Sunbird Vacations will offer nonstop service from Salt Lake City to Honolulu and Maui, beginning in October, on American Trans Air. Sunbird is a California-based wholesale travel company. The flights will be operated exclusively for Sunbird on American Trans Air's 757s. Roundtrip fares begin at $399 for off-season flights to Honolulu and $449 to Maui. Special introductory fares of $369 are available to Honolulu through July 31, and $399 to Maui.
USAir, which earlier this year reached an agreement in principle with Boeing to delay delivery of eight 757-200s from 1996 to 1998, is not scheduled to take delivery of any aircraft in 1996 or 1997. During those years, it plans to spend roughly $90 million on fitting some of its older aircraft with hushkits.
U.S. helicopter industry shipped 83 U.S.-manufactured commercial in the first quarter of 1995, up from 76 in the same period last year, the Aerospace Industries Association said. Of the 83, 74 were civil helicopters worth $43 million, a $13 million increase over the first quarter last year, when 70 civil models were shipped for $30 million. Nine were direct military export helicopters, compared with six in 1994.
Air Canada Chairman Hollis Harris will speak on open skies tomorrow at the International Aviation Club's monthly luncheon, 12:30 p.m. at the International Club, 1800 K St. N.W., Washington. A reception begins at 11:45 a.m.
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) said it will oppose flight and duty-time rulemaking that does not take into account the unique nature of smaller Part 135 operations. "The association and its members are extremely concerned with the impending FAA flight and duty-time proposal," said NATA President James Coyne in a letter to FAA Administrator David Hinson.
FAA said Friday it has entered into a consent order with Express One International that imposes a $500,000 civil penalty as a result of violations found by FAA and outlines steps to be taken by the carrier to resume operations. The cargo and passenger airline voluntarily halted operation of its 39 aircraft June 4 following an FAA investigation (DAILY, June 6).
The Air Courier Conference of America (ACCA) said Congress should enact legislation to prevent the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from acting as both a participant and regulator in the delivery services sector. "Quite aside from whether or not Congress should, for the public good, grant the Postal Service a monopoly over some portion of the industry, it is clear that the administration of this public power should be in the hands of a disinterested agency and not a 'business-like' Postal Service," said Harry Geller, president of Global Mail Ltd., on behalf of ACCA.
Business Travel International (BTI), an international corporate travel joint venture, has added Sime Darby Travel of Malaysia to its list of partners. "The addition of Sime Darby adds an important dimension in the rapidly growing Southeast Asian market, and further extends BTI's influence there," said BTI Chief Executive David Radcliffe. Sime Darby, one of Malaysia's leading travel management firms, was founded 1956, is based in Kuala Lumpur and has seven offices throughout the country. Estimated 1994 billings were nearly $13.9 million.
One miscellaneous provision of a preliminary draft of Rep. John Duncan's (R-Tenn.) FAA reform bill would require FAA to answer a petition seeking an increase in the fee airlines retain when collecting passenger facility charges. Citing higher-than-anticipated costs, airlines last year asked FAA to restore compensation for collecting the PFC to 12 cents per PFC. Under the PFC regulations, compensation dropped to eight cents last year.
Lufthansa and United plan to increase the availability of smoke-free flights between the U.S. and Germany on July 1. The non-smoking operation will be added to United-operated code-share Flights 940/941 between Chicago and Frankfurt and Lufthansa-operated code-share Flights 3530/3531 between Chicago and Munich, and Flights 3502/3503 between Washington Dulles and Frankfurt.
Opposition to proposed changes to the commuter rules is mounting among smaller regional carriers, especially Alaskan operators. The Alaska Air Carriers Association completed a 110-page draft comment strongly criticizing the changes affecting Alaska airports.
British Airways Friday named Ford Ennals, currently executive VP-marketing and business operations for Fruit of the Loom, as the airline's new director of marketing. The 39-year-old Ennals succeeds Mike Batt, who left BA in March to move to Florida and take up the post of executive VP-sales and marketing for Alamo Rent a Car (DAILY, Feb. 24).
DOT said Friday it will not recommend a rulemaking to change the High- Density Rule because the potential costs to consumers, airlines and communities would outweigh any benefits gained from changing or eliminating the rule. The high-density rule limits takeoffs and landings at Washington National, Chicago O'Hare and New York LaGuardia and Kennedy. The department's decision is based on its report on the rule, issued late Friday. The report states that changing or lifting restrictions at the four slot-controlled airports would not affect safety.
Avmark named Ed Lindquist to develop the Operations and Technical Department and to support the company's aircraft parts authentication and tracking system. FlightSafety International named Barry Massey manager-Greater Philadelphia/Wilmington Learning Center. Premier Aviation elected Ron Standerfer, senior VP-marketing and head of New York/New Jersey regional office, to its board. Signature Flight Support named Richard Dodson chief executive.
Granted orally an exemption to Aero Costa Rica Acori to operate scheduled combination service between San Jose, Costa Rica, and U.S. co-terminal points Miami and Orlando, via intermediate points Managua, Nicaragua, and San Pedro Sula, Honduras, with full traffic rights, and charters....Granted orally an exemption to Aero Internacional operate cargo charter service between any point or points in Mexico on the one hand and any point or points in the U.S.
Alaska Airlines on Friday will unveil new livery tied to its new Alaska's World campaign, designed to bring back a sense of old-fashioned, high- quality customer service. Officials are mum on the new look except to say that the aircraft will not be painted, and the new livery will last only through the summer.
Airlines Reporting Corp. said 1995 sales are continuing at a record- breaking pace. In May, total travel agent sales processed were up 11% to $5.123 billion, compared with $4.626 billion in May 1994, a record for a four-week processing month. Total sales for the year to date are up 4% to $25.596 billion. Domestic fares for the first five months of the year were up 5% from the same 1994 period, ARC said, and international fares increased 1%.
Kiwi International will announce operating results today showing that May was its third consecutive profitable month - a $401,000 profit on revenues of $14.4 million. The carrier said it carried a record 146,000 passengers. Kiwi's year-to-date loss is $167,000, compared with $6 million for the same period in 1994.
Association of Retail Travel Agents has filled two vacant board positions. Larry Zahra, who vacated a seat because of health reasons, has accepted a term that expires at yearend. Celeste Seimsen has accepted the second seat, which expires at the end of 1996. She will chair the Bylaws Committee and also serve as parliamentarian.
United has applied for renewal of its authority to operate with its code- share partner services between the U.S. and Almaty, Kazakhstan; Kiev, Ukraine; Minsk, Belarus; Tashkent, Uzbekistan; Tallinn, Estonia; Vilnius, Lithuania; Asmara, Eritrea; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Malta; Tunis, Tunisia; and Thessaloniki, Greece. All service is operated via Frankfurt. (Docket 50398)
Association of Flight Attendants last week started campaigning to educate the public on the need for child safety seats on aircraft. AFA wants FAA to make the seats mandatory. Union members are distributing literature and stickers with the message "Child Restraint Seats For Kids Under Two" at Charlotte Douglas Airport ticket counters, and are sending postcards to congressional representatives and FAA.
El Al's stock offering, originally scheduled last month but postponed, likely will occur in November, carrier officials said recently. The government of Israel is expected to sell 51% of its ownership in a public offering on both the Tel Aviv and New York stock exchanges.
The U.S. airline industry should return to profitability this year - the current Wall Street consensus is a net profit of $1 billion - because of price cutting and firm pricing, according to a recent Standard&Poor's commentary.The industry will remain burdened by a heavy load of debt and leases, however.
