Canadian Airlines has put a Canadian city map service on its web site, www.cdnair.ca. The service, available to frequent flyers, also includes U.S. destinations served by the airline.
US Airways asked DOT yesterday for expedited approval of its request to operate two flights each day between its hub in Philadelphia and London Gatwick. The carrier wants to begin service in the spring. Chairman Stephen Wolf said the Gatwick service would be shifted to Heathrow "as soon as Heathrow is opened to new competition," which he acknowledged likely is not soon. The airline noted that the U.S.-U.K. agreement permits a U.S. carrier to fly between Philadelphia and London, but that authority is not being used. British Airways serves Philadelphia from Heathrow.
British Airways and MasterCard International yesterday unveiled a corporate bank card that allows airline miles to be redeemed on BA or its partners, including American, Qantas, Canadian Airlines, Alaska Airlines and America West. The card, issued by First USA Paymentech, allows for both individual rewards and corporate travel tracking and accountability. Paymentech includes automated travel expense reimbursement and desktop reporting options that can be integrated with a company's accounting system.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Traffic January 1997 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles Carriers (000) Change (Miles) (000) Alaska 785 10.38 819 642,664 America West 1,408 10.54 854 1,202,464
LTU International Airways has lowered fares to Germany from North America for winter season departures after Oct. 1. Fares are $348 roundtrip from New York, $428 from Florida and $548 from Los Angeles, Phoenix and Denver. The prices are valid to Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich.
DOT has issued an amended foreign carrier air permit to LTU Lufttransport- Unternehmen Sud (LTU Sud) to conduct charter foreign combination service between Germany and the U.S. and beyond, consistent with the U.S.-Germany open skies agreement, which took effect May 23, 1996. The privately owned carrier is one of six affiliated travel and tourism companies comprising the LTU Group. (Docket OST-97-2066)
Air Canada signed a $400 million revolving line of credit with a syndicate of banks arranged by The Bank of Nova Scotia and CIBC Wood Gundy Securities. The agreement replaces a $207 million credit line.
A spokesman for Fine Air's 120 crew members said talks with the company are "related to the quality of life for the pilots, not safety, and are in no way related to the recent crash." John Truman, who has been with Fine Air since its formation, sought to clarify reports over the weekend that the pilots, who also are in representation talks with the Teamsters union, were concerned about safety issues.
Low-cost Irish airline Ryanair said its service to Charleroi Brussels South Airport, about 60 kilometers south of the Belgian capital, is surpassing expectations. The average load factor of twice-daily 737-200 service launched May 1 is 75% and jumped to 90% in the peak summer season, according to General Manager Michael O'Leary. He said the airline's service to Beauvais, 60 kilometers northwest of Paris, enjoyed similar success. Ryanair plans to maintain its frequencies at Charleroi during the winter and introduce a third flight next summer.
Aer Lingus has leased two A321-200s from International Lease Finance Corp. for seven years. The aircraft, powered by CFM56 engines, are to be delivered in April and June. The carrier also took an option from ILFC to lease a third A321 for delivery in 1999.
Lufthansa Cargo said one of its 747-200s has undergone a "first exhaustive overhaul" by Aircraft Maintenance&Engineering Corp. (AMECO) in Beijing. The D check was the first carried out by AMECO on an aircraft from the Lufthansa Group, the carrier said. AMECO is partly owned by Lufthansa's independent aircraft engineering services company, Lufthansa Technik. The overhaul began in early July and the 747 was handed back on time to Lufthansa Cargo on Aug. 25.
Pratt&Whitney Canada's PT6B-37 turboshaft engine has been granted a type certificate by Transport Canada. Agusta selected the engine for its A119 Koala single-engine helicopter, now undergoing flight tests.
American asked DOT for an exemption to begin operating cargo service to Ho Chi Minh City via Taipei under a blocked-space, code-sharing arrangement with China Airlines. FedEx applied for a two-year exemption renewal to provide all-cargo charter service to Vietnam, for which it holds dormant certificate authority. (Dockets OST-97-2823, 2856)
Vanguard Airlines is not stopping service to Minneapolis/St. Paul and San Francisco (DAILY, Aug. 26). The carrier next week is pulling out of Des Moines, Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa and Los Angeles, and adding service to New York Kennedy.
Delta renamed its packaged holiday division Delta Vacations and is taking a new, tiered approach to vacation marketing. The division, formerly Delta Dream Vacations, will have an identity more closely aligned with other Delta units, such as Delta Express and Delta Shuttle. Delta Vacations is introducing "Simply, Preferred and Ultimate" packages that target different levels of travel experiences and expectations. The carrier is mailing a new brochure to travel agents this week that reflects the changes.
Air New Zealand Limited applied with DOT to extend its U.S. exemption authority to implement some of the new rights created by the open skies agreement signed in June by the U.S. and New Zealand. ANZ currently is authorized to operate from New Zealand, via intermediate points in the South Pacific and Australia to co-terminal points Honolulu and Los Angeles, to Chicago and San Francisco, and beyond to Canada.
Emery Customs Brokers has created a Customs Compliance and Specialized Services Group and named Craig Schau manager. The unit will help importers comply with regulatory requirements of the Customs Modernization Act, which shifts to the importer the legal responsibilities of importing commercial merchandise.
Air France's July traffic increased 7%, following a 2% rise in June. The passenger load factor rose 1.7 percentage points to 77.9% in July. Freight ton kilometers grew 5.5% to 434 million last month.
Sun Country Airlines, Minneapolis, has formed a maintenance services alliance with AirWorks, which has operations in Orlando. AirWorks will provide maintenance labor for Sun Country's fleet of five DC-10 and 11 727 aircraft and Sun Country will provide the facility, training and quality assurance oversight, the charter carrier said. Sun Country will perform its own materials management and maintain its current relationships with component repair vendors and parts suppliers.
Geneva and Zurich airports are introducing landing surcharges linked to gaseous emissions, Geneva Airport officials said yesterday. The surcharge is scheduled take effect in September at Zurich Kloten Airport and in January 1998 at Geneva. The most polluting aircraft of Category 1 - first- generation 747s or 707-300s, for instance - will face a surcharge of 40%. But the most environment-friendly aircraft, such as the A320 family or the 737-400, will be exempted.
Air Transportation Holding Co., Maiden, N.C., announced an agreement to acquire the Simon De-icer Division of Terex, which manufactures, services and supports aircraft de-icers worldwide. Its customers include major passenger and cargo airlines, and domestic and international airports.
National Transportation Safety Board Bar Association will hold its annual safety enforcement law seminar Oct. 29 in Washington, D.C. Board members and senior officials will address the meeting, and FAA and industry officials will speak on administrative law practices and significant cases decided by the board. For more information, call Mark McDermott at 202- 331-1955.
Cathay Pacific is starting what it terms an "unprecedented online promotion," awarding 10 trips for two people to Hong Kong from North America, along with 14 days of unlimited travel in Asia on any of its routes to places like Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. The promotion is the second offering this year through the airline's CyberTraveler program. Winners also receive connecting air transportation from their home cities to New York or Los Angeles. Entries will be accepted until Dec. 15 and prizes will be awarded Jan. 19.
Asiana Airlines has become an A330 customer for Airbus Industrie, ordering six of the aircraft, and has broadened its engine repair and overhaul business with Greenwich Air Services. The Airbus order, comprising three A330-200 aircraft and three A330-300s powered by Pratt&Whitney PW4000 engines, provides for deliveries between the third quarter of 1999 and mid-2001. The Korean carrier also holds commitments for five more A330- 200s and seven more A330-300s, subject to government approval, and it took options for 10 more.
Exxon Co. International said it formed EssoAir International, which will have full commercial responsibility for aviation sales previously handled by affiliates in Europe. All aviation fuel sales and associated administration will be handled at the London-based unit, which is expected to be fully operational by the end of the first quarter of 1998. Esso said the reorganization is aimed at improving service to its European customers.
