strong, according to research by Frost&Sullivan. Combined revenue reached nearly $165 million in 1997 and "will continue the high growth rate at least through 2000," the marketing consulting company said.
Boeing 757-300 made its first flight Sunday from Renton (Wash.) Municipal Airport. The aircraft will be able to carry 240 to 289 passengers at transcontinental range, and Boeing Commercial President Ron Woodard said it offers "the best seat-mile costs of any single-aisle aircraft on the market." Condor Flugdienst of Germany launched the 757-300 program with an order for 12 aircraft in September 1996.
Northwest has not approached President Bill Clinton or the Congress seeking a presidential emergency board to handle a potential strike with its pilots, said VP Law and Governmental Affairs Elliot Seiden. Seiden, responding to media reports that the carrier wants help from the government to halt a possible pilot strike on Aug.
Aviation Industry Stock Performance, July 1998 Closed Closed Monthly Change Symbol 7/31/98 6/30/98 ($) (%) Alaska Air Group ALK 42.125 54.563 (12.438) (22.8) America West (Class B) AWA 24.375 28.563 (4.188) (14.7) AMR 1 AMR 71.438 83.250 (11.812) (14.2) Continental (Class B) CAI.B 53.500 60.875 (7.375) (12.1)
AirTran on Sept. 9 will introduce nonstop Atlanta-Quad Cities/Moline service and will increase daily nonstop service between Atlanta and Buffalo, Orlando and Washington/Dulles with one additional flight in each market. On Sept. 16, it will introduce nonstop Atlanta-Miami service. AirTran also plans to introduce new nonstop Atlanta-Newark service in October. The fall schedule will expand AirTran's operations from Atlanta to 260 daily flights to 30 cities by October.
Domestic air cargo traffic fell 1.6% in May, but a 5.8% gain in international traffic brought overall growth to 1.8%, the Air Transport Association said. International mail was down 11.1% and domestic mail 6.6%. International freight and express grew 6.9%, while domestic freight and express fell 0.6%.
United has completed about 70% of its Year 2000 work on critical core computer systems and plans to complete it by March 31, 1999, spending an estimated $15 million for mainframe modifications and network-based programs.
Aviation Sales Co. said it has completed its previously announced $121 million merger with Whitehall Corp. Dale Baker, president of Aviation Sales, said the acquisition "significantly expands our presence in the $27 billion maintenance, repair and overhaul market. We are now able to provide our airline customers with nose-to-tail maintenance, repair and inventory management solutions."
AOM of France reported an operating profit of 27 million French francs (US$4.5 million) for 1997 after several years of losses, including a deficit of FRF160 million ($27 million) in 1996. Last year's net result still was negative, however, because the airline still is writing off costs linked to the 1991 merger of Air Outre-Mer and Minerve, which created AOM. The airline currently belongs to Consortium de Realisation (CDR), a subsidiary of troubled state-owned bank Credit Lyonnais.
America West Saturday observed the 15th anniversary of its inaugural flight with celebrations at its stations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The company said it is the only airline certified by the federal government after deregulation that went on to become a major carrier - the ninth largest in the U.S.
U.S. Major Carriers Unit Revenues and Expenses, By Region, First Quarter 1998 Operating Operating Operating Revenues Expenses Profit (Loss) Yield per ASM per ASM per ASM per RPM Carrier (cents) (cents) (cents) (cents) Alaska 9.13 8.54 0.59 12.24 Domestic 9.36 8.71 0.65 12.47 Latin 7.07 7.00 0.07 10.21
Continental, American and other major carriers tried to increase some of their leisure-travel fares by 4% during the weekend. But they were forced to roll the fares back after America West and Northwest refused to go along, industry sources said.
Northwest will begin all-jet service between Gulfport/Biloxi and Memphis Oct. 1. The new service will feature three daily roundtrips with DC-9-30s and increase Northwest's daily seat capacity in the market by 76%.
Sabre Group has acquired Maxi-Merlin, a maintenance product obtained from US Airways as a result of the multi-billion-dollar outsourcing deal between the two companies. Maxi-Merlin is a real-time system that provides detailed information to increase efficiency within an airline's maintenance department. The Sabre Group will license Maxi-Merlin to the airline industry, third-party repair organizations and overhaul operators, and eventually integrate it with other Sabre Group maintenance and engineering products.
Bell Helicopter Textron will build its new $40 million Tiltrotor Assembly Center at the Amarillo, Texas, airport, the company said yesterday. The selection followed an eight-month nationwide search, and Bell President Terry Stinson said the center will be the "first major aircraft manufacturing facility to be built in Texas in decades." The center will be used for production of the military V-22 Osprey and the Bell 609 commercial tiltrotor.
TWA's Air Line Pilots Association leadership, promoting its tentative contract agreement with the airline, points to Northwest and Federal Express as examples of what happens when contract negotiations are prolonged. In a recorded message to pilots, TWA ALPA Master Executive Council Chairman Joe Chronic noted that FedEx pilots still are regrouping after rejecting a tentative pact months ago, and Northwest pilots face a possible strike after months of federal mediation. Ballots on the TWA-ALPA deal will be mailed this week and tallied Aug. 30.
Amtran Inc., parent company of American Trans Air, has postponed indefinitely the proposed sale of 3.7 million shares of common stock, citing the decline in its stock price and weakness in the airline equity market. The company will renew its effort at a later date depending on market conditions.
DOT renewed through April 30, 1999, LIAT (1974) Limited's exemption to operate scheduled foreign combination service between Antigua and Barbuda, its homeland, and U.S. Caribbean points via and beyond to other Caribbean points, and wet-lease operations for Aerolineas Dominicana between San Juan and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. (Docket OST-98-3771)
Bombardier Global Express ultra-long-range business jet has received type certification from Transport Canada. The company has logged 80 firm orders split 50-50 between U.S. and international markets.
Alaska Airlines is promoting "summer clearance fares" on travel originating in Seattle and Portland. Sample one-way fares are from Seattle to San Francisco, Oakland or San Jose, $51; Reno, $53, and San Diego, $89. One- way fares from Portland include San Francisco, Oakland or San Jose, $48; San Diego, $75, and Phoenix, $99. Savings also are available on selected connecting routes with Horizon, American Eagle and Trans States from cities in the Pacific Northwest and California.
