TWA has been approved by DOT to begin service between New York Kennedy and Santo Domingo Dec. 1. The carrier will operate daily L-1011 service. TWA beefed up service to Mexico and the Caribbean recently to offer better north-south winter travel options.
International Airline Passengers Association (IAPA) is offering members the opportunity to convert frequent flyer miles into LatinPass redeemable on 15 airlines. IAPA members earn IAPAMiles that can be converted into tickets through LatinPass.
Engineers have successfully made the first telephone call using a new Inmarsat system that will make satellite communications available for short- and medium-haul aircraft. The equipment, which will begin flight trials in January, makes use of a new generation of aeronautical services that employ smaller, lighter and cheaper avionics and antennas than those used on longer-range aircraft.
Lone Star Airlines is planning discount fares between Dallas/Fort Worth and Aspen when it starts serving the market Dec. 15. Two roundtrip fares are available through Feb. 18 - $390 for all flights between Dec. 15-Jan. 6, and $337 for travel Jan. 6-Feb. 18. Tickets must be purchased by Nov. 25.
United Leisure Corp. has signed a letter of intent with Apollo Travel Services to form a joint venture to market and create an interactive multimedia travel system. The venture would combine the technology developed by United Leisure with Apollo's reservations system. The two companies have 90 days to work out the details. The system initially would be used only for booking cruises by travel agents, and a site would be established on the World Wide Web to provide consumers with cruise information and enable them to make the reservations themselves.
The world's largest private collection of vintage aircraft opens today near Polk City, Fla. The new Fantasy of Flight museum has simulators that allow spectators to pilot a World War II aircraft in battle. Five P-51 Mustangs are scheduled to overfly opening ceremonies.
The Pentagon is "firmly against any proposal that would charge the Department of Defense for its use of the air traffic control system," a Defense Department assistant secretary told the House Transportation aviation subcommittee recently.
U.S. carriers' traffic was up 1.4% in October from the same month in 1994, to 43.6 billion revenue passenger miles. The Air Transport Association said passenger enplanements decreased for the fourth month in a row, dropping 1.2% in October to 42,164,000. ATA President Carol Hallett said, "Relatively flat growth in traffic has helped to spur some of the fare initiatives over the past few weeks. Now the question will be how those airfare sales will affect passenger traffic in November and December."
USAir intends to expand its international service next year with new flights to Munich and Madrid, if approved. Munich would become USAir's second German destination from Philadelphia, and Madrid its first service to Spain. The carrier also would serve Philadelphia-Rome under a pending application at DOT. The Madrid service has been cleared by DOT but is awaiting approval from the Spanish government, and Munich service depends on an allocation of 1996 Germany frequencies by DOT.
China Airlines and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group will launch a cooperative mileage program Dec. 1. Under the terms of the new scheme, members of CAL's Dynasty Flyer Program will be awarded 500 bonus mileage points each time they stay at one of the Mandarin Oriental Groups' 11 hotels. In addition, members will qualify for a special room rate discount. The agreement observes the first time CAL has sought a partner in the hospitality industry to promote its frequent flyer program.
After months of speculation and frustration, Air New Zealand signed a memorandum of understanding Friday with TNT Ltd. of Australia to buy 25% of Ansett Australia's parent, Ansett Holdings Ltd., for A$200 million. Air New Zealand Chairman Bob Matthew said he expects to complete a formal agreement in the near future. After the transaction closes, Ansett will be owned 50% by News Corp., 25% by TNT and 25% by Air New Zealand.
British Aerospace's Asset Management Organization has completed lease transactions with three U.K. regional carriers. AMO leased Air U.K. a BAe 146-300 formerly operated by Mistral Air of Italy to replace a BAe 146-200 that was returned off-lease from Air U.K. to Delta Air Transport in Belgium; extended for five years the lease by charter operator Flightline of its single BAe 146-300; extended for six years a Manx Airlines lease for one of its BAe 146-200s, and sold an additional -200 aircraft to Manx.
Southwest's board has declared a quarterly dividend of one cent per share on all shares currently issued and outstanding. The dividend, the airline's 77th in a row, will be paid on Jan. 2 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Dec. 6.
American appointed Steven Tracas managing director-Western Division sales, succeeding Michael Smith, who was named managing director-sales and reservations, Europe.
America West has reduced fares from Nov. 29 through Dec. 19 as low as $38 roundtrip between Columbus and Indianapolis. The highest sale fare is $318 roundtrip for New York-San Francisco. The fares require a seven-day advance purchase and minimum stay.
Cathay Pacific Airways signed a contract for two more Airbus A330s with Rolls-Royce Trent engines for delivery in the fourth quarter of 1996 and the first quarter of 1997. The transaction brings to 11 the number of firm orders Cathay has placed for the A330, which it configures for a two-class layout of 50 business and 270 coach seats.
Consolidated October passenger traffic at American Trans Air increased 13.9% from the same month last year on 7.9% more capacity, boosting the load factor 3.5 percentage points to 67.1%. The number of passengers boarded rose 19.9% and the length of the average passenger trip dropped 5% to 1,647 miles. Through the first 10 months of this year, American Trans Air's consolidated traffic, which includes scheduled and charter operations, rose 25.7% on 22.1% more available seat miles, increasing the load factor two points to 71.9%.
Air Canada's Class A non-voting shares and its 8% convertible subordinated debentures began trading Thursday on Nasdaq. "We expect that the high visibility, efficiency and liquidity of the dynamic Nasdaq Stock Market will offer substantial benefits to our company and its shareholders," said the carrier's chairman, Hollis Harris. In addition to visibility, Nasdaq offers Air Canada the advantage of multiple market markers that compete to offer the best bid and ask prices, the airline said.
House on Friday passed 237 to 189 the conference report (House Report 104- 350) on the budget reconciliation bill (H.R.2491), approving a measure to extend for two more years the exemption for commercial aviation fuel from the 4.3 cents-per-gallon transportation fuel tax. The legislation also would extend aviation excise taxes through Sept. 30, 1996. For budgetary reasons, the fuel-tax exemption through Sept. 30, 1997, is contingent on extension of the aviation trust fund taxes. Without an extension, the aviation taxes would expire at the end of this year.
Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA) workers were to hold last-ditch talks during the weekend in what some observers viewed as a futile effort to keep management from axing 8,000 jobs in an attempt to stem losses that thus far this year amount to more than $1 billion. DASA plans to abolish nearly 9,000 jobs as part of a restructuring plan to become more competitive against the U.S. dollar.
For the first time in its 50-year history, Airborne Express carried more than one million shipments per day during one week, Nov. 6-10. A second runway at its hub in Wilmington, Ohio, which makes simultaneous landings and takeoffs possible, increased Airborne's system capacity.
