Carnival Airlines and Chilean carrier Ladeco have signed an agreement to code share on new daily flights from Miami to New York Kennedy, beginning Friday. The Miami-New York service will be operated with a Carnival Airbus A300 configured to accommodate 24 passengers in business class and 230 in coach. The service will be staffed with a mixed cabin crew of Ladeco and Carnival flight attendants.
Aeromexico is seeking authority to operate scheduled combination service between Guaymus, Mexico, and Phoenix, Ariz. The carrier plans initially to perform twice-weekly flights, using either MD-88 or DC-9 aircraft. The route currently receives no nonstop service and "only limited multi-stop service," according to Aeromexico. (Docket 50294)
A Boeing official yesterday denied reports circulating at DOT that the $6 billion Saudi Arabia aircraft deal is "falling apart." The reports follow DOT Secretary Federico Pena's visit to the Seattle-based company last week. Don Ciminelli, manager of airline promotion for Boeing Commercial with responsibility for the region that includes Saudi Arabia, said he would "vigorously" deny that the deal is dead.
AirTrain is asking DOT to extend its three-month exemption from the dormancy rules to six, so that it can have more time to gain FAA certification. Originally aiming to begin scheduled and charter service from its Pittsburgh base by Jan. 24, the carrier earlier this year gained a three-month exemption until April 24 (DAILY, Jan. 13). Now, AirTrain says it needs until Oct.
United parent UAL Corp. yesterday reported its first profitable March quarter since 1989, posting net earnings (before dividend requirements) of $3 million and an operating profit of $38 million. The airline company's bottom line was helped by a $24 million one-time, after-tax gain on the sale of 10 aircraft to Mesa Airlines, however. UAL's operating results also reflected $89 million in employee stock ownership expenses related to last summer's employee buyout of the company.
Malaysian Airlines is the first airline to have a test cell approved for the new PW4168 engine, Pratt&Whitney reported. The carrier is one of three airlines flying Airbus A330 aircraft with the engine.
Seven airlines complaining about revenue guarantee arrangements at Lehigh Valley Airport argued last week that the airport authority's distinction between a budget item and a fee increase is not a valid reason for dismissing their complaint. The Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority argued earlier that DOT consideration of the amended complaint would "open Pandora's box," allowing airlines to use the process to fight individual airport budget items (DAILY, April 21).
Boeing is demonstrating to airlines attending this week's Air Transport Association Engineering Forum in Louisville a new online access to a central data base containing technical drawings and parts lists for aircraft maintenance and repairs. The new subscription service, the Reference Engineering Data Automated Retrieval System, is more efficient than the current method, which relies on a microfilm-based system to store and retrieve drawings and parts lists, the company said.
Qantas has appointed Robert Dandle group general manager-purchasing, with responsibility for all purchasing functions - aircraft and maintenance, airport services, information technology and property, corporate, and fuel. Dandle was most recently general manager-purchasing with Toyota Australia.
South Korea and China have agreed in principle to produce jointly a 100- seat transport aircraft, according to an official at Seoul's International Trade and Industry Ministry. The official, as quoted by Reuter, said a South Korean consortium led by Samsung Aerospace Industries and the state- run Aviation Industry of China will decide on foreign partners by the end of September. A major foreign partner, to be selected to provide advanced technology, will be allowed to take up to a 20% share of the project, the official said.
Four corporate airline safety officers have written to DOT Secretary Federico Pena to clarify their opposition to reversal of new on-time reporting requirements that include mechanical delays. Pena told a Senate committee last month that one of the top five recommendations from the January aviation safety summit called for eliminating mechanical delays from DOT's monthly on-time report, and that he is taking steps to do so.
American Society of Travel Agents has merchant status application programs with Bank One and American Express to help its members become Visa, MasterCard and American Express merchants, making collection of services fees easier. ASTA said it is not encouraging members to charge service fees in response to travel agent commission caps, but is providing an avenue for members who find it necessary.
Although there are no restrictions on the use of traffic alert and collision avoidance systems in Commonwealth of Independent States airspace, TCAS program officials warn that some domestic aircraft operating in this airspace use non-ICAO transponders that do not respond to TCAS interrogations. Program officials say there are no known restrictions on TCAS operation anywhere in the world.
DOT last week turned down a request for an exemption from the high-density slot rules to allow new entrant Western Pacific Airlines to serve Chicago O'Hare from its Colorado Springs base. The airline, which begins service Friday, had planned to launch service to O'Hare June 1, and it asked DOT for an exemption under legislation enacted last year.
Boeing Chairman Frank Shrontz yesterday reported lower revenues, earnings and aircraft deliveries in the first quarter of 1995 but said he is encouraged by favorable market trends in the commercial airline industry. Shrontz said the company will continue its efforts to achieve productivity gains, including an already-announced work force reduction and a retirement program that could result in a pretax earnings charge of up to $400 million in the second quarter.
America West has signed a five-year engine maintenance contract with American to repair America West's Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4 engines, which power the carrier's Boeing 757s. The work will be done at American's Alliance Maintenance Base near Fort Worth, Texas. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. American currently repairs two models of its own Rolls engines - RB211-535E4Bs, which power its 85 757s, and Tay 650s on its 75 Fokker 100s. The America West contract is the first sizable award for the Alliance base.
FAA yesterday denied the City of Los Angeles's request for a stay in the consideration of a Part 13 complaint filed by the Air Transport Association against the city over the transfer of the proceeds of a highway condemnation from the airport to the city's general fund. FAA gave the city until May 24 to file its answer to the complaint, however, saying that having to prepare an answer at the same time it prepares for its current rates and charges hearing may be burdensome.
America West has dedicated one of its 757s to the state of Arizona by painting the aircraft blue, yellow and red and emblazoning it with a design based on the state flag.
Messier-Dowty Ltd., Gloucester, England, said it has received a Queen's Award for Technological Achievement for its development of the main landing gear for Airbus Industrie's A330/A340 aircraft. The company delivered its 100th shipset in January.
American, for the fourth time in five years, ranked above eight other U.S. major carriers in Wichita State University's Airline Quality Rating. Researchers in this year's study concluded that the overall quality of airline performance is declining, however. The rating data, compiled by the National Institute for Aviation Research and the W.
Pratt&Whitney parent United Technologies had a buoyant first quarter as both profits and revenues grew by double-digit percentages, thanks to cost- cutting, stronger markets and - for the first time in a long time - growth in shipments of products. In financial results posted yesterday, UTC turned in 38% higher earnings, $135 million, on 12% stronger sales, $5.34 billion, and not a single UTC business saw revenue declines. Not all the credit can be given to operational improvements.
A new engine from Pratt&Whitney Canada, the PW150, will power the prospective 72-passenger de Havilland Dash 8-400 turboprop, Bombardier Aerospace Group-North America said yesterday (DAILY, April 24). Reporting that it conducted "an exhaustive evaluation of available alternatives," Bombardier cited commonality with PW120 and PW123 engines, which power current Dash 8 models, as the source of operational, maintenance, training and logistics support advantages.
House Ways and Means oversight subcommittee will review the commercial aviation fuel tax issue May 9 as part of a hearing on miscellaneous tax measures. The House bill to repeal the tax on commercial aviation fuel (H.R.752), sponsored by Ways and Means member Mac Collins (R-Ga.), now has 57 co-sponsors, including oversight subcommittee Chairwoman Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.).
TWA launched a four-day fare sale Sunday, quickly matched by most other carriers in competing markets, for tickets that must be purchased before midnight April 26. TWA's sale also includes discounts for Alamo rental cars and Radisson Hotels. The fares, valid for travel among four geographic zones, are for one-way, non-refundable tickets, based on a roundtrip purchase, and range from $79 to $229 in the continental U.S., and from $324 to $349 for flights to Hawaii and San Juan.
