Aviation Daily

Staff
United Express affiliate Air Wisconsin's traffic rose 21.2% last month to 40.7 million revenue passenger miles from 33.6 million in April 1995. Available seat miles for the BAe 146 operator increased 15.5% to 78.4 million from 67.9 million. The load factor was up 2.4 percentage points to 51.9%. Passenger enplanements jumped 25.6% to 141,560 from 112,727 in the prior-year month. April 96 April 95 4 Mths 96 4 Mths 95 RPMs 40,707,611 33,597,364 157,459,962 132,123,755

Staff
USAir Express affiliate CCAIR flew 13.4 million revenue passenger miles in April, a 16.3% increase from the same year-ago month, while capacity increased just 5.9% to 26.5 million available seat miles from 25.1 million. The load factor jumped 4.5 percentage points to 50.5%. The number of passengers boarded rose 5.6% to 72,671 from 68,825. April 96 April 95 4 Mths 96 4 Mths 95 RPMs 13,412,477 11,527,704 45,654,840 42,596,851 ASMs 26,546,006 25,070,217 98,965,530 100,656,471

Staff
Arriva Air International has applied for an operating certificate to provide on-demand domestic U.S. charter cargo service. Beginning July 10, the Mesa, Ariz.-based carrier proposes to operate a single Boeing 727-200 all-cargo aircraft over a Mesa-Memphis-Minneapolis/St. Paul-Mesa routing under an aircraft charter agreement with Kitty Hawk Air Cargo. (Docket OST-96-1334)

Staff
After years of salty, fatty peanuts, take it or leave it, Southwest is offering a healthier choice to passengers - raisins.On its handful of longer flights, such as Nashville-Las Vegas and Nashville-Phoenix, the carrier is giving passengers a snack pack with cheese, crackers and a fruit bar. It offers cookies on some of its morning flights.

Staff
FlightSafety International has introduced its first cabin trainer for business aircraft. The cabin and door/hatch trainer is 40 feet long and the correct height for training scenarios in a variety of conditions, FSI said. It can be used for passenger service and cabin management training as well as emergency procedure training.

Staff
American Eagle is negotiating with Northern Michigan officials to expand its Marquette, Mich., maintenance facility, even though it announced last week that it intends to cancel essential air service (EAS) operations to the community on Aug. 1. The carrier said this week it hopes to enlarge the maintenance operation by relocating it to existing facilities at the former K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base. The expansion would add 70 new jobs - all to be filled locally - increasing the facility's work force to 250 and its annual payroll beyond the current $4.5 million.

Staff
Pilots at Business Express will be the first to use a recently FAA- approved FlightSafety International crew resource management program for regional operators, FlightSafety said. More than 400 air crew members will take the CRM training at FlightSafety's New York LaGuardia when they undergo recurrent training for the Saab 340 aircraft. The LaGuardia center is equipped with a Saab 340 Level D simulator.

Staff
U.S. international air freight made up about 50% of the world's tonnage between 1990 and 1993, but freight growth pushed the U.S. share up to 56% in 1994, according to Patrick Murphy, DOT deputy assistant secretary for policy and international affairs. Murphy told an air cargo conference in Toledo, Ohio, that between 1990 and 1995, U.S. international freight grew by 49%. Latin America recorded the most impressive growth, 106%. Europe, Asia/Pacific and other regions - such as the Caribbean, Canada, Africa and the Middle East - posted increases of 34%, 40% and 47%.

Staff
Sundstrand appointed Ronald McKenna corporate executive VP and chief operating officer-aerospace. He has been VP-business development.

Staff
U.S. Major Carriers Operating and Net Profit The Year 1995 Operating Net Profit/Loss Profit/Loss (000) (000) The Year 1995 America West $ 154,733 $ 53,786 American 967,588 207,790 Continental 238,200 223,545

Staff
Traffic for Alaska Air Group subsidiary Horizon Air rose 2.3% in April to 66 million revenue passenger miles from 65 million in the prior April, although the regional offered identical capacity - 115 million available seat miles - for both periods. As a result, the load factor increased 1.6 percentage points to 57.7%. The number of passenger boardings dropped 1.4% to 292,400 from 296,500. April 96 April 95 4 Mths 96 4 Mths 95 RPMs 66,000,000 65,000,000 275,000,000 251,000,000

Staff
America West appointed Joette Schmidt senior director-passenger sales and Kevin Perkins senior director-cargo sales and marketing. Schmidt, to be responsible for all of America West's passenger sales activities, is from American. Perkins was a district sales manager for Federal Express.

Staff
The European Commission, preparing to rework its 1993 regulations on computer reservations systems, appears to be responding to pricing complaints raised by European Union airlines, especially passive booking charges, according to DAILY affiliate Aviation Europe. The commission, which plans to adopt revised regulations by the end of 1997, consulted travel agents, airlines and CRS companies last year and this year is circulating a "guidance note" that could lead to substantial changes in CRS pricing.

Staff
Nashville, Tenn.-based FFV Aerotech, a subsidiary of Swedish high- technology industrial con-glomerate The Celsius Group, has won contracts from Saab Aircraft of America subsidiary Fair-brook Leasing and Atlantic Southeast Airlines for aircraft refurbishment work. Value of the contracts was placed at $4.8 million for work to be performed over the next year.

Staff
Lone Star Airlines Monday will begin direct service with Do 328 aircraft between Dallas/Fort Worth Airport and Torreon, Mexico, the Fort Worth-based regional announced. The carrier has scheduled a stopover in Del Rio/Acuna to allow Torreon passengers to clear U.S. Customs and proceed directly to their connecting flights once they reach DFW, Lone Star said.

Staff
Philippine carrier Grand Air launched service last week between Subic Bay and Hong Kong, offering initially a frequency of one roundtrip per week. Grand Air is the third Asian carrier to serve Subic Bay, joining two Taiwan airlines, Makung Airways and Far Eastern Air Transport, which fly between Subic Bay and Taiwan.

Staff
FAA's proposal to impose more stringent flight and duty time requirements on the air taxi industry provides no safety benefits, treats the on-demand air transportation industry unfairly and is misguided, House Rules Committee Chairman Gerald Solomon (R-N.Y.) told the agency. Solomon is one of at least a dozen members of Congress who wrote FAA expressing concern that the rule could devastate the air charter industry.

Staff
Delta Connection Comair led six of nine publicly held regional airlines in common-stock gains during April. Overall, the nine stocks gained an average of 55 cents, from a March close of $12.98 per share to $13.52. Total market value of the nine issues increased nearly $115 million to $2.8 billion. Comair stock had jumped by $2.25 per share to $37 by the April 30 close after hitting a 52-week high of $39.25 the previous day. Fellow Delta Connection SkyWest followed with a gain of $1.75 per share to close at $14.88.

Staff
The State of Hawaii is urging DOT to approve Orient Avia Airlines' application to operate scheduled service between Honolulu and points in Russia. The privately owned Russian carrier seeks an operating permit and an exemption to perform the service using 132-seat Il-62M aircraft. "The service proposed by Orient will open an entirely new market for the State of Hawaii," said Hawaii.

Staff
Air 21, Fresno, Calif., will expand its route map to include Seattle, Eugene, Ore., and Redmond/Bend, Ore., beginning June 17, the carrier announced. Air 21, which is acquiring two more F28s, said it is targeting the Oregon points because they are medium-density cities lacking low-fare jet service. Air 21 now serves Los Angeles, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Colorado Springs, Fresno, Grand Junction, Las Vegas and Palm Springs.

Staff
Korea has approved an expanded code-share/blocked-space agreement with Delta, clearing the way for the carriers to begin the service June 1. Delta will purchase seats on KAL from Washington, New York and Honolulu to Seoul. Korean will buy seats on Delta between Honolulu and Los Angeles. Delta already buys space on KAL flights from Atlanta to Seoul via Chicago.

Staff
U.S. Major Carriers Operating and Net Profit Fourth Quarter 1995 Operating Net Profit/Loss Profit/Loss (000) (000) Fourth Quarter 1995 America West $ 22,721 $ 5,988 American (218,321) (252,132) Continental 74,596 41,028

Staff
FAA officials yesterday asked for proposals on ways to set up a privately owned worldwide network to share aviation safety information in an attempt to reach the agency's goal of zero accidents. The proposal is being placed on the Internet and will be published in the Federal Register today, and a notice will appear Monday in Commerce Business Daily.

Staff
United Express affiliate Great Lakes Aviation flew 87,300 passengers in April, a 54% increase from the same 1995 month. Revenue passenger miles also enjoyed a healthy gain, rising to 25.2 million from 17.5 million in April 1995. April 96 April 95 4 Mths 96 4 Mths 95 RPMs 25,206,000 17,538,000 91,145,000 67,670,000 ASMs 56,373,000 41,316,000 208,322,000 162,847,000 LoadFtr% 44.7 42.5 43.8 41.6

Staff
Iberia is holding talks with Lufthansa about a six billion pesetas contract for maintenance of the German airline's medium- and long-haul Boeing fleet. The Spanish flag carrier already is in charge of the maintenance of Lufthansa's 747 aircraft. The additional work being negotiated would be equivalent to one-third of Iberia's 1995 revenue in the maintenance sector, which employs 5,000 people.