Korean Air Lines has asked DOT for authority to operate scheduled combination service between Seoul and Saipan, and for integration of the new authority with its existing authority. The carrier plans to operate seven flights a week on the route beginning Dec. 22, using Airbus A300-600 aircraft. (Docket OST-95-911)
Kiwi International Air Lines operated 119.7 million revenue passenger miles in November, compared with only 93.1 million in November 1994. Capacity rose to 196.5 million available seat miles from the 153.6 recorded for November 1994. Load factor inched up to 60.9% from 60.7%. Jerry Murphy, president and chief executive, reported "an uptick in both business and leisure travel, with Newark-Chicago posting our best results, followed by Chicago-Tampa." Kiwi also benefited from its new marketing relationship with Air South.
Seattle, Wash., Alaska Air Group subsidiary Horizon Air made 108 million seat miles available for sale in November, a 6.6% increase from the prior November's 101 million. Traffic, however, failed to keep pace with the capacity increase, rising 1% to 66 million revenue passenger miles from 65 million, the airline company reported. Load factor dropped 3.3 percentage points to 60.6% from 63.9% in the same prior-year month. Passenger enplanements declined 2.5% to 295,400 from 303,100.
Air Canada has started offering passengers the option of flying ticketless on its Winnipeg-Regina-Calvary route. Laying claim to be the first carrier in the country to field a ticketless travel system, Air Canada said it and its regional partners, Air Canada Connectors, will expand the program to additional domestic markets in March and into the U.S. during the spring. By the middle of 1996, ticketless travel will be available on all the carrier's flights throughout North America.
Tower Air flew 272 million scheduled revenue passenger miles in November, 54.5% more than in the same month last year, on 37.9% more capacity. Available seat miles rose to 364 million from 264 million, improving the load factor to 74.7% from 66.7%. Tower said the increase in load factor was primarily due to increased traffic on domestic routes and on service from New York to Tel Aviv and Paris. Traffic also was up because Tower resumed service to Sao Paulo, Brazil, and flew more commercial passenger wet-lease charters.
Canadian Department of National Defense has awarded Sabre Decision Technologies and Ottawa-based MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates a three- year contract to customize several airline operating systems for the Canadian Armed Forces' scheduled and chartered flights. Macdonald Dettwiler will act as a subcontractor under the agreement. Sabre said the contract is the first in which a military operation has acquired its multihost reservations system.
Southwest's November traffic grew 9.1% on 12.6% more capacity, resulting in a load factor of 61.5%, down two points from the same month last year. The number of passengers carried increased 6.6%. For 11 months, Southwest's traffic was up 7.4% on 12.8% more capacity, compared with the same period in 1994, depressing the load factor 3.3 points. The number of passengers was up 4.2%. Nov 95 Nov 94 11 Mths 95 11 Mths 94 RPMs 1,908,894,000 1,749,671,000 21,303,457,000 19,834,099,000
Birmingham, England-based Community Express Airlines, a small regional carrier in which U.S. airline company Mesa Air Group holds a large minority stake, last week launched service to London Gatwick Airport from both Birmingham and East Midlands, England. Mesa, a non-U.K. company and thereby prohibited by English law from holding a controlling interest in a British-licensed company, holds a 44% share of Community Express. Bob Dynan, president of Mesa's Liberty Express division, and W.
Express I Airlines Dec. 1 took delivery of one Saab 340A aircraft from The CIT Group. Lease term of the aircraft, formerly on lease to Comair Airlines, is 12 months.
Fairchild Aircraft has promoted Don Jenkins to VP-regional sales, South Pacific. Jenkins, who for four years has been Fairchild's VP- customer support, will be responsible for all sales in the South Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand. Fairchild manufactures the Metro 23.
Following President Clinton's veto this week of a budget reconciliation bill that included a further two-year airline exemption from the fuel tax, the airline industry says it will push to keep the measure in whatever budget bill is approved by Congress and the administration. The administration continues to oppose extension of the industry's exemption, which expired on Oct. 1. ATA President Carol Hallett said the industry's return to profitability this year "has been the result of painful cuts and layoffs.
Conquest Airlines is launching new fare programs in both its Texas and Midwest markets, including a one-way youth fare of $69 from 9:05 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. between any two cities on its system. The youth fare, available to anyone between the ages of 12 and 22, is effective immediately. Also effective immediately, Conquest will offer companion fares on any flight in Texas that departs during the same hours. Passengers paying the full fare can bring a companion along for only the airport passenger facilitiy charge.
Boeing 747 Systemwide Aircraft Utilzation Per Day Second Quarter 1995 B747-100 Northwest TWA United Number of Aircraft Operated 23 9 18 Total Fleet Operations Departures 36 12 25 Block Hours 259 73 149 Flight Hours 242 67 139
Negotiations between Atlantic Southeast Airlines and the Association of Flight Attendants will be assisted from now on by the National Mediation Board. Negotiations on a collective bargaining agreement have been under way since June 1, and AFA said yesterday it is "tired of the company's stalling tactics." AFA National President Patricia Friend said, "We're going to get a contract by the time of the Olympics, and if it takes mediation to do it, we're ready." The AFA, which represents 325 flight attendants at ASA, says staffing, pay and work rules are inadequate.
Nakanihon Airline Service Co. Ltd. of Japan has ordered a third Fokker 50, to be delivered this week, Fokker said. The aircraft, like the regional's other two 50s, will be configured for 56 seats. Nakanihon is 80% owned by Meitetsu group and 20% by All Nippon Airways.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia-based Pelangi Air has signed a contract with Bombardier Regional Aircraft to buy six Dash 8s - four 37-passenger Series 200s and two 50-passenger series 300s. Value of the deal was estimated at US$75 million. Deliveries will begin in the second quarter of 1996. On Nov. 29, Saeaga Airlines, another Malaysian carrier, an-nounced the purchase of two Dash 8s - one Series 200 and one Series 3-00 - and one 50- pas-senger Canadair Regional Jet, in a deal valued at about US$49 million (DAILY, Dec. 1).
Citing "insufficient passenger loads" on its Buffalo-Boston flights, Business Express said it will suspend the service, effective Jan. 1. The carrier currently offers three daily nonstops between the two cities. The Delta Connection and Northwest Airlink partner said it will continue to offer two daily nonstops between Buffalo and New York Kennedy Airport.
Lufthansa has elevated an American, Frederick Reid, to be executive VP of its passenger division, effective Jan. 1. Friedel Roedig will fill a new post as managing director of the carrier's 23 alliances and cooperation agreements.
DOT has tentatively selected Peninsula Airways to provide subsidized essential air service at Atka and Umnak Island (Nikolski), Alaska for a two year through Nov. 30, 1997, at an annual rate of $279,057. Peninsula will operate two roundtrips per week over a Dutch Harbor-Nikolski-Atka-Dutch Harbor routing, using nine-seat Grumman APT-6 aircraft. One Nikolski stop each week would be a flagstop.
New European 100-passenger jet built in conjunction with Korea and China appears more and more in doubt, according to analysts and knowledgeable industry sources. Both Aerospatiale and Fokker have been talking to the two Asian countries, but sources say the market cannot take another 100-seater, with Avro, Boeing, Fokker and McDonnell Douglas already in the picture. "What the airlines can pay and what the manufacturers must charge are far apart," said one industry source, opining that what the market really wants is in the 75-passenger category.
Kiwi will offer $89 one-way fares to all its destinations, except on the Newark-West Palm Beach route, through Dec. 16. Tickets must be purchased at least two days prior to departure and travel must take place by Dec. 16.
British Airways has named Tony Fortnam VP-government and industry affairs in Washington, D.C., effective Dec. 16. Fortnam was counselor for transport and the environment at the British Embassy in Washington. He replaces Mark Dunkerley, who is now BA's country manager for the Czech Republic and Slovakia in Prague.
For the third consecutive year, American International Airways will provide the Postal Service with air transportation and ground-handling services for second-day mail among 31 cities during the holidays. The $36 million contract begins Dec. 9. AIA will deploy 34 aircraft to handle the 13-day assignment.
Wisconsin is safe for travelers and everyone else. Runzheimer International reports that FBI data show Wausau, Eau Claire, Appleton- Oshkosh-Neenah and Sheboygan are the U.S. metropolitan areas with the lowest violent crimes. Wausau has the lowest assault and rape rate and is second lowest in burglary, third lowest in car theft, fourth lowest in murder and ninth lowest in property crime. Other cities with low violent crime rates are Bangor, Maine; Provo, Utah, and Bismarck, N.D.
British Airways World Cargo received a contract to handle cargo at New York for its alliance partner Qantas Airways. Qantas operates three weekly 747 freighters wet-leased from Evergreen Airways.
