Southwest is offering passengers who are 65 or older special senior fares between $29 and $99 one way for travel Mondays through Thursdays. Tickets must be purchased within one day of making reservations. Tickets must be purchased by Feb. 18 for travel by June 2.
FAA said it has commissioned an ASR-9 radar covering Columbia and Jefferson City, Mo., making it possible to transfer airspace control from the Kansas City air route traffic control center to the Springfield tower. Aircraft and flight information from the ASR-9 in Columbia will be transmitted to controllers at Springfield via telephone lines.
Orally approved part of startup carrier City Bird's application to conduct scheduled foreign air combination service between Brussels and the U.S., and to conduct certain charters. DOT dismissed the carrier's bid to fly beyond the U.S. to the Dominican Republic and Mexico, saying its homeland license does not authorize such service...Received notification of flights to be operated by certified charter carrier Airline Brokers Co. for Miami- Cancun roundtrips Feb.
Frontier Airlines has signed two agreements to code share on flights from Denver with Aspen Mountain Air and Maverick Airways. Passengers can connect at Denver to Aspen Mountain Air's six daily nonstop flights to Aspen on 32-seat Fairchild/Dornier aircraft, or on Maverick to Grand Junction and Steamboat Springs, Colo. Maverick began service Jan. 20 with two 46-seat de Havilland Dash 7 turboprops.
The approximately $1.5 billion shortfall in the aviation trust fund - resulting from the lapse in authority to transfer tax receipts to the fund - is "an artificially created crisis" that can and should be resolved immediately by a technical correction, a representative of the seven largest U.S. airlines said Friday (DAILY, Jan. 31).
Slovakia's flag carrier, Tatra Air, has ordered two Saab 2000 aircraft, representing a "breakthrough in East Europe," said Saab Aircraft. The first aircraft will be delivered in October and the second in March 1998. Tatra plans to use the airplanes to link Bratislava with London Gatwick and other destinations in Western Europe. The carrier is the fifth European airline to place a firm order for the Saab 2000, after Crossair, Deutsche BA, Nantes-based Regional Airlines and SAS.
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is asking Congress to stop an FAA plan to charge overflight fees on international general aviation operations, saying the proposed user fees would have a particularly heavy impact on Canadian pilots and could affect safety. AOPA President Phil Boyer, speaking for AOPA Legislative Action, said the proposed fees discourage pilots from using U.S. safety services and "invite retaliation. If FAA charges for general aviation overflights, then Nav Canada will surely reciprocate with user fees for U.S.
U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry has found TWA Independent Federation of Flight Attendants President Sherry Cooper in contempt of court and issued the same finding for the Machinists union for aiding and abetting her. The court enjoined Cooper and others Oct. 31 from assisting the Machinists in a hostile raid against IFFA's representation of TWA's flight attendants. Cooper was found in contempt for sending a letter to all flight attendants - after the court order - asking them to vote for the Machinists in a representational election.
American is running a contest for IATAN travel agents regarding its proposed alliance with British Airways. To win the grand prize - roundtrip, first-class tickets for two to any of American's European destinations - agents must answer four questions. Sample question: Which carriers already have global alliances? Answers are Northwest/KLM, Delta/Swissair/Sabena/Austrian, United/Lufthansa or all of the above. Last question: What are the benefits of the alliance?
Malaysia Airlines selected the Pratt&Whitney PW4056 engine to power the 10 747-400s it ordered from Boeing in January 1996. Ordering 44 engines at an undisclosed price, the carrier cited the PW4056's capability and performance advantages over competing engines. The 747-400s on order, plus 15 777s, comprise MAS's fleet modernization program. The 747-400s will replace older 747s currently in operation. MAS selected the Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engine for the 777s in a deal valued at $500 million.
KLM and Jet Airways, a private Indian domestic carrier, have agreed to redeem one another's frequent flyer miles and establish a through check-in facility from any Jet Airways point to any city on KLM's global network, Jet Airways officials said last week. Both agreements stem from a memorandum of understanding signed in August 1995. KLM was the first foreign carrier to fly into India in the 1920s and operates seven weekly flights to New Delhi, Mumbai, and Calcutta from Amsterdam.
American Eurocopter Corp. President David Smith and two others were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that they conspired to use U.S. Foreign Military Financing funds for "undisclosed and unauthorized commissions, fees and other payments" in a 1993 helicopter sale to Israel. The sale totaled $48 million at first and was increased in 1995 to $63.1 million, of which $35.1 million was from FMF. American Eurocopter said that it was discussing the charges with the U.S.
United is offering a new Hawaiian menu on flights to and from Hawaii to observe 50 years of nonstop service to the state from the mainland. Aiming to add to the Hawaiian experience, the carrier has changed menu covers and snack boxes to an orchid motif, is offering a tropical nut and fruit snack, is showing what it terms a "mood-setting" 10-minute video on Hawaii and is giving passengers 15%-off certificates for lunch, dinner and Polynesian revues at ITT Sheraton properties.
Air France and Alitalia signed a letter of intent last week to launch code- share flights in Europe April 1. Collaboration will begin on flights between the two countries, but it is not limited to that and likely will be expanded, an Air France spokesman said. Each carrier will be responsible for its operating, marketing and sales costs, but the alliance might include joint ground-handling and maintenance in all countries the two serve other than France and Italy.
Wall Street analysts said the government's financial miscalculation on up to $1.5 billion in fourth quarter aviation excise tax receipts - and the same amount's absence from the aviation trust fund - likely will spur Congress to move faster to reimpose the dormant 10% ticket tax and other levies. Analysts said airlines will lose more in revenues if the ticket tax returns soon than they earned from interest by keeping tax revenues in the bank a few extra months. Lehman Brothers analyst Brian Harris, who expects the ticket tax to return July 1, said U.S.
Rolls-Royce won a $500 million order to power Emirates' new fleet of Airbus A330-200 aircraft, the U.K. engine manufacturer said last week. Emirates placed a firm order for 16 aircraft plus seven options in November 1996. Delivery of the Trent 772-powered aircraft is scheduled from 1999 until 2002.
Travel and Tourism Government Affairs Council will hold its annual Unity Dinner March 5 at the Washington Hilton&Towers. The Travel Industry Association affiliate holds the dinner to showcase the industry to members of Congress and top administration officials. Last year's event was attended by nearly 1,400 people. The dinner costs $2,750 for a table of 10 or $325 per person. For more information, call 202-408-8422.
Yakovlev, still interested in rescuing Fokker, may itself be a candidate for rescue soon. Aerospace industry contraction may force one of Russia's three big civil transport manufacturers - Yakovlev, Tupolev and Ilyushin - out of the picture, according to reports in Moscow. Yakovlev, needing a strong partner to survive, is said to be in discussions with Sukhoi Design Bureau.
