Comair, a Delta Connection carrier, intends to upgrade its service from Cincinnati to Dayton, Ohio; South Bend and Evansville, Ind., and Columbia, Ill., by adding a daily roundtrip to the schedule with Canadair Regional Jets, on Oct. 1. The carrier also will add a second daily roundtrip between Cincinnati and Knoxville, a new flight to Greensboro, N.C., and Roanoke, Va., and two new flights to Chicago Midway.
KLM and Indian domestic carrier Jet Airways yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding to form a "far-reaching" commercial partnership, KLM said. Jet Airways, established three years ago, and KLM are reviewing their respective schedules to identify as many connections as possible on their flights to and from India. KLM operates seven 747 roundtrips a week from Amsterdam to India - four to Delhi, three to Bombay and one to Calcutta through Delhi.
The reorganization of senior management at Air France has resulted in formation of an 18-member Management Committee to speed up the carrier's restructuring and prepare it for full liberalization of the European air transport market in 1997. The shakeup, in which longtime Air France executive Rodolphe Frantz left the airline unexpectedly and subsidiary Air Inter got a new president (DAILY, Aug.
KLM Cargo plans to inaugurate weekly air freight service between Amsterdam and Madras, India, connecting to existing service from the U.S. The new service is slated to begin Sept. 9 and will be operated with an Atlas Air 747 freighter capable of carrying 100 tons. The service will operate via Dubai on both legs, and will supplement the cargo capacity KLM Cargo already offers on KLM's seven weekly 747 roundtrips to Bombay, Calcutta and Delhi.
Air Malta and Balkan Bulgarian Airlines (BBA) have signed an agreement under which they will cooperate on BBA's planned scheduled service between Malta and New York. BBA recently applied at DOT for authority to operate its current Sofia-New York/Detroit service via Malta, with fifth-freedom rights between Malta and the U.S. (DAILY, Aug. 25). The Air Malta-Balkan agreement becomes effective in November, when Balkan hopes to begin its once-weekly scheduled Malta-New York service.
Lone Star Airlines is offering a fare sale that cannot be ignored - the seats are free.To promote its new service to Hermosillo, Mexico, from Dallas/Fort Worth, which begins Sept. 5, the regional carrier is offering free seats on its daily flights for 10 days.There is no catch, Lone Star says - all 30 seats on its Dornier 328 are free. Passengers pay only taxes and airport fees.
Qantas is gearing up for a worldwide celebration of the 75th anniversary of its Nov. 16, 1920, founding as Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services. On Nov. 16, 1995, the airline will host dinner parties for customers and staff in cities around the world, with the main dinner scheduled in the Great Hall at Parliament House in the Australian capital of Canberra, where a replica of its first airplane, an Avro 504, will be the centerpiece.
USAir and AT&T Universal Card Services are offering college students fare savings on trips to domestic and limited international points. Students enrolled in AT&T's college card program can save up to 46% on roundtrip flights to more than 200 destinations. For transatlantic flying, students can save up to $150 on travel to Paris and Frankfurt. The Travel U program gives students three coupons good for six months, with future coupons available at six-month intervals.
Sabre Travel Information Network has concluded a distribution agreement with Weissmann Travel Reports, which operates a destination information subscription service used by travel agents. Weissmann Travel Reports will be a fee-based subscription product offered as part of the Sabre Concierge for Windows electronic library product. According to Eric Speck, Sabre's VP-product marketing, Sabre is the first computer reservations system to make Weissmann Travel Reports available as a graphical product integrated directly into its product line.
Aer Lingus is far along in negotiations to sell its Copthorne Hotel chain to Singapore-based CDL.The Irish carrier confirmed yesterday that the talks are at a "pretty sensitive" stage but said the deal is not yet firm.
Airlines operating to India from international points have refused to pay sales tax owed on aviation jet fuel to oil suppliers, senior oil company officials said yesterday in Bombay. While the total amount of arrears is not known, officials said the amount has accumulated since April 1, when the state-level administrations of Delhi and Maharashtra, locations of New Delhi and Bombay airports, respectively, imposed a 7% sales tax on jet fuel.
Air Canada affiliate Air Nova is offering discounted weekend getaway fares for travel from Newark to Nova Scotia. The fares are reduced by as much as 85% off full fare for passengers traveling north on Saturday and returning Monday or Tuesday. They require a one-day advance purchase, and travel must be completed by Dec. 12. Other restrictions may apply. Air Nova offers three daily nonstop jet flights between Newark and Atlantic Canada. Fares also are available on Air Canada flights from New York LaGuardia.
Sir Geoffrey Roberts, former Air New Zealand chairman and chief executive, died during the weekend. "His career spanned an era from flying boats to high-technology jets, and he was a driving force behind the effort to expand the range of international air service agreements between New Zealand and other countries that paved the way for the development of Tasman Empire Airways Ltd. and Air New Zealand," said James McCrea, ANZ managing director. Roberts served a term as president of the International Air Transport Association.
Southwest Airlines has taken delivery of its first new-production 737-300 equipped with a head-up guidance system (HGS) made by Flight Dynamics and installed by Boeing. Southwest committed to purchase 236 of the systems a year ago, which will enable its crews to perform Cat IIIa landings in visibility as low as 700 feet runway visual range. Takeoff minimums are as low as 300 feet RVR.
FAA issued Monday night a Priority Letter airworthiness directive outlining inspection and service requirements for aircraft equipped with propeller blades produced by Hamilton Standard. Following earlier, more immediate measures, the new FAA directive increases the number of blades requiring inspection, while stipulating continued regular inspections of the blades. "We have ordered a second aggressive inspection schedule that will require operators to complete their inspections within 15 days," said FAA Deputy Administrator Linda Daschle.
Japan Airlines plans to suspend service to Washington Dulles Nov. 1 because of falling demand, the airline said yesterday as it filed its proposed winter schedule with Japan's Ministry of Transport. JAL launched Tokyo- Washington service on March 30, 1991, and currently operates two roundtrips a week between the national capitals. Rival All Nippon Airways, which serves Washington with three flights a week, wants to add a fourth weekly flight in the market.
America West President and Chief Operating Officer Maurice Myers plans to retire at the end of the year and has given notice that he does not intend to take advantage of the automatic one-year extension of his two-year contract, which ends Jan. 1. Chairman and Chief Executive William Franke will assume Myers's responsibilities until a successor is chosen.
- TWA is offering a four-day fare sale, through midnight Sept. 1, that cuts prices nationwide 50% off the 21-day advance purchase fare. Fares to San Juan are reduced by 40% from the 14-day advance purchase price, and to Honolulu 40% off the 21-day advance purchase price. Travel during peak hours costs $40 more than the discounted fare. The fares require a Saturday night stay, but minimum stay requirements differ in Las Vegas, Honolulu and San Juan. All travel must be completed by Dec. 15. TWA said its only blackout dates are Nov. 22 and Nov. 26.
New York City, with 4.1 million visitors, heads the U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration's list of top U.S. destinations for overseas visitors in 1994. Next come Los Angeles with 3.3 million arrivals, Miami with about 2.8 million, San Francisco with about 2.5 million, Orlando with more than 2.3 million, Oahu/Honolulu with 2.3 million, Las Vegas with 1.8 million, Washington, D.C., with 1.3 million, Chicago with 960,000 and Boston with 922,000.
Mexicana is seeking authority to operate combination service between Morelia, Mexico, and Chicago. The carrier proposes starting Sept. 5 five- times-weekly roundtrip service, using 727-200 or A320 aircraft. It said that while Taesa is currently designated to provide Morelia-Chicago service, it understands that the Mexican government will very shortly ask the U.S. to approve the route for double designation. (Docket OST-95-485)
Houston Hobby Airport police searched a Southwest jet yesterday with bomb- sniffing dogs after a passenger boarding the airplane told a ticket agent she was carrying guns, hand grenades and a bomb. The woman was arrested, but no explosive materials were found. The woman told authorities during questioning that she was joking. The flight was canceled, and passengers were put on other flights.
FAA has issued "Human Factors Guide for Aviation Maintenance," a guide book designed to reduce human error and improve the performance levels of airline maintenance technicians, managers and safety inspectors. Introducing the manual in both hard-copy and CD-ROM versions, FAA expects the volume to be used as an operational tool not only to enhance safety, but also to reduce the overall costs of maintenance.
