Cathay Pacific will relocate its flight training facilities to Australia and the U.K. by mid-1998 because a growing number of its pilots outside Hong Kong live overseas, particularly in those two countries, Cathay said last week. The Hong Kong-based airline said 50% of its pilots will be living outside Hong by 2002. Also, the current site of Cathay's flight operations ground training school at Kai Tak is not available as a long-term location because the area will be redeveloped when the new Chek Lap Kok Airport is opened and Kai Tak is closed.
Air Canada, in a joint promotion with Swedish automobile maker Volvo, is offering members of its Aeroplan frequent flyer program the opportunity to win a new Volvo 850 GLT Sportswagon by flying Air Canada or one of its Connector carriers until Dec. 31. Conversely, until Oct. 31, buyers and lessees of new Volvos will earn 25,000 Aeroplan miles, which is enough to fly anywhere in North America on Air Canada and its partner airlines. The Volvo company builds cars in Nova Scotia.
- Granted orally an exemption to Pacific International Airlines to continue to wet-lease Boeing 727 equipment to Air Caribbean for all-cargo operations between Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, and Miami. The flight will be routed Panama City-Curacao-Miami at a maximum frequency of two round-trips per week...Granted orally an exemption to Mexicana to engage in scheduled combination service between Morelia, Mexico, and Chicago...Granted orally an exemption to Turks Air Ltd.
Malaysia Airlines and Canadian Airlines International plan to code share on flights between Vancouver and Kuala Lumpur via Taipei, beginning this fall. The two weekly flights will be operated with a Malaysia Airlines 747-400. Malaysia Airlines reserves the option of adding a third weekly flight if passenger loads are satisfactory.
Allied Pilots Association says it has reached a tentative agreement with American Airlines that provides the job security protections necessary to prevent jobs from going to code-sharing partner Canadian Airlines International or other foreign code-sharing partners. The pilots meet tomorrow with top managers to discuss what they say is still a "problematic" situation - agreements with Reno Air and Midway Airlines to feed the carrier.
Delta and its three European partners - Swissair, Sabena and Austrian - filed a joint application Friday for antitrust immunity, so they can expand their marketing relationships. The application came three days after Belgium signed its open skies agreement with the U.S. An open skies regime is a prerequisite for antitrust immunity (DAILY, Sept. 7). If approved, the international alliance would become the second to gain the immunity after the Northwest/KLM deal in 1992.
Continental Express August traffic was down 7.5% to 74.6 million revenue passenger miles as the carrier and its parent continue to cut unprofitable routes from the schedule. Express also flew 8.6% fewer available seat miles, for a total of 139.2 million, during the month, compared with August 1994, while load factor rose 0.6 points to 53.6%.
United Express Affiliate Air Wisconsin Airlines Corp. this week announced a peak ski flight schedule to Aspen, Colo., effective Dec. 20 calling for 12 daily departures and as many as 17 each day over the weekend. In making the announcement, carrier President and Chief Executive Geoff Crowley praised the new Denver Airport for the easy connections it has made possible and noted the coming availability of electronic ticketing on United Express flights.
Malaysia Airlines has selected the Bovis, McClier and WTW joint venture to design and manage the carrier's ground support facilities at the Kuala Lumpur Airport, scheduled to open Jan. 1, 1998. The McClier Aviation Group is based in Chicago, Bovis International in London and WTW in Malaysia.
Canadian Airlines International plans to "significantly" increase its winter flying this year, particularly from its Vancouver and Toronto hubs, as part its drive toward profitability. "We have a very determined strategy in place, which is to focus on strengthening those routes which are profitable," said Barbara Amster, CAI's new senior VP-marketing and sales, who recently joined the airline from partner American. "We've increased transborder flight frequencies from 105 to 833 per week," she said.
The American Association of Airport Executives has established a World Wide Web (WWW) home page on the Internet, giving airport executives and the public access to electronic information offered by the association. Called AirportNet, the WWW site provides information on AAAE accreditation, the Airport News and Training Network, conferences and meetings, corporate relations, environmental affairs, federal affairs, membership, publications and regulatory affairs. The web site also provides data on the International Association of Airport Executives.
Alaska Air Group subsidiary Horizon Air flew 85 million revenue passenger miles last month, a 9% increase from the 78 million flown in August 1994. Capacity rose 19% to 134 million available seat miles, compared with last year's 112 million. As a result, the load factor dropped 6.3 percentage points to 63.2% from 69.5%. Enplanements rose to 378,000 from 370,600 in August 1994. Aug 1995 Aug 1994 8 Mths 1995 8 Mths 1994 RPMs 85,000,000 78,000,000 561,000,000 464,000,000
Saying it intends to file its own application for new U.S.-Italy service, Delta filed an answer opposing Northwest's bid for scheduled combination service between Detroit and Rome. The carriers are contending for frequencies that will become available April 1, 1996, under the existing U.S.-Italy agreement (DAILY, Aug. 23). USAir also has applied for the service. Northwest proposes five weekly roundtrips between Detroit and Rome, using DC-10-30s, and USAir wants five weekly roundtrips between Philadelphia and Rome, operated with 767-200ERs (DAILY, Aug. 21).
Sterling, Va.-based United Express affiliate Atlantic Coast Airlines flew 35.1 million revenue passenger miles last month, 14.9% fewer than in August 1994, when it logged 41.3 million, on capacity that declined 17.4% to 66.3 million available seat miles from 80.2 million. As a result, load factor climbed 1.6 percentage points to 53% from 51.4%. The number of passengers enplaned dropped 8.7% to 144,324 from 157,996.
Fine Airlines has applied for renewal of its authority to operate all-cargo service between Miami and the co-terminal points San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and Managua, Nicaragua. The carrier also seeks renewed authority to integrate this service with its existing authority to serve San Salvador, El Salvador, and Guatemala City, Guatemala. Fine currently operates twice- weekly service to San Pedro Sula and three weekly flights to Managua, using DC-8-50F aircraft. (Docket 49227&OST-95-503)
Air New Zealand will add a fifth weekly nonstop flight between Los Angeles and London Heathrow on Dec. 1. The carrier will operate all the flights with Boeing 747-400s.
Frontier Airlines chairman and co-founder M.C. Lund, 74, has retired. Sam Addoms, president and chief executive, said the carrier has no immediate plans to replace Lund on its board, which now comprises Addoms, who has been vice chairman, and outside directors B. LaRae Orullian and Paul Dempsey. Addoms said Lund's retirement "caps a 53-year career of distinguished service in the airline industry. In sparking the creation of Frontier, he was able to draw on his vast network of associates and friends gathered over these many years."
Air France admitted this week that cabin crew productivity improvement measures implemented last year have had some success but failed to meet all objectives. At the same time, the measures - which included increasing the number of working hours and reducing days off and consecutive rest days - have caused working conditions to deteriorate and increased fatigue among crews.
Gerald Baliles, former Virginia governor and chairman of the 1993 National Airline Commission, will be the keynote speaker at a workshop on aviation opportunities in Central/Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States, scheduled Oct. 15-17 in Warsaw. Other speakers are Barry Valentine, FAA assistant administrator for policy, planning and administration; Nicholas Rey, U.S. ambassador to Poland, and Boguslaw Liberadzki, Poland's minister of transport.
New owner Rolls-Royce has launched an effort to improve business processes and quality at its Allison Engine Co. subsidiary, but is leaving strategic areas and product lines alone for the moment. "They bought a business and a business plan," Allison chief Michael Hudson told DAILY affiliate Aerospace Propulsion during a visit last month. "The debt was retired, and we are executing to plan....The immediate focus Rolls is putting on is quality."
Nine regional stocks sold for an average of $12.49 per share at August's close, a gain of 24 cents from an average price of $12.26 at the end of July. Six of the nine stocks were negative, led by Delta Connection Atlantic Southeast, which was off $2.50 to $25 per share. It had been as high as $28.81 per share, but the carrier's fatal accident Aug. 21 appeared to have no impact on the stock price.
Northwest reported its highest load factor in company history in August - 80.8% , up 4.4 points from August 1994. The load factor slightly exceeded July's record, which rounded up to 80.8%. The carrier flew 6.4 billion revenue passenger miles, up from 5.82 billion in August 1994 on a 4.1% increase in capacity, mostly on its Pacific routes. The number of passengers enplaned jumped 11.4% to 4.84 million. John Dasburg, president and chief executive, said summer 1995 "will go down in history as one of the busiest in Northwest Airlines history."
Chase Manhattan Bank said yesterday it has been selected by China Southern Airlines to arrange $290 million in financing for the purchase of two 777-200B and one 737-300 aircraft to be delivered in November and December. The financing has three tranches: a $190 million loan guaranteed by the U.S. Export-Import Bank, a $36 million commercial loan guaranteed by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and Japanese equity for the remainder. Chase said it is the Exim Bank arranger, underwriter and overall security agent.
Conquest Airlines is offering lower fares and an expanded schedule from St. Paul Downtown Holman Field to Chicago Midway. Flights have been increased from four to six Monday through Friday, with an additional flight on Sunday. One-way fares are as low as $59 on week-ends and from 6:30 p.m. to 8 :30 p.m. Monday-Friday from Chicago to St. Paul. The fare and time restriction also will apply to flights departing St. Paul, beginning Sept. 11.
