Sen. Larry Pressler (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science&Transportation, is asking the U.S. to step up its negotiations for an open skies agreement with Germany. In a letter to DOT Secretary Federico Pena, Pressler said he was aware that progress has been made in the talks. "I believe, however, the importance of this initiative calls for renewed vigor on the part of both the Department of Transportation and the Department of State," said Pressler.
World Airways flew 60% more block hours in November than in the same 1994 month - 3,414 versus 2,135. Block hours for the year to date totaled 34,631, up 43%.
TWA's November traffic increased 2.4% on 1.2% less capacity, compared with the same month last year. The load factor was up 2.3 percentage points. A 7% increase in international passengers, combined with an 8.6% decline in international capacity, boosted the carrier's international load factor by 10.3 points. For the first 11 months of the year, traffic was down 0.1% on 3.5% less capacity, increasing the load factor 2.2 points. Nov 95 Nov 94 11 Mths 95 11 Months 1994
The industry team Raytheon assembled to compete for FAA's $1 billion Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) contract has passed a crucial FAA test qualifying it as a bidder, the company said. FAA is expected to issue a request for STARS proposals sometime next month. Raytheon Electronic Systems said the team successfully passed FAA's Operational Capability Demonstration (OCD), the final step in qualifying the team to bid.
Boeing Chairman Frank Shrontz and Machinists union President George Kourpias agreed yesterday to direct their negotiators to return immediately to the bargaining table. Federal mediator Ben Youtsey, who has agreed to oversee the new round of talks, asked both parties not to disclose the location of the meetings in an attempt to make them "as productive as possible." The 32,000 Boeing workers have been on strike since Oct. 5 (DAILY, Oct. 10). Shrontz and Kourpias agreed to a National Mediation Board request that neither side comment during the bargaining sessions.
KLM will begin service to Lusaka, Zambia, and Surabaya, Indonesia, next year, the carrier said. Starting Jan. 10, flights from Amsterdam to Lusaka will be operated twice a week with an MD-11 via Lilongwe, Milawi. Surabaya service, consisting of two weekly flights with a 747-400, will begin April 30. Those flights will continue on to Denpasar, Indonesia.
Transportes Aereos de Cabo Verde has leased a new 757 from International Lease Finance Corp. It will use the Pratt&Whitney-powered aircraft on flights from Sal, Cape Verde, to Lisbon, Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt.
Time Warner's World Wide Web site, called Pathfinder, is launching an interactive Internet site enabling users to plan every aspect of a leisure or business trip. Information includes text and audio lessons on common phrases in 15 languages, booking a ticket, converting foreign currency and descriptions of destinations, restaurants and golf courses. Getting Around the Planet is found at http://pathfinder.com/travel. Web browsers can search by country or by brand, such as Zagat, to find Zagat surveys on hotels, airlines and restaurants.
Boeing 737 Systemwide Aircraft Utilization Per Day Second Quarter 1995 B737-300 America West Continental Delta Number of Aircraft Operated 35 64 13 Total Fleet Operations Departures 231 268 73 Block Hours 401 587 120 Flight Hours 339 491 98
David Burner has been elected president and a director of BFGoodrich Co., succeeding John Ong, who will continue as chairman and chief executive. Burner was president and chief operating officer of BFGoodrich Aerospace. Ong plans to retire during the first half of 1997.
Japan Airlines plans to introduce service between Japan and Kona, Hawaii, beginning April 1966. JAL proposes three-times-weekly nonstop flights to Kona from Tokyo Narita Airport, with stopovers in Honolulu on return flights, using 404-seat Boeing 747-300 aircraft. The new service is permitted under terms of the Memorandum of Understanding agreed to by the U.S. and Japan in 1989, according to JAL. Carrying more than 1.8 million tourists to Honolulu in 1994, JAL said Hawaii is the most popular overseas resort for Japanese tourists.
Philippine Airlines has signed a contract with Lufthansa Technik to overhaul General Electric CF6-50 engines. The carrier has 87 of the engines on its 747-200 and A300B4 aircraft. Christopher Dehio, LHT's Singapore representative, estimated the contract value at $7 million. He said the PAL contract is the Lufthansa unit's first major success at its new Singapore base, which opened last July. Negotiations on the contract began in mid-1994.
Western Pacific Airlines is offering "winter wonderfares" as low as $29 one way for travel Jan. 4-May 23. The $29 fare applies to travel from its Colorado Springs base to Phoenix. Other fares include $39 to Dallas, $54 to Los Angeles and $69 to San Francisco. Longer-haul fares are $109 between Chicago and San Diego and $139 from New York to San Francisco. Reservations must be made by Jan. 3.
DOT has renewed Icelandair's current authority to serve Boston, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Cleveland and Detroit as additional U.S. co-terminal points on its authorized U.S. services and amended the carrier's authority by removing special conditions limiting service and frequencies. The carrier asked for elimination of a condition limiting it to five U.S. points at any given time, and of the frequency restrictions on its Boston and Orlando service, and for authority to serve Cleveland and Detroit simultaneously (DAILY, Dec. 1).
Iberia has scheduled a special board meeting this month in an apparent effort to prod the European Commission to approve the bailout package the carrier has been seeking. The meeting, slated for Dec. 23, was called "because the company's financial situation is such that it must approve the capital injection before Dec. 31," the airline said in a statement. Approval of the infusion is the only item on the agenda.
American is retrofitting its fleet of MD-80, 727 and DC-10 aircraft with GPS-based navigation systems from Honeywell/Trimble. The carrier will start installing the equipment next summer.
The new U.S.-India air agreement secures United's round-the-world service while allowing Air India fifth-freedom service to Chicago and Washington. Reached late Friday, the accord expands service opportunities for carriers from both countries (DAILY, Dec. 4). "It will increase access for U.S. carriers to the expanding India market, which is poised for unprecedented growth," said DOT Secretary Federico Pena.
Correction: U.S. equivalents of investment in debis AirFinance, the new company formed to lease Fokker aircraft, and of the value of aircraft Fokker has contracted to transfer to the new company, were reported incorrectly in the Dec. 4 issue of The DAILY. The correct amounts are about $300 million and $600 million, respectively.
Northwest will begin daily nonstop service to Fairbanks next summer from Minneapolis. It began nonstop service in the market with four weekly flights last summers 757 aircraft. The service provides the only nonstop flights offered from Fairbanks to the Midwest. Northwest said that without a stop in Anchorage or a change of plane in Seattle, its Minneapolis service reduces the typical traveling time from Fairbanks to the Midwest by four to five hours.
With 87% on-time service in October, Southwest maintained its No. 1 on-time position among the major airlines for the fifth month in a row. Overall, the nation's 10 largest carriers posted an 82.1% on-time arrival rate in October, down from September's 85.6%, according to DOT's Air Travel Consumer Report, issued yesterday. Northwest came in second at 86% while Continental slipped from second to third with 85.3%. For the second consecutive month, Delta placed last with 75.2%.
America West has decided to contract out its heavy aircraft maintenance to Tramco, a BFGoodrich company, in a move it estimates will save it $35 million during the five-year contract. The outsourcing will enable the carrier to shed one-half of its maintenance personnel, plus others in support roles such as human resources and payroll, for a total of about 500 employees. It will retain about 470 to perform and supervise line maintenance.
Jetall Airways is seeking authority to operate non-scheduled all-cargo charter service between a point or points in Canada and a point or points in the U.S. The Canadian carrier currently operates transborder charter cargo service on an ad hoc basis, using a fleet of two Boeing 737-210s, two Metros and a Convair 580. (Docket OST-95-891)
Air Berlin has ordered two 737-400s valued at $86 million. The German inclusive-tour charter carrier will use the new aircraft to replace airplanes whose operating leases end next year. Last year, Air Berlin ordered six 737-800s for delivery beginning in 1998.
USAfrica signed agreements yesterday with Smith Management and Tower Air, which will provide an infusion of new funding into the carrier now that the Delaware bankruptcy court has approved the letters of commitment from the two investors. Next, the carrier will work on the definition of transaction documents, which it expects to conclude this month, USAfrica President Gregory Lewis told The DAILY yesterday. When combined with assets remaining in the carrier's estate, the new funds are expected to enable USAfrica to resume service early next year (DAILY, Dec. 4).
