A new study of the international air freight and express industry shows that DHL remains the market share leader for international express services, according to Air Cargo Management Group. DHL is followed by FedEx, UPS and TNT/GD Express. The study also shows that growth rates for these operators "far outpace" those of airlines and freight forwarders.
Reno Air reported record December traffic of 258 million revenue passenger miles, a 41% increase from December 1995. Available seat miles were up 35% to a record 386 million and the load factor, also a record, was 66.9%, up 3.1 percentage points. For the year, RPMs rose 45% to 3 billion, ASMs were up 36% to 4.5 billion and the load factor gained 4.5 points to 67.4%. All three were record levels. Reno carried 449,285 passengers in December, an increase of 37%, and 5,161,009 for the year, up 31%.
U.S. airlines filing documents in London opposing the American-British Airways alliance faulted an Office of Fair Trading analysis accepted by Trade Minister Ian Lang for too readily discounting competitive issues raised by the analysis itself.
A consortium headed by People's Air Cargo and Warehousing Co. is expected to receive a contract to build Manila's new international airport terminal. Renato Cayetano, chief legal adviser to President Fidel Ramos, said the other major bidder declined to match the bid by the group made up of People's Air, Lufthansa AG and Security Bank Corp.
Airlines in the U.S. have benefited recently from a slight drop in the price of jet fuel, but recent cold spells throughout the country threaten to reverse that downward trend, airline fuel managers said late last week.
America West appointed Frank Tucci VP-maintenance and engineering and Ann Vry director-community relations. Federal Express named Edmond Clark senior VP of its newly created Operations Support and Engineering division. Frontier appointed Joe Slawinski district sales manager-Chicago; Jim Fosmire city manager-Chicago-Midway, and Pam Olsen customer service coordinator-Bloomington/Normal, Ill. USAir named Bonnie Hathcock VP-human resources and development.
Cargo carriers are increasingly alarmed by reports that fees at Hong Kong's new Chek Lap Kok Airport will be much higher than those at Kai Tak. Some reports put the charges as high as three times those now in effect.
USAir has proposed to its pilots concessions that would enable it to launch a low-fare operation in competition with Delta Express and Southwest. Some pilots would take a 12.5% pay cut but would be able to fly one extra day a month, and others would fly the low-cost division for less pay, according to The Charlotte Observer. Neither the Air Line Pilots Association nor USAir would comment, the newspaper said. USAir's ALPA unit referred to the management proposal, submitted Jan.
As the U.S. resumes negotiations with Japan, officials looking to send signals have another opportunity - a Japan Asia Airways application at DOT for renewal of an exemption to operate combination service linking Guam and Saipan to Nagoya. The airline asked for a one-year exemption, pending action on its permit application. Business-as-usual approval would suggest stable aviation relations and satisfaction with progress on disputes. A 179-day approval would signal impatience.
A bill introduced in the first session of Congress that would halt "unnecessary" certification by FAA of foreign repair stations was hailed last week by Ron Carey, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO. The bill, H.R. 145, The Aircraft Repair Station Safety Act of 1997, was introduced by Reps. Robert Borski (D-Pa.) and Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) and has 20 bipartisan co-sponsors. The bill would revoke the certification of any facility that "knowingly" uses bogus or substandard
FedEx introduced last week an Internet-based service, BusinessLink, "as part of a virtual enterprise suite of services." The company said that with BusinessLink, it will be the first to integrate electronically the ability of businesses to order products on-line with the company's fulfillment system for delivery "anywhere in the world." The first offering, the "virtual enterprise suite," will streamline the order management process and combine the Internet with FedEx's transportation and information networks.
U.S. National Carriers Operating Revenues and Expenses 9 Months 1996 Operating Operating Revenues Expenses (000) (000) Nine Months 1996 American Trans Air $ 585,833 $ 603,191 Carnival 206,997 211,440 Hawaiian 291,285 283,198
Regional airline stocks dropped by $5.21, on average, during the past three years. Monthly closing average prices since January 1994 have ranged from a high of $17.45 per share in that month to a low of $7.83 in December 1994 and January 1995, with an overall average for the three years of $11.58 per share. During the three-year period, Air L.A. was added and dropped from the list of publicly held carriers. In addition, United Express Great Lakes Aviation was added and independent Conquest was dropped.
The Netherlands government will pursue civil aviation goals ranging from airworthiness inspections of third-country aircraft to the removal of aviation fuel's tax-exempt status during its six-month term as president of European Union organizations. The term continues until July, and The Hague says EU members must "take a common stand" preparing for an expected European Civil Aviation Conference decision next month on a strategy to integrate air traffic management in Europe. The Dutch government plans to hold an informal two-day meeting in Amsterdam, beginning Jan.
Northwest Airlink Mesaba Aviation d/b/a Mesaba Airlines this week formally asked DOT to amend its certificate to allow operation of aircraft with a seating capacity greater than 60 seats. Mesaba announced last October that senior partner Northwest agreed to acquire 12 Avro RJ-85 aircraft, with options for 24 more, that will be operated by Mesaba. They will be configured for 69 seats, including 16 in first class. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in April (DAILY, Oct. 29).
FAA established an integrated product team (IPT) that will focus on its sometimes troubled telecommunications operations in what it called a "major first step toward establishing a single telecommunications organization" as recommended by outside studies.
FAA said it has authorized ValuJet to add to its fleet three of the five DC-9s the carrier requested on Nov. 15. Approval for the other two aircraft is pending, the agency said. The three additional aircraft bring ValuJet's operating fleet to 18. The carrier said it will resume Fort Myers service on Jan. 16 with two roundtrips a day. On Jan. 3, FAA gave the airline permission to begin service to West Palm Beach and to Fort Myers but withheld approval of the additional aircraft.
The number of Taiwanese visiting Macau during the first 10 months of 1996 increased 171% over year-earlier levels. Airline officials said the growth is due mainly to the opening of Macau's new international airport in December 1995, enabling direct flights between the two areas. The new airport still lags far behind Macau's noted ferries, however - only 322,068 of the 6,811,000 visitors recorded in the 10-month period arrived by air.
Comair Flight 3272, an EMB-120 Brasilia turboprop, crashed yesterday 25 miles south of Detroit during a flight from Cincinnati. According to conflicting reports, there were between 28 and 30 persons aboard the aircraft and no apparent survivors. National Transportation Safety Board Member John Hammerschmidt headed a team sent to the crash site.
Southwest posted a 17.4% rise in December traffic on 10.5% higher capacity. The load factor was 67.8%, up 4 percentage points. For the year, Southwest experienced a 16.1% traffic gain on 12.6% greater capacity, pushing up the load factor 2 points to 66.5%. The airline's average length of haul in 1996 was 548 miles, up 4.8%. Dec 96 Dec 95 12 Mths 96 12 Mths 95 RPMs 2,375,700,183 2,024,346,752 27,083,483,034 23,327,803,899
American, the pioneer of Internet/e-mail specials, is developing what has been described as a "mapping service." Business travelers would be able to punch in the address of an upcoming meeting, for example, and receive a quick list of the closest hotels and restaurants. American has enhanced its NetSAAver fares, which are e-mailed to more than 345,000 subscribers, by adding first-class offerings and more international destinations.
U.S. National Carriers Operating Revenues and Expenses Third Quarter 1996 Operating Operating Revenues Expenses (000) (000) Third Quarter 1996 American Trans Air $ 192,801 $ 211,233 Carnival 64,857 71,739 Hawaiian 101,214 96,640
The new, permanent U.S. National Tourism Organization (USNTO) will name its chair and officers and discuss future funding Jan. 15 after its first board meeting. Following the White House Conference on Travel and Tourism in October 1995, the USA NTO, an interim organization, was created. USNTO will be governed by a 48-member National Tourism Board.
Dublin-based CityJet plans to increase service between the Irish capital and London City Airport next week due to increased demand. It will operate six roundtrip flights per weekday starting Jan. 13, rising to seven starting Feb. 3. The increase will double CityJet's evening departures from London City. To carry out the new schedule, the airline will withdraw from its Dublin-Brussels route on Jan. 12.
