Midway Airlines has requested authority to operate between Raleigh/Durham, N.C., and St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, and between Raleigh/Durham and Cancun, Mexico. Midway plans to begin daily roundtrips to Cancun in late October and to St. Maarten on or about Dec. 15. It plans to use A320 aircraft on both services but reserves the right to use other aircraft - it also operates Fokker 100s - depending on market conditions. (Docket OST- 95-322)
Pemco World Air Service Group has received FAA approval of a supplemental type certificate for its maximum zero fuel weight and maximum landing weight increase for 727-200 aircraft. Matthew Gold, chairman of parent company Precision Standard, said Pemco will offer the upgrades to current and future customers who operate Pemco-converted freighters or standard aircraft in passenger configuration. First use of the upgrade will be in Pemco's first full convertible combi, which is set to receive FAA and Transport Canada certification next month.
United is opposing World Airway's bid to serve beyond points on its proposed route between New York and Accra, Ghana, and it wants DOT to deny World access to Accra until it grants United's earlier filing for Accra service. United agrees with USAfrica Airways' objection (DAILY, July 18) "to the extent that it [World's application includes any authority for World to serve New York-Johannesburg."
The U.S. Air Force has issued revised regulations establishing responsibilities and procedures for requesting and granting civil aircraft access to Air Force airfields. The regulations, covering landing permits and joint-use agreements, were published in the July 20 Federal Register and are effective immediately. The Air Force received no comments on the rule when it published its proposal in the March 22 Federal Register.
U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration survey of overseas travelers to the U.S. in 1994 shows that first-time visitors accounted for only 24% of the total, down from 32% in 1993. Travel overall rose 3%, to 4.6 million - the smallest increase since 1984. The decline in first-time visitors fed an increase in the average trip expenditure, up to $3,222 per person in 1994 from $2,784 in 1993.
AeroThrust Corp. has moved a 900-ton reinforced concrete building used for jet engine testing across from Miami Airport to accommodate the construction of a cargo warehouse. James McMillen, president of AeroThrust, said the $700,000 move is a ``huge cost savings in the face of an estimated $6 million reconstruction cost.''
- In Federal Register dated July 18...Proposed an AD on Airbus A300-600 aircraft to require replacement of universal joints and steady bearings of the flap transmission system...Proposed an AD on certain McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft to require inspection for failure of the attachments located in the banjo No. 4 fitting of the vertical stabilizer.
Darryl Hartley-Leonard, chairman of the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board and of Hyatt Hotels Corp., predicts business travel will plummet 50% during the next 10 years with the emergence of new communications technologies, such as the Internet.
European Commission proposals to extend the Schengen Agreement's liberalized border controls beyond the current seven participants to all European Union countries seems headed for an eventual compromise to accommodate the British, who are not interested. "We'll look at them [the proposals], we'll oppose them, and if necessary, we'll veto them," says a U.K. diplomat.
International Inflight Service Management Organization (IISMO) will be integrated into the International Air Transport Association, effective Sept. 1, and will be known as the IATA Inflight Service Management Council (IISMC). The IISMO membership voted for integration June 13, and its board endorsed the decision last week at a special meeting. IATA traditionally has not been involved directly in inflight services because it was considered too carrier-specific and therefore too competitive in nature.
Some 996 used aircraft were sold and 518 new aircraft were delivered in 1994, the highest and lowest numbers in each category during a six-year comparison by FedEx Aviation Services. More aircraft were leased during the 1992-94 period than in 1989-91, 3,174 to 2,750.
Southwest has put its entire system on a half-price sale through Aug. 31. The sale prices are 50% off full fares and are limited in some California and Pacific Northwest city pairs because of another fare sale, a $49 promotion also begun on Friday. The 50%-off fares are good on 14-day advance purchase tickets for travel by Jan. 9. Examples of fare savings are $63 one way for Dallas-Albuquerque, $34 for Tucson-San Diego and $34 for Baltimore-Louisville. The $49 West Coast sale is for seven-day advance purchase tickets.
American Bar Association Air&Space Forum elected Kenneth Quinn as chair-elect. International Women's Air&Space Museum appointed Peggy Baty executive director.
Emirates Group of Dubai reported net income of $39.7 million for the fiscal year that ended March 31, 23.9% higher than its 1993-94 net. The group comprises Emirates, the airline of the United Arab Emirates, which accounted for $25.9 million of the 1994-95 profit, and DNATA, the ground- handling and travel-management agent, which turned in $13.8 million. Emirates' income grew 6.1% for the year while DNATA's was on a productivity-fueled rebound, up 80.7%.
Granted orally an exemption to TWA to conduct combination scheduled service between terminal point St. Louis and Cancun, Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo, Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Montego Bay, Jamaica. The carrier proposes to begin seasonal service on the routes in Winter 1995/96...Granted orally an exemption to TACA International Airlines to serve Guatemala City, Guatemala, as an intermediate point on its existing scheduled combination service between San Salvador, El Salvador, and the U.S. coterminal points Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Air Cargo Equipment selected William Dye president and general manager. Aviall named Anthony Massaro VP-information services and Randy Jones director-audit and security. BE Aerospace added Arthur Lipton president and general manager of In- Flight Entertainment; Nelson Zagalsky VP of engineering-IDE Division and David McGonigle corporate VP-marketing.
Taiwan customs officials have agreed to permit air cargo originating or terminating at some of the nation's industrial zones to leave or enter the country with a single inspection. Under current regulations, shipments must be inspected twice, at the zone and at the airport. Under the new system, cargo inspected at the zone will not have to be inspected at the airport. The Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park will be the first zone to benefit from the system, customs officials said.
BWIA International Airways switched its internal reservations system during the weekend to the Sabre computer reservations system. The carrier, based in Trinidad and Tobago, is the first customer for a new Sabre product - Sabre Qik - designed to cut down training time. BWIA also purchased Sabre's departure control system and flight operating system.
EVA Airways is seeking authority to operate service beyond its authorized U.S. points - Guam, Honolulu, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas and New York - to Panama City, Panama. The carrier also has applied to operate to Washington Dulles Airport (DAILY, July 19). (OST-95-335)
Last week's U.S.-Japan aviation agreement clears the way for Federal Express to begin its beyond-Japan service, provides additional U.S. cargo authority to Japanese carriers and sets the stage for broad-based cargo discussions between the two countries. After months of talks, the U.S. and Japan forged an agreement late Thursday that allows Federal Express to operate beyond Japan to its new transshipment facility at Subic Bay, the Philippines.
Passenger traffic growth still is ahead of last year but has been tailing off progressively. In January it was up 8.2% over the same month last year, but in June the gain was only 3.8%. The slowdown in cargo growth has been steeper, from 16.6% in January to 6.4% in May.
DOT Friday dismissed TWA's complaint against the City and County of Denver over rates and charges at the new Denver Airport. The department said Denver "employed a reasonable, consistent and transparent method" of formulating its rates and charges, and TWA did not present a "significant dispute." In the final analysis, DOT said, the complaint over rental rates turned on whether the city should have allocated the costs of space not rented by Continental to all other carriers at the airport rather than absorbing the cost itself.
Rep. Pat Schroeder (D-Colo.) asked DOT Secretary Federico Pena last week to tighten rules on moving expense reimbursements to FAA employees and launch an investigation. She said an FAA policy loophole allows employees to be reimbursed for moving costs incurred when they are transferred. She cited a Rocky Mountain News report that four FAA workers were paid to move farther away from their work during the transfer of personnel to the new Denver Airport.
Certification flight testing of the GE90-powered Boeing 777 resumed last week following FAA approval, General Electric said. FAA officials were on the aircraft July 19 for two scheduled flights that added about five hours to FAA testing required for certification, the company said. The test aircraft first resumed flights on July 16 (DAILY, July 20) and flew daily after that with what GE called "minor modifications to the engines' aluminum platform spacers and the electronic control system.
