American posted a 3.2% traffic increase in April on 1% more capacity, which pushed the load factor up 1.5 percentage points to 69.4%. International operations boosted the airline's figures, as Atlantic traffic rose 9.6% and Latin America traffic 7.5%. Pacific traffic fell 5.3% on 0.6% more capacity, however, which lowered the Pacific load factor 4.1 points to 67.3%. The Atlantic load factor jumped 6.5 points to 82.4% and the Latin America load factor reached 63.6%, up 2.4 points.
Mesa Airlines carried 0.9% more traffic in April, increasing to 112 million revenue passenger miles from 110.9 million. Capacity during the month rose 2%, to 203.2 million available seat miles from 199.3 million, and the load factor decreased 0.6 percentage points to 55.1%. The Farmington, N.M.- based regional carried 545,734 passengers during the month, a 2.5% increase. For the year to date, Mesa reported a 2.1% decrease in RPMs to 440.1 million, a 1.1% decrease in ASMs to 803.7 million, and a load factor drop of 0.5 points to 54.8%.
Qantas is evaluating how to expand its Pacific market share by improving its North American code-share relationships. The carrier is "very pleased" with traffic figures generated by partner American, but is less thrilled with trends from its US Airways relationship since that carrier has retrenched from the U.S. West Coast. "We're looking at more markets and ways to generate revenue and profits, and an expansion could be made as long as it didn't hurt our partners," said Wally Mariani, senior VP-the Americas.
The Sabre Group appointed James Murphy to the new position of VP and treasurer, a post President and Chief Executive Michael Durham said will be "pivotal" for the company. John Stow, former president and CEO of AMR Corp.'s Encompass, will succeed Murphy as VP-North America sales and service in the Sabre Travel Information Network division.
America West Friday condemned statements made by the Teamsters, the union representing its mechanics, which implied that the carrier is unsafe (DAILY, May 2). America West VP-Maintenance and Engineering Frank Tucci said the carrier gives safety top priority and "meets or exceeds every FAA required safety standard, practice, policy and procedure." In the allegations, the union made an obvious tie to its contract negotiations with the company. Greg Garger, America West VP-labor relations, said, "It is labor negotiations by media.
Laker Airways asked DOT to revoke an exemption granted to Airline Management Limited (AML) to fly Gatwick-Florida routes, saying U.K. authorities have not lived up to their obligation to help Laker obtain Gatwick slots. "Laker's Gatwick slots are so bad that they must be considered not commercially viable," it said in a filing Friday. "Laker is hobbled with poorly timed slots, slots at different times of the day each day of the week, and no slots at all for certain periods." Although DOT's grant to AML was based on expectations that the U.K.
National Air Transportation Association, commenting on FAA's proposal to require certification of airport security companies, says the records transfer now required to hire pilots has "created massive delays in the hiring process, and a similar result is likely if records transfer for security screeners occurs."
FAA dedicated a Display Channel Complex Rehost (DCCR) at the Fort Worth air route traffic control center last week, saying it placed the system in service eight months ahead of schedule and $3 million under budget. Chicago Center got its new computer system earlier this year, and a third is operational at the Washington Center. Five busy centers will get DCCRs, which are expected to reduce display outages by 97.9%. "This is only an interim solution," Acting Deputy Administrator Monte Belger said at the Forth Worth ceremony.
Costa Rica joined Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras last week by initialing an open-skies agreement with the U.S. in San Jose. Consultations continue with Belize and Nicaragua. U.S. officials also are working on an agreement with the Dominican Republic, although tentative explorations to sign a wider pact with nations in the Caribbean have been put on hold, according to a U.S. government official.
U.S. consumption of basil, cherry tomatoes and other organically grown vegetables is boosting Alaska Airlines' cargo traffic from Mexico. Los Cabos is now the 11th-largest cargo market in the airline's 44-city route system, according to Alaska's World newsletter. A cargo manager noted another added benefit - airplanes that carry fresh basil smell good.
Delta, launching service from Atlanta to Colorado Springs and Sacramento June 1, is offering $198 introductory roundtrip fares. Tickets must be purchased 14 days in advance, with a May 23 deadline. The fares are valid until July 31. Delta will operate two daily nonstop flights in both markets, bringing to 10 the number of daily flights to Colorado Springs from Cincinnati, Dallas/Fort Worth, Salt Lake City and Albuquerque.
SCS Corp. today will announce availability on a small scale of its Interactive Identification System, a technology the company believes ultimately will enable airlines to match passengers and baggage cost- effectively. The radio frequency identification system uses small labels with embedded chips that can be programmed with up to 1,000 bytes of information and read with scanners that can handle up to 50 labels a second, San Diego-based SCS says. Testing of the integration systems needed for large-scale, complex uses, such as passenger/bag match, has begun.
Calspan SRL Corp. and Veda International announced plans to merge, forming "the premier independent research, development, test and evaluation aeronautics company" and a "leader in information technology." The combined company's annual sales will exceed $250 million, and it will employ more than 2,300 scientists, engineers, test pilots, logisticians, systems analysts and technicians in 30 locations.
Serious rift may be developing in FAA efforts to harmonize aircraft certification rules with Europe's Joint Aviation Authorities.JAA wants to bar ETOPS authority to business jets, a move U.S. industry and FAA not only oppose but say could actually increase risk. Acting Administrator Barry Valentine reminded JAA Secretary General Klaus Koplin of the importance of a "cooperative spirit" on the issue.
American Chairman Robert Crandall received a 13% raise in base pay in 1996, to $750,000, and President Donald Carty moved up 9% to $615,000. The company has yet to allocate bonuses, which last year totaled $678,400 for Crandall and $433,835 for Carty. American's proxy statement with these figures, normally issued in March, was released May 1, the day after Allied Pilots Association ballots had to be postmarked.
British Airways Express is marketing a series of bargain flights from London Gatwick to European points, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Jersey, Guernsey and Dublin, starting at #69. The promotion also includes the airline's newest service, Gatwick-Luxembourg, which is due to start tomorrow, at a roundtrip fare of #99. The carrier is promoting the tariff as the lowest fare on the route from London. The bargain flights are operated by BA's franchise partner, Cityflyer Express.
Malaysia Airlines has received the first of 15 777s on order, including a combination of 200 and 300 series. The aircraft are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent engines.
Orally renewed an exemption for American to fly combination service between Chicago and Acapulco, and Dallas/Forth Worth-Leon, Mexico, through April 24, 1999...Renewed an exemption for TWA to operate combination service from St. Louis to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and Montego Bay, through April 24, 1999...Confirmed an order granting an exemption to Khabarovsk Aviation Group to conduct scheduled combination service between the Russian Federation and Anchorage, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and to conduct charters, through March 31, 1998.
France has denied a British Airways petition to switch all of its operations from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Orly Airport. BA wanted to move its 60 daily flights to Orly after expressing security and terrorism concerns about the return of Air Algerie to CDG airport, where the two carrier share a terminal and baggage conveyors. Air Algerie's baggage is separated from other airlines' at Marseilles. "Passengers are not being given that kind of high security at Charles de Gaulle," said BA spokesman John Lampl.
Airline employees say they want better guidelines and reduced responsibilities in transporting deportees from the U.S. to their homelands at a time when the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) warns that newly enacted federal laws likely will increase the number of deportees aboard aircraft. Speaking last week at the Air Line Pilots Association's conference on disruptive airline passengers, John O'Mally, INS deputy assistant commissioner for detention and deportation, said 75% of all deportees are Mexicans and most of them are sent back to Mexico by bus.
U.S. major airlines posted better on-time performance, a lower mishandled baggage rate and fewer complaints in March than in the same month last year, DOT said. Performance also improved in every category compared with February 1997. Southwest had the best on-time performance and lowest complaint rate, and America West the lowest rate of mishandled baggage reports. But America West also had the highest rate of consumer complaints ; Northwest had the worst on-time record and Alaska the highest mishandled baggage rate.
