CommutAir officials Thursday characterized as "premature" reports that the US Airways Express carrier would take a majority position in fellow US Airways Express carrier Chautauqua. The Indianapolis-based carrier is on the block by owner Guarantee Reassurance Corp., of Jacksonville, Fla. President and CEO Tim Koon has been attempting to put together a management buyout package that could include the principals of CommutAir. VP/CFO Andy Price said Chautauqua is "one of many" opportunities in which the company is interested.
Continental Express yesterday launched EMB-145 service between Wichita and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The carrier is offering three daily roundtrips.
Documents made available to DAILY affiliate ATC Market Report indicate that when Loni Czekalski files formal allegations in her Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against FAA deputy administrator-designate George Donohue, she will charge that Donohue cannot work with women, especially successful women. Sources said the allegation will cite the relationship between Donohue and former FAA Deputy Administrator Linda Daschle, charging that he ignored her and treated her with disrespect. Donohue's critics within FAA see merit in her case.
The market value of eight regional airline stocks rose an average of 5.4% in August, climbing from an average $14.71 per share to $15.51 per share, a difference of 80 cents. Overall value increased by $92 million to $2.87 billion. Lead gainer was Northwest Airlink Mesaba, whose stock jumped $2.75 per share, or 16.3%, from $16.88 on July 31 to $19.63 at the end of August. It was followed closely by Delta Connection SkyWest, up 16.8% from $16.75 at the July close to $19.13 on Aug. 29.
FedEx is expanding its Cedar Rapids operation to a new 90,000-square-foot cargo facility. The facility is part of a joint-use, 150,000-square-foot air cargo apron and $2.3 million in infrastructure improvements. Construction of the $10.6 million expansion is expected to be completed in November.
IATA member airlines posted record North Atlantic passenger load factors during the first six months, averaging 77.8% and reaching a 22-month high of 84.7% in June. IATA said loads are running 1.5 percentage points on average above last year's figures. "These figures show the airlines' efficiency in filling their available capacity," said Director General Pierre Jeanniot. "But it remains to be seen whether this efficiency is being converted into significantly higher profitability." IATA's monthly statistics are available on its web site http://www.iata.org.
American, opposing a United/Thai Airways code-share renewal, told DOT that none of United's cooperative pacts should be approved or renewed until DOT subjects United to the same scrutiny it has applied to American-British Airways. American cited - and included in its filing - a September 1997 Airline Business story finding the United/Lufthansa-led Star Alliance to be "well on its way to being the largest alliance group."
Polar Air Cargo has relocated to expanded facilities at Miami Airport, consolidating warehouse and office space, and ramp operations. The airport is the carrier's primary gateway to South America and a hub for shipments between Europe, Asia, the South Pacific and the Middle East.
Art Wegner, chairman and chief executive of Beech 1900-maker Raytheon Aircraft, has assumed the duties of chairman of the board of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Wegner had served as vice chairman of the GAMA board and moved up to the chairman's post to succeed Fred Breidenbach after he resigned as president and chief operating officer of Gulfstream Aerospace. It is anticipated that Wegner will be elected to a full one-year term as GAMA chairman at the organization's November board meeting.
Atlantic Southeast will replace senior code-sharing partner Delta's service between Gainesville, Fla., and Atlanta, effective Dec. 7. The regional carrier initially will boost its current four flights to eight, operating the additional frequencies with the BAe 146-200 jet and ATR 72- 210 turboprop. Delta had operated four daily flights.
InVision Technologies, which manufacturers the CTX 5000 explosives detection system, said it will acquire Quantum Magnetics, which has developed explosives detection equipment based on quadrupole resonance technology, in a stock-for-stock merger. Quadrupole resonance is similar to medical magnetic resonance imaging and has a high detection rate for some types of explosives. InVision said these capabilities complement the X-ray and computed tomography technology it uses in the CTX 5000.
Lufthansa is pondering how to adjust its non-hub European routes so it can operate all of them profitably, and its decisions could change the way it approaches service on the continent. The core issue is how to adapt Lufthansa's intra-Europe jet service to increasing competition.
Emery Worldwide has opened a 120,000-square-meter Regional Distribution Center in Singapore serving more than 25 countries in the Asia/Pacific region. "The opening of this Singapore center is only one facet of a larger expansion plan we inaugurated in 1995 to enhance our service" in the region, said Emery President David Beatson. "We have also enlarged our network through the opening of six other major distribution facilities throughout the region in Melbourne and Sydney, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Bombay."
Mesa is planning several new routes for its growing fleet of Canadair Regional Jets. Two are now in operation between Fort Worth Meacham Field and Houston Hobby and three, as America West Express, serve Phoenix-Des Moines and Phoenix-Fresno. The carrier will begin Fort Worth-San Antonio and Phoenix-Santa Barbara service Sunday and San Antonio-Colorado Springs Oct. 5. In mid-December, as America West Express, Mesa will launch daily Phoenix-Aspen roundtrips. The latter route will be served by turboprop equipment during the summer, however.
Nice, France-based regional Air Littoral and its senior partner Lufthansa will add code-sharing service in two Munich markets - Nice and Nantes, France - effective Monday, Lufthansa reported. The new flights, to be operated by Air Littoral with Canadair Regional Jets under flight numbers it shares with Lufthansa, give passengers through-checking on both airlines and mileage credit in their frequent flyer programs. Lufthansa and Air Littoral initiated their overall partnership on July 1.
TWA's August load factor increased 1.5 percentage points to 75.8% despite unfavorable year-over-year traffic comparisons. Due to a reduction in January on some international routes, August traffic fell 11.9% on 13.7% less capacity. The load factor for the first eight months rose one point to 70.1%. The airline's on-time arrival rate for August shot up 15.6 points to 83.4% and it operated 99% of scheduled flights, up from 97.5% last year. Aug 97 Aug 96 8 Mths 97 8 Mths 96
DOT has tentatively decided to reselect Trans Executive Airlines d/b/a TransAir to provide essential air service at Kamuela, Hawaii, Oct. 1, 1997 through April 30, 1998. Under the decision, TransAir will continue to operate its current level of service - 10 roundtrips a week from Kamuela to Honolulu using nine-seat Cessna 402 aircraft at an annual subsidy rate of $292,061 - through the end of the month. With the beginning of the new fiscal year Oct. 1, the carrier will operate 12 weekly C402 roundtrips at an annual subsidy rate of $376,848.
Members of Congress and other government officials on a fact-finding tour in Europe last month found European Competition Commissioner Karel Van Miert taking a "tough line where U.S. carriers are concerned," a congressional staffer said. The delegation, led by House Transportation aviation subcommittee member John Duncan (R.-Tenn.), inquired about the Commission's reasoning in getting involved in the Boeing-Douglas merger, and Van Miert detailed its effect on European interests, as he has previously.
Alaska Air Group subsidiary Horizon Air beginning Dec. 7 will operate only de Havilland Dash 8 turboprops on its five daily flights to Port Angeles from Seattle, the company said. Currently, four daily flights are operated with 18-passenger Metros, and only one with a Dash 8. Horizon said, "The new flight schedule also marks Horizon's transition to larger aircraft at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. After Dec. 7, every Horizon flight from Sea-Tac will be operated with either the Fokker F28 twinjet or Dash 8 aircraft."
TWA, which has rebounded operationally but not financially, will launch a series of targeted marketing and route initiatives during the next several months to improve its revenue outlook and regain favor with business travelers. In two weeks, the airline will reintroduce its Trans World One business class as the first of four major initiatives.
Jim Beard, long-time leading salesman at Saab Aircraft of America, has joined Embraer as VP- sales in Europe. Beard left Saab at the end of last year after being responsible for Saab 340 sales to both American Eagle (115) and Northwest Airlink Mesaba (50 plus 22 options). He had been with the company for 12 years. He is a former corporate pilot and worked in airline marketing in London. Beard is based at Embraer's Paris subsidiary and will be responsible for EMB-145 regional-jet sales throughout the region.
British World Airlines will take delivery of its first British Aerospace ATP QC on Sept. 15. A second ATP will be delivered in December, and the carrier will acquire more aircraft next year. It will use the 68-seat, quick-change aircraft for charters, wet-leases and aircraft/crew/maintenance/insurance contracts, replacing its Viscount fleet.
India's northeastern states are forming an airline to serve the region, beginning next year, civil aviation ministry officials said. The North- East Council, representing the administrations of seven states and approved by the federal ministry, took the move because of "growing reluctance" of the state-owned domestic carrier Indian Airlines and private airlines Jet Airways and Sahara Airlines to operate in the region - current service totals fewer than 100 flights per week.
FAA has agreed to major parts of a proposal from Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) that will reduce aircraft noise at Van Nuys Airport, one of the world's busiest general aviation facilities. FAA has agreed to roll back an existing curfew from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. for nighttime takeoffs of aircraft producing 74 or more decibels. The curfew will continue to end at 7 a.m. FAA also approved LAWA's adoption of a non-addition rule, prohibiting an increase in the number of Stage 2 aircraft. It also outlined a process to include helicopters in the curfew.
Two dominant players are shaping up on the German travel market following the takeover this week of logistics and leisure group Hapag-Lloyd by diversified steel group Preussag. Preussag is purchasing 99.2% of Hapag- Lloyd from seven main shareholders in a 2.8 billion Deutschmark (US$1.7 billion) operation. The transaction is due to be confirmed by Preussag's supervisory board in mid-September before presentation to German antitrust authority Bundeskartellamt and the European Commission.
