-- Issued an AD on Boeing 747-100/200 aircraft requiring inspection of the latch safety pins of the main deck side cargo door. -- Revised a proposed AD on certain Boeing 747 series aircraft concerning use of the autoland function.
Amelia Earhart - Case Closed? by Walter Roessler and Leo Gomez with Gail Green. Approaches the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, her navigator and her airplane from a purely technical viewpoint. Markowski International Publishers; $16.95 paper. To order, call 1-800-444-2524.
Unofficial talks between U.S. and German officials are "becoming concrete" and may lead in a week or two to the scheduling of an official round of aviation negotiations, U.S. government officials said. Sources also have reported that the U.S. and South Africa are making headway toward resumption of talks on a first-ever aviation agreement.
Reno Air envies ValuJet's pricing environment. Reno Air Chief Financial Officer Paul Tate noted recently that his carrier's breakeven load factor is 64.94%, but it would be only 52.59% if Reno Air could match ValuJet's yields.
Cessna Warbirds - A Detailed History of Cessna's Involvement in the Armed Forces by Walt Shiel. Using a blend of hard technical information about each aircraft and personal anecdotes by the pilots, this book documents the service of Cessna aircraft in the armed forces around the world. Jones Publishing; $29.95 paper. To order, call 715-445-5000 or fax 715-445-4053.
TWA plans to grow its capacity 5%-7% this year, mainly through better utilization of aircraft. The buildup means the airline will hire flight crew personnel for the first time since 1994. It estimates it may hire as many as 300 pilots and 780 flight attendants.
Delta's engine maintenance department is generating $1.1 million a month by leasing engines to other airlines. Ray Valeika, VP-technical operations, said the goal is $20 million per month in additional revenue by mid-1996. Delta is leasing 11 engines, and two others are available.
Worldspan Travel Information Services and Management Information Services/Civil Aviation Administration of China have signed a two-year agreement for enhanced distribution of airline services. Worldspan said 25 Chinese airlines' products and services will be distributed to travel agencies subscribing to the computer reservations system. Worldspan's Singapore-based partner, Abacus, signed a similar agreement in October.
Granted Pacific Island Aviation's request to suspend its air service to Rota, Commonwealth of Northern Marianas, effective Feb. 20, in view of Freedom Air's alternate service in the market.
Under its proposed code-share arrangement with Thai Airways, United plans this summer to link its U.S.-London services with Thai's nonstop London- Bangkok flights, as well as its services operated via Hong Kong, Zurich and other points. The carriers plan to code share on Thai's Bangkok-Los Angeles flights, as well as connecting service to San Francisco, Chicago and New York. They will code share on United's Taipei-San Francisco and Hong Kong-U.S. service along with certain United flight via European gateways to the U.S. (DAILY, Jan. 26).
Swissair was rated best airline for the second year in a row in a survey by Airtrack, an independent British firm. Crossair, Swissair's regional partner, placed second. Airtrack polled 2,200 frequent flyers from 10 European nations. About 20% of the respondents ranked Swissair No. 1.
National Mediation Board has deemed it necessary for a member of the board, Kenneth Hipp, to mediate contract negotiations between Delta and the Air Line Pilots Association. Talks resume today in Washington. Delta needs an agreement quickly to reduce costs in the 100-seat market, to compete against Southwest's new low-cost Florida service and ValuJet's continued expansion.
Boeing Commercial Airplane Group named eight companies the recipients of it President's Award for Excellence: CFM International, Ciba Composite, Micro Switch, PPG Industries, Precision Machine Works, Teijin Seiki, Vaupell Industrial Plastics and Vought Center of Northrup Grumman Commercial Aircraft Division.
Air Macau has applied with Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs for permission to establish a branch in Taiwan, a request the ministry cannot grant without an exemption from current law. An Air Macau official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the airline expects the ministry to approve the application, but a spokesman for the ministry said it may face opposition.
Aviall named Frank Leftwich executive VP-sales and marketing of Aviall Engine Services and president of Aviall Asia, Charles Kienzle senior VP- operations of engine services operations in the U.S. and Jeffrey Murphy senior VP-law and human resources, secretary and general counsel.
A strong performance in the fourth quarter helped the Alaska Air Group (AAG) through one of the roughest years in its 64-year history. The company posted a fourth quarter operating profit of $7.1 million, up from $1.2 million in the same 1994 period, and a net loss of $800,000, down from $5.1 million. For the year, the operating profit inched up 1.2% to $75.9 million, compared with 1994's $75 million. The results were achieved "despite the most intense competition in our company's history," said John Kelly, chairman and chief executive.
-- Proposed to supersede an airworthiness directive on Airbus A300 aircraft concerning certain structural inspections and modifications. -- Proposed an AD on certain Bellanca 17 series aircraft to require inspecting the nose landing gear strut...Revised a proposed AD on aircraft with certain engine oil filter adapter assemblies from Cessna.
De Havilland has made a design change in the new 70-passenger Dash 8- 400 that should prove a boon to operators. The manufacturer has added an aft Type I passenger door, although it will not be equipped with an air stair like the forward passenger entrance. Nevertheless, with portable stairs, operators will be able to enplane and deplane passengers at both ends of the aircraft, which should significantly reduce turn times at the outstations and increase utilization. It also could make it possible to deplane at one end while enplaning at the other.
Key findings of the National Transportation Safety Board's report on ATC equipment outages were questioned yesterday by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (DAILY, Jan 24). Mike McNally, executive VP of NATCA, said that while the safety board concluded the ATC system is safe, the union "believes the margin of safety is being compromised by ever- increasing failures in power, radar, computer and communications systems. The system is safe, not because of the equipment, but because of air traffic controllers."
Boeing, hit by fewer aircraft deliveries and charges for a special retirement program, yesterday reported lower revenues and net earnings for 1995, compared with the previous year. Sales for 1995 totaled $19.5 billion and net earnings $783 million, compared with 1994 sales of $21.9 billion and net earnings of $856 million. Net earnings for 1995, including a one-time special retirement pre-tax charge of $600 million, were $393 million.
Conquest Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late Tuesday - the third regional to enter Chapter 11 in two weeks after GP Express and Business Express. Carrier has been through two recent acquisitions and now is a wholly owned subsidiary of Air L.A., which no longer operates. A new management team took the step and said it should have been done months ago. Marketing Director Dan Shieldes cited a lack of management consistency, no financial controls and no marketing. Operations continue and creditors are supportive.
