Statements by American President Donald Carty in London indicate the American-British Airways alliance will not be abandoned in the fall despite regulatory delays, as long as an acceptable agreement appears within reach. Carty said in London yesterday that American and BA will not drop their pact even though approval delays mean the carriers cannot launch joint operations by next summer.
Three executives of Canada's Bombardier Regional Aircraft are scheduled to visit Taipei next week to discuss cooperation with Taiwan's Aerospace Industry Development Corp. Sources in Taipei say the officials, including Rene Brasseur, group VP-procurement, and John Holding, group executive VP- engineering and product development, will arrive in Taipei Sept. 22 for talks on production of fuselage and wing parts in Taiwan.
Taipei officials say that an instrument landing system planned for installation on Taiwan's offshore island of Kinmen may prove useless unless China agrees to permit Taiwan-owned aircraft to overfly Chinese airspace. The officials say that if an ILS is installed at Kinmen Shanyi Airport, the landing path would extend into Chinese airspace. Pilots say frequent bad weather in the area of Shanyi Airport, less than 14 kilometers from the mainland Chinese port city of Xiamen, makes installation of an ILS essential.
The Qatar government intends to take Qatar Airways public within two years. The airline carried only 350,000 passengers last year, but the government says this volume will double after it sells shares to private investors.
Air Cargo Equipment Corp. said it received a multi-million dollar contract for main deck cargo containers from an "undisclosed airline." The customer also ordered LD9 and LD11 containers.
U.S. and European efforts to harmonize maintenance-related activities ran into resistance from a top union representative. James Conley, assistant airline coordinator for the Machinists union, raised eyebrows last week when he called some initiatives by the FAA/Joint Aviation Authorities Harmonization Management Team premature. Conley made the remarks at a public meeting in Crystal City, Va., which followed a two-day international meeting between government officials on harmonization.
Marc Rochet, chairman of British Airways' French subsidiaries TAT-Air Liberte, said yesterday in Paris he does not want to take over Christian Blanc's job as chairman of Air France. Rochet intends "to resume his mission" at TAT-Air Liberte and "carry out the restructuring and development projects" of BA's French subsidiaries. The French press reported Monday that the French government included Rochet on a short list of potential candidates, together with prominent managers of state-owned companies. Rochet was the only airline specialist among them.
Rohr said its discussions concerning a merger agreement with an unidentified "third party" (DAILY, Sept. 12) have been "terminated." Rohr revealed merger discussions in a brief statement last week after its share price rose sharply on the New York Stock Exchange. In its terse announcement that talks had ended, Rohr still did not identify the suitor.
United generated more than $12 million in sales last year from ticket discount coupons handed out by employees. This year, employees each get six "Friends Plus" certificates valid for 15% off a ticket, applicable to anyone they know.
Finnair's international passenger traffic in July rose 11.1% and domestic traffic 14.4%, compared with the same month last year. Total traffic increased 12%, and the passenger load factor gained 3 percentage points to 78.1%. Cargo and mail traffic expanded 22.6%.
FAA agreed to withdraw pending enforcement actions against Fine Air crewmembers related to operations in Latin America, and to make the reinspection of Fine Air a priority, under the newly negotiated consent agreement that will enable the shut-down carrier to resume flight operations (DAILY, Sept. 16).
U.S. Carriers Labor Expense Second Quarter 1997 % Of Total Major Carriers Labor Operating Expenses Alaska $ 104,950,000 32.21 America West 98,132,066 22.81 American 1,111,436,000 31.01 Continental 327,241,000 24.02
Asiana Airlines asked DOT to amend its exemption authority to conduct intermodal cargo services to three U.S. city-pairs. The South Korean carrier wants to substitute New York-Atlanta for New York-Boston, in addition to serving Los Angeles-Houston and New York-Chicago. (Dockets OST-95-757; 48727)
Boeing-Wichita said it has received a contract from Taiwan carrier China Airlines to convert two 747-200s into cargo aircraft. Modification of the first aircraft will begin next July for delivery the following November. Work on the second will begin in March 1999 for delivery in June. Boeing also will complete service bulletin terminations, heavy maintenance and selected reconfiguration. The aircraft will be able to carry 120 tons of cargo up to 4,000 miles, Boeing said.
Regional cooperation in aviation safety oversight should be encouraged and means developed for technical and financial help in addressing problems found in these assessments, particularly outside North America and Europe, Anthony Broderick, a former top FAA safety official, told the International Aviation Club yesterday in Washington.
Delta and TWA filed against recent exceptional-circumstances exemptions sought by Spirit, AirTran and Pan Am/Carnival, but the authority for Melbourne, Fla., Airport said without such an exemption for Spirit, the area's New York-bound travelers are captive to one-stop service by Delta through Atlanta. AirTran requested an exemption at Washington National and Pan Am/Carnival at New York Kennedy.
Korean Air Lines is installing AT&T advanced cabin telephone systems in its fleet of 777-300, 777-200, and 747-400 aircraft. The system, which can be integrated with inflight entertainment services, can connect to worldwide telecommunications systems via ground and satellite.
Virgin Atlantic has unveiled "MegaSaver" roundtrip transatlantic fares for as little as #178 ($285) to New York, Washington and Boston, #278 ($445) to Miami and #298 ($477) to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Virgin also is extending its MegaSaver offer to South Africa from London, with fares starting at #448 ($717).
Hawaiian Airlines has joined the growing list of carriers providing telemedicine backup for its flight attendants. Hawaiian is introducing MedLink on all transpacific flights. In the event of a medical crisis, MedLink, part of MedAire in Phoenix, provides a telephone link between flight personnel and an experienced emergency physician, who helps determine whether the situation warrants diverting the flight. MedLink makes all ground arrangements for transporting the passenger to a hospital, said MedAire Chief Executive Joan Garrett.
The annual cost to subsidize essential air service from the western Kansas area to Denver jumped 108.3%, from $1.2 million in 1994 for seven points (six in Kansas, one in eastern Colorado) to Stapleton, to $2.5 million in 1997 for five Kansas points to Denver International. The DAILY reported an incorrect percentage change (DAILY, Sept. 15).
Lawrence Crawford, founder and former chief executive of Avitas, has formed Crawford Aviation Associates, a consulting firm based in Reston, Va. The company's mission is to provide "a narrow band of highly focused, quality services below industry prices," including image and marketing assistance, asset appraisals and management, and airline safety audits, Crawford said.
Congressional sponsors of Business Travel Contractors Corp.'s Oct. 3 Competition Summit in Washington include Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.), chairman of the Commerce Committee. McCain said he continues to support deregulation, "but there remain limits on an open and competitive aviation market." The purpose of the summit, BTCC said, is to examine proposals designed to reduce barriers to entry and expansion into new markets.
