France's new Socialist prime minister, Lionel Jospin, "is keeping all options open" regarding the future of state-owned aerospace and airline businesses, according to Groupement des Industries Francaises Aerospatiales, the association of French aerospace manufacturers.
Pan Am will add a third daily flight in the Miami-San Juan market on four days of the week because of "extremely" heavy loads. San Juan is a popular destination this summer; Delta on Sunday boarded 1,744 passengers at San Juan out of 1,745 seats. Pan Am will operate the extra service July 1-Sept. 1 with flights on Tuesdays, Wednesday, Thursdays and Fridays.
The dispute over congressionally mandated overflight fees collected by FAA continues on diplomatic and judicial fronts, and partisans on both sides can claim progress. Late Friday, a motion to stay collection of the fee was rejected in court (DAILY, June 24). But a carefully worded note from the State Department, apparently sent last week, asked FAA to ensure the U.S. meets its international obligations on consultations. The letter is from State's Alan Larson, assistant secretary for economic and business affairs, to FAA acting Administrator Barry Valentine.
The pilots of Spanish private airline Air Europa and Iberia's regional subsidiary Aviaco have called strikes that are most likely to disrupt the companies' profitable summer season. Air Europa pilots, affiliated with the main Spanish union, Sindicato Espanol de Pilots de Lineas Aereas, have called 12 one-day strikes on key dates: June 27, 28, 29 and 30; July 11, 12, 13 and 14, and Aug. 1, 2, 3 and 4. Talks aimed at maintaining a minimum level of service during the strikes broke down last week.
Delta named Stephan Egli VP-Atlantic/Pacific Business Unit responsible for transoceanic operations, including determination of overall route, alliance and product development strategy. Egli joins Delta from Swissair, where he was VP-network management responsible for core marketing functions.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers International Traffic The Year 1996 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles Carriers (000) Change (Miles) (000) Alaska 705 24.56 1,062 748,816 Latin 705 24.56 1,062 748,816 American 14,681 0.51 2,162 31,741,880
American Society of Travel Agents' Computer Reservations System (CRS) Cost Reduction Task Force has formulated a plan to reduce industry costs from excessive passive bookings, a practice airlines have begun to quash.
American recently started a marketing program aimed at older travelers, the AActive American Traveler Club, offering reduced air fares and discounts on Fly AAway Vacations packages. Members receive automatic enrollment in American's frequent flyer program. Introductory fares are good through May 31, 1998. Domestic fares require a three-night minimum stay and international fares a Saturday night stay. American said roundtrip prices start at $98 for travel in the U.S., and $178 for international trips. Club members must be 62 or older.
British Airways and Qantas will cooperate on additional international routes in Europe and Australia. After July 5, BA will gain new markets Down Under, with new code shares on Qantas domestic flights from Sydney to the Gold Coast, Canberra and Adelaide; from Melbourne to Hobart and Adelaide, and from Perth to Adelaide. Qantas will code share on BA flights from London Heathrow to Glasgow, Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast, Aberdeen, Paris, Amsterdam and Vienna. On June 27, both carriers will begin selling seats on the new collaborative routes.
Air New Zealand, fresh from signing a tripartite alliance last week with Ansett and Singapore Airlines, yesterday added Air Canada to its code- share relationships. ANZ also maintains its ties to Canada, after ending an alliance with Canadian Airlines earlier this month (DAILY, June 4). ANZ and Air Canada called their alliance a "strategic partnership" that "further strengthens the comprehensive alliances they each have with United," hinting that ANZ may become a more integral part of the United/Air Canada/Lufthansa/Thai/SAS family.
Summary of U.S. National Carriers Systemwide Traffic, December 1996 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles Carriers (000) Change (Miles) (000) ------------------------------------------------------------------- American Trans Air 363 (3.75) 1,662 603,628
Recent DOT filings by Continental and TACA on the American/TACA code- share proposal are unusually sharp, reflecting fallout from the first two carriers' aborted partnership. In a filing earlier this month, TACA accused Continental of anticompetitive behavior worthy of DOT and Justice Department action, a position Continental told the department Friday was "wild and unfounded." Continental and TACA received approval for their own code-share proposal more than a year ago.
The Empire State Development Corp. (ESD) and the New York State DOT have issued a request for proposals until Sept. 12 for the privatization of Stewart Airport. New York is the first commercial airport sponsor to launch the privatization process through an RFP since Congress adopted the airport privatization pilot program last fall. The RFP offers three proposal options: the lease of Stewart Airport, the purchase of a portion of the non-aviation land (Stewart properties), and the combination of a lease of Stewart Airport and purchase of Stewart properties.
Thomson-CSF and Siemens A.G. have combined their air traffic management capabilities into a single company valued at about $550 million. The new company, Airsys ATM, is owned 60% by Thomson and 40% by Siemens. Under terms of the deal, Siemens's Cardion subsidiary in Woodbury, N.Y., is being closed, and some of its employees will move to Kansas City to join the former Wilcox Electric, renamed Airsys ATM Inc. Cardion's Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar and multilateration systems for the airport surface also will move to Kansas City.
Canadian Airlines launched last week the first online account management and reservations ability offered by a Canadian carrier. The PC- based software, Canadian Plus interactive reservations, is free to members of the airline's frequent flyer program. Travelers can view their Canadian Plus account, query pricing and book flights, hotels and rental cars in real time over secure communications lines. The airline will accept credit card billing for ticket purchases, and offers electronic ticketing, tickets by mail or delivery via a travel agent.
The White House is under intense pressure from the rapidly expanding mobile satellite service (MSS) community to share radionavigation frequencies described by the International Civil Aviation Organization as the "only band available for the implementation of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)," which initially was to include GPS and Russia's Glonass. Sharing the band would preclude the use of the Global Positioning System as a sole means of navigation, ICAO said.
FAA said it plans to fine LCM Transhield, Elkhart, Ind., $60,000 for an "undeclared shipment of hazardous materials." FAA said the company "knowingly" offered hazardous materials for transportation by air "when the materials were not properly classed, described, packaged, marked and labeled as required." The shipment also was not accompanied by a shipper's declaration of dangerous goods as required, FAA said.
Dragonair will give away 50 roundtrip tickets from Hong Kong to Beijing on July 1, celebrating the first day of Chinese rule in Hong Kong. Dragonair will take the group on its first flight of the day to Beijing and offer them a tour of the city and a reception. After the handover, Dragonair becomes an international Chinese carrier, serving 25 destinations in the Asia/Pacific region.
Air Transport Association of Canada's motion to stay FAA's collection of overflight fees was rejected late Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit. FAA said it would refund fees if they were eventually overturned, so the court concluded the stay did not meet standards of irreparable harm. Still pending is a stay request filed by Asiana, which raised different issues but was filed after ATAC's.
Aeroflot will equip 10 new Boeing 737-400s will Collins avionics. The aircraft, which are to be delivered beginning next April, will be equipped with Collins comm/nav radios and sensors, forward-looking windshear radar, traffic alert and collision avoidance systems and data link. The carrier also ordered 20 Il-96 M/T aircraft equipped with Collins avionics, including autopilots. The four-engine widebody made its first flight at the Voronezh plant May 16. First delivery is expected by the end of this year.
Frontier Airlines will operate a third daily roundtrip flight between Denver and Minneapolis/St. Paul July 8, when it also will add a second daily flight between Denver and San Diego. Frontier flies 737s in both markets. Fares are as low as $212 roundtrip to San Diego and $189 to Minneapolis. Aircraft will be made available for the added service by reducing Denver-Las Vegas roundtrips from three to two.
European Union Transport Commissioner Neil Kinnock plans to ask the 15 EU member states in October for a negotiating brief to discuss aviation traffic rights with the U.S., at the next EU transport ministers' meeting.
Texaco and Atlantic Aviation opened the first aviation fueling facility at Arturo Michelena Airport in Valencia, state of Carabobo, Venezuela. The project is the first investment outside the U.S. by the Texaco-Atlantic Aviation partnership. The new facility will offer fuel and general ground support for commercial and corporate aviation.
British Airways is undertaking several aircraft weight reduction programs that it says will save #15 million ($24.5 million) in fuel costs annually. BA will apply six weight-saving initiatives to its 747s alone: installing lighter ovens in galleys; using lighter and more durable food boxes and trolleys; installing different ballmats in the cargo hold; using more durable and lighter galleys; introducing lighter passenger seats, and removing redundant inflight entertainment equipment. The new ballmats save 10 kilograms, and removing inflight systems saves 15 kilograms.
