Approximately 5,300 new business jets worth about $60 billion will be sold between 1998-2008, according to AlliedSignal's annual Business Aviation Market Outlook. New and derivative models will drive a strong near-term market, and deliveries will remain high, after peaking in 1999, and reach another record in 2007 and 2008. Deliveries of turbofan aircraft in the first half of 1997 increased 43% form last year's levels, with expected deliveries of about 400 new business jets forecast for 1997 and 480 in 1998.
City of Chicago has filed in support of Reno Air's bid for an extraordinary-circumstances exemption at O'Hare. The carrier already operates there and wants two more slots to add another Reno-O'Hare roundtrip. Reno said the market has more than doubled since it began service there three years ago, and Chicago supports the carrier's bid to serve this "burgeoning demand." Chicago told DOT it remains concerned about the high transaction costs and "uncertain standards" associated with the slot-exemption applications, and said it has supported virtually all new entrants.
Pan Am shareholders voted overwhelmingly to approve the company's merger with Carnival Air Lines Friday. The shareholders, of whom 97% voted in favor of the move, did not propose to oust Chief Executive Martin Shugrue at the meeting (DAILY, Sept. 26).
Civil Aviation Medical Association named John Hastings president and presented the Forrest and Dominique Bird Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Art and Science of Aviation Medicine for 1997 to Peter Siegel, San Antonio, Texas. National Association of State Aviation Officials Center for Aviation Research and Education re-elected Raymond Rought, director of the Minnesota Aeronautics Office, to the board and elected him chairman for 1998; Kim Stevens, director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, was elected treasurer.
FAA last week selected four executives to fill key posts in its Flight Standards Service that have been vacant for several months. Fight Standards, responsible for oversight of flight operations from general aviation to major airlines, lost a number of employees during the past year, including the director, deputy director and two of the eight division managers. A third division has been without a permanent manager for some time. Richard Gordon, manager of the Flight Standards Division in the Alaska region, was named deputy director.
Boeing plans for both of its 777 growth versions to have greater range than the 747-400. The 777-300X would fly 7,365 miles, capable of Dallas-Tokyo, and the -200X 9,735 miles, enough for New York-Taipei. The third super- long-range 777, the -200IGW, fits in between at 8,225 miles, enough for London-Los Angeles.
Western Pacific, responding to a fare reduction by competitor America West, has cut fares in competing markets. Sample tariffs for off-peak, roundtrip, seven-day advance purchase include $198 from Washington to Los Angeles, $158 from Denver to San Francisco, and $118 from Denver to Phoenix.
Moody's Investor Service has assigned ratings to $195.8 million of Northwest's and $88.6 million of Continental's pass through certificates. Northwest will use the proceeds to finance 12 BAe Avro RJ85 regional jets delivered between April 1997 and May 1998. Continental will use the funds for separate financings related to the prior acquisition of nine Embraer 145ER RJs.
Votes will be counted today on union representation for US Airways' gate, reservations and ticket agents. Workers at 110 locations are voting in what the Communications Workers of America said is the largest private- sector union organizing election in 10 years. About 8,800 employees on the job as of April 23, 1996, are eligible to vote. There are 10,000 current employees.
Satellite positioning systems and terrain databases are creating the opportunity to take "another quantum step in safety," Boeing Chairman Philip Condit said last week (DAILY, Sept. 26). The marriage of these emerging capabilities puts the aviation industry "on the edge of being able" to know precisely the position of inflight aircraft in relation to the ground and avoid controlled flight into terrain, the cause of most aviation accidents, Condit said. Satellite positioning systems, like the U.S.
America West is offering last-minute discount fares through its web site at http://www.americawest.com. Tariffs are posted every Wednesday for travel the following weekend.
Southwest declared a 3-for-2 split of its common stock and raised the quarterly dividend. The split, which will occur Nov. 26 for stockholders of record Nov. 12., increases the shares outstanding, now 146.6 million, by 50%.
European Commission, faced with renewed effort by many in the travel industry to keep intra-European Union duty-free sales beyond 1999, has issued a lengthy defense of the termination."You cannot buy duty-free goods if you are traveling by plane from Paris to Marseilles or London to Glasgow," the EC noted."Now that the Single Market exists, there is no good reason why you should be able to buy duty-free goods if you are traveling by plane from Paris to Glasgow or London to Marseilles, especially as you cannot buy duty-free goods if you take a train or drive between the sam
US Airways claimed Friday to be the first airline to offer online frequent flyer award redemption. It added to its Priority TravelWorks service, introduced to preferred members of the Dividend Miles program in 1995, the ability to redeem automatically miles for first class and main cabin award travel in the continental U.S.
Working-group meetings with Japan are set for Thursday and Friday on code sharing and beyond rights, part of "intensive informal consultations" that will take place before another round of formal talks in Washington the week of Oct. 20. The stakes are already high as negotiators work against the pressure of having missed a Sept. 30 deadline for signing an agreement, but it is not clear whether Oct. 20 is the end of the road.
Dragonair will launch service from Hong Kong to Wuhan in mainland China on Oct. 2. With more than seven million people, Wuhan is the largest city in central China and Dragonair's 17th Chinese destination. The carrier will operate Airbus A320s on the route, with 12 business-class and 144 economy seats.
Burlington Air Express's Global Logistics unit will manage distribution centers at London Heathrow Airport and in Singapore for Bombardier Business Aircraft. The company handles parts distribution for 12 airlines.
World Airline Entertainment Association named Airtours International the airline with the best inflight video entertainment. Quantas won the best inflight audio program award and tied with Virgin Atlantic for best inflight audio entertainment. Virgin won for best inflight magazine.
Orally approved a one-year exemption for Haiti National Airlines to conduct scheduled foreign combination service, only by wet-leasing aircraft from an authorized U.S. or foreign air carrier, between Port-au-Prince and co- terminal points Miami, Fort Lauderdale, New York and San Juan, Puerto Rico...Orally approved an initial one-year exemption for Tower Air to conduct scheduled foreign combination service between New York and St.
Aviation is beginning to change the way the world's great cities become great, according to Boeing Chairman Philip Condit. Greatness used to be limited to seaports, riverports and railroad centers, but air is making its mark. Condit cites Orlando, whose industry and tourism depend on air travel.
Startup airlines in Europe continue to select the U.K. as a base. Last week Euroscot Express began service between its base, Bournemouth, and Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is wet-leasing aircraft from European Aviation Air Charter, which has backed EasyJet, Ryanair, Jersey European and AB Airlines.
US Airways is upgrading inflight meal service, the result of suggestions from passengers and meetings with employees. First-class travelers will have snack options, such as hot sandwiches, peppercream shrimp salad, and cilantro chicken with tortellini. First-class dinner menus will include a filet with roesti potatoes or shrimp with oriental pasta. Passengers in coach will have a choice of breakfast options, including cinnamon apple pancakes. Lunch and dinner menus will have eight new entrees, such as pot roast, lasagna and turkey.
Tokyo Narita Airport police, who used to resolve passenger violence quietly, are changing their approach. Two United passengers were referred to the Chiba District prosecutor's office last week and charged with inflight violence. In both cases, male passengers more than 60 years old hit flight attendants.
