Delta yesterday said revenue passenger miles increased 1.4% to 6.5 billion in January while capacity declined 2.6% to 10.5 billion available seat miles. The load factor rose to 61.87% from 59.41% in the same month a year ago. Robert Coggin, executive VP-marketing, said that "in spite of the weather impact, domestic revenue passenger miles grew a strong 7.3% from a year ago, pushing our domestic and system load factors to record January levels."
Potential new-entrant carrier Sunworld Airlines has revised its startup plan, cutting back service to Caribbean and U.S. points. Saying it still plans to operate between U.S. points and Grand Cayman Island, West Indies, on an immediate basis, Sunworld has eliminated, at least for the near term, the U.S. Virgin Islands as a destination because of recent hurricane damage in the St. Thomas/St. Croix area that drastically reduced the hotel capacity on those islands. Sunworld also dropped plans to operate St. Louis service after learning it could not obtain "timely U.S.
Alaska Airlines opened its fourth flight attendant base, this one in Portland, on Jan. 31. Initially, the base will be home to 65 flight attendants. Alaska also has bases in Anchorage, Long Beach and Seattle.
Aerolineas Argentinas is urging DOT to deny Cordoba Air Cargo's request for authority to operate all-cargo service between Buenos Aires and Miami via intermediate points. Cordoba's application "contains no evidence that [it] has received the approval of, or been designated by, the Argentine aviation authority to provide the full range of services it proposes," claimed Aerolineas. The license included in the application states that Cordoba "may conduct regular cargo serve between points in Argentina and Miami/New York," said Aerolineas.
British Airways will increase staffing at London Gatwick Airport 14.5%, by assigning 1,000 new workers to the airport. The new workers will handle routes to Africa that BA is transferring from London Heathrow Airport, where most of its international service is based. BA said it will hire 700 new flight attendants, 200 customer service and cargo agents and 70 pilots for the service. No jobs will be lost at Heathrow as a result of the shift, the carrier said. BA employs 6,900 workers at Gatwick.
U.S. National Carriers Operating Revenues and Expenses (9 months 95/94) Operating Operating Revenues Expenses (000) (000) 9 Months 1995 Alaska 884,646 819,468 Aloha 165,819 171,663 American Trans Air 525,621 502,444
Moody's Investors Service said it is placing the notes and debentures of UNC Inc. under review for possible downgrade, citing "the uncertainty surrounding UNC's proposed $150 million acquisition of Garrett Aviation Services." Moody's said it also will consider UNC's efforts to improve the performance of its existing operations. The review applies to UNC's 91/8% senior notes due 2003, currently rated B1, and the 71/2% convertible subordinated debentures due 2006, currently rated B2.
FAA has asked its principal maintenance inspector at Kiwi to look at the maintenance program Kiwi will use for engines it leases from Delta. Asked why the agency is interested in the program, an FAA official said, "because it is a change, and that is the kind of thing we look at." Delta said recently it is leasing 11 engines to airlines and two more are available.
American will contribute a portion of annual savings from employee ideas on cost cutting at American, American Eagle and other AMR companies to The Park of DreAAms, a wheelchair-accessible playground for children at Give Kids The World Village near Orlando. The park is scheduled to open in mid-1997, and American will donate a portion of its savings until the donation reaches $1 million. Give Kids The World provides all-expenses- paid six-day vacations at Walt Disney World and in central Florida to children with life-threatening illnesses.
Airways Corp., which operates jet subsidiary AirTran Airways and a fixed-base operation in Grand Rapids, Minn., reported net income for the December quarter of $436,400, or 5 cents per share, on revenues of $18.2 million. AirTran carried 194,900 passengers in scheduled service, a 44% increase over the previous quarter. Its unit cost was 6 cents, a 6% decrease. The carrier took on two additional 737-200 aircraft, for a total of eight jets, during the quarter. With the addition of four new destinations, AirTran operates service from Orlando to 17 cities.
Lufthansa is introducing its Lufthansa ChipCard for ticketless travel on German domestic service March 1. The carrier initially will issue the card to all Senator cardholders living in Germany and to frequent flyers and all interested customer as soon as possible. Each chipcard contains a computer chip that can be programmed to provide check-in and boarding, and credit miles to frequent flyer program members. To use the card, customers will book domestic flights as usual through a corporate travel office or a travel agency, giving their ChipCard number.
British Airways' scheduled passenger traffic increased 5% in January from the same month in 1995, to 4.4 million revenue passenger miles, but capacity increased 7.8% to 6.7 million available seat miles. The load factor lost 1.8 percentage points to 66.3%, for which BA blamed bad weather, U.S. government shutdowns during the month and the negative effects of French nuclear testing in the Pacific and industrial unrest in France on Japanese tourist traffic to Europe. The load factor for international service fell more than that for the U.K.
Federal Express Aviation Services has replaced the "Lease In" category with the actual lessor in its Commercial Jet Fleets directory, beginning with the January 1996 edition.
British Airways reported yesterday a 1995 December quarter pre-tax profit of #104 million (US$161.2 million), an increase of #24 million (US$37.2 million), or 30%, from the same quarter in 1994, and an after-tax profit of #88 million, (US$136.4 million), up more than 44%. Revenue for the quarter grew 8.7% to nearly #1.9 billion (US$2.9 billion), and BA's operating profit grew by 2.7% to #152 million (US$235.6 million).
Dornier said yesterday that Proteus of Dijon, France, will operate two 328s on behalf of Europair, a project group within Air France of the Air France- Air Inter express regional network. Services are to begin in April. Dornier said Italian startup regional airline Minerve also placed an order for two 328s, plus one option. The aircraft will be delivered this spring. The Dornier 328 order book stand stands at 82 firm and 77 options to 20 customers.
Fuel Cost and Consumption U.S. Majors, Nationals and Large Regionals December 1994 - November 1995 Total Total Cost Gallons (Dollars) 1994 December Domestic 1,089,672,613 599,944,577 International 341,922,206 209,591,964 System Total 1,431,594,819 809,536,541 1995
USAir Chairman Stephen Wolf announced yesterday that Rakesh Gangwal will be president and chief operating officer and Lawrence Nagin will be executive VP-corporate affairs and general counsel of USAir Group and its principal operating subsidiary. Both were elected by the board yesterday. Gangwal, now executive VP-planning and development for Air France, will begin his new job on Feb. 19. Nagin will start today.
An 11% capacity increase by Canadian Airlines last year drove the carrier's load factor down four percentage points to 65.3% compared with 69.3% in 1994. For 1995, the carrier flew 14.6 billion revenue passenger miles, up 4.6% from 1994, on capacity of 22.3 million available seat miles. In December 1995, Canadian's traffic rose 6.5% on 8.2% more ASMs. Load factor was 60.6%, a 1-point dropoff from December 1994.
Baltia Air Lines, which plans to begin operating this spring between New York and St. Petersburg, Russia, said yesterday it is negotiating with Paramount Cargo at New York Kennedy Airport to provide marketing and sales services. Baltia plans to fly a 747-100 five times a week between the two points. It said it will file soon a registration statement at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Baltia, which has engaged Patterson Travis to manage its initial public offering, said Paramount Cargo projects annual cargo revenues of $8.8 million.
ValuJet's traffic was up, but its load factor was down in January. The carrier flew 198.6 million revenue passenger miles in January, a 75% increase over last January's 113.6 million. Capacity was up 84%, however, from 222.2 million to 409.3 million available seat miles for the month. The load factor was 48.5%, down from 51.1% for the same period last year. "January's results were negatively impacted by the severe winter weather, including consecutive major snowstorms that paralyzed the East Coast," said Chairman and Chief Executive Robert Priddy.
U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware has lifted its restraining order against DOT's show cause order reallocating USAfrica's U.S.-South African frequencies to World Airways and Southern Air Transport.
KnightHawk Airlines said operating subsidiary KnightHawk Air Express has signed a contract to provide air cargo services to Air Georgian of Barrie, Ontario. KnightHawk will carry freight between Regina and Calgary on a Falcon 20 for Air Georgian's customer, a "major courier company." KnightHawk and Air Georgian also have agreed to consider forming a joint venture to provide freight services to North American courier and other companies.
Aerospatiale of France, Bombardier of Canada, British Aerospace, Samsung Aerospace Industries of South Korea and Taiwan Aerospace Corp. have emerged as serious suitors for troubled Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. Chairman Ben Van Schaik revealed the potential bidders - except for Bombardier - to reporters yesterday at the Singapore Air Show. Other Fokker executives said that of more than a dozen companies that inquired, the five now on the short list are the ones that are interested in keeping Fokker intact.
Amerijet International said it has opened a new station in Toronto from which it will offer scheduled weekly cargo service to the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, beginning Feb. 12. "Moving into the Canadian market is a very natural expansion strategy for Amerijet since we have an established presence in the northeastern U.S.," said David Bassett, president. Peter Gordon, manager of Cargo Navigators, will oversee the Toronto operation. The Toronto station is Amerijet's sixth in North America and its 25th throughout the Americas.
