USAir positioned aircraft away from Norfolk and Newport News, Va., last night to protect them from the effects of Hurricane Felix. The carrier said aircraft terminating in those cities will be flown elsewhere, and flights scheduled to originate at the two cities this morning will be canceled.
Banner Aerospace reported net income of $712,000 for the quarter ended June 30, compared with $894,000 the same quarter a year ago. Sales in the quarter rose to $60.6 million from $52.4 million. The revenue increase reflected improved sales of hardware to original equipment manufacturers and fixed-based operators, and of rotables to commercial airline customers. The lower net income stemmed primarily from an increase in interest expense caused by higher interest rates, Banner said.
Alaska Air Group carriers Alaska and Horizon Air yesterday began limited testing of a ticketless system in four markets - Seattle-Ketchikan, Seattle-Oakland, Seattle-Spokane and Boise-Oakland. The carriers plan to implement ticketless travel throughout their systems this fall, and to make it available through travel agencies. Also this fall, they plan to install automated check-in kiosks that issue boarding passes.
Foreign airlines should put most of their U.S. marketing efforts into attracting travelers from California, where most U.S. travelers originate. Not only do Californians stay five nights longer on average than residents of New York, the second highest originating state, 28% of the Californians use airlines to get around abroad, according to the USTTA. Forty-seven percent of New York travelers, on the other hand, use a taxi. Only 18% fly while out of the country.
London-based Airtours Plc has agreed to buy Canadian tour operator Sunquest Vacations Ltd. for BPS 37.6 million (US$59.5 million). The British tour company cautioned that its profits for the year ending Sept. 30 likely will be 25% lower than last year, Chairman David Crossland told Reuter. Airtours had pretax profits of BPS 75.8 million last year (US$120 million). Its shares have dropped 17% since the beginning of the month. About half a million package holidays, from a total of 10 million, remain unsold, Reuter said.
Air Canada will convert last winter's five-per-week charter flights to Hawaii to eight scheduled nonstops per week this winter, as permitted by the new U.S.-Canada open skies agreement. Service to Honolulu will begin Sept. 2, with Maui to follow Oct. 4. Air Canada will operate all the flights using 767s, and its capacity to Hawaii will be 60% higher than last winter's. All flights will be from Vancouver, leaving in the late afternoon, and U.S. Customs pre-clearance will be available.
Sao Paulo-based VASP has acquired a 50.1% stake in Ecuatoriana de Aviacion for US$32.9 million. The US$66 million valuation, as a percentage of annual revenues, is the highest of any Latin American or Caribbean privatization since 1992, according to DAILY affiliate Aviation-Latin America&Caribbean newsletter. Ecuatoriana has been grounded since late 1993, and the new Ecuatoriana is expected to be back in service around January, operating to the U.S., most of South and Central America and Europe.
U.S. Major Carriers Advertising Expenses First Quarter 1995 % Of Total Passenger Systemwide Revenues America West $ 5,094,629 1.58 Domestic 5,068,236 1.59 Latin 26,393 0.94 American 47,682,000 1.52 Domestic 28,316,000 1.26
Travel and Tourism Government Affairs Council is concerned that immigration reform legislation proposing a border crossing fee for travelers entering the U.S. from Mexico and Canada would have the opposite of its intended purpose - to facilitate inbound travel. It is under consideration in the Senate, while the House is pondering a version that would impose steeper fines on airlines.
Reporting an "overwhelming first-day response" to its Weekend Getaway fare cuts for travel between 14 cities in Canada, Canadian Airlines International extended the promotion to four transborder routes - Toronto to New York LaGuardia, Chicago O'Hare and Washington Dulles, and Vancouver to O'Hare. Roundtrip Getaway fares are as much as 73% less than full economy. The fares, available through Dec. 7 for travel between Aug. 18 and Dec. 12, require a Saturday departure and a return on the following Monday or Tuesday.
The City of Chicago increased the level of security yesterday at O'Hare and Midway Airports, city spokeswoman Lisa Howard told The DAILY. "We are in constant contact with FAA and the FBI for intelligence and guidance as to what level of security to be on," Howard said. "We are now on an intermediate level of security, exceeding the federal requirement, but we are not as high as New York's airports." Howard said passengers might notice more uniformed police at both airports' terminals and K-9 explosives detection unit dogs on patrol in O'Hare's terminals.
American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) has added nine companies to its Tour Operator Program, which recognizes legitimate, reliable operators that agree to a plan protecting clients of ASTA member agencies against financial losses. ASTA now has 65 tour companies in the program.
Improving signage to aid foreign tourists traveling in the U.S. still is the No. 1 recommendation from states setting the agenda for the October White House Conference on Travel and Tourism. Also high on the list are creating a centralized database for travel information, improving highways and standardizing industry terms, according to an update of the top 30 recommendations from 29 states. Lowest priority is repairing or expanding the aviation system.
Infini Travel Information, the computer reservations system owned by All Nippon Airways and Abacus Distribution Systems, has implemented Locator Back with British Airways and Deutsche BA.
Air Canada flew 1.8 billion revenue passenger miles in July, 9.5% more than in July 1994. Capacity increased 10.4% for the month, so the load factor dipped to 68% from 68.6%. July 95 July 94 7 Mths 95 7 Mths 94 RPMs 1,804,000,000 1,648,000,000 9,256,000,000 8,419,000,000 ASMs 2,654,000,000 2,404,000,000 14,955,000,000 13,178,000,000 LoadFtr% 68.0 68.6 61.9 63.9
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Larry Pressler (R-S.D.) this week asked the U.S. ambassador to Japan to press for the opening of Tokyo Haneda Airport to business jets, saying that the government "continues to severely limit the access of business jets traveling to Japan." In an Aug.
United and Air Canada will expand their marketing agreement to include code sharing on 56 daily flights in and between the U.S. and Canada, beginning Sept. 5. Air Canada will launch service from Vancouver to Chicago and San Francisco and from Calgary to Denver, and it will add frequencies in the Calgary-San Francisco market. The Canadian carrier will offer code-shared flights to Cincinnati, Kansas City, Nashville, Minneapolis, Denver and Phoenix through Chicago. United passengers will gain access to Halifax, Quebec City and Ottawa via Toronto.
FAA staffed the Pittsburgh tower with other certified employees Monday night and yesterday after many air traffic controllers called in sick. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association denied that it was conducting a job action, saying the "sick leave occurrences were purely coincidental." Pittsburgh hub carrier USAir said it experienced "no delays of any consequence" as a result of the sick calls.
National Car Rental/Interrent has installed satellite navigation systems in Cadillacs based at its Atlanta and Detroit airport stations to test the system for eventual nationwide roll-out. Using satellite tracking technology and electronic mapping software, the National Navigators display routes on a four-inch screen to guide drivers to their chosen destinations. The system will be preprogrammed with frequently requested destinations, such as hotels and the airport.
AmeriJet International said it has acquired a fifth 727-200, bringing its fleet to 11 727-100s and -200s. The aircraft is undergoing cargo conversion and will begin service in November.
U.S. National Carriers Advertising Expenses First Quarter 1995 % Of Total Passenger Systemwide Revenues Alaska $ 3,026,000 1.58 Aloha 1,622,263 3.73 American Trans Air 2,829,800 1.66 Carnival 1,262,769 2.77
National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jim Hall said yesterday he has appointed Bernard Loeb as director of the Office of Aviation Safety, effective Sept. 1. He will succeed William Laynor, a 25-year veteran of the board, who will retire at yearend. Loeb currently heads the Office of Research and Engineering. In his new position, he will lead a staff of more than 100 aviation accident investigators.
Raytheon said its latest variant of the Hawker, the 800XP, has gained CAA and FAA certification. The aircraft is powered by AlliedSignal TFE731-5BR turbofans.
American Express has given the largest grant in its history - $5 million - to World Monuments Fund for creation of World Monuments Watch, a global initiative to protect and preserve endangered cultural and architectural sites. The joint effort will begin with establishing a list of the 100 most endangered monuments of the world.
Sita Group said Boeing will be the first user of AeroNet, its new networking service designed for high performance and secure global communications. Sita said Boeing will use AeroNet for its Reference Engineering Data Automated Retrieval System, offering airline customers fast access to the manufacturer's latest aircraft engineering drawings and parts lists.
