DOT will permit Wings West Airlines, Inc., an American Eagle unit, to drop its service to Inyokern, Calif., Nov. 1. The department said that Mesa, operating as United Express, was offering service at the point that would be "sufficient to meet Inyokern's essential air service requirements. United Express provides 114 seats in each direction [to Los Angeles] each weekday, and 228 seats in each direction on weekends, far exceeding the community's guarantee of 62 seats."
South African Airways, bruised by a weakening currency and increasing competition, is analyzing whether to reduce international service and cancel or delay aircraft it ordered from Boeing. The South African rand has fallen more than 20% against foreign currencies during 1996, making it more expensive for South African residents to travel abroad and for SAA to buy new aircraft. "We have seen a drop in the number of passengers originating here," said Leon Els, SAA's director of corporate communications.
Rolls-Royce said yesterday it received an order worth as much as $450 million for RB211-535 engines to power up to 30 Tupolev Tu-204 aircraft ordered by the Kato Group of Egypt. The order, including 13 firm and 17 option aircraft, launches production of the Rolls-powered version of the Russian-built airliner. Ibrahim Kamel, chairman of the Cairo-based Kato Group, said his company chose the engine for its reliability and potential for achieving reductions in operating costs.
Stringent noise limits set Wednesday by the U.K. Department of Transport for aircraft departing London's Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports present a particular challenge to airlines operating heavy aircraft, Aviation Minister Lord Goschen said (DAILY, Aug. 29). The 3 dBA daytime and 2 dBA nighttime noise reduction, set to begin Jan. 1, represents a halving of aircraft noise energy. Goschen said most airline opponents were long-haul carriers, many of them 747 operators, which expect to be affected most.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers International Traffic January 1996 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles Carriers (000) Change (Miles) (000) Alaska 56 (5.97) 1,058 58,755 Latin 56 (5.97) 1,058 58,755 American 1,209 (0.06) 2,062 2,493,106
DOT has approved the request of United, Lufthansa and SAS to consolidate the United-SAS application for antitrust immunity with the United/Lufthansa alliance, already antitrust-immunized (DAILY, Aug. 15). Answers to the consolidated application are due Sept. 4 and replies Sept. 13.
Atlanta Hartsfield Airport officials say they will proceed with an application to collect a $3 passenger facility charge to help pay for a new 6,000-foot commuter runway. Hartsfield is the largest U.S. airport not to impose a PFC since collections began in 1992. Airport General Manager Angela Gittens said the PFC would pay for land acquisition and design for the runway. Land acquisition and design is expected to take two years.
New Regional Aircraft Deliveries, June 1996 Last 12 Months Carrier No. Type Engines Delivery Air Guadeloupe 1 Do 228-212 TPE331-5A-252D - Air Mauritanie 1 AA ATR 42-300 PW120 - Air Alliance 3 Beech 1900D PT6A-67D -
FAA is proposing to allow the makers of explosives detection systems (EDSs) to obtain certification of their equipment by meeting minimum performance standards for identifying detonators in checked baggage. Currently, systems must meet standards for detecting explosives categorized as main/bulk explosive charges. The unclassified sections of the proposed amendment appear in today's Federal Register, and comments are due in 60 days. (Docket 28671)
Horizon Air's contract with Bombardier for 25 firm, 15 conditional and 30 option Dash 8s is the centerpiece of a plan to simplify its turboprop fleet from three aircraft types to one in the next two years. The deal, "conservatively" valued by the manufacturer at US$270 million, could be worth much more if the carrier opts to convert from the 37-passenger 200 series to the more expensive 50-passenger 300 series (DAILY, Aug. 29).
Mesa Air Group said yesterday it plans to consolidate some of its maintenance and flight operations under its corporate umbrella. Mesa also is studying whether to move its headquarters from Farmington, N.M., to handle anticipated growth, with Albuquerque, Dallas/Fort Worth, St. Louis, Memphis and Denver as candidates.
FAA yesterday returned ValuJet's air carrier operating certificate and DOT tentatively found it economically fit to resume service. The carrier still faces a seven-day period at DOT for comments - such as those already filed by the Association of Flight Attendants - and if the department considers any of them valid, the carrier will have four days to reply, according to John Coleman, director of the Office of Aviation Analysis.
Montrose Capital Corp. is seeking investors to join the bidding for Midway Airlines and expand the carrier's service at Raleigh/Durham, N.C. Midway is the airport's largest operator, with 38 daily flights. It says it has several prospective investors, including Donald Burr, the founder of People Express Airlines, which tried to offer rock-bottom fares in the Northeast in the early 1980s. Burr reportedly wants to move Midway to New York (DAILY, Aug. 23).
Anyone wondering how well Delta is competing with Southwest at Salt Lake City, where Southwest took over Morris Air's operations, has only to ask Bob Coggin, Delta executive VP-marketing. "We're kicking their butt," Coggin said in Boston, where he was touting the soon-to-be-started low-fare Delta Express service that will compete with Southwest at Providence, R.I.
SAS launched a sale yesterday on roundtrip travel from the U.S. to several Scandinavian cities. Fares are as low as $650 from Seattle, and the sale also covers travel from Chicago and Newark. The deal is part of a 50th anniversary fare sale in honor of the airline's 1946 beginnings. Each passenger receives a "Visit Scandinavia Air Pass," good for two free additional flights within Scandinavia.
Ransome Airlines founder J. Dawson Ransome has been named an "Elder Statesman of Aviation" by the National Aeronautic Association, one of seven people to receive the award for 1996. Under his direction, Ransome Airlines used two Volpar turboprops in code-sharing service with several airlines, including Allegheny Airlines (which pioneered the practice), Delta and Pan Am.
DOT has made final its show cause order tentatively allocating American 3.5 weekly U.S.-Peru frequencies, effective Nov. 1, for nonstop service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Lima (DAILY, Aug. 24). Originally applying for Miami-Lima service, American amended its application to combine 3.5 frequencies currently used for its Miami-Lima daily widebody service with the 3.5 frequencies in the new proceeding, to offer daily Dallas/Fort Worth-Lima narrowbody nonstops. (Docket OST-96-1104)
David Schaffer, majority counsel for the House aviation subcommittee, discusses pending aviation legislation during a studio interview on this week's Aviation News Today, to be broadcast on Washington's NewsChannel 8 on Sunday from 12:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Traffic February 1996 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles Carriers (000) Change (Miles) (000) Alaska 750 27.38 794 595,596 America West 1,352 15.85 804 1,086,595 American 4,775 (3.30) 1,124 5,368,763
By a narrow margin, Delta Connection Comair's flight attendants this week voted to be represented by the Teamsters union, the union reported and the National Mediation Board (NMB) confirmed. The attendant group is the sixth to throw in its lot with the Teamsters, after Northwest, Sun Country, Reeve, Great Lakes and Chautauqua. Of 333 eligible voters, 168 voted for the Teamsters and one for the Association of Flight Attendants, an NMB official said.
Rolls-Royce's operating profit for the first half of 1996 jumped to 96 million pounds from 64 million pounds during the same period a year earlier, "reflecting a significant increase from aerospace activities," the company reported yesterday. It attributed some 19 million pounds of the increase to its acquisition of Allison Engine Co., which contributed only three months to first half 1995 results.
American Eagle, scaling back its Nashville operation and winnowing its fleet to two aircraft types - Saabs and ATRs - hopes the moves will help make it more efficient and improve its long-term profitability. Eagle took delivery this week of its 115th Saab 340, and the 400th of the model overall, at a handover ceremony here.
Airline customers are willing to spend more time in longer lines in the interest of safety, but are much less inclined to foot the bill for security improvements, according to a new American Society of Travel Agents survey. When ASTA asked members whether their clients would be willing to spend more time at the airport to go through increased security prior to departure, 65.2% said yes, 26.9% said their clients are split, and 7.9% said no.
Computer replacements at three busy air traffic control centers criticized by the American Automobile Association as having high equipment failure rates are 10 months ahead of schedule, FAA said yesterday (DAILY, Aug. 28). AAA said the centers in New York, Chicago and Fort Worth have the worst equipment failure records in the nation. FAA said Administrator David Hinson ordered accelerated computer replacements 18 months ago. The agency said fewer than 3% of all delays are due to service interruptions.
