U.S.-France technical discussions on a new bilateral went well last week in Washington, and the two sides agreed to resume formal talks in Paris March 31, a U.S. government official said. "We don't want to get too optimistic," but the technical talks led to "useful discussions" on the range of issues impeding a new agreement, he added.
American Trucking Association Foundation elected Susan Coughlin, currently president of Air Safety Management Associates and formerly vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, director and chief operating officer.
- Orally approved an initial one-year exemption for Nova Airlines AB to conduct foreign combination charter services between the U.S. and Sweden, Norway and Denmark...Orally approved a one-year exemption renewal for Aer Turas Teoranta to conduct passenger charters between the U.S. and Ireland...Orally approved a one-year exemption renewal for Consorcio Aviasca to conduct foreign combination service between the U.S.
A Florida federal court sentenced 32-year-old Jose Costales Jr., to 12 years in prison and imposed a $1.3 million fine for robbing repair stations of jet engines, Allison turbine engine blades and other engine components, and then re-selling the stolen goods. A second defendant, Guy Salom, was sentenced to an 18-month term for his role in the scheme. Costales was convicted last September after a jury concluded that he robbed Miami-based Aerothrust Corp.
Jerry Atkin, chairman, president and chief executive of SkyWest Airlines, was severely injured Thursday in San Diego when the motorcycle he was driving collided with another vehicle. A SkyWest spokeswoman said Atkin, 48, remained in critical condition Friday with seven compound fractures and numerous other injuries. The other vehicle struck Atkin on the left side, causing severe injuries to his left leg.
Nearly 53% of Northwest's Class A common stock is in the hands of 28 individuals affiliated with the company. Co-chairmen Al Checchi and Gary Wilson each own 11.4%, and 26 directors and executives own a total of 30.1%.
Southern Air Transport said Chairman and Chief Executive James Bastian will assume the duties and office of president upon the departure of William Langton.
Atlanta-based Atlantic Southeast posted an 8.6% increase in traffic last month to nearly 68.5 million revenue passenger miles, as capacity dropped 2.2% to 130.6 million available seat miles. The load factor, as a result, swelled 5.2 percentage points to 52.4% from 47.2%. Boardings gained 4.3% to 269,778. Feb. 1998 Feb. 1997 2 Mths 1998 2 Mths 1997 RPMs 68,453,853 63,005,884 135,841,290 125,421,348 ASMs 130,598,286 133,534,352 274,389,706 275,587,168
Virgin Atlantic Chairman Richard Branson yesterday called U.S. international aviation policy "pure protectionism" and said it does not go far enough in allowing competition within U.S. borders. Branson called for the U.S. to open up its markets and vowed to create increased airline competition sought by DOT and Congress by setting up a U.S. carrier "tomorrow" if allowed. The U.S. version of open skies "stops way short of true liberalization," Branson said at the FAA Forecast Conference in Washington.
The notion that DOT guidelines on predatory practices amount to reregulation of the airline industry is "hogwash," according to Frontier Airlines President Sam Addoms. "The spin doctors in charge of the major carriers are trying to tar it with that brush," he said. Addoms and about 25 airline and airport officials and corporate travelers met Monday with DOT Secretary Rodney Slater to talk about competition issues and DOT's upcoming predatory policy guidelines (DAILY, March 11.) Addoms said Slater did not offer any timeline for issuing the guidelines.
Gary McGann, group chief executive of Aer Lingus, will address the monthly luncheon meeting of the International Aviation Club March 17 in the Federal Room of the Capital Hilton Hotel, 16th&K Streets, Washington. The luncheon starts at 12:30 p.m, preceded by cocktails at 11:45 a.m. For more information, call Edmund Pinto at 202-342-6767.
Simmons Airlines d/b/a American Eagle and American Eagle Airlines applied at DOT to transfer Simmons's certificates of public convenience and necessity to American Eagle Airlines, or, alternatively, to disclaim jurisdiction. Simmons will be merged into American Eagle Airlines April 30 as part of the reorganization and consolidation of the four Eagle carriers. No material change in the business, management, assets, liabilities, net worth or continuing fitness of Simmons or its parent companies, American Eagle Holding Corp.
US Airways filed a competition complaint against the U.K. under the International Air Transportation Fair Competitive Practices Act yesterday, one day after opposing British Airways' Gatwick-Denver service (DAILY, March 12). The IATFCPA filing is the instrument Northwest used when it was denied beyond-Japan service. Similar to Northwest's action, US Airways said its Charlotte-Gatwick service clearly is permitted under the U.S.-U.K. bilateral, ending BA monopoly service on the route, but denial of Gatwick slots renders the bilateral moot.
Northwest's top five officers received substantial pay raises in 1997, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing this week. All five received more than $300,000 in base pay and more than $600,000 in total compensation, not including stock options. President John Dasburg received the smallest base pay percentage increase, 16.8%, and General Counsel Doug Steenland the largest, 23.8%.
Airport advocates yesterday portrayed their goal of raising or removing the passenger facility charge ceiling as an issue of local government control, but Air Transport Association Senior VP Edward Merlis told the House Transportation aviation subcommittee to "just say no" to the "addiction of easy tax money" PFCs represent. Merlis described a "fiscal-responsibility void" in the absence of a requirement that airports conduct a cost-benefit analysis for each PFC-funded project.
Virgin Express traffic in February soared 93.6% to 81.5 million revenue passenger miles on 58.2% more capacity, which pushed load factor up 12.6 percentage points to 68.3%. The airline carried 168,591 passengers, 75.5% more than a year earlier.
Traffic growth for a sampling of 15 of the nation's regional airlines averaged 15.8% in February year-over-year, compared with a 13.3% average increase in January. Setting the pace was Northwest Airlink Mesaba Airlines with a 107.2% jump in revenue passenger miles versus an increase of only 88.1% in available seat miles as it continues to add 69 seat Avro RJ85 quadjets and 34-seat Saab 340s to its fleet. The carrier also this year is counting traffic from Minneapolis/St. Paul routes that were served by Express Airlines I a year ago.
Continental Express apparently has settled on the Embraer RJ-135 as its 30- seat-category regional jet. The 37-seater has been in competition with Fairchild Dornier 328JET, a 32-seater. In a recorded message to members on last week's tentative five-year contract with Express pilots, the Independent Association of Continental Pilots said pay schedules for a proposed 37-seat jet were one of three remaining issues. Others were labor protection and first-officer pay.
United, fresh from restructuring its feeder agreements on the West Coast and at Denver, may make further changes in regional operations, according to United President John Edwardson. "There's still a little bit of sorting out to do," he told The DAILY. United, which recently restructured its agreements covering Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle, also has relationships in Chicago and Washington.
