One of the first signs of the US Airways/United Airlines' bonding surfaced last week with the carriers' introduction of interline e-ticketing. The arrangement allows passengers to use one e-ticket when an itinerary includes flights on both carriers. Rebooking flights on either carrier is now possible without first securing a paper ticket, as was previously required.
Canada is contemplating a significant role in international Mars exploration now that its robotic contributions to the International Space Station are nearing completion. France, meanwhile, is trimming its Martian ambitions as too expensive, and NASA is taking another look at Mars sample return architectures in an attempt to cut the total cost of the unscheduled mission to about $1 billion.
Technology transfer concerns and State Dept. bureaucratic snafus prevented about 50% of nearly 100 Chinese space managers and engineers from entering the U.S. to attend the World Space Congress (WSC). Those who were granted visas had their WSC display materials closely examined by FBI agents. About a dozen FBI agents were assigned to monitor overall international participants at the WSC, officials said. The leader of China's delegation, Luan Enjie, director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), was left stranded in Canada by the U.S.
ROCKWELL COLLINS AND BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE are jointly developing an integrated cabin electronics package for the new Global 5000 business jet. Based on Rockwell Collins' Airshow 21 system, the installation uses an Ethernet-based local area network to provide multiple passengers with data connectivity, access to printers, fax machines and shared files. The system also integrates with Collins' satellite communications and high-speed data transceivers for secure voice, data and e-mail service worldwide.
Boeing preached the value of product diversity last week as it reported third-quarter net earnings of $375 million on revenues of $12.7 billion a day after it lost the year's biggest order to rival Airbus. Chairman and CEO Philip M. Condit said a 14% increase in revenues from Boeing's Military Aircraft and Missile Systems division helped the company overcome the severe downturn in commercial aircraft, a flat commercial space market and losses in the company's aircraft lending unit, Boeing Capital Corp.
Russian plans to develop an all-new regional twinjet with Western partners could be facilitated by a government decision to contribute to program funding, but there's still doubt about the eventual extent of that commitment. The initiative is a key part of a revised federal program to support new civil aircraft development.
HONEYWELL PLANS TO INTERFACE THE IRIDIUM SATELLITE network with their Airsat satellite communications system. The design would feature an AIU-100 Aircraft Integration Unit to convert Iridium's digital voice signal into a standard analog audio signal, thereby allowing installation of multiple handsets or headsets (including hands-free wireless equipment).
Yves Melisse has been named director of European and U.S. sales for Air France Industries. He was general sales manager for Europe. Jean-Pierre Boutin has been promoted to marketing and key account sales manager from head of business development.
The U.S./Russian Atlantis shuttle crew completed its assembly mission to the International Space Station late last week, undocking Oct. 16 after eight days at the outpost to install the 14.5-ton S1 truss integrated with major new station-cooling capability. During the flight, the station Expedition 5 crew radioed a report directly to the World Space Congress meeting in Houston near the Johnson Space Center. Atlantis mission commander Navy Capt. Jeff Ashby and copilot USAF Col. Pam Melroy were to land the orbiter at the Kennedy Space Center about noon Oct.
The proactive use of aviation safety information among airlines operating in the Asia-Pacific Region will be the chief focus of the first Global Aviation Information Network Regional Conference scheduled for Nov. 14-15 in Tokyo. Conference topics include reducing impediments to the collection and sharing of information, operator safety practices, development and use of analytical methods and tools, as well as sharing safety data in flight and air traffic operations, according to Christopher A. Hart, FAA assistant administrator for system safety.
Northwest Airlines found a couple of silver linings in its third-quarter dark cloud. It lost $46 million net, but it did better than the year-earlier quarter after subtracting out last year's federal grant, and it turned in its first quarterly operating profit in two years. Like its network-airline competitors, Northwest is working to cut costs as its traffic and yields continue to lag.
America West Airlines' $42.2-million, third-quarter operating loss reflects the impact of the weak yield environment on a growing operation. The loss for the Phoenix-based major airline came in spite of a 6.5% increase in revenues to $510 million and a 4.7% decline in expenses, compared with the third quarter a year ago. Traffic increased 8% on a 6.8% increase of capacity, but the passenger yield slid 2.4%.
EasyJet's decision to acquire 120 Airbus A319 twinjets and option an additional 120 aircraft is a major milestone for the European manufacturer. In a depressed aviation market, exacerbated by last week's terrorist attack in Indonesia, the British low-cost carrier's commitment could be the last big deal of its kind for the next several years. Moreover, it propels Airbus into the European low-cost carriers' market, previously Boeing's near-monopoly territory. Fast-growing EasyJet currently operates an all-737 fleet, but was impressed by the healthy trajectory of U.S.
The morning rush at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport had just ended for Continental Airlines. Most of the airplanes in the rush were either parked at gates or heading there. Only Continental Flight 3670 from Syracuse, N.Y., was behind schedule, about 40 min. As the only late arrival among dozens of flights, it had the full attention of a handful of coordinators at the airline's operations center in a windowed tower atop Concourse C. The coordinators had followed the flight en route to Cleveland on the FAA's Aircraft Situation Display.
Taiwan's China Airlines says it will buy four 747-400 passenger aircraft and four -400 freighters, two fewer than talked about a few weeks ago when accusations of U.S. meddling arose (AW&ST Oct. 7, p. 25). The order will be worth about $1.6 billion and placed late this year. The deal includes a conversion of six options into firm orders. The new aircraft will replace two 747-200 freighters now mothballed and two leased -400 freighters, which will be returned to the lessor. Another order for four -400Fs placed two years ago remains in effect.
The Transportation Security Administration issued contracts to four private companies to provide passenger and baggage screening services at five airports under pilot programs mandated by the November 2001 legislation that created the TSA. The screeners will be hired and trained under the same criteria as federal screeners, who will staff the remaining 424 commercial airports.
To realize its vision of being able to equip Army units with relatively small unit air vehicles (SUAVs), the service's Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center plans to pursue engine development work to support the UAV activities. The research organization is primarily interested in two propulsion system classes--a 2.7-hp., two-stroke, two-cylinder diesel engine and a 7.8-hp., two-stroke, six-cylinder diesel. Both are supposed to have built-in starter generator systems.
Lockheed Martin Chairman/CEO Vance Coffman is one of three members of the National Reconnaissance Office's Pioneer Class of 2002. He was cited for leading development of a satellite attitude control capability needed to provide improvements in producing large quantities of geographically accurate, highly detailed maps from satellite-collected images. The other two honorees are: NRO chief scientist Lee Hammarstrom and USAF Col. (ret.) Robert Paulson.
Michel Bouffard has been named director of the Toulouse, France, facility of Astrium. He succeeds Claude Guionnet, who is retiring. Bouffard will remain director of science and Earth observation.
Soon after terrorists linked to Al Qaeda struck the popular resort island of Bali, where tourists seek tranquility, commercial airlines began to feel the backlash. Air Paradise International, which had hoped to begin bringing tourists from Perth and Brisbane to Bali later this month, said it will have to delay its launch (AW&ST Oct. 7, p. 17). Air Paradise isn't the only one having to rethink business plans. The terrorists chose their target well. Of Indonesia's five million visitors in 2001, 1.5 million went to Bali, including 200,000-300,000 Australians.
Major increases in U.S. military communications satellite bandwidth to support network-centric warfare and unmanned aerial vehicles will spawn a significant commercial digital broadband revolution that should help spark a turnaround in the civilian satcom sector by mid-2004, the head of Boeing Satellite Systems told the World Space Congress here last week.
In a bid to improve its stealth prowess, Boeing designed, built and flew for three years a highly classified demonstrator aircraft that yielded technology now benefiting the company's X-45 unmanned combat air vehicle and other aircraft. The Bird of Prey, which Boeing was slated to unveil on Oct. 18, is a single-seat, subsonic aircraft that was flown by company and U.S. Air Force test pilots. First flight of the Phantom Works-built aircraft occurred in the fall of 1996, and operations continued through 1999. It flew 38 missions.
Valerie K. Schurman, vice president/ assistant general counsel for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, has received the Corporate Counsel of the Year award from the Southern California Chapter of the American Corporate Counsel Assn.
Russian strategic weapons manufacturers and government research establishments are looking at the application of plasma fields to reduce the radar cross section (RCS) of high-altitude cruise missiles. Officials from two Russian missile design bureaus, along with a senior official from a state-owned aerospace research center, told Aviation Week & Space Technology that the use of plasma fields as a low-observable technology was being examined.
