The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association has displaced the International Association of Machinists as the representative of mechanics and related employees at Alaska Airlines. AMFA won representation by a margin of nearly two to one in a vote conducted last week in Washington, D.C. AMFA National Chairman O.V. Delle-Femine said the union has enough cards to initiate elections at Northwest and Southwest Airlines.
- Orally approved an initial two-year exemption for ALM 1997 Airline to conduct scheduled foreign combination service from points behind the Netherlands Antilles, via the Netherlands Antilles and intermediate points, to points in the U.S.
Cockpit Weather Decisions by Terry Lankford. A no-nonsense guide to understanding the effects of weather on flight. McGraw-Hill; $31.95, paper. To order, call 1-800-722-4726.
Greater Orlando Aviation Authority Board elected William Miller chairman and Howard McNulty vice chairman of the board. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey named Anastasia Song commissioner.
Air Transport Association reported an increase of 1.9% in revenue passenger miles in February compared with the same month last year. International RPMs increased 4.4% and domestic RMPs 1.0%. ATA reported a systemwide load factor of 66.1%, down 0.2 percentage points. The load factor was 67.3% for international flights and 65.8% for domestic.
Delta and Swissair cargo officials announced an alliance in which they will remain equal and separate partners while marketing their cargo capacity as a single network. They will use the cargo sales forces of both companies in common cities and offer joint pricing, beginning June 1 in Zurich. The combination is expected to be completed worldwide, including in the U.S., within 18 months. Swisscargo is the cargo marketing subsidiary of SAirLogistics, one of four corporate divisions of the SAirGroup.
Instrument Flying, 4th ed., by Richard Taylor. Provides complete, up- to-date information on every facet of IFR flight. McGraw-Hill; $29.95. To order, call 1-800-722-4726.
- In Federal Register dated March 27...Issued an airworthiness directive on Bombardier Cl-600 aircraft to require disabling the remote fuel/defuel panel...Proposed an AD on certain Airbus A300, A310 and A300-600 aircraft to require replacing the non-return valves in the engine fuel feed lines...Reopened the comment period on Boeing 747 series aircraft concerning a proposed requirement on shielding electrical wiring...Proposed an AD on Douglas DC-10 and MD-11 aircraft to require inspection of the lubrication holes on the forward trunnion spacer assembly...Proposed an AD
Northwest is asking its pilots for health insurance concessions that would cost each pilot's family about $1,705 in 1998, according to the carrier's Air Line Pilots Association unit. Among company proposals: each pilot family would pay 15% of insurance premiums, and deductibles would increase 250%.
US Airways Chairman Stephen Wolf received $323,857 in "other" compensation last year, in addition to a $500,000 base salary and $500,000 bonus. In the fine print of a securities filing, US Airways said it paid Wolf $168,724 in moving expenses, $101,316 in pension contributions and $53,816 in life insurance. The "other" total is enough to pay 16 full-time flight attendants.
Transport Canada is beginning a review of Canada's international passenger charter policy with a goal of liberalizing the air charter regime further. The Canadian Transportation Agency last year proposed regulatory changes dealing with international charters within the context of Canada's 1978 policy, but Transport Minister David Collenette plans to issue a new policy later this year and refer the issue to CTA for preparation of new regulations.
All Nippon Airways prepared during the weekend for the strong possibility of a strike today by union pilots who fly the 747-400. A strike is not expected to disrupt operations in the short term, however, since management pilots would fly long-haul routes. Virtually all captains are considered management. The airline imposed a new salary structure April 1 that removes flight guarantees and pays pilots only when they work.
Great Lakes Aviation reported decreases of 37.6% in traffic and 42.6% in capacity in March, which pushed the load factor up 3.9 percentage points over that of March 1997. Great Lakes had 15.3 million revenue passenger miles and 32 million available seat miles, and the load factor was 48%. Three-month RPMs dropped 34.5% and ASMs were down 40.0%, improving the load factor by 3.7 points. Changes reflect the elimination of flying in the southeastern U.S., where Great Lakes operated a year earlier as a Midway Connection carrier.
DOT extended for 30 days the obligation of Mesa to maintain its Essential Air Service at Alamosa, Colo., North Platte and Scottsbluff, Neb., and Laramie, Riverton/Lander, Rock Springs and Worland, Wyo. (DAILY, Oct. 3 and 10, 1997), through May 1 for the first six markets and through May 8 for Worland. Mesa filed last October to terminate service to the communities.
Formosa Airlines said it will pay compensation of NT$9.9million (US$307,000) to the families of each of the 13 people killed in the Feb. 16 crash of a Formosa Saab 340. The payment is the same as that earlier announced by China Airlines to families of victims of the crash of a CAL Airbus A300-600R at Taiwan Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (DAILY, March 25). Meanwhile, an official of Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration announced that the CAA may agree to permit Formosa to resume operations on a limited basis.
Brussels-based Virgin Express reported a net profit of 290 million Belgian francs (US$7.7 million) for 1997, compared with pro forma profit of BEF33 million ($880,000) in 1996. As the financial results were issued yesterday, Chief Executive Jonathan Ornstein agreed to become chairman of Mesa Air Group, based in Farmington, N.M. Ornstein remains chairman of Virgin Express Holdings and Jim Swigart becomes president and CEO. The airline flew 2.92 million passengers in 1997, 1.1 million more than a year ago.
Salomon Smith Barney analyst Julius Maldutis has raised first quarter earnings estimates on four airlines, citing strong passenger yields, lower fuel prices and the continued strength in demand for air travel. Veteran analyst Maldutis boosted estimates for American, America West, Continental and Northwest, saying the strength of the industry outweighs effects from last year's ticket tax lapse. The firm's first quarter fuel estimates forecast an average price of 57 cents per gallon, 23% lower than last year's average of 74 cents.
Jonathan Ornstein was named the new chief executive for Mesa Air Group yesterday, ending months of speculation about who would succeed founding CEO Larry Risley when he retires at the end of April. Simultaneously, Ornstein was elevated from CEO to chairman of Brussels-based Virgin Express Holdings and CFO Jim Swigart, who is vice chairman of Mesa, was named president and CEO. Both Ornstein and Swigart are principals of Barlow Partners, which recently acquired a 5.3% stake in Mesa and also owns a 6.6% stake in US Airways Express CCAIR.
Servicio Aereo A Territorios Nacionales, or Satena, of Colombia has taken delivery of its fourth and fifth Dornier 328s, with the sixth scheduled for delivery in June, Fairchild Dornier said. Satena has been operating three 328s since December 1996 as the first part of a fleet modernization program begun in 1995. Satena's 32-seat Do 328s replace HS 748 turboprops and Casa 212s as well as Fokker F28 jets, the manufacturer said.
India's state-owned aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. which so far has restricted itself to designing and manufacturing defense-related aircraft, has decided to diversify into the civilian sector, HAL officials said. The company's first such foray would involve the production of a 50- seat turboprop aircraft, and HAL is currently seeking foreign-based partners for this proposed project, they added.
Bombardier Aerospace continued its record-setting sales pace in early 1998 orders, recording orders for 25 CRJs and 13 Dash 8s in February and March. In jet sales, Tyrolean of Austria bought two; Brit Air of France exercised one option; Adria of Slovenia ordered one, its third; Air Littoral of France ordered five additional, and Maersk Air (U.K.) two. Atlantic Coast of the U.S. exercised five options; Air Nostrum of Spain ordered five; and Lufthansa CityLine took five more, plus five options.
KLM's Transport Workers Union members have voted to accept the airline's terms governing the transition of responsibility for airport and ground operations at New York Kennedy and Houston Bush to KLM partner Northwest. The move will take effect April 26. The two airports were the only locations in the U.S. where KLM still conducted its own union-run ground operations. Last year, as part of a 10-year agreement between Northwest and KLM, each carrier agreed to manage the ground operations of the other on its own continent.
DOT issued an order prohibiting Mesa from suspending service, operated as United Express, to Chico, Modesto and Santa Rosa, Calif., which it serves from San Francisco; Inyokern and Visalia, Calif., from Los Angeles, and Gunnison and Montrose/Delta, Colo., and Cheyenne and Sheridan, Wyo., from Denver, until June 17 and 18.
Remarks by Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) on passenger facility charges, aviation/highway spending and airline competition issues presented at this week's AAAE/ACI-NA Washington conference will be featured on Aviation News Today, to be aired Sunday on Washington's NewsChannel 8 at 12:30 a.m. and at 1:30 p.m.
