Summary of U.S. National Carriers Systemwide Traffic Fourth Quarter 1996 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles Carriers (000) Change (Miles) (000) American Trans Air 910 (9.41) 1,641 1,493,073 Carnival 463 (7.13) 1,180 546,581
Arinc Inc. and its Indonesian affiliate, P.T. Darma Tridimensi, will provide data link services for Future Air Navigation System I air-to-ground communications at the Jakarta Area Control Center's new Hughes Guardian automated air traffic control system. To be operational by autumn, the communications service will provide automatic dependent surveillance for aircraft with Boeing's FANS I flight management system - about 100 aircraft operated by more than 10 international airlines - and comparable equipment.
American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) wants its members to have access to the same booking information that airlines receive from computer reservations system vendors to help them reduce CRS costs. At its board meeting this week in Orlando, ASTA directed the CRS Cost Reduction Task Force to seek the CRS data to enable members to correct passive bookings before airlines charge them a penalty. ASTA President and Chief Executive Mike Spinelli said agents recently received warning letters from four airlines on avoiding the charges.
TWA will add two products to its cargo service June 15 - NFO Life and Shipper Saver. NFO Life is a premium service limited to urgent medical shipments. TWA said it will deliver "the highest level of on-time, airport-to-airport service available throughout North America and to all TWA destinations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean." Shipper Saver is a second-day morning cargo service in the U.S. at rates that TWA says are competitive with ground shippers.
Midwest Express reported a 16.8% rise in revenue passenger miles in May to 119.4 million from 102.2 million. Capacity rose 14.4% to 185 million available seat miles from 161.7 million. The load factor gained 1.3 points to 64.5%. For the first five months of the year, RPMs were up 10% to 544.6 million and ASMs 13.3% to 881.3 million, driving the load factor down 1.9 points to 61.8%.
Delta and the president of New York's Borough of Queens filed last week against AirTran's application for a slot exemption at LaGuardia Airport, citing safety concerns and the carrier's alleged failure to meet "exceptional circumstances" criteria. Continuing the fight against this type of exemption is United, which this week reaffirmed its opposition to Western Pacific's bid for slots at Chicago O'Hare.
Washington Consulting Group, Bethesda, Md., observed the 18th anniversary of its founding today by submitting its NISC II proposal to FAA and projecting that its fiscal 1997 revenues will reach $50 million, double the previous year's and a record for the company. WCG's team for NISC II - the National Airspace System Implementation Support Contract - comprises Raytheon Service Co., Vitro Corp., CSSI, Dimensions International, GEM Technology and Universal Systems&Technology (DAILY, April 3).
TWA is discounting tickets to the Dominican Republic and four destinations in Europe by as much as 40% off the regular price. The fares are available from 71 cities in the U.S. to Santo Domingo, Lisbon, London, Milan and Rome. Fares to Lisbon are valid for travel July 1-Aug. 31, London July 5- Aug. 31, Milan and Rome July 1-Aug. 14, and Santo Domingo June 10-June 18 and July 9-Aug. 31. Tickets must be purchased by June 16. Sample roundtrip fares include $998 from San Francisco to Rome, $298 from New York to Santo Domingo, and $698 from St. Louis to London.
DOT is inviting carriers to apply for U.S.-Russia frequencies, following applications by Continental and Delta that, if granted, would deplete remaining opportunities. Last year, DOT allocated 44.5 of 49 available weekly combination frequencies, three to Alaska Airlines, 19 to Delta, 8.5 to Northwest, seven to TWA and seven to United. A total of 11.5 frequencies remain - the 4.5 left over from 1996 and seven relinquished by TWA. Continental would use seven for Newark-Moscow service with its own aircraft and Delta 4.5 under a code share with Austrian and Swissair.
American confirmed yesterday an order of seven 777-200 increased gross weight (IGW) aircraft for delivery in early 1999 and 2000, plus purchase rights for additional 777s in late 1999-2001. The aircraft, configured in three classes, will be used to replace MD-11s the carrier is retiring over the next five years.
FAA has lifted its suspension of work by the Agriculture Department under a computer technology contract potentially worth $250 million, the agency said yesterday, but Agriculture will delay resumption until the deadline for appeals of the reinstatement has passed.
British Airways unveiled yesterday an unusual new image and vowed to spend $10 billion during the next three years to upgrade services, acquire aircraft and improve facilities and training. In the largest international corporate launch ever staged - using 15 satellites to reach 14,000 people in 60 countries - BA revealed its new corporate direction and livery. The carrier will retain a softer, sweeping version of its familiar blue and red "speedwing" logo but will rebrand its identity by painting more than 50 different ethnic images on the tails of its 308 aircraft.
America West traffic for May increased 5.7% on 9.4% more capacity, which forced the load factor down 2.4 percentage points to 68.2%. In the January-May period, traffic gained 10.5% on 14.1% capacity, with the load factor falling 2.2 points to 68.9%. May 97 May 96 5 Mths 97 5 Mths 96 RPMs 1,352,582,000 1,279,219,000 6,689,957,000 6,054,223,000 ASMs 1,982,609,000 1,811,676,000 9,708,895,000 8,511,445,000 LoadFtr% 68.2 70.6 68.9 71.1
Continental echoed yesterday an earlier decision by Delta, confirming the Boeing 767-400ER as its future widebody of choice. The Houston-based carrier ordered 30 767-400ERs and five 777-200s, and it will order larger jets exclusively from Boeing during the next 20 years. Continental becomes the third major U.S. carrier, after American and Delta, to enter a sole- supplier agreement with Boeing. Yesterday's order is valued at more than $3 billion, although Continental likely received deep discounts for the exclusivity commitment.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is endorsing special training rules and safety equipment requirements for flying in Alaska after a CDC study revealed that Alaskan workers are 27 times more likely to be killed in an aircraft than all other U.S. workers.
Abacus Distribution Systems will become a business partner in Singapore One, a program launched Monday by Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong to provide high-speed Internet access, tele-shopping and entertainment services to all homes in Singapore by 1999. Abacus is setting up a World Wide Web site that will show existing information from its interactive travel information and reservations services Web site and enhance it with broadband technology, such as videos and virtual tours.
TWA agrees with American and British Airways on at least one issue - DOT's request for thousands of CRS simulations is a heavy and probably unnecessary burden. Meeting DOT's request to the letter would result in nearly 15,000 screens. "This burden is created because the department has requested three different departure-time screens in each market," TWA said in a filing this week. This is not necessary, TWA said, because of time zone differences and the most common patterns of travel; "screens for 7 a.m.
American Airlines Cargo has begun construction of a 7,800-square-foot addition to its cargo facility at Chicago O'Hare Airport. The $2.8 million expansion will be completed by Oct. 1.
Rep. Mac Collins (R-Ga.) today may propose major changes in House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Archer's (R-Texas) aviation tax package as the committee begins work on its budget reconciliation revenue proposal, although sources said the Archer proposal itself may change before today's markup in a way that would quiet some of the opposition.
A Women and Flight photographic exhibition opens Saturday at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, profiling 37 women aviators and astronauts. The show is supported by Pratt&Whitney and United Technologies Corp.
The San Francisco Airport Commission has urged changes to FAA's proposed guidelines for the airport privatization pilot program, but airport officials say the interest should not be taken as a sign that the commission wants to privatize San Francisco International (SFO). "There has been absolutely no discussion of that," said Airport Director John Martin.
Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Co. (GAMCO), Abu Dhabi, has won a competition to modify wing rear spars of five Lockheed L-1011 airliners of Saudi Arabian Airlines. The company said it expects to complete the work at about the end of June. GAMCO General Manager Ahmed Al Moosa said the win puts his firm ahead of some European and U.S. competitors. GAMCO said that under the agreement with Saudia, it will replace the inboard and outboard sections of the wing rear spar web (about 15 feet) and rear spar upper cap (about 12 feet) on all five aircraft.
ValuJet has joined the Atlanta-based Worldspan computer reservations system. Its fares were programmed into the system last weekend, and booking and electronic ticketing capabilities will be available in the next few weeks. ValuJet joined at the GoldPLUS level, which offers full service, including flight schedule distribution with complete availability displays, fares, fare rules and booking services on all flights. Worldspan said it is the only CRS that will show ValuJet's available inventory on the availability display.
Several independent pilot unions, riding the momentum begun a week ago by UPS pilots, have asked congressional leaders to force FAA to require cargo aircraft to have traffic collision and avoidance systems (TCAS). The unions, representing 28,000 cargo and passenger airline pilots, wrote to House and Senate leaders yesterday asking for legislative action. The Independent Pilots Association at UPS held a news conference last week to seek TCAS installation after Air Force One, carrying the President and First Lady, came close to a UPS aircraft that did not have TCAS.
