Tower Air will again operate charter flights this spring, carrying pilgrims to Mecca for the 1996 Hadj. The carrier said yesterday it has signed a wet-lease agreement to provide eight 747s for the event which runs from the middle of March through the end of May. Tower has operated Hadj flights under contract since 1992. Last year it provided seven aircraft for pilgrimages.
Lineas Aereas Privadas Argentinas has requested renewal of its authority to conduct combination charter service between Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Miami, via Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Based in Buenos Aires, LAPA operates a fleet of Boeing 737-200 and Saab SF340A aircraft. (Docket OST- 96-986)
National Transportation Safety Board Member John Goglia is moderating a briefing today on the hazards of bird ingestion into aircraft turbine engines. The safety board said it is coordinating the briefing because of its "longstanding interest in the issue of the hazards birds present to aircraft." A notice to industry from NTSB Chairman Jim Hall said that despite progress during the past 20 years, "there does not appear to be a viable solution that will adequately protect an aircraft from all bird ingestion scenarios."
Time Warner's Six Flags Theme Parks Inc. has signed a lease/purchase agreement to manage Fiesta Texas for 10 years, and possibly acquire it. Fiesta Texas, owned by La Cantera Development company, is a park set in a limestone quarry with 100-foot cliffs near San Antonio. Time Warner plans to add new thrill rides and other themed attractions. Six Flags theme park properties host 24 million visitors a year.
Travel Industry Association of America's 1996 Outlook for Travel and Tourism luncheon, scheduled Jan. 9 in Washington, D.C., was postponed because of the blizzard. Because of the shutdown of the federal government due to the weather which also closed TIA's offices through yesterday, there is no word yet on when it will be rescheduled. Copies of the Outlook cost $100 for members and $150 for non-members and can be ordered from TIA, Publications Ordering, 1100 New York Ave. N.W., Suite 450, Washington, D.C. 20005-3934, 202-408-8422.
Delta has applied for renewal of its authority to operate scheduled combination service between Atlanta and Montreal. Seeking a two-year exemption, the carrier proposes to continue twice-daily roundtrip service on the route, using Boeing 727-200s or other suitable aircraft, depending on market conditions. (Docket OST-95-978)
Ergomedics, a Vermont medical high-tech firm, said its BackCycler lumbar support system is being installed in the seats of a new-production Boeing airplane being customized for a major domestic U.S. airline for delivery in March. The company says the seats allow passengers to sit for long periods of time with greater overall comfort. Ergomedics has a development agreement with seat manufacturer BE Aerospace. The company said the Food and Drug Administration cleared a medical version recently, and portable BackCyclers are used in rehabilitation centers and clinics.
USAir flew 5.9% fewer revenue passenger miles last month on 13.2% less capacity. The double-digit falloff in capacity pushed its load factor up five points to a record 63.6%. For 1995, USAir's traffic was down 0.8% on 4.6% less capacity. That moved USAir's load factor up 2.5 points to 64.7%; its best annual load factor on record. Dec 95 Dec 94 12 Mths 95 12 Mths 94 RPMs 2,923,552,000 3,107,547,000 38,078,641,000 38,394,884,000
British Aerospace Systems and Equipment said it has received FAA clearance to operate as an approved repair station for radomes and composite panels. The FAA approval complements existing European JAR 145 approval and enables the company to repair radomes and airframe composite structures from U.S.- registered aircraft. The company also said its family of digital cockpit voice and combined voice/data recorders SCR500 have received FAA approval. The recorders meet FAA's proposed new standards and ICAO specifications, the company said.
Worldspan appointed Samuel Horgan chief financial officer, replacing Mark Mulvany, who is retiring. Horgan previously worked as CFO at Computer Task Group, Buffalo, N.Y., an information technology services company.
A sobered Airbus Industrie will work this year toward filling gaps in its product line quickly - particularly in the large, long-range segment in which it has not been able to challenge Boeing - in the wake of an embarrassing yearend tally of new aircraft orders in 1995. The European consortium will revise and speed up study plans unveiled last summer for a 530- to 570-passenger transport, the so-called Super Jumbo, a spokesman said, and it hopes to launch more talks with airline customers on the project.
Atlanta officials will begin cashing in on tourism before the summer Olympic games get under way by offering three programs highlighting the culture and arts of the American South. AT&T will sponsor Southern Crossroads, an outdoor festival in Centennial Olympic Park. The 17-day celebration will include songs, dance, music, crafts and food beginning July 18, the day before the opening ceremony. Entertainment and activities will be presented daily from noon until midnight.
DOT has granted Target Airways a certificate to operate scheduled interstate and overseas service. Based in Reno, Nev., the carrier, operating as Great American Airways, initially plans to operate once-weekly service between Salt Lake City and Wendover, Utah, using a 133-seat MD-87 (DAILY, Nov. 9, 1995). The service grows out of an agreement between the carrier and Stateline Properties, Inc., which has hotel and casino interests in Wendover. As part of a public charter program organized and marketed by Stateline, Target has operated regular charter flights to Wendover.
U.K. competition and consumer affairs ministry has blocked the proposed acquisition of Belfast City Airport by Belfast International Airport. The Monopolies and Mergers Commission concluded that the proposed purchase from Shorts would reduce competition, leading to higher airport charges and less airline competition.
Continental is putting together a World Wide Web page that will go online at the end of the first quarter.Users will be able to make a reservation or buy a ticket later in the year.Other plans for making it more convenient to book the airline: expansion of electronic ticketing to Canada, Latin America and Europe later this year, and expanding E-Ticket machines by the end of the first quarter to airports generating 90% of its passenger enplanements. (See related story following Page 54 of the hard copy of this issue.)
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Revenues and Expenses Second Quarter 1995 (In Dollars) Total Operating % Passenger Carrier Revenues Change Revenues America West 397,925,807 9.82 369,173,025 American 2,794,066,000 2.37 2,386,614,000 Continental 1,086,798,000 8.17 961,508,000
Fine Airlines, rebutting at DOT the latest charges against it by the government of Peru, welcomed indications of a possible negotiated solution of the dispute. Last month, DOT extended through Jan. 25 its deadline for taking action on Fine's complaint against Peru, which charges that the all- cargo carrier transported arms to Ecuador during the Ecuador-Peru border war early last year and has banned Fine from operating in its territory.
A decent piece of toast will soon be available on British Airways flights, the carrier says. BA engineers have finally figured out how to brown bread properly inflight and brew a superior cup of cappuccino. The improved toast is possible with an inflight safety device that retains smoke if the bread starts to burn. BA said it is testing several prototypes. Toast and cappuccino will be available to passengers on all 90 of the carrier's long- haul aircraft by next year, the airline says, starting in first class.
Boeing's contract offer to the Seattle Professional Engineering Employees Association (SPEEA), tentatively approved last week, would give engineers and technical employees a lump-sum payment - 5% of their gross earnings through Oct. 3 - shortly after signing. The contract provides for base wage increases of 4% in the first year, 4% in the second year, 4.5% in the third year and 5% in the fourth year of the two contracts. All employees represented by the union are guaranteed to receive a portion of the raises. Ratification ballots will be counted Jan. 22 (DAILY, Jan.
Radical changes in airline distribution systems begun in 1995 promise to alter the way the industry does business in 1996. Ticketless travel, Internet booking sites and unyielding commission caps will become more widespread as airlines continue the assault on traditional booking systems to cut operating costs. The newest wrinkle - a call by some airlines to reduce computer reservations system fees in light of new technology - could shake distribution to its foundations.
BAA plc announced it has signed a non-binding letter of intent with the operator of Naples Capodichino Airport for possible purchase of a controlling equity stake in the Italian airport operator. The letter of intent, signed with the shareholders of GESAC, the airport operating company, "represents a cautious first step for BAA in mainland Europe following the success of its operations in Pittsburgh and Indianapolis and its plans to take part in the sale of the Australian airports," BAA said.
America West's traffic rose 10.4% in December compared with December 1994. Capacity for the month was up 3.7% and the load factor climbed 4.0 percentage points to 66.1%. Passenger volume rose 7.9%. For 1995, its traffic was up 8.8% on 7.5% more capacity. Load factor gained 0.8 points to 68.5%. It carried 7.5% more passengers than in 1994. Dec 95 Dec 94 12 Mths 95 12 Mths 94 RPMs 1,077,371,000 975,634,000 13,312,742,000 12,232,916,000
Southern Air Transport has applied for renewal of its authority to operate all-cargo service between points in the U.S. and Arica, Antofagasta, and Santiago, Chile. The carrier also seeks authority to continue operating the service via the intermediate and beyond points Bogota and Cali, Colombia; Caracas, Venezuela; Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil; Buenos Aires and Cordoba, Argentina; Montevideo, Uruguay; Asuncion, Paraguay; La Paz, Bolivia; Lima, Peru; Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador; Panama City, Panama, and Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, Mexico.
Birmingham, Ala., Airport continues to be popular with passengers; the airport has set passenger boarding records in seven of the past nine years, including 1995. Boardings reached 2.5 million in 1995, an 11.7% increase over 1994 passenger totals. Birmingham Airport Authority Executive Director James Brough said the Olympics in Atlanta 1996 should make another busy year.
Delta's customers will be able to book their own flights this year on a system called VoiceView TalkShop that connects to customers' computers and telephones. Delta in February will begin using VoiceView technology that makes computer and telephone use possible together on a standard telephone line. VoiceView will be used by Delta to give customers flight information and direct dialing to reservations offices. The system was developed by Radish Communications Systems, Boulder, Colo.
