Approved a Curragh Bloodstock Agency charter using an Aer Turas Teoranta DC-8-63F for two roundtrips carrying up to 45 horses on Dublin-Stansted- Stewart Field-Louisville-Luton and Dublin-Louisville-Luton routings Oct. 19-21 and 28-29...Approved a Vacation Express charter using a Lineas Aereas Allegro 727, DC-9 or MD-83 for 28 roundtrips carrying 165 passengers on a Charlotte-Cancun-Liberia, Costa Rica-Cancun-Charlotte routing Feb. 11-Aug.
Dublin's Ryanair will charge $1,000 for a 10-second spot on its new inflight video. A captive audience will be shown a half-hour tape, most of it airline promotions and commercials. Ryanair is betting advertisers will want to reach its 468,000 monthly passengers, 78% of whom the low-cost airline ranks as big spenders.
Some airline gains from travel agent commission cuts may go right back to travel agencies. The decrease from 10% to 8% will not reduce airline payments by 20%, according to Credit Suisse First Boston analyst Tom Schreier, "it will be more like 6%-8%." Airlines will "optimize the rest for select projects" and promotions, such as incentives to the best travel agents, he said.
United's new fare sale prolongs confusion for the average air traveler. The carrier is charging $222 for Los Angeles-Denver, 862 miles, and $199 for Los Angeles-Washington, 2,311 miles. (See story on Page 110.)
Baker, Donelson, Bearman&Caldwell said Albert Randall, former FAA assistant chief counsel for legislation, has joined the company. B anner Aerospace added Jeanne Meade to its outside sales staff.
DOT Inspector General and Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) are in possession of complaints from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association that "if STARS (Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System) gets deployed in its current configuration, it will cripple the national airspace system." FAA says STARS software still is under development and will not be deployed in its current configuration. It says it continues to work with NATCA liaisons and sees "nothing in their concerns that cannot be corrected."
United is offering discounts as great as 10% off the standard 21-day advance purchase excursion fare on domestic service from Southern California and Las Vegas. The offer applies to travel in the 48 contiguous states except for Shuttle by United markets and flights within California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho and Utah. Discounts require a 14-day advance purchase and a Saturday night stay. Sample tariffs include $199 from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., and $299 from San Diego to Boston. The maximum sale fare is $299 roundtrip.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) has drafted legislation on slot rules to increase access for niche carriers and others offering service to underserved communities. Circulating on Capitol Hill, the draft bill would lift the perimeter rule for such carriers at Washington National and mandate slot auctions at the high-density airports if slots were not available for qualified applicants. DOT would "create" slots where possible - Chicago O'Hare is the most likely candidate, according to industry observers.
Virgin Atlantic has applied to the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for permission to start nonstop service from London to Las Vegas. Virgin Chairman Richard Branson said the airline is always looking for "interesting new destinations," and Las Vegas is a long-term ambition of his. The CAA is expected to hold hearings on Virgin's application in December, and if it approves flights could start early next year. Under the current Bermuda 2 U.S.-U.K pact, only one route remains to be allocated by the CAA.
Pan Am and Carnival are combining all areas of the two companies except those needing regulatory approval, and the merging airlines are looking for additional narrowbody aircraft, according to Chief Executive Martin Shugrue. In a message to employees, Shugrue said last week the carriers are combining station personnel, sales, marketing and inflight catering services.
The American Association of Travel Agents told its members to reject organization attempts by unions who promise help in coping with airlines' latest commission cuts. ASTA said a union would have no power to negotiate with the airlines because agents are not employed by airlines. ASTA said it has a game plan to tackle the issue, beginning with a request to Congress to investigate airline practices and how they impact the traveling public. It also is pumping resources into helping members survive in the existing commission environment.
"Leave your egos at the door" was the key advice that led to a speedy five- year agreement between Alaska Airlines and its pilots, union sources said Friday. A tentative contract agreement was approved last week by the union's master executive council (DAILY, Oct. 16), just two months after the contract opened for amendment. Alaska's Air Line Pilots Association unit is under a binding arbitration process that sets specific deadlines for starting and reaching an agreement, said ALPA Master Executive Council Chairman Gary Nowak.
Northwest's Air Line Pilots Association Master Executive Council re- elected its top three officers - Chairman Steve Zoller, Curt Kruse and Howard Attarian.
United and Airport Express are offering luxury bus service between Denver Airport and Fort Collins, Loveland and Longmont as part of United's Ground Link. Airport Express will provide 14 daily departures from Fort Collins and 12 from Loveland and Longmont on weekdays, and 10 from Fort Collins and nine from Loveland and Longmont on weekends. Beginning Nov. 1, bus passengers will earn an additional 500 frequent flyer miles per bus roundtrip and 250 miles per one-way ticket.
Boeing 777-300 made its first flight Friday at the start of a seven-month flight test program leading to FAA certification next May. The aircraft was powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 892 engines. Five other 777-300s will be involved in the flight test program, including two powered by Pratt&Whitney PW4090 engines and one by PW4098 engines. Delivery of the first Rolls-powered aircraft to Cathay Pacific Airways is scheduled next May. Certification with the two P&W engines is expected in June and September.
Although the limited supply of slots at Tokyo Narita is a U.S.-Japan negotiating obstacle, Northwest favors adopting buy-sell rules. "It's not a radical idea," Ben Hirst, senior VP, said last Thursday, "and it's not a perfect solution." But the idea has worked in the U.S., he said, forcing slots to be used at their "highest economic value."
Nav Canada reported total revenues of C$242 million (US$174.2 million) in the September quarter, comprising about C$175 million ($124.3 million) in transition payments from the government - derived from the air transportation tax - and user charges of C$67 million ($48.2 million). Higher volumes of overflights and North Atlantic flights generated an increase of C$10 million ($7.2 million) over the previous quarter. Operating expenses for the quarter were C$167 million ($120.2 million).
United's Air Line Pilots Association Master Executive Council re- elected Michael Glawe chairman and representative to United's board; elected John Cosgrove vice chairman, and re-elected Mark Bathurst secretary/treasurer.
Sabre computer reservations system has asked DOT to give it until next year to comment on and reply to America West's DOT filing accusing computer reservations systems vendors and travel agents of abusive practices (DAILY, Oct. 16). Karen Cook, spokeswoman for Sabre, said DOT requested comments on the filing by Nov. 10.
