DOT confirmed its show-cause order awarding scheduled all-cargo service between the U.S. and Japan to Polar Air Cargo. The award also gives Polar authority to serve one point beyond Japan. DOT confirmed the decision despite objections filed by Evergreen and Gemini Air Cargo.
Continental executives and corporate staff in Houston, continuing what may have become a holiday tradition, went to the airport during the Thanksgiving weekend to help load baggage, assist gate agents and guide the multitude of travelers through the terminals.
Midway Airlines is enhancing its customer service by marketing to female travelers and will launch focus groups next month for feedback. On the second anniversary last week of Midway's introduction of women-only lavatories on aircraft, the airline hosted a luncheon to recognize the requirements of female travelers. Midway said a study by the Female Executives of America found that women believe their travel needs are not met.
Western Pacific has purchased a Thrifty Car Rental franchise in Colorado Springs and its subsidiary, Colorado Car Rental Inc., which is about to open a new location two miles from the airport. Thrifty said this is the first time it has sold a franchise to an airline. Thrifty and Western Pacific have been marketing partners since the end of 1995.
Kiwi International said last week that it has received $2.5 million of a $5 million debtor-in-possession commitment from Edwards/Wasatch Enterprises (EWE) and the funding will allow it to resume scheduled service before the Christmas holidays. EWE committed to another $2.5 million within 60 days, Kiwi said. The airline plans to announce its new schedule and startup date early this week. Kiwi suspended scheduled service Oct. 15.
Minnesota DOT Office of Aeronautics named Chelen Johnson, Breck Elementary School in Minneapolis, and Daniel Whipple, Park Center High School in Brooklyn Park, Minn., winners of the 1996 Minnesota Aerospace Educator Award.
Orally approved Air Atlantic Dominicana's exemption to operate scheduled combination service from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to San Juan, Puerto Rico; Miami, and New York, and to operate charters, without taking action on a dispute over the carrier's trade name, which DOT said could be pursued, if desired, through normal legal channels...Approved Adventure Tours USA charters using an Aviacsa 727-200 for numerous roundtrip flights from Dallas to Cancun, Cozumel and Puerto Vallarta between May 1 and Aug. 25, 1997...Approved Tourex Inc.
Brussels-based Virgin Express is considering the purchase of as many as 25 narrowbody jetliners worth more than $1 billion, tripling the fleet of 12 737s the airline currently operates, the company said. "We are looking into buying aircraft - either used or new," Virgin Express Chief Executive Jonathan Ornstein told The DAILY. The airline, formed this spring with Richard Branson's purchase of EuroBelgian Airlines, is favoring the 128-to 148-passenger 737-700. McDonnell Douglas and Airbus Industrie aircraft also are being considered.
British pilots union BALPA is calling for governments worldwide to address an alarming rate of midair accidents and near-midairs, which, if left unchecked, would lead to 400 deaths per week by 2006. BALPA said it is most concerned about air safety in Africa. The urgent call comes a week after two separate near-midairs over the U.K. and a midair disaster over India that killed 350.
Airlines could save money by using more accurate, real-time forecasts to manage aircraft movements from the gate to the runway, a study by the University of Rochester revealed. Modeling studies showed that it costs more than 50% more to have an airplane warmed up and ready on the taxiway than to keep the plane at the gate. Better forecasting could lower the $1.5 billion FAA estimates airlines pay each year for air traffic control problems. The modeling, from Rochester's William E.
Steve Brown, senior VP-government and technical affairs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, has been named president and chief executive of the National Aeronautic Association. He will take over the new post early this month. Brown has been with AOPA 16 years and in his present job six. He will continue as chairman of the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee.
Jet Support Services promoted Karl Florian to VP-operations and Greg Hampton to director-corporate communications. Florian also was named chairman of the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers International Revenues and Expenses Second Quarter 1996 (In Dollars) Total Operating % Passenger Carrier Revenues Change Revenues Alaska 20,630,000 8.84 19,669,000 Latin 20,630,000 8.84 19,669,000 American 1,180,233,000 (0.16) 1,012,970,000
Wall Street's outlook for major cargo carriers is becoming increasingly positive. The reason? Poor service from freight forwarders and airlines due to constrained domestic capacity, according to Gruntal&Co. analyst Steve Lewins. He improved his rating of FedEx last week and said UPS also has positive long-term prospects.
Flight Path by Jan Blais. A novel about the fight for survival of a major airline and a commuter carrier in the early days of deregulation. Highpoint Press; $22.95 hard cover. To order, call 800-507-BOOK.
Lufthansa Technik will maintain and overhaul V2500-D5 engines for SAS under a contract signed Nov. 22 in Hamburg. LHT has experience with the V2500- A5. The SAS engines power eight MD-90s the carrier has on order.
Delta's successful launch of Delta Express, improved operating statistics, record boardings and all-around rosy financial picture has caught the attention of Wall Street analysts. Bankers Trust Research analysts, visiting Delta management recently in Atlanta, said they noticed a "general level of enthusiasm and energy turned up several notches." They said they expect Delta, one of their favorite plays among the majors, to earn $1.50 in the December quarter, $9.50 for the calendar year 1996 and $11 in calendar 1997.
Pakistan is the newest customer for the Indonesian-made N-250 turboprop fly-by-wire aircraft with a recent order for 15 aircraft. Other foreign orders to date have come from Colombia, four, and Sweden, 12, said N-250 manufacturer PT Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN). Potential customers in five other countries - the U.S., Turkey, Burkina Faso, Argentina and Saudi Arabia - have expressed interest in the N-250 but have not placed firm orders. The U.S. FAA is currently holding talks with Indonesian authorities for the certification of the N-250.
Five airlines attempting to block the planned expansion of Miami Airport say their complaint is not with an equalized ratemaking methodology used to assess fees at the airport, but with the projects included in the plan. The airlines - Air Canada, Delta, TWA, United and USAir - recently filed a Part 13 complaint with FAA seeking a determination of the reasonableness of the increased fees that would result from the roughly $4 billion capital improvement program (CIP) that includes the $975 million Super A terminal for American's exclusive use (DAILY, Nov. 26).
DOT has extended for the fourth time its deadline on action regarding possible bilateral violations by the government of Japan, this time through Dec. 30. Last July, Northwest said Japan violated the bilateral by refusing to allow the carrier to start Seattle-Osaka-Jakarta service.
