Lufthansa Group carriers - Lufthansa, Condor and Lufthansa CityLine - carried 30.9 million passengers in the first nine months of this year, an increase of 8.9% from the first three quarters of 1994. The cargo volume rose 11.7% to 1.15 million tonnes. Overall capacity was up 11.7% to 14.9 billion tonne kilometers, and overall traffic gained 10.3% to 10.5 billion tonne kilometers, producing a load factor increase of 0.1 percentage points to 70.5%.
Northwest is offering weekend fares as low as $59 roundtrip from Minneapolis/St. Paul to any domestic nonstop point. Tickets are available for purchase until Dec. 8. Travelers must leave the Twin Cities on a Saturday and return on Monday afternoon or Tuesday. Fares are good for travel Oct. 28-Dec. 12. On the high end, flights to Seattle, San Francisco or Miami will be $169 roundtrip, and on the low end, Eau Claire and Rochester, Minn., are $59.
Westin Hotels&Resorts has added four deluxe Prince hotels in Hawaii and one in Alaska to its list of affiliate properties through a marketing agreement with Prince Resorts Hawaii. The Hawaiian properties will join the Westin family Nov. 1 and the Alyeska Prince Hotel near Anchorage on Jan. 1. George Ariyoshi, president of Prince Resorts Hawaii, said he was attracted to Westin because of its frequent guest program, the strength of its airline partnerships with seven carriers, its central reservations system and extensive sales network.
International Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (IACVB) shuffled staff positions at its recent board meeting in Portland, as proposed by Jeter Walker, a former executive director of the Winston-Salem CVB who is acting as interim president and chief executive. IACVB eliminated the positions of VP-marketing and manager-administration and personnel. Personnel subordinate to those positions now will report directly to the president or other managers.
The board of Emery parent Consolidated Freightways has ordered the redemption of all outstanding preferred stock purchase rights on Nov. 7. Under the company's shareholder rights plan, one right is attached to each share of the outstanding common stock and is evidenced by the same stock certificate. The redemption price of one cent per right is payable to shareholders of record on Nov. 6.
FAA's display system replacement (DSR) program - the principal successor to the former Advanced Automation System program - is on track in both schedule and costs, the agency said yesterday. A critical design review of the program was completed on Sept. 13, two days ahead of schedule, FAA said. The finding "is a clear indication that our decision to go forward with the DSR was the correct one, and that the contractor, Loral, is performing up to our expectations," said FAA Administrator David Hinson.
Federal Express Corp. asked DOT to defer action on requests for renewal of authority by two Taiwanese carriers as leverage in FedEx's attempt to win Taiwan government approval to expand its facilities at Chiang Kai Shek Airport. EVA Airways seeks renewal and expansion of its exemption to conduct intermodal cargo operations in the U.S. in connection with its scheduled cargo service between Taipei and its U.S. gateways, and China Airlines wants renewal of its exemption to fly property and mail between Taipei and Chicago.
Randolph Babbitt, president of the Air Line Pilots Association since 1991, yesterday was elected to the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO. He also is VP of the Transportatation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO.
MarkAir, facing more aircraft repossession, filed for Chapter 7 liquidation late Tuesday as its unsecured creditors committee scrambled to stop the liquidation and retain a proposal to sell the airline to B&T Flyer Holdings. The bankruptcy court in Anchorage was scheduled to hold a hearing late yesterday on the Chapter 7 filing.
Swissair has joined Midwest Express's frequent flyer program. Members can earn miles, effective Nov. 1, for flights on Swissair between a North American gateway and any destination in Europe. Those flying in business class will receive 125% of actual miles flown, and passengers in first class will receive 150%. Midwest Express already participates with Virgin Atlantic, SAS and Air New Zealand. Midwest Express grants a free roundtrip companion ticket to members with 15,000 miles, and a roundtrip on commuter partner Skyway Airlines after 10,000 miles.
Citing the high priority the Clinton administration has placed on FAA operations funding, the final fiscal 1996 DOT appropriations bill (H.R.2002) not only provides funding for FAA operations above the level in either bill, but it also gives the DOT secretary authority to transfer up to $60 million from Coast Guard operating expenses to increase funding for air traffic control operations and maintenance activities that enhance safety and security. While total operations funding is going up, so is the aviation trust fund share of operations.
Tower Air yesterday posted third quarter net earnings of $11.1 million, or 73 cents per share, and an operating profit of $21.1 million. The net earnings are up more than 75% over the third quarter of last year, and the operating profit is nearly 62% greater. Tower Air's operating revenues for the period increased 30.8%, while its operating expenses rose 27.4%. "We are encouraged by our third quarter results," said Chairman Morris Nachtomi, noting that all the company's business segments performed well.
United parent UAL Corp. yesterday posted a record operating profit of $467 million and net earnings of $243 million, or $12.87 per share on a fully distributed basis, for the third quarter 1995. The September quarter was one of the best in company history and its sixth consecutive quarter in the black, and Chief Financial Officer Douglas Hacker said total revenue, passenger revenue and unit revenues all set records.
Preferred Holidays has signed an agreement with Galileo International to make its tour products and services available to Apollo computer reservations system subscribers through LeisureShopper. Preferred Holidays, which already started interfacing its tour system to LeisureShopper, plans to cut over to LeisureShopper in the first half of 1996.
Federal Express pilots said yesterday they are rejecting arbitration offered by the National Mediation Board in contract talks that have stretched for 17 months. A 30-day cooling-off period likely will go into effect today. ALPA had demanded the company accept arbitration by 5 p.m. Monday and agree to reach a settlement within five days. FedEx did not meet those demands.
Sabre Interactive and Worldview Systems Corp. have signed an agreement creating a strategic alliance to build and manage an electronic travel service targeted at the do-it-yourself travel planner. The new product, to be called "Travelocity," is scheduled for launch in March 1996 and will enable consumers to access from the Internet and online services a selection of travel supplies and a proprietary online travel and entertainment database of events and attractions.
Continental Express pilots have ratified their first contract with the company. The Independent Association of Continental Pilots said 56% of the 600 pilots represented voted for the contract, which will become amendable Oct. 1, 1997. Last month, Continental pilots signed their first collective bargaining contract since 1983.
USAir will begin serving St. Croix from Baltimore/Washington Feb. 14 with a brief stop in St. Thomas. St. Croix brings to nine the number of island and resort destinations in the Caribbean served by USAir. USAir Express flies to five destinations in the Bahamas.
Federal Express packages can now be tracked on CompuServe. Members of the information service can obtain quick updates on the status of their shipment and proof of delivery, as well as download or order free FedEx software, check service availability to a specific destination, talk to FedEx via E-Mail and read about the latest FedEx services and locations.
Deciding it needs more time to study the issues, United has put off until mid-November a decision on whether to pursue the acquisition of USAir. When United first confirmed on Oct. 2 that it was in talks with USAir, it said it expected to take about a month to reach a decision, and many observers had been expecting news as early as tomorrow's UAL board meeting. Yesterday, however, UAL Chief Financial Officer Douglas Hacker said United decided it needs more time.
Taiwan's Yeu Tyan industrial group, parent of car maker Yeu Tyan Machinery Manufacturing Company, proposes to spend US$24 million to set up a facility to build six- to eight-passenger airplanes in Taiwan. Taipei's Commercial Times quoted a Yeu Tyan official as saying that Advanced Aerodynamics&Structures, a U.S. company founded by the group, will contribute one-third of the required capital.
Canadian Airlines International plans to suspend its Shanghai service with the implementation of its winter schedule on Oct. 29, only a year after the carrier re-entered the market after a five-year absence. Canadian attributed the decision to weak loads and "very high" crewing costs. "We reintroduced service a year ago thinking it would catch on faster," a spokeswoman said yesterday. Canadian, which flies to Shanghai via Beijing as a continuation of its twice-weekly Vancouver-Beijing service, will continue with the Beijing route.
DOT has given tentative approval to Custom Air Transport for a certificate to operate scheduled cargo service. The company, based in Boynton Beach, Fla., intends to operate flights between Detroit and two points, Kansas City and Cleveland, mainly carrying automotive parts. It will use a leased 727-200 freighter. It also intends to operate in domestic and foreign charter markets under contract to shippers. Custom has secured a $2 million loan from Trans-American Aeronautical Corp., provided that it raises at least $500,000 in additional startup capital.
Singapore-based Abacus Distribution System has signed a computer reservations system agreement with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) that will enable Chinese travel agents to book on foreign carriers participating in Abacus. In addition to establishing a communications link between Abacus and the CAAC's Management Information System arm (MIS/CAAC), the agreement appoints Abacus to sign participating carrier agreements with international carriers on behalf of MIS/CAAC. The agreement was signed after two years of negotiations.
Canadian Airlines International has reached tentative concession agreements totaling C$18 million per year with three more of its union groups, bringing total proposed contract-related savings to C$59 million per year. The new tentative agreements, with the Canadian Auto Workers, Canadian Airline Simulator Technologists and Canadian Air Line Dispatchers Association, cover about 3,000 employees and are subject to rank-and-file ratification.
