Four European carriers - Aviaco, Spanair, Finnair and Braathens - have upgraded their crew management systems, supplier SBS International said. Aviaco operates 35 aircraft and has a flight crew group of 379. Spanair flies 13 aircraft and employs a flight crew of 114. Finnair operates 40 aircraft, and Oslo-based Braathens flies 30 aircraft with a crew of 300.
Aer Lingus Group Plc swung into the black in 1995 with a net profit of 15.1 million Irish pounds (US$23.74 million), compared with a net loss of 123.6 million pounds (US$194.34 million) in 1994. Its operating profit before interest and exceptional items was 53.2 million pounds (US$83.65 million), up from 33.1 million pounds (US$52.04 million). The company's air transport group turned in an operating profit of 43.6 million pounds (US$68.55 million), versus 33.4 million (US$52.52 million) the year before.
DOT approved yesterday the application of American and LOT for authority to operate code-share service in the U.S.-Poland market a week after the two countries initialed amendments liberalizing their relationship. DOT said the arrangement is "fully consistent with the recently initialed amendments," which specifically provided for the code sharing. "The amendments also provide opportunities for U.S.
Jugoslovenski Aerotransport (JAT) has applied to DOT for new foreign air carrier permits necessary to restart scheduled and charter services to the U.S. suspended by the U.S. government in mid-1992. The application follows a DOT order late last year lifting a ban on travel transactions involving the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) that was imposed after an Executive Order on June 5, 1992, called for economic sanctions against Yugoslavia (DAILY, Jan. 4).
Continental's Internet Web site, launched this week, offers information on flights and the OnePass program but will have online ticketing by the end of the year.
Cargo customers are confused by different reporting standards and IATA should come up with a standardized reporting form, says Joseph Phelan, VP- operations for American Airlines Cargo Division. "The response to performance reporting by our customers has been excellent. But as more and more carriers begin reporting, the customer is becoming confused by different standards and different measurements. We would like to see IATA take the lead to create a standardized reporting form.
Capacity constraints, financial growth and investment opportunities, electronic data interchange updates and international shipping will among the topics examined May 1 at the fourth annual Las Vegas International Air Cargo Symposium. Northwest Airlines Cargo President William Slattery will be the keynote luncheon speaker. Other speakers will include John Feren, VP-commercial marketing, Douglas Aircraft, and Peter Diefenbach, assistant to the director of sales and marketing for Nippon Cargo Airlines' operations in the U.S.
The U.S. will focus on marketing itself as a tourism destination to an estimated 23 countries that traditionally produce the most tourists until more funding and resources extend marketing efforts to smaller nations. The promotion will come from an interim USA National Tourism Organization (NTO), formed as a result of the White House Conference on Travel and Tourism and currently overseen by the Travel Industry Association (TIA).
Seattle-based Product Development Systems has a new product for the information age - 3-D Virtual Tour Guide. The system, which takes users on an interactive cyberjourney through hotels, resorts, cruise ships, charter boats, yachts, condos and other facilities, aims to help sales agents produce effective visual presentations. Virtual Tours is based on Apple's new QuickTime VR software technology for Windows and Macintosh computers. Users can view settings from any angle of the 360 degree panoramic image, and zoom in for a closer look.
American Society of Travel Agents will lead an effort to improve foreign travelers' first impressions of the U.S. by making port-of-entry staff "better ambassadors."ASTA wants to work with the Customs Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service to improve language training for border inspectors and extend the customer service representative program to all U.S. international airports within two years. The initiative grew out of last October's White House Conference on Travel and Tourism.
Delta and TransQuest have been nominated for a 1996 Computerworld Smithsonian Award. TransQuest is an AT&T/Delta joint venture that provides systems integration and information services for airline business processes. Delta and TransQuest were nominated for developing a technology architecture and suite of applications for Delta's Operations Control Center. The program includes applications for flight planning, aircraft routing and crew rerouting.
FAA's strategy to implement free flight gradually "will take too long and may be doomed from the outset," according to a study by RMB Associates&Aviation Systems Research Corp. "We are gratified that the FAA has finally signed on" to pursuing the free flight concept, said Michael Baiada, author of the study. "But their timetable is not acceptable. We must move far more aggressively to replace today's disintegrating ATC system.
AlliedSignal Aerospace Corp. is forecasting significant growth in its commercial avionics new product line this year on the heels of a strong 1995.Last year, the company introduced 19 new products, and this year, it will put 28 new products in the marketplace, mainly focusing on safety, said President Daniel Burnham at the Aviation Week Group's Aerospace Finance '96 Conference in Arlington, Va.
Qantas has wet-leased a 747-300 aircraft to Garuda Indonesia for three months for annual pilgrimage flights to Mecca. The aircraft will be based in Jakarta and operate daily to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Weber Aircraft said it will supply seats to International Lease Finance Corp. for its 737-600/700/800 aircraft, with deliveries starting in 1997, and business class seats to TWA for 10 757s leased from ILFC.
SkyWest has taken delivery of its 35th Embraer EMB-120ER. It had 50 on order, with the first delivered in 1986. SkyWest gets one more airplane this year and another 12 next year.
Continental has closed its $230 million offering of 6 3/4% convertible subordinated notes due April 15, 2006. The notes, which were listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, are convertible into Class B common stock of Continental at an initial conversion price of $60.39 per share. The proceeds are being used to reduce debt and for general corporate purposes, the airline said.
The threat of mad cow disease has led British Airways to stop serving English beef on its flights. BA travelers can still order a filet, however, since the carrier has switched to Argentine and Scottish beef.
Emery Worldwide said it will offer new services and pricing April 1, including a guaranteed overnight service with delivery by 9:30 a.m., "0930 Service." It also is launching a new "Time-Definite Deferred Service" and a zone-based pricing format for its time-definite services.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Revenues and Expenses Third Quarter 1995 (In Dollars) Total Operating % Passenger Carrier Revenues Change Revenues America West 407,104,725 14.21 376,867,966 American 2,755,160,000 1.81 2,344,860,000 Continental 1,070,269,000 2.34 943,715,000
Microsoft said Boeing selected its Exchange Server for the Windows NT operating system as the primary messaging and workgroup server for 65,000 employees around the world. Boeing will use the Microsoft exchange server to replace more than seven current electronic mail systems when the project is completed in 1997.
DOT has granted American's application for seven additional U.S.-Brazil frequencies, while dismissing Continental's bid for services in the market. American plans to use the frequencies to operate daily nonstop service between New York and Rio de Janeiro, using 162-seat Boeing 767-200ER aircraft, beginning June 16 (DAILY, Feb. 12). The frequencies became available in January when United informed DOT it was deferring indefinitely plans to operate daily Miami-Sao Paulo service.
Spirit Airlines will inaugurate flights to Myrtle Beach, S.C., from Detroit June 1 with fares beginning at $69 each way. No roundtrip purchase is required. Myrtle Beach, in the past decade, has "evolved into a tourist mecca," the carrier said, with a 60-mile stretch of beaches, 91 championship golf courses, 11 live-performance theaters and two amusement parks. Spirit, which was acquired by Delta Connection Comair parent Comair Holdings last week, operates DC-9 aircraft (DAILY, March 25).
Northwest will begin operating daily flights from its Minneapolis hub to Saginaw/Bay City/Midland, Mich., June 1. The new flights will complement its existing Detroit-Saginaw service.
