Johannesburg, South Africa-based Comair has signed a contract for two 48-passenger ATR 42-320s, ATR reported. South Africa's Comair, privately held and not affiliated with the U.S. regional carrier of the same name, was created 50 years ago and is the oldest in South Africa after South African Airways, ATR said. The two ATRs will join four Boeing 737-200s, one Fokker 28 and four Fokker 27s in the carrier's fleet.
Amadeus is in a three-way deal with Avianca and ANATO, Colombia's Travel Agency Association, that will make the European computer reservations system available through 600 terminals in 400 Colombian travel agencies. Avianca and ANATO jointly run the Savia distribution system in Colombia. Savia-connected travel agencies are currently using System One, but under terms of the agreement with Amadeus, they will cut over to Amadeus during the next several months. The switch is supported by the joint-venture agreement between Amadeus and System One signed in December.
AlliedSignal Engines is betting that its recent acquisition of Lycoming's gas turbine engine business will give it commanding share of the hottest growth aircraft market-the 50- to 90-passenger segment-without having to pick sides in the turboprop versus turbofan debate, DAILY affiliate Aerospace Propulsion reported from Phoenix.
Peruvian flag carrier Faucett has scaled back its earlier request for Lima- Miami authority. The carrier now seeks renewal of its existing authority to operate nine narrowbody frequencies on the route. Previously, it had requested one-and-a-half additional frequencies, so that it could operate one scheduled Lockheed L-1011 combination roundtrip per week (DAILY, Dec. 13). (Docket 49883)
Traffic growth narrowly outpaced capacity gains during March, perhaps indicating that the bad publicity about regional-airline safety following two accidents late last year is beginning to wane. The sampling of 12 regionals monitored by The DAILY had an average increase in revenue passenger miles of 19.3% versus an average gain in available seat miles of 18.6%. Skewing the results is Gulfstream International of Miami, which is expanding rapidly - RPMs were up 90.1% over a year ago and ASMs 65%.
New Denver-based Frontier Airlines March traffic inched upward to 24.7 million revenue passenger miles, a 4.2% increase from February. The carrier increased available seat miles by 12.4% to 55.9 million, yielding a drop in load factor to 44.3% from February's 47.7%. Frontier, launched in July 1994, carried 44,455 passengers in March. March 1995 February 1995 Rev. Passenger Miles 24,726,000 23,734,000 Available Seat Miles 55,876,000 49,711,000
DOT is prohibiting Great Lakes Aviation, operating as United Express, from suspending subsidized essential air service at Fairmont, Mankato and Worthington, Minn., and Brookings and Mitchell, S.D., on April 24. The carrier which has been providing the service since March 24, filed plans to stop service Jan. 23, but the department is requiring it to maintain the service through May 24 or until a carrier capable of providing reliable essential air service begins service.
FAA said yesterday it believes that U.S. objectives were met at the recent International Civil Aviation Organization Com/Ops meeting in Montreal, and that it is satisfied with the cooperation and the results, specifically the abolition of the Jan. 1, 1998, deadline for installing the microwave landing system, leaving an option for nations that absolutely need it. Richard Arnold, FAA leader of the integrated product team for GPS and navigation, said the meeting did not reject a demonstration by the U.S.
Chicago Express plans to establish operations at Raleigh/Durham to feed Midway Airlines, which is essentially replacing American at the point. Scope of the operation, timing and markets still are under discussion, according to CE President Courtney Anderson, but the carrier would launch operations with Jetstreams and quickly phase in 30-passenger-class airplanes. "The impact on our Chicago operations is as yet undetermined," he added. Seventy percent of its Chicago traffic is O&D, but the emphasis at Raleigh/Durham would shift to connecting traffic.
The 4.3-cent-per-gallon fuel tax to be imposed on the airline industry in October - unless Congress intervenes - will raise individual carriers' operating costs by only 1%, which could be passed on to the consumer, an industry analyst said. Referring to an analysis of fuel costs prepared for The DAILY, the analyst said that although the chart shows that if the tax had been imposed for the year ending with the third quarter 1994 - costing the industry nearly $500 million - individual carriers could easily recover the loss, he said.
DOT has fined Transportes Aereos Ejecutivos (Taesa) for operating charter service between the U.S. and Mexico without gaining the necessary permission. Specifically, Taesa conducted three charter flights between points in the U.S, and points in Mexico on Nov. 20 without obtaining a statement of authorization from the department to operate the flights, according to DOT. The U.S.-Mexico bilateral requires prior approval for all third- and fourth-freedom charter flights between the two countries.
Infini Travel Information Inc. yesterday implemented its Locator Back function with Guatemalan carrier Aviateca, Lacsa of Costa Rica and Nica Airlines of Nicaragua. Locator Back enables the airlines' record locators to be registered in the Infini passenger name record, which enhances synchronization between Infini and the airlines. Infini is a Japan-based computer reservations system owned by All Nippon Airways and the Abacus Distribution Systems, a Singapore-based CRS owned primarily by a number of Asia/Pacific region airlines.
Moody's Investors Service said yesterday it has placed certain Air Canada ratings under review for possible upgrade in anticipation of closing on the airline's recent sale of C$250 million of Class A common shares and because of the potential for improved operating results. The ratings agency said it will examine the improvements in Air Canada's balance sheet and leverage ratios expected from the equity transaction and the company's future leverage goals.
Charlotte, N.C.-based USAir Express affiliate CCAIR offered 26.7 million available seat miles for sale last month, 13.5% more than in March 1994. Traffic failed to keep pace, dropping 5.4% to 11.9 million revenue passenger miles from 12.6 million. As a result, load factor took a 5.2 percentage point dive to 44.6% from 49.8%. Enplanements dropped 6.7% to 68,924 from 73,851.
U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Fuel Cost and Consumption America West 1985 1986 1987 Total Gallons 0 100,578,244 181,069,903 Total Cost 0 56,713,305 105,614,219 Cost Per Gallon 0 0.56 0.58 American 1985 1986 1987 Total Gallons 1,288,160,790 1,360,933,810 1,581,215,672
Carnival Air Lines plans to switch its New York Kennedy-Nassau charter service to scheduled flights June 23. It will offer introductory fares starting at $119 one way on flights operating daily except on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University and the University of Nebraska at Omaha Aviation Institute, will release their fifth annual Airline Quality Rating April 24 in Washington, D.C. The rating is based on the overall quality of the airlines, based on 19 criteria, including on-time arrivals, safety, aircraft age, complaints and financial viability. American took top honors in the first three years of the rating, and Southwest ranked first in the 1993 survey.
Air Canada will launch in December new service between Western Canada and Frankfurt, Germany. Initially, the carrier will operate three-times weekly service between Vancouver and Frankfurt with a stop in Calgary. It plans to up the service to daily by summer 1996, using new 767-300ERs. The carrier is acquiring six 767-300s and received the first last year, which it will use to launch Toronto-Tel Aviv service June 20.
Airlines and FAA continue at loggerheads over strobe-light standards set to take effect Sept. 1. Industry sources claim that the agency's assumption that 50% of strobes on commercial aircraft do not meet the 400- candle Part 25 standard is based on flawed data provided by STROTEK Corp. under a sole-source contract that is under review by the DOT Inspector General. Chautauqua Airlines said a newly installed strobe on its aircraft tested by STROTEK does not reach 100 candles. One source said the battle is now "political" rather than "technical."
The captain of the American Eagle Jetstream Super 31 that crashed last Dec. 13 while on approach to Raleigh/Durham Airport had trouble maintaining his piloting skills, particularly in the terminal area, according to a report issued yesterday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The pilot previously had been allowed to resign from Comair in lieu of being terminated, the report said. The captain left Comair on Jan. 3, 1991, and went to work for American Eagle a few days later.
Heavylift-VolgaDnepr, the British-Russian joint venture, has asked DOT for authority to operate a one-way charter cargo flight with its An 124-100s between East Midlands, England, and Boeing Field, Seattle, on or about April 13. The airline will carry one Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engine, weighing about 57,000 pounds. (Docket 50280)
FAA's third annual Mid-South Aviation Forum will be held July 6-7 in Memphis. The theme, Partners in Progress, will focus on cooperation among government, industry and the flying public to communicate and educate one another. The program is designed as a vehicle for exchanging ideas on how to improve air traffic services. Guest speaker at 7:30 p.m. July 6 is Bill Kershner, aviation author and instructor pilot. For more information, call David Christmas, 901-368-8542, or Andy Masters, 901-368-8533.
America West's March traffic rose 6.9% to 1.2 billion revenue passenger miles from March 1994 on 9% more capacity, resulting in a slight reduction in load factor to 71.8% from 73.2%. Its RPMs for the first quarter of 1995 were up 1.5% to 3 billion, and available seat miles rose 7.7% to 4.6 billion. Maurice Myers, president and chief operating officer, said the carrier sees positive trends in advance bookings for this month and next. Most of the Easter holiday travel occurred in March last year, he said, instead of April, which modestly reduced traffic this year.
Bloomington, Minn.-based Great Lakes Aviation flew 18.5 million revenue passenger miles last month, a 4.4% increase from the 17.7 million recorded in same month a year ago. Capacity rose faster - 5.3% to 42.4 million available seat miles from 40.3 million in March 1994. As a result, the load factor was off 0.4 percentage points to 43.6% from 44%. The number of revenue passengers carried rose 6.8% to 59,505 from 55,733.
United's plan to replace 94 aircraft over the next five years will leave it with a net increase in aircraft of just 19 by 1997, according to Gruntal Investment Research."We believe it will need even more or lose traffic to competitors," Gruntal said (DAILY, April 13).
