Official Airline Guides is offering travel industry advertisers an online product to reach customers who book electronically, called the OAG FlightDisk Added-Value Program. Advertisers can place their names and discount specials "in front of the traveler at a crucial time - as they are making their travel purchase decisions."
International Civil Aviation Organization will convene a Jan. 7-17 meeting in Cairo to adapt the Middle East Regional Air Navigation Plan to the advent of satellite-based services. Expected to attend the meeting are civil aviation authorities from the region and from nations whose airlines operate to or overfly it, and organizations such as the International Air Transport Association and the International Federation of Airline Pilots Associations.
Robotic Vision Systems Inc. said it was awarded a patent for an electro- optical aircraft ice detection system that makes it possible to scan a wide area on an aircraft for ice contamination.
Northwest Airlines has contracted with BFGoodrich to supply new landing gear indication and warning systems for 106 DC-9s. BFGoodrich also is under contract to provide fuel measurement system upgrades for 34 Northwest 747s.
TAP Air Portugal has applied for renewal of its authority to operate scheduled combination service between Portugal and the U.S. The request includes authority for flights between a point or points in Portugal and the terminal points Boston and New York. The carrier also is authorized to operate between a point or points in Portugal and Los Angeles via an intermediate point in Canada. Although it is not serving Los Angeles now, the carrier said it "will resume service to that point when market conditions warrant." (Docket 44737&OST-95-945)
Traffic of U.S. carriers grew a modest 1.7% last month, compared with November 1994, according to data issued yesterday by the Air Transport Association. Capacity for the month was down 0.2%, while passenger enplanements fell 1%. Domestic revenue passenger miles flown by ATA's 14 members increased 0.2% but were boosted by a 6.2% gain in international RPMs. The load factor for the month was 65%, up 0.8 points. For the first 11 months of the year, the industry's traffic grew 3.3% on 2% more capacity.
Carlson Wagonlit Travel received a contract from Honeywell and Alliant Techsystems, both based in the Minneapolis area, for a consolidated travel management account. Carlson said the companies spend a total of $48 million per year on domestic travel. Carlson previously provided travel management for Alliant and handled about 50% of Honeywell's travel account.
Singapore is trying to entice investors in its Tourism Unlimited program, designed to benefit companies packaging and selling travel to Asia. The Singapore Tourist Promotion Board is encouraging promotions that could be tested in Singapore before expanding regionally. The board envisions a range of initiatives that includes theme restaurants, travel, leisure, entertainment and retail businesses, and the arts as a means to attract visitors. Singapore is actively promoting tourism under agreements with India, Vietnam and Indonesia. U.S.
Hotel management company Doubletree Corp. has entered into an agreement in principle to acquire all of the outstanding common stock of RFS Inc. in exchange for three million shares of Doubletree stock. RFS manages and leases 48 hotels.
United is donating to the Colorado Avalanche Community Fund $146,000 that it collected during the Thanksgiving holiday. The carrier offered special fares in conjunction with Denver radio stations, generating $292,000 in ticket sales, and is contributing half of the amount to charity. The fund makes donations to organizations that provide services for abused children.
Sabre Interactive Technology has selected Silicon Graphics's WebFORCE product line as the "platform of choice" to power its on-line reservations function in a new World Wide Web product, Travelocity. The Web travel service will debut in March. Sabre is using multiple silicon servers for the development, production and certification of the new Web site. Silicon said Sabre will begin soon to use WebSpace Author, the company's VRML authoring tool, to create 3D worlds.
States are following through on their pledge to take responsibility for their part in implementing the National Tourism strategy. Greg Farmer, undersecretary of Commerce for travel and tourism, said last week, following the first meeting of the White House Conference on Travel and Tourism Implementation Team, that most of the recommendations will be implemented or initiated by the end of the first quarter of 1996 (DAILY, Dec. 18). Travel Industry Association national chair Sandra Fulton said the conference has "created a sense of responsibility" across the industry.
Mexican carrier Taesa Airlines has signed close to US$100 million in contracts for charter work this winter with flights from Mexico to the U.S., Canada and South America. Under the contracts with Canadian tour operators, Taesa will fly from Victoria and Kelowna to destinations such as Los Cabos, Ixtapa and Puerto Vallarta. The airline will base eight aircraft in the U.S. and operate flights from Boston, Dallas, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Oklahoma, Cincinnati and Louisville to Cancun, Cozumel, Ixtapa, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta.
Sabre computer reservations system is planning to impose a fee next year for canceled bookings and will join other CRSs in eliminating non- participating carriers in the standard availability schedule. On Feb. 1, Sabre will keep 12 cents of the airline fee for canceled bookings in North America and 14 cents for bookings everywhere else except Europe. The CRS has not yet decided whether it will impose a fee on European bookings or at what level. A Sabre spokesman said the fee is necessary to cover costs as transactions - and cancellations - increase.
Prestige Airways, a Manassas, Va.-based charter operator, launches scheduled service today. The carrier is starting flights from Washington Dulles Airport to Miami, St. Thomas and St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Prestige, previously known as Paradise Airways, recently changed its operating name to avoid confusion with another carrier, Paradise Island Airways. The airline operates four 727-200s configured for 164 passengers. The company is operated by Navcom Av II, which is owned by Elijah Jackson, a pilot who worked 16 years for FAA.
Stocking its larder for the five days up to and including Christmas, British Airways expects to serve 225,000 passengers up to 1,300 turkeys, 45,000 mince pies, 2,000 Christmas puddings, 350 gallons of cream and a metric ton of brussels sprouts. Plus 6,500 bottles of champagne to wash it down.
Organized tour takers want to be educated, the National Tour Foundation has found. According to the Tour Traveler Index, published by the foundation, 70% of tour travelers would prefer taking a nature walk with a naturalist than going it alone, they want longer museum visits - a half-day instead of two to three hours - 76% are more interested in a river cruise with narration than without, 62% prefer to learn something that can enhance their daily lives, and more than half on a farm tour want to see the animals close up, while 73% want to meet the family.
Bally Entertainment Corp. has opened Bally's SaloonGambling HallHotel in Robinsonville, Miss., under a joint venture with Lady Luck Gaming Corp. The casino is the closest gaming facility to Memphis, Tenn.
New Zealand's tourism growth rate was slower than expected in 1995, and predicted travel levels likely will not be reached. The New Zealand Tourism Board predicts the country will see 3 million visitors annually by 2000, but for the year ending August 1995, it had only 1.38 million visitors. The numbers concern hotel developers who, according to a recent Ernst&Young study, are headed for a profitability plateau with a near- term oversupply of rooms.
Saying it has new evidence of wrongdoing by Fine Airlines, the government of Peru has reiterated its request that the U.S. dismiss Fine's complaint seeking sanctions against Peru for barring the all-cargo carrier from operating in that country. In a diplomatic note to the U.S.
Air Pacific, Fiji's international airline, will add a second weekly nonstop between Los Angeles and Fiji on Jan. 9, using a 747. The carrier launched service in the market in July 1994.
P.F. Hartman, executive VP-personnel and organization at KLM, has been named executive VP-engineering and maintenance. He replaces R.G. van Groenwoud who, KLM said, wishes to pursue career opportunities outside of the company. C. van Wouderberg, executive VP-flight services, will take responsibility for personnel and organization. C.J.M. Gresnigt, senior VP- flight operations, has been named acting executive VP- flight services.
