TWA may be sparring with its mechanics, but negotiations with its Air Line Pilots Association unit have picked up, according to a TWA ALPA spokeswoman. Negotiators have made "real progress" on training and agreed tentatively on sick leave with pay, the union said in a recorded message to members. Talks have started on retirement, insurance and work rules. The pilots contract became amendable in September.
Prudential Securities believes the "surge" of new models in Boeing aircraft sales plus the "fiercely competitive pricing environment" will "sharply reduce the profit potential of Boeing's commercial aircraft programs this cycle." Boeing will not be the only manufacturer affected, it says. "Cutthroat pricing will sharply restrict the industry's profitability at least through the 1999-2000 period." Prudential says, "We simply fail to grasp how investors can continue to hope that this cycle stands any chance of being close to historic levels of profitability."
Senate Commerce Committee has approved an amendment to the Fastener Quality Act that recognizes FAA as the sole oversight authority for aviation fasteners. FAA was concerned the redundancy of the act could undermine safety, said Ed Bolen, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
Lockheed former Chairman Roy Anderson, chairman and chief executive of the Weingart Foundation, received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Southern California.
U.S. National, Regional and Cargo Carriers Advertising Expense Fourth Quarter 1997 National Carriers % Of Total Advertising Operating Expenses American Trans Air 2,255,650 1.27 Hawaiian 1,479,259 1.55 Kiwi 987,788 3.65 Midway 1,380,000 3.08
U.K. airport owner and operator BAA plc told DOT that any slot allocation from American-British Airways to competing U.S. carriers will probably have to be done in phases, ranging from 18 months to more than two years depending on the number of slots. Without sufficient notice and the ability to reallocate in phases, BAA may impose limits on the types of aircraft operating transatlantic service at London Heathrow, BAA said.
European transport unions are applauding a move by the Italian parliament to support the continuation of duty-free sales in Europe beyond the European Union's June 30, 1999, deadline for abolishing the activity for intra-EU travelers. The Brussels-based Federation of Transport Workers' Unions (FST) welcomed a May 6 decision by the Italian parliament's Finance Committee to adopt a resolution for the duty-free sector's continuation until 2002.
FAA and Boeing officials said yesterday they have discovered what appears to be arcing from a bundle of high-voltage wires in the fuel tank of a Continental 737. The discovery was made Monday night and Tuesday morning, leading FAA yesterday to issue an emergency order requiring that all 737s with more than 50,000 hours be inspected within seven days. The arcing had caused two pin holes in the conduit in which they were encased, and the conduit showed traces of fuel leakage, said Rich Breuhaus, chief engineer for fuel system safety at Boeing.
Brit Air of France ordered six 50-passenger Canadair Regional Jet Series 100s and two 70-seat CRJ Series 700s, Bombardier Aerospace said. Excluding options, Brit Air will operate 24 Canadair Regional Jets by 2001.
United Express carrier Atlantic Coast Airlines posted its second consecutive monthly triple-digit traffic increase in April, riding on the contrails of its new fleet of Canadair Regional Jets. An April jump of 107% followed a March hike of 111.5% and a February increase of 92.1%. The traffic gains far out-paced the corresponding increases in capacity - up 61.4% in April, 59.7% in March and 52.7% in February. The 50-seat jets make the difference. The Washington Dulles-based carrier averaged a CRJ stage length of 539 miles.
Transport Canada has boosted the A-check interval for the Dash 8 turboprop to 500 hours from 400 and the C-check interval to 5,000 flight hours from 4,000, Bombardier announced. Bombardier claimed the A- and C-check intervals "are the longest of any regional aircraft." The D-check interval for the Dash 8 remains at 40,000 flight cycles, "more than double that of its closest competitor," Bombardier said.
Code-Sharing Regional Carrier Schedules Announced Or Implemented February - March, 1998 Carriers Added Dropped New Shared United Airlines (Part 2 of 2. For Part 1, see May 1 issue) SkyWest Los Angeles-Bakersfield - - Los Angeles-Carlsbad Los Angeles-Fresno Los Angeles-Inyokern Los Angeles-Orange County
Flight International Inc. will begin charter and freight service May 19 from Anchorage Airport to outlying airports in Alaska using 19-passenger CASA 212-200 aircraft. The company said the CASA aircraft is "uniquely suited to Alaska due to its short, unimproved runway capabilities." Flight International Inc., a subsidiary of Virginia-based The Flight International Group, Inc., will operate out of the Signature Flight Support Hangar on Airport Road.
Atlantic Coast Airlines will split its stock two-for-one, as the airline's board approved the issuance of 76 million shares. The split will be payable May 15 to shareholders of record on April 24.
An unidentified investor group wants to buy WestAir Airlines from Mesa Air Group. Investors are working with the Air Line Pilots Association, and sources suggest a deal could be sealed within weeks. The former United Express pilots cite California as the seventh largest economy in the world, and considering "there is no economical service within the state of California, I think you can make an argument that there is a need," said one pilot.
Major carriers have no intention of voluntarily putting their domestic alliances on hold despite a call to do so by key Democrats, and regard the request as a late reaction by people who either do not understand the potential benefits or expect certain carriers to disarm unilaterally. Reps. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), William Lipinski (D-Ill.) and two other congressmen called for a six-month halt to alliances while government officials investigate their implications (DAILY, May 7).
Ansett Australia will suspend the Sydney-Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta route May 31. The Boeing 767 route, traditionally a key sector for the carrier, was shut down for its worsening economic returns. Ansett will continue to serve Bali, Hong Kong, Osaka, Shanghai and Taipei.
Cape Air features the City of Boston and the Cape Cod town of Provincetown on its latest specially painted aircraft, the company said. The aircraft, painted by airbrush artist Jurek, will be unveiled officially May 15 at Boston Logan Airport.
Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) sent a second letter in just over a week to FBI Director Louis Freeh seeking a probe of the FAA shutdown of TPI International Airways, a small cargo carrier, in August 1990.
Last Friday's work stoppage put all TWA gains of the past 12 to 15 months at risk, TWA Senior VP-Human Resources James Martin wrote to members of the airline's International Association of Machinists unit. Some TWA employees who are IAM members stopped work for about two hours May 1, causing wide disruption of service at the carrier's St. Louis hub.
Comair, the Cincinnati-based Delta Connection carrier, is adding a third jet flight between Myrtle Beach and Cincinnati June 1. The regional also is offering double Delta SkyMiles when it begins nonstop jet service to Newburgh, N.Y., on June 1. Travelers can earn miles between June 1 and Aug. 1.
