Corporate Travel Coordinators of America has published the 1996 Corporate Rate Hotel Directory, which includes e-mail addresses for 2,000 hotels worldwide. The company teamed with IDT Internet Services to establish the e-mail accounts for all hotels listed in the directory. For a free copy, fax a request to 212-977-4545 or call 212-977-3600. The directory also is available on the Internet at http://www.ios.com/corp-hotels.
Annapolis, Md.-based UNC said yesterday it was acquiring Garrett Aviation Services for about $150 million. Expected to be completed March 31, 1996, the deal would make UNC the world's largest independent aviation services company, with annual revenues approaching $1 billion, according to Dan Colussy, chairman, president and chief executive of UNC Inc.
ValuJet generated $110 million worth of revenues in the fourth quarter of 1995 and will have earnings of 30 to 32 cents per share, the company's preliminary estimates show. The airline released the news yesterday after a report understated its earnings. ValuJet expects to issue fourth quarter and yearend results Feb. 7 after they are audited.
The American Society of Travel Agents is asking the Internal Revenue Service not to give a tax break to nonprofit organizations on tour sales. "We are very much opposed to any attempts to give tax-exempt entities an unfair advantage in selling clearly commercial and profit-making travel and tour packages when they aren't required to pay corresponding taxes," said ASTA President Jeanne Epping.
Continental is supporting American's petition that DOT institute immediately a proceeding to award new Peru frequencies to become available Nov. 1, 1996 (DAILY, Dec. 22).
Canadian Airlines flew 969 million revenue passenger miles in November 1995, 8.2% more than in November 1994. Capacity was up 9.8%, to 1.7 million available seat miles. The load factor fell 0.8 percentage points to 57%. For 11 months, traffic was up 4.3% to 13.9 million RPMs on an 11.3% capacity gain, depressing the load factor 4.4 points to 65.7%.
Continuing its love affair with the cruise lines in light of airline commission caps, the American Society of Travel Agents is praising Celebrity Cruises for a new agent commission program. Celebrity is offering commissions to agents who book on-board spas in advance. Most cruise add-ons are not only unavailable for advanced booking but also are not commissionable.
Holiday Inn Worldwide is now a member of America West's FlightFund frequent flyer program. FlightFund members will earn 2.5 miles for every dollar spent on qualifying stays at any of 2,000 Holiday Inn or Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts worldwide. FlightFund members who enroll in Holiday Inn's frequent guest program are eligible for complimentary upgrades when available, coffee or tea in the morning, express reservations and check-in, a guaranteed single corporate room rate, extended check-out and check cashing services.
Top 25 Domestic City-Pair Markets Under 750 Miles O&D Passengers Second Quarter 1995 Short 1995 Average Haul Markets Non-Stop Passengers Rank Rank City-Pair Mileage Per Day 1 1 Chicago - New York 723 8,766
Lone Star Airlines is extending its $250 roundtrip fare sale between Dallas and Aspen, Colo. Tickets must be purchased by Jan. 31. The fare is available for flights departing Dallas on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and for flights departing Aspen Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Philip Trenary, chairman of Lone Star, said, "The influx of calls proved there are customers who want to travel on off-peak days and take advantage of this exceptional fare."
Transport Canada announced yesterday new flight and duty time regulations governing commercial pilots and flight crews, to be implemented this spring. The strenghtened regulations exceed International Civil Aviation Organization recommendations and are "comparable" to new standards recently proposed by FAA, Transport Canada said. The new regulations reduce the maximum number of hours a pilot may fly in a given period of time, increase the number of days off, and stipulate that a minimum number of hours be made available for rest between flights.
The Hong Kong Airport Authority last week signed an agreement with Asia Airfreight Terminal Company Ltd. (AAT) to operate one of the two air cargo terminals at Chek Lap Kok Airport when it opens in April 1998. AAT is an international consortium led by Singapore Airport Terminal Services (SATS) and Changi International Airport Services (CIAS). Other members are China Merchants Shipping and Enterprises Co. Ltd., Kerry Holdings Ltd., Steamers Maritime Holding Ltd. and Federal Express.
American Eagle this week began eliminating flights to Nashville as it prepares to drop 58 daily departures to 20 destinations by September. Eagle carrier Flagship will continue to maintain its headquarters in Nashville "for now" and operate hubs in Miami and New York. The decision to close the Nashville operation affects 740 American Eagle employees, including personnel from the other 20 cities.
Delta is adding 2,000 seats - 12 extra flights - to its normal schedule from Phoenix for the Super Bowl weekend. It also is placing larger aircraft in some markets to accommodate the extra travelers. Delta said it will fly its new MD-90 to Phoenix from Dallas/Fort Worth.
Cynthia Rich, FAA associate administrator for airports, will leave the agency at the end of January to pursue career opportunities outside the Washington, D.C., area, Administrator David Hinson said yesterday. James Washington, deputy director for FAA's Office of Air Traffic, has been named to replace Rich in an acting capacity. Rich was appointed to head FAA's Office of Airports in March 1994. Previously, she was director of the Cleveland Department of Port Control.
New applications to the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for Air Travel Organisers' Licences (ATOLs) show a marked drop in the number of holidays the major tour operators plan to offer this summer. The five largest companies, which together sell 60% of the air seats and holidays, have shown reduced levels of business in their license applications. The number of holidays applied for by these organizations is down 17.3% from last year, and 11.5% from last summer's sales.
United has unveiled a new Mileage Plus dining program that offers triple the number of miles awarded by most airlines. The program - for Premier, Premier Executives and 1K frequent flyers - begins Feb. 15. Members earn 10 miles for each dollar they spend, including tax and tip, at 4,000 participating restaurants. United will issue a restaurant directory every three months. There is a 6,000-mile cap on the mileage allowed per restaurant visit.
National Traveler Safety Team, created by the White House Conference on Travel and Tourism, is creating a toll-free multilingual emergency help line for travelers. The team also is compiling a kit on community safety plans, to be given to U.S. tourism destinations. In other efforts to promote tourism and curtail traveler anxiety, the U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration reports that by the end of February TWA will air an informational inflight video produced by the agency. USAir also will show the film.
Airport and Airway Trust Fund Balance Sheet As of October 31, 1995 ASSETS Undisbursed Balances: Available for Investment 941.60 TOTAL UNDISBURSED BALANCE 941.60 (Cash in Account) Receivables: Interest Receivables 250,348,926.73
Continental is seeking seven weekly New York-Ecuador frequencies to operate daily service between Newark and Quito, Ecuador, via Bogota, Colombia. If approved, the carrier plans to begin the service June 6, using Boeing 757-200 aircraft. In its DOT filing, Continental pointed out that under the U.S.-Ecuador bilateral "15 New York-Ecuador frequencies have been available to U.S. carriers since 1989, but no U.S.
U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration says it will work aggressively over the next two weeks to promote travel to the U.S. with international travel agents and tour operators who may have persuaded clients to travel elsewhere during the federal government shutdown. Those efforts would be stymied, however, if the government closes again Jan. 26, when the continuing resolution is scheduled to expire. The agency, because of its funding uncertainty, is prohibited from incurring large expenses, and has delayed mailing the final White House Conference Strategic Report.
American parent AMR Corp. kicked off the 1995 airline financial reporting season yesterday, logging net profits before special charges of $91 million ($1.15 per common share) for the fourth quarter and $501 million ($6.41 per share) for the year. Both reflected gains over last year's comparable totals of $51 million and $402 million, respectively.
ValuJet Airlines is offering $69 "escape the snow" one-way fares to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach. Travel must be completed by Feb. 29. Effective today, ValuJet will operate 17 peak daily departures from Boston, one of its new focus cities, to seven destinations, including the four Florida points. No roundtrip purchase or Saturday night stay is required.
The Supreme Court ruled this week that relatives of airline crash victims cannot recover "loss-of-society" damages when that accident occurs over international waters. In Zicherman vs. Korean Air Lines, a unanimous court said that damages in airplane crashes on the high seas are covered by the Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA). Since recovery in such lawsuits is limited to pecuniary damages, there can be no recovery for loss of society, the court said. The case involves the Sept. 1, 1983, shooting down of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 over the Sea of Japan.
Air France reported yesterday a 232 million French francs net profit for the period April 1 through Sept. 30, the first half of its fiscal year 1995-96, compared with a loss during the same period last year of FF477 million. (One dollar equals five francs at current exchange rates.) The carrier said the improvement reflects the sale of Air France Group's share in Sabena, which netted nearly FF380 million.
