State Department and DOT declined comment on Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms's (R-N.C.) decision to hold a hearing on U.S.-Japan negotiations, but informed sources said State has been in regular contact with committee members. In fact, a source said, a Helms staffer was visiting State to discuss U.S.-Japan issues when Helms announced the hearing and criticized the lack of open skies.
Terry Hallcom will become president and executive VP-operations of Tower Air. The former chief executive, president and VP-operations of US Airways Shuttle will assume the VP responsibilities of Morris Nachtomi, who is leaving to pursue formal education at Stanford University.
Boeing 727 and 737 Systemwide Aircraft Utilization Per Day Third Quarter 1997 B727-200 American Continental Delta Number of Aircraft Operated 81 33 129 Total Fleet Operations Departures 282 108 689 Block Hours 668 271 1,130
Transaero Airlines asked DOT to expand its existing U.S.-Russia authority to include scheduled service to New York, via intermediate points. The Russian carrier has rights to operate between Russia and Washington, Orlando, Dallas, Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles under authority invoked when it applied for renewal Feb. 7, 1996. DOT has not taken action on that request. Transaero wants to begin nonstop Moscow-New York service June 1 using DC-10-30 aircraft, saying the market needs for additional flights following the cessation of similar service by KrasAir.
Midway Airlines reported a 12% drop in traffic year-to-date and a 21% decrease in capacity, resulting in a 6.4-percentage-point rise in load factor for 1997. Year-to-date revenue passenger miles totaled 877.5 million and available seat miles 1.38 billion, producing a load factor of 63.2%. The airline also reported a 4.5% decline in passenger enplanements to 1,663,746. Midway said the decreases are the result of service cuts on some routes it made in the first half of 1996 and the retirement of four aircraft.
Delta-Aeromexico's code-share expansion application is drawing opposition from Continental and statements by United and American that their own applications should be approved if this one is.
Boeing writeoffs for 1998 involving Douglas Aircraft products will be announced this month as the company ushers in a "big change" toward a "more open approach to the Street and the media," Boeing President and Chief Operating Officer Harry Stonecipher said yesterday.
Pan Am is offering winter sale fares to Florida and the Caribbean starting at $99 one way, and special fares from Boston to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and San Juan. Tickets must be purchased by Jan. 21 and travel completed by April 30. Some restrictions apply, and tickets are non- refundable but may be changed for a $75 service charge.
U.S. National Carriers Productivity, In Revenues and Expenses Per Employee Third Quarter 1997, In Dollars Total Total Operating Operating Revenues Expenses Total (000) (000) Employee American Trans Air 201,490 197,060 4,447 Carnival * 63,299 89,303 1,400
UPS and its Independent Pilots Association resumed negotiations yesterday in Washington, with both sides optimistic that this round will resolve long-standing disputes and end with a tentative agreement. Negotiations started in December 1995, and in November 1996 UPS requested federal mediation through the National Mediation Board. At the request of NMB member Maggie Jacobsen, UPS and IPA agreed to a media blackout yesterday afternoon.
CityBird, the Belgian low-cost, long-haul carrier, will inaugurate weekly service from Brussels to Montreal this spring. It will offer the direct flight four times a week in cooperation with Sabena as of May 4. On the same day, CityBird plans to increase frequencies to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Orlando, Miami and Mexico City.
The European Commission ordered Frankfurt Airport yesterday to "open ground- handling to competition," but it grandfathered a partial monopoly until 2001. The decision, taken in Brussels, followed a complaint in which Air France, KLM and British Airways accused the airport of taking unfair advantage of its dominant position by prohibiting self-handling. FAG, the airport's management company, asked last year to be exempted for three years from the 1996 directive requiring that ground-handling be liberalized gradually throughout the European Union.
Months-long negotiations with European competition authorities on the proposed American-British Airways alliance are bearing fruit, according to BA. Not commenting directly on a London Daily Telegraph story saying European Competition Commissioner Karel Van Miert believes talks are "heading in the right direction" for the first time, a BA spokesman said "intensive discussions" are proceeding in London and Brussels in "an atmosphere of cooperation, and we are hopeful that decisions to proceed will be made in the near future."
Midwest Express Airlines posted a 15.5% increase in traffic and a 13.3% rise in capacity for December 1997 compared with December 1996, resulting in 1.2-percentage-point rise in load factor. Passengers boarded grew 11.3%. Year-to-date traffic jumped 16.6% and capacity 10.1%, lifting the load factor 0.6 points. Passengers boarded was up 10.8%. Dec 96 Dec 97 12 Mths 96 12 Mths 97 RPMs 103,889,004 120,001,394 1,239,965,890 1,409,528,276
Shuttle By United is offering senior discount fares throughout the Western U.S. Roundtrip fares from Los Angeles for passengers aged 65 or older start at $84, about 15% less than the regular 14-day advance-purchase fare. Other roundtrip sale fares include Los Angeles-Tucson, $84; Los Angeles- Portland, $184, and San Francisco-Spokane, $158. Fares are for nonstop service only. Seats are limited and subject to availability.
Federal Express was granted a two-year exemption renewal by DOT to integrate its authority on several routes "to permit flexibility to provide round-the-world service over various routings." The exemption permits FedEx to integrate its U.S.-Colombia route with the renewed authority. (Docket OST-95-838)
Frontier Airlines said its December traffic rose 34% and capacity 55.7% , which depressed the load factor 8.4 percentage points, compared with the same 1996 month. It reported 97.7 million revenue passenger miles, 188.2 million available seat miles and a 51.9% load factor. Year-to-date RPMs jumped 30.2% to 1.026 billion, while ASMs grew 36.3% to 1.809 billion and the load factor dropped 8.7 points to 56.7%.
Delta is promoting $302 roundtrip fares from Buffalo and Newburgh, N.Y., to San Diego, Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., San Francisco, and Seattle. A Saturday night stay is required, and some restrictions apply.
Vanguard Airlines gave away 1,000 free roundtrip tickets in one hour yesterday morning in Dallas/Fort Worth to assist the North Texas Food Bank. The free tickets, which went to travelers who donated a case of food, are valid for any Vanguard destination. The airline also is offering one-way tickets to any of its nonstop destinations for $25 for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Reservations must be made at least seven days in advance and purchased by midnight, Jan. 16. Travel must be completed by March 11.
Delta will begin in July to equip its fleet of 558 aircraft with automatic external defibrillators with heart monitoring capability. The aircraft will carry expanded emergency medical kits as well. Jenny Pole, senior VP- inflight service, noted that American installed defibrillators last year on its aircraft that fly over water. "We are not only following their example, but raising the standard by equipping each Delta aircraft," she said.
Rolls-Royce and American said yesterday they have formed a company to service Rolls-Royce engines at American's Alliance maintenance base near Fort Worth. Rolls said the 50-50 venture, which will begin operations this year, will be its dedicated repair station in the Americas for the Trent 800 series, which powers the Boeing 777. The new company will service American's RB211-535s, which power its 757s, and its Tay 650s, which power its Fokker 100s. American selected the Trent 892 recently to power its 777-200 increased gross-weight aircraft.
