The Air Line Pilots Association has decided to oppose FAA's proposed rules on flight and duty time as written, because they increase flight time limits to offset stricter duty time limits. ALPA said the proposed rule fails to recognize scientific research in the effects of circadian rhythms on pilot fatigue. ALPA's executive board voted last week to oppose and call for the withdrawal of any notice of proposed rulemaking that increases daily flight time limits beyond eight hours.
After delays caused by federal government shutdowns and the elimination of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration, the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration has published overseas visitor arrival data for the first three quarters of 1995 and hopes to have the rest of 1995, plus an Internet home page, by the end of the summer. Total international visitors fell 5% to 32.6 million. The largest increase came from Brazil, the fifth largest market, which gained 35%.
Frontier Airlines signed a letter of intent to lease a new 737-300 from International Lease Finance Corp. Delivery is scheduled in April 1997. The carrier's current fleet comprises two 737-300s and five 737-200s, and two 737-200s were to be added this week. President Sam Addoms said Frontier will use the 1997 aircraft to expand operations, possibly to "some key destination in the East." Frontier serves 13 points in 11 states from its Denver hub.
U.S. customers placed all but nine of the 107 jet transport orders logged during the first quarter by Boeing and Douglas, according to Aerospace Industries Association. Generally, well over half the orders come from abroad. AIA says the first quarter results match the pace in 1995, when U.S. manufacturers received 421 net orders.
FAA is promoting several persons in its Office of Research and Acquisitions because of the departure of Robert Valone, deputy associate administrator. Valone will be succeeded by his director, Dennis DeGaetano. Gib Devey will move from deputy director to director. Ed Seymour goes from acting director of air traffic systems development to permanent director, and Peter Challan will move from acting deputy status to permanent deputy.
Boeing 747 Systemwide Aircraft Utilization Per Day Fourth Quarter 1995 B747-100 Northwest TWA Number of Aircraft Operated 23 8 Total Fleet Operations Departures 36 9 Block Hours 270 65 Flight Hours 254 60
Code-Sharing Regional Carrier Schedules Announced or Implemented - April 1996 Domestic City-Pairs Carriers Added Dropped New Shared ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alaska Airlines Horizon Air Boise, Idaho- Jackson Hole, Wyo. Seattle-Boze- man, Mont.
The House Transportation aviation subcommittee approved by voice vote yesterday legislation (H.R.3539) to reauthorize FAA programs for three years, but it put off at least until full committee consideration most contentious issues that had been expected to arise. The subcommittee also approved legislation (H.R.3536) requiring airlines to request and receive certain records before allowing an individual to begin service as a pilot, and a bill (H.R.3267) to prevent children from piloting aircraft in pursuit of records.
New Orders: PSA Airlines has bumped its order for Do 328s to 25 from 20 through the exercise of five of 20 options. Twenty of the 30-passenger, high-speed turboprops already are in operation with the wholly owned USAir subsidiary (formerly Jetstream International). Press reports from Brazil say that Continental Express will acquire 150 Emb-145 regional jets in a deal valued at $1.5 billion. The reports may be exaggerated, however, and would equate to a $10 million selling price per unit. The number is believed to be closer to 50 plus options.
Flagship Airlines, operating as American Eagle, must continue to operate at Tuscaloosa, Ala., until July 3 or until replacement service begins, DOT said. Flagship has been repeatedly held in at Tuscaloosa. (Docket OST-95-371)
Kimberly-Clark said yesterday it has completed a secondary offering of its final stake in Midwest Express Holdings Inc., the parent of Midwest Express Airlines and Astral Aviation Inc. As a result of the transaction, Kimberly-Clark will report a second quarter gain of $19.8 million on the sale of its 1.29 million shares of Midwest Express common stock.
In the show cause order tentatively awarding American and Canadian Airlines International antitrust immunity, DOT found that their proposed alliance would fortify competition, increasing consumer options in thousands of cross-border markets. Issued late Tuesday, the order exempted all-cargo and third-country services from the immunity and limited it temporarily on New York-Toronto services (DAILY, May 30).
Cabin crew unions of the International Transport Workers Federation will establish a task group to promote awareness of cabin air quality issues and lobby public interest groups, manufacturers, operators and governments to accept international air quality standards. Formation of the group follows a federation health and safety meeting in Dublin, which received a technical review of health hazards associated with poor air quality.
Northwest is not shopping around for a European alliance partner other than KLM but will do so if the Dutch carrier continues to push for control of Northwest, said President and Chief Executive John Dasburg. Speaking to reporters in Minneapolis yesterday, Dasburg said the relationship with KLM, which he described as "schizophrenic," still is a major strategic asset for Northwest. He said he hears, however, that KLM is talking to other airlines, and if control is what it wants, KLM will have to get it elsewhere.
Atlantic Southeast and Comair posted operating profit margins of better than 19% in the March quarter. Although down from recent highs - ASA hit 32.5% in the June quarter of 1994 - they are among the highest in the regional airline industry. SkyWest, the third publicly traded Delta Connection carrier, reported a negative 6.3% margin in the March quarter, due to nearly $4.6 million in fleet restructuring and transition costs related to early termination of Fairchild Metro leases and conversion to an all-Brasilia turboprop fleet.
Asia's largest aircraft maintenance hangar, a $70 million project, was opened last week in Peking by Ameco, a joint venture between Air China and Lufthansa. The 306-meter-wide enclosure can hold up to six widebody jets simultaneously. The facility will enable Ameco to improve the quality and timing of maintenance services, said General Manager Klaus Stahlschmidt. Ameco, established in 1989, is 60% Chinese-owned and employs 2,700 people.
St. George, Utah-based SkyWest Inc. posted a net loss of $2.15 million, or 21 cents per share, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 1996, compared with a slight net profit - $54,000, or one cent per share - for the fourth quarter of fiscal 1995. The loss contributed to a decline in fiscal year net earnings to $4.37 million, or 42 cents per share, from $13.70 million, or $1.23 per share, in the prior period.
Mesa Air Group, which operates as United Express at the Denver hub, said its costs at the new Denver International Airport have increased $500,000 per month, compared with its costs at Denver Stapleton, now closed. The company said in its quarterly 10-Q filing that it is working to reduce costs at DIA by eliminating scheduled banks in favor of a continuous hub. That has resulted in better aircraft utilization, improved baggage and on-time performance and a reduction of 20 full-time job equivalents.
