Kiwi International Air Lines is giving away cruises to Grand Bahama Island under a promotion with Hemisphere Tour&Travel. Passengers who fly four one-way trips or two roundtrips by Sept. 30 between any cities in Kiwi's network will receive a three-day, two-night cruise for two. The cruises leave from Fort Lauderdale on the Sea Escape cruise ship.
Continental has purchased an outstanding 9% share in its Pacific subsidiary, Air Micronesia Inc., from United Micronesia Development Association Inc. (UMDA), the carrier said this week. Continental paid $73 million for the stake and UMDA's rights to receive future payments under a services agreement with Continental Micronesia. The deal also ends Continental's obligations to UMDA stemming from a settlement reached in 1987.
Amertranz Worldwide Holding Corp. said it closed down on June 23 the operations of Amertranz Worldwide, a freight forwarder with offices in 15 domestic locations. Its Target Air Freight, Caribbean Air Services and Consolidated Air Services subsidiaries will continue to operate, however. Stuart Hettleman, president, said the move "will allow us to achieve our stated goal of becoming profitable and position the company for future growth."
The cost of traveling rose 3.1% in May from May 1996, according to the Travel Price Index produced by the Travel Industry Association, mainly because of a 6.5% increase in air fares. For the first five months, the TPI was up 4.4%, and airline fares were up 7%. Transportation overall was up 5% and lodging 5.6%.
SAS and South African Airways will begin code-shared flights between Copenhagen and Johannesburg/Cape Town July 2, breaking a 12-year hiatus in air transport contacts between their respective regions. SAA will operate two weekly roundtrips on a 747 from the Danish capital to South Africa on Thursdays and Mondays, and in the opposite direction on Wednesdays and Sundays.
DAC International, a subsidiary of Banner Aerospace, and Universal Avionics Systems, have contracted to retrofit HeavyLift Cargo Airlines freighter aircraft with UNS-1 GPS-based navigation management systems, replacing OMEGA/VLF navigation systems.
Continental and Microsoft have redesigned and expanded the airline's World Wide Web site to include reservations and ticketing capabilities. The ticketing function, called CO.O.L. Travel Assistant, includes booking for hotels and rental cars. The Web address is http://www.flycontinental.com.
The National Civil Aviation Review Commission said yesterday that the House and Senate aviation tax proposals "will make it extremely difficult to make the necessary changes in the aviation financing system." The House and Senate this week are considering separate versions of budget reconciliation bills that would increase taxes on the industry and traveling public by about $5 billion. A conference to resolve differences is planned after Congress returns from next week's Independence Day recess.
KLM said yesterday it will stop carrying radioactive material on passenger flights "until further notice." The ban follows release of radioactivity from medical equipment on a May 2 flight from Amsterdam to London and a subsequent disagreement with Dutch civil aviation authorities on the regulations governing radioactive materials. "We find it important to repeat that, in any case, for passengers on this flight (and) the staff involved, there has been, at most, a negligible health risk.
United has filed a suit in Los Angeles against code-sharing partners Mesa and WestAir to seek a court ruling on its marketing agreement with the Mesa Air Group carriers. United spokesman Richard Martin said, "United believes the contract allows us to increase, decrease or adjust in any way flight frequencies, markets or both." Mesa contends United wants to transfer markets operated by Mesa and WestAir to SkyWest Airlines, which serves Los Angeles and Salt Lake City as a Delta Connection. Martin said United had no comment on that.
Regional jet deployment will lead to a certain amount of "hub raiding," as carriers with RJs attempt to grab shares of connecting traffic, said George Hamlin of Global Aviation Associates. "Not everyone has RJs, and those with them will go after those hubs without them," he said.
Greek flag carrier Olympic Airways started a five-times-weekly Boeing 737-200 service to Budapest this week, following the recent launch of routes to Bucharest, Belgrade and Moscow. The airline said it is continuing to expand its network beyond the current 40 international and 38 domestic routes. In April 1996, the European Commission blocked the payment of a second tranche of state aid of 23 billion drachmas (US$85 million) to Olympic, out of a total of 54 billion drachmas ($200 million) to be handed out in three installments.
Dallas-based EXCEL Communications has appointed Legend Airlines Chief Executive T. Allan McArtor to its board of directors. McArtor served as FAA administrator from 1987 to 1989. EXCEL is a long-distance telephone company.
SilkAir, the regional carrier of Singapore Airlines, is offering U.S. and Latin American travelers its "Discover Asia Airpass," which places all of the airline's routes into two fare categories. SilkAir is promoting $139 per one-way flight from Singapore to six cities in Indonesia, three in Malaysia and three in Thailand. The carrier is charging $239 per flight to specific destinations in China, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines and Indonesia. Tickets must be purchased prior to arrival in Asia, and fares are valid through March 31, 1998.
FAA said it is evaluating ultrasonic technology which warns pilots automatically of ice buildup that reduces aircraft performance or presents a hazard to engines. The HALO Ground Ice Detection System displays the warning in the cockpit, which "increases safety, lowers costs and may eliminate unnecessary use of toxic deicing fluids," the agency said. Guy Gardner, associate administrator for regulation and certification, said that "for a minimal investment of FAA resources, U.S.
New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani held a news conference yesterday asking Continental to pull its new New York advertising campaign even after Continental Chairman Gordon Bethune assured the mayor the airline is not anti-New York but is working to promote its service to the city.
Airlines Reporting Corp., in an effort to update its accreditation standards, has implemented its ARC Certified Travel Agent Qualification (ACT) for new agents. Effective Jan. 1, agencies applying for ARC certification will have the choice of hiring an ARC-certified agent instead of using the one-year ticketing qualification. The ACT qualification will become mandatory Jan. 1, 1999, and will replace the ticketing qualifier.
SITA said it is offering an improved departure control system (DSC) with the addition of two new services - Liaison for DCS and Liaison Boarding Control, which are designed to streamline passenger check-in procedures and enhance check-in agent productivity by providing a user- friendly Windows-based interface. Airlines using automated ticket and boarding pass ticket stock get a further benefit.
The House Appropriations transportation subcommittee approved yesterday a fiscal 1998 FAA funding level of $9.06 billion, an increase of $500 million over the fiscal 1997 level. The panel surprised many observers by recommending a $1.7 billion obligations ceiling for the Airport Improvement Program, a 16% increase over the fiscal 1997 level and 70% over the Clinton administration budget request.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Traffic The Year 1996 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles Carriers (000) Change (Miles) (000) Alaska 11,100 15.95 818 9,083,509 America West 17,792 6.63 840 14,940,231 American 64,707 (0.39) 1,126 72,854,437
American Automobile Association predicts 35.9 million Americans will travel at least 100 miles over the July 4 holiday, up 1% from 1996, and 5.2 million of that number will travel by air, train or bus, about the same as last year.
The House voted 259 to 173 yesterday to continue Most Favored Nation Status for China. The House decision to extend MFN obviated a vote by the Senate on a bill that would have discontinued MFN. Boeing executives, who were watching closely the House action, called for China's admission to the World Trade Organization. The company said, "More and more people believe that continued engagement through trade increases our nation's ability to bring about positive change in China.
Arrow Air has appointed CIAC Inc. to provide sales representation and market development services in a 13-state region as part of its long-term growth plan. CIAC, Minneapolis, will market Arrow's scheduled all-cargo service in Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.
