Edward Faberman, American VP-government relations, received the 1995 Lincoln Medal at the recent Ford's Theatre Gala in Washington. Faberman, a member of the Ford's Theatre Board of Governors, was presented the medal during an event honoring President Clinton and hosted by television actress Brett Butler.
With some fanfare, Mesaba Airlines, its major airline affiliate Northwest and civic officials this week celebrated the completion of Northwest's $17 million G Concourse at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Mesaba is the second largest carrier at Detroit after Northwest, and more than 75% of the regional's passengers connect to Northwest flights there.
AirTran Airways' October traffic shot up more than tenfold - 990% - to 51.4 million revenue passenger miles from 4.7 million in October 1994 with the addition of one airplane and service to four new destinations. Its available seat miles rose 487% to 96.5 million, and the load factor reached 53.2%. The carrier added eight markets in the last three months. AirTran offers service from Orlando to 17 cities with eight 737-200s.
National Air Traffic Controllers Association officials representing controllers at busy facilities in New York, Chicago and Oakland will meet Dec. 5 in Washington with Monte Belger, FAA associate administrator for air traffic services, and other agency officials to plan incentive programs to recruit and retain experienced controllers. Facilities involved are the New York, Chicago and Bay Area terminal radar approach controls; the New York, Chicago and Oakland air route traffic control centers, and the O'Hare tower.
American Eagle will add a third weekend roundtrip flight between Anguilla and San Juan Dec. 14 to meet increased winter tourist demand. Eagle VP- Marketing Joel Chusid said tourists reached Anguilla in the past by flying to St. Maarten and taking a ferry, but St. Maarten has reduced air service this winter. Eagle will operate 46-seat ATR-42s to Anguilla.
Rohr reported net income of $500,000 for its first quarter of fiscal 1996, which ended Oct. 29. The results compare with net income of $1.9 million in the same quarter a year ago. Sales declined to $150.4 million from $192.2 million, reflecting reduced deliveries of commercial aircraft. Operating income was $12.1 million, down from $15.4 million.
USAir Express PSA Airlines will begin operating a Toledo-Pittsburgh flight Jan. 6, in addition to USAir's four daily flights in the market. PSA will operate 32-seat Dornier 328s.
Tower Air has appointed two new executives in finance and operations, Morris Nachtomi, president and chief executive, announced yesterday. Josefina Essex will become chief financial officer and VP-finance. Guy Nachtomi has rejoined Tower as VP-operations. Essex worked for Ernst&Young from 1986 until 1991, managing Tower's audits. She joined Tower in 1991 as controller. Essex will replace C.V. Meserole, who is leaving the company to pursue other interests.
Taking advantage of liberalization in the European Union and within France, Alitalia will compete next year on Lyon-Nantes and Lyon-Toulouse routes. Italy's national carrier will fly beyond Lyon in daily MD-82 service from Rome and Milan.
FAA said yesterday it will end funding for seven control towers after Dec. 31 because the level of activity at them fall below its criteria for continued support. The move will affect towers at Wheeling, W. Va.; Shreveport, La.; Bloomington, Ind.; Muncie, Ind.; Lake Tahoe, Calif.; Greenbriar Valley, W. Va.; and Cape Girardeau, Mo. "In a time of declining budgets, the FAA must spend its money wisely," said Administrator David Hinson. "We cannot afford to operate control towers where there is not enough air traffic to justify it."
Northwest, Radisson Hotels Worldwide and Boeing have teamed up this year to help the Toys for Tots campaign run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Northwest is providing donation envelopes in its inflight magazine and at Worldclub locations and city ticket offices. WorldPerks members who contribute at least $50 or a FlyWrite ticket earn 500 frequent flyer bonus miles. Radisson is providing toy collection boxes and donation envelopes in its U.S. hotels.
East Line Aviation is the newest member of GETS Marketing Co. East Line will distribute the GETS automation product line throughout Russia from its Moscow office. GETS provides information management to travel-related companies.
Delta's Escape Plan members have chosen New York as their favorite travel destination. The airline polled new subscribers in the program, which offers savings on weekend trips from Atlanta and Cincinnati. Boston was in second place, while San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego tied for third. Acting on the results of the poll, Delta said it will expand the plan to new destinations, including "several 'warm places' or perhaps even a 'magical' place." Escape Plan membership costs $69 a year and enrollment will close Dec. 15.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, was a record-breaker for United at Los Angeles. The carrier boarded 23,676 passengers there during the day, one every 3.5 seconds, and its load factor was 87.1%. Its systemwide load factor on Sunday was more than 80% (DAILY, Nov. 28). Frontier Airlines said it carried more passengers on Monday, 4,820, than on any day in its 17 months of operations.
Mercury Air Group of Los Angeles and Carnival Air Lines have backed away from a letter of intent agreed to last month for a potential merger, Mercury said. It said the transaction cannot go through because of the inability of the companies to agree on "certain material terms and closing conditions." Mercury, a provider of petroleum products, cargo and aviation services, was to acquire all of the common stock of Carnival (DAILY, Oct. 19). A Carnival representative said it was a "friendly divorce" brought on by a disagreement over how the shares would be distributed.
Air Transport Association President Carol Hallett urged the Treasury Department yesterday "to strongly encourage" the Internal Revenue Service to withdraw a technical advice memorandum (TAM) that concluded employees who use frequent flyer miles for personal trips should be taxed for the cost of the air travel that produced the frequent flyer miles (DAILY, Nov. 29). The IRS already is beginning to back away from the policy, which technically applies only to the single company that sought IRS's advice on the matter.
FAA plans to issue next month proposed new airline pilot flight and duty time regulations that will contain the "latest scientific data available," David Harrington, manager of the air transportation section of FAA's Flight Standards Division, said yesterday. The proposed rules are a "separate effort," beyond the agency's drive to bring the safety standards of regional airlines to the level of larger carriers, Harrington told The DAILY.
Guangzhou, Macau, Singapore and Vancouver are planning to build high-tech theme parks to lure tourists. Attractions include virtual reality rides and games. The parks are being developed by Singapore Technologies, a government-backed company, and Japan's mega-computer game producer Sega. A park in Singapore may open before yearend, and Macau plans to open one at the end of 1996.
Atlas Air has appointed Donald Hickey VP-marketing. Hickey worked for 12 years as program manager for Boeing's commercial/military modification programs in Wichita before retiring in June.
Abacus Distribution System's Hotel Source Direct Availability is now on line, enabling travel agents to use their Abacus terminals to access a hotel's internal database. Radisson Hotels Worldwide was the first hotel participant to upgrade to the system, which provides information on rate types and current availability status.
Neiman Marcus has received a winning bid of $177,747.17 in its "name the plane" auction. The winning couple, whose names will appear in foot-high letters on the nose of a United 777 for one year, will get a tour of Boeing's plant in Seattle, accept delivery of a new 777 on behalf of United and receive a Mileage Plus Pass entitling them to unlimited first-class travel for one year. A major portion of the bid will be donated to the charitable organization AmeriCares.
The future may be looking bright for ValuJet, according to Gruntal Investment Research. The carrier's stock was up more than 30% at 11 a.m. on the day before Thanksgiving, from $26 per share to $34 3/4, before the investment company "suggested that some profits be taken." The airline's stock still posted a healthy gain for the day. Later, ValuJet had an excellent Thanksgiving, with a 91% load factor Wednesday and 94% on Sunday, the best in the industry.
British Airways is expected to announce tomorrow a shuffling of executives as CEO-designate Robert Ayling begins to put together his management team. The changes are expected to be made public after a meeting of the BA board. Ayling becomes CEO and takes over full day-to-day control of the airline on Jan. 1.
Transportation Secretary Federico Pena yesterday exempted U.S. and foreign air carriers from the current requirement that they file international cargo tariffs, a move that will save the airline industry an estimated $600,000 a year. Pena said that the requirement was "costly and burdensome to everyone connected with it." The exemption stems from an earlier proposal and supports the administration's campaign to reinvent government, Pena said.
