Northwest has signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus Industrie for 50 firm and as many as 100 option A319 aircraft to be delivered between 1999 and 2003. Michael Levine, the carrier's executive VP-marketing, said the 125-seat A319 "complements our 150-seat A320s and can serve as the foundation for future needs for replacement and growth." Northwest currently operates 50 A320s and is to get 20 more in 1998 and 1999. John Dasburg, Northwest president, said NWA hopes to finalize the MOU "in the near future."
Saab Aircraft is using its new-found financial freedom - owner Investor AB wrote off nearly $200 million in 340 and 2000 development costs - to offer 2000 customers a new Complete Aircraft Repair and Exchange program (CAREfree) that will reduce direct operating costs by $2 million per aircraft during the first six years of operation. It is a power-by-the- hour-type program that eliminates maintenance risk except for labor and consumables. Saab says the program translates into a savings of up to 25%, compared with 50-seat competitors, including jets.
Exigent International, Melbourne, Fla., is offering Fototag, a bag-matching system that indexes photographs of passengers and the barcodes on their boarding pass and the routing tags on their checked baggage. At check-in, the system takes and stores to memory an instant, video-captured photo of each passenger checking baggage. At the jetway, IATA-compliant barcode information on the boarding pass triggers display of the photo image on a monitor, enabling personnel to doublecheck and match every piece of baggage with an owner.
Sunrock Aircraft, Dublin, an operating leasing arm of Nissho Iwai, Japan, has ordered five 737-600s and two 737-300s and is negotiating for 13 more aircraft.
AAR Allen Group said AAR Allen Aircraft has signed a five-year distributorship consignment agreement with Hamilton Standard, under which AAR will sell surplus parts consigned by Hamilton Standard. AAR Corp. said it has completed acquisition of Cooper Aviation Industries. The operation is being integrated into AAR Allen Group, the company's airframe parts inventory provisioning and management unit, and will do business as AAR Cooper Aviation.
Internet travel service provider Biztravel.com is offering bizReservations 2.0, a reservation service that tries to lead travelers to the most frequent flyer miles. Recommending an itinerary based on past individual preferences, the product proposes a travel plan that will maximize frequent flyer mileage and promotional awards from airlines, car rental companies and hotels. System users also can find the lowest available fares. The software distinguishes between base miles and bonus miles to help a traveler maximize miles.
Aero International (Regional)'s deferral of a decision on developing its prospective 70-seat AirJet transport (DAILY, June 17) will enable the British Aerospace-Aerospatiale-Alenia consortium to assess the project in terms of industry consolidation, partnership opportunities, supplier prices and aircraft design. Chief Executive Patrick Gavin told reporters at the Paris Air Show a launch decision may not come until yearend. In the meantime AI(R) will assess:
Mesa Air Group has named Paul Madden to a vacated seat on its board of directors. Madden, an attorney, replaces Blaine Jones, who had held a board seat since 1984 and was Mesa's chief financial officer from 1984 to 1994. Jones is taking a position with Merrill Lynch.
Greenwich Air Services said it signed a 10-year, $85 million contract with Britannia Airways for repair and overhaul of CF6-80A2/C2 engines and a five-year, $40 million contract with British Midland Engineering for CFM56- 3 engine maintenance. The work on both contracts will be performed at Greenwich's Caledonian facility in Prestwick, Scotland.
DOT is prepared to impose sanctions, approved last summer but not enforced, in response to Japan's refusal to allow Federal Express to launch bilaterally authorized beyond service, Assistant Secretary Charles Hunnicutt told reporters yesterday during a break at a Senate Commerce aviation subcommittee hearing on U.S.-Japan issues. The statement clarifies Tuesday's comment by DOT Secretary Rodney Slater that Japan must act quickly to resolve outstanding cargo issues, or the conflict will be "dealt with quickly on its own."
Fairchild Dornier announced this week orders from Club Vuelos Internos Privados (Club V.I.P.) of Quito, Equador, for two 32-seat Dornier 328s; from Point-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe-based Air Guadeloupe for two new 19- passenger Dornier 228-212 aircraft, and from Air Iceland of Reykyavik, Iceland, for two new 19-passenger Metro 23s.
American and American Eagle are offering DAAyBreak fares in an attempt to attract leisure travelers to flights between 5 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. in selected cities to and from Dallas/Fort Worth and Chicago. The fares, which went on sale yesterday, average half the price of 21-day advance purchase fares, ranging from $118 to $358 roundtrip. Travel must be completed by Oct. 1.
United board member Joe Vittoria has been named chairman and chief executive of a new company, Travel Services International Inc. (TSI), that intends to be a single-source distributor of leisure travel. He will remain on the UAL board, according to a news broadcast from the airline. TSI is raising money through an initial public offering that, if successful, will finance the combination of five companies - Auto Europe, Travel 800, D-FW Tours, Cruises Only and Cruises Inc. If the IPO is not successful, the company will fold.
Several members of the Senate Finance Committee, both Republican and Democratic, expressed strong opposition yesterday to Chairman William Roth's (R-Del.) proposal to apply the 10% passenger ticket tax to the portion of international flights within U.S.-controlled airspace (DAILY, June 18). At least three senators were considering amendments to kill the new tax during the committee's budget reconciliation bill markup, which continued late in the day.
Congressional testimony on U.S.-Japan issues by Gerald Greenwald of United, John Dasburg of Northwest and Fred Smith of FedEx will be shown on Aviation News Today, to be broadcast Sunday on Washington NewsChannel 8 from 12:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Italy's Air Dolomiti has signed an agreement to purchase four new ATR 72-210A and one ATR 42-500 aircraft, Aero International (Regional) announced. The A version of the ATR 72-210 won certification in February. The regional carrier called the ATR 72 - which will be configured with 64 seats - as "the best response" it will have to rising passenger traffic on high-density routes between Northern Italy and Southern Germany.
Rolls-Royce said South African Airways is the first airline to commit to its latest RB211 engine, the 524G/H-T, which received type approval last month from the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority. SAA will use the engine on two new 747-400s ordered in February and to upgrade powerplants on its current fleet of four 747-400s. The upgrade includes the complete high- pressure system of the Trent 700, improving fuel consumption 2% and saving 800 pounds per aircraft.
Laker Airways is preparing an antitrust suit against British Airways charging monopolization at London Gatwick Airport, where Laker wants more desirable slots for Miami-London service (DAILY, March 21).
Air New Zealand and Ansett Australia plan to merge their New Zealand domestic air freight and courier businesses - Air New Zealand First Express and Ansett NZ Air Freight. The merged business will be an equal partnership.
Northrop Grumman said it will produce nacelle components for 747, 757, 767 and 777 aircraft under a Boeing contract worth up to $200 million. The new business includes fan cowl assemblies, composite thrust reverser and inlet panels and other composite components.
Aero International (Regional) is running into resistance from partner British Aerospace on the proposed 70-seat AIR(R) JET project. It seems that BAe's Avro unit is making money with the RJ 85 and RJ100 quadjets, now marketed and supported by AI(R), and sees no reason to sink a lot of money into a new airplane that, at 85 seats planned eventually, would be a competitor. This has the other AI(R) partners - Aerospatiale and Alenia - looking for another partner or partners to participate in the AI(R) JET project, which they see as key to AI(R)'s future...
Preview Travel has promoted President Ken Orton to the additional position of chief executive, and he will join the board of directors. Orton will be responsible for development and advancement of online travel services on America Online and the World Wide Web, and for expansion of the company's broadcast division, News Travel Network. As CEO he succeeds Chairman and founder Jim Hornthal, who will remain as chairman and concentrate on strategic planning, industry relations and business development.
Sabre has released Planet Sabre, an Internet-enabled suite for travel agencies, in more than 65 countries in six languages. According to Sabre, the software combines the best of the World Wide Web and the best of Sabre, integrating the tools agents need in a single desktop display. "Agents using this powerful tool can dramatically improve agent productivity, stay one step ahead of their most Internet-savvy clients, and reduce both training time and expenses," the company said.
Advanced Aerodynamics&Structures Inc. said the State of California approved funding that will enable the company to issue industrial development bonds to build its 225,000-square-foot manufacturing and administration facility as planned at Long Beach Airport. The company intends to begin producing its Jetcruzer 500 corporate aircraft there in the second quarter of 1998.
