United this month is celebrating the flight attendant profession, which it said was started 65 years ago at United. Passengers will be served by flight attendants wearing, on a voluntary basis, "nostalgic uniforms worn in bygone eras." For safety reasons, they will wear their current uniforms for takeoff, change into the old uniforms for most of the flight, and change back for landing. On May 12 in Chicago, Margaret Arnott, the sole surviving member of the "original eight" flight attendants from 1930, will greet a class of new graduates at United's headquarters.
The Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority told DOT this week it has reached a tentative agreement with Midway Airlines settling a dispute over obligations stemming from Midway's operation - and subsequent suspension - of service from Allentown, Pa., to Chicago and Boston. Under the draft agreement, the airport authority will pay Midway $694,000 for service under the previous revenue guarantee, and it made a $300,000 down payment on April 24.
Joseph Kania, senior director of quality and safety at USAir's maintenance organization, has been chosen to receive the Air Transport Association's Nuts and Bolts Award, given annually by ATA's Engineering Maintenance and Material Council. Kania was honored for reducing the time and cost of caring for engines, the CFM56 engine maintenance program, an airworthiness directive tracking system and work on human factors in maintenance.
The number of travelers to South Africa from North America jumped 19.4% last year, from 76,190 in 1993 to 90,793, according to the South African Tourism Board. The rate of increase grew after May, when Nelson Mandela was inaugurated president, and the September-December increase was 34.5%.
Kiwi International Air Lines Chairman Byron Hogue and a director have resigned from the carrier, ending a power struggle with President Danny Wright, according to sources (DAILY, May 1). Kiwi officials declined to confirm or deny the report, saying they will issue a statement today. A New Jersey Superior Court directed the parties involved to reach a settlement during the weekend on the management structure and to appear before the court on Monday. A Kiwi spokesman said only that an appearance was made. Kiwi could name Wright chairman and chief executive.
Fort Worth-based Lone Star Airlines is suspending service to Torreon, Mexico, today, but says it is not retreating from plans to expand in Mexico. The carrier said load factors and the "financial support" it expected did not materialize, but it may resume the service in the future if the Mexican economy strengthens. Lone Star had anticipated obtaining investments from the Torreon government and the private sector, but the weakened state of the Mexican economy prevented the city from providing the financial support to maintain the service.
Air France flew 4.1% fewer revenue passenger kilometers last month than in March a year ago on 4.7% more available seat kilometers. The result was a load factor decline of 6.3 percentage points to 68.7%. Air France's cargo traffic rose 10.7% in March on 6.4% more capacity. Its freight load factor increased 2.9 points to 73.3%.
United has been designated the official airline of the 1996 Democratic National Convention, to be held in Chicago at the United Center Aug. 26-29. United will offer complete reservations services and reduced fares to delegates.
AMR Chairman and Chief Executive Robert Crandall will give the keynote speech at the Third Annual International Airline CEO Conference at the Sonesta Beach Hotel in Key Biscayne, Fla., June 1. The one-day conference, sponsored by Aviation Latin America&Caribbean, a McGraw-Hill Aviation Week Group associated publication, brings together airline executives to discuss problems and opportunities.
United Chairman Gerald Greenwald and AMR Corp. Chairman Robert Crandall, in a rare showing of solidarity, have opposed the use of funds generated by passengers and shippers at Chicago O'Hare for the development of a new airport, and have jointly submitted a noise proposal to legislative leaders. The statement was made Sunday following last week's proposal by Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar for the creation of a regional airport authority.
U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor on Friday praised a report on implementation of a dispute settlement process by the World Trade Organization. The report, by the Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations, provides approaches to increasing the "transparency and credibility of the dispute settlement process" within the WTO, including specific recommendations for the trade group and the U.S. government, Kantor said. The report also recommends that the U.S. make implementation of the WTO, and in particular the dispute settlement process, a top priority.
Harris Corp. board on Friday elected Phillip Farmer, president and chief operating officer, to the additional posts of chairman and chief executive. He will succeed John Hartley, current chairman and chief executive, who will retire June 30. Hartley will continue as a board member and chairman of the board's Executive Committee. The change is effective July 1.
Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee will meet May 11 at FAA's request to look into issues concerning maintenance and inspection of the nation's general aviation fleet - aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds. Maintenance recordkeeping and the age of the current fleet also will come under review.
A slow start to the quarter and the cost of implementing a new compensation program hurt America West's first quarter earnings, but the airline still managed to post its ninth consecutive quarterly profit. The carrier, which emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last August, reported a first quarter 1995 net profit of $5.2 million, or 12 cents per share, and an operating profit of nearly $24.9 million. For the first quarter a year ago, America West posted net earnings of $15.2 million and an operating profit of $37.8 million.
Boeing's third production 777 widebody twin set a speed record for its weight class Sunday in a Bangkok-to-Seattle flight that ended a three-week tour of 10 nations. The aircraft flew 7,850 miles nonstop in 13 hours and 36 minutes, and Boeing said it will submit the "speed over a recognized course" record to the National Aeronautic Association and the Federation Aeronautique Internationale for certification.
Air Methods Corp. announced first quarter net income of $253,000 on revenues of $7.9 million, a significant improvement over the $915,000 loss of the previous quarter and a $3.9 million loss in the first quarter last year. The new results do not include revenues or income from the company's sale of an exclusive 10-year franchise with Brazil for $2.25 million. Air Methods' Air Medical Services Division recorded net income of $324,000 for the quarter.
Aero Internacional (AISA) has applied for authority to engage in all-cargo charter service between points in Mexico and the U.S. The airline also is seeking permission to operate fifth-freedom service beyond its U.S. destinations. AISA said it plans to concentrate at the outset on filling a need for transport of automobile parts in transborder markets. If its request is approved, the Mexican new entrant carrier will offer five-times- a-week service between Monterrey, Mexico, and Laredo, Texas, using Convair 240-52 aircraft leased from Starship Inc. of Tucson, Ariz.
Continental has appointed consultant Gregory Brenneman its chief operating officer and nominated him to the board of directors. Brenneman has worked with President Gordon Bethune on the Go Forward Plan, designed to improve reliability and reduce costs. He has focused on re-engineering key operations, such as maintenance, reservations and customer service. Bethune said Brenneman "has been a core member of our team for many months now, and has demonstrated expertise in the development of clear, concise strategy."
Atlas Air took delivery of its eighth 747 freighter last week. The aircraft is the second of four 747-200 Combis acquired by Atlas to be modified into an all-cargo freighter configuration by Boeing Wichita. Atlas said it expects to take delivery of five more 747-200s in the next year.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is moving toward banning the routine spraying of insecticide on arriving aircraft while passengers are still on board. A measure concerning disinfection was one of more than 100 recommendations adopted by ICAO's Facilitation Division during a meeting April 18-27 on Montreal. The recommendations now will be considered by the ICAO Council for adoption as international standards or Recommended Practices for ICAO's 183 member states.
Air Canada, which has firm orders for 24 Canadair Regional Jets (CL-65s), is all but certain to exercise all 24 options it holds for the 50-seater because of the market opportunities created by open skies, Air Canada Chairman Hollis Harris said yesterday. But the airline also is interested in a 70-seat stretched version of the CL-65 that may be ready for delivery in 1998 or 1999, Harris told reporters in Washington.
Air Transportation Holdings Co. said it will relocate from Maiden, N.C., and expand its Mountain Air Cargo F27 aircraft maintenance facility and Mountain Aircraft Services engine overhaul management facility and become the first tenant of North Carolina's new Global TransPark in Kingston, N.C. A new facility is to be completed by summer 1996 and will consolidate out- of-state aircraft maintenance and engine overhaul management operations.
Garuda Indonesia and Abacus Distribution Systems Pte Ltd have opened a joint-venture National Marketing Company (NMC), P.T. Abacus Distribution Systems, in Jakarta, Indonesia. The company is the exclusive Abacus distributor in Indonesia. At the same time, more than 30 travel agencies in Jakarta have switched to the Abacus system, and more than 200 agents will be linked to the system by the end of the year, Abacus said. Garuda and Abacus have been developing the NMC since last year.
All Nippon Airways' international passenger volume rose 15.2% in March to 174,733 from 151,649 in March a year ago. The airline's domestic passenger total rose 18.8% to 3.46 million from just under 2.91 million. On the fiscal year ended March 31, ANA boarded 1.75 million passengers on its international routes, an increase of 11% from the previous year, and 34.06 million passengers on its domestic routes, which was up 6% from the previous year.
