The House voted late Wednesday to expand the Visa Waiver Program and extend it two years. The expansion, in an amendment approved 360-46, allows Greece and Portugal into the program and increases the refusal rate criterion for program entry from 2% to 3%. Passage of the two-year extension bill was unanimous. "The main thing for us was trying to move things forward and open the program a bit, and we have moved a step forward on that," said Mike Slackman, spokesman for Rep.
Legend Airlines, applying for a scheduled combination service certificate, told DOT it wants to serve "several major business destinations" nonstop from Dallas Love Field, including East and West Coast markets "such as Boston and Seattle." The carrier plans to begin operations with six leased DC-9-32 aircraft configured for 56 passenger seats, consistent with Wright Amendment requirements for service to any destination, beginning in early fall 1998, and to add six DC-9-32s beginning in early 1999.
United is putting most international destinations on sale for travel from April 13 through June 11. Sample roundtrip fares include Chicago-Frankfurt for $383, Newark-London for $299, Denver-Hong Kong for $600 and New York- Caracas for $406. The last day for ticketing is April 8.
American Express denies charges made by some airline industry analysts that the American Express Travel Index reflects artificially high business fares because most of its clients, mainly Fortune 500 companies, pay the highest walk-up fares (DAILY, March 23). Bob Harrell, of New York-based Harrell Associates, an air fare consultant to AMEX, said the index uses a representative sample of national business travel and "very few Fortune 500 companies use walk-up rates because they use corporate accounts....American Express stands by its data.
Mesa Air Group Chief Executive Jonathan Ornstein likens his new assignment to the revamp his former boss, Gordon Bethune, undertook at Continental."There are a lot of similarities with Continental - Mesa needs better on- time performance, better completion rates and higher passenger service levels," he said. "While Mesa is fixable, it's not going to be easy." (See story in Regional Aviation, following Page 512.)
U.S.-Vietnam bilateral aviation talks yielded little progress last week in Hanoi. The two sides issued a Memorandum of Consultation noting they had exchanged views and would meet again at an unspecified time. DOT's lead negotiator, deputy assistant secretary Patrick Murphy, who served in Vietnam during the war, became ill during the talks but is recovering after returning to the U.S., sources said.
Taiwan narrowly avoided yet another air disaster when a passenger aboard a domestic China Airlines Dash 8 flight was prevented from committing suicide by immolation on March 23. A passenger aboard the Great China Dash-8-300 on a flight from Taipei to Taichung pulled two soda bottles containing gasoline from his carry-on baggage, poured the fuel into the aisle of the plane and set it afire.
China Xinjiang Airlines of Urumqi, China, took delivery of the 200th ATR 72 in the program, the third of five ATR 72-210As the carrier ordered last year, Aero International (Regional) reported. The first model 72 was delivered to Finnair in 1989, the marketing consortium said. AI(R) said 221 72s have been ordered since the production launch in 1986.
FAA has not moved fast enough to improve airport safety, Air Line Pilots Association President Randolph Babbitt told the House Transportation Committee aviation subcommittee this week. Babbitt said ALPA is "concerned that there has been no apparent movement by the FAA on several congressional directives to enhance airport safety...." He cited in particular the establishment of vertical visual guidance systems on runways, and the provision of adequate safety areas beyond the ends of runways at certificated airports.
Jonathan Ornstein's move to Mesa Air Group as CEO adds to the speculation that there could be a future merger with CCAIR. Ornstein's Barlow Partners owns 6.6% of CCAIR and recently acquired a 5.3% stake in Mesa. CCAIR and Mesa are the only two publicly held US Airways Express carriers. Mesa currently serves the entire East Coast on behalf of US Airways with the exception of a wide area around the Charlotte hub controlled by CCAIR.
Passenger Travel To/From Major U.S. Regions Northeast Region Year Ended Third Quarter 1997 O&D Average Average Average Passengers Fare Yield Trip Length (Cents) Miles Total Northeast 144,363,570 $169.41 15.48 1,094 Within Northeast 31,043,150 $126.29 47.70 265
Continental is launching "Work Hard. Fly Right," an advertising campaign that will debut in 27 countries across three continents. The N.W. Ayer&Partners campaign, intended to build brand awareness and reflect the carrier's success, will comprise print and outdoor ads and television and radio spots.
Aviation Group has formed a fourth operating division - Component Overhaul&Service - and acquired Aero Design, a manufacturer of aircraft batteries, as part of the division. Battery Shop, a sister company, also was included in the sale. Rick Congdon, former division manager for Aviall, will head the new division.
Passenger Travel To/From Major U.S. Regions Southeast Region Year Ended Third Quarter 1997 O&D Average Averag Average Passengers Fare Yield Trip Length (Cents) Miles Total Southeast 146,089,860 $141.33 14.79 956 Within Southeast 37,218,860 $117.11 25.07 467
A recent wave of orders for Embraer ERJ145 jets has prompted FlightSafety International to order two more ERJ145 full-flight simulators, with delivery scheduled approximately six months apart in 1999. FlightSafety's Simulation Systems Division will manufacture the two Level "D" simulators in Tulsa. FlightSafety has two Level D 145 simulators in service at Tulsa and Houston, being used by Continental Express and American. FlightSafety said European airlines such as Luxair will start ERJ145 training soon.
Formosa Airlines, which lost a Saab 340 in a sea crash off Northern Taiwan March 18, has had seven Dornier 228 "hull losses" since mid-1990. Three were fatal, claiming 28 lives. Six were in the initial approach to the landing phase of flight, and the seventh lost control during taxiing and "ran into a ditch" with six passenger fatalities. In the most recent accident, last October, the aircraft abandoned the approach in high winds and rain and struck treetops and a water tower before crashing and exploding, killing all 16 aboard.
Spanair is selling tickets to seven destinations in Spain for $358 roundtrip from Washington Dulles. For travel through May 31, the price applies to Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Mahon, Palma, Malaga or Santiago de Compostela.
American Eagle has selected Pratt&Whitney Canada to maintain its PW100 fleet engines, Pratt&Whitney Canada reported. The agreement includes overhaul, repair, hot section inspection, component repair development, accessory repair, spare engines and Quick Engine Change support, P&WC said. The manufacturer said, "In an effort to greatly expand" the P&WC/Eagle partnership, "P&WC has placed an on-site Power Plant Engineer at American Eagle in Dallas."
Local and congressional officials, including Florida Sens. Connie Mack (R) and Bob Graham (D), wrote DOT Secretary Rodney Slater this week urging him to grant final approval of the American-TACA code share. DOT's initial decision includes some limitations, but the action is opposed by competing carriers and sharply questioned by the Justice Department. Carriers objecting to the decision told DOT the public would not benefit from an ever more dominant hub for American at Miami, and some have recommended carving out Miami from the code share.
Delta, which begins its first major expansion into Latin America next week, will promote Atlanta and New York Kennedy as launching points in an attempt to steal passengers who currently connect through American's Miami hub. Roughly 55% of passengers using Miami Airport are connecting to and from other points. "They are the passengers we want to pursue," said Rudy Forster, general manager-Latin America. Most of Delta's six-country expansion will occur from Atlanta. "No other expansion within Delta this year will compare," he said.
AlliedSignal Electronic&Avionics Systems said it has successfully flight- tested on a Boeing 777 two safety systems that help protect aircraft from severe weather and terrain - the enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) and the RDR-4B forward-looking wind shear radar.
FAA said its new policy permitting certification of some aircraft without full-scale emergency evacuation testing is the result of a lengthy process (DAILY, March 26).
Starting May 1, Cape Air will offer service between Providence and Martha's Vineyard, the carrier said. The carrier already serves Nantucket from Providence. Cape Air plans as many as 12 daily nonstop flights in the Providence- Martha's Vineyard market, and "with a flight time of only 20 minutes, taking Cape Air to the Vineyard makes perfect sense for vacationers who may be interested in a day trip or for those who are looking to make connections through Providence," Cape Air President Dan Wolf said.
Delta has named Warren Jenson executive VP and chief financial officer. Jenson will assume his duties in late April. He is currently senior VP- finance and CFO for the National Broadcasting Company. Delta President and Chief Executive Leo Mullin praised Jenson's "extraordinarily successful record as an accomplished financial executive at one of America's most admired companies." He said Jenson's experience is "perfect" for Delta, and he will bring creativity and discipline to improving revenue and cost performances.
International Airline Support Group said it has purchased an Airbus A300-B4 which it will disassemble for its parts sales operations. President Lex Dyer said the company's diversification into Airbus aircraft broadens its product lines. "In this case, we identified a market for the Airbus product and moved to fill it." He said "cargo airlines have historically been strong customers of IASG. The A300 model is undergoing a freighter conversion led by Daimler-Benz Aerospace, Airbus, Pinnacle Aircraft Leasing and Bristol Associates.
