With the lower cost of jet fuel reducing airline costs, the American Society of Travel Agents wants carriers to pass their savings along to consumers in the form of lower fares. In the past, carriers blamed the high cost of jet fuel for rising air fares, but jet fuel has reached a nine-year low. "The lower cost of jet fuel presents the airlines with a rare opportunity to reward the consumers that have been responsible for the industry's record profits," said ASTA President Mike Spinelli. Airlines are unlikely to take up ASTA's challenge.
American Express is running into complications with its Airfare Index in the Asia/Pacific region. It reported that average economy fares are 5% higher than a year ago, while both business- and first-class tariffs are up 4%. The report comes at a time when the industry is cutting fares to unprecedented low levels, many by as much as 50%. American Express declined to specify which fares it uses for its index and where it collects them.
India and Germany will negotiate on aviation matters, notably frequencies, in early or mid-April, Indian civil aviation ministry officials said yesterday. The talks were postponed from January because of national elections in India.
Swissair and its partner, Sabena, are moving to smoke-free service throughout their networks, starting June 1. Currently, the carriers ban smoking only on their intra-European and transatlantic flights, but passenger surveys reveal that 80% of their customers prefer traveling smoke-free.
New Regional Aircraft Deliveries, December 1997 Last 12 Months Carrier No. Type Engines Deliveries Air Georgian 2 Beech 1900D PT6A-67D 1 Air UK Ltd 1 AA ATR-72 PW124 - American Eagle 2 AA ATR 72-200A PW124 5 Atlantic Coast 1 Canadair RJ200 CF34-3B1 4
Average load factor for 15 of the nation's largest regional airlines increased by 3.3 percentage points during February to 53.1%. United Express Atlantic Coast Airlines posted the biggest increase of the sampling, up 10.1 points to 48.3% while US Airways Express CCAIR was not far behind with an increase of 9.8 points to 55.1%. Horizon Air turned in the highest load factor at 59.8%, up 0.58 points from February 1997. Gulfstream International, which code shares with Continental and United in Florida, was not far behind with 59.1%, up 7.4 points.
Congressional testimony by FAA Administrator Jane Garvey and National Civil Aviation Review Commission Chairman Norman Mineta will be shown this week on Aviation News Today, to be broadcast Sunday on Washington's NewsChannel 8 at 12:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Horizon Air will use FlightSafety International's Dash 8 full-flight simulators in Seattle and Toronto over the next six years under a new contract, FlightSafety announced. The Seattle, Wash., Alaska Air Group subsidiary carrier, is taking delivery of 25 Dash 8-200s to complement its Dash 8-100s.
Vanguard Airlines posted a 27.41% decline in traffic and a 31.01% drop in capacity for February 1998 from February 1997, which pushed the load factor up 3.05 percentage points. Vanguard reported 49.4 million revenue passenger miles and 80.3 million available seat miles. The load factor was 61.53% Year-to-date, Vanguard's RPMs fell 23.93% and its ASMs 30.97%. which caused the load factor to go up 5.48 points. A Vanguard spokeswoman said the drop in traffic and capacity was the result of reducing flying time to increase reliability and ontime performance.
The U.S. has informed the U.K. and the Gatwick Airport slot coordinating committee that "we intend to see the [U.S.-U.K. bilateral] agreement is honored" with respect to US Airways' attempt to gain slots at Gatwick for service from Charlotte, DOT Secretary Rodney Slater told the Senate Appropriations transportation subcommittee yesterday. The carrier filed an unfair-practices complaint last week, and DOT invited comment on whether the U.K. was violating the bilateral.
Worried about increasingly restrictive rules on nighttime aircraft movements at Europe's airports, courier express companies and their clients are organizing a public information campaign in Brussels. PLANE - Platform for Logistics and Aviation Networks in Europe - will stage public debates throughout 1998 on economic and market effects of regulations on night flying, emissions and aircraft movements.
Crash at sea Wednesday of a Saab 340B in Taiwan was only the second fatal crash of the type since deliveries began in 1984. Three people were killed in a 1994 landing incident at Amsterdam involving KLM Cityhopper. Thirteen, including five crew, perished Wednesday two minutes into the Formosa Airlines flight from the northern city of Hsinchu. Saab has dispatched a team of investigators to the scene, and Taiwanese authorities have grounded the airline, which also operates Dornier 228s, Fokker 50s and Fokker 100s. It had seven 340s.
FAA is considering "consensual" increases in passenger facility charges - increases agreed to by specific airports and the airlines that serve them - as one solution for airport funding needs, Administrator Jane Garvey told the House Transportation aviation subcommittee yesterday. The panel focused on FAA budget reauthorization and the recommendations of the National Civil Aviation Review Commission (NCARC), whose chairman, Norman Mineta, also testified.
FAA rated Washington Consulting Group "exceptional" in oral presentation, past performance and key personnel, and "good" in written responses and relevant experience, during the source selection in which it chose Lockheed Martin Services Inc. over WCG for the NAS Implementation Support Contract (NISC II), according to Judge Stephen Daniels's recommendation that FAA deny WCG's protest of the award (DAILY, March 13).
Citing incidents involving a Reno Air MD-83 and a Centennial Airlines MD- 80, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that FAA determine whether safety shields for Pratt&Whitney JT8D-200 engines cover a large enough area and provide enough impact resistance. The board said high- pressure turbine parts were "liberated" from the engine of a Reno Air aircraft and impacted the shield, buckled its support and shifted it from its normal position.
Austrian Airlines (AUA) reported that its operating profit in 1997 surged 250% to 354 million Austrian schillings (US$27.6 million) from ATS102 million ($8 million) the year before. AUA's cumulative improvement in its operating result equals ATS1.1 billion ($85.9 million) over the past four years. Passenger volume in 1997 rose 11.4% to nearly 4 million passengers. AUA attributed most of the improved results to higher productivity. The AUA Group's final annual results and consolidated figures will be published April 15.
AirTran is launching a frequent flyer program that gives passengers the option of redeeming awards on 14 competing airlines. The Orlando-based low-fare airline, with its limited 38-city route network, is offering a free trip on another U.S. airline to passengers who fly six roundtrips in AirTran's business class or 12 roundtrips in economy. Since AirTran does not have relationships with other carriers, it will book the free trips on its own in the open market.
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore) wants FAA Administrator Jane Garvey to "examine the crucial issue of the lack of Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) coverage for aviation workers" who have had to "fight for basic safety and health protections for over 20 years." DeFazio, a member of the House Transportation aviation subcommittee, said FAA "has failed to make a serious effort to address occupational safety and health issues outside the area of crash survivability" since 1975, when it claimed jurisdiction over crewmember health and safety.
DOT is inviting parties to comment on US Airways' complaint that the U.K. is violating its bilateral obligations by failing to ensure that US Airways has the Gatwick slots it needs to operate authorized Charlotte-Gatwick service, while permitting monopoly British Airways service on the route to continue. Parties may file comments until March 23 and replies by March 25. (Docket OST-98-3615)
AirTran reported a 35.7% increase in traffic and a 44.8% rise in capacity, which depressed the load factor 3.8 percentage points in February from the same 1997 month. AirTran reported 212.3 million revenue passenger miles, 377.5 million available seat miles and a 56.2% load factor. Passenger enplanements rose 24.8% to 333,854. Year-to-date RPMS jumped 48.9% and ASMs 48%, lifting the load factor 0.2 points. Passenger enplanements were up 37.1%.
German tour operator Germania flew a 737-700 nonstop from Seattle to Berlin, setting a distance record of 4,511 nautical miles and breaking the international record in its weight class. The previous record, 3,385 nm, was set in 1993 by an MD-83. The aircraft is the first of 12 737-700s Germania has on order.
Continental will announce a regional jet order within two weeks, Chief Executive Gordon Bethune said yesterday. The carrier is considering Dornier 328s and Embraer RJ135s. Continental Express operates Embraer RJ145s.
United will announce today that it is starting a second international bank of flights at Washington Dulles on June 10. The move links international service from Frankfurt and Paris with 11 U.S. markets via Dulles, in a bank beginning at 7 p.m.
U.S.-Taiwan open-skies agreement, provisionally in place since February 1997, was signed yesterday by representatives of the American Institute for Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office.
