Air Canada will increase its Toronto-Nashville service to three flights a day from two on July 8. The carrier said traffic has exceeded expectations during the two months it has been operating in the market. It said Toronto-Nashville is its 31st new route since the U.S. and Canada signed an open skies agreement 16 months ago.
Delta has received the Innovation in First and Business Class Service award from the International Inflight Food Service Association for its inflight menus. The group cited Delta's "A Taste of America's Bounty" first- and business-class menu program as being the most imaginative. As the official airline of the Olympic Games this year in Atlanta, Delta's theme has been to "introduce the world to America" through its menus. Menu entries include Oregon pan-seared salmon and Louisiana lemon pepper catfish creole.
U.S. aviation officials held informal talks with their counterparts from Portugal, Spain, Germany, France, Poland, Hungary and even the U.K. during the recent meeting of European transport ministers in Budapest. With the U.K., the U.S. reaffirmed its desire for open skies, said a U.S. official. Open skies with Hungary may be a way off. The Hungarians "are philosophically inclined toward open skies but need to clear up a number of internal corporate issues involving Malev," the official said.
DOT has issued a show cause order tentatively approving Sky Trek International Airlines' application for a certificate to operate charter service. Sky Trek plans to begin operating passenger charters in the near future using 165-seat 727-200s (DAILY, Feb 28). The carrier said it wants to take advantage of unmet demand caused by the demise of such carriers as Private Jet, Leisure Air and Grand Airways. Sky Trek plans to operate mainly domestic charters, with flights to the Caribbean and Mexico primarily on behalf of tour operators (DAILY, Jan. 8).
Air Transport Association Cargo Traffic April, 4 Months 1996 Revenue Ton-Miles (000) April April % 1996 1995 Change Domestic Freight 677,528 672,909 0.7 Mail 146,466 146,320 0.1 Total 823,994 819,229 0.6 International Freight 588,008 594,449 (1.1)
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Air Pacific plans to begin weekly nonstop flights between Vancouver and Fiji, starting Oct. 31. The new service, aimed at leisure travelers and passengers flying from Canada to Australia and New Zealand, will be operated with a 432-passenger 747.
FAA is extending to auxiliary power units its attempts to harmonize U.S. regulatory procedures and airworthiness standards with those of Canada and European trading partners. The Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee's working group on propulsion harmonization will compare procedures and standards for adequacy and technical differences.
American is scheduled to brief legislators and staff on Capitol Hill tomorrow on its potential alliance with British Airways. Chief Executive Robert Crandall filled in DOT Secretary Federico Pena on the plan last week.
American, Canadian Airlines International and their respective affiliates are urging DOT to make final its tentative approval of their bid for antitrust immunity and dismiss concerns raised by competitors. "None of the comments or objections justifies denying or delaying the public benefits that will result from the joint services to be offered by American and Canadian under their alliance agreement," American/Canadian said.
American International Freight named Gary Super marketing director- western region. Coltec Industries Canada named Roger Wright president of Menasco Aerospace, a unit of Coltec Aerospace Canada. Flight&Space magazine, to debut next year, named Donald Fink publisher and Leon Jaroff editorial director. BFGoodrich Aerospace Avionics Systems appointed David Hegg sales administrator-Business and General Aviation Sales Group.
Vanguard Airlines' traffic escalated 182% in May to 72 million revenue passenger miles from 25.5 million RPMs in May 1995. Capacity rose 92.8% to 99.6 million available seat miles from 45.4 million for a load factor gain of 14.74 points, from 56.16% to 72.23%. The carrier said its passenger revenues grew to $6.8 million during the month from $4 million in May 1995.
Hopeful new entrant SouthStar Airlines has applied for a certificate to operate scheduled combination interstate service. The Atlanta-based would- be startup proposes offering low-fare service in a number of long-haul markets, including Atlanta-New York/Los Angeles. Planning to operate Airbus A300B4 aircraft, SouthStar said it has begun negotiations with prospective lessors. The company said it would initially operate two aircraft, and add two more during the first year of operation. (Docket OST-96-1426)
AirTran Airways will celebrate carrying its one millionth passenger tomorrow with a ceremony at Orlando Airport. The passenger, who is expected to be on an Orlando-bound flight between 9:30 a.m. and 9:55 a.m., will receive a Florida Lottery ticket with the chance to win one million dollars, and free tickets to Disney World, Sea World of Florida and other area attractions. AirTran began service in October 1994.
Calgary-based WestJet Airlines flew 22.2 million revenue passenger miles in May, an 8.4% increase over April. Available seat miles totaled 34.6 million, up 4.5% from April, and the load factor improved to 64.1% from 60%. WestJet said the results are "significantly above" its business plan forecasts and are expected to grow. The carrier begins service to Regina June 13. It offers low-fare service between Calgary and Edmonton, Kelowna, Vancouver and Victoria.
- In Federal Register dated May 31...Adopted an airworthiness directive on certain McDonnell Douglas DC-9-80 and MD-88 aircraft requiring inspection of fluorescent light ballasts in the cabin sidewall, and modifications...Adopted an AD on Saab 2000 aircraft requiring inspection for cracking of the lower rib of the rudder...Withdrew a proposed AD for certain Airbus Industrie A300-600 aircraft that would have required replacement of certain feel and limitation computers. Other rulemaking requires actions equivalent to and beyond those proposed.
Mesaba Airlines carried 155,000 passengers in May, its ninth consecutive month of record boardings, a 28.1% increase from May 1995. Revenue passenger miles grew 29.8% to 34.5 million from 26.3 million on 11.6% more capacity - 65.7 million available seat miles, compared with 58.8 million last May - for a load factor improvement of 7.4 points to 52.6%. Mesaba put its first two Saab 340s into scheduled service June 1. It expects to take delivery of two aircraft per month throughout its 50-aircraft order.
Western Pacific's traffic jumped 340% in May, from 27 million revenue passenger miles in May 1995 - its first full month of service - to 118.7 million. It carried 140,155 passengers during the month, up from 39,824. Available seat miles rose 374% to 210 million from 44.4 million, as the load factor fell 7.1 percentage points to 56.4%. from 60.7%. Tom DeNardin, VP-sales and marketing, said, "Our results are right on target and our summer bookings continue to be very strong."
Tower Air's May traffic increased 21.8% to 5,011 total block hours flown, compared with 4,115 in May 1995. For the first five months of the year, block hours rose 7.6%. In scheduled service, revenue passenger miles inched up to 220 million from 219 million last May, and available seat miles fell 1.3% to 306 million for a load factor increase to 71.9% from 70.6%. For the first five months, RPMs were up 11% to 1.2 billion, ASMs grew 10.3% to 1.7 billion, the load factor gained 0.5 points to 72.1% and the number of passengers rose 25.2% to 457,000.
Leaders of American's Allied Pilots Association have voted to give their president authority to conduct a membership strike ballot any time he deems fit and, if the vote is positive, call a strike. The APA board also passed a resolution that if the union calls a strike - the first in its history - any pilot who flies will be "branded a scab in perpetuity."
Indianapolis-based American Trans Air has introduced a toll-free reservations number, 1-800-I-FLY-ATA. The carrier, which calls itself the 10th largest U.S. airline, operates to 29 cities and has 5,100 employees and operates 49 aircraft.
Southern Air Transport pilots have voted for representation by the Teamsters Union. Of the 137 pilots eligible to vote, 62 opted for the Teamsters and 10 for the Air Line Pilots Association. The Columbus-based carrier often flies missions for the U.S. military, and Teamsters General President Ron Carey said, "Southern Air Transport pilots risk their lives flying missions all over the globe and deserve decent pay and work rules they can live with."
Rio Air Express, operating as Skyjet Brasil, asked that its exemption allowing it to provide charter combination service between Brazil and the U.S. be amended so it can operate other approved charter service. The carrier has applied to operate daily subservice from June 15 and Aug. 30 between Bogota, Colombia, and New York on behalf of Avianca, using DC-10-30 aircraft. (Dockets OST-95-921)
A series of procedural errors by commanders and pilots led to the fatal crash of Commerce Secretary Ron Brown's CT-43 transport on April 3 in Croatia, accident investigators said in a report issued Friday. No equipment faults were found, but investigators said the aircraft was not adequately equipped for the low-accuracy ground beacon approach. The 22- volume report identified three causes that spread the blame among the pilots, their commanders and an improperly designed instrument approach.
