The Bombardier Business Aircraft Division detailed plans for a Canadair Special Edition (SE) version of the Regional Jet last week during the Paris Air Show. The Canadair SE, which will be powered by General Electric CF34-3B1 engines, will be modified for transatlantic corporate travel with a 3,000-nautical-mile range. It will be priced in the $21 million-$22 million range. Officials said maximum gross takeoff weight will be 53,000 pounds, allowing for an additional 4,000 pounds of fuel to be stored in two new auxiliary tanks located aft.
The American Society of Travel Agents reports that the recently convened White House Conference on Small Business adopted for recommendation ASTA's top priority issue involving a change in independent contractor rules. The conference supported a rule change under which employers would not be required to withhold taxes for contract workers.
Colorado Springs-based Western Pacific, the airline with the blue hair of Marge Simpson - from the TV cartoon family - painted on one of its tails and the Colorado Springs Broadmoor Hotel on another, soon will display other advertisements on the exterior of its airplanes.
USAir cut fares from Portland to Florida and other destinations in the East by an average of 24%. The three-day sale, begun Wednesday, applies to travel through Sept. 5. The tickets require a 14-day advance, roundtrip purchase. USAir serves Portland with two daily roundtrips to Pittsburgh.
Gulfstream International flew 4.9 million revenue passenger miles last month, nearly 92% more than the same 1994 month. Capacity rose 41.3% to nearly 9 million available seat miles from 6.3 million, pushing the load factor up 14.4 percentage points to 54.7%. The number of passengers rose nearly 97% to 27,556 from 14,012. May 1995 May 1994 Rev. Passenger Miles 4,908,449 2,557,000 Available Seat Miles 8,965,852 6,344,913
DOT has approved American's application for an emergency allocation of four of the 16 additional Brazil weekly frequencies granted under the new U.S.-Brazil agreement. The carrier will use the frequencies to continue operating daily nonstop service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Sao Paulo after July 31. Tower Air opposed American's bid (DAILY, June 20). "All U.S.
Business Express, which is seeking new markets for its 70-passenger Avro RJ70s, is looking at the potential of operating the quadjets to Aspen from both Dallas/Fort Worth and Minneapolis. The service would be provided under code-sharing agreements with senior partners Delta and Northwest, which operate hubs at those respective cities. It would be the only nonstop service from those points. United is currently the only major carrier serving Aspen, through affiliate Air Wisconsin, including seasonal nonstop service from Chicago O'Hare.
Rolls-Royce North America Inc. has joined the Aerospace Industries Association. Its primary participant in AIA will be Allison Engine Co., which Rolls acquired in March.
U.S. Major Carriers Traffic May, 5 Months 1995 (000) May May % 1995 1994 Change America West Revenue Passenger Miles 1,141,040 1,063,570 7.3 Available Seat Miles 1,659,090 1,535,761 8.0 Load Factor (%) 68.8 69.3 American
Battle of the "quiet" turboprops is intensifying. De Havilland is now touting its new Dash 8Q, which it says "will be the quietest, most vibration-free and most comfortable of any turboprop aircraft." The company said it has discarded "Active Noise Control (ANC) as "inadequate," opting instead for a "Noise and Vibration Suppression" (NVS) system, which uses cabin microphones to signal active tuned vibration absorbers to provide "continuously adaptive countervibrations" for an average cabin noise level of 76 dBA...
...Saab has guaranteed customers an average cabin noise level of 76 dBA as well on the 50-passenger Model 2000, but has been unable yet to attain an average below 78 dBA with ANC installed. The company is fine- tuning the system, however, and says it will reach 76 dBA shortly. ATR is offering optional ANC on the ATR 42-500. Unlike ANC, the NVS system used by de Havilland does not use cabin speakers to counter noise, and the manufacturer says the system is so compact that it will be offered for retrofit on existing Dash 8 aircraft.
The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners Wednesday approved a $523.6 million budget for fiscal 1995-96 that includes an increase in landing fees of 50 cents per 1,000 pounds gross landed weight, from $1.56 to $2.06, at Los Angeles Airport. "It has been two years since landing fees have increased at LAX," said Board President Ted Stein. "In fact, this is the first increase initiated by the current Board of Airport Commissioners."
BWIA International Airways is set to increase the frequency of its New York to Fort-de-France, Martinique, service and introduce flights from Miami and London to Fort-de-France through an expansion of its interline partnership with Air Martinique. The two carriers last month signed a marketing pact, enabling BWIA to begin selling tickets for New York- Martinique flights (DAILY, May 22).
Carnival Air Lines will increase its service from five weekly flights to daily frequency in the Fort Lauderdale-Los Angeles market on June 27. The carrier has been serving the route since January, when it became the only airline to offer nonstop scheduled service between the two cities. It operates A300 aircraft configured for 24 passengers in first class and 230 in coach. Hector Burga, VP-sales and marketing, said Carnival's advance bookings for the summer clearly indicated the need for more flights.
United, trying to recoup frequent flyer miles, is auctioning off spots on the sides of aircraft for the names of the highest bidders.Frequent flyer miles are the currency, and the bidding starts at 500,000. The 10 highest bidders will be chosen Aug. 11. Although the lettering will be big enough to read from a distance and will stay on the aircraft for at least one year, the winners may never see their names. They will be put on the next airplane ready for painting, no matter where in the world it flies.
Arrow Air has begun scheduled all-cargo service between Miami and Quito/ Guayaquil, Ecuador, operating three-times-weekly service with DC-8- 62 aircraft. The flights represent the first expansion beyond Arrow's core services between San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Miami/Atlanta since the carrier resumed service June 9, said Ed Lesko, VP-sales and services. Arrow was cleared by FAA to restart service this month after it met extensive recertification requirements.
Moody's Investors Service yesterday assigned a counterparty investment grade rating of Baa3 to McDonnell Douglas Corp. and its financial subsidiary, McDonnell Douglas Finance Corp. (MDFC). Moody's said the counterparty rating, intended to portray the company's financial capacity to honor its senior obligations under financial contracts, reflects McDonnell Douglas's improved operating and cash flow outlook and its strengthening balance sheet.
Export Air del Peru, operating as Export Air, has asked DOT for renewal of its authority to operate all-cargo service between Lima and Miami. The carrier is authorized to operate one weekly roundtrip on the route. (Docket 48665)
Continental has named Nene Foxhall VP-state and civic affairs, responsible for state and local government relations. Foxhall most recently worked as an attorney with Mayor, Day, Caldwell and Keeton, and before that was the political writer and editor for The Houston Chronicle.
U.S. and Japanese officials are preparing for talks, possibly beginning next week, in an attempt to avert threatened U.S. sanctions against Japanese cargo operations, said James Tarrant, deputy assistant secretary of state for aviation. "There has been no date set yet, but the Japanese have said they want to talk," Tarrant told The DAILY yesterday. Background discussions between the two sides are continuing, but there is no sign of any change in Japan's negotiating position, he noted.
Fort Worth, Texas-based Lone Star Airlines says it is exceeding the average on-time performances of the major carriers by several percentage points. Allen McGinness, VP-flight operations, said, "Now that all airlines, both regionals and majors, are comparing data by the same standards, it is evident that Lone Star is clearly outperforming the majors and providing the highest level of service to our passengers. Effective in January, data on all operations - including those affected by mechanical problems - must be provided by carriers in their performance data.
FAA and Qantas have successfully completed the first in a series of operational trials of FANS-1, the recently certificated Global Positioning System-based communications, navigation and surveillance system (DAILY, June 21). The system uses two-way satellite communications to provide, for the first time, direct pilot-to-controller communications over oceans and other remote areas normally out of range of ground-based stations.
TWA has asked DOT to order the City and County of Denver to refund the "unlawful" increase in rates and charges it has paid at Denver International Airport because of a lease agreement between Denver and United and Continental. TWA said the basic rental rate rose 15% from $61.98 per square foot to $71.03, resulting in airlines other than Continental paying $10 million annually in rental payments that would have been made by Continental.
Delta recently filed articles of incorporation to establish a non- profit organization - Delta Air Transport Heritage Museum - to oversee, fund and operate a museum and aircraft restoration studio. Delta retirees have lobbied for several years to establish a museum in Atlanta to house a DC-3, other historic memorabilia and the airline's first passenger aircraft.
