The National Transportation Safety Board identified shortcomings of a fatigued flight crew as the probable cause of the Feb. 16 Air Transport International (ATI) DC-8-63 crash during a takeoff attempt at Kansas City Airport, and it recommended that FAA improve its oversight of supplemental carriers, procedures for one-engine-inoperative takeoffs, and flight and duty-time rules. The three crewmembers, injured fatally in the crash, were flying on a shortened rest break following an international trip, permitted by FAA because the second flight was a ferry.
TAM, the Brazilian regional, places a red carpet at the steps of every flight, whether it be a Fokker 100 or a single-engine Cessna Caravan of subsidiary Brasil Central operating into the dirt strips of the Mato Grosso. The subtleness behind this "Red Carpet" treatment, however, is the carpet's abrasive 3M (TM) material, which serves as a doormat and prevents passengers from tracking dirt into the passenger cabins, which are as spotless as the day they left their factories - in sharp contrast to some U.S. domestic regional aircraft.
Colombian carrier Avianca has assigned operational and management coverage of the Mexican market to its New York headquarters. Alfredo Velez, Avianca's executive VP for North America and the Orient, has assumed the new responsibilities. Victor Gutierrez, a longtime Avianca executive, has been named general manager for Mexico, and Alejandra Iragorri will be marketing and sales manager in Mexico.
DOT approved World Airways' bid for New York-Accra, Ghana, service this week but deferred action on the carrier's request to serve Johannesburg, South Africa, as a beyond point. World had sought scheduled combination service between New York and Accra, Ghana, and beyond to other points in Africa, including Johannesburg.
Air New Zealand has appointed Robert Nazarian its new chief financial officer, succeeding Robert Elstone, the airline said yesterday. Nazarian, currently CFO with Lion Nathan Australia, will join Air New Zealand in October and become responsible for the Air New Zealand Group's financial management accounting, financial planning, treasury and internal audit activities. Elstone left Air New Zealand to take a similar position with the Pioneer International group of companies in Australia.
FAA has awarded an initial $10 million contract to Loral Corp. to begin production and installation of the Display Channel Complex Rehost (DCCR), which will replace aging Display Channel Complex computers in use at FAA air route traffic control centers (ARTCCs) in Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Washington, Cleveland and New York. Specifically, Loral will replace IBM 9020E computers, used at the facilities since the early 1970s, with IBM 9121 computers.
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) has awarded 11 grants worth $4.5 million to governments in South America for infrastructure and industrial projects that TDA believes could generate $1.57 billion in U.S. exports. TDA Director Joseph Grandmaison said, "The door for investment in South America is opening wider as economies grow, privatization accelerates, and trade agreements such as Mercosur and the Andean Pact promote more opportunities for trade." South America is considered a "golden opportunity" for U.S.
U.S. National Carriers Productivity In RPMs and ASMs Per Employee First Quarter 1995 Revenue Available Passenger Seat Miles Miles Total Airline (000) (000) Employees Alaska 1,793,396 3,182,286 6,477
DOT has fined Express Airways $8,000 for failing to maintain the proper level of liability insurance. The department said the Opa-Locka, Fla.- based air taxi operator flew cargo flights after its liability coverage was terminated. The carrier said its insurance lapse resulted from an inadvertent oversight, and it has not been the subject of any other DOT enforcement proceedings. It added that it has cooperated fully with the Enforcement Office's investigation, and that it has taken steps to ensure that it will not repeat the violation.
U.S. National Carriers Productivity In Revenues And Expenses Per Employee First Quarter 1995, In Dollars Total Total Operating Operating Revenues Expenses Total Airline (000) (000) Employees Alaska 238,363 252,564 6,477
The most probable cause of the ground collision last Nov. 22 of a TWA MD-82 and a Cessna 441 at Lambert-St. Louis Airport was the Cessna pilot's misunderstanding about what runway he was told to use for his takeoff, the National Transportation Safety Board said yesterday. The board repeated an earlier assessment that better ground surveillance capabilities at Lambert - an Airport Surface Detection System-3, especially an ASDE-3 enhanced by the Airport Movement Area Safety System - "could have prevented the accident" (DAILY, March 7).
Business travelers can enroll in the LatinPass frequent flyer program through the Internet, according to Eduardo Gallardo, LatinPass's program director. Frequent travelers who live in North America and who are not members of any of the LatinPass airlines' frequent traveler programs are eligible to become LatinPass cardholders. The Internet address for LatinPass is http://www.thegroup.net/latinpass.
Vacation travel by Japanese citizens has been healthy this summer, with six airlines - Japan Airlines, All Nippon, Japan Air System, Japan Asia Airways, Air Nippon and Japan Transocean Airlines - reporting a 7.3% rise in domestic passengers and an 11.9% gain in international traffic July 22 through Aug. 20. The Japan Ministry of Transport attributes the growth to the opening of Kansai Airport. The six airlines carried 7.9 million passengers domestically and 679,288 on international flights.
Gulf Air intends to begin service to Houston Intercontinental Airport via New York on Oct. 29, according to the City of Houston Department of Aviation. "Securing scheduled, single-plane service between Houston and the Middle East has been one of our foremost air service department goals," said Houston Mayor Bob Lanier. "It is extremely important because of our strong community-of-interest and energy connections with that part of the world," he said. Initially, Gulf Air plans to operate four Airbus A340 flights a week to Houston via New York Kennedy.
Avis/Preferred Holidays is offering a "See America" program that invites travelers to "fly one way, but drive back." The seven-day package is good for travel Sept. 5-Nov. 19. The per-person rate starts at $369 for one-way air fare between any two cities, an Avis compact car and seven-night hotel accommodation. Vacationers can choose any destination served by participating airlines America West, Carnival, Continental, Delta, TWA and United. Participating hotels are Howard Johnson, Ramada Inn, Days Inn and Best Western.
International Airline Travel Agent Network (IATAN) is offering geography seminars to agents. The three-hour workshops will cover world areas that have undergone the greatest number of boundary changes in the past 10 years. The sessions are designed to help agents identify the principal geographic features, nations, cities and tourist attractions of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Five workshops are scheduled throughout the country in the next three months, and more will be conducted in 1996.
Lufthansa's systemwide passenger traffic increased 4.9% in July to 5.56 billion revenue passenger kilometers. The number of passengers boarded rose 7.4% from July a year ago, to nearly 2.8 million. Through the first seven months of 1995, Lufthansa's passenger traffic grew 11.7% to 34.39 billion RPKs, and its passenger enplanements increased 10.7% to 18.4 million.
Guatemala's expanding economy should bring concomitant growth and business opportunities in tourism, the country's second largest export earner, U.S. government officials report. With a population of 10 million, it is the largest country in Central America and one of the most important U.S. trading partners in the Caribbean Basin. U.S services and products benefit from high name recognition, and U.S. firms have a good reputation there, according to a tourism sector overview from the U.S. embassy in Guatemala. The U.S.
CS First Boston analyst Paul Karos has initiated coverage of Continental with a buy recommendation.He expects the carrier to be profitable this year for the first time in a decade and to prove, a la America West, that it is possible to shrink to profitability.
Lufthansa Cargo AG posted a pre-tax profit of 2.8 million Deutschmarks (US$1.9 million) on revenues of DM1.6 billion (US$1.1 billion) for the first half of 1995, its first six months of operation as an independent company. Although average freight yields per ton have declined, the company said it has been able to make adjustments by switching diminishing transport capacity to more profitable markets and increasing overall cargo volumes by 14.8%. Lufthansa Cargo was one of three Lufthansa Group units spun off into independent companies on Jan. 1.
AirTran Corp. shareholders have approved the spinoff of the company's Airways Corp. subsidiary through distribution of Airways stock to AirTran shareholders, except Northwest, in a special dividend. Northwest will get more AirTran common shares instead of Airways Corp. stock. AirTran shareholders also have approved an amendment to the company's articles of incorporation changing its name to Mesaba Holdings. The new name is now effective. Trading in Airways Corp. common stock will begin today on the Nasdaq National Market under the AAIR symbol.
Non-profit organization SER-Jobs For Progress will offer an international travel training program this fall in Miami that is designed to place 120 individuals annually in travel and tourism jobs. The eight-week course, which is free to the students, will use the American Airlines International Travel Academy curriculum. SER, which stands for service, employment, redevelopment, is a national network of organizations that helps individuals enter the work force via a partnership with the corporate and public sectors.
The global market for air traffic control/air traffic modernization (ATC/ATM) equipment, systems and services will surpass $92 billion over the next decade, and satellite technologies will play a significantly larger role in the market, according to a newly published study by consulting firm Booz-Allen&Hamilton, McLean, Va. The study, "Air Traffic Control and Air Traffic Management Systems: An Analysis of Policies, Technologies and Global Markets," finds a significant need exists to modernize ATC systems in Russia, China and other rapidly developing nations.
Duty Free International Inc. said its Airport Division sales jumped 11% to $26.3 million in the second quarter of 1994, due mainly to an increase in foreign tourists to the U.S. In the first quarter this year, the division opened 12 stores in the new Denver Airport, two at Boston Logan and one at San Juan Airport. The Inflight Division also posted healthy growth, with $44.9 million in sales for the quarter, up 12%, prompting the company to seek further "substantial growth opportunities" in inflight sales.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled 5-1 Tuesday that USAir and American must pay a 6% tax on food, non-alcoholic beverages and meal supplies for flights originating in Pennsylvania. USAir originally brought the suit against the state, seeking $2.2 million in tax refunds. A lower court ruled in favor of the airlines in 1993. The carriers argued that food and beverages are integral to flight service and exempt from the tax. USAir, with its largest hub at Pittsburgh, estimates the tax will cost it $1.4 million annually. American said its cost is about $300,000 a year.
