Asian airlines continue to receive more accolades than other world carriers for their international service, according to a new Zagat Survey of 10,000 frequent flyers. Singapore Airlines was ranked the best airline in the world for the fourth consecutive year, followed by Cathay Pacific, Swissair, Japan Airlines, Thai Airways, All Nippon Airways, Qantas, Air New Zealand, SAS and Virgin Atlantic. Luxury airline Midwest Express outranked other carriers in U.S. domestic service.
Calgary-based startup WestJet Airlines said yesterday it earned a net profit during the first quarter of 1997, but it did not issue earnings or revenue figures. WestJet said, however, that it is the first scheduled jet Canadian airline to post a first quarter profit in the last 10 years. The airline flew 110,603,000 available seat miles and 77,925,000 revenue passenger miles, which resulted in a load factor of 70.5% during the period.
Lufthansa Technik has received approval to retrofit digital systems into the analog cockpits of 747-200s so they can operate under FANS, the Future Air Navigation System.Long-haul flights average about 7% longer without FANS, which can save up to $500,000 per aircraft per year, according to LHT.
Boullioun Aviation Services, the U.S.-based operating lessor and subsidiary of the Sumitomo Trust&Banking Co., announced formation of Capital Markets Group. Robert Genise, Boullioun chief executive, said that because of the "dramatic growth of our current fleet under management, it was necessary to increase our efforts with respect to third-party financing and the sale of aircraft to investors.
Collins divisions of Rockwell are developing a satellite-based airborne communications terminal to provide access to Inmarsat's new Aero-I service for multi-channel voice, fax and data. Designed for air transport, military, business and regional aviation, the Collins Aero-I system will minimize satellite communications costs by providing operators with access to Inmarsat-III spot beam coverage with capabilities customized to meet specific missions, the company said.
The air traffic controllers of Paris Orly Airport are due to go on strike today to demand higher wages as compensation for growing traffic. Direction Generale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC), the French civil aviation authority, forecasts that 450 of the 800 flights scheduled today - mainly domestic - will be canceled. Meanwhile, traffic still is disrupted by a pilots strike at Air France Europe, which was due to last until today. The domestic unit of the French carrier nevertheless managed to operate 90% of its services yesterday.
America West Vacations is offering summer vacation packages from Washington Dulles. The carrier starts operating from Dulles to Phoenix and Las Vegas July 8. The packages cost $259 roundtrip to Las Vegas, including two nights at Fitzgeralds Holiday Inn; $419 to Phoenix, including two nights at the Mesa Pavilion Hilton Hotel, and $439 to Reno, including two nights at the Sands Regency Hotel. Other packages to San Diego and San Francisco are available.
National Civil Aviation Review Commission has tentatively scheduled a public hearing May 15 on FAA finance issues. Separately, the commission recently established its office at DOT. The address is Room 8332, DOT Building, 400 7th St. S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590. The telephone number is 202-366-6942. The commission does not yet have a fax number.
Airbus Industrie confirmed during the weekend that it has been holding talks with Lockheed Martin Corp. on the development of its A3XX long-range passenger aircraft, but it added that it is "premature" to say - as the U.K. daily London Times said on Saturday - that merger talks are under way. In current talks, both companies are trying "to determine how far [our ] cooperation will go," said an Airbus spokesman.
Jeppesen is offering TechStarPro, a handheld flight computer/personal organizer, described by the company as a compact, powerful computer designed for pilots, mechanics and aviation enthusiasts. Features include Jeppesen's "Latitude/Longitude," which enables users to compute great circle routes "with pinpoint accuracy," individual data prompts, time/speed/distance, altitude/airspeed, wind, weight and balance, Zulu time conversions and an eight-line liquid crystal display.
US Airways filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday to provide a public offering for the convertible preferred stock held by British Airways. The shares have an approximate value of $400 million.
Canadian Airlines is launching a national consumer test of its PC- based reservations software, Canadian Plus Interactive. The airline expects the system to speed home bookings by its frequent flyers, 100 of whom are conducting the beta test before the product is launched nationally in June. The software enables a traveler to "query pricing, book flights, hotels and rental cars, as well as view their current Canadian Plus point balance online," said Barbara Amster, Canadian's senior VP-marketing and sales. "And best of all, they can do it in real time."
US Airways said yesterday it is accelerating contract negotiations with three unions, on hold recently, because the company is not making progress in talks with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). ALPA disputed the carrier's assessment. The Association of Flight Attendants, the Transport Workers Union and the Machinists union all have been waiting to see what concessions and compensation the pilots arrive at before making their own deals with the company. US Airways said it will continue to meet regularly with ALPA but must move forward with the other negotiations.
Flight Visions said it is working on an FV-2000E head-up display with enhanced images that will enable pilots to land at any Category 1 airport under Category 3 conditions. The company said it is working with a manufacturer to develop an enhanced vision system (EVS), but the FV-2000E is "capable of accepting inputs from any manufacturer's product.
First production Il-96T cargo plane with U.S. engines and avionics was rolled out Saturday at Ilyushin's Voronezh, Russia, plant. The aircraft, which can carry 92 tons some 3,125 miles, is powered by four Pratt&Whitney PW2037 engines. It also has Rockwell Collins avionics. The sole customer to date is Aeroflot, which will take delivery of the first aircraft in September. Pratt hopes the aircraft will be certified in the U.S.
Continental is opposing American/TACA's request for an expedited schedule leading to approval of their proposed Central American alliance. "The audacity of the Joint Applicants' request...is surpassed only by the competitive harm that would result from approval of a reciprocal code share among the 'major competitors in the U.S.-Central America markets,'" Continental said, quoting from an earlier DOT order.
British Airways diverted some services to Paris Orly from Charles de Gaulle's (CDG) Terminal 1 after French authorities allowed Air Algerie to resume services to CDG. Saying the presence of the Algerian flag carrier posed a threat to the security of other airlines, BA took legal action against Aeroports de Paris (ADP), demanding "appropriate security measures." About 60,000 people are estimated to have been killed in Algeria since 1992, when Muslim fundamentalists won a general election but were denied access to power.
Michael J. Fenello, 81, FAA deputy administrator 1981-1983, died of cancer April 16. Starting as a pilot for Eastern, he was active in the pilots union and ran the airline's operations center. After leaving FAA, he worked as a consultant and served on the advisory board of the Air and Space Museum in Washington.
Senate Commerce aviation subcommittee has scheduled a May 13 hearing on airline competition issues. The hearing is slated for 2 p.m. in Room 253, Russell Building. The subcommittee also tentatively plans a May 21 hearing on international aviation issues, focusing on the U.S.-U.K. and U.S.-Japan situations. That hearing also is tentatively planned for 2 p.m. in Room 253.
TAT and Air Liberte pilots resumed work on Sunday after 17 days of strike; British Airways' French subsidiaries expected operations to be "close to normal" yesterday. Pilots of low-cost Air Liberte managed to obtain some advantages that TAT pilots already have, such as a 48-hour weekly rest or the payment of a "13th month's" salary bonus.
Jiro Hanyu, deputy director general of Japan's Ministry of Transport, remained in Washington for the weekend and at least most of Monday following the departure of most of the delegation accompanying Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto. Informed sources said that President Clinton and Hashimoto touched briefly on aviation issues when they met last week, and that they do not believe Clinton used the occasion to insist on open skies. Hanyu told the recent Asian Open Skies conference in Phoenix that he was "firmly against" open skies as defined by the U.S.
TAP Air Portugal said the 48-hour pilot strike that grounded its international flights last week cost about $6 million and jeopardized its return to profitability in 1997, after 23 years in the red. The airline has resumed talks with the pilots, who have been working to rule in the past weeks. The pilots oppose TAP's plans to make their schedules more flexible, claiming their work load already is heavier than that of their European colleagues.
Aviation officials from seven Asian nations participated in an air cargo conference hosted by McDonnell Douglas last week in Beijing. Vice Minister Shen Yuankang of the Civil Aviation Administration of China welcomed representatives of 25 airlines and other industry executives to the event. Liu Don Sheng, director of management for China Eastern Airlines, which built international cargo service with an MD-11F, spoke on developing an air cargo operation.
Air France has signed a major franchise deal that will cut costs and likely infuriate its unions. French regional carrier Brit Air will put its entire fleet and personnel - 23 aircraft and 580 staff - at the disposal of the French flag carrier. All operations will be sold under the Air France brand. In return, Air France will entrust a dozen routes to its regional partner, which expects to operate 150 daily flights.
