FAA Administrator David Hinson listened this week to a familiar litany of complaints during one of his first "grassroots partnership meetings" with industry groups, in this case the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA). Hinson was responding to a March 4 directive from President Clinton that department and agency chiefs "get out of Washington and create grassroots partnerships." Clinton further ordered that agencies submit schedules of planned meetings by March 30 to the National Performance Review staff.
Question of antitrust immunity was left open during the open skies talks between the U.S and European countries, according to Paul Reutlinger, executive VP for Swissair.He added that a decision on granting immunity, putting these pacts on equal footing with the U.S.-Netherlands agreement, will be discussed after the bilateral agreements are completed.
Administrative Judge Allan Elmore ruled Thursday that a special agent for the DOT Office of Inspector General will testify this week in a $28 million breach-of-contract award case before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA). TPI International Airways claims its Air Force Logair cargo contract was terminated after its Lockheed L-188 Electra aircraft were sabotaged while they were based at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. (DAILY, Feb. 22).
The U.S. is assessing recent moves by Japan to restrict access by U.S. carriers. The actions taken by Japan late last week included the imposition of short term limits on a number of U.S. carrier routes - an action directly corresponding to the six-month limit imposed on Japan Airlines' Honolulu-Sendai authority, said an industry official. The actions were characterized by industry sources as another attempt by Japan to spur U.S. talks, an end they believe may be achieved as the U.S. will be forced to defend its carriers.
BFGoodrich Aerospace Lighting Systems said it was selected to supply a new aft anti-collision/position light to retrofit Delta's fleet of 120 MD-88 aircraft. It said the new lights offer substantially higher reliability and reduced life-cycle operating costs than earlier models.
Kansas City startup Vanguard Airlines will begin nonstop jet service twice a day from Wichita to Dallas/Fort Worth and Kansas City April 11. The carrier will offer fares of $39 or $69 one way in the Wichita-DFW market, and $29 or $59 in the Wichita-Kansas City market. The lower fares are for weekend travel. In conjunction with the new service, Vanguard will offer daily nonstop service between Denver and DFW for $85 every day. Vanguard operates 737 aircraft. The fares do not require an advance purchase, roundtrip purchase or minimum stay.
Traffic growth, obsolescence and aging aircraft will all fuel the beginnings of the long-awaited recovery in demand for new jet transports, Prudential Securities VP Gary Reich predicted, despite nagging doubts in some financial circles. "The world has entered the nirvana age for commercial aircraft production," Reich told investors in an update mailed this week.
Air Transport Association has made available its 1995 Publications Catalog, which lists more than 60 titles, including recommended specifications, glossaries and guidelines used worldwide by the aviation community. Topics include airports, cargo, electronic data interchange, government affairs, industry statistics, engineering, maintenance and materiel, international agreements and passenger services. New products include an expanded offering of publications on DC-ROM.
Along with stricter rules for regional carriers and aircraft manufacturers, DOT said Friday it is drafting legislation that could impose new rules on the nation's small airports.
British Airways is adding nearly 6% more capacity to its route network this summer than it offered last year in what the airline is calling its "busiest" summer ever. The increase will come through a combination of new routes, the use of larger aircraft and boosted frequencies in existing markets.
Network integrator ITS, which is part of the SITA Group, has signed an international business partner agreement with IBM. ITS will undertake a range of activities on behalf of its clients worldwide, including global, regional and local project management, local area network and wide area network integration, local installation and individually tailored customer support services.
The joint All Nippon Airways/Austrian Airlines flight between Vienna and Tokyo is now being operated on a nonstop basis with Austrian's new A340-200 aircraft. The switch to a nonstop flight was made Sunday. The service, which is operated three times a week, had been flying over Moscow since its inauguration in July 1989. The A340 replaces an Austrian A310-300. The new aircraft is configured to accommodate 36 passengers in business and 227 in economy class.
DOT has approved Phoenix Leasing Corporation's request to operate some of its operations under the trade name "Baja Express." Phoenix also uses the name Mid Pacific Air for some of its services.
Austrian Airlines, Swissair and Delta have inaugurated code-sharing service from Washington Dulles to Geneva and Vienna, operating five flights a week with an Austrian A310-300 configured to accommodate 196 passengers in two classes of service. Under terms of the pact, Delta will sell seats for Washington-Geneva and Washington-Vienna; Austrian for Washington-Vienna and Geneva-Vienna, and Swissair for Washington-Geneva and Geneva-Vienna.
The government of Belgium has bought back the Sabena shares it sold Air France several years ago, according to Swissair Executive VP Paul Reutlinger. At a news briefing yesterday in Washington, Reutlinger said Swissair, which is negotiating to acquire up to 49% of state-controlled Sabena, has been informed that Belgium has bought back the shares controlled by Air France.
USAir took a giant step on Saturday toward reducing costs and returning to profitability by reaching a tentative agreement for concessions with the negotiating committee of its pilots union. The pact faces a number of challenges, however, before becoming final. One hurdle will come today when USAir's Air Line Pilots Association Master Executive Council votes on the agreement.
Air New Zealand has joined Canadian Airlines International's Canadian Plus frequent flyer program, increasing to more than 600 the number of award destinations available to program members. Effective June 1, Canadian Plus members will be able to earn and redeem award travel with Air New Zealand between Canada, New Zealand, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Western Samoa, Tonga and Australia. Service between Los Angeles and New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti and the Cook Islands also will be available for free travel awards.
Northwest and KLM are offering introductory fares as low as $698 roundtrip on their new code-sharing service between Memphis and Amsterdam. The fares must be purchased by April 7 for travel departing between June 27 and Aug. 31 and completed by Sept. 30. The carriers will offer four weekly flights beginning June 27 with KLM's MD-11s. The carriers also are lowering fares from many southern and midwestern cities that depart from another U.S.
Diners Club International has joined the LatinPass frequent flyer program. When Club Rewards members charge on their Diners Club card, points accrued can be redeemed for air miles that may then be transferred to the LatinPass program. LatinPass comprises 14 Latin American carriers and USAir.
"Mrs. Doubtfire" led the list of the top airline inflight movies in 1994, according to the World Airline Entertainment Association. The movie was rated No. 1 based on the total number of inflight movie showings on 100 airlines worldwide. "Speed" ranked second, followed by "Maverick." WAEA will preview the latest in airline inflight entertainment, passenger communications and gadgetry at its 16th annual conference Sept. 12-15 in Amsterdam.
Virgin Atlantic Airways and Malaysia Airlines have postponed the scheduled April 1 launch of their planned twice-daily joint service between London Heathrow and Kuala Lumpur. The two airlines delayed the launch because the Australian government has not yet approved the Virgin/Malaysia plan to operate onward code-sharing service from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney and Melbourne on a daily basis. "We are hopeful that final approval by the Australian government will be forthcoming in the new few weeks," Virgin said.
