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.
Leon Brittan, European Union trade minister, raised questions about U.S. compliance with aircraft industry subsidy rules at a Quadrilateral Meeting in Toronto last Friday. The meeting brought together trade ministers from the EU, Japan, the U.S. and Canada. Brittan's questions are part of the long-running dispute between U.S. and European officials over subsidies to their respective aircraft giants, with the U.S.
Rolls-Royce said it is well along in the modifications that will permit resumption of extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) by Boeing 777s powered by its Trent 800 engine (DAILY, May 2). The modifications involve the original Trent engines that developed "teething problems" identified last year, a spokesman said. "When this program is complete, then ETOPS flights will become effective with no further need of inspections." The modification program applies to Trent 800 engines that develop 84,000 pounds thrust.
Frontier Airlines took delivery of a new 737-300 from International Lease Finance Corp., with two more to be delivered in August, on lease from Boullioun Aviation Services and GE Capital Aviation Services, and a third from Boullioun in January.
Southwest will charge between $99 and $159 for unrestricted one-way fares to its newest destination - Jackson, Miss., starting Aug. 9 - from Houston, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago Midway and Orlando. The carrier intends to operate three daily flights from Houston, two from Midway and BWI, and one from Orlando. The fare will be $99 from Houston, $149 from Chicago and Orlando and $159 from BWI. With a seven-day advance purchase, roundtrip travel and a one-night stay, the one-way fare is $59 from Houston and $89 from Orlando, Chicago and BWI.
ValuJet's Association of Flight Attendants unit, scheduled to resume talks in Atlanta June 2 toward a first contract with the company, is encouraged by its first real progress under mediated discussions with the company, according to Susan Clayton, head of the local union. The AFA, elected two years ago to represent the carrier's flight attendants, has been involved in negotiations that often turned bitter, and it called last year for the ouster of the carrier's top management.
Passengers flying on Northwest, Southwest and Alaska Airlines who use AT&T inflight phones at off-peak hours - 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. CDT - will pay half price through July 31. Callers will pay $1.50 to connect and $1.50 per minute for calls to and from the U.S. and Canada.
AlliedSignal said it has begun developing an aircraft terminal for the Iridium low-Earth-orbit satellite communications system that will provide low-cost, lightweight voice, fax and data communications worldwide. The company will supply aircraft-mounted transmitters, receivers, switching equipment and other hardware and will sell the airtime. It said it will offer single- and multi-channel systems for airline, private and military aircraft.
Qantas Airways will retrofit its international fleet of Boeing aircraft with Collins VHF transceivers that offer the 8.33 kilohertz channel spacing capabilities Europe will require soon. VHF frequency congestion led eight European countries to implement 8.33 kilohertz requirements by Jan. 1, 1999, increasing channels from 760 to 2,280 as a means of preserving air traffic control system integrity into the next century.
British Midland is expanding its code-share relationship with Lufthansa, offering new service from London Heathrow to Cologne/Bonn and on to Rome. Beginning May 26, British Midland will operate two daily flights to Cologne/Bonn, one of which will go on to Rome. The service will be British Midland's first to Italy, and the carriers will market and sell it jointly.
Canadian Airlines International is waiving advance purchase requirements through May 9 and reducing fares on flights to and from Winnipeg in an attempt to help victims of floods in the region. The carrier set a nationwide roundtrip fare to Winnipeg of C$129.
United will install computer power outlets this summer in first and business class on all aircraft flying internationally and all long-range aircraft. The outlets will power laptops through an adapter cord passengers can purchase at computer or office supply stores. United said customers have asked for laptop accommodations so that they need not worry about batteries running out. The outlets, providing 15 volts of DC power, are being installed in United's 757s, 767s, 777s, 747-400s and A320s.
-- In Federal Register dated April 25...Issued an airworthiness directive on Pratt&Whitney PW2000 engines requiring inspections for cracks in the forward face of the first-stage, high-pressure turbine disks...Issued an AD on Boeing 757 aircraft requiring inspections for damage of the tubes of the fire extinguishing and smoke detection systems...Issued an AD on AlliedSignal T53 series military engines requiring replacement of a gear nut retainer...Issued an AD on Raytheon 125 and Hawker 1000 series aircraft requiring modifications to increase the size of pressure ven
American intends to increase summer flying hours 3% over last year through creative scheduling, mainly moving aircraft on weekends from low-demand routes to those with high demand, such as vacation destinations. The carrier has removed seats to expand legroom, but President Donald Carty said that with the schedule changes, "we will still have the same number of seats as last year."
Eight regional-airline stock prices fell an average of 17 cents during April with the average price slipping from $11.23 on March 31 to $11.06. Total market value of the eight issues closed the month at $2.14 billion, down $33.9 million from that at the end of March. Individually, four stocks declined and four gained in value. Leading decliner was United Express Atlantic Coast, which was off $1.25 to close the month at $12.25 per share. Mesa Air Group fell 81 cents to $5.31 per share, followed by Delta Connection Comair, which was down 63 cents per share to $21.13.
Aviation Systems Research's Michael Boyd, updating the regional-jet issue, predicts the major airlines "will be rolling in the mud shooting these airplanes back and forth at each other," whether flown by the majors or their regional affiliates. "These airplanes pay off like slot machines," he said. The majors will use them to "cherry-pick" competitive hubs and may opt to fly the airplanes themselves. The overall impact on operating costs between regional and major crews is only about 8%.
Canada posted a C$81 million (US$58 million) net profit for the first quarter, compared with a net loss of C$92 million (US$66 million) a year earlier. The improvement was mostly due to a C$171 million pre-tax gain from the sale of Continental stock. Passenger revenues rose 16% and international revenue 19%, but U.S. operations increased the most, 43%. The airline's positive results came despite disruptions from a strike by pilots at its regional airline subsidiaries. The strike, from Jan. 10 to mid-March, lowered pre-tax income C$57 million (US$41 million).
