United has installed a business recovery computer system, co-designed by Unisys Corp., intended to give it complete data recovery in minutes if its Unimatic primary system suffers a complete shutdown. Unimatic controls flight operations, planning and scheduling around the world by tracking departures and maintenance, and coordinating the schedules of 27,000 pilots and flight attendants.
SAS is negotiating to buy 20-25 regional aircraft, sized between 50-70 seats, to replace its fleet of Fokker F-50s, Chief Executive Jan Stenberg told a Swedish weekly recently. A decision on the order is likely next year. SAS probably will spend $2 billion in 1998 to replace 15 767s, Stenberg said.
Sabre Travel Information Network is offering its Personal Trainer program on a three-volume CD-ROM set. Sabre subscribers currently attend five-day courses at the American Training&Conference Center in Dallas/Fort Worth, or at regional centers throughout the country. With Personal Trainer, Sabre subscribers can train from their own offices. Users need not be connected to Sabre during training, so they can use their own personal computers at home or in the office.
-- In Federal Register dated Jan. 26...Issued an airworthiness directive on McDonnell Douglas DC-9 aircraft requiring replacement of the attach fittings of the main landing gear...Issued an AD on McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series aircraft requiring hydraulic line restrictors in the main landing gear...Issued an AD on certain Airbus A330/A340 aircraft requiring locking plates at the guide bushings in the area of the spigot bolt for certain aft flap track attachments...Superseded an AD on Airbus A310 aircraft concerning cracks in the shock absorber attachment.
In an about-face, Air Canada has decided not to go forward with upgrading its maintenance facility at Montreal's Dorval Airport. "Challenges at the airline and in the industry make such a commitment too risky at this time," the carrier said. Late in December, Air Canada said it was close to securing loans for the project (DAILY, Dec. 26, 1995).
A loyal Alaska Airlines customer received 1,300 frequent flyer miles on his last trip - literally - between Seattle and Cordova. The man was deceased, being transported in a casket in the cargo hold, and his wife asked that he be awarded the miles because he would have wanted it that way, reports Alaska's employee newsletter. Alaska obliged.
United employees in Amsterdam and Argentina have joined 3,000 other international workers as employee owners of the airline. The international employees' stake does not dilute that of U.S.-based employees, United's pilots union notes.
Atlas Air said it entered a long-term, guaranteed-revenue contract with Lufthansa for a 747-200 freighter to be delivered to Atlas next month. The company said the contract will increase its annual revenue by about $25 million. It is the last of three contracts related to the delivery of 747- 200s Atlas financed in a public debt offering completed last November. The first two deliveries have been placed with China Airlines and SAS.
Southwest is giving free roundtrip tickets for future travel to fare-paying passengers who fly from Boise between Feb. 8 and Feb. 22. The free tickets are good between Boise and Burbank, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Ontario, Phoenix, Portland, Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, Seattle, Spokane and Tucson. Trips must be taken between Feb. 23 and May 22.
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said Deputy General Manager Hugh Riddle has retired after about 20 years with the Washington, D.C., airports.
Continental will begin 737 service between Newark and Cincinnati May 1. It intends to offer three daily nonstops to Cincinnati and two nonstops and one direct flight through Dayton to Newark.
Federal Express Corp. has promoted three senior managers to executive VP positions. Theodore Weise will be executive VP-worldwide operations, Alan Graf executive VP and chief financial officer, and Kenneth Masterson executive VP and general counsel. They will serve on FedEx's Executive Management Committee, to be chaired by Frederick Smith, chief executive. Weise replaces William Razzouk, who resigned to become chief operating officer at America On-Line. Graf and Masterson have been chief financial officer and general counsel, respectively.
Nine Civil Reserve Air Fleet carriers flew 33 military airlift missions to Bosnia, 2% of the U.S. total, as of midweek last week. Operating under U.S. Air Force contracts, they carried about 1,000 tons of cargo, 4% of the total, and 2,931 passengers, nearly 23%. The participants were Tower, American International, Air Transport International, American Trans Air, Evergreen, Rich, Sun Country, World and Polar Air.
Western Pacific Airlines began service last week from its Colorado Springs hub to San Jose, Nashville and San Antonio. Introductory fares are as low as $59 one way to each city. Regular off-peak fares with a 21-day advance purchase are $74 to San Antonio, $79 to San Jose and $89 to Nashville. On March 1, Western Pacific will add a daily flight to Phoenix and Las Vegas from Colorado Springs.
Major airlines matched a fare increase by Delta - $5 one way and $10 roundtrip - in competitive markets. The increase, the second in less than a year, is to domestic points, the Caribbean and Canada.
Major airlines' fleet plans fall some 375 aircraft short of the number needed to satisfy a 5% annual traffic gain, according to Morten Beyer and Associates. "This is quite a window of opportunity for eager upstarts," MBA says. "If potential traffic increases 5% a year, there is more than an 11.3% shortfall in capacity" by 1998, MBA says, using figures from Ed Greenslet's Airline Monitor.
Reno Air will inaugurate Anchorage-Fairbanks service April 4 with two daily MD-80 roundtrips. One of the Fairbanks-Anchorage return flights will continue to Seattle and Reno. Reno Air began serving Anchorage last spring, and the Fairbanks launch will coincide with an increase from one to three daily flights in the Anchorage-Seattle market. Reno will occupy nearly all the Fairbanks Airport ticket counter space, offices and arrival/departure lounges that previously were leased to MarkAir.
