British Midland urged DOT to permit U.S. carriers to code share to any destinations in France with the partners of their choice if the U.S. decides to approve an Air Liberte exemption for code sharing with American from Paris Orly.
Northwest and Kenya Airways applied jointly at DOT for an initial one-year exemption and authority to code share on scheduled combination service on certain flights between the U.S. and Kenya and beyond. Kenya Airways, which serves markets in Africa, Europe, India and the Middle East and has a "cooperative working arrangement" with Northwest partner KLM, does not hold a U.S. permit or plan to operate its own aircraft to the U.S. The carrier, privatized in 1996, is 26% owned by KLM.
Polar Air Cargo applied at DOT for a two-year exemption to conduct scheduled cargo service between any point in the U.S. and two points in Japan, and beyond each of the Japan points to one point, with full traffic rights between all points on the route. Pursuing the new authority under the recent U.S.-Japan memorandum of consultations (MOC), Polar asked to integrate the requested authority with its other operations under an amended certificate.
AAR Cooper Aviation named J.P. Hoyer VP-finance and administration. Ametek promoted Richard Patterson to VP and general manager of the Aerospace Division. Associated Global Systems appointed John Murray director- administration. Avatar Alliance named Zaheer Faruqi director-international sales. British Aerospace Asset Management-Jets appointed Rory Fisher general manager. FlightSafetyBoeing Training International appointed David Smukowski president.
Robert Reding, who helped structure Reno Air since 1994 and put it on the map, resigned after the board of directors determined that the airline "would benefit from a change in leadership." Former United executive Joe O'Gorman was named chairman, chief executive and president, and former chairman Lee Hydeman will be chairman of the Executive Committee, which comprises outside directors. Reno made the changes the same day it posted a $12.37 million net loss for the fourth quarter of 1997.
New Jet Aircraft Deliveries October 1997 Last 12 Months Carrier # Type Engines Delivery Air Canada 3 A319 CFM56-5A5 16 Air China 1 A340-300X CFM56-5C4 2 Air Mauritius 1 A340-300X CFM56-5C4 1 Air New Zealand 1 767-300ER CF6-80C2B6F 1
Airline passenger Franz Soni is pursuing his complaint against Continental, asking DOT to launch a formal investigation on his charge that the carrier violated his rights as a handicapped passenger on four occasions last year. One typical experience involved an Aug. 2, 1997, trip on which pre-boarding equipment was unavailable until after pre-boarding and baggage filled up the closet that should have been available for his wheelchair. On other trips, he said he was injured and humiliated by airline personnel transferring him to his seat.
Aero Club Of Washington elected Paul Bollinger, Day&Zimmerman Infrastructure, president; Rachel Trinder, Zuckert, Scoutt&Rasenberger, VP; Walter Coleman, Regional Airline Association, treasurer, and John Timmons, Hill and Knowlton, secretary. National Business Aviation Association named Daniel Burkhart regional representative for California and Ed Harvey manager-graphic design. National Organization to Insure a Sound-Controlled Environment appointed Dennis McGrann executive director and Betty Ann Kane director- federal relations.
In an effort to eliminate confusion and boost brand name recognition, United is changing the name of its business class from Connoisseur Class to United Business and its coach class to United Economy. First class will become United First. Spokeswoman Mary Jo Holland said the name changes are the result of numerous studies, surveys and customer feedback, and renaming the business class makes it more recognizable to consumers.
Passengers on Continental and Continental Express can now use their cellular phones aboard the aircraft during boarding and deplaning while the main cabin door is open.
DOT issued an order Friday finding the American-LanChile application for antitrust immunity complete and calling on parties to file formal comment. Chile initialed an open-skies agreement with the U.S. but will conclude it only if DOT approves the American-LanChile bid.
FAA has renamed its Interim Host Replacement program the Host and Oceanic Computer System Replacement program, at least part of which might be developed under an existing FAA contract with Lockheed Martin. The renaming is said to reflect FAA's sensitivity at describing to Congress as "interim" a program on which it may spend more than $100 million. The program is considered urgent, however, because FAA cannot assure that the current Host systems at its 20 air route traffic control centers, will be able to operate safety and avoid groundings or delays on Jan.
Mitre has presented an alternative airspace modernization plan to the FAA National Airspace System Modernization Task Force. The company recommends major changes from the agency's current architecture plan, which it says is too risky and suffers from "unresolved institutional issues and lack of user commitment." Some of Mitre's changes would focus on near-term user benefits and delay some of FAA's planned full-scale development programs.
Europe's Joint Aviation Authorities recommended type validation of the next-generation 737-700, Boeing said last week. Actual type certificates will be awarded by individual countries. FAA certified the aircraft Nov. 7, 1997.
Cost-cutting Pan Am will lay off about 30 pilots and 50 flight attendants and ground its remaining A300s on Wednesday. It will cut service between New York Kennedy and Nassau, Ponce and Santo Domingo. In the next several weeks it will increase layoffs to 225 people, 15% of its work force, and 16 aircraft will remain. A spokesman said Pan Am has no current plans for more layoffs and will concentrate on core routes such as Miami-San Juan, New York-Miami, and New York-Fort Lauderdale.
Barringer Technologies, which produces explosives detection equipment, said fourth quarter revenues increased 106% to $7.3 million and net income 104% to $1.9 million. For the year, revenues rose 108% to $22.7 million and net income 179% to $5.8 million.
Sun Country's 225 pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, have reached a tentative agreement with management on their first contract following nearly two years of negotiations.
DOT granted US Airways initial one-year exemption authority to operate daily nonstops in the Charlotte-London Gatwick market, beginning May 7. The order also designated Charlotte a new U.S. gateway and withdrew the movable gateway designations of Cleveland and Fort Lauderdale, which became dormant absent a "firm proposal" for service by Continental or Laker.
European Commission has not given up its objections over slot issues surrounding the U.S.-Japan framework agreement, and insists Japanese authorities treat slot availability impartially. Since U.S. airlines have five times as many slots as European Union airlines at Tokyo Narita, the EC said in a statement Friday, "Any allocated slots that over a period of time are not used should be reallocated according to fair and transparent criteria designed in part to favor new market entrants." Although Japan has said it will apply IATA rules, the EC said, "the U.S.
Rockwell Collins said it was selected to provide the full suite of navigation and communications equipment, collision avoidance systems and weather radar for the new Boeing Business Jet. The Collins multi-mode receiver was chosed for GPS navigation.
KLM Cargo is setting up a committee of industry and government representatives to study new pan-European safety rules that go into effect April 1 in 27 European countries. The rules, promulgated by the Joint Aviation Authorities, are known as the Joint Aviation Requirements for Operations, or JAR-OPS. The KLM Cargo committee brings together Dutch freight forwarder and air shipper organizations and government agencies to review how to implement the JAR-OPS rules.
British Airways flight attendant Susan Harwood drew on previous experience as a nurse to calm a passenger and avoid a diversion to Russia on a nonstop Hong Kong-London flight. She persuaded an elderly man, who tried to open a cabin door and claimed he was being abducted by aliens, to think of her as his nurse. She guided the man, who hadn't taken his medicine, to "a hospital bed" - a row of seats.
Orally approved a two-year exemption for Nicaraguense de Aviacion (NICA) to conduct scheduled foreign combination service, using wet-leased aircraft, from points behind Nicaragua, via Nicaragua and intermediate points to a point or points in the U.S. and beyond, plus charters...Orally approved an initial two-year exemption for Compania Panamena de Aviacion (COPA) to conduct scheduled foreign combination service from points behind Panama via Panama and intermediate points to a point or points in the U.S.
US Airways' MetroJet moniker for its low-fare offshoot results from a competition in which employees submitted 4,200 entries, 2,200 of which were not duplicates. The task force overseeing the launch of the new service whittled the entries down to 20 and settled on MetroJet after talking with employees and consumers.
The National Mediation Board will investigate Association of Flight Attendants charges that Midway Airlines interfered unlawfully with a representation election Feb. 13. AFA is asking the board to overturn the election and certify AFA as bargaining representative (DAILY, Feb. 19). With 130 flight attendants eligible to vote, AFA received 62 votes, four short of certification. NMB invalidated three ballots.
