John Wolf has been named chief operating officer of Fairchild Aerospace. He has been an executive of the Douglas MD-95 development program, subsequently renamed the Boeing 717. At Fairchild he will be responsible for development and certification of aircraft, including the all-new 728JET family.
U.S. National and Regional Carriers Traffic May, 5 Months 1998 May May % 1998 1997 Change Air Wisconsin Revenue Passenger Miles (000) 72,106 48,849 47.6 Available Seat Miles (000) 112,266 74,775 50.1 Load Factor (%) 64.2 65.3 Passengers 218,696 151,131 44.7
Allied Pilots Association, which represents American's pilots, will sign a protocol in July with pilots at international carriers affiliated with American aimed at protecting pilot jobs in a work action or strike. Discussions with the other carriers' pilot unions were finalized last week at a meeting in London, APA President Rich LaVoy told The DAILY yesterday, and the agreement will be signed July 23 in Tokyo.
Express Airlines I, which flies as Northwest Airlink, reported a 22.6% drop in traffic on 28% less capacity in May, boosting the load factor 4.5 percentage points to 65%. The Northwest subsidiary flew 32.7 million revenue passenger miles and 50.4 million available seat miles. It carried 115,165 passengers, 34.5% fewer than May a year ago.
The ever-shifting date for the European Commission to suggest conditions for airline alliances is now July 1, according to an EC source. American- British Airways and United-Lufthansa-SAS likely will be the focus. In a separate action, the EC issued a notice inviting public comment within 30 days on the Northwest-KLM alliance, apparently to call attention to changes in the deal since the first such notice was issued.
FlightSafety Boeing Training Center International's St. Louis Airline Center has been awarded an FAA training certificate under the new FAR Part 142, enabling it to train pilots as a certificate-holder similar to an airline. The rule change provides a common source for standardized training and makes certification accessible to individuals and corporate operations as well as airlines. The company also received an FAA certificate for its latest full flight simulator - for the 737-700, which was installed at the Seattle training center.
Philippine Airlines is laying off 5,000 workers - nearly 40% of its staff of 13,000 - to stave off total shutdown in the wake of a disastrous pilots strike. The airline has canceled most of its domestic and international flights and said last week it was "on the brink of collapse" (DAILY, June 15). In a statement issued Monday, the carrier said the 11-day strike forced it "to immediately downsize in order to forestall further losses and certain closure." With only a handful of flights operating, more layoffs may be ahead.
Delta asked DOT to modify the 90-day dormancy condition that applies to its U.S.-Mexico exemption authority for various city-pairs, to begin Aug. 15. The carrier plans to begin service on the routes before that date. DOT granted Delta a one-year exemption in March for service planned as a code share with AeroMexico on a systemwide basis over each carrier's domestic network. (Docket OST-97-3289)
Daniel Burnham, vice chairman of AlliedSignal, was selected as president and chief operating officer of Raytheon, Raytheon's board said yesterday. Burnham's appointment will take effect July 1, and on Dec. 1 he will succeed Dennis Picard as Raytheon chairman and chief executive officer. The board cited Burnham's experience in defense electronics and commercial products, and his record in converting defense technologies to commercial markets.
Singapore Airlines is offering automated check-in machines at Singapore's Changi Airport for the first time. Passengers can use the machines if they are traveling without checked baggage and have an automated ticket with a confirmed reservation. The new system, in Terminal 2, enables passengers to check in quickly, making seat selections and receiving boarding passes. First- and business-class passengers also can use the machines to record their frequent flyer mileage and receive an invitation to SIA's Silver Kris lounge.
House Transportation aviation subcommittee will mark up two key bills tomorrow: H.R. 2748, Chairman John Duncan's (R-Tenn.) Airline Service Improvement Act, and the Airport Improvement Program reauthorization. Room 2167 Rayburn, 9:30 a.m.
India's Directorate General for Civil Aviation granted formal permission to ORBI Georgian Airways, the national carrier of the Republic of Georgia, to operate scheduled service between India and Georgia. The airline has not yet told DGCA when it intends to launch service or what its flight schedule will be.
DOT Inspector General's office will audit travel agent commission overrides - the extra commissions airlines offer travel agents based on reaching sales goals. The IG wants to determine what effect the overrides have on airline competition and consumer interests.
A proposal to give airline employees protection from retaliation if they report safety problems received a boost yesterday from DOT Secretary Rodney Slater, who joined legislators and union leaders at a Washington news conference urging passage of the Aviation Safety Protection Act. In a letter last month to House Transportation aviation subcommittee chairman John Duncan (R-Tenn.), Slater invited supporters to include the measure in the FAA reauthorization bill if the separate bill is not enacted soon.
Frontier Airlines posted a $2.1 million net loss in its fiscal fourth quarter, which ended March 31, an improvement over its $3.3 million loss a year earlier. But the carrier lost $17.7 million in 1997-98, far worse than its $12.2 million loss a year earlier. Quarterly revenue increased 26.7% to $41.9 million, and annual revenue was $147.1 million versus $116.5 million a year earlier. "About the best we can say about last year is that we survived," said Frontier spokesman Bob Schulman. "Now, we're making plans to thrive."
Ansett Australia is offering travel packages to China and Hong Kong for the rest of June that provide roundtrips to Shanghai for as little as US$599 from several Australian cities. A trip to Beijing costs $662, with the Shanghai-Beijing portion flown by Air China. The overnight flight from Sydney to Hong Kong costs $605.
Northwest and its International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers unit reached a tentative contract agreement yesterday following 22 months of often contentious negotiations. Details of the accord were withheld pending ratification by Northwest's 27,000 IAM members. Local 1833 President Vince Bazzachini said he was glad the two sides had reached a tentative agreement but noted, "It's not over.
Hawker Pacific Aerospace has signed a five-year agreement with United Parcel Service Co. to provide landing gear maintenance for 16 747s. It also will perform flap tracks and flap carriages services, a new product line. The contract was valued at $5 million. Hawker also has a contract with Federal Express. The UPS work will be done at Hawker's U.K. facility.
Qantas selected Rolls-Royce RB211-524 engines to power three new 747-400s. The manufacturer said the engine also was selected by Cathay Pacific, followed by South African Airways, Cargolux and British Airways. The engine has been improved with technology developed for the Trent engine family, according to Rolls. The Trent combustor reduces nitrogen oxide emissions by 40%, making the -524 the "lowest-NOx engine on the 747-400."
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Legislative Action President Phil Boyer said the organization opposes a bill amendment that would permit anti-drug officers to order civil aircraft to land, regardless of whether there is reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. The measure also would require innocent pilots to pay thousands of dollars to reclaim their aircraft, he said. Sen. Paul Coverdell (R-Ga.) offered an amendment to the tobacco bill giving law enforcement officers more authority to curtail maritime and aviation drug smuggling. Rep.
Dragonair will purchase an advanced Airbus A320 simulator from CAE Electronics. The simulator, to be housed at the new Chek Lap Kok airport, will be the centerpiece of a new cadet flight training program. The first corps of pilots will start training in early 1999.
British Airways, increasing its Florida market capacity 22%, is adding three positions in the state. Adrian Barton was named to the new position of manager customer services for Miami, Rick Schulz duty manager for Orlando and Carole Marquetty duty manager in Tampa.
U.S. Major Carriers Traffic May, 5 Months 1998 (000) May May % 1998 1997 Change Alaska Revenue Passenger Miles 940,000 842,000 11.6 Available Seat Miles 1,367,000 1,262,000 8.3 Load Factor (%) 68.8 66.7 America West
C-S Aviation Services said it has delivered one A300 freighter and two A300 passenger aircraft to two Turkish carriers, MNG Cargo Airlines and Air Alfa.
