Travel industry executives are blase about the role of smart-card technology in the electronic ticketing process or in automated boarding, according to a poll taken at the Travel Technology Association's (TTA) predictions dinner in San Diego. Most of the executives polled - 85% - said they were either neutral or unenthusiastic about smart cards. And 92% predicted that by 2000, travel volume transacted by a computer reservations system or global distribution system will drop from current levels.
AirJet, a subsidiary of French express delivery group Jet Services, is dropping its 20-month-old scheduled service between Paris Charles de Gaulle and London City airports. The BAe-146 operator developed a commuter ticket system aimed at business travelers but admitted that it could not compete with the frequent flyer programs of larger airlines in the market. Also, London City is not sufficiently well known in the U.K., the French carrier said.
Worldspan has signed Choice Hotels International for its Hotel Source System, which provides real-time connectivity to the databases of more than 3,300 Choice hotel properties. Choice brands include Comfort, Quality, Clarion, Sleep Inn, Rodeway Inn, Econo Lodge and MainStay Suites.
The City of Chicago will announce today that airlines operating at Chicago O'Hare and Midway airports have agreed to use special noise abatement flight procedures under the city's Fly Quiet program. The procedures were developed by the Department of Aviation in cooperation with the O'Hare and Midway Noise Compatibility Commissions, airlines and controllers. The department will distribute Fly Quiet manuals to airline pilots and controllers providing preferred runways and flight tracks to route aircraft over the least populated areas.
National Transportation Safety Board issued an urgent recommendation that FAA require an immediate one-time inspection of all Pratt&Whitney Canada PW100 turboprop engines to ensure that the gas generator case drain line and the plug are correctly installed. The board also wants Embraer to revise engine installation instructions to define clearly where required lines and plugs must be installed for mounting on an EMB-120. The engines also power the ATR 42, Dash 8, Dornier 328, Fokker 50 and Jetstream ATP aircraft.
CFM International will begin assembling engines for Boeing at facilities of Snecma in France as well as General Electric Aircraft Engines in the U.S. as it doubles production for Boeing's new generation of 737s, according to CFMI President and Chief Executive Gerard Laviec. Producing nearly three engines per day as commercial transport production peaks is "a major challenge," Laviec told McGraw-Hill Aviation Week Group's Show News. Until now, the 50-50 GE-Snecma joint venture has assembled engines in the U.S. for Boeing and in France for Airbus Industrie.
Tiptoeing around the Boeing-McDonnell Douglas acquisition issue, Association of European Airlines "will not make too much noise" as long as competition remains between at least two aircraft manufacturers - Boeing and Airbus Industrie - says Secretary General Karl-Heinz Neumeister. Although 47% of AEA members' current fleets are Boeing aircraft and only 20% are from Airbus, the 1996 orderbook shows close competition - 45% Boeing and 43% Airbus.
European Union transport ministers, meeting today in Luxembourg, are attempting to iron out their discord over new EU rules on ramp checks of non-EU aircraft. In February, EU Transport Commissioner Neil Kinnock proposed a directive formalizing the European Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft procedure and the mechanism to exchange information about unsafe aircraft. The text also obliges national authorities to ground dangerous airplanes. The debate focuses on whether the checks should be applied only to non-EU carriers or to all, including EU aircraft.
International Aviation Club has moved up today's speech by DOT Secretary Rodney Slater to 12:15 p.m. The event will be at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Washington, D.C.
Amadeus and Aeroflot have signed a memorandum of understanding to enter a marketing agreement that will create a National Marketing Company (NMC) in Russia to distribute the Amadeus computer reservations system to Russian travel agents. Based in Moscow, the NMC will have other facilities in St. Petersburg.
American said yesterday it will spend $268 million for more than 70,000 first-, business- and coach-class seats from three manufacturers. Mike Gunn, senior VP-marketing, said the seats will "offer our customers the most advanced product in the market." The seat designs and features were based on "extensive customer research" with frequent travelers, Gunn said. The order includes more than 2,000 business-class seats from BE Aerospace, to be installed on international and transcontinental 767s and new 777s.
Icelandair will be the second customer for the new 757-300 with an order for two, Boeing said. The carrier also ordered two 757-200s. The first 757-300 for the carrier will be delivered in the second quarter of 2001 and the first 757-200 next January. All aircraft will be powered by Rolls- Royce engines.
WorldRes Inc. and WizCom International, two Internet services, have formed an alliance to link their two systems and provide combined Internet sales and marketing services to hotel companies. WizCom is a supplier of travel marketing distribution and systems connectivity for the travel industry. WorldRes provides hotel booking capability to online travel sites, such as Preview Travel and Travelocity.
Hong Kong Tourist Association reports that the number of visitors to Hong Kong rose 9.5% to 3.9 million in the first quarter, compared with the same period last year. Hong Kong officials are predicting steady growth in tourism. In April, all major market regions, except North Asia, showed gains in arrivals. Visitors from China rose 28.9%; Taiwan 24.9%; the Americas 21.7%; Europe, Africa and the Middle East 7.5%; South and Southeast Asia 19.8%, and Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific 2.2%.
The Czech Republic will purchase 72 L-159 single-engine trainer aircraft made by Aero Vodochody, in a long-awaited buy revealed yesterday by CIBC Wood Gundy, a Canadian bank organizing the financing. The Czech government will issue a guarantee to cover the financing. CIBC also financed $400 million worth of U.S. aircraft for CSA Airlines. The L-159 buy will include $600 million in U.S. components, including AlliedSignal's F 124 turbofan engine, U.S.-made avionics and components from Boeing.
America West Vacations is offering travel agents $500 bonus commissions for booking 75 passengers for travel by Aug. 31. For every passenger over that number, they will receive an extra $10.
American Eagle President Dan Garton will reveal the company's fleet plan today regarding regional jets. A news conference is scheduled at 9:30 a.m. (CDT) at the Fort Worth AMR Corp. headquarters.
Monarch Airlines ordered two A330-200 and two A321 aircraft. The A330s will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines and the A321s by IAE V2533 engines. The British holiday carrier operates seven A320s, one A321 and four A330s.
Summary of U.S. National Carriers Systemwide Traffic November 1996 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles Carriers (000) Change (Miles) (000) American Trans Air 305 (3.70) 1,686 513,839 Carnival 134 (18.02) 1,155 154,480
Operating results of Europe's biggest airlines dipped into the red last year following a banner year in 1995. The Association of European Airlines blamed the loss of profitability on rising air traffic control charges, ground-handling fees and fuel prices, plus downward pressure on fares, but it said it expects better results this year. According to preliminary data issued last week, the 26 AEA airlines project a combined operating loss of $90 million in 1996, compared with an operating profit of $870 million in 1995.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Traffic December 1996 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles Carriers (000) Change (Miles) (000) Alaska 892 8.13 813 725,218 America West 1,558 14.83 860 1,340,157 American 5,643 9.71 1,113 6,283,467
British Midland has chosen the International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500 for the 20 Airbus Industrie narrowbodies it ordered in April. Its two A320s will be powered by the V2527A5 and the eight A321s by the V2533A5.
Aero International (Regional), the European regional aircraft consortium, has "not yet convinced its shareholders" to launch a new 70-seat jet aircraft, the AI(R) 70 or AirJet, acknowledged Chairman Patrick Gavin yesterday at the Paris Air Show. The aircraft, intended as a European response to Bombardier's CRJ 700 and Embraer's projects, is strongly supported by Aerospatiale, but British Airways is reluctant to invest in regional aircraft development. The third partner of the AI(R) consortium, Alenia, is said to have an intermediate position.
Condor Flugdienst has chosen BFGoodrich as its supplier of wheels and carbon brakes for 12 firm-order and 12 option 757-300s. Deliveries begin in 1999. Transavia's 737-800s and TEA Switzerland's 737-700s also will use BFGoodrich wheels and brakes.
