The House on Friday overwhelmingly passed anti-terrorism legislation (H.R.3953) that would direct FAA to deploy commercially available explosives detection devices on an interim basis while it develops a fully certified system. FAA would be required to issue regulations increasing security standards on passenger aircraft having fewer than 61 seats. The bill also would authorize more rigorous background checks on security screening personnel and would require FAA to establish performance standards for security personnel. Other aviation-related provisions would:
American said Friday its revenue passenger miles grew 1.6% in July from the same 1995 month, giving it a 2.6% increase for the first seven months. Capacity dropped 2.7% for the month, producing a 3.2-percentage-point increase in load factor. The rise in the domestic load factor was 5.1 points. Domestic traffic growth was strong at 4.9%, but international traffic fell 4.9%. Atlantic RPMs were down 13.3% - a slightly greater drop than the 12.5% decrease in capacity in the Atlantic market. Pacific traffic dropped 3.8%, while Latin American traffic grew 4.1%.
Charter operators are expressing "mass confusion over items such as the conditions of the North American Free Trade Agreement," prompting the National Air Transportation Association to schedule a conference on NAFTA and other issues, VP Andy Cebula said. The conference is scheduled Sept. 19-20 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, with presentations from FAA, Customs, the National Transportation Safety Board and top aviation officials from Mexico.
American requested authority to operate combination service between Dallas/Fort Worth and San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. Beginning Nov. 1, the carrier proposes providing nonstop service six days a week on the route, using 139-seat MD-80 aircraft. "Since no other U.S. carrier presently operates between Dallas/Fort Worth and San Jose del Cabo, American's proposed service is consistent with the governing bilateral agreement," said American, noting that the bilateral allows one U.S. carrier to be authorized for service in any single U.S.-Mexico city-pair.
Worldspan will handle some of Microsoft's transaction processing as well as making its database on airline schedules, fares and available to the software giant as part of the companies' online alliance, the computer reservations system told DOT. Microsoft will reformat the database for its online travel booking product, which is meant to be user friendly to the public. Worldspan provides services to travel professionals with specialized training.
International airlines, including those of South Korea, will be able to "regularly use" the airspace of North Korea, beginning in December, according to the International Air Transport Association. Airlines can expect to save about $125 million a year because of the shorter flights, IATA said. North Korea signed the International Civil Aviation Organization's International Air Services Transit Agreement in February 1995, after which it began negotiations with IATA. IATA said it played a crucial role in assisting North Korea to implement the agreement technically.
The House Friday gave its final approval to legislation that will re-enact the aviation excise taxes, and the Senate was expected to follow suit Friday night (DAILY, Aug. 2). The reinstatement through Dec. 31, is included in the conference report on the small-business tax relief bill (H.R.3448), and the revenue is counted as an offset to tax cuts elsewhere in the legislation. President Clinton is expected to sign the legislation, which includes a popular 90-cent-an-hour increase in the minimum wage.
Joyce Fleischman was formally appointed acting inspector general at DOT Thursday (DAILY, Aug. 1), filling the vacancy created by the resignation July 3 of Mary Schiavo. A lawyer with 17 years' experience in federal inspector general offices and currently deputy IG at the Agriculture Department, Fleischman will move to DOT Aug. 12. She has previously worked at the Energy and Interior departments and the Federal Labor Relations Board.
Flying High: The Story of Boeing and the Growth of the Jetliner Industry by Eugene Rodgers. The biography of a premier U.S. company that reflects the changes in American business in the 20th century. Atlantic Monthly Press; $25 paper. For more information, call 212-614-7850.
Parker Bertea promoted Bob Barker to group VP-flight control and hydraulic systems operation, Frank Nichols to group VP-fluid management and control systems operation and Ed Arnold to group VP-marketing.
McGraw-Hill Aviation Week Group will host an electronic conference on FAA's Global Analysis and Information Network (GAIN) tomorrow at 9 p.m. EDT on CompuServe. Christopher Hart, FAA assistant administrator for system safety, will be the guest. To participate, key in Go Conference.
Reno Air plans to begin daily seasonal flights to Durango, Colo., from Albuquerque Dec. 19, with continuing service to Los Angeles. The advance- purchase Albuquerque-Durango fare will be $59 one way. On Oct. 1, Reno Air will add a third daily flight from Reno/Tahoe to Denver and to Colorado Springs, a fourth daily flight between San Jose and Las Vegas, and a second and third daily roundtrip between Portland and Seattle.
U.S. Major Carriers Pacific Share of Service, First Quarter 1996 Total Revenue Departures American 517 Delta 690 Northwest 5,678 United 5,719 Total 12,604 Average Number of Seats Per Departure American 243 Delta 264
AvAero said it has received Transport Canada certification of its 737 hushkit. WestJet of Calgary will be the first Canadian carrier to use the device.
All Nippon Airways and Air Canada launched daily code-share service Thursday between Osaka Kansai Airport and Vancouver. The service is operated on Air Canada 284-seat Airbus A340s, and ANA has a block of seats and a flight attendant on every flight. Air Canada considers the service a step in its "rapidly developing strategy to expand across the Pacific," VP- Corporate Strategy Ross MacCormack said. For ANA, it is its first to Canada and its first in a transpacific market from Osaka.
Accurate Automation Corp. has developed an aircraft for NASA and the Air Force with a computerized flight control system that learns as it flies. The experimental aircraft will be used to explore new flight control techniques involving neural networks, which enable the aircraft control system to learn by mimicking the pilot. The aircraft is a Mach 5 waverider, a hypersonic aircraft that cruises on top of its own shock wave.
Vice President Gore's Aviation Safety and Security Commission will hold its first meeting tomorrow at FAA. Members will be chosen from a group selected at the last meeting of the Aviation Safety Advisory Committee to look into aviation security. Industry officials had been concerned that Gore might go outside aviation circles for commission members.
Granted orally to American Trans Air authority to conduct scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property and mail between Orlando, Florida, and Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands...Granted orally to Aviacion del Noroeste renewal of its exemption to engage in scheduled combination service between Mexico City (including Toluca) and San Diego and charter combination operations between Mexico and the U.S., using large equipment...Granted orally to Mexicana renewal of its exemption to conduct scheduled combination service between Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and Los Angeles...G
