Northwest Airlink carrier Express Airlines I has reached an agreement with the Air Line Pilots Association on a new contract that has been in negotiation for the past 26 months. The contract will pay pilots by the "trip value" method, modeled on the procedure used by Southwest, which Express Airlines I said enables it to project expenses on a specific route more precisely by paying a predetermined, fixed amount. Pilots' wages will increase on average at twice the percentage rate awarded to ALPA- represented pilots over the past five years, the company said.
SAS and United said yesterday they have started selling tickets on their code-share service, which begins April 10. The SAS code will be placed on United domestic flights serving major U.S. cities, such as Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newark, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. SAS flights between its U.S. gateways and Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and from Amsterdam and London to Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo and Stockholm, will carry the United code. In all, the program encompasses 66 flight segments per day.
Guyana Airlines applied for renewal of its authority to operate scheduled combination service to the U.S. The carrier is seeking to continue three weekly nonstops between Georgetown, Guyana, and New York; two weekly Georgetown-New York flights via Curaao, Netherlands Antilles, and one weekly Georgetown-Miami service, all using Boeing 757 aircraft.
The government of Armenia is looking for an investor to take state-owned Armenian Airlines private. The carrier, formed in March 1993 from the breakup of Aeroflot, operates 55 flights per week to the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Middle East and Western Europe. In addition to 11 destinations in the CIS, the carrier flies to Bulgaria, France, The Netherlands, Greece, Iran, Turkey, Lebanon and the UAE. During 1996, Armenian plans to start flying to four additional destinations in the CIS and to Frankfurt, Warsaw, Delhi, Cairo, Larnaca and Tel Aviv.
Carnival Air Lines said yesterday it plans to make an underwritten public offering of its common stock, including about $40 million common stock owned by the company and between $25 million and $40 million of additional shares offered by existing shareholders. The company expects to file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in April and start the offering in May, Carnival said. The offer will be made only by prospectus.
Reduced losses on regional aircraft and steady defense sales helped boost British Aerospace's pre-tax profits 95% to 330 million pounds ($505.6 million) on 5.7 billion pounds ($8.78 billion) revenue for 1995 before accounting for one- time items, according to preliminary full-year results posted last week. BAe finished 1995 with 203 million pounds ($310 million) in net cash.
Pan Am World Airways will launch widebody service on long-haul domestic routes in July, serving New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami, founders say. The carrier estimates that it needs $30 million for its first year of operations and will be "cash positive" in the first year. An affiliate, Pan Am Air Bridge, began seaplane operations with 17-seat Grumman Mallard flying boats during the weekend from Watson Island to Key West (DAILY, March 4).
Code sharing cost U.S. carriers market share on the North Atlantic to their European partner airlines, an FAA official said yesterday on the eve of the agency's annual commercial aviation market forecast. Robert Bowles, manager of FAA's statistics and forecast branch and chairman of today's 21st annual forecast, said North Atlantic traffic for U.S. carriers grew only 0.3% in 1995, compared with FAA's prediction of 5.5%. Overall, U.S. carriers' international traffic grew by 4%.
Delta has inaugurated two daily nonstop flights to Vancouver from Atlanta and Cincinnati with 180-seat 757 aircraft. Delta already offers one-stop service in the markets. It is offering double miles to SkyMiles members through May 2, and half-price fares on tickets purchased by March 7.
FAA Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs Sandra Allen will leave her post March 31 to rejoin her family in Chicago. Drucella Anderson, deputy assistant administrator, will fill the position until a replacement is named.
Air Canada plans to operate three weekly nonstop flights between Montreal and Brussels starting May 14, using a 177-passenger Boeing 767-200ER. To launch the new service, it is offering an introductory fare of $599 roundtrip through March 31.
International Civil Aviation Organization Council will meet tomorrow in Montreal on the Feb. 24 shootdown of two U.S.-registered civil aircraft by Cuban military aircraft. The U.S. and the United Nations Security Council asked ICAO to consider the incident, and Cuba asked for an investigation of what it termed repeated violations of Cuban airspace by U.S. aircraft.
Air Canada Chief Executive Hollis Harris still would like to start a no- frills U.S. carrier when his contract with Air Canada expires in March 1997, he said recently, but he is not interested in working for an established U.S. airline. Air Canada's board made it harder for Harris to launch a startup when it decided to offer the DC-9s he hoped to use for sale on the open market.
Kiwi International Air Lines has started a "beer of the month" program, offering premium bottled beers inflight for the regular price of $3. Other beers include Corona, Red Stripe, Augsberger, Pete's Wicked Ale, Red Wolf and microbrews.
Kiwi International Air Lines has appointed a flight attendant, Cecelia Hallman, to the board of directors as part of an effort to fill board seats with non-pilot employees. Hallman replaces Douglas Stratton, a Kiwi pilot who resigned from the board. Chairman Russell Thayer said, "Her presence will give a broader breadth of representation for employees, and her skill sets will add fresh perspective to board meetings." Hallman was chosen through an employee nominating process, followed by extensive interviews.
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 Systemwide Aircraft Utilization Per Day Third Quarter 1995 DC-10-10 American United Total Number of Aircraft Operated 17 31 48 Total Fleet Operations Departures 36 95 132 Block Hours 168 318 486
Southwest Airlines and Alamo Rent A Car have teamed up to offer a $19 one- way fare between Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, and between Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, along with car rentals of $19 per day. The Orlando-Fort Lauderdale flights begin April 7. Tickets must be purchased at least 21 days in advance, and the rental car offer is good through July 18.
American applied for renewal of its authority to operate service to Nice, France, and four points in the U.K. - Belfast, Northern Ireland; Edinburgh, Scotland, and Leeds and Teesside, England. The U.K. service is operated under a code-sharing arrangement with British Midlands, with American placing its designator code on BMA service to the U.K. destinations as a continuation of American's service to London Heathrow from its U.S. gateways, New York, Boston, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles. American also asked for renewal of code sharing with BMA to Nice.
Airport and Airway Trust Fund Income Statement October 1, 1995 - November 30, 1995 Revenues: Excise Taxes (Transferred from General Fund): Current Month Liquid Fuel other than Gas $ 12,125,000.00 Transportation by Air, Seats, Berths, etc. 383,704,000.00 Use of International Travel Facilities 19,902,000.00
KPMG Peat Marwick has introduced Rapid Strike Improvement Services, a line of products to assist middle market transportation companies in purchasing functions, sales force organization, strategic planning and organizational design.
U.S. officials are poring over Japan's latest proposal after last week's all-cargo negotiations were salvaged by last-minute discussions between U.S. and Japanese officials (DAILY, March 4). The two sides are expected to meet again before the end of the month in Japan. The proposal offers United Parcel Service, currently serving Tokyo, access to Osaka, additional U.S.-Japan frequencies and new beyond-Japan service. It also provides for another U.S. all-cargo designee in the Japan market. In return, Japan Airlines gains rights mirroring those of U.S.
Burlington Air Express opened an Internet World Wide Web site at http://www.baxworld.com, offering 24-hour information on freight status, freight pick-up, locations, global logistics, special services, pricing and timetables. Customers can communicate by E-mail to BAX personnel.
Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration accused Federal Express of unnecessary delay in negotiating to establish a transshipment center in Taiwan, and it said it may allow UPS to set up its own facility if FedEx talks do not move fast enough for it. UPS briefed top officials of Taiwan's transportation and communications ministry last year on its plans for a center at Chiang Kai-Shek Airport, and a CAA official said the company is nearing completion of a proposal for a US$300 million facility.
USAir has received final approval from the Spanish government to launch daily flights between Philadelphia and Madrid on June 15. The carrier already has U.S. government approval to operate the service, for which it will use 204-seat 767-200s.
New moves by British Airways to loosen up its corporate culture include removing titles from name badges and casual-dress days for some staff who do not deal directly with customers. The changes, part of new Chief Executive Bob Ayling's plan to bring BA into the 1990s, include making managers spend more time in customer service.
