Britannia Airways said it signed a ground-handling agreement with Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Co. covering about 400 Boeing 767 transits this winter at Abu Dhabi Airport. A GAMCO engineer will travel on each Britannia flight to Goa, India. The contract includes certification for extended- range twin-engine operations when necessary.
DOT and FAA are proposing in today's Federal Register to revise airport rates and charges policy by limiting the requirement for historic-cost asset valuation to airfield assets, and by eliminating the total historic- cost valuation cost cap for aeronautical facilities. Airport groups sought this change in the event the department declined to eliminate the historic- cost requirement altogether.
SAS's application for broad new U.S. authority under new open skies agreements with Denmark, Norway and Sweden won strong endorsements from two U.S. localities. SAS asked last month for rights to operate services between any point in the three Scandinavian countries, via intermediate points, to any point in the U.S. and beyond (DAILY, Aug. 22).
Regional Airline Association will retain Ogilvy, Adams&Rinehart to develop a public relations campaign to boost perceptions about traveling on regional airlines, the association announced this week. Richard Mintz, former assistant to the secretary and director of public affairs at DOT and who now heads Ogilvy, Adams and Rinehart's transportation office in Washington, D.C., will handle the account for RAA. The association reviewed proposals from 16 firms.
British Airways plans to expand its flights from London to Moscow, Bucharest, Romania; Baku, Azerbaijan, and Sofia, Bulgaria, this fall and winter to improve connections to Northern Europe, Africa and the U.S. and meet growing demand from U.K. and U.S. business travelers, the airline said yesterday. At London Heathrow, BA will transfer its nine-times-a-week Moscow service to Terminal 4 from Terminal 1 on Oct. 29 to improve intercontinental connections.
DOT Thursday handed over the review by its inspector general's office (DOTIG) of the FAA shutdown of TPI International Airways, a small cargo carrier based in Brunswick, Ga. The controversial report, made in June 1993 by Dennis Dutch, then-DOTIG director of the office of special investigations, was heavily "redacted" (blacked out), but did contain some inconsistencies from previous testimony before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA).
USAir Express carrier CCAIR is adding two daily flights from Winston- Salem, N.C., to Charlotte Oct. 4 for a total of five. CCAIR operates 19- seat Jetstream 31s in the market.
A consortium comprising Chase Manhattan Bank, People's Merchant Bank and consultant Simat, Helliesen&Eichner (SH&E) has been selected to participate in the restructuring of state-owned Air Lanka. During the next several months, the consortium will develop a restructuring plan and conduct a global marketing campaign to sell as much as 40% of the Sri Lankan flag carrier to a strategic partner.
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.
