Continental's traffic increased 1.4% last month on a 4% drop in capacity, compared with April 1995 levels. Load factor increased 3.7 percentage points to 69.7%. In the first four months, traffic inched up 1.8% from the comparable period last year on a 7.8% drop in capacity. The load factor was up 6.4 percentage points to 67.7%. April 96 April 95 4 Mths 96 4 Mths 95 RPMs 3,445,470,000 3,398,806,000 13,201,152,000 12,963,184,000
Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs is forming a special committee to study the feasibility of a joint manufacturing venture between Taiwan companies and Russia's Yak Aircraft Manufacturing Co. The venture was proposed by Yak Executive Vice Chairman Ramil Musin during a visit to Taipei early last month. While in Taipei, Musin reportedly met with officials of several of Taiwan's fledgling aerospace firms to discuss a joint venture to produce the three-engine Yak-142 regional aircraft.
McDonnell Douglas has named Andrew Quinn regional VP-product support for MDC China, the company said yesterday. Quinn, to be stationed in Beijing, will be responsible for product support and field service for Douglas commercial jetliners in China. Douglas is co-producing 20 MD-90s in China for trunk and regional airline routes, in addition to an equal number of MD-90s to be delivered from Long Beach.
American and Dallas/Fort Worth parties have filed objections to DOT's selection of Continental over American for new service to Lima, Peru. In its show cause order, the department determined "that Continental's proposal will provide...intergateway competition with Miami, the traditionally dominant U.S. gateway, and...enhanced intercarrier competition with American, the dominant U.S.
Northwest applied yesterday for authority to operate code-share services with Alaska Airlines between the U.S. and Russia. Northwest proposes placing its designator code on Alaska service between Anchorage and Magadan, Khabarovsk, Vladivosok, Petropavlovsk and Kamshatski, beginning June 1. Northwest said it "has been designated to serve the U.S.-Russia market since October 1993 when...[it] commenced its transatlantic code- share services with KLM to Moscow and St.
America West flew a record 11.6% more revenue passenger miles last month, compared with April 1995. Capacity rose 10.8%, pushing the load factor up 0.5 percentage points to 72.9%. The number of passengers carried increased 7.6%. "The April performance is a good indication of anticipated traffic in the traditionally strong summer travel months ahead," said America West Chairman William Franke. For the first four months of the year, America West's traffic was up 16.5%, compared with the same period in 1995, on capacity that was 7.9% higher.
Air cargo traffic, which increased 5% in February, decreased 2.6% in March, the Air Transport Association said yesterday. ATA President Carol Hallett said the industry was "encouraged last month," but the March data "marked a reversal of that progress, which shows just how fragile the industry's economic recovery truly is." Hallett said the turnaround shows "why sensible tax and regulatory policies are so sorely needed."
In its first extension of its brand name and services to a carrier outside the U.K., British Airways has signed up Danish regional airline Sun-Air as a franchise partner. Sun-Air's fleet will be repainted in the livery of British Airways Express and its crews will wear BA uniforms as of Aug. 1. Sun-Air will remain a separate company in which BA has no stake, but BA will work with it on marketing, sales and yield management.
DOT approved Carnival Airlines' application to operate scheduled combination service between Fort Lauderdale and Caracas, Venezuela. (Docket OST-96-1166)
AT&T Wireless Services has completed installing digital passenger telephones on all 260 of American's MD-80 jets. American now has AT&T digital phones on its F100s, DC-10s, 757s, 767s and 727s.
Interactive Flight Technologies said Donald Goldman, president and a director, has told the company he intends to resign, effective May 10, subject to reaching agreement on terms. IFT recently announced letters of intent with Swissair and Oasis International Airlines and a definitive pact with Debonair Airlines. IFT said it was the first company to offer, in a contract with Alitalia, digital inflight entertainment featuring video on demand, with more than 20 digitized movies per flight.
Surging fuel prices have led airlines in Hawaii to add a $2 fuel surcharge to their fares.The new fee, tacked onto tickets sold May 6, was imposed by Aloha Airlines after its jet fuel costs increased 14 cents per gallon in one month, leaving it with a cumulative fuel price increase of almost 30% since the beginning of the year. "We haven't seen these kinds of increases since the Gulf War," said Glenn Zander, Aloha's president and chief executive.
United is bringing members of the Democratic National Convention host committee, including Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, and samples of the city's cuisine from Chicago to Washington today for an event promoting the convention, to be held this summer in Chicago. A "Taste of Chicago," hosted by Chicago '96 and members of the Illinois delegation, will be held at the Rayburn House Office Building.
Mesa Air Group said yesterday that its Mountain West Division has reached a tentative contract agreement with the Air Line Pilots Association. The agreement follows several months of negotiations. "We are happy to have reached agreement," said Larry Risley, Mesa's chairman and chief executive.
Great Lakes Aviation Ltd. suffered a net loss of $2.77 million for the fist quarter, compared with a 1.73 million net loss in first quarter 1995. The company's revenue increased 43.2%, to $23.14 million, but operating expenses jumped 51.3% to $26.08 million, leaving Great Lakes with an operating loss of $2.94 million. The company's net loss per share was 37 cents, compared with 23 cents in the first quarter of 1995. The carrier attributed the loss to schedule interruptions and other effects of an FAA inspection of Brasilia propeller blades.
Greenwich Air Services yesterday reported that sales for its second fiscal quarter increased 36% to $60 million, a record for the quarter, while net income jumped 76% to $2.3 million. For the first six months, the engine overhaul and management services company's sales increased 43% to $118.6 million while net income rose 88% to $4.4 million, both records. Eugene Conese, chairman, credited the results to "the efficient utilization of our two major facilities and our ability to meet customers' expectations in quality, reliability and turntime."
FAA yesterday denied a charge by the air traffic controllers' union that it is putting untrained controllers on Automated Surface Observing Systems (ASOSs) (DAILY, May 3). The agency said it has adhered to a memorandum of understanding with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association to ensure that there are "sufficient air traffic personnel fully trained and certified to perform ASOS augmentation/backup until all of the controllers have been provided hands-on training before taking over ASOS sites from the National Weather Service.
Simmons Airlines said it intends to terminate service to Marquette Aug. 1. Operating as American Eagle, the carrier offers two daily one-stop roundtrips between Marquette and Chicago O'Hare, using 46-seat ATRs. "We regret that we simply cannot afford to operate the air service any longer," said Ralph Richardi, president of Simmons. Marquette is one of 20 cities American Eagle will stop serving this year because of unsatisfactory earnings in the markets. It plans to continue to operate its maintenance base in Marquette. (Docket OST-96-1342)
Transwede Airways has asked DOT for permission to transfer its foreign air carrier permit to Transwede Leisure, a recently formed company under common ownership with Transwede. As part of a corporate reorganization, the charter operations of Transwede Airways are being transferred to Transwede Leisure, and Transwede Airways will operate only as a scheduled carrier within Sweden. Pending the transfer of the certificate, Transwede Leisure is seeking an exemption to operate charter service between Sweden and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., beginning June 12.
A computer software program designed to provide real-time comparisons of business travel costs on privately operated aircraft, charter flights and scheduled airlines is being developed by the National Business Aircraft Association. Use of the program will show that business aircraft perform better than airlines on most typical business trips, NBAA officials said.
Alaska Airlines' traffic increased 17.9% last month, compared with April 1995, on a 9.6% rise in capacity. The carrier flew 778 million revenue passenger miles for the month on capacity of 1.2 billion available seat miles, and the load factor increased 4.6 percentage points to 65.1%. The number of passengers carried by Alaska rose 22.19% to 945,300. For the first four months of the year, traffic grew 18.4% over the same period last year on 9.9% more capacity. Load factor was up 4.4 percentage points to 61.8%.
FAA demonstrated new fire-resistant insulation materials in the Full-Scale Fire Test Facility at the Technical Center in Atlantic City. The new material is expected to more than double the time in which fuel-fed flames can burn through an aircraft's aluminum skin and fiberglass batting. FAA said the test is one of its research efforts aimed at protecting air travelers from post-crash fires.
New floor-path markings that operate without electrical power are enabling customers of Lufthansa Technik to cut virtually to zero the number of takeoff delays due to failure of marking strips, according to Lufthansa Technik. German airworthiness authorities authorized LHT early this year to install the system in Lufthansa's Boeing 737-300/400/500 aircraft, and the company expects approval by midyear to install it in all other short- and medium-haul jets, and by yearend in the long-haul fleet.
