U.S. Major Carriers Latin Share of Service Third Quarter 1995 Total Revenue Departures America West 612 American 23,414 Continental 6,461 Delta 2,633 United 4,271 USAir 1,676 Total 39,067 Average Number of Seats Per Departure
KLM's traffic rose 6% last month, to 637.3 million revenue ton kilometers, on a 13% increase in capacity, to 947.7 million available ton kilometers. The load factor was 67.2%, a decline of 4.2 percentage points from January 1995. Passenger traffic grew 6% on 9% more capacity, and cargo traffic gained 8% on an 18% rise in capacity.
Continental has applied for authority to operate one weekly flight between Newark and Guatemala City, Guatemala, via San Salvador, El Salvador, using 757-200 aircraft. The carrier asked for local traffic rights between Guatemala City and San Salvador and wants to combine the new authority with its other exemption and certificate authority. It plans to begin the service on June 6 and asked DOT to act on its application by Feb. 19.
Canadian Airlines International President and Chief Executive Kevin Jenkins, under increasing pressure to turn the airline's financial performance around, promises a "vast improvement" in 1996. "There has been a lot of talk and a lot of projections, now it is time to perform," he said in a speech to Canadian business leaders.
Aerolitoral is seeking renewal of its authority to operate scheduled combination service between Torreon, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas. It also wants permission to continue to place Aeromexico's designator code on the flights and retain its rights to code share with Aeromexico. Aerolitoral operates one daily roundtrip in the market with 19-seat Fairchild Metro equipment. (Docket OST-96-1062)
ARINC and AlliedSignal Commercial Avionics Systems announced a new service providing aircraft operators who buy Magellan CNS-12 integrated communications, navigation and surveillance avionics with access to AlliedSignal's Global Data Center, which provides processing and routing of Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) data link messages. Previously, to use the data center, an aircraft had to install an Airborne Flight Information System (AFIS) data management unit.
FAA Administrator David Hinson, "fed up" with reading critical comments made by air traffic controllers and quoted in the press, called National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Barry Krasner "on the carpet" Friday, a source told The DAILY. Krasner was told that some of the union's most-sought goals could be in jeopardy, including legislation to fully protect collective bargaining rights, the source said.
A coalition of unions representing the majority of U.S. airline pilots and flight engineers met in Washington Feb. 9-10 to craft a response to FAA's proposed new flight and duty time rules, which they believe should tighten restrictions to avoid fatigue. The unions said fatigue only recently has been recognized as a factor in accidents, and the rules do not safeguard against it. Pilots want the new rules to restrict flying during normal sleeping hours, set "reasonable" limits on maximum duty time and provide for sensible rest periods.
Air Line Pilots Association has settled with the union that represents 134 of its employees, including administrative staff, attorneys, lobbyists, contract administrators and engineers. ALPA and Unit 1 of UALPAPAE, the employee union, agreed to a four-year collective bargaining contract, in which the union agreed to hold the line on health care costs and gave some relief in salary scales in return for better pay, working conditions and retirement benefits.
Frontier Airlines flew 60.5 million revenue passenger miles in January, a 206% increase from January 1995. Capacity rose 99.9% to 100.2 million available seat miles, for a load factor of 60.4% versus 39.6% in January 1995. Frontier began operating in July 1994. January 1996 January 1995 Rev. Passenger Miles 60,543,000 19,819,000 Available Seat Miles 100,165,000 50,099,000 Load Factor (%) 60.4 39.6
Former Pan Am Chairman Ed Acker has resigned as the chairman of Caribbean carrier BWIA International Airlines. Acker became chairman of the carrier a year ago, heading a team that took BWIA private. The resignation came after BWIA's board of directors late last week asked Acker to play a larger role in running the carrier, which he refused, BWIA spokesman Jeff Kriendler said. The board pressed Acker after the carrier suffered a $3.6 million operating loss for 1995, much of which came in the fourth quarter.
AlliedSignal Aerospace named Timothy Nichols VP-distribution and customer service in its Marketing, Sales and Service (MS&S) organization and Charles Salter director-employee benefits.
Transaero Airlines has applied for renewal of its authority to operate scheduled combination service between points in Russia and Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, Dallas, Orlando and Seattle, via intermediate points. The Moscow-based carrier also is seeking continued authority to operate charter services between Russia and the U.S. and beyond to third- country points. To date, the carrier has not instituted services it initially proposed (DAILY, Feb. 10, 1995), but it said it has carefully established its base of operations in the U.S.
The new BMW Rolls-Royce BR710 turbofan that powers the Gulfstream V and Global Express business jets failed a bird ingestion test, but program officials said engine certification seven months from now is not in jeopardy. Gulfstream President and Chief Executive Fred Breidenbach confirmed to DAILY affiliate Show News at the Singapore Air Show that a fan blade tip came off a few seconds short of the engine's required 10-minute post-ingestion run after being fed four 1.5-pound birds.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) plans to add service this year to Frankfurt, Vienna, Yangon and Ho Chi Minh City, the carrier said in its 1996 business plan. The new service is subject to government approval, and ANA applied for Ho Chi Minh City route authority 18 months ago but was turned down. ANA plans to boost capacity 7% - 2% in the domestic market and 18% in international service - by increasing aircraft utilization 2% and adding four 777-200s and two 767-300s to its fleet. The carrier currently operates two 777s and will take a third in a month.
Granted orally an exemption to Northwest to operate scheduled combination service between U.S. points and Doha, Qatar and Muscat, Oman, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Accra, Ghana; Bahrain, Bahrain; Sanaa, Yemen. The services will be operated via Amsterdam under Northwest's code-share agreement with KLM...
U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration employees should receive 60-day notices today that the agency is closing April 12. USTTA officials still are trying to find positions in other parts of the Commerce Department for as many employees as possible. Greg Farmer, undersecretary of commerce for travel and tourism, told reporters Friday that the agency would have closed a long time ago if it had not been for support from the administration. Congress "wanted a trophy," he said, by being able to say it closed an agency to eliminate fat in government.
A group of aerospace public relations employees and members of the media are forming The Society of Aerospace Communicators in Washington, D.C. The group, which announced its plans last week will fill a void created by the death several years ago of the bankrupt Columbus, Ohio-based Aviation/Space Writers Association. Aviation publishing veteran Joseph Murphy will be the founding president.
Southwest has cut in half seven-day advance purchase fares from Baltimore/Washington to Tampa, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. Nonstops to Tampa are $69 one way, and nonstops to Orlando will be the same price when the service starts in April. One-stops to Fort Lauderdale through Tampa or Orlando are $79. The originally announced seven-day advance fare for service to Tampa and Orlando was $139.
DOT has renewed DHL Airways' exemption authority to operate scheduled all- cargo service between Cincinnati and Houston, on the one hand, and Monterrey and Guadalajara, Mexico, on the other. The carrier also received permission to integrate this service with its existing flights in the Cincinnati/Houston- Mexico City market. DHL operates Cincinnati/Houston-Guadalajara service five times a week, using 727 aircraft, and uses small aircraft in the Monterrey market (DAILY, Jan. 23). (Docket OST-95-145)
In Federal Register dated Feb. 2...Issued an airworthiness directive on certain de Havilland Dash 8 series aircraft requiring modification of a certain battery temperature monitor...Issued an AD on certain Boeing 747- 400 aircraft requiring inspection for damage of the fuel tube located in the forward engine strut...Proposed an AD on Robinson R44 helicopters to require adjusting the low-RPM warning unit threshold.
This year's Olympic Games in Atlanta may be a boon to airline business, but they may be having an unintended impact on labor negotiations. The Association of Flight Attendants, trying for awhile to get its first contract with Atlanta-based ValuJet, believes the Games should create pressure for a deal. Flight attendants at Delta are organizing for AFA representation. Delta's pilots, who also feel the Games give them some leverage, continue mediated contract talks.
DOT has renewed for two years Tower Air's authority to operate scheduled combination service between New York and Amsterdam, New Delhi and Bombay. The carrier also received approval to integrate this authority with its rights to serve New York-Paris and New York/Miami-Frankfurt/Hamburg/Cologne/Munich/Berlin. Tower plans to resume scheduled flights to New Delhi April 4 as part of its twice-weekly New York-Bombay service, via Amsterdam (DAILY, Jan. 24).
David Hinson, FAA administrator; Gerald Greenwald, chief executive of United, and at least 12 chief executives from Latin American and Caribbean airlines are slated to speak at the Fourth Annual International CEO Conference, hosted by The DAILY's affiliate Aviation-Latin America&Caribbean newsletter. The conference will be held March 10-12 in Santiago, Chile, in conjunction with the FIDAE '96 Airshow. For more information, contact Claudia Aria Schreiber at 305-876-9339.
