Japan Airlines passenger traffic rose 16.9% in November, the most recent month for which data are available, to 5.24 billion revenue passenger kilometers. The number of passengers boarded increased 14.3% from November 1993 to 2.2 million, and cargo traffic grew 14.3% to 824.9 million ton kilometers. Through the first 11 months of 1994, JAL's passenger traffic rose 14.8% to 57.85 billion RPKs and its passenger volume increased 8.6% to 23.6 million. Cargo traffic increased 12.4% to 8.59 billion CTKs.
The leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said yesterday that Congress should retain some means of ensuring national oversight of Washington National and Dulles airports, although there appears to be no agreement on the nature of that oversight. As a result of a Supreme Court ruling in January overturning a board of review, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) on March 31 will lose the ability to make certain major decisions (DAILY, Jan. 26).
USAir Express carrier Allegheny Commuter, wholly owned by USAir Group, has changed its corporate name to Allegheny Airlines, the company announced this week. Allegheny President Ronald Aramini said, "The new name more accurately reflects the recent transition of Allegheny to an airline that operates a modern high-tech fleet composed exclusively of Dash 8 aircraft." Allegheny's route system comprises 29 cities in 11 eastern states and the District of Columbia. It is headquartered in Harrisburg, Pa.
Bombardier, bolstered by Delta Connection Comair's decision announced this week to acquire 15 more Canadair Regional Jets, is increasing production of the 50-passenger aircraft to four units from three per month, the manufacturer announced. Comair exercised options on five RJs and placed a conditional order for 10 with options on 25 more. The five firm and 10 conditionally ordered aircraft are valued at approximately $260 million (DAILY, Feb. 8).
Virgin Atlantic Airways is offering travel agents the opportunity to fly free to London for selling two roundtrip Upper Class tickets from San Francisco or Los Angeles to London. Booking four Upper Class sectors will earn agents one roundtrip economy class ticket to London. Six Upper Class sectors will entitle agents to one roundtrip economy ticket and a space- available upgrade to Premium Economy.
Embraer has won seven new firm orders or options for its 50-passenger EMB- 145 jet from companies in the U.S. and Denmark, the manufacturer announced this week. U.S.-based equipment leasing company PLM International, the parent of Aeromil Australia Pty. Ltd., placed four paid options, while three letters of intent were turned into firm orders by Eastern Trade Wings of Denmark. Eastern Trade Wings, although based in Denmark, operates most of its service in India, where it will use the new aircraft.
Mesa Air Group unit WestAir Commuter Airlines is embarking on a plan to increase productivity and slash costs through a permanent work force reduction of 75 employees and possible pilot wage concessions to generate annual cost savings of $1.5 million. The actions will not affect the company's route structure, Mesa said, although continuing cost analysis in light of fierce competition in the California corridor will not rule out route changes in the future. "We are looking at everything.
Flight Safety Foundation Chairman Stuart Matthews has castigated Frequent Flyer magazine for a recent editorial that criticized commuter safety, saying it was another in a series of "outrageous and ill-conceived attacks by the press" on the industry (DAILY, Jan. 27, Page RA 1).
Citing growing costs and the possible impending end of the Essential Air Service Program, Great Lakes Airlines has withdrawn its proposals to provide essential air service at seven Montana cities: Glasgow, Glendive, Havre, Lewistown, Miles City, Sidney and Wolf Point, and five Nebraska points: Hastings, Kearney, McCook, North Platte and Scottsbluff. In addition, the carrier has given DOT 90 days' notice of its intent to terminate service at the Minnesota cities of Fairmont, Mankato and Worthington as well as Brookings and Mitchell, S.D.
TASC Inc., a subsidiary of Primark Corp., received a $425,000 contract from Poland's Ministry of Transport and Maritime Economy to provide technical assistance in upgrading the nation's air traffic control system. The award, sponsored by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, calls on TASC to review ATC procedures and advise on procuring updated technology and equipment. TASC is to review and establish criteria for installing new ATC equipment and facilities throughout Poland. It will identify suppliers and estimate costs.
Air Canada is reducing fares for "compassionate" travel and broadening the conditions on such travel to make the fares easier for customers to use. Effective immediately, compassionate-fare travelers will receive a 50% discount off selected fares. The previous discount was 35%. Use of the special fares has been enlarged to accommodate customers who must travel due to an imminent death in the immediate family, but cannot take advantage of discount fares because of advance-purchase or minimum-stay requirements.
The board of directors of SkyWest Airlines parent SkyWest Inc. has authorized the purchase of up to 500,000 shares of the company's common stock on the open market. The shares are in addition to the 1,150,000 shares authorized in November 1994 and subsequently repurchased.
The budget news was mostly bleak this week for the Essential Air Service Program, but there was one positive development. The President's budget proposes to terminate EAS in fiscal 1996 and also rescind $7.7 million of unused contract authority. DOT is proposing similar action regarding local rail freight assistance. The one bright spot is that House Appropriations Chairman Bob Livingston (R-La.) this week introduced a bill (H.R.845) to rescind budget authority, including local rail freight assistance but not EAS.
United has asked DOT for authority to operate combination service between points in the U.S. and Odessa, Ukraine, via Frankfurt/Main, Germany. Beginning April 1, United wants to offer code-share services on twice- weekly roundtrip Lufthansa flights between Frankfurt and Odessa. In support of the service, United cites the recent U.S.-Ukraine pact, which includes a provision permitting third-country code-share flights to Odessa (DAILY, Jan. 25).
DOT has granted Pacific International Airlines authority to conduct non- scheduled, all-cargo roundtrip service between Panama City and Miami, via Tegucigalpa and/or San Pedro Sula, Honduras. It also requested authority to operate similar service between Panama City and Miami, via Guatemala City, Guatemala. The service request was opposed by Amerijet International, Challenge Air and Fine Airlines. Among other objections, all three contended that reciprocity between Panama and the U.S. is inadequate to support the application for extra-bilateral authority.
Avions de Transport Regional (ATR) has logged 435 ATR 42 and 72 aircraft sales since the beginning of the ATR aircraft program, the venture reported. That figure represents 52% of the world market for turboprop regional transport aircraft in the 41- to 70-seat range, ATR said. 32 Firm ATR Sales In 1994 (27 New and Five Second-Hand) ATR 42 ATR 72 Gill Air 1 ASA 4 (72-210)
Delta will tell its Air Line Pilots Association unit next week what it considers negotiable and what is not in talks the company hopes will cut labor costs $340 million per year. In January, Delta presented a plan that included a 7% reduction in base pay and operational efficiencies that would reduce the work force.
USAir will add five flights to Florida from Washington Dulles March 5, comprising two daily one-stops to Tampa and one each to Fort Myers and West Palm Beach, and a new nonstop to Orlando on Saturdays. Fares are $69 one way for Tuesday-Thursday travel from Dulles and National airports to Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Miami with a 21-day advance purchase.
Cathay Pacific Airways will drop "Slumber Service" next week from flights between Hong Kong and London and Frankfurt.The airline decided it makes no sense to offer a darkened cabin when surveys show 80% of passengers prefer Cathay's traditional service.
The Clinton administration budget submitted to Congress this week requests $38.8 million and 350 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions in fiscal 1996 for the National Transportation Safety Board. Although the request is for $1.4 million more than the agency received for fiscal 1995, it provides funding only to maintain the current staffing level, NTSB Chairman Jim Hall told the House Appropriations transportation subcommittee. Hall said NTSB needs at least 350 FTEs to fulfill its mission.
Northwest flew 3.5% more revenue passenger miles in January than it did in the same month a year ago despite a 1% decline in traffic. The result was a load factor increase of 2.8 percentage points. "Our January performance included load factor growth in our domestic, Pacific and Atlantic passenger markets, as well as significant growth in cargo traffic due in part to large gains in the transatlantic market," said John Dasburg, president. January 1995 January 1994
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecast yesterday that 398 million international scheduled passengers will travel to, from and within the Asia/Pacific region per year by 2010, compared with 390 million passengers in the rest of the world. In its Asia-Pacific Air Transport Forecast 1980-2010, issued in Geneva, IATA said the fastest average annual growth rates in scheduled international passengers between 1993 and 2010 will be in Vietnam, 17.3%, and China, 12.6%.
DOT authorized Swissair, Austrian and Delta yesterday to operate joint code-share service between Washington, Geneva and Vienna. Considering potential benefits for U.S. carriers, passengers and shippers, the department concluded that the proposal "represents a major improvement in U.S.-Switzerland and U.S.-Austria services." DOT also weighed the deal in terms of bilateral agreements and reciprocity. Yesterday's action was DOT's second major code-share program approval in a week, both involving Delta.
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has awarded Unisys a $2.2 million contract to provide the airline with information management services and solutions for its freight shipment operations, Unisys said yesterday. Unisys will provide business process redesign, systems integration and human factors consulting services to implement an open client/service solution comprising Unisys personal computers and graphical user interface software, SCO UNIX servers and Telxon bar-coding hardware.
Midway Airlines, which operates a fleet made up entirely of Fokker 100 jets, plans to take on a second aircraft type in June and is considering the MD-80 or A320. It will take delivery of five aircraft in June, and additional aircraft each month thereafter. Midway's plan to operate all of its flights from Raleigh/Durham by June 15 will require moving all aircraft to the city, resulting in termination of service to Philadelphia, Dallas, Allentown and Denver by March 2. It will resume service to Philadelphia, later from Raleigh/Durham.
