German aircraft leasing company Bavaria Fluggesellschaft has confirmed an order for two more 737-700s valued at $80 million, Boeing said yesterday. The company placed an order for two in January. Bavaria has asked for options on two more 737s, Boeing said.
BWIA International Airways is going to join the LatinPass frequent flyer program, which already counts among its partners 14 Latin carriers and USAir.The recently privatized BWIA is expected to announce the move within the next several days.
The GETS Marketing Co. recently added Guyana Airlines and Air Ukraine to the list of GETS Direct Access participants. Direct Access allows GETS subscribers to view and book last-seat availability in airline reservations systems. The addition of Guyana Airlines and Air Ukraine brings to 76 the number of on-line GETS Direct Access participants. A total of 146 airlines have signed GETS Direct Access agreements.
The Amarillo, Texas, City Commission is scheduled to vote today on a three-year, $3.6 million contract reached between American and the Amarillo Economic Development Corp. to retain American jet service to Dallas/Fort Worth. The contract guarantees that the carrier continues offering three daily jet flights in the market. The contract provides for a flat annual fee of $1.2 million, replacing a more complex arrangement, in force for the past year, that was based on an accounting of loads.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Air France plan to introduce a second weekly joint freighter service between Paris and Singapore via Dubai and Kuala Lumpur on April 5. The flight will be operated with a 747-200 freighter. The two airlines launched their first weekly joint freighter flight on Oct. 30. SIA said that cargo traffic between Paris and Singapore has grown at an average annual rate of 17% over the past few years.
Air South is offering travelers who are 55 and older a $55 roundtrip fare on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between any two points it serves. Air South VP- Marketing Tom Volz said many senior citizens who have retired to Florida and the Southeast live in communities the carrier serves. Tickets are non- refundable.
Canadian Airlines International (CAI) yesterday rolled out new discount fares intended to keep the airline competitive with charter carriers and capture a bigger slice of the leisure travel market this summer. The fares are being marketed at "Night & Day Value Fares" and offer discounts of up to 75% off full coach fares to passengers traveling on selected domestic routes. A CAI spokeswoman said the airline can afford to offer such deep discounts because it is bringing in new capacity this summer at little or no additional cost.
Despite a preliminary agreement on concessions between USAir and its pilots, S&P's ratings on USAir remain on CreditWatch with negative implications, the rating agency said yesterday. The ratings on $2.7 billion in debt have been on CreditWatch since Feb. 15, 1994.
Kuwait Airways yesterday took delivery of the first of four A340-300s which it will use on services to New York via London and Frankfurt, and to Asia with nonstop flights to Bombay, Bangkok and Manila. Kuwait's aircraft are the first to be powered by the new version of the CFM56-5C engine, which improves hot-and-high performance.
The July 1 target date for the launch of an SAS-backed Latvian startup carrier will be postponed again unless the Latvian government confirms the investors' joint venture proposal by tomorrow, an SAS official told The DAILY yesterday. SAS, Houston-based Baltic International USA (BIUSA) and a group of Scandinavian financial institutions proposed creation of the new carrier to a Latvian government commission in late summer, with hopes of having the airline flying by November (DAILY, Sept. 6).
FAA and the Joint Aviation Authorities of Europe have scheduled a meeting April 11 to solicit public input on their Harmonization Work Program. The 9 a.m. meeting will be held at the Logan Airport Hilton, Boston. For more information, call Nicole Romeo at 617-238-7111.
A report by the DOT Inspector General alleges that a private contractor and FAA senior executives worked together for nine years to provide cult-like employee training at the agency's Center for Management Development in Palm Coast, Fla. Members of FAA management avoided competitive bidding for training contracts by procuring "training on a class-by-class basis for nine years with each class costing less than the $25,000 threshold which would have required more stringent competition," the IG alleged. A total of $1.9 million was spent on the classes, it said.
A White House memorandum issued earlier this month says that "not all agencies have taken the steps necessary to implement regulatory reform" begun in 1993, and it directs that such reform "must be a top priority." The March 4 memo, signed by President Clinton, directs departments and agencies to focus on four steps.
Orlando-based AirTran Airways has named two new VPs and a manager of inflight services. Gus Carbonell, who has served as director-planning and scheduling for Mesa Air Group since 1992, has been hired as a VP. He will be responsible for planning and scheduling, pricing and revenue management. The carrier also named Michael Bradley a VP. His responsibilities cover sales, marketing and customer service functions, including reservations and station operations.
United plans to launch daily service to Nashville from Denver June 7 because of service cutbacks to Nashville by other carriers. United will operate 737-500s in the market. The carrier said it expects the Nashville- Denver market will show strong demand from both business and leisure travel. United also serves Nashville from Chicago.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said his government will defy a U.N. air embargo on Libya by sending air transports carrying Muslim pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, according to a Reuter report from Tunis. The U.N. imposed sanctions on Libya after it refused to hand over two Libyan suspects wanted in connection with the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Gaddafi did not say whether he already had approached Saudi Arabia about the flights.
DOT considers "very serious" actions taken by Japan against U.S. carriers, said DOT General Counsel Stephen Kaplan. Japan last week denied United authority to operate between Seoul and Osaka and imposed new restrictions on other U.S. carries, shortening term limits on their route applications for the upcoming summer season. Northwest, United and Federal Express will be affected by the restrictions, said industry officials.
Robert Iverson, recently fired chairman, chief executive and president of Kiwi International Air Lines, this week filed a nine-count complaint against the airline and 10 directors, charging them with bringing the airline to the brink of financial disaster. As expected, Iverson filed a lawsuit at the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, claiming the Kiwi board organized the February coup out of fear that a financing plan he proposed would dilute their own shareholder interests in Kiwi and their ability to be re-elected as directors.
Apollo enhanced the flexibility to its Custom Check product to permit agents to attach up to three rule records to a passenger name record (PNR). Custom Check is a PNR management tool that uses custom-create rules to ensure an agency's PNRs comply with its business standards. Rules that will edit the format and content of PNR fields and alert agents to inaccuracies or omissions are built by the individual agency using a rules- based mini-programming language. The customized rule records are "attached" to each PNR via either a manual or PRO-file entry.
Continental will begin service between Houston Intercontinental Airport and Birmingham, Ala., and Ontario, Calif., June 22, offering two daily flights to Ontario and three to Birmingham. Fares to Birmingham will be as low as $68 one way. Roundtrip fares to Ontario will be as low a $298, and unrestricted one-way tickets $249. Continental also said Continental Connection will begin new service from Piedmont Triad Airport in Greensboro, N.C., to Myrtle Beach, Wilmington, Indianapolis and Birmingham.
Sunmakers Travel Group, one of the largest wholesale tour operators in the Pacific Northwest, has signed an agreement with Galileo International to make Sunmakers' products and services available to Apollo subscribers through the LeisureShopper product. Galileo will be the first computer reservations system company to feature Sunmakers' product line. Sunmakers has begun interfacing its TECH 7 system to LeisureShopper and plans to cut over in August.
Continental Micronesia wants authority to operate scheduled all-cargo service between Guam, on the one hand, and points in Indonesia and Malaysia, on the other, via the Philippines. The carrier plans to begin as soon as possible five weekly flights between Guam and Kuala Lumpur, via Manila, using 727 freighter aircraft. (Docket 50236)
