Granted orally to Japan Air Lines the rights to conduct its currently authorized all-cargo services to or from any point or points in Japan and co-terminalize all U.S. points for which JAL holds all-cargo authority.
The Airlines of Britain Group recorded a strong profit for 1995 despite a slightly weaker performance by British Midland against new competition from the Channel Tunnel. The group's pretax profit was 6.2 million, up from 300,000 in 1994. The British Midland unit accounted for 4.1 million of the total but fell off from a 4.4 million profit in 1994. Revenue increased 7% to 553.3 million from 518.8 million. The group's regional airlines posted a strong turnaround with a profit of 1.3 million for the year, compared with a loss of 5.1 million in 1994.
FAA continues to draw criticism for its handling of a report on new-entrant safety data as it proceeds with its expanded review of ValuJet. As of Friday afternoon, FAA had completed 1,050 special inspections or certification actions involving 2,700 labor hours, said FAA Associate Administrator for Regulation and Certification Anthony Broderick. The number of inspectors assigned to the task will rise from 33 to 37 today, when the agency takes over the carrier's proficiency checks, he added. "I don't want to pretend this isn't a strain.
Air South is offering a two-for-one sale to all of its destinations for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturday afternoons. Two travelers flying from Columbia, S.C., to New York can fly on fares as low as $69 one- way.
United will operate 295 daily flights to 60 cities from Denver this summer. The carrier will beef up service to Los Angeles, increasing daily departures from 14 to 16 on June 20, to 18 on July 1 and to 20 on July 9, using 737-300 aircraft for the new service. It will add flights to Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Des Moines, Kansas City, Minneapolis, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle and Tampa, and it will offer new, seasonal daily flights from Denver to Anchorage and Jackson Hole. United also will offer one-stop service to London Heathrow from Denver, using 777s.
U.S. National Carriers Traffic April, 4 Months 1996 April April % 1996 1995 Change Alaska Revenue Passenger Miles (000) 778,000 660,000 17.9 Available Seat Miles (000) 1,196,000 1,091,000 9.6 Load Factor (%) 65.1 60.5 Passengers 945,300 773,600 22.2
Proposed an airworthiness directive on certain Beech BAe 125-800A and -1000A aircraft and Hawker 800 and 1000 aircraft requiring modification of the TKS metering pump in the airframe ice protection system. Proposed an AD on certain Gates Learjet 35 and 36 aircraft requiring reduction of the maximum operating limit speed.
Northwest obtained authority to operate code-share services with Alaska Airlines between Anchorage, on the one hand, and Magadan, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatka, Russia, on the other. (Docket OST-96-1357)
Superseded an AD on McDonnell Douglas DC-9, DC-9-80, MD-88 and C-9 aircraft requiring additional aging aircraft inspections. Adopted an AD on certain Aviat S-1S, S-1T, S-2, S-2A, S-2S and S-2B aircraft requiring repetitive inspections of the flight control stick for cracks. Adopted an AD on McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft requiring inspection and eventual modification of the sidewall vent box diaphragms.
Oxygen canisters being transported in the cargo compartment of ValuJet Flight 592, which crashed shortly after takeoff on Saturday, were empty, according to a shipping ticket ValuJet Chairman Lewis Jordan presented at a news conference yesterday. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are looking at the canisters, trying to determine whether they were full or empty, and whether they contributed to the crash, which killed all 110 people aboard the DC-9.
Miami Springs, Fla.-based Gulfstream International Airlines continued its rapid traffic growth in April, reporting a 93.4% increase in revenue passenger miles to 9.6 million from just under 5 million. Capacity rose more quickly - 101.8% to 17.3 million available seat miles from 8.6 million in the prior period. The load factor was off 2.4 percentage points to 55.4% from 57.8%. Enplanements were up 72.3% to 48,905 from 28,377.
U.S. Major Carriers Traffic April, 4 Months 1996 (000) April April % 1996 1995 Change America West Revenue Passenger Miles 1,272,192 1,139,630 11.6 Available Seat Miles 1,744,701 1,574,404 10.8 Load Factor (%) 72.9 72.4 American
Fifteen of the nation's largest regional airlines posted an average increase in revenue passenger miles of 24.6% during April. That compared to a capacity increase of 16.4%. The carriers recorded 914.5 million RPMs during the month, versus 1.68 billion available seat miles. That compared with 767.8 million RPMs and 1.54 billion ASMs in April 1995. Gulfstream International of Miami, although next to the smallest of the 15 carriers, led the group in percentage growth with RPMs up 93.4% and ASMs up 101.8%.
A bankruptcy court judge in Arizona has approved a settlement between Viscount Air and General Electric Aviation Services for the continued lease of nine of the 10 737s leased from clients of GE. Viscount rejected one lease for an airplane that has been out of service in maintenance for the past eight months. Viscount President Byron Ellison said the settlement is a major step forward in the carrier's Chapter 11 reorganization.
LTU International Airways is offering passengers low-cost roundtrip rail transfers to any city in Germany from its German gateways. The carrier has resumed seasonal air cargo service between New York Kennedy Airport and Dusseldorf, using an MD-11.
A resurgence in parts sales is likely to boost Allison Engine Company revenues by a double-digit percentage, according to Mike Hudson, its president and chief operating officer. The company lost money in 1994 but met expectations in 1995 following its acquisition by Rolls-Royce in March. In the nine months following the sale, Allison posted sales of $565 million with an operating profit of $59 million and a before-tax profit of $45 million.
Domenico Cempella, Alitalia's managing director, has developed a new restructuring plan for the airline that would reduce jobs by 11%, cut costs 10% and divide the company into subsidiaries responsible for portions of what is now an integrated operation. The plan, prepared for a shareholders meeting this week and aimed at profitability by 1998, revolves around an aid package of 3,000 billion lire, including an urgent capital increase of 1,000 billion-1,500 billion lire as soon as this year.
National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that FAA require immediate and recurring inspections of tail booms in certain Bell Helicopters following the April 4 crash of a Bell 206L-1 operated by the West Virginia State Police into a hillside near Yeager Airport, Charleston, W. Va. The pilot and passenger were killed in the crash. Examination of the wreckage showed that the tail assembly, tail rotor gear box and blades had separated from the tail boom, and laboratory examination of the tail boom revealed evidence of a pre-existing crack.
Chautauqua Airlines may be a prime candidate for Embraer's new 50- passenger EMB-145 regional jet, currently touring the country. "There are a number of routes we could put it on tomorrow," said President Ed London. Senior partner USAir has cranked down its Indianapolis hub, leaving many routes open to replacement or complementary service. The Indianapolis carrier's average segment is only 176 miles, including Toronto at 439. Washington, D.C., Boston, Greenville, Des Moines, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Omaha also might make sense, however.
Air France Europe, which operates as Air Inter Europe, wants to discuss "a modification of cockpit crews' salaries in exchange for a distribution of equity," General Manager Jean-Pierre Courcol said in a letter to pilots. The majority pilots' union, Union Syndicale des Personnels Navigants Techniques (USPNT), said it would be glad to be represented on the board, but only by purchasing equity of an independent company. Syndicat National de Pilotes de Ligne (SNPL) said management is trying to crack the cohesion of unions in upcoming talks about restructuring.
Aero International (Regional) shortly is expected to narrow a field of four potential powerplants for its new 70-passenger jet down to two. Contenders are the Allison AE3012, in the 12,000- to 15,000-pound-thrust range, the GE CF34, a proposed Pratt&Whitney/Snecma offering, and the BMW Rolls-Royce BR700 series, which some say would be too big for the airframe. AI(R) is talking to regional airlines about a proposed jet with engines mounted under-wing and a conventional tail that would meet most airline scope limits of 70 seats and 75,000 pounds.
British Airways will serve ostrich meat in first and business class on long-haul flights this summer. Low in cholesterol and fat, ostrich steaks will be offered on flights to North America, starting in July.
U.S. and U.K. negotiators plan informal discussions early next week in Washington about a framework for further bilateral talks. Some observers believe U.K. officials intend to scout out the price of obtaining U.S. clearance of a possible alliance between American and British Airways.
