Swissair is offering "giveaway" fares from Zurich, Geneva, Basel and Lugano to five Far Eastern destinations March 1 to Oct. 31. A roundtrip flight to Bangkok will cost 1,200 Swiss francs, to Singapore SF1,245, to Manila or Hong Kong SF1,460 and to Seoul SF1,645.
United will receive $49,029 from an investment banker who pleaded guilty Monday to simple assault on a flight attendant during a flight from Buenos Aires to New York in October. The passenger became rowdy when he was refused alcohol after the airline stopped serving drinks. Of the $49,029, $1,000 will cover cleanup costs associated with the passenger's defecating on a food service cart, and the rest will go toward the amount United reimbursed other passengers, according to press reports. The defendant faces up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
FAA said yesterday that Swaziland and Zimbabwe do not comply with international safety standards, and it rated Poland as conditional. This means any carrier from the first two nations cannot serve the U.S., and Polish carriers will get increased surveillance.
The success of FAA and the European Joint Aviation Authorities in harmonizing certification standards for newly designed U.S. and European small airplanes will boost the general aviation industry, Anthony Broderick, FAA associate administrator for regulation and certification, said yesterday in Washington. The agency published the harmonized rules in Friday's Federal Register, and Broderick praised the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee and JAA groups for the accomplishment. He added, however, that common rules on large aircraft are years away.
TWA has filed suit against Omega World Travel, claiming it violated its responsibility as an agent of TWA by selling discounted tickets it obtained from entities controlled by former TWA owner Carl Icahn. The suit, filed in St. Louis Circuit Court, seeks restitution of all revenues Omega gained by selling the discounted tickets to the public. Omega obtained some of the tickets from Global Discount Travel Services, which Icahn set up to sell the tickets under an agreement with TWA that limited the sale to groups or corporations.
Vanguard Airlines is offering $19 one-way fares between Chicago Midway and Des Moines, Iowa. The fares require a 14-day advance purchase. Vanguard has revamped its pricing structure to reflect that it no longer offers low fares only at certain times of day and days of the week. It operates three daily flights in the Chicago-Des Moines market.
Air Operations of Europe AB (AOE) is seeking renewal of its authority to operate charter service between one or more points in Sweden, Denmark and Norway and the U.S. Based in Sweden, AOE is wholly owned by ING Aviation Lease, a Netherlands corporation. (Dockets OST-95-118&OST-95-119)
Chilean carrier Ladeco has received renewed DOT authority to operate scheduled combination service between Santiago, Chile, and Los Angeles. The service is operated via Mexico City, with local traffic rights in both directions between Mexico City and Los Angeles (DAILY, Jan. 24). (Docket OST-96-1017)
Air Asia Co. and Boeing are near an agreement to cooperate in helicopter maintenance in Taiwan, according to Taiwanese newspaper reports. A formal accord be signed this month. Air Asia already signed helicopter maintenance agreements with Bell Helicopter Textron and Sikorsky Aircraft, and it has become the first Taiwanese company licensed to perform maintenance on the S-70C helicopter.
TWA, which did not know a year ago whether it would survive, signaled its return as a competitive factor in the airline industry yesterday by ordering 20 new 757s and taking options on 20 more. The carrier said in December it hoped to replace its L-1011s with 757s (DAILY, Dec. 12, 1995), and in yesterday's announcement it said it will use the new aircraft to replace 14 of the Lockheed trijets. Only last month, Chief Financial Officer Robert Peiser told an industry conference that a year ago, he was not sure TWA would be flying today (DAILY, Jan. 22).
DOT has approved Northwest's application for authority to operate between the U.S. and Bucharest, Romania, via Amsterdam. Beginning April 9, Northwest will put its code on eight 737-300 roundtrips a week between Bucharest and Amsterdam operated by code-share partner KLM. The service will increase to 10 per week in July (DAILY, Dec. 22, 1995). DOT also has renewed Northwest's authority to operate between the U.S.
Asia will overtake the U.S. this year as Israel Aircraft Industries' main market despite growing sales in North America, IAI corporate marketing VP Menashe Broder said last week at the Singapore Air Show. "Although the Israeli government and military is our most important customer, it is not the largest," Broder says. "IAI's exports reached $1.2 billion in 1995, out of a turnover of $1.5 billion. We expect that Asia will equal and surpass our U.S. volume of new orders, both in the military and commercial sales."
United and American's efforts to block construction of a proposed airport near Peotone violate antitrust laws, 10 mayors from O'Hare-area communities allege. The mayors told members of Congress this month that the two airlines are "waging a massive and expensive campaign to block construction of a new regional South Suburban Airport," and they called on the Justice Department and Congress to investigate the issue. In a letter to Illinois Reps.
DOT has granted American a two-year renewal of its authority to operate scheduled service between Chicago and Birmingham, England. The carrier has operated daily nonstop service in the market since May 1995, using 215-seat 767-200ER aircraft. (Docket OST-95-927) Separately, Continental received a two-year renewal of its rights to operate scheduled combination service between Newark and Manchester, England. The carrier is operating daily nonstop 757-200 service (DAILY, Jan. 5). (Docket OST-95-982)
Wanted: A good, high-paying job in the private sector of the travel industry. Greg Farmer, undersecretary of commerce for travel and tourism, who will be out of a job April 12 when the U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration closes, has turned down public sector offers and is hoping for work in Florida. His second choice is Washington, D.C.
DOT has approved in part Faucett's application for renewal of its authority to conduct wet-lease operations on behalf of APA International Airlines on APA's U.S.-Dominican Republic scheduled combination routes. Faucett asked that its authority be extended until June 9, 1996, but DOT limited the renewal to April 10, keeping the remainder of the term pending.
U.S. troops in Bosnia will hand out teddy bears and other stuffed animals tomorrow to Bosnian children. SatoTravel organized Operation Bear Lift, in which the gifts were collected by groups in Hawaii and transported in cargo space donated by Northwest.
China Airlines and EVA Airways are offering discounts of up to $73 to overseas Chinese living returning to vote in Taiwan's presidential elections. The discounts are valid for travel March 1-23.
Airlines at Miami Airport are worried that their fees may increase in order to finance development of a competing airport at the former Homestead Air Force Base. The airlines told the Dade County Board of Commissioners that terms in the recent lease and redevelopment agreement with Homestead Air Base Developers Inc. (HABDI) provide funding for the new airport from Miami's 1954 Trust Agreement.
SITA said Airbus Industrie selected it to install the Airbus Representative Communication System (ARCS), the 85-site system that will enable the European aircraft manufacturing consortium to communicate with its customer support executives. Under the six-year contract, Airbus representatives will be able to transmit technical data using a message system designed for ease of use and lower international communications costs, Sita said.
U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Share of Service, Third Quarter 1995 Total Revenue Departures America West 49,836 American 177,550 Continental 106,772 Delta 226,071 Northwest 138,123 Southwest 178,631 TWA 69,691 United 185,825 USAir 189,620
Delta Connection Comair will begin nonstop jet service between Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C., and Newark on April 1, offering three nonstops a day on the route with the 50-seat Canadair Jet. Continental itself will increase its flights in the market from one to three per day on April 7, and it also will offer one daily flight from Greenville to Atlanta, using 737s on both routes. Continental will offer an introductory fare of $89 one way with a seven-day advance purchase from Newark, and $119 one way from Atlanta.
Pratt&Whitney and Aviation Industries of China's Chengdu Engine Co. said yesterday they will form a joint venture to produce components for commercial aircraft engines. The new company, Chengdu Aerotech Manufacturing Co., is the first joint venture in China's aviation manufacturing industry, according to Pratt, which will have a controlling interest. The $22 million company will produce engine components and parts to serve domestic and world airline customers.
Cathay Pacific ruled the lucrative Taiwan-Hong Kong service in 1995, carrying 53% of all travelers flying between the two areas. China Airlines won a 38% share of the market, with Thai Airways, Garuda International, Japan Asia Airways, Singapore Airlines and British Asia Airways competing for the remaining 9%. More than 5.5 million passengers traveled between Taiwan and Hong Kong in 1995. Yields on Hong Kong-Taipei and Hong Kong- Kaohsiung routes reportedly are the highest international routes worldwide.
Banner Aerospace reported net income of $62,000 for the quarter ended Dec. 31, the third of its fiscal year, compared with $1.6 million for the same period a year earlier. Sales were $72 million, 32% above the year-ago $54.5 million. Its net income was down due to costs in the relocation of the warehouse operations of Burbank Aircraft Supply and Adams Industries to new facilities in Salt Lake City.
