DOT has ordered MarkAir Express to continue scheduled service at Atka and Umnak Island (Nikolski), Alaska, through Dec. 26 or until further department action, whichever occurs first. The carrier informed the department in August of its intent to suspend the essential air service (DAILY, Aug. 4). However, DOT prohibited the carrier from terminating the service for 30 days beyond its 90-day notice period or through Nov. 25 and requested proposals for replacement service.
FAA is denying support for an ILS at Fayetteville, Ark., Drake Field, citing development of the new Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport. Drake Field, meanwhile, offers 36 regional airline departures each business day - 17 to Dallas Fort Worth, seven each to St. Louis and Memphis and five to Kansas City - with no precision approach. The city wants a glide slope installed with the current localizer because "our commuter airline schedules are regularly impacted negatively by not having an approach aid that provides low minimums," according to Mayor Fred Hanna...
Canadian Airlines International said yesterday its October traffic increased 7.4% over that of the same month in 1994, from 1.15 million revenue passenger miles to 1.23 million. Capacity increased faster, however - by 10.4%, to 1.86 million available seat miles - so the load factor fell 1.8 percentage points to 66.1%. Don Casey, VP of capacity planning, noted that October was "the fifth month in a row with significantly improved year-over-year traffic."
...Administrator David Hinson, entering the fray, told the Northwest Arkansas Times that expansion of the airport is constrained by approach and terrain limitations, arguing that the "addition of an ILS still would not increase substantially airport safety." At the same time, Hinson noted that opponents of the new airport claim "that some sort of political fix is on. Nothing could be further from the truth." He told the newspaper the controversial new airport had bipartisan support and that "the FAA's involvement in the development...has been done by the book."
Fast-growing Gulfstream International Airlines has become the latest regional airline to sign on with the ReArm revenue management service, ReArm reported. ReArm is a subsidiary of College Park, Md.-based BehavHeuristics, Inc. Miami Springs, Fla.-based Gulfstream operates 180 daily departures to 22 airports with a fleet of 21 aircraft. It announced the acquisition of two Shorts 360 aircraft this week (DAILY, Nov. 29). The first customer for the ReArm service was Plattsburgh, N.Y.-based USAir Express affiliate CommutAir.
Worldwide Airline Customer Relations Association will hold its 50th annual conference Oct. 1-4, 1996, in Minneapolis. Northwest will host the meeting. For more information, call Ardette Matasovsky at Northwest, 612- 726-6075.
The DAILY reported Nov. 3 that Mesaba parent AirTran Corp.'s attempt to start a low-fare jet carrier, AirTran Airways, on the East Coast was an "abortive attempt." The terminology was used to describe AirTran Corp.'s relations with partner Northwest and its pilots, who claimed the new jet carrier violated the union contract scope clause. Air TranCorp.
Regional airline load factors continued to edge higher in October as traffic growth stayed ahead of capacity increases. A sampling of 14 airlines produced an average load factor of 49.3%. The sampling ranged from a low of 43.1% for Business Express to a high of 59.8% for Horizon Air. Six of the 14 carriers had load factors above 50%, which generally is regarded as healthy within the industry.
Avions de Transport Regional (ATR) and Thai Airways International have signed an agreement too install an Asian ATR training center on Thai's premises in Bangkok. The center, due to open in September next year, will be equipped with a level D Full Flight Simulator (6 axes) made by Thomson Training&Simulation. The simulator, which can be used for training on ATR 42-300, -400 and -500 and ATR 72-200 and -210 aircraft, is identical to a simulator that will be installed at ATR's Toulouse, France, training center.
Delta and its Air Line Pilots Association leaders appear to have made a breakthrough in negotiations on the company's proposal to increase flying with 100-seat aircraft. Only a few days ago, the union said significant differences remained, specifically on pay rates. But Delta's negotiators said yesterday they made good progress this week and an agreement is likely. Larger differences appear to persist on job security and scope provisions.
Members of the Canadian Auto Workers union have ratified a new collective agreement with Canadian Airlines International that will reduce the airline's costs without laying off employees or cutting back wages. When fully implemented, the 38-month pact will reduce costs by more than C$17 million a year, Canadian said. "The CAW ratification means Canadian Airlines is more than half way toward our overall goal for productivity improvements," said Kevin Grayson, senior VP-human resources and corporate development at Canadian.
Hamilton Standard-Nauka, the joint-venture company formed by Hamilton Standard of the U.S. and NPO Nauka of Russia, held open house yesterday at its new facility in Moscow, where it has begun production of environmental control units for civil transport aircraft. It will ship the first units by the end of the year to Tupolev for use on the 214-passenger Tu-204 and the 102-passenger Tu-334. The facility employs about 35 people and plans to add more workers as the market develops during the next several years.
Northwest has promoted Phil Haan to senior VP-international responsible for Pacific and Atlantic marketing and country establishments. He also will be in charge of international pricing and yield management. Haan has led the Northwest/KLM alliance joint venture operating committee and the Pacific revenue team. Tim Griffin, senior VP-market planning and systems, will assume responsibility for domestic pricing, yield management and area marketing.
New Aircraft Orders And Options September 1995 Last 12 Months Firm Orders Options Orders Options Carrier # Type # Type Engines Del. Dates # Type # Type PW4084 All Nippon 10 777-300 - (1x4074) - 0 0 Asiana1 1 767-300ER - CF6-80C2 Oct 95 0 0
British Airways is offering a "winter fling" to London starting at $579. The price includes roundtrip airfare and three nights' hotel accommodation. The Taste of London package runs from Jan. 1 through March 31. The price is based on departure from Washington Dulles, and additional prices are offered from all of BA's 19 U.S. gateways and USAir's code-share cities. Six-night packages range from $669 to $1,359.
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.
