America West has reduced fares for night flights between several western cities and 18 destinations in the Midwest and East. Fares are $89, $99 or $149 each way based on a roundtrip purchase. Tickets must be purchased by Sept. 11 for travel through Oct. 31.
USAir's unions reacted with surprise yesterday to the announcement that Chairman and Chief Executive Seth Schofield will retire. British Airways Chairman Colin Marshall noted that Schofield will be handing over an airline whose finances are much improved.
Frank Lorenzo and his company, ATX Inc., may be controlling the operations and management of Nations Air Express Inc. through agreements that could cause DOT to withdraw Nations' certificate, the department told the Smyrna, Ga.-based carrier. After reading documents on current and proposed investments in the carrier by ATX and Lorenzo, provided last Friday by Nations Air, DOT officials said they need more information and suggested that Nations Air put off any agreements until DOT's concerns are resolved (DAILY, Sept. 5).
MasterCard International cardholders will see new uses for their cards soon, as airlines begin installing inflight entertainment systems on their aircraft. MasterCard said its research shows that by 2000, an estimated 600 widebody aircraft will be equipped with in-seat video monitors providing opportunities for entertainment, shopping and other services that will require a credit card.
Doctored wine and lovers' fares turn up in a collection of 250 unusual letters received by an Alaska Airlines employee. Featured in the employee newsletter, she says a couple going broke flying back and forth to see each other requested a lovers' discount, promising to wear the airline's tee shirt at their wedding, if necessary. Another writer said the inflight wine was doctored with additives intended to embarrass and manipulate those who drank it. He added, "I do not suffer from paranoia."
Boeing 727 and 737 Systemwide Aircraft Utilization Per Day First Quarter 1995 B727-200 American Continental Number of Aircraft Operated 88 52 Total Fleet Operations Departures 340 189 Block Hours 748 475 Flight Hours 617 400
More than 97% of general aviation pilots use FAA's Flight Service for weather briefings and inflight services, according to a National Association of Air Traffic Specialists survey. The union said more than nine out of 10 pilots call Flight Service controllers for updates after using the DUATS (direct user access terminal) computer-operated weather information system.
London continues to reign as the top international destination this fall for U.S. citizens, according to the American Society of Travel Agents' Annual Fall Hot Spots Survey. Agents report that overall bookings for fall are above last year's levels. Of those surveyed, 55.7% said their bookings are up. When asked to name the top five domestic destinations, 81.9% of respondents listed points in Florida, 73.4% California, 65% Nevada, 37% New York and 25.2% Arizona.
Business is good for tourism this year, the National Tour Association, Lexington, Ky., says. Member tour operators reported more departures, more passengers and higher gross revenue in the second quarter, compared with the same 1994 period. A survey of NTA members found 62% were transporting more passengers, 56% had a higher number of departures, and 60% had higher gross revenues.
Lufthansa Cargo AG and South African Airways (SAA) plan to expand their cargo cooperation by adding two joint freighter flights between Germany and South Africa. On Oct. 1, SAA Cargo will begin operating twice-weekly 747 freighter service between Johannesburg and Frankfurt via Nairobi. Lufthansa Cargo already operates two weekly 747 freighters in the market. All four flights will be operated as joint-venture flights.
Boeing 777 launch customer United has turned up a potential cracking problem on PW4084 turbofan oil tubes, but Pratt&Whitney said yesterday its engineers understand the phenomenon and have developed a fix. Discovery of the beginnings of tiny cracks in the tube's elbow joint led to rumors throughout the airline industry that the airplanes had suffered oil leaks from cracked tubes, and that United was grounding two aircraft as a result.
Air Canada plans to launch nonstop service between Toronto and Washington Dulles Oct. 29, using 50-seat Canadair CL-65 regional jets. The three- times-daily service will give Air Canada and Air Canada Connector carrier Air Ontario a total of 18 flights a day between Canada and the Washington, D.C., area. With the service, Air Canada is "reinforcing its position as the carrier of choice between Canada and the U.S. capital," said Robert Milton, senior VP-marketing and inflight service.
Third annual Travel Industry Golf Classic, sponsored by Budget Rent-A-Car, will be held Oct. 11 at the Lansdowne Conference Resort near Leesburg, Va. Funds from the tournament will go toward expanding the American Society of Travel Agents' Scholarship Foundation programs. Registration deadline is Sept. 15. Contact Dan Peck at 703-780-4966.
ValuJet had a passenger load factor in August of 78.1%, an increase of 13.5 percentage points from the same month last year. The airline boarded 151% more passengers. Through the first eight months of 1995, ValuJet's load factor rose 6.8 points to 72% and its passenger boardings increased 175%. ValuJet now serves 26 cities in 17 states. Aug 95 Aug 94 8 Mths 95 8 Mths 94 RPMs 282,454,000 105,209,000 1,634,983,000 539,549,000
Minneapolis-based Carlson Wagonlit's travel agent poll shows casinos are the most popular destinations for weekend travelers, followed by ocean and lakeside resorts. Sixty-nine percent of the agents surveyed said weekend travel is on the rise. Most travelers are accompanied by a spouse or significant other, while 10% travel alone. The survey also showed that bookings were split evenly for distances - half for destinations 150-500 miles away and half for more than 500 miles.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and FlightSafety International will establish jointly an advanced flight training center on the university's Daytona Beach campus. Embry-Riddle will design and construct a high-bay simulation training center to house 737-300 and Beech 1900D full-flight simulators produced by FSI. FSI will provide management services, including scheduling, maintenance and instructor training. FSI President A.L.
Terry Hallcom, chief operating officer of USAir Shuttle, is the leading bidder for MarkAir, the struggling carrier told an Anchorage bankrutcy court. Hallcom's offer does not preclude other investors from bidding for MarkAir's Denver operation (DAILY, Sept. 6). Hallcom signed a letter of intent on behalf of B&T Holdings, of which he is chairman. The court will hear arguments today on MarkAir's request to break its collective bargaining pact with its pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association.
Orlando, Fla., one of the most popular U.S. domestic leisure destinations, continued its steady growth in domestic tourism in 1994 but recorded a dropoff in overseas visitors. Foreign travelers to Orlando declined to 2.3 million from 2.9 million, while U.S. residents visiting the city increased to 30.8 million from 28.7 million, according to the Orlando/Orange County Convention&Visitors Bureau 1994 Research Report. The city dropped to fifth in popularity for overseas visitors in 1994.
Belgium signed its open skies aviation agreement with the U.S., concluding the U.S.'s nine-country European open skies initiative and clearing the way for a bid by Delta for antitrust immunity in its dealings with its European code-share partners. "This agreement with Belgium...and the successful negotiations with Canada which were concluded in February, represent by far the largest effort to open up airline service since domestic airline deregulation more than 15 years ago," DOT Secretary Federico Pena said yesterday.
Real estate concern Filinvest Development Corp., based in the Philippines, is planning to expand its business to include the tourism industry and high-rise condominium development, Reuter reports from Manila. The company plans to build a 400-room hotel on a beachfront property on Mactan Island near Cebu City for 1.4 billion pesos or US$53.9 million, the report said. The company wants to capitalize on the growing number of tourists to the southern Philippines by tapping into the resort hotel business, Reuter said.
U.S. State Department has reiterated an earlier travel warning for Israel following an Aug. 21 bus bombing in Jerusalem - the sixth terrorist suicide bombing in the country since last October. U.S. citizens are warned not to use public transportation, which does not include tour buses.
TWA's systemwide passenger traffic declined 2.3% last month from August 1994 on 5.9% less capacity, boosting the airline's passenger load factor 2.7 percentage points to 74.1%. Passenger volume increased 3%. TWA's domestic traffic declined 0.5% in August, while its international traffic dropped 5.6%. Domestic capacity was down 2.5%, while international capacity fell 12.7%. Through the first eight months of this year, TWA's systemwide passenger traffic declined 0.2% on 3.7% less capacity, producing a load factor increase of 2.4 points to 71.3%.
Competing for new service between the U.S. and Peru in the non-Miami phase of the U.S.-Lima service proceeding, American and Continental argued for their plans in separate filings. Seeking a Dallas/Fort Worth-Lima route, with one-stop service from Los Angeles, American pledged to begin operating daily 757-223ER service Oct. 1 or 15 days following the final DOT decision.
National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) members accounted for 23% of worldwide sales of used jet aircraft and 13% of used turboprops in the second quarter of 1995, the association said. NARA said its members' jet sales were valued at $168 million and the turboprops at $32.5 million. Total sales in the resale market - NARA members and all others - were 284 jets and 279 turboprops. NARA also reported that Bank One is its newest associate member.
KLM's overall traffic - passenger, cargo and mail - increased 11% in August to 717.4 million revenue ton kilometers on 15% more capacity, pushing the load factor down 2.7 percentage points to 73.9%. Systemwide passenger traffic rose 9% last month from August a year ago, to 4.42 billion revenue passenger kilometers, on 8% more capacity, boosting the passenger load factor 1.1 points to 81.8%. Passenger traffic growth was strongest on routes to the Asia/Pacific region, where RPKs increased 23% from a year ago.
