American Eagle has instituted weekend fare specials from 11 Texas cities to Shreveport, La., home of casinos and racetracks. Roundtrip fares are $59 from Dallas/Fort Worth, $119 from Laredo and $69 from Abilene, Amarillo, College Station, Killeen, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, San Angelo, Waco and Wichita Falls. The fares require a one-day advance purchase and are valid beginning any time on a Saturday until noon on a Sunday.
Less than a week after dropping its Friends Fly Free promotion, Southwest introduced Take Along Fares - tickets foxr $25 each way for as many as three passengers traveling with an adult paying a full roundtrip fare. The carrier said the $25 fare celebrates its 25 years in business, but competitors matched the offer anyway. Southwest's seven-day advance purchase fares must be bought by June 12 for travel through Sept. 5. They are available in all markets except Orange County, Calif. Roundtrip travel and a one-night stayover are required.
Kiwi International Air Lines flew 154.4 million revenue passenger miles in March, 52.2% more than in March 1995, on 22% more capacity, or 217.5 million available seat miles. The load factor jumped 14 percentage points to 71%. Kiwi carried 202,500 passengers during the month, breaking a record set in February. For the first three months of the year, RPMs were up 50% to 384.5 million, ASMs up 32% to 614.5 million and load factor up eight points to 63%. The airline carried 515,500 passengers, a 53% increase over the same period in 1995.
FedEx Pilots Association, which wants to petition for a representation election against the incumbent, ALPA, has sent ballots to pilots asking when it should petition the National Mediation Board. The association said it endorses petitioning after it receives interest from more than 55% of the pilots. At current receipt rates, that should happen in the first week of June, the FPA said.
Khors Air received an exemption to operate all-cargo charter service between Ukraine and the U.S. The Ukrainian carrier planned to operate up to three Il-76 aircraft to the U.S (DAILY, April 17, 1995). A privately owned and operated company founded in 1990 and based at Borispol Airport in Kiev, Khors operates three An-12, 10 Il-76s, one An-24, one An-26 and one An-32. (Dockets OST-96-1097)
- In Federal Register dated April 5...Issued an AD on Bell 214ST helicopters with certain tailboom assemblies, requiring inspection for cracks. - In FR dated April 8...Extended to June 7 the comment period on a proposed AD on Textron Lycoming 235/290/certain 320 and 360 series engines requiring inspections of the crankshaft inner diameter. - In FR dated April 9...Proposed an AD on certain Aerospatiale TBM 700 aircraft to require four rivets on the right side of the rudder.
Hawaiian Airlines' traffic increased 27.4% to 334 million revenue passenger miles in March from 262.2 million RPMs in March 1995. Available seat miles totaled 424.5 million, up 23.9% from 342.8 million, and the load factor rose 2.2 percentage points to 78.7%. For the first three months of the year, Hawaiian's RPMs rose 24.8% to 935.5 million, ASMs 23.2% to 1.244 billion and load factor one point to 75.2%. The carrier transported 1,314,836 passengers, up 11.7%.
Myrtle Beach Jet Express is a program of air service owned and operated by World Technology Systems, a tour operator that contracts with airlines to provide the actual service.
Senior DOT officials went "ballistic" last week when FAA Administrator David Hinson changed the time frame for his agency's inquiry into the crash that killed seven-year-old pilot Jessica Dubroff. Instead of being "contemporaneous with" NTSB's investigation into the crash, Hinson said that FAA would act "pending the results" of it. After he was called on the carpet, however, the FAA's fast track investigation was restored.
Delta and United are urging DOT to defer action on Jugoslavenski Aerotransport's (JAT) bid to restart services to the U.S. until Yugoslavia assures the U.S. that it will permit third-country code-share service by U.S. carriers via points in Europe. "Because it is unlikely that any U.S. carrier will be offering direct services to or from Belgrade in the near future, code sharing offers the best opportunity for U.S. carriers to serve the Yugoslav market," United said.
Free Flight Steering Committee, co-chaired by FAA's Monte Belger and American's Robert Baker, set up working groups last week on architecture and procedures. FAA presented its free flight action plan, complete with recommended starting and completion dates for all initiatives in the task force report. Dispelling fears that FAA was dragging its feet, the steering committee is to review the action plan and submit comments by April 22.
TWA will inaugurate service from Kansas City to Washington National and New York Kennedy June 15, operating two daily 727 flights to Washington that continue on to New York. It also will add a 15th daily flight to St. Louis, re-establishing hourly service. Kansas City Mayor Emanuel Cleaver said, "We have been working closely with TWA to ensure the residents of Kansas City have as much choice in air service to the East as possible, and we thank the airline for bringing our community these new flights."
Cloud Dancing by Robert Whelan. A primer for those interested in pursuing the sport of soaring. Rainbow Books; $14.95, softcover. To order, call 1-800-356-9315.
AirTran Airways flew 102.9 million revenue passenger miles in March, an increase of 277% over March 1995, and carried 314% more passengers. Capacity grew 214%, to 134 million available seat miles, for a load factor of 76.7%. Data for the first three months look even better - the number of passengers increased 364% to 264,383, RPMs were up 326% to 234.5 million and ASMs rose 227% to 355.9 million. The load factor gained 15.4 percentage points, reaching 65.9%.
DOT's long-awaited study of gambling on commercial aircraft does not recommend changes in the law prohibiting in-flight gambling on fights into and out of the U.S. by U.S. and foreign carriers. Released late Friday, after Singapore joined British Airways and Virgin Atlantic in offering in- flight gambling (DAILY, April 12), the study said the department "will monitor foreign airlines' implementation of gambling along with related developments and, depending on those developments, recommend legislative changes that we find are appropriate for assuring U.S.
Northern Air Cargo said it purchased from the U.S. bankruptcy court trustee the operating certificate and authority of MarkAir Express. Mary Sholton, Northern Air president, said the authority will enable Northern Air to operate "an additional class of aircraft. Northern Air Cargo is formulating plans to adapt to a changing marketplace and regulatory environment. This acquisition will better enable us to meet the challenges ahead."
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) has hired four new corporate finance staff members for its Airlines and Aerospace Group. The new appointees are Thomas Durney, director; Emilio Pedroni, associate director; and Robert Neil Ashcroft and Daniel McMullen, associates. In January, CIBC hired Thomas Gallagher to head the New York-based group, which recently completed a US$1.7 billion financing for Air Canada and a $100 million lease for McDonnell Douglas Corp.
British Midland has added Air New Zealand to its lengthy list of code-share partners. Under an agreement that starts May 1, British Midland flights to London Heathrow from Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford and Teesside will operate with an Air New Zealand flight number and connect with ANZ intercontinental service. British Midland will issue boarding passes for the entire trip, and the carriers will transfer luggage from one to the other. British Midland said the ANZ link is its first with an Australasian carrier.
Canadian regional Air Alliance, a Quebec-based Air Canada regional partner, has purchased five new Beech 1900Ds for about C$40 million. The carrier will put three into service this summer on existing routes and launch new service in the fall when it receives the remaining two. Acquisition of the 1900Ds, a new aircraft type for the carrier, will create 50 pilot and mechanic jobs.
American has decided to increase operations to Vail/Eagle County Airport in Colorado during the 1996-97 ski season, including new daily service from Newark. American currently serves Vail from Dallas/Fort Worth, where it will offer peak flying of three roundtrips on weekdays and Sundays and five roundtrips on Saturdays, from Nov. 27 through April 12; Chicago, with two roundtrips on weekdays and Sundays during peak times and three roundtrips on Saturdays, from Nov. 27 through April 5; Miami, with three roundtrips a week on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays, from Dec.
Atlantic City Airport, which saw a 16.3% decline in scheduled air traffic last year to 180,345 arriving flights while the city itself attracted a record 33.3 million visitors, may be on the verge of a makeover. Local transportation officials believe the city is becoming a resort destination, not just a gambling "day-tripper." Hotel capacity is about to explode, convention space is up, and the airport will cut the ribbon May 7 on a terminal expansion that will double its size, increase gates to seven and add office space.
Aerospatiale named Sophie Thuillier as press relations officer at Aerospatiale-Missiles Information and Communications Department. AlliedSignal Aerospace appointed Raymond Stark president of Government Electronic Systems; Thomas Glenn, director of Inventory/Total Quality Systems; Jon Lyons, director of Operating Supplies and Services; Rudi Lenz, finance excellence leader, and David Oppenheimer, VP-finance marketing sales and service. Dassault Aviation named Charles Nicol VP-worldwide spares.
DOT selected American over USAir Friday to operate new service between Boston and Paris. American plans to begin daily nonstop Boeing 767 service on the route May 1, with through-flight-number change-of-plane service beyond Boston to Los Angeles. DOT said American will provide the best options as well as the strongest competition with TWA, the other carrier in the market. DOT also noted that American will serve Orly, providing the most convenient service for U.S.-originating passenger traveling to points within France. Also, it will give U.S.
