Delta and United are urging DOT to defer action on Jugoslavenski Aerotransport's (JAT) bid to restart services to the U.S. until Yugoslavia assures the U.S. that it will permit third-country code-share service by U.S. carriers via points in Europe. "Because it is unlikely that any U.S. carrier will be offering direct services to or from Belgrade in the near future, code sharing offers the best opportunity for U.S. carriers to serve the Yugoslav market," United said.
Free Flight Steering Committee, co-chaired by FAA's Monte Belger and American's Robert Baker, set up working groups last week on architecture and procedures. FAA presented its free flight action plan, complete with recommended starting and completion dates for all initiatives in the task force report. Dispelling fears that FAA was dragging its feet, the steering committee is to review the action plan and submit comments by April 22.
TWA will inaugurate service from Kansas City to Washington National and New York Kennedy June 15, operating two daily 727 flights to Washington that continue on to New York. It also will add a 15th daily flight to St. Louis, re-establishing hourly service. Kansas City Mayor Emanuel Cleaver said, "We have been working closely with TWA to ensure the residents of Kansas City have as much choice in air service to the East as possible, and we thank the airline for bringing our community these new flights."
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AirTran Airways flew 102.9 million revenue passenger miles in March, an increase of 277% over March 1995, and carried 314% more passengers. Capacity grew 214%, to 134 million available seat miles, for a load factor of 76.7%. Data for the first three months look even better - the number of passengers increased 364% to 264,383, RPMs were up 326% to 234.5 million and ASMs rose 227% to 355.9 million. The load factor gained 15.4 percentage points, reaching 65.9%.
DOT's long-awaited study of gambling on commercial aircraft does not recommend changes in the law prohibiting in-flight gambling on fights into and out of the U.S. by U.S. and foreign carriers. Released late Friday, after Singapore joined British Airways and Virgin Atlantic in offering in- flight gambling (DAILY, April 12), the study said the department "will monitor foreign airlines' implementation of gambling along with related developments and, depending on those developments, recommend legislative changes that we find are appropriate for assuring U.S.
Northern Air Cargo said it purchased from the U.S. bankruptcy court trustee the operating certificate and authority of MarkAir Express. Mary Sholton, Northern Air president, said the authority will enable Northern Air to operate "an additional class of aircraft. Northern Air Cargo is formulating plans to adapt to a changing marketplace and regulatory environment. This acquisition will better enable us to meet the challenges ahead."
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) has hired four new corporate finance staff members for its Airlines and Aerospace Group. The new appointees are Thomas Durney, director; Emilio Pedroni, associate director; and Robert Neil Ashcroft and Daniel McMullen, associates. In January, CIBC hired Thomas Gallagher to head the New York-based group, which recently completed a US$1.7 billion financing for Air Canada and a $100 million lease for McDonnell Douglas Corp.
British Midland has added Air New Zealand to its lengthy list of code-share partners. Under an agreement that starts May 1, British Midland flights to London Heathrow from Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford and Teesside will operate with an Air New Zealand flight number and connect with ANZ intercontinental service. British Midland will issue boarding passes for the entire trip, and the carriers will transfer luggage from one to the other. British Midland said the ANZ link is its first with an Australasian carrier.
Canadian regional Air Alliance, a Quebec-based Air Canada regional partner, has purchased five new Beech 1900Ds for about C$40 million. The carrier will put three into service this summer on existing routes and launch new service in the fall when it receives the remaining two. Acquisition of the 1900Ds, a new aircraft type for the carrier, will create 50 pilot and mechanic jobs.
American has decided to increase operations to Vail/Eagle County Airport in Colorado during the 1996-97 ski season, including new daily service from Newark. American currently serves Vail from Dallas/Fort Worth, where it will offer peak flying of three roundtrips on weekdays and Sundays and five roundtrips on Saturdays, from Nov. 27 through April 12; Chicago, with two roundtrips on weekdays and Sundays during peak times and three roundtrips on Saturdays, from Nov. 27 through April 5; Miami, with three roundtrips a week on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays, from Dec.
Atlantic City Airport, which saw a 16.3% decline in scheduled air traffic last year to 180,345 arriving flights while the city itself attracted a record 33.3 million visitors, may be on the verge of a makeover. Local transportation officials believe the city is becoming a resort destination, not just a gambling "day-tripper." Hotel capacity is about to explode, convention space is up, and the airport will cut the ribbon May 7 on a terminal expansion that will double its size, increase gates to seven and add office space.
Aerospatiale named Sophie Thuillier as press relations officer at Aerospatiale-Missiles Information and Communications Department. AlliedSignal Aerospace appointed Raymond Stark president of Government Electronic Systems; Thomas Glenn, director of Inventory/Total Quality Systems; Jon Lyons, director of Operating Supplies and Services; Rudi Lenz, finance excellence leader, and David Oppenheimer, VP-finance marketing sales and service. Dassault Aviation named Charles Nicol VP-worldwide spares.
DOT selected American over USAir Friday to operate new service between Boston and Paris. American plans to begin daily nonstop Boeing 767 service on the route May 1, with through-flight-number change-of-plane service beyond Boston to Los Angeles. DOT said American will provide the best options as well as the strongest competition with TWA, the other carrier in the market. DOT also noted that American will serve Orly, providing the most convenient service for U.S.-originating passenger traveling to points within France. Also, it will give U.S.
House is expected to vote this week, probably Wednesday, on taking the transportation trust funds off-budget.The vote will be preceded on Tuesday by a news conference at which supporters - including key members of Congress, business and labor leaders - will describe their reasons for supporting the measure.
Air Pacific named Richard Yamashita airport/cargo sales manager. Federal Express named Laurie Tucker senior VP-Logistics Electronic Commerce and Catalog Division. Polar Air Cargo named Peter Hansen VP-Asia.
U.S. Air Force canceled the VC-X VIP transport aircraft procurement plan in order to replace it with a streamlined, lease-to-buy arrangement for four VC-X aircraft with a contract award this summer, the service said Friday. Program managers are working on a new, simplified solicitation aimed at quick, commercial-style acquisition and acceptance of the aircraft, which will meet all FAA safety requirements, including cockpit data/voice recorders.
National Aviation Safety Data Analysis Center has been moved from temporary quarters at DOT to FAA headquarters, where it houses "one of the world's most extensive collections" of aviation safety information, with 14 different data bases. The center is open to the public, and FAA is working on Internet access to much of the information.
Stronger research and development partnerships hold the key to maintaining the U.S. technological edge in the post-Cold War era, according to a report from the Washington-based Council on Competitiveness. "Government, industry and academia must find new ways of working in concert to develop and carry out the nation's research agenda," the council said in "Endless Frontier, Limited Resources: U.S.
Granted orally to Compania de Aviacion Faucett an exemption to wet lease aircraft to APA International Airlines to conduct scheduled combination services between Santo Domingo/Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and Miami; Santo Domingo/Puerto Plata and San Juan, P.R., and Santo Domingo/Puerto Plata and New York, during the April 15-June 9 period...Granted orally to DHL Airways renewal of an exemption to conduct scheduled all-cargo services between Cincinnati and Houston, on the one hand, and the terminal point Mexico City, on the other...Granted orally a renewal to Air N
ACCESS-U.S.-Japan's membership surpassed 1,000 this week, more than doubling its size in the past two weeks, the organization reported. "The coalition is growing quickly because it is a response to real needs," said Chairman Gerald Baliles, who has spoken in nine U.S. cites in the past six weeks. "The need is clear and the benefits are obvious," he said. "At every stop, in every conversation, people tell me their community needs better travel options to Japan, and they need them as soon as possible."
CIT Group reported record net income of $59.8 million for the first quarter, up 13% from $52.8 million during the same quarter last year. Financing and leasing assets totaled $17 billion, up $124.7 million. Net finance income rose 19% to $195.4 million. CIT reported the purchase of an MD-82 on March 28 from Finova Capital Corp.
American Trans Air reported an increase in its March traffic, up 6.1% from March 1995 to 951.4 million revenue passenger miles. Capacity increased 5.7% to 1.2 billion available seat miles, for a load factor of 77%. For the first quarter, the carrier logged 2.5 billion RPMs, a 12.3% increase over the same period last year. ASMs were up 7.8% to 3.4 billion, and the load factor increased three percentage points to 72.6%.
Delta will introduce nonstop service June 1 from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport to Montreal and Oklahoma City. It also plans to increase the frequency of roundtrips between Cincinnati and two destinations - Portland, Ore., to three per day, and Grand Rapids, to four. The service to Montreal and Grand Rapids complements that of regional affiliate Comair. Cincinnati is Delta's second-largest hub, and the carrier has increased service 29% since it opened a $375 million facility there in 1994.
