United Airlines Worldwide Cargo Division reported a record $772.5 million in cargo revenue for 1996, up 4.1% from the previous year. Cargo revenues from mail gained 8.3%, and revenues from freight were up 2.4%. Cargo revenue ton miles rose by 5.7% and freight ton miles were up 5.8%, mail ton miles 5.2%. Jim Hartigan, VP-Worldwide Cargo, said the carrier will launch freight service in March between the U.S. and Asia, using two converted DC- 10-30 aircraft, and will add two more in September.
World Airways posted a $4.8 million net profit in the fourth quarter, up from a loss of $1.6 million in the year-earlier period, but the carrier logged a net loss of $14 million for 1996. World retrenched at midyear from flying scheduled service to South Africa and Israel and charters to Europe, which forced it to take $32.3 million in charges against earnings during the year. Operating revenues, without the charges, improved substantially - World posted an operating profit of $21.6 million in 1996, up 36%.
AOPA's Medical Certification Department fielded 20,000 inquiries last year, up 15% from 1995, and medical issues accounted for 17% of the 120,000 calls in 1996 to the association's toll-free "Pilot Hot Line." AOPA said it helped more than 1,000 members avoid denial of a medical certificate last year.
ValuJet plans to inaugurate service March 6 from Atlanta to Akron/Canton, Ohio, a city it has never served. It will operate three peak daily nonstop flights with fares starting at $59 one way. All seats will be available at that price until March 31. The carrier is waiving the 14-day advance- purchase requirement and the advance-purchase requirement for travel connection to Akron from 13 other cities. After March 31, fares will range from $59 to $119 in the Atlanta-Akron/Canton market, and $79 to $189 in connecting markets.
Airborne Express posted operating earnings for 1996 of $79.2 million, up from $69 million the previous year. Revenues totaled $2.5 billion, up from $2.2 billion, and net earnings were $27.4 million, up from $23.8 million. The 1996 results include a non-recurring charge of $3.7 million for the loss of an aircraft. For the fourth quarter, operating earnings were $26.2 million, down from $27.8 million, while revenues rose to $651 million from $602 million. Net earnings were $10.7 million, compared with $12 million.
About half of all communications by pilots and controllers include at least one error, according to an FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute report. The study found mistakes in 40% of 2,500 controller communications and 59% of 5,900 pilot communications.
Several major carriers announced spring and early-summer fare sales last week. Continental took 50% off the regular 21-day advance purchase fare in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Latin America. All tickets must be purchased before Saturday. For domestic points, the sale covers travel through Sept. 30 and requires a 21-day advance purchase and a Friday- or Saturday-night stay. Fares to Latin America do not require an advance purchase or a minimum stay. Tickets to Europe require a three-day advance.
First Women in Freight Conference will be held March 5 at the Sheraton Hotel, Long Beach, Calif., in conjunction with the annual IATA Cargo Week. Women in Freight, founded by Unisys in 1996, is described as the "first organization to address the fundamental concerns of women professionals in the transportation and freight management industries worldwide."
Thai Airways International will lease rather than buy six Boeing aircraft, the airline said, in an effort to help Thailand reduce foreign spending. The airline, owned 93% by the Thai government, also may switch 21 future orders from Boeing and Airbus Industrie to leases. The immediate orders are for two 747-400s and four 777-200s, with a total list value of nearly $800 million. The 21 aircraft that may be lease-financed are six 777-300s, two 737-400s, two 737-500s, two 747-400s, five A300-600s and four A330- 300s.
Northrop Grumman posted record sales for 1996 of $8.1 billion, up from $6.8 billion in 1995. Operating margin for the year was an all-time high - $658 million, up 23% from $536 million. Net income was $234 million versus $252 million the previous year. Results included a non-recurring pre-tax charge of $90 million related to plant closings and a non-recurring pretax gain of $28 million from the sale of shares in ETC Systems.
New liability limit rules became effective as 12 U.S. carriers filed documents that waive the Warsaw Convention ceiling of $75,000 for passengers suffering death or injury in accidents on international flights. Under the new agreement, negotiated last year and gradually being adopted by the world's international carriers, passengers or their surviving relatives can recover full damages awarded by a court unless the airline can prove it was not negligent. If no negligence is proven, plaintiffs can recover up to $139,000.
China Airlines filed supplemental information for its application to conduct scheduled cargo service between Taipei and Miami. CAL told DOT it would accept a limitation on its certificate permitting it to operate the service only through a wet-lease operated by Atlas Air, expected to file its own documents soon. (Docket OST-96-1218)
Two U.S. carriers plan to enlarge their code-share operations with current European partners. Continental and Alitalia would expand modestly as part of an application before DOT from Alitalia, seeking authority to operate scheduled combination service between Rome/Milan and Newark/Atlanta. Continental wants to place Alitalia's code on its own flights between Newark and Atlanta, beginning March 30.
Tower Air flew 22.9% fewer block hours in January for a total of 2,414, compared with 3,130 in January 1996. Its scheduled service revenue passenger miles decreased 23.7% to 216 million, and available seat miles fell 22.6% to 319 million. Scheduled passenger load factor was 67.7%, down from 68.7% the previous January.
Continental Chief Operating Officer Greg Brenneman, corporate development executives and former Senator and Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen, a Continental director, met last week with government officials and Aerolineas Argentinas executives in Argentina to discuss "potential alliance agreements," according to Continental. American also is interested in hooking up with Aerolineas (DAILY, Feb. 5).
Kiwi International Air Lines has established travel agent advisory boards in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Atlanta and West Palm Beach. It will unveil soon a "major promotion" emphasizing the value and importance of travel agents.
FAA and the European Joint Airworthiness Authorities have certified the GE90-90B-powered 777-200 IGW (increased gross weight) engine/aircraft combination, GE Aircraft Engines said Friday. FAA also granted GE90- powered aircraft 180-minute extended range, twin-engine operations (ETOPS) type design approval. British Airways took delivery of the first -200 IGW aircraft Friday and is scheduled to receive two more by the end of the month. BA plans to begin operating the aircraft on the ETOPS route from London to Philadelphia beginning today.
Varig is canceling its code-share agreement with Delta, according to documents filed Friday. Varig President and Chief Executive Fernando Sousa Pinto phoned Delta chief Ron Allen to inform him of the decision Feb. 3, and Varig is entering a code share with another U.S. carrier. The action strengthens Delta's case to be designated as a flag carrier to Brazil, Delta said. (Docket OST-96-2016)
Condor Flugdienst has equipped its pilots with 20-megabyte flash storage cards for their notebook computers. The SanDisk Corp. cards store Condor's new Electronic Flight Report and Runway Weight Chart Systems software application, replacing paper systems. The electronic systems improve calculation methods and make it possible to increase the maximum weight permitted on various aircraft by as much as four tons, SanDisk said.
United, seeing more opportunities to Tokyo from New York than from Honolulu, will use four of its Narita slots for extra nonstop service from The Big Apple. Flights from Honolulu will drop to 14 per week from 18, just as airlines report weaker Japanese leisure traffic to Hawaii.
