Woodside Travel Trust, which says it is the world's largest travel management company, asked DOT to suspend processing of the American-British Airways antitrust immunity application until DOT and the Justice Department examine proposed domestic alliances. The motion, a late filing in the American-BA docket, raised familiar arguments against the market power of American and the alliance. It was filed by Woodside Chief Executive Ivan Michael Schaeffer and Edward Faberman, counsel for Woodside but also head of niche-carrier group Air Carrier Association of America.
Used Regional Aircraft Transactions March 1998 Carrier No. Type Engines Previous Operator AI(R) 1 AA ATR 42-300 PW120 Executive Alns Air Cargo 1 Shorts 360 PT6A-65R Corporate Air Carriers Air Charters 2 Metro III TPE331- Mesaba Alns 1OU-612G Air Jamaica Exp. 1 Shorts 360-300 PT6A-67R Gulfstream Int'l
Canadian regional carrier Inter-Canadien has been acquired by a group of investors led by Michael Page, a prominent business executive and former senior Quebec cabinet minister. The airline will continue to maintain its alliance with former owner Canadian Regional Airlines, a unit of Canadian Airlines International. Canadian Regional CEO Bob Reding said the investors have "an aggressive business plan that includes all employees and management of Inter-Canadien.
The European Commission said yesterday it has decided to prohibit what it called a "discriminatory system" of commercial fees for ground-handling services at Paris Orly and Roissy Charles de Gaulle airports. The system violates Article 86 of the EC Treaty and "impairs the smooth functioning of the single air transport market," the EC concluded. It did not fine airport operator Aeroports de Paris (ADP), however, noting that the case is one of the first in which European Union competition rules have been applied to the airport sector.
European Union transport ministers agreed yesterday in Luxembourg to establish next year a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to certify compliance of aircraft, equipment and procedures with international safety standards and make sure the standards are applied uniformly by all 15 EU members. EASA will supplant national authorities that currently are responsible for certification and control. Some common decisions are made through the Joint Aviation Authorities, but JAA operates informally and all its decisions require unanimity.
American and The Sabre Group are asking DOT to treat as proprietary and confidential certain documents contained in a filing by First Class Travel International (FCI), which asked the department Wednesday to find American and Sabre in violation of computer reservations system regulations (DAILY, June 18). The filing resulted from a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas that FCI could not sue American and Sabre under state law.
Fairchild Aerospace is hiring a number of former top executives from the former McDonnell Douglas and possibly Boeing to shepherd its new Dornier 728-series development and certification process. The first is John Wolf as chief operating officer. Wolf is a 30-year government and commercial aerospace veteran who held responsibilities for the MD-80, MD- 90, MD-11 and MD-95 (now the Boeing 717) at Douglas Aircraft. He is based at the Dornier facility near Munich.
Bombardier Aerospace CEO Bob Brown said this week the company has no intention of competing with Fairchild Dornier and Embraer in the 35- to 37- seat regional jet market. Such a move would require developing a whole new aircraft or entering a joint venture with another manufacturer. Those options hold little appeal for Bombardier, he said. Besides, he added, it is "very difficult to make money in that segment of the market, both for ourselves and the airlines."
The BAe 146 aircraft British Aerospace Asset Management-Jets (BAe-AMJ) sold to WDL Aviation recently is the sixth Series 100 Bae 146 BAe-AMJ has sold in the past eight months and indicates a "strengthening market" for the quadrjet, the used-aircraft marketer said (DAILY, June 17). During that period, AMJ sold Series 100s to Jersey European Airways (two aircraft), W.A. Moncrief (one), Formula One (one) and National Jet Systems of Australia (one).
Cincinnati-based Comair will upgrade a third flight to jet service on its five-times-per-day service between Cincinnati and Fort Wayne, Ind., effective Aug. 1, the company said. The Delta Connection affiliate claims to be the largest independently owned regional airline in the U.S. It operates more than 60 Canadair Jets.
Eurocontrol, the European Space Agency and the European Union agreed yesterday to work together to develop a European global navigation satellite system (GNSS). Eurocontrol Director General Yves Lambert, ESA Director General Antonio Rodota and U.K. Transport Minister Gavin Strang signed an agreement formalizing their cooperation in Luxembourg during a meeting of EU transport ministers. Building on the GNSS-1 system of U.S.
Northwest and its Air Line Pilots Association unit will return to the bargaining table despite the union's contention that management was not serious about negotiating and the talks had reached an impasse. The National Mediation Board said yesterday talks will resume under the auspices of NMB member Magdalena Jacobsen and mediator Jack Kane. The board, working with Northwest and the union to set up a negotiation schedule, said it wants the parties to try to reach a settlement without interrupting service.
Miami-based United Turbine Corporation has bought the PT6A and PT6T inventory of North American Turbines (formerly Aviation Enterprises International), also of Miami. The acquisition will more than double United Turbine's PT6A/PT6T overhaul, repair and test capacity. The inventory comprises parts, tooling and test equipment, including a PT6T dynamometer test cell. United Turbine Web Address: http://www.pt6.com. E- mail: [email protected].
Vietnam Airlines has selected Lufthansa A.E.R.O, a subsidiary of Lufthansa Technik, to overhaul the Pratt&Whitney PW124B engines on its ATR 72 aircraft. The two companies signed a three-year contract covering 14 engines. Lufthansa A.E.R.O. will provide Vietnam Airlines engineering services and aircraft-on-ground support, and will station a representative on site.
Ryanair Holdings plc announced as expected that it will offer 6% of its shares in an attempt to raise 50 million Irish pounds (US$70 million) for use in buying 25 737-800s scheduled for delivery between 1999 and 2003. The airline will also seek a listing in London. The Ryan family and Irish Air L.P. each will release 40% of the shares to be offered, and the rest will come from Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's chief executive officer.
The standard practice of issuing non-refundable tickets is under challenge in a class action lawsuit filed against Alaska Airlines by a Seattle attorney. The suit is scheduled for trial Nov. 1, 1999, in King County (Wash.) Superior Court. The plaintiff, Lem Howell, said he purchased tickets for eight witnesses to travel to Alaska to testify in a case that was settled after he bought the tickets but before the travel date. Alaska refused to refund the ticket money.
A new automated weight-and-balance system (WBS) has received a supplemental type certificate from FAA. Developed by Arlington, Tex.-based Trinity Airweighs, the system converts landing gear struts into scales with an accuracy equivalent to hydraulic load cells. It measures both aircraft weight and center of gravity without the use of traditional platform scales. The system was certified on a Saab 340B and the company plans to seek a similar STC shortly on a larger high-volume airplane such as the Boeing 737.
The number of passengers flown annually by U.S. regional carriers will grow to 126 million by 2008, spurred by the development of new, longer- range markets, according to a study conducted for the Regional Airline Association by AvStat Associates and the Stanford Transportation Group (STG).
Australia should pursue open skies agreements in order to avoid being left behind as international aviation is liberalized, a government commission recommended this week. In a draft report, "International Air Services to Australia," the government's Productivity Commission called for bilateral agreements that provide unlimited capacity for third-, fourth- and fifth- freedom service and code sharing; relax restrictions on intermediate and beyond rights and points of access to Australia, and permit seventh-freedom and cabotage operations.
Results of congressional and industry maneuvering on airline competition issues could surface soon, possibly at a House Transportation Committee markup next week. Committee Chairman Bud Shuster and others said yesterday they are working toward a consensus on DOT's proposed competition guidelines and domestic alliances. Sources said major airlines have persuaded some Republicans to support a long delay in DOT's proposed policy, while some Democrats want to give DOT pre-approval rights over domestic alliances.
SkyWest Airlines, a Delta Connection carrier, will use Canadair RJs to replace Delta's service from Salt Lake City to Fresno, Calif., Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Jackson Hole, Wyo. At the same time, from Salt Lake City, Delta will add one daily roundtrip each to Boston, a market in which it operates Boeing 757s, and Washington Dulles (757s and 737s).
