The Defense Department has taken ValuJet temporarily off the list of airlines that members of the military services can use when they are on duty, a Pentagon spokesman said yesterday. Following Saturday's crash of ValuJet Flight 592, the Pentagon's Commercial Airlift Review Board placed the airline into "temporary non-use" status for 30 days. ValuJet can appeal the decision. After the 30 days, the Pentagon will review the suspension and reinstate the airline, suspend it from the DOD program or continue the "non-use" status.
Food and Hotel Indonesia '97, the country's largest trade show for equipment in the restaurant and hotel industries, is scheduled Feb. 19-22, 1997, in Jakarta. For more information, contact Philip Jenkinson at PT Pamerindo Buana Abadi at 06-22-132-5560, fax 06-22-133-0406.
Delta said yesterday it will redeem all $800 million of its 3.23% convertible subordinated notes due June 15, 2003. Redemption will be at 78.23% of the principal amount at stated maturity of each note, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date. The payout will be made June 17. The notes also can be converted to common shares.
A group including former Chairman Carl Icahn has sold its remaining stake in TWA, according to a filing at the Securities and Exchange Commission. The group reported to the SEC that it had sold 3.67 million shares between May 3 and May 14 at prices of $16 to $18 a share. The group no longer holds a stake in TWA, the filing said.
American Automobile Association will offer travel and other information on America Online's Travel Channel for the next six months. AAA Online also offers information on airlines and cruises, insurance, traffic safety, travel tips, tour packages and discounts.
United launched a fare sale yesterday, reducing tickets to points in the U.S. and Canada as much as 45% off the 21-day advance purchase price for summer and early fall travel. Tickets must be purchased by May 28 and travel must be completed by Oct. 8. The fares require a 14-day advance purchase and a Saturday-night stay. Most of the larger airlines matched United in competing markets.
DOT has instituted the 1996 U.S.-Japan All-Cargo Service Proceeding to select a new primary and backup carrier to provide scheduled all-cargo service in the U.S.-Japan market. Under the April 1996 memorandum of understanding between the two countries, the U.S. may designate an additional U.S. all-cargo carrier, which may operate as many as six weekly flights and serve any point in Japan except Tokyo (DAILY, March 28). The flights may operate beyond Japan to one point in another country, but the U.S.
The price of a good hotel room in Ho Chi Minh City has been on the decline for the past three years, falling as much as 50%. A four-star hotel now costs $100 to $120 on average for a night's stay.
Qantas applauds a decision by a federal court in Australia finding that frequent flyer benefits from business travel should not be taxed, the carrier said yesterday in a statement. In the ruling, made yesterday, the court found that travel benefits accrued by frequent flyer program members are not taxable as income according to ordinary concepts under the general income provisions of Australia's Tax Act.
China Eastern Airlines has taken delivery of the first of eight Airbus A340s, becoming the first carrier in the People's Republic of China to operate the jet, according to Airbus Industrie. China Eastern will begin using the jet in June for nonstop service between Shanghai and Los Angeles. The aircraft is configured for three classes of service with 289 seats. It is powered by CFM56-5C4 engines.
A Miami court has granted a request by the International Airlines Travel Agent Network for a preliminary injunction prohibiting Global Alliance of Travel Entrepreneurs (GATE) from issuing travel agent identification cards with the IATAN trademark. The injunction also freezes the assets of GATE, its officers and a co-owned travel agency, Island Travel. IATAN is seeking to collect damages equal to the profits the company earned by allegedly infringing on its trademark.
U.S. Major Carriers Latin Share of Service Fourth Quarter 1995 Total Revenue Departures America West 756 American 22,326 Continental 6,277 Delta 2,990 United 4,193 USAir 1,454 Total 37,996 Average Number of
America West launched daily Phoenix-Boston and Phoenix-Philadelphia nonstops yesterday, building on its three daily flights to Columbus and one to Las Vegas from each of the East Coast cities. The new service uses A320 aircraft configured for 12 passengers in first class and 138 in coach. On June 6, the carrier will launch daily service to San Antonio from Phoenix and Las Vegas and twice-daily service between Seattle and Anchorage.
India's national carrier, Air-India, and its domestic airline, Indian Airlines, will turn their engineering departments into two separate companies, airline officials said Tuesday. The airline managements have appointed consulting firm McKinsey and Co. to advise them on restructuring issues, such as the transfer of assets. The companies are reorganizing because the billions of rupees they have invested in engineering facilities have not yielded adequate returns because of inefficient operations and labor unrest.
Burlington Air Express has launched Zip 'n Ship, an Internet-based service that tells customers what levels of service are available to U.S. destinations. Users access the company's World Wide Web site at http ://www.baxworld.com and enter the zip code of the destination. Service levels available to the chosen zip code are shown.
The Allied Pilots Association at American warned yesterday of a possible pilot strike if contract negotiations, in their 100th week, do not make progress soon. The APA, in a statement issued yesterday at AMR Corp.'s annual meeting in Dallas, said the union does not want to see another disastrous strike at the airline. "But, if our current management continues to delay and fails to bargain fairly, we fear they will again stumble off this cliff.
Weber Aircraft said it will supply first-, business- and economy-class seats to Korean Airlines for its Boeing 777 aircraft. The company, which supplies business-class seats for the carrier's 747s, is scheduled to begin deliveries for the 777 in November.
Canadian Airlines International suffered a setback as one group of its Machinists voted down a concessionary contract proposal. The carrier said it will continue to press for concessions to cut its labor costs by 17.1%. A second, smaller group of Machinists accepted a 38-month concessionary agreement.
Frontier Airlines said yesterday it will redeem 2.67 million outstanding warrants, paying a redemption price of $0.05 per warrant to holders who do not exercise their warrants on or before June 28. Each warrant allows the holder to purchase a share of Frontier common stock for $5. Frontier President Sam Addoms said proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, mainly to lease additional jet aircraft for expansion. If all warrants were exercised, the redemption would generate $13.5 million for the carrier.
U.S. Major Carriers Atlantic Share of Service Fourth Quarter 1995 Total Revenue Departures American 5,981 Continental 1,264 Delta 7,305 Northwest 1,636 TWA 2,315 United 3,691 USAir 556 Total 22,748 Average Number of
Thomson Training&Simulation said that Southwest, the launch customer for Boeing's next-generation 737-700, has ordered a full-flight simulator for the aircraft. The simulator, certified to FAA Level C standards, and an order of 737-300 desktop trainers will be installed at Southwest's training center at Dallas Love Field by the end of 1997, when the carrier plans to put the aircraft in service. Southwest has 63 737-700s on order and holds options for 63 more.
India's privately owned domestic carrier Jet Airways has signed an agreement with Seattle-based Hanway Corp. for dry-leasing two Boeing 737- 400 aircraft, airline officials said Wednesday. The first is scheduled to arrive in India this month and the second in May. The two aircraft, which have undergone D checks in Malaysia, are powered with CFM-56 engines, officials said. Jet Airways operates eight aircraft - four 737-400s and four 737-300s, none more than four years old.
National Air Transportation Association is accusing the Clinton administration of harming the air tour business with its proposal to place strict limits on sightseeing tours, announced on Earth Day, which pleased environmentalists. Claiming the move is election year politics, NATA is threatening to fight back.
Failure to reauthorize the aviation excise taxes would prohibit funding for the Airport Improvement Program and essential air service during fiscal 1997 and could lead FAA to defer capital spending in the current fiscal year, the chairman of the House Appropriations transportation subcommittee said. In a May 14 letter to House colleagues, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) said that "two serious aviation problems could occur" if the aviation trust fund taxes are not reinstated quickly.
