America West reports a Rolls-Royce engine on one of its 757s established a new on-wing life record with 26,696 hours of operation. The previous longest engine life on a 757 - 25,000 continuous hours - also was held by a Rolls engine on one of its aircraft, according to the carrier.
Airbus Industrie said yesterday it has created a Large Aircraft Division to oversee predevelopment activities for a proposed 500-seat-plus aircraft, provisionally called the A3XX. Jurgen Thomas, who has held several senior positions at Airbus and in the German aerospace industry and who was the European project director for the Very Large Commercial Transport (VLCT) project with the U.S., was named senior VP of the new division.
Continental said it has repaid $256.5 million in debt to its largest creditor, General Electric, ahead of schedule. The carrier said it also has negotiated favorable changes in the terms and covenants on some of its remaining debt to GE. The payment was funded with the carrier's recent issuance of $230 million of 6 3/4% convertible subordinated notes due April 1, 2006, from the carrier's sale of America West stock, and from cash on hand.
Austrian Airlines has introduced a twice-weekly service to Osaka in co- operation with All Nippon Airways, and two new weekly services to Seoul. Austrian also is scheduling daily flights to Atlanta this summer and increased New York flights March 31 to daily frequency and Washington service to six flights a week. In Europe, Austrian is launching two weekly services to Kosice, Slovakia, and is scheduling 11 frequencies a week to Helsinki, up from five. It is awaiting Ukraine's authorization to include Dnepropetrovsk in its route network this summer.
U.S. Carrier Systemwide Market Share At Leading U.S. Airports U.S. Major, National and Commuter* Carriers The Year 1995 21 Orlando Enplaned Percent Passengers Marketshare Delta 2,484,715 26.91 USAir 1,683,550 18.23 American 876,716 9.50
A new air cargo airline, Golden Way Air Cargo Services, will begin operations in October between Russia and China using Il-76 aircraft with a payload of 40 metric tons. Early in 1997, GWACS will acquire a Western- built widebody freighter with payload of more than 100 tons, according to Richard Kost, senior director of international operations of Exparc Airlines, described as a certificated Russian cargo airline.
Lufthansa will prohibit smoking on all flights to Canada and the U.S. from Europe as of June 1. The ban also applies to service between Germany and 12 destinations in Europe, and flights operated by code-share partner United are covered as well. The move affects 114 weekly Lufthansa flights. In a survey of 5,000 passengers last year, the carrier found that 79% of those surveyed were non-smokers and 7% of the remaining 21% who smoked actually preferred sitting in non-smoking seats. Lufthansa started banning smoking in January 1995 on selected routes in Europe.
EVA Airways is splitting its Taipei-Seattle-New York route into two separate daily flights. Starting May 15, the carrier will fly Taipei- Seattle and Taipei-Anchorage-New York. Some of the flights to New York will operate through Kennedy Airport while others will fly into Newark. The Anchorage stop is considered technical with no passenger or cargo unloading allowed. EVA is adding two 747-400 Combis to make the new flights possible.
Chicago's O'Hare Airport will get its Display Channel Complex Rehosts (DCCR) in June, 10 months ahead of the original schedule, DOT Secretary Federico Pea said yesterday. Pea also commissioned a new Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE-3) digital radar for O'Hare. He earlier announced that controllers and technicians in the Chicago area will get 10% pay bonuses (DAILY, April 2). The DCCRs will go to the Chicago Center, and the four other sites scheduled to get them - Cleveland, Washington, New York and Dallas - also will receive them ahead of schedule, Pea said.
Vanguard suffered a net loss of $12.2 million in 1995 and will lose money in the first quarter, the company said yesterday. The carrier, which started flying in December 1994, posted a net loss per share of $1.65 and an operating loss of $12.07 million. The net loss for the fourth quarter was $3.44 million, or $.70 per share. The Kansas City-based carrier flies among nine U.S. cities with six aircraft. The losses were "generally in line with our pre-startup expectations," said Vanguard Chairman Bob McAdoo.
EuroBelgian Airlines ordered two more 737-400s valued at $90 million for delivery next January, Boeing said. The carrier has a fleet of 12 737- 300s/400s and last year ordered two more 737-300s and two 737-800s, the updated version of the 737-400.
British Midland has linked its frequent flyer program to Lufthansa's Miles and More program. As of April 1, members of British Midland's Diamond Club can earn and redeem miles for Lufthansa flights, and Lufthansa members can do likewise for British Midland flights. The U.K. carrier's program is tied to frequent flyer programs at SAS, Virgin Atlantic, South African Airways and United.
Northwest has named Jeff McClelland as VP-system operations control. He joined Northwest in 1991 as a manager in the financial planning department, and in 1995 became VP-planning and finance for the technical operations department. He reports to John Kern, VP-aircraft operations and chief safety officer.
Midwest Express is introducing nonstop "moonlight" flights between Los Angeles and Milwaukee, beginning May 1. The service offers complimentary champagne, light snacks, hot towels and other amenities. The flights depart Los Angeles at night and arrive in Milwaukee in the early morning. The carrier also will begin service between Madison, Wis., and Las Vegas on the same day. No other airline currently provides nonstop flights in the market.
Beginning its international service expansion at Philadelphia Airport, USAir has moved its departure location for flights to Paris and Frankfurt to Concourse A. The carrier will add flights from Philadelphia to Munich and Madrid later this spring and is awaiting final DOT approval for service to Rome. James Forbes, Philadelphia station director, said, "These are additional gates for us, and they'll enable us to bring in more service.
Delta subsidiary DeltaTel is offering new services to communications cardholders to reserve rental cars and hotel rooms and order flowers and other gifts. Cardholders can call a toll-free number and enter their card number to be connected to Avis, Alamo, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, Hilton International, Holiday Inn, Radisson, Blooming Cookies and Cambridge Flowers.
United won a silver medal at the International Flight Catering Association's 1996 Mercury Awards in Rome for its Heart Smart special meals. United has worked with Heart Smart Restaurants over the past seven months to find meals that are low in calories, saturated fat and cholesterol.
USAir will add two daily flights from Nashville to Washington National Airport June 15 with continuing service to Boston. USAir serves Nashville from Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Baltimore with 128-seat 737- 300s.
Southwest is the only airline, large or small, that signed up for the mileage-based domestic airfare structure drafted by the Business Travel Contractors Corp., which would set fixed prices market by market for member corporations. BTCC will go ahead with the plan with Southwest as the only participant, implementing its business contract fares by June 1, but it will need more airlines eventually and hopes Southwest's participation will reel in other major carriers.
The U.S. and South Africa reached an agreement late last Friday expanding service opportunities for carriers from both countries and permitting third-country code sharing in the market. A byproduct of earlier discussions between Vice President Gore and South African Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, the pact is the first aviation bilateral between the two countries since the U.S. terminated the previous accord in 1986 over South Africa's apartheid policy.
British Airways and its franchise partners will add flights to five new destinations as part of their summer schedule. BA's flying will grow 7% from last summer's levels, including new service to Phoenix, San Diego, Kiev, Malta and Jerez. The carrier will add flights to Stockholm, Zurich and Edinburgh from London Gatwick and establish new service between Aberdeen and Paris. New daily flights starting July 1 from London to San Diego and Phoenix will give BA service to 22 U.S. cities.
Transportation Secretary Federico Pena and FAA Administrator David Hinson, citing new flexibility under personnel and procurement rules that went into effect yesterday, announced 10% pay incentives for air traffic controllers and technicians at seven of the nation's busiest, hardest-to-staff facilities, in the New York City, Chicago and San Francisco areas. Some 7% of the increase over base pay will be effective April 14 and the remainder by mid-October.
Continental applied yesterday for authority to operate scheduled combination service between Houston and Tokyo, Newark and Tokyo, and Newark and Osaka. The carrier also asked to combine the service between these points and other points it is authorized to serve. Continental, which has no nonstop service from the U.S. mainland to Japan, said it would operate daily service in each of the markets, using Boeing 777 aircraft on order or other aircraft already in its fleet if the award is made before the 777 delivery.
Air Canada Chief Executive Robert Milton and Martin Shugrue, president of Pan American World Airways, are among the scheduled speakers for the American Society of Travel Agents' Eastern Regional Conference, at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto May 16-19. Registration fee is $175 for ASTA members and $225 for non-members. For more information, ASTA members may call 1-800-ASK-ASTA and others 703-739-2782.
