Rohr reported earnings of $4.9 million for its second fiscal quarter, up from $200,000 the previous comparable period. Sales totaled $213.3 million, up 18%. For the six months, net income rose to $8.2 million from $700,000 and sales reached $415.2 million, up from $331.1 million.
Customers will begin to see the new US Airways' look in airports and ticket offices during the next six months as the airline completes its newly official name and color change. Transforming the aircraft livery will take three years, and the interiors are expected to be completed in about two years. USAir, which officially became US Airways yesterday (DAILY, Feb. 27), has a stylized version of the American flag as its new company symbol.
Atlanta-based Northwest Airlink Express Airlines I flew 34.2 million revenue passenger miles last month, a 14.2% increase from January 1996. Capacity rose 6.1% to 69 million available seat miles; load factor was up 3.5 percentage points to 49.5%, and boardings increased 13.6%. January 1997 January 1996 ---------------------------------- Rev. Passenger Miles 34,183,000 29,931,000 Available Seat Miles 69,028,000 65,062,000
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) is protesting the interference by Air Canada in negotiations with four Canadian regional carriers before the Canada Labor Relations Board. ALPA, which recently merged with its Canadian affiliate, CALPA, has filed a complaint with the board because Air Canada executives are negotiating for the wholly owned regionals - Air BC, Air Alliance, Air Nova and Air Ontario.
Delta, Swissair and Austrian Airlines will operate a daily nonstop code- share route between Washington Dulles and Zurich, starting April 1. All three airlines will sell seats on the flight, flown by an Austrian A310. It will replace a similar triple code-share from Dulles to Geneva and Vienna.
Fully owned Brit Air subsidiary Icare will bring its Canadair Regional Jet simulator on line this summer with capabilities to upgrade to the CRJ Series 700, Brit Air said. Morlaix, France-based Brit Air is launch customer for the 70-passenger Series 700 and operates nine 50-passenger CRJs (DAILY, Feb. 21). Brit Air President Xavier Leclercq praised "the exceptional operating economics" of the smaller RJ and said the stretch version "will deliver even greater efficiencies."
DOT Secretary Rodney Slater called on Senate leaders yesterday to push the immediate consideration of legislation (H.R.668) reinstating the aviation excise taxes through Sept. 30 and transferring to the aviation trust fund all the taxes collected last year. The House passed the measure Wednesday. The Senate late yesterday had yet to act on the bill, and several senators reportedly were threatening amendments if the bill came to the floor.
Textron board declared a two-for-one common stock split subject to shareholder approval. The board increased the company's regular quarterly dividend 14%, to 50 cents from 44 cents, for a sixth consecutive year of double-digit dividend increases. It recommended that shareholders vote to raise the authorized number of shares to 500 million from 250 million.
The new "Commuter Rule" will take effect March 20, a month after the NTSB reported that scheduled commuter airlines (up to 30 passenger seats) posted their lowest fatal accident rate in 15 years. Indeed, ALPA's long-time goal for that elusive "one level of safety" achieved through the Commuter Rule follows a year when the major carriers - whose level of safety commuter carriers are asked to emulate - suffered 0.037 fatal accidents per 100,000 departures versus only 0.032 fatals per 100,000 departures for commuters...
Northwest continued its efforts to increase service beyond Japan in the face of cool bilateral relations, this time filing to fly beyond Osaka Kansai Airport to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The authority would represent the only U.S. flag service between the U.S. and Malaysia, Northwest said. The carrier wants to start operating July 1 with three weekly flights from Seattle via Osaka using DC-10-30s. Northwest already flies the Seattle- Osaka leg and operates beyond Osaka to Manila. It flies to eight points beyond Tokyo.
Fuel Cost and Consumption U.S. Majors, Nationals and Large Regionals January 1996 - December 1996 Total Total Cost Gallons (Dollars) 1996 January Domestic 1,061,503,558 651,647,196 International 355,770,910 240,582,912 System Total 1,417,274,468 892,230,108 February Domestic 953,113,840 604,205,911
Moody's Investors Service upgraded to positive from stable the ratings outlook on BE Aerospace's bank facility and notes. The company says it produces about half of the world's passenger seats, 90% of galley coffee makers and refrigeration systems, 50% of ovens and one-third of inflight entertainment systems.
America and its pilots began four days of testimony before the Presidential Emergency Board Thursday in an effort to settle a dispute that just may boil down to the definition of "regional jet." Is it just a regional aircraft providing feed at hubs or is it a mainline jet that, if flown by American's regional subsidiary American Eagle, will take jobs away from American pilots? In reality, it is both, becoming a mainline jet when it is placed on thin, longer-haul routes that cannot support an airline's larger jet aircraft.
..NTSB's use of FAA aircraft classifications further blurs the regional airline industry's safety performance. Part 121 operations with 31-70 or 100 seats are lumped in with large jetliners. In 1996, there were no fatal accidents in that seating range. Were they included in the 10- to- 30-seat class as regional aircraft, as they should be, the fatal accident rate for all regionals would have been substantially lower than the published commuter rate of 0.032 fatal accidents per 100,000 departures.
Increased fuel costs and decreased yields depressed fourth quarter earnings for Canadian Airlines. The carrier posted a C$138.1 million (US$101 million) loss for the fourth quarter, C$8.7 million more than the C$129.4 million (US$94.5 million) deficit in the 1995 period. For the year, the airline lost C$187.1 million (US$136.5 million), slightly better than the C$194.7 million (US$142.1 million) loss in 1995. Passenger revenues improved 2.7% to C$2.57 billion (US$1.88 billion).
American made a quick decision to resume the New York Kennedy-Vancouver service it canceled last week. "We have undertaken a new analysis of the market potential of this route, and have concluded that we should continue to serve it," said President Donald Carty. The carrier, which operates a code share with Canadian Airlines International in the market, will resume the service April 6, using 188-seat 757 aircraft.
DOT awarded new Brazil all-cargo frequencies to Federal Express, Polar Air Cargo and Challenge Air Cargo. Applications in the proceeding matched the available frequencies - a total of 7.5 per week as of April 1 - so carriers received what they asked for. FedEx wanted six frequencies originally but scaled back to five. Polar Air Cargo will have two and Challenge one-half. DOT rejected a FedEx request that it receive priority when more frequencies become available.
DOT awarded India third-country code-share authority to Delta, Northwest and United, rejecting applications by Continental and American because they could not be exercised under current bilateral agreements. Continental planned to code share into India with Air France and American with British Airways. Not only is there no bilateral agreement with France, DOT said, "there is insufficient reciprocity with France to warrant approval of joint operations by Continental and Air France.
The media are at least to some extent to blame for the continued public impression that regional airlines are unsafe and their pilots are less qualified than pilots at large carriers, the Air Line Pilots Association says. ALPA Executive VP Matthew Kernan, who flies for a regional airline, said in a prepared statement, "Let's put this in the proper perspective. In the past, there were some legitimate safety concerns.
Comair denied a report carried on CNN Thursday that it would have an all- jet fleet by 2000 but did say it is moving in the direction of an all-jet fleet. The Delta Connection carrier, which launched the Canadair Regional Jet in North America in mid-1993, now has 46 CRJs and will receive its 50th in May. It has made no decisions on its remaining 25 options or on the 70- seat CRJ-700. Six remaining Saab 340s will be gone by May, leaving 39 Brasilia turboprops. Comair is considered a prime prospect for the EMB-145 to avoid having a single-type fleet.
The European Union's technical aid program for the Commonwealth of Independent States and Mongolia, TACIS, is tendering a contract for a "European Russian Aviation Center" (ERAC) in Moscow to promote joint research and development and aeronautic design. The EU has defined four research projects for the new agency to tackle once it gets off the ground next year. These include a design concept for very large aircraft and a new cargo version of an Airbus aircraft.
FAA has certified the PW4090 engine on the new Boeing 777-200 Increased Gross Weight aircraft, Pratt&Whitney reported. The first P&W-powered IGW airplane will be delivered to United early next month. The engine is the most powerful in the series, rated at 90,000 pounds takeoff thrust. It follows the PW4084, which launched 777 service last June.
British Midland posted a 7% gain in passengers carried during 1996, as its international routes outperformed its domestic U.K. system. International passenger totals rose 8.2% to 3 million, while domestic increased 5.6% to 2.6 million. British Midland's best performing route, Heathrow-Dublin, experienced an 8.7% rise in total passengers. Despite stepped-up competition from new low-cost U.K. airlines, British Midland's passenger count gained more than 5% on routes to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast.
DOT said this week it will require American Eagle to serve Tuscaloosa, Ala., through April 7 or until a capable replacement carrier begins service in the market. Eagle has been held in at Tuscaloosa since Sept. 5, 1995, first providing service to Nasvhille and then - when American shut down its Nashville hub last year - to Dallas/Fort Worth via Jackson, Miss.
DOT and the Defense Department, as expected, announced yesterday what is essentially a compromise agreement to permit temporary civil use of the L2 Global Positioning System (GPS) signal (DAILY, Feb. 27). The accord resolved a political problem so that the Wide Area Augmentation System can move forward. But use of the L2 signal, which will enable precision approaches and landings, will not be permanent and the aviation industry will have to re-equip when a second dedicated frequency is assigned shortly after use of L2 begins.
