Women in Aviation International launched a site on the World Wide Web this week, offering information on its annual conference, scholarship listings, upcoming events and membership services. The Web address is http ://www.wiai.org.
Air 21 Chairman Mark Morro "stepped down" Wednesday as the Fresno- based F28 operator talks with San Diego-based Pacific Southwest Airlines, Inc. (PSAI) on a possible takeover of Air 21 by PSAI. The offer on the table is for PSAI to acquire control of Air 21 and turn it into the "PSA Shuttle." David Walsh has been named acting chairman and chief executive, an Air 21 spokesman said. Expect talks to be wrapped up by early next week (DAILY, Dec. 19).
Airlines Reporting Corp. reported that travel agent sales increased 11% in November from the same month in 1995, to $4.849 billion. Domestic and international fare revenue each rose 11% for the month, while domestic commissions rose 5% and international 3% to a total of $461.2 million. For the first 11 months of the year, sales were up 4% to 59.2 billion as domestic revenue gained 10% and international 8%. Travel agent domestic commissions rose 2% to $3.5 billion and international commissions were up 3% to 2.5 billion.
Uzbekistan Airways has ordered three RJ85 aircraft from Aero International (Regional), AI(R) reported. Value of the transaction was placed at $75 million. Delivery is set for next year.
Hawaiian Airlines' traffic dropped 6% in November from the same month in 1995, to 297.7 million revenue passenger miles. Capacity during the month decreased 1.7% to 396.2 million available seat miles, and the load factor fell 3.5 points to 75.1%. Hawaiian carried 406,818 passengers in November, a 4.1% decrease. Hawaiian's cargo ton miles jumped 26.3% to 3.9 million. For the first 11 months, Hawaiian's traffic rose 7% to 3.5 billion, ASMs rose 9.5% to 4.6 billion and the load factor fell 1.8 points to 75.4%. Cargo ton miles rose 23.6% to 37.2 million.
American's VP of passenger sales, Jack Williams, is leaving the airline after 23 years to become president of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Williams is being replaced by Peter Bowler, currently managing director of reservations, whose appointment as a corporate officer will be submitted to the board of directors in January. Carol Wright, manager of the Southwestern Reservations Office in Tucson, will succeed Bowler.
Arlington, Va.-based USAir says it "considers the PSA mark to be owned by USAir," and it has been using it in commerce - as PSA Airlines out of Dayton, Ohio - and intends to continue to do so in the future. Pacific Southwest Airlines, Inc., is a startup carrier which holds a supplemental cargo certificate that is being modified for turbojet operations. It is not a USAir company.
United and Bloomingdale's, partners for three years, are offering personal shopper service, make-overs, package delivery or 10% shopping discounts at certain Bloomingdale's stores, through Feb. 15, to United international first class passengers headed to New York and Los Angeles.
In a surprising consensus, FAA, manufacturers and airlines have reached agreement on the foundation for the next-generation precision landing system - the Global Positioning System local area augmentation system (LAAS) architecture, which will provide aircraft guidance for precision approaches down to Category 3 conditions, airport surface navigation, and missed approaches and departures. The parties plan to establish firm system requirements, standards and ground system specifications within 12 to 18 months, and RTCA will hold a special meeting Jan.
FAA last week altered its proposal for upgraded flight data recorders to ensure that aircraft acquired by U.S. carriers, but operated under a foreign registry, are covered. FAA proposed to require the upgraded digital flight data recorders (DFDRs) in aircraft operated under Part 135 that were "brought onto the U.S. register after Oct. 11, 1991." FAA also is considering granting an exemption to a mainstay of the commercial regional fleet, the DHC-6 Twin Otter.
Embraer delivered its first two 50-passenger EMB-145 regional jets to wholly owned Continental subsidiary Continental Express (COEx) in a hand- over ceremony Wednesday at Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil. COEx President David Siegel said, "The aircraft has consistently outperformed its [original] specifications." The carrier is expected to take delivery of two additional aircraft Dec. 30. All will remain in Brazil, where they are being used to train Continental crews until after the first of the year.
Acting FAA Administrator Linda Hall Daschle will discuss future financing needs of her agency, aviation security and funding for the Airport Improvement Program this week on Aviation News Today, to be aired on Washington's NewsChannel 8 Sunday 12:30 a.m.-1 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.-2 p.m.
TWA has extended for a limited time its offer of Trans World One upgrades under its frequent flyer program to passengers flying on military and government fares. TWA said it carried more than 90,000 military and government passengers last year. Travelers taking four transatlantic flights by May 31, 1997, can receive a certificate for an upgrade valid until Aug. 31.
ValuJet said yesterday that FAA and DOT approved its use of charter flights to serve Dallas/Fort Worth, Fort Myers and West Palm Beach between Dec. 19 and Jan. 6. The carrier had planned to expand its own service to the three destinations, but FAA refused late Wednesday to approve the additions to its schedule. ValuJet said Kiwi International, Spirit Airlines and Sun Pacific International will operate the flights at their scheduled times between Dec. 20 and Jan.
TWA and USAir will benefit most from the upcoming lapse of the 10% tax on passenger tickets, according to a Lehman Brothers analysis. Nearly 35% of TWA's and 29.4% of USAir's pre-tax earnings in 1997 will be attributable to the tax lapse if it lasts six months. Northwest (7.3%), American (8.5%) and United (9.3%) will benefit least.
Winter business travel probably will be disappointing, according to the Travel Industry Association, which predicts little or no increase over last year's volume. Only 10% of U.S. travelers are "very likely" to make a business trip during the winter, down from 13% last year, and 68% are expected to be leisure-only customers, up from 65% last winter.
U.S. Major Carriers Unit Revenues and Expenses, By Region Third Quarter 1996 Operating Operating Operating Revenues Expenses Profit/Loss Yield per ASM per ASM per ASM per RPM Carrier (cents) (cents) (cents) (cents) Alaska 9.39 8.09 1.30 11.49 Domestic 9.56 8.17 1.39 11.61
Reacting to the reluctance of French negotiators to give in to U.S. insistence on an open skies aviation agreement, some U.S. carriers are looking to get the best deal possible short of full liberalization, according to a source familiar with current U.S.-France talks. Neither the carriers nor U.S. negotiators are looking forward to yet another round of piecemeal agreements for the 1997 summer schedule, which normally would be in place by about March 1 at the latest. Given the French position on open skies and what U.S.
Swissair will acquire aircraft jointly in the future with partners Sabena and Austrian Airlines, replace its eight A310s with nine A330s, launch a new corporate identity and introduce all-non-smoking flights across the Atlantic beginning March 30, the airline's new chief executive, Philippe Bruggisser, said yesterday. The three carriers have ordered 17 A330-200s, and Swissair said yesterday it intends to replace five 747-300s later. The new corporate identity will be "more internal than visible externally," said Swissair spokeswoman Linda Parseghian.
DOT this week awarded Western Pacific regional subsidiary Mountain Air Express (MAX) its own certificate. Objections are due Monday. Earlier this fall, DOT said it was "looking into" allegations that Mountain Air Express, which hopes to operate to approximately six Rocky Mountain ski communities with a fleet of Dornier 328s, had sold tickets before receiving its economic authority (DAILY, Oct. 18). A department spokesman yesterday said DOT's review was still active but that the agency hopes to reach a decision on the matter by yearend.
Lan Chile has applied for an exemption to serve Sao Paulo, Manaus and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil as intermediate points in its all-cargo authority between Santiago and the coterminal points of Miami and New York, starting Jan. 1. The carrier also applied for blind-sector authority to commingle traffic between Santiago and the Brazilian points with other international traffic.
USAir's electronic ticketing option, on Sabre and Apollo since October, is available on System One. USAir will offer ticketless travel on the Worldspan and Amadeus computer reservations systems in the future.
South America - especially the southern half of the continent - will likely become the next major market for high-speed regional aircraft as a result of the Mercosur trade agreement that includes the deregulation of air services. Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay were the original members, joined by Chile in August and Bolivia is expected to be next. Deregulation will allow direct services between smaller cities now linked only through major capitals by large carriers. Example is Fiat, with plants in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and Cordoba, Argentina...
It is too soon to expect Peru to lift its ban on operations in Peruvian airspace by Fine Air, Aeroperu's counsel in Washington wrote to Paul Gretch, DOT director in the office of international aviation, countering Fine's attempt to block extra holiday sections of Aeroperu's flights until the U.S. carrier can operate freely again (DAILY, Dec. 16). Fine is barred because it delivered arms to Ecuador - unintentionally, says Fine - when Ecuador and Peru were engaged in military hostilities. (Docket OST-95-691)
