Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's Air Safety Foundation has released GPS/Loran - A Guide to Modern Navigation, which it described as general aviation's "first generic safety and how-to publication" on GPS and Loran navigation. The guide says that while GPS will be the major navigation system of the future, Loran is still a useful system and worth keeping in the instrument panel. It also explains why existing hand-held GPS units cannot be certified and should not be used for IFR navigation.
The combined market value of U.S. airline industry stocks tracked by The DAILY jumped 13.8% last month from its May level, to nearly $30.4 billion, on the strength of increasing optimism about the industry's prospects for a profitable 1995. Also, industry stocks traditionally trend upward in the summer months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose during the month, closing June at 4556.1, about 2% higher than it ended May. The primary transportation indices also rose during the month.
Comair's June traffic shot up 26.4% from the same month a year ago on 17.9% more capacity, pushing its load factor up to 56.4%. June 1995 June 1994 6 Mths 1995 6 Mths 1994 RPMs 108,144,000 85,539,000 548,976,000 430,970,000 ASMs 191,905,000 162,725,000 1,095,520,000 881,951,000 LF (%) 56.4 52.6 50.1 48.9 Pass. 343,286 290,407 1,796,042 546018600
Horizon Air was the top passenger-carrying regional airline in first- quarter 1995, but fell far short of Delta Connection Comair in generating revenue passenger miles. Traffic results for the January-March quarter, prepared by AvStat Associates of Washington, D.C., were published this week by the Regional Airline Association. With its fleet of 20 new Canadair Regional Jets and an average stage length of about 450 miles, Comair rang up 247.3 million RPMs.
Alaska Air Group said yesterday it has called for redemption on Aug. 4 of all of its 7.25% Liquid Yield Option Notes (LYONs) due in 2006. The notes will be redeemed at a price of $466.61 per $1,000 principal amount at maturity, which represents the issue price plus accrued original issue discount to the date of redemption. The notes may be converted at any time before the close of business on the redemption date at a rate of 12.396 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount.
Martinair Holland has purchased Ross Systems' Renaissance CS Financials suite of client/server financial accounting solutions, and will implement it through eight international subsidiaries on IBM RS/6000 service and Oracle relational database management system.
Officials in Taiwan have complained that Beijing is interfering in Taipei's aviation negotiations with Hong Kong by insisting that China Airlines remove the Taiwan flag from aircraft flying in the market. They said Beijing issued the demand through the Joint Liaison Group (JLG), the U.K.- China group that coordinates activity during preparations for the reversion of Hong Kong to Chinese rule in 1997.
The Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU), Britain's and British Airways' largest union, yesterday called off its strike vote against the airline, eliminating the threat that as many as 18,000 of BA's employees would leave their jobs during the August Bank Holiday period (DAILY, July 12). At issue is BA's proposal to scrap nationwide union negotiations in favor of localized contract talks that BA believes would give it more flexibility in matching wage and work rules to local market conditions.
The number of overseas visitors to Las Vegas last year jumped 20% from 1993, shoring up the city's rank as the seventh most popular international destination in the U.S. Always looking to boost its nonstop international service, Las Vegas McCarran Airport notes that one in four passengers traveling to Las Vegas comes via Los Angeles. A study commissioned by McCarran shows that Europe is the largest international source of Las Vegas visitors - 37% - followed by Canada, 27%, and the Far East, 25%.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Traffic November 1994 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles Carriers (000) Change (Miles) (000) America West 1,230 (2.45) 753 926,639 American 5,623 26.49 1,034 5,814,744
St. Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak has invited Americans to visit the Russian city via its Welcome America tour program. U.S. company Russian Travel Bureau Inc. is offering weekly tours throughout the year. The seven-day package comprises roundtrip flights from New York or San Francisco on Finnair, hotel accommodations with private baths at three-star hotels, breakfasts, a theater performance and sightseeing trips, including a visit to the Hidden Treasures Revealed exhibit at the Hermitage Museum.
Alaska Airlines is seeking authority to operate scheduled combination service between Phoenix and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The carrier intends to operate daily roundtrip service using MD-80 aircraft, beginning early in September. It has asked DOT for an early decision. (Docket OST-95-314)
The House Appropriations Committee is recommending reductions in FAA's executive direction and management staffing in fiscal 1996, led by a 66% cut in the agency's headquarters public affairs staff. In the committee report (House Report 104-177) approved in late June, the panel said a $15.27 million reduction in the executive direction and management budget is needed to continue funding 5% bonus pay for air traffic controllers.
Air South's June passenger traffic rose 5.6% over May's level, to 35.4 million revenue passenger miles, despite a 5.8% decline in capacity. The number of passengers boarded rose 2.2% to 99,472, and the load factor jumped to 51.8% from 46.2%. The carrier said it has cut back unprofitable route segments.
Sabena's passenger traffic rose 15.7% in May to 735.4 million revenue passenger kilometers. The Belgian carrier's passenger enplanements increased 22.2% from a year ago to 445,045, and its cargo traffic rose 3.2% to 36.3 million freight ton kilometers. For five months, passenger traffic rose 20.6% to 3.23 billion RPKs, and passenger boardings increased 19% to 1.89 million. Freight traffic rose 5.5% to 179.2 million FTKs.
KrasAir has taken delivery of the first of two DC-10-30s, distinguishing the airplane as the first U.S.- registered aircraft to be operated by a Russian carrier into the U.S., according to a Douglas Aircraft official. The second aircraft will be delivered later this year, said Bill Perry, regional VP-commercial marketing for Douglas. KrasAir agreed to lease the two aircraft in April 1994 and since then has been working with Douglas on operational details.
Association of Retail Travel Agents, supporting the Travel and Tourism Tax Relief Act of 1995, is asking members to write their congressional representatives to seek support for the bill (H.R.1083). The legislation was introduced by Rep. Toby Roth (R-Wis.), chairman of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus. ARTA also supports a proposed Joint Industry Economic Value Study that it believes will prove the monetary worth of travel agents to suppliers and consumers.
Canadian Airlines International, seeking wage and work rule concessions from its labor force, says it has "more or less" reached a deal with its Canadian Auto Workers unit but cannot finalize it. First, the carrier must resolve a few "interdependent" issues that it cannot address until talks with four other unions reach the same point as those of the auto workers. Contrary to speculation, the future of Canadian's senior management, particularly Chief Executive Kevin Jenkins, is not among the outstanding issues, the airline said.
American has asked DOT for authority to operate combination service between the U.S. and Taiwan, via Vancouver, under its code-sharing agreement with Canadian Airlines International. American's designator code would be displayed on connecting flights operated by either American or Canadian between U.S. points and Vancouver, and by Canadian between Vancouver and Taiwan. (Docket OST-95-311)
Air France Industries, the French flag carrier's overhaul and maintenance profit center, recently signed third-party work contracts worth $125 million.
Northwest and partner KLM this fall will expand the number of smoke-free international services they offer. All the airlines' flights between the U.S. and Canada and Europe, and all KLM flights within Europe will be become smoke-free as of Oct. 29. Northwest and KLM will offer transatlantic service between 17 U.S. and Canadian cities and European points Amsterdam, London, Frankfurt and Paris. Beyond Amsterdam, non- smoking flights will go to 61 European destinations, as well as connecting points in the U.S. and Canada.
An interactive publication to assist the business traveler, The Business Traveler Online, is available on the Internet at http://www.biztravel.com/guide/. The program offers an interactive forum enabling "road warriors" to enlighten others about good and bad travel experiences. The home page includes listings of airlines, car rental agencies, country data, weather reports, exchange rates, hotel/restaurant information and other travel and business tips.
DOT denied Tuesday the City and County of Denver's request for a waiver from filing a letter of credit or surety bond equal to the disputed amount in the TWA rates and charges complaint. The department gave Denver 20 days to provide the financial security to assure "timely repayment" of the disputed fees if TWA wins. TWA must pay the fees to the airport, DOT pointed out, because the carrier's obligation is not conditioned by DOT's determination on reasonableness. Denver has asked for a DOT extension until the end of the week to obtain the credit facility.
Continental has successfully concluded its previously announced efforts to restructure leases and related agreements on 27 widebody aircraft, and has entered into agreements in principle involving to three other airplanes, the carrier said yesterday. In January, Continental said it will ground - or reduce or defer rent on - 35 widebody aircraft. At least 24 of the airplanes - 21 Airbus A300s and three Boeing 747s - are being dropped from the fleet (DAILY, April 14).
