Best Western has joined American's AAdvantage frequent flyer program. Members earn 250 miles for each qualifying stay at Best Western hotels in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. Some hotels will offer bonus points.
KLM, which stopped carrying radioactive materials on passenger flights pending discussions with Dutch authorities about the ambiguity of regulations, broadened the ban to include cargo flights following what it termed "extensive consultation" with the director-general of civil aviation and Ministry of Transport officials.
Delta is lowering passenger fares to Amsterdam on daily nonstops from Atlanta or New York Kennedy on tickets purchased by July 15. Travel must be completed by Aug. 31. Sale fare include $671 roundtrip from Boston, $733 from Atlanta, $717 from Washington, D.C. and $865 from Los Angeles.
Nav Canada has opened an air traffic control tower with current-technology equipment in Quebec City's Jean Lesage International Airport. Nav Canada also set up a new flight information center in Quebec City.
Lufthansa Technik AG's Irish maintenance and repair subsidiary, Lufthansa Shannon Turbine Technologies (LSTT), has signed a five-year exclusive agreement with Braathens S.A.F.E. to cover the repair of CFM56-3 combustor assemblies. The decision comes after 12 months of testing by Braathens of LSTT's services. Elsewhere, Lufthansa Technik renewed a contract to overhaul Asiana Airlines' 66 CF6-80C2 engines, powering 747- 400s and 767-300s. The agreement extends the two partners' cooperation until mid-2001.
Sabena is beginning to see the results of its two-year-old efficiency program and its prospects in 1997 are looking up, according to Chief Executive Paul Reutlinger. "I am confident for the end of this year. We are on track with our budgetary goals and are now reviewing measures for 1999 and 2000 as well," he said. Sabena, deep in the red for most of the 1990s, has had its back against the wall since Swissair threatened to withdraw its 49.5% stake if the Belgian flag carrier's financial performance did not improve by yearend.
American Airlines is the best candidate to buy a 20% stake in Iberia's Argentinean subsidiary, Aerolineas Argentinas, Iberia Chairman Xabier de Irala said in an interview published yesterday by Spanish business daily Cinco Dias. "The solution is to open up to a U.S. partner....Even if nothing has been signed yet, the best offer is that of American."
America West is offering two-for-one fares from six Mexican cities to Phoenix and Las Vegas. For $450 roundtrip, travelers flying to the U.S. can take along a companion at no extra charge. Tickets must be purchased by July 14 and travel completed by Sept. 30. The fares are good for travel from Acapulco, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta. Each additional person joining a party of two can travel for $225 roundtrip.
Aircraft Braking Systems Corp. said it was selected by Messier-Dowty to design and produce the braking system for Raytheon's new Hawker Horizon midsize business jet. The aircraft, featuring a composite fuselage and metal supercritical wing, will carry eight to 12 passengers up to 3,400 nautical miles at Mach 0.84.
US Airways may furlough 42 more pilots in October, in addition to 64 to be let go tomorrow and 39 September layoffs announced previously, the Air Line Pilots Association said. Union negotiators, fresh from discussing job security concerns with management last Tuesday during contract talks, were expecting a counterproposal on Friday, the day they learned of the new furloughs.
Aeromexico will pay a civil penalty of at least $50,000 under a consent order it signed with DOT; another $50,000 is collectible if the carrier fails to comply. The department found that Cancun-Dallas and Durango-Los Angeles service in 1996 and 1997 was flown without the required economic authority. DOT learned of the Cancun-Dallas service when Aeromexico applied for an exemption in the market, and the carrier's subsequent review of operations uncovered lack of authority in Durango-Los Angeles.
DOT's Office of the Inspector General, headed by new appointee Kenneth Mead, said Friday it would conduct an audit of passenger origin and destination data submitted by air carriers to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Two recent DOT actions and a filing by Delta focus on O&D issues, but an OIG official told The DAILY those events were not the cause of the audit, which, he said, raises much broader issues and has "been in the works" for a long time.
- Approved an Air Icelandic charter to fly one roundtrip between Manchester, U.K., and Bangor, Maine, on June 24-25 for Caledonian Airways, using an L-1011.
New Piper Aircraft said Lufthansa Flight Training (LFT) and its subsidiary, Airline Training Center Arizona, ordered seven Seneca V aircraft with options for four more. First of the twin-engine trainers, built to LFT and ATCA specifications, will be delivered in January. Piper also announced that Cabair Group, which owns and operates several flying schools in the U.K., has ordered six PA-28-161s and one PA-28-181. The first six aircraft will be delivered between August and November.
Reno Air is offering $5 upgrades to first class on July 1 to celebrate its fifth anniversary of service. The upgrades will be issued on a first come, first served basis. All passengers traveling July 1 also will receive a $5 discount coupon for use on upgrades through Dec. 15. Reno offers 12 to 20 first-class seats on its MD-80 and MD-90 aircraft.
- In Federal Register dated June 20...Issued an airworthiness directive on certain Saab 340B and 2000 series aircraft requiring an inspection of switches on the fire handle assembly...Issued an AD on certain Gulfstream G-73 aircraft concerning positioning of the power levers...Issued an AD on certain Saab 340B and 2000 series aircraft requiring inspection of the lamps in the cabin area. -- In FR dated June 24...Proposed an AD on Saab 2000 series aircraft to require inspection of the hydraulic tubes of the wing rear access door.
Major airlines are taking the fight against higher aviation taxes straight to their passengers with a campaign called "Ax The Travel Tax," countering Southwest's "Skyway Robbery" advertising campaign. Employees of seven airlines - American, United, Delta, US Airways, Northwest, TWA and Continental - were expected to wear buttons and pass out fliers at three Washington, D.C., area airports on Friday and Saturday. The seven carriers generally support the House tax version, while Southwest favors the Senate variation.
U.S.-Egypt bilateral talks last week converted a number of extrabilateral routes into formal parts of the agreement, and the Egyptians agreed to lift frequency and aircraft limitations. Pending Egyptian government approval, the two sides also agreed to add third-country code shares to the bilateral - United/Lufthansa and Northwest/KLM fly them extrabilaterally - and added room for a third, in which Delta has expressed interest.
In the battle to top the charts in on-time performance, DOT is facing a maelstrom of conflicting opinions from airlines on whether its monthly statistics should include two weeks in May devoted to the positive bag match experiment. If the period is included, American says it was the No. 1 on-time performer in May, a rank it has not achieved in years. TWA, which also performed well during the 14 days, says it has lobbied congressional delegates and DOT Secretary Rodney Slater to include the period, and other carriers are lobbying against it.
ValuJet Senior VP-Sales and Marketing Ponder Harrison said it was "absolutely not true" that security procedures will prompt ValuJet to shut down its joint service with Greyhound to bus passengers from outlying areas to Atlanta Hartsfield (DAILY, June 27). DOT Deputy Assistant Secretary Patrick Murphy noted last week that FAA was barring ValuJet from conducting screening procedures at the bus stations, and said the carrier might halt the service.
As Hong Kong approaches its handover to the Chinese, the city has seen an influx of visitors. Malaysian, Indonesian, Indian and U.S. travelers boosted Cathay Pacific's May revenue outlook. But the carrier noted that Japanese and North Asians continue to stay away from Hong Kong, with year- over-year Japan sales falling in double digits.
