Three U.S. cargo airlines are battling to become the fifth designated U.S. all-cargo carrier for Mexico service. Emery Worldwide Airlines began the bidding war when it applied for authority to operate five weekly DC-8-75 flights between Dayton and Mexico City, beginning Feb. 1. The carrier argued that it should displace as a designated carrier Aerial Transit, which has not flown its Miami-Merida, Mexico, service since October 1992 (DAILY, Dec. 8). The U.S-Mexico bilateral allows for five designated U.S. all-cargo carriers. In a Dec.
Continental made what it termed further "fine-tuning" adjustments of its Continental Lite product yesterday, eliminating some underperforming markets. The carrier has been scaling back the low-fare service gradually in markets that are proving unprofitable, a spokeswoman said, and yesterday's schedule changes were not dramatic. Markets that have been dropped include Greensboro-Dayton, St. Louis-Dayton and Cleveland- Providence.
U.S. Major and National Carriers Labor Expenses Third Quarter 1994 % Of Total Operating Systemwide Expenses America West $ 76,437,531 23.52 American 1,166,033,000 34.10 Continental 296,477,000 24.38 Delta 1,016,740,000 33.42
DOT has clarified some application procedures in response to questions prompted by the new U.S.-Canada framework agreement in a notice issued Jan. 9. One key change introduced by the framework involves service allocation for co-terminal routes, such as Miami/Tampa-Toronto. Under the present U.S.-Canada agreement, the U.S. can designate only one carrier for these routes. The framework permits the U.S. to split the routes and designate a carrier to serve each of the segments.
Closure of Newark Airport Monday after 5 p.m. due to a construction mishap and power failure left the airport's largest hub carrier, Continental, able to operate only 62 of 217 scheduled departures and 37 of 335 arrivals. Flights from Europe were diverted to Bangor, Maine. SAS said passengers from Scandinavia remained aboard for up to three and one-half hours because Customs clearance facilities could not operate normally.
Detroit will become the 18th city in ValuJet's route system tomorrow, when the carrier launches four daily flights from Atlanta with fares as low as $69 one way. The carrier also is offering a friends-fly-free promotion through February. Reservations must be made by Jan. 22, and both passengers must travel on the same flight.
TWA's Air Line Pilots Association unit is encouraging members to call the creditor representing the 10% noteholders committee that recommended rejection of the airline's debt restructuring plan. The representative provided his name and work telephone number on a statement criticizing the plan. The ALPA unit said he is jeopardizing the airline's future and asked members to voice that opinion in a courteous, succinct yet persistent way. Repeated calls to the noteholder yesterday by The DAILY did not go through - the line was always busy.
British Airways will have to ration flights from a "capacity-capped" London Heathrow Airport unless BAA plc's proposed Terminal 5 is approved and built, the airline warned. Rationing would lead to expansion of the most popular routes at the expense of less popular ones, the airline said, and fewer cities would have direct services to and from London. BA filed its long-standing position with the local public inquiry inspector in formal support of BAA's application for planning permission from local officials to build the fifth terminal at the airport.
British Airways has suspended indefinitely its Birmingham-New York Kennedy service because it has not been able to resolve work-rule issues with its cabin attendants. Effective today, BA unit British Airways Regional was to begin daily nonstop service in the market with 161-seat 757s. BA Regional has been operating a mix of nonstop and one-stop service in the market with 767s since March 1992 (DAILY, Oct. 3).
Dollar Rent A Car has become a member of America West's frequent flyer program, FlightFund. Members will receive 1,000 miles for every car rented, with an extra 500 miles for each car rented between Jan. 15 and March 31.
Delta said yesterday its four Connection carriers will meet Part 121 training requirements voluntarily this year, in advance of federal regulations requiring them to do so. Delta and the carriers - Atlantic Southeast, Business Express, Comair Holdings and SkyWest - will engage in a shared safety program and will implement crew resource management and safety management procedures this year, reflecting National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations on commuter safety last year.
FAA thinks 1994 statistics will show that the accident rate per 100,000 departures was 0.25 for Part 121 operators and 0.35 for commuters. In terms of the number of accidents, the agency says last year was the commuter industry's safest ever.
Moody's Investors Service has withdrawn its Prime-1 rating on Australian Airlines Ltd.'s commercial paper because the company has ceased issuing commercial paper, no commercial paper is outstanding and the company has no intention of issuing commercial paper in the future. Australian Airlines Ltd. is a subsidiary of Qantas Airways, which acquired Australian in September 1992 and has since merged the airline's operations into its own.
Sprint and five foreign carriers have agreed on a Sprint Worldwide Travel Rewards program that will allow members to redeem immediately miles earned for cash certificates good for all or part of an international fare. Air France, Air India, LOT Polish Airlines, Mexicana and Virgin Atlantic are participating in the program. Sprint said there are no time restrictions on earning rewards. Sprint Worldwide callers will earn 10 miles for every long-distance dollar spent, and an introductory bonus of 1,000 miles is being offered.
Jetstream 31 that crashed A Jetstream 31 that crashed Dec. 1, 1993, near Hibbing, Minn., was operated by Express II Airlines. The operator was incorrectly identified Jan. 6 in The DAILY.
More than 150 aviation, travel and aerospace industry companies and organizations wrote President Clinton yesterday supporting extension of the airline industry's exemption from the 4.3-cents-per-gallon transportation fuels tax. The airlines' two-year exemption expires Oct. 1 under current law, and the Air Transport Association, campaigning for an extended or permanent exemption, estimates that the tax would cost airlines $527 million per year. ATA President James Landry reported "some positive signals from Capitol Hill" in the anti-tax effort.
FAA Administrator David Hinson told DOT's Aviation Safety Conference in Washington yesterday that he wants to shift from "after-the-fact analysis and reaction" to "anticipatory analysis and proscription" in attempts to prevent air crashes. Trying to anticipate and prevent accidents could force major changes in the way airlines operate, with far- reaching economic consequences, several industry executives told The DAILY.
United will hire 80 pilots a month for the "foreseeable future," adding at least 600 cockpit crew this year, to cover an expected 350 retirements, delivery of 777s and A320s, and increased flying due to Shuttle by United. American's Allied Pilots Association unit, with more than 600 on furlough, has told members they may find employment at United, but United's Air Line Pilots Association unit says ALPA members are being interviewed on a faster track.
FAA has commissioned at Memphis Airport its second terminal Doppler weather radar (TDWR), for use by controllers to increase safety and reduce weather-related delays. The first TDWR was commissioned last July at Houston Intercontinental Airport. TDWR detects microbursts and gust fronts, predicts wind shifts and provides data on precipitation intensity. Wind shear warnings from controllers will include the runway affected, type of wind shear, and its strength and location along the runway. Raytheon received a contract for 47 TDWRs in November 1988.
Galileo Canada has signed a preferred supplier agreement with GIANTS, Canada's largest retail travel agency consortium, the computer reservations system company said. "We are extremely pleased with the terms of our agreement with Galileo Canada," said David Lee, executive director of GIANTS Travel Ltd. "In the face of rising costs and narrower margins, it's gratifying to be able to present our membership with true savings in the area of automation." Galileo Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of Air Canada.
AirTran Airways is adding nonstop service between Cincinnati and Orlando Feb. 22, offering four weekly flights using 128-passenger 737 aircraft. Fares range from $99 to $149 each way.
TWA's frequent flyer program members may donate their miles to Operation Liftoff, a program founded 12 years ago by a TWA employee to provide transportation for medical reasons or vacations to children with life-threatening diseases. Passengers may donate their miles through a program that lasts until March 31. TWA has contributed 500,000 miles and will match all donations made by frequent flyers. Operation Liftoff volunteers, mostly TWA employees, gave 41 children and their families free flights in 1994.
Worldspan has signed an agreement with Vacation Express to add the Atlanta- based tour operator to Worldspan TourSource, the computer reservations system's electronic tour and vacation booking system for travel agents. Vacation Express's full product line will be online in TourSource by mid- 1995
Airbus Industrie yesterday attributed a slight lag in 1994 deliveries - 123 aircraft to 35 customers, down from the 130 forecast at the beginning of the year - to "a delay in bringing the A330 Pratt&Whitney version to its committed contractual specifications." Revenue for the year was $8.5 billion, "marginally below that of 1993." Airbus Industrie said it received 125 firm orders valued at $9.1 billion in 1994 compared with 38 the previous year.
