Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Co. said it completed a modification program on a LOT 767 in which it added passenger seats, relocated the cabin individual video system, installed a traffic alert and collision avoidance system and made the aircraft capable of extended-range twin engine operations.
U.S. officials are disappointed by Japan's rejection of open skies and continuing refusal to allow pending fifth-freedom service at U.S.-Japan talks begun yesterday in Washington (DAILY, June 27). "Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Japan's negotiators rejected the United States' open skies policy in a proposal tabled [yesterday]," said Stuart Oran, United executive VP. Noting Japan's "refusal to honor the existing air service between the two nations," Oran added that "Japan's proposal makes explicit their real intent, which is to offer the U.S.
Bay Area Rapid Transit board of directors has certified the final environmental impact statement for the rail extension to San Francisco Airport. The board adopted the plan that calls for aerial tracks over Highway 101 that run into a station at the airport's new international terminal and on to a joint BART/CalTrain station in Millbrae, south of the airport.
Passenger boardings for May increased an average 9.9% for 15 of the nation's largest regional airlines. The carriers together boarded just over four million passengers, compared with 3.7 million in May 1995. The only airline whose enplanements decreased was Business Express, 24% to 120,000. AMR Eagle's four wholly owned regionals alone carried more than one million passengers for a nearly 4% increase. The second-place group was Mesa Air Group's six carriers, which carried more than 552,000 passengers, up 2.6%.
Northwest, which is marketing its lowest fares via its World Wide Web site, is sponsoring a contest to find a creative name for the tariffs, with a prize of free tickets for travel in North America. For the next few weeks, a list of city-pairs with prices as low as 70% off the regular excursion will appear on the Web site each Wednesday, Northwest said. "Depending on the success of these offers, the airline hopes to continue offering these special, low fares," Northwest said in its announcement.
Greenwich Air Services said yesterday it was awarded contracts valued at $25 million by ING Aviation Lease for engine heavy maintenance and field support services for CF6-50 engines, which power ING's Airbus A300-B4s. Greenwich said it also received an $8 million contract from Vanguard Airlines to provide engine heavy maintenance and field support for the airline's JT8D-9A-15 engines, which power Boeing 737-200s.
Meeting with congressional and government officials in Washington yesterday, Virgin Chief Executive Richard Branson pressed his campaign against the proposed American-British Airways alliance. The carrier has set aside a "fighting fund of $15 million-$20 million" for the effort, he said, adding that "a lot of that will be spent on advertising." He also plans an energetic lobbying campaign in the U.S. and U.K and the European Union, if necessary. In Washington, he met with DOT and Justice Department officials as well as several senators and members of Congress.
Flights over the Atlantic have been involved in two near midair collisions this week and six since Oct. 1, according to the controllers' union local in the New York air route traffic control center (ARTCC). Joseph Fruscella, Eastern Region VP of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said FAA is trying to save money by refusing to use its Oceanic Display and Planning System (ODAPS).
Continental and the Machinists union, which represents its flight attendants, have reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement. The company and the union would not release details because of an information blackout imposed by industry mediator Robert Harris. National Mediation Board Chairwoman Magdalena Jacobsen assisted in the negotiations. The two sides came together before the contract became amendable this month and worked quickly to reach the agreement.
Lone Star Airlines is offering what it calls a "96 Olympic Hurdle" fare of $96 one way between Dallas/Fort Worth and Knoxville for customers who want to fly during the Olympic Games and avoid Atlanta "at all cost," the carrier said.
Virgin Atlantic will be able to provide live datalink of EKG (electrocardiogram) information in the next month or two, Chairman Richard Branson told The DAILY this week. Branson said a hospital in Chelsea, U.K., is working with the airline. He said it is harder to find a U.S. partner because U.S. medical institutions are hesitant to take part due to legal issues.
AMR Eagle, according to word on the street, is considering acquiring the Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ), with a potential order for 60 plus 60 options. The carrier is said to be concerned about jet competition from Delta Connection carriers Atlantic Southeast at its Dallas hub and Comair in Florida. ASA and Comair operate BAe 146s and CRJs, respectively. AMR has a large Saab 340 fleet and was thought to be a customer for the Saab 2000 high-speed turboprop.
Midwest Express Airlines intends to inaugurate nonstop flights from Kansas City to Boston and Omaha Sept. 9 with DC-9s. The carrier will operate twice-daily flights to Boston on weekdays. The flights to Omaha will be operated 10 times a week on weekdays, two of them by Midwest Express and the others by Skyway, the Midwest Express Connection, with Beech 1900Ds.
A late 1995 incident in which a Simmons Airlines Saab 340 lost power in its left engine and made an unscheduled landing at Corsicana, Texas, was probably caused by engine ice ingestion and the failure of an automatic system to reignite the engine, the National Transportation Safety Board determined this week. None of the 30 passengers and three crew was injured in the Nov. 17, 1995, incident, and no aircraft or engine damage was found.
American and the TACA Group of carriers have signed an agreement on a code- sharing alliance between the U.S. and Central America and other destinations, and for other cooperative programs, beginning Nov. 1. The alliance also benefits AMR's Sabre Travel Information Network, which won a marketing alliance to promote Sabre to Central American travel agents and for telecommunications services linking agencies with Sabre's host system.
Northwest Airlink Mesaba Airlines and its pilots union have reached an amended collective bargaining agreement, Mesaba reported. The pact, ratified by the Air Line Pilots Association Master Executive Council at the regional, has a four-year term and will be phased in by July 1, the carrier said.
The Machinists union, representing Canadian Airlines International's maintenance and related workers, has ratified a 38-month contract that the airline said results in $34 million in savings for the company and enhances job security. The union, Canadian's largest, is the fifth to ratify an agreement providing productivity improvements and cost savings that will total $93 million annually. The carrier continues to negotiate with its flight attendants.
The BMW Rolls-Royce BR710 engine, which will power the new Gulfstream V and the Bombardier Global Express, is on schedule for European certification in August. The more powerful BR715 engine, the powerplant for Douglas Aircraft's MD-95-30, is on target for its first engine run next March. The BR710 completed its fan-blade-off test recently, demonstrating the effectiveness of the containment system. Tests in June confirmed that emissions were well below International Civil Aviation Organization requirements.
National Air Transportation Association is setting up a General Aviation Business Barometer to "allow us to confront wrongheaded bureaucrats with hardheaded statistical facts." The barometer will monitor Jet-A and Avgas fuel sales, charter sales, flight training hours and maintenance activity.
TWA and its pilots have settled their disagreement over using World Airways and Tower Air to fly some routes for TWA because it lacked the necessary aircraft, and they appear to have set the stage for more expeditious conflict resolution in the future. As a result, the Air Line Pilots Association unit at TWA has withdrawn a request for an injunction against the carrier, filed June 21 in a St. Louis court, and a contract grievance concerning the issue. TWA said it has taken delivery of "sufficient additional aircraft" to resume service in the St.
British Airways franchisee CityFlyer Express has placed an order for two Avro RJ100s and two options, Aero International (Regional) (AIR) announced. The aircraft will be delivered in March and April 1997.
Continental is beginning to reverse the trend of recent years of replacing jets on routes of under 300 miles with Continental Express turboprops. At its Newark hub, Continental has replaced two ATR 72s with jets to Portland; it has replaced three turboprops with two jets to Providence; three jets are now flying to Washington Dulles and one turboprop will be dropped in July; two ATRs were dropped in the Rochester market in favor of two jets; and seven turboprops and one jet to Baltimore were replaced by four turboprops and seven jets.
Pilots are superstitious. Some flight crews operating to Chicago O'Hare for AMR Eagle Simmons are shunning holding instructions for the Lucit intersection, 50 nm south of the airport - the same intersection at which American Eagle Flight 4184 was holding before its crash near Roselawn, Ind., Oct. 31, 1994. The aircraft was en route from Indianapolis. Flight 4184 no longer exists in the Eagle timetable. The comparable flight is 4296, which departs Indianapolis at 5:05 p.m. and arrives at O'Hare at 6:15 p.m. Those crews are especially wary of Lucit.
America West appointed Anthony Mule VP-inflight services. Mule has been president and chief operating officer of SuperShuttle in Phoenix and held positions with Pan Am and American earlier. He will be responsible for inflight operations, including flight attendants and system catering.
