Singapore Airlines (SIA) systemwide passenger traffic rose 9.1% in August to 4.57 billion revenue passenger kilometers. The airline boarded 989,000 passengers during the month, an increase of 9.3% from August a year ago. SIA's cargo traffic rose 9.6% to 294.2 million freight ton kilometers. Through the first eight months of the year, SIA's passenger traffic increased 6.4% to 31.34 billion RPKs and its passenger enplanements rose 7.8% to nearly seven million. Cargo traffic for the period increased 10.9% to 2.29 billion FTKs.
Western Pacific has extended until Nov. 10 the deadline for buying two-for- one companion fares for travel through Dec. 14. The companion ticket is free to anyone purchasing a ticket at the everyday walk-up fare to any of the Colorado Springs-based carrier's destinations.
DOT renewed for 179 days Japan Airlines' authority to operate scheduled combination services between Sendai, Japan, and Honolulu. The period is less than JAL's one-year request but exceeds the 120-day-limit United had asked the department to impose. JAL argued that its request was consistent with the 1989 Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Japan and would benefit the traveling public. The carrier's bid was supported by the State of Hawaii (DAILY, Oct.
As U.S.-U.K. officials reconvened talks aimed at gaining additional access for U.S. carriers to London Heathrow Airport, Delta said yesterday it intends to seek authority to operate between Atlanta and Heathrow. Noting that Atlanta is the largest U.S.
Lufthansa's systemwide passenger traffic increased 5.4% in August to 5.62 billion revenue passenger kilometers. Passenger enplanements grew 6.8% from August a year ago to 2.76 million. Through the first eight months of 1995, Lufthansa's passenger traffic rose 10.8%, surpassing 40 billion RPKs, and passenger boardings increased 10.1% to 21.17 million.
American's Fly AAway Vacations has added several tours of London to this year's European winter travel package. One tour, the Classic Collection, provides a choice of five-star hotels, roundtrip airport transfers by chauffeured cars, lunch at Harrods department store and tickets to shows. Another, Historic Pubs of London, includes meal and drink passes at more than 20 London pubs. Fly AAway Vacations also has programs that enable travel agents to customize tours and offer day tours to castles or cabaret shows.
The U.S. and Japan still are trying to work out a date for the second set of cargo talks, to be held in Tokyo.Currently, late November looks likely, but "there has been no confirmation of that," said a U.S. official.
Air Transport Association Cargo Traffic August, 8 Months 1995 Revenue Ton-Miles (000) August August % 1995 1994 Change Domestic Freight 730,438 701,067 4.2 Mail 140,424 131,719 6.6 Total 870,862 832,786 4.6 International
British Airways plans to begin service from London Gatwick to Edinburgh, Stockholm and Zurich in the first half of 1996. The Edinburgh and Stockholm flights will begin March 31, and the Zurich service is scheduled to begin June 2, bringing to 87 the number of cities served from Gatwick by BA and its partner airlines. "The addition of these three routes reflects the continuing demand from our customers for more routes and more choice from Gatwick," said BA Group Managing Director Robert Ayling.
Members of Congress are wasting no time to position themselves for a possible takeover of USAir by American or United. Sen. Ernest Hollings (D- S.C.), who has long decried the impact of deregulation on service to his state, last week asked, "Mr. Crandall, if you buy USAir, could you guarantee me the same service I had when I got here as a senator? I had three flights up and three flights down." Crandall retorted, "I promise not to ask for your support for our purchase of USAir unless we're prepared to make appropriate guarantees along those lines."
Standard&Poor's last week placed WorldCorp and its CCC+ corporate credit rating and CCC- subordinated debt rating on CreditWatch with positive implications. The move reflects the addition of equity to WorldCorp's capital structure through the sale Oct. 6 of 2.9 million shares in its World Airways subsidiary, which raised $36 million, and the June sale of 3.5 million shares in its US Order subsidiary, which raised $60 million. WorldCorp now has a 59% stake in both World Airways and US Order.
TWA's papal charter from Newark to Rome, via Baltimore, has fired imaginations in the Maryland city. A photograph aired on a local TV station shows the aircraft bathed in a shaft of light that observers said strikingly resembled an angel. A TWA employee on the flight said that before departing Pope John Paul II blessed the flight, the crew and the airline.
Arinc on Nov. 1 will begin offering its Globalink high-frequency (HF) service in the North Atlantic with Delta as launch customer. Delta has equipped and certified 11 of its 767-300ER aircraft with HF data link avionics that enable it to access the service. The carrier has been using the service on a trial basis for the past year. Arinc said it expects Continental and two other major airlines to begin use this year.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's Board of Commissions last week approved a five-year lease agreement with SAS for the construction and operation of a VIP lounge at Newark's Terminal B. The lounge, which is scheduled to be completed next year, will occupy 5,800 square feet in the terminal's B-3 satellite. SAS plans to develop the facility, at a cost of $1.2 million, for its Euro-Class, first-class and Gold Card passengers, according to the port authority.
Avro International Aerospace said last week three airlines have ordered seven of its regional jet aircraft, bringing to 50 the total sold this year. Avro said that Lufthansa CityLine ordered two RJ85s following an order for five announced in September. Turkish Airlines ordered four RJ70s, and National Jet Systems of Australia ordered one RJ70.
AlliedSignal Aerospace named Gregory Summe president-AlliedSignal Engines, replacing James Robinson, who was named executive VP of Learjet. Arinc appointed William Fromme VP-strategic planning. KDI Precision Products appointed Sal Mira president and chief executive. Million Air Reading named Jon Swartzentruber VP-sales and marketing and Robert Zedaker chief financial officer. Raytheon Aircraft Company named Daniel Grafton VP.
Thiokol Corp. and the Carlyle Group announced Friday formation of a jointly owned affiliate to acquire Howmet Corp. and certain of its affiliates including the Cercast unit, from Pechiney International, a multinational French firm, for $750 million. Howmet, with revenues of about $900 million a year, manufactures precision castings of superalloys and titanium used primarily for jet aircraft and industrial gas turbine engine components. The Cercast unit builds aluminum and copper alloy investment castings for commercial aircraft and defense electronics industries.
General aviation aircraft shipments for the third quarter increased 23.9% to 259 aircraft and billings rose 65.8% to $802 million from the same period last year, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported. Through the first three quarters, units shipped rose 16% to 714, while billings increased 42.3% to $2.1 billion, GAMA said. Edward Stimpson, GAMA president, said that "all indications point to positive recovery for general aviation manufacturers.
Air Line Pilots Association subsidiary, Universal Pilot Application Service, announced that TWA will begin hiring pilots for a November training class, drawn almost entirely from UPAS. TWA estimates it will fill 150 pilot positions at a rate of about 30 per month. UPAS maintains a database of pilot candidates and their qualifications.
Continental is creating special travel packages, including airfare, hotel accommodations and concert tickets, for the only U.S. concert in 1996 by The Three Tenors - Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. The singers will perform July 20 at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands, N.J.
Rep. William Lipinski (D-Ill.) apparently will become ranking Democrat on the House Transportation aviation subcommittee, replacing Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), who now is ranking on the full committee.At the most recent subcommittee hearing, Chairman John Duncan (R-Tenn.) welcomed Lipinski to the post. Lipinski expressed a desire to serve but added that there is "nothing official on that."
Hollings then turned to Southwest Chairman Herb Kelleher: "Mr. Kelleher, you're a good low-cost operator, how about you buying USAir?" Kelleher responded, "That just may leave us as a good operator without the low-cost part."
Officials at Delta recently took delivery of four electric tow tractors for use as baggage tugs on a test basis at Salt Lake City Airport. "It is an initiative made on our own," said Delta spokesman Todd Clay. "We will put the vehicles through daily operations there to evaluate how they will operate in a number of conditions." Clay said Delta's "Continuous Improvement Team," which recommended the electric tug test, will continue to look at a number of alternative fuel-powered ground service equipment.
Delta and Austrian Airlines plan to begin code-sharing service from New York and Washington to Kiev and Odessa via Vienna this month. The carriers will offer seven weekly roundtrips between the U.S. cities and Kiev, beginning Oct. 28, and six weekly roundtrips between the U.S. points and Odessa, beginning Oct. 29. All the new service will be aboard Austrian aircraft. Delta said its code-share service on Austrian's aircraft is the result of a recent liberalization of the agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine.
American Stock Exchange announced it will trade options on American Depositary Receipts of Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft (stock/option symbol DAI) beginning Oct. 16. DAI will open with strike prices of 45, 50 and 55, with position limits of 4,500 contracts. Initial expiration months will be November and December of 1995 and January and April next year.
