The complaint filed by seven airlines against the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority is outside the scope of the 1994 rates and charges law because it challenges a line item in an airport budget that has only an indirect effect on fees, the airport authority told DOT. The complaint involves revenue-guarantee arrangements between the airport authority, which operates Lehigh Valley Airport in Allentown, Pa., and TWA and Midway (DAILY, April 5).
Continental predicts it will save $15 million-$20 million a year in accounting and paperwork costs after it goes nationwide with its new airport electronic ticketing system, developed by EDS and AT&T Global Information Solutions and unveiled yesterday. The carrier has begun using E-Ticket machines for shuttle flights between Houston and San Antonio, Dallas and New Orleans. The automated device is expected to eliminate the need to wait in line and check in with an agent.
Poland is looking to sell a minority stake in flag-carrier LOT Polish Airlines. Reuter yesterday quoted LOT President Jan Litwinksi as saying the government wants to sell 29% of the carrier to an investor by the end of next year, and that the airline would like to have American be that investor. American and LOT signed a marketing deal last year. American declined comment on the matter yesterday.
FAA commissioned the National Airspace Data Interchange Network (NADIN II) on March 31. The high-speed data communications system, designed to improve the controllers' ability to pass information to pilots, is expected to save the agency $8 million-$10 million in annual telecommunications costs, according to FAA. NADIN II facilitates rapid information-sharing among FAA's 20 air traffic control centers.
Average load factor for 12 regional airlines declined by 0.85 of a percentage point in March to 47.65% from 48.5% in the same month a year ago. Seven carriers in the sample lost percentage points; five gained ground. Horizon Air, the regional industry's traditional load-factor leader, continued to post a high for the sample of 12 at 59.1%. That was down nearly 3.6 points, however, from 62.7% a year ago. Showing most growth in load factor was Miami-based Gulfstream International, up 7.4 points from 48.5% in March 1994 to 55.9% in the month just ended.
Saab Aircraft has yet to meet the 76 dBA cabin specification it guaranteed launch customer Crossair on the 50-passenger Saab 2000 high- speed turboprop, missing the mark by only two dBA. That is not close enough for Crossair Chief Executive Moritz Suter. During a European press junket to show off the 2000 last week in Basel, Switzerland, Suter said he was not happy about the excessive noise. Meanwhile, Saab pays a penalty for each airplane delivered with average cabin noise above 76 dBA, a goal it says it will reach.
The Hong Kong government plans to restrict Qantas Airways' carriage of fifth-freedom traffic beyond Hong Kong to Bangkok and Singapore to 50% of the total number of passengers on each flight, it was revealed yesterday. The restrictions will take effect July 1 unless Australia and Hong Kong can resolve a dispute over fifth-freedom rights in the next two months. Hong Kong authorities have charged that as many as 85% of the passengers on Qantas flights from Hong Kong to destinations other than Australia originate in Hong Kong.
Aviation industry representatives raised serious questions yesterday about National Transportation Safety Board proposals for upgrading flight data recorders.
Aviation Week&Space Technology will conduct its first Paris Air Show business seminar this year. "Aviation/Aerospace Requisites for the 21st Century" will be held the mornings of June 12 and June 13 at Le Bourget. Speakers include Van Honeycutt, chairman and CEO, Computer Sciences Corp.; Kent Kresa, chairman and CEO, Northrop Grumman, and Gareth Chang, president, GM Hughes International. Registration is limited to 200. For information, call Lydia Janow at 1-800-240-7645.
USAir subsidiaries Allegheny and Piedmont will increase their Dash 8 fleets during 1995, largely through used-aircraft-lease transactions, the company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Together they operate 75 Dash 8-100s; Piedmont also has five aging Dash 7s.
National Mediation Board has accepted Delta's request for mediation in concession talks with its Air Line Pilots Association unit and will assign a federal mediator as soon as possible.Although pilots viewed the request as premature, Delta said it was necessary not only because the two were far apart on money, but also because the pilots have thrown an old item back into the talks - wage snapbacks.
Li Zhao, deputy director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), has suggested that the airlines of his country and Taiwan remove the national flags from their aircraft to facilitate direct flights between the two nations. Visiting Taiwan to attend a seminar on cross-strait civil aviation, Li said he is confident that Taiwan's four-decades-old ban on direct flights to and from the mainland can be relaxed soon.
Fuel Cost and Consumption U.S. Majors, Nationals and Large Regionals March 1994 - February 1995 Total Total Cost Gallons (Dollars) 1994 March Domestic 1,044,218,133 560,153,352 International 344,789,156 208,885,759 System Total 1,389,007,289 769,039,111
Alaska Airlines is boosting service between the Pacific Northwest and California, effective June 4. The carrier will offer 105 nonstops between Seattle/Portland and the 10 California cities it serves, which is a 34% increase over last summer's schedule. Thirteen of the new flights are to Northern California and 12 to Southern California.
Southwest will begin service Aug. 4 from Nashville to Baltimore/Washington, Kansas City and New Orleans. The carrier will operate four daily flights to Baltimore for $59 one way with a 21-day advance purchase or $99 at departure. It will operate two daily flights to Kansas City and New Orleans at fares ranging from $59 to $89.
The Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents American's pilots, says it has reached an agreement in principle with management on job security concerns, particularly in regard to the role of regional partners. An APA spokesman said the issues boil down to the idea that the purpose of commuter partners is to feed the main airline, not to replace its service, although in the past, some AMR Eagle service supplanted American flights.
The International Transportation Committee&the Air and Space Committee of the Transportation Section of the Federal Bar Association will present on April 28 a luncheon program devoted the U.S. nine-country European open skies initiative. The program will feature three panelists - Paul Gretch, DOT director of the office of international aviation; Yves Devellenes, counsellor (transportation, energy and environment), delegation of the Commission of the European Community, and Stale Risa, counsellor (shipping and civil aviation), Embassy of Norway.
Denver Mayor Wellington Webb yesterday signed a lease with Continental for gates at Denver Airport. Under the pact, the airline is released from its original 20-gate obligation and will lease 10, including 113,488 square feet of gate and operational space. After five years, Continental may exercise an option to cut back to three gates and support space without penalty.
Hawaiian Airlines reported 1994 net and operating losses of $12.9 million and $12.7 million, respectively, excluding one-time restructuring charges and other extraordinary items. The airline, which emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last September, logged a net profit of $169.4 million, all of which can be traced to a $190.1 million non-cash gain representing the extinguishment of pre-bankruptcy liabilities. In 1993, Hawaiian had an operating loss of $24.8 million and a net loss of $28.9 million.
FAA late yesterday said no threat to air transportation had been identified following the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City. As required by security regulations, airlines and airports have contingency plans, and the agency is in communication with the intelligence community, a spokeswoman said. FAA also is conducting a system review of contingency plans, but that review is not connected to the bombing, she said.
Major European aerospace companies say the weak dollar threatens to spoil their financial results for 1995. Daimler-Benz Aerospace of Germany, which receives all of its aircraft and engine revenues in dollars, said it will miss its breakeven target for the year, losing at least 100 million Deutschmarks, unless the dollar returns soon to DM1.60, Reuter reported. Yesterday, the dollar stood at DM1.35. DASA is at risk even though it hedged about DM2 billion against the dollar before the dollar's value fell.
McDonnell Douglas Corp. yesterday reported record net earnings, mainly from military aircraft manufacturing, and increased revenues, mainly from increased commercial transport deliveries, for the first quarter of 1995. During the three months ended March 31, the company netted $159 million, up 19% over the $134 million of 1994's first quarter. The per-share increase was from $1.13 to $1.38.
Sabre Travel Information Network launched yesterday a cruise industry reservation and information system, Sabre CruiseDirector, and said that Princess Cruises is the first participatant. Kloster Cruises' Norwegian Cruise Line will be available in Sabre CruiseDirector in the third quarter. The new product features fill-in-the-blank entries instead of formats and codes. Sabre CruiseDirector will be distributed to all Sabre with Windows subscribers in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean at no extra charge.
TWA has completed the launch of its new first-class service - Trans World One - to Europe. TWA rolled out the service a month ago to major European and U.S. cities. It now is on all transatlantic flights to London, Paris, Athens, Rome, Milan, Frankfurt, Cairo, Tel Aviv, Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona. In the U.S., it is available from New York to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.
