America West has made its flight schedule accessible through the Internet. The carrier plans to improve the site shortly so that computer users will be able to check on arrival and departure information.
Frontier celebrated its second anniversary July 5. It has grown from serving four cities from Denver to 15. Its fleet of 737s has increased from two to nine aircraft, and it now employs 675 people, up from 180 in July 1994.
FAA has adopted a rule it says will "increase the use of flight simulators and flight training devices by permitting their use for most airman certification training, testing and checking tasks." The rule on training centers will provide a "common source for standardized, quality training accessible to any individual or corporate operator and air carriers" and "recognizes industry recommendations for the expanded use of sophisticated flight simulation."
Canadian Marconi said Korean Air selected its CMA-2102 high-gain satcom antenna for new 747 aircraft. The antennas will be used with Collins SAT- 906 avionics for inflight communications.
Continental has added Dollar Rent A Car and EuroDollar to its OnePass frequent flyer program. OnePass members renting a car can earn up to 1,000 miles through Dec. 15 and 500 afterward.
Delta and Austrian Airlines have filed a joint application for authority to operate service beginning on or about Aug. 15 between the U.S. and Almaty, Kazakhstan, via Vienna, under a code-share/blocked-space arrangement. Initially, the carriers would operate twice-weekly service from Atlanta and New York gateways, with Delta flying the Atlanta-Vienna segment with its own Boeing 767-300ERs. Austrian would operate the New York-Vienna and Vienna-Almaty segments, using Airbus A310s.
National Transportation Safety Board said yesterday the probable causes of the Simmons ATR 72 crash on Oct. 31, 1994, near Roselawn, Ind., were incomplete disclosures by ATR to operators of how the aircraft reacted in freezing precipitation and the French Directorate General for Civil Aviation's inadequate oversight of the ATR series aircraft, the DGAC's failure to take corrective action to ensure airworthiness in icing conditions and its failure to provide FAA with timely information from previous ATR accidents in icing conditions.
Pan Am has christened its first aircraft, an A300, Clipper America. The christening was performed by Kristina Trippe, granddaughter of original Pan Am founder Juan Trippe, and Lars Lindbergh, grandson of aviator Charles Lindbergh. The carrier said one-third of its 150 employees worked for Pan Am in the past. Pan Am intends to begin service this summer to New York, Los Angeles and Miami.
ValuJet has filed a plan with FAA to resume scheduled service and will do so as early as the first week in August if the agency approves, the carrier's president, Lewis Jordan, said yesterday. "We are confident that ValuJet will meet and exceed all of the FAA's requirements by Aug. 1, although we cannot predict what specific service resumption date the FAA will authorize," he said. The carrier also announced compensation and structural changes bringing maintenance and engineering functions directly onto its payroll.
A Pratt&Whitney spokesman said yesterday the company has "never seen" a fatigue crack or experienced a breakup of the hub of its JT8-219 engine like the one that occurred in a fatal accident Saturday involving a Delta MD-88 (DAILY, July 9). National Transportation Safety Board officials said Monday night that an inch-deep crack had been found in the hub and appeared to have caused the failure of the hub.
DOT Secretary Federico Pena said yesterday DOT supports enactment of legislation to protect aviation workers who report safety violations to the federal government. The House Transportation aviation subcommittee is holding a hearing today on the bill (H.R.3187). In a letter dated yesterday to Committee Chairman Bud Shuster (R-Pa.), Pena said it may be difficult in some cases to aggressively pursue safety concerns brought to FAA's attention on a safety hotline without the protection.
Summary of U.S. National Carriers Systemwide Revenues and Expenses The Year 1995 (In Dollars) Total Operating % Passenger Carrier Revenues Change Revenues Alaska 1,162,878,000 7.74 958,411,000 American Trans Air 690,246,630 18.77 355,367,479
Continental filed yesterday in opposition to proposed sanctions against Colombia, urging DOT instead "to accept Colombia's invitation to continue negotiations on U.S.-Colombia aviation issues." The sanctions are a response to Colombia's refusal to allow American to operate New York-Bogota service (DAILY, July 9). (Docket OST-96-1315)
The Senate voted yesterday to reinstate the lapsed aviation excise taxes through Dec. 31 this year as part of a small-business tax relief bill (H.R.3448). The bill, which passed the Senate 74-24, now goes to a conference with the House, whose bill does not reinstate the aviation taxes. If the tax renewal survives a conference and the bill is signed into law, the taxes would resume seven days after enactment. Passenger and cargo transportation purchased before the effective date would not be taxed.
FAA has awarded Harris's Information Systems Division a $72.5 million contract for weather and radar processors for en route, long-range radar facilities. Harris will develop, install and support 24 Weather and Radar Processor (WARP) systems at air route traffic control centers and the air traffic control system command center. It also will provide a lease service for immediate replacement of the Meteorologist Weather Processor system now in use at the facilities.
International Aviation Club will hold its monthly luncheon July 16 at the International Center of the University Club at 1800 K St. N.W., Washington, D.C. Julius Maldutis, managing director of Salomon Brothers, is the guest speaker. Lunch is at 12:30 p.m. and costs $35.
Vietnam Airlines took delivery of the first of 10 new A320s which Airbus said begins a major acquisition program organized in conjunction with Aerostar Leasing. All 10 aircraft are to be delivered by early next year and will be operated from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to domestic and Asian destinations. The aircraft are powered by CFM56 engines.
India's Civil Aviation Ministry has imposed a blanket ban on the use of foreign airlines by federal and state officials for work-related trips abroad, ministry officials said last week. Travel on national carrier Air- India has been made mandatory for such trips, they said. The ministry also will urge privately owned and run Indian firms to encourage their executives to travel Air-India. An official notification to this effect is expected to be issued by the office of newly appointed Civil Aviation Minister C.M. Ibrahim.
Airbus Industrie supervisory board decided yesterday in Paris to restructure the consortium as a private company. The board wants to reach a binding agreement to make the transition from Airbus's current status as a groupement d'inter`90t economique (GIE) by the end of the year and to complete the transaction by 1999.
Western Pacific's June traffic rose 156.2% to 128.7 million revenue passenger miles from 50.2 million in June 1995. Its available seat miles increased 169.9% to 233 million from 82 million, for a dip in load factor to 57.7% from 60.7%. WestPac carried 150,168 passengers, a 120% increase from last June.
Litton Industries said yesterday that the U.S. court of appeals in Los Angeles upheld its appeal in patent-infringement litigation against Honeywell. Honeywell said it was "surprised and disappointed" by the reversal, and it will pursue "all appellate remedies," including the Supreme Court, if necessary. The reversal was a split decision by a three- judge panel.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers International Revenues and Expenses Fourth Quarter 1995 (In Dollars) Total Operating % Passenger Carrier Revenues Change Revenues American 1,178,457,000 10.82 1,008,565,000 Atlantic 510,603,000 15.31 421,582,000 Latin 578,050,000 7.19 510,933,000
DOT issued a show cause order last Friday tentatively imposing sanctions against a Colombian carrier, either Avianca or ACES, prohibiting daily nonstop service by the airline between New York or Miami and Bogota. Slated to become effective July 15, the action comes after three days of talks between the U.S. and Colombia failed to resolve a dispute between the Colombian government and American (DAILY, June 24).
British Airways is welcoming scrutiny by the U.S. Justice Department of its alliance with American. "We want them [DOJ] to get into it so we can have them look at the deal and get the investigation over with," a BA spokesman said. DOJ acknowledged it is reviewing the proposal. "It is a standard review of the competitive implications" of the proposed arrangement, said Bill Brooks, a Justice Department spokesman. BA and American also will be offering testimony tomorrow before the U.K.
DOT Inspector General Mary Schiavo announced her resignation in a letter to President Clinton dated July 3, effective yesterday. While she served as IG for nearly six years, "the Office of Inspector General has made findings of approximately $5 billion and has amassed approximately 1,000 criminal convictions," said Schiavo. "My mission has always been to protect the people of the United States." Quoting Schiavo's staff assistant, AP said Schiavo was looking to speak and write and probably work as a lawyer.
