Alaska Airlines' December traffic rose 4.1% to 726 million revenue passenger miles on 4% more capacity. Load factor inched up to 63% for the month, compared with 62.9% in December 1994. For the year, Alaska's traffic was up 13.1% to 8.584 billion RPMs, while available seat miles totaled 13.885 billion, up 14.9% from 12.082 billion. Alaska carried 876,300 passengers in December and 10,140,000 during the year. Sister carrier Horizon Air flew 73 million RPMs in December, up 3.5% from December 1994, and 118 million ASMs, up 6.7%.
Future Aviation Professional of America promoted Edward Ray to director-sales and customer service and Janice Gibson to customer service supervisor. International Aviation Women's Association elected Dot Etheridge president for a two-year term. President-elect for the 1998-2000 term is Katherine Posner, and new board members are Rachel Trinder, partner of Zuckert, Scoutt&Rasenberger, and Eileen Cashman-Jermak, assistant VP of the Association of Aviation Underwriters.
DOT has awarded 126 fifth-freedom frequencies to Delta and United for 1996 U.S.-Germany summer service. Delta received 98 frequencies - five for Athens-Frankfurt, six for Vienna-Hamburg, seven each for Amsterdam- Stuttgart, Bombay-Frankfurt, Budapest-Frankfurt, Istanbul-Frankfurt, Moscow-Frankfurt, Warsaw-Frankfurt, Zurich-Frankfurt and Zurich-Stuttgart; 14 for Zurich-Munich, and 17 for Vienna-Frankfurt services.
Aer Lingus appointed Jack Foley executive VP-North America. AirWays Corporation named Cathy Hoag VP of jet subsidiary AirTran Airways, with responsibility for advertising, marketing and sales. AMR Eagle named Greg Hall VP-maintenance and engineering. Eastwind appointed Steve Davis VP-ground operations. TWA has hired Mark Abels as VP-corporate communications in St. Louis, subject to board confirmation.
Boeing Commercial President Ron Woodard says the company is four to six weeks away from "having specific resolution with every customer" on specific delivery dates of aircraft delayed by the Machinists' strike. The goal is to get the aircraft to customers in the same month they were originally scheduled for delivery. "It takes a long time to recover from something like this," Woodard said.
Granted orally an exemption to United renewing its authority to operate scheduled combination service between Atlanta, Houston and Tampa, on the one hand, and points in the Cayman Islands, on the other, under a code- share arrangement with Cayman Airways. United also received permission to integrate this authority with its existing certicate and exemption authority...Approved an IATA agreement amending fares within the TC3 area to reflect the government-approved level.
Northwest and KLM are offering winter reductions of 40% to 60% off regular discount fares. The cut rates, available through Jan. 12 for travel through March 30, requires a seven-day advance purchase.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Traffic Second Quarter 1995 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles Carriers (000) Change (Miles) (000) America West 4,328 6.67 801 3,465,866 American 16,709 (1.70) 1,088 18,182,420
Western Pacific Airlines has awarded a 10-year contract for maintenance to BF Goodrich Aerospace. The contract involves five maintenance divisions of BF Goodrich, and also involves purchasing, inventory management, engineering services, technical information and training and a "sizable investment" in spares, rotables and expendable inventories.
The future shape of USAfrica Airways operations still is being negotiated, USAfrica President Gregory Lewis told The DAILY. The carrier concluded last week an agreement in principle to sell all its stock and route authority to Tower Air. Lewis said it has not been determined whether USAfrica will be a separate entity controlled by Tower or will be merged with Tower, or whether he will play a role in the operation.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers International Traffic June 1995 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles Carriers (000) Change (Miles) (000) American 1,241 10.16 2,261 2,805,813 Atlantic 360 6.20 4,100 1,477,050 Latin 848 12.26 1,354 1,147,454
National Mediation Board will convene a meeting between Federal Express pilots and management today in Washington on training, reduction in force, filling vacancies and general provisions, four contract sections on which the Air Line Pilots Association and the company were able to reach conceptual understandings in their most recent round of negotiations. The pilots still are engaged in self-help following last year's impasse in negotiations.
Chris Nassenstein has jumped ship from Canadian Airlines to work for rival Air Canada. Nassenstein, most recently VP-maintenance and engineering at Canadian, replaces John Dickie Feb. 1 as Air Canada's VP-technical operations.
FAA and the Pentagon want to coordinate reporting on electromagnetic testing after discovering that a mysterious "wormhole" north of St. Louis, which was interfering with the civil Global Positioning System satellite signal, was caused by radiation/antenna pattern testing at a McDonnell Douglas plant.
- In Federal Register dated Dec. 29...Superseded an airworthiness directive on Piper PA28-140 aircraft concerning replacement of oil cooler hoses. - In FR dated Jan. 2...Issued special conditions on Fairchild SA227-CC/DC (C-26B) airplanes modified by Rockwell Collins.
Air 4000, Inc. has applied for an operating certificate to perform scheduled service between Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Detroit, Philadelphia and Cleveland. If approved, the potential new entrant, which will operate as Jet Express, plans to begin operations on or about March 1 with a single leased 122-seat 737-200. Air 4000 plans to offer point-to-point, low-fare service between Myrtle Beach and the three northern destinations, proposing off-peak fares as low as $79 and peak fares up to $139.
Carriers of the Orient Airlines Association earned $1.31 billion in after- tax net profits in 1994/95, up 308% from 1993/94 but short of the $1.5 billion the group earned in 1991/92. As of Oct. 1, the 16 OAA carriers operated 1,060 jets, with 349 more on order through 2001.
Nine regional airline stocks took a tumble in December, dropping an average of $1.20 per share to close the year at $10.48. Total market value for the nine issues was down $343.8 million to $2.147 billion. Seven stocks declined in value, led by market leader and Delta Connection carrier Comair, down a full $6.50 to $26.88 per share. Delta Connection Atlantic Southeast followed with a dip of $4.75 to $21.50, while Delta Connection SkyWest posted a more modest 88-cent decline to $12.88 per share.
TWA is seeking renewal of its certificate authority to operate scheduled combination service between New York and Moscow. Conceding that the authority is currently unused, the carrier said it "should nevertheless be renewed, consistent with the department's well-established policy on continuing dormant certificate rights." (Docket OST-95-984)
FlightSafety International said Embraer of Brazil has named it the official training company for the EMB-145 regional jetliner. FlightSafety Simulation will start soon on design and construction of a Level D simulator and other training equipment for the Embraer center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The simulator will have the Vital ChromaView visual system and MultiView display. Brit Air has ordered a Level D full flight simulator for the Canadair RJ from FlightSafety Simulation, for use at its flight training center at Morlaix, France.
ValuJet is offering a systemwide two-for-one fare special for reservations made by Jan. 25. Travel must be completed by Feb. 14. Roundtrip purchase and Saturday night stay are not required.
Alaska Airlines will inaugurate nonstop service between Portland and Spokane Jan. 7, and will add a second daily flight Jan. 21. The carrier also will increase flying from Seattle to Phoenix, Los Angeles and Anchorage, and between Portland and San Jose and San Francisco and Palm Springs. The Portland-Spokane flights, when added to those of sister carrier Horizon Air, enable customers to choose flights virtually every hour from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Alaska and Horizon Air are offering free roundtrip tickets until Jan. 18 to every fare-paying passenger boarding in Seattle or Portland who is traveling to or through Spokane, San Jose, Oakland, San Francisco and Sacramento. Any available fare qualifies for the free ticket, which can be used Jan. 19 through May 22 or given to one of three designated charities.
TWA's December traffic grew 1.2% on 1.1% fewer available seat miles. International capacity was down 8.1% from the December 1994 level. The load factor was 62.2%, up 1.4 percentage points. TWA carried 2.2% more passengers systemwide but 4.2% fewer on international flights. For the year, traffic was flat, compared with 1994, on a 3.3% capacity decrease, lifting the load factor 2.1 points to 65.7. TWA flew 3% more passengers in 1995 than in 1994. Dec 95 Dec 94 12 Mths 95 12 Mths 94
New Regional Aircraft Orders And Options Firm Orders Options Carrier No. Type No. Type Engines Air Express 1 Beech 1900D - - PT6A-67D Crossair 5 Saab 2000 - - AB2100A Ethopian Airlines 5 Fokker 50 - - PW127B Great China 1 DHC-8-300 - - PW123 Orca Air 2 Metro 23E 4 Metro 23B TPE331-12UA-701G
