Spaceflight Dynamics, Second Edition by William Wiesel. An easy-to- understand text on spacecraft dynamics, aimed at undergraduates. McGraw- Hill College Division; $66.25 hard cover. To order, call 800-338-3987.
DOT Inspector General Joyce Fleischman said Friday her office has "no authority in the regulatory process" and therefore will not investigate DOT's conduct in the ValuJet fitness case, as requested by the Association of Flight Attendants (DAILY Sept. 5). Fleischman, who is the IG on an acting basis, told The DAILY that AFA "sent us a request stating the same concerns that they have stated to DOT. They were making the same argument. We have no authority in the regulatory process.
Northwest is expanding the number of destinations for which it is offering special tariffs via the Internet. The CyberSaver fares, available since June but only from Minneapolis, offer discounts of as much as 70% on regular excursion fares. Northwest is now offering the special fares in 15 markets.
FAA delayed its announcement of a contract award for the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) program Friday, targeting it for today instead. Teams headed by Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are competing for the $1.5 billion program.
Sky Trek International Airlines closed on additional private equity of $550,000 in August and $950,000 in September in efforts to begin 727 charter service. Total capital now stands at $3.3 million, said Sky Trek, predicting an early October start of operations with one 727 leased from GMAS of London. Former Kiwi International chairman Robert Iverson is chief executive of Sky Trek.
Mercury Air Group's revenue increased 23.2% to $225.4 million and net income rose 8.7% to $4.7 million, both records, for the fiscal year, that ended June 30, the company reported. For the fourth quarter, revenue increased 26% to a record $60.8 million and net income rose 7.5% to $1.2 million.
AirTran Airways reported August traffic was up 63% over the same month a year ago to 85 million revenue passenger miles. Available seat miles rose 76% to 138 million, however, lowering the load factor 4 percentage points to 61.7%. The airline carried 98,151 passengers in August and 763,000 in the first eight months of the year. The year-to-date load factor rose 5.8 points to 66.4%.
Air Canada named Steven Gibbs general manager-cargo sales, USA, Caribbean and Latin America. Emirates appointed Adnan Kazim manager-Yemen. Tower Air appointed Ramesh Punwani chief financial officer and VP- finance, replacing Josefina Essex, who left to set up a new business venture.
Helicopter Association International named Joseph Corrao director- regulations. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association named Sen. Ted Stevens (R- Alaska) the recipient of its 1996 Hartranft Award and Amelia Reid the recipient of the 1996 Laurence Sharples Award.
American Trans Air will reduce its work force 15% in the next two months to accommodate the downsizing of its scheduled service and focus on charter service (DAILY, Sept. 4). The carrier said it will discontinue some outside contractors, eliminate part-time employees and furlough or fire other employees. Hourly and salaried workers at all levels of the airline will be affected.
Several dozen airlines put competition aside last week and met in Cape Town, South Africa, to discuss how to respond and mobilize in crisis situations. One scenario discussed by the IATA-organized group was how to mobilize after an airplane crash when the first word comes from CNN.
Reno Air is offering one-way fares of $39 between Seattle and Portland and $49 between San Francisco and Orange County, markets in which it will begin operating two and four daily flights, respectively, on Oct. 1. The carrier will distribute free space-available first class upgrade coupons to all passengers in the markets in October.
Rolim Amaro, president of Sao Paulo-based TAM, takes a dim view of most frequent flyer programs, including LatinPass. "I don't believe in anything that people cannot understand," he tells DAILY affiliate Aviation-Latin America&Caribbean. "The problem...is they are too complicated, too many conditions and exclusions...All this is disrespectful of the customer."
Continental unveiled its new island products and services on flights between the West Coast and Hawaii. Flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Honolulu and from Honolulu to Tokyo and Guam will feature Hawaiian cuisine in BusinessFirst. Local products offered include Hawaiian natural spring water, Mauna Loa macadamia nuts, Dave's Hawaiian Ice Cream, Kona coffee and mai tais.
USAir, learning from last winter's storms, activated an emergency plan when Hurricane Fran disrupted its operations. With Charlotte Airport closed, the airline redeployed about 10 aircraft to fly passengers nonstop between points that normally would require a connection in Charlotte. After USAir altered 400 flights, the hurricane missed Charlotte.
Former USAfrica Airways President and Chief Executive Greg Lewis is evaluating a possible startup charter airline or charter service of some type through a contract with another operator. The company, to be called Crystal Air, would use large narrowbody aircraft in domestic and international service.
Mexican air taxi Aerolineas Marcos has asked DOT for authority to operate small aircraft in charter service between Mexico and possibly other countries and the U.S. The company, which offers personalized service to executives and companies with business jets, estimates it will fly about five roundtrips a month. It operates two Israeli Aircraft Industries Westwind aircraft with eight seats. (Docket OST-96-1693)
House and Senate negotiators on the fiscal 1997 DOT appropriations bill (H.R.3675) agreed late Wednesday to fund FAA at $8.337 billion, virtually identical to the Senate-passed level, and adopted $75 million in foreign aircraft overflight fees as a partial offset for FAA operations funding. FAA's appropriation includes the Senate's Airport Improvement Program recommendation - $1.46 billion, $10 million more than the fiscal 1996 level and $160 million above the House proposal.
Delta has opposed the proposed code share of United and Saudi Arabian Airlines Corp. (Saudia) in which United would block space on flights operated by Saudia between New York Kennedy and Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran. Saudia would block space on flights between New York and Los Angeles on United. Delta opposes the United request because the Saudi government has not approved Delta's request to code share to the country under its alliance with Swissair, Sabena and Austrian.
Cincinnati- and Orlando-based Delta Connection Comair posted a 23.1% increase in traffic to 136.1 million revenue passenger miles from 110.6 million in August 1995. Capacity rose more slowly - 16.5% to 232.4 million available seat miles from 199.5 million - allowing load factor to rise 3.2 percentage points to 58.6% from 55.4%. Passenger boardings were up 18.2% to 412,034. Aug. 1996 Aug. 1995 8 Mths 1996 8 Mths 1995 ----------------------------------------------------------
Polar Air Cargo has asked DOT for an exemption to delay until Nov. 4 the startup of its cargo service to Brazil. Its authority to start services expires Sept. 18, and the carrier said it has not yet been able to secure all the approvals it needs from the government of Brazil. (Docket OST-96- 1590)
Atlantic Coast Airlines, believed to be one of the next carriers to move into 50-passenger regional jets, has been evaluating the Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) and the Embraer EMB-145. The Washington Dulles-based United Express carrier historically has operated over long stage lengths and is said to be looking at potential origin-and-destination markets, including many state capitals such as Lansing, Mich.; Lexington, Ky.; Madison, Wis.; Springfield, Ill., and Tallahassee, Fla. "It is a jet; it is lawyers. What more do you want?" said one observer.
Freight continues to be one of the most profitable operations of international passenger carriers. In the first quarter of 1996, eight U.S. majors had $309 million in freight revenue, 7.6% of their international operating revenues. FedEx's and UPS's international freight revenues were $271 million and $75 million, respectively, in the same quarter. In Australia, Qantas has left blocks of empty seats on some long-haul 747 flights in order to carry freight, which is more profitable.
Textron announced completion of the previously announced sale on Aug. 19 of its Aerostructures Division to the Carlyle Group for $180 million plus a subordinated note.
Loken Aviation has filed at DOT to suspend or terminate service at Pelican and Elfin Cove, Alaska, effective Dec. 5, eliminating all scheduled service to the points. Pelican and Elfin Cove are situated on Chichagof Island in southeastern Alaska, west of Juneau. Loken serves the points with de Havilland Beaver and Cessna 180 aircraft. In a document filed with DOT, Loken blamed a reduction in fishing and logging for a cutback in the demand for air service. And winter months are historically poor traffic months, Loken said.
