Alaska Airlines has applied for certificate authority to operate combination service between Seattle, on the one hand, and Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on the other. Already holding an exemption to serve the route, the carrier said it is making the current request to gain "the greater security of certificate authority" and end "the burden of periodic exemption requests." Alaska is operating daily one-stop service between Seattle and Puerto Vallarta, using Boeing 737 and MD-80 aircraft, and Sunday service between Seattle and Mazatlan, using MD-80s.
Bahamasair requested authority to operate scheduled combination service between New York and Nassau, proposing to operate six days per week nonstop on the route with Boeing 737-200 aircraft, beginning Jan. 25. Bahamasair said it "believes that the U.S. traveling public will be well served by the additional competition in the important New York-Nassau tourist market, which is currently served only by Delta and Carnival, although several other U.S.
Unions vow to seek changes in Senate FAA reform version of the Management Advisory Council that would influence agency decisions on management, policy, spending, user fees and regulation. The AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department said giving airlines six of 13 seats on the council is "special interest grab in its purest form."
Swissair plans to reorganize itself, breaking the airline and its other businesses into separate operating units. Under the move, which is scheduled March 1, the company will create four operating divisions - Airline, Cargo/Logistics, Services and Catering. Services will be responsible for technical services and ground-handling. The parent company will reorganize to include several group functions: Finance and Development, Partnerships/External Relations/PR, Human Resources and General Secretariat, the airline said.
BWIA International is offering 20% off its lowest roundtrip excursion fares for travel to the Caribbean from New York and Miami. Tickets are available through Jan. 15 for travel to Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, Tobago or Trinidad from Jan. 11 to Feb. 7, and to Port of Spain through Feb. 5. Travelers must return by Feb. 15.
Approved an IATA agreement deleting all fares and conditions from Libya to points in the Western Hemisphere due to lack of international air service. In addition, this agreement decreases fares from Malawi, Eritrea and Ethiopia to points in North America by 5% as a result of government disapprovals and to reflect fares currently on file and approved.
Fortis Aviation said it was selected by Air Europe of Italy to arrange the wet-lease of a 767-300ER. The aircraft is available from April to November. Air Europe operates long-range charter services with five 767- 300ERs, one of which is surplus to its requirements next year.
Air Canada is close to a deal with the governments of Canada and Quebec that would enable the three to upgrade the carrier's maintenance facility at Montreal Dorval Airport. Under the proposed pact, the three parties would spend C$112.5 million (US$82.5 million) to make unspecified modifications to the facility. The federal government and the government of Quebec each would contribute C$9.5 million (US$7 million) to the project, while the airline would pay the remainder, an Air Canada spokeswoman said.
Delta has asked DOT for another limited waiver of the 180-day statutory limit for action on its complaint against the German government and Frankfurt/Main Airport. Action has been postponed repeatedly since Delta filed the complaint Dec. 29, 1993, with the latest waiver deferring action until Jan. 5, 1996. Delta contends the German government and the airport have denied it the right to perform its own ground-handling and imposed unreasonable and burdensome rates and charges in violation of the U.S.- Germany agreement.
Reversing itself, FAA has told Oracle Telecomputing and Boeing that Oracle may restructure its team and make Boeing the prime contractor in the competition for the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) program. Until now, FAA insisted that Boeing would have to be a subcontractor to Oracle, because Oracle was one of seven companies originally qualified for the program.
Delta will add Finnair to its SkyMiles frequent flyer program as of Jan. 1. The carriers began code sharing earlier this year between New York and Helsinki. The arrangement enables Delta frequent flyers to earn mileage on all scheduled Finnair international flights, regardless of travel residency or travel origination.
DOT's effort to stop airlines from spraying insecticide on aircraft routinely with passengers on board "has achieved dramatic success," said DOT Secretary Federico Pena. "When we first turned the spotlight on this issue, 25 countries required routine on-board spraying. Now, only six do," he said. Barbados is the latest country to halt the practice, leaving Argentina, Grenada, India, Kiribati, Madagascar and Trinidad&Tobago still spraying.
Approved an IATA agreement increasing passenger fares, most cargo rates and related charges (except add-ons) from Pakistan to points throughout the world, including U.S. points, by 12% to help offset the continued depreciation of the Pakistani rupee.
In Federal Register dated Dec. 15...Issued an airworthiness directive on certain Beech 400A aircraft requiring an inspection to verify that the securing rivet is installed on the rod end of the control push rods of the spoiler flight control system...Issued an AD on certain Beech 400A/T aircraft requiring modification of the standby instrument lighting system...Superseded an AD on Boeing 757 aircraft concerning modifications to the passenger door.
The Seattle Professional Engineering Employees Association (SPEEA), representing 22,000 engineers and technical workers at Boeing, has reached a tentative agreement with the company on benefits in contract negotiations and expects to receive Boeing's counter proposal on wages and compensation Jan. 2. SPEEA said although it has been seeking a three-year contract, it has told management it would take a four-year package to the members for a vote.
Air Canada began operating scheduled service Thursday between Calgary and Frankfurt. The carrier will offer three flights in the market initially, using a Boeing 767-300ER configured for 203 passengers in two classes, and build up to daily service by mid-June 1996. With the new service, the carrier will operate as many as 19 flights per week between Calgary and Europe, serving London and Frankfurt year-round and Zurich and Glasgow in the summer. The Frankfurt launch is part of Air Canada's strategy to build service to Western Canada.
AirWays Corp. said its AirTran Airways subsidiary has exercised lease- purchase options with Shannonair on two 737-200 aircraft. AirTran also signed a letter of intent to lease its 11th 737-200 from Pacific Aviation Corp. The carrier provides low-fare service between Orlando and 17 cities with seven 737s, and in February it will take delivery of three more 737s and begin service to Akron-Canton, Ohio, Allentown, Pa., and Rochester, N.Y.
Continental Express traffic dropped 4.3% in November to just under 63.4 million revenue passenger miles from 6.63 million. Capacity, meanwhile, dropped more quickly - 6.8% to 124.8 million available seat miles from 133.9 million ASMs. November 1995 November 1994 Rev. Passenger Miles 63,399,562 66,304,201 Available Seat Miles 124,830,123 133,925,612 Load Factor % 50.7 49.5
UAL Corp. dashed Wall Street expectations of a blockbuster fourth quarter yesterday with news that United's results for the quarter will be below the expectations of most analysts. The announcement dimmed hopes that aviation earnings will exceed expectations again, and it led one airline analyst, Paul Karos of First Boston, to cut his UAL earnings estimate and downgrade the company from a buy to a hold. UAL's stock opened the day yesterday at 198, fell as low as 172 3/4 and closed at 180 1/8. U.S.
