Boeing awarded Whittaker Controls a contract to develop a flow control valve for the 777 widebody twin that allows airlines to carry livestock, perishable goods and other temperature-sensitive cargo in the forward cargo hold. Parent Whittaker Corp. has had multiple valves and controls on Boeing aircraft stretching back to 1942, but this is the company's first work on the 777. "Getting our products on this airplane was a major goal for the company," said Whittaker Controls President Bruce Bannon.
British Midland and American want to code share on British Midland flights from London Heathrow to Dublin and applied for the authority at DOT last Friday - three days after British Midland and United made a similar request. British Midland would connect at London with American's flights from New York, Boston, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles. Both proposals require extra-bilateral authority from the Irish, but American and United are assuming the Irish government is more willing to grant it now that Delta and Aer Lingus have a pending code-sharing application.
China Airlines will lease six new 737-600s from Boeing, according to Taipei newspaper reports. The 160-seat aircraft, scheduled for delivery at the end of this year, will replace five older airplanes in service on regional routes. In a move aimed at strengthening its cargo service to the U.S., CAL also will lease an all-cargo 747-200.
Air Canada will begin offering two daily nonstop flights from Toronto Pearson to Nashville April 15. It will offer special introductory roundtrip fares of $136, on sale until April 15 for travel April 15 through July 10. It also is offering triple bonus miles under its Aeroplan program until June 15. Air Canada will operate the 50-seat Canadair CL-65 in the market.
Southwest will celebrate 25 years of service in June. Based at Dallas Love Field, it will use a new slogan throughout the year - Southwest Airlines, 25 years of LUV. Southwest's stock exchange symbol is LUV.
AAR said its AAR Landing Gear Center will inspect the main landing gear of Gulf Air's nine Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, modifying or repairing them as needed, to comply with FAA's recent airworthiness directive citing the landing gear's susceptibility to corrosion and cracking. The overhaul and repair company said it will carry out the work in Abu Dhabi by March 20. It said it is the only company certified by FAA to carry out such repairs offsite.
Northwest will expand service from the U.S. to the new Kansai Airport, Osaka, Japan, to 42 flights per week, up from 35 last summer, by adding frequencies from Seattle and Honolulu. Between June 29 and Sept. 30, the airline will increase its four weekly flights in each market to daily service.
Air China is slated to take delivery of three A340-300 aircraft in the second half of 1997. Signing the contract Feb. 17 to acquire the aircraft from China Aviation Supplies Corp. (CASC), which ordered six A340s from Airbus in 1994, Air China became the second Chinese carrier to order the aircraft. China Eastern is scheduled to take delivery of the first of five A340s it ordered in the second quarter this year. To be powered by CFM International CFM56-5C engines, Air China's A340s will seat 282 passengers in a three-passenger-across configuration.
Worldspan has added two capabilities to its Power Pricing product. Subscribers can now rebook a preferred alternative itinerary via Direct Access. The new feature, designed for corporate and leisure travel planning, also allows agents to verify last-seat availability through Direct Access.
British Airways' rollout late last year of a new first-class product is leading other carriers to rethink their plans and could force Cathay Pacific to upgrade its first class as early as next year. "They [BA] are coming out and raising the bar and asking who is going to match it," Simon Heale, Cathay Pacific's deputy managing director-commercial, told The DAILY yesterday in New York. Like other carriers, Cathay has looked at putting beds in the hold of some of its aircraft, Heale said, although customer feedback on the idea has been negative.
DOT has issued a show cause order tentatively granting USAir authority to operate scheduled service between Philadelphia and Munich. Pending final approval, the carrier plans to fly daily Boeing 767-200ER service on the route, beginning May 23.
EVA Airways reported a net operating profit of US$7.23 million in 1995, the company's first profitable year since beginning operations five years ago. Sales grew to US$1.05 billion. For 1996, the company is targeting sales of US$1.28 billion and a net profit of US$21.9 million. Also planned is an increase in capitalization to US$657 million from US$547 million.
Fledgling California carrier Sierra Expressway Airlines ceased operations during the weekend. Using five 19-seat BAe Jetstream Super 31 aircraft, the carrier operated nearly six months from its Oakland base to South Lake Tahoe, Sacramento, Redding, and Eureka/Arcata, Calif., and Medford, Ore. It employed as many as 200 people.
Shuttle by United, challenging a news report portraying it as the loser to Southwest on the West Coast, says it never intended to "kill" Southwest, just defend its territory. A Shuttle VP says the venture has not reached cost objectives and probably never will attain Southwest's low costs, because it pays higher commissions, and operating at San Francisco and Los Angeles is more expensive. But it offers first-class seating, has a better customer mix and has a 72% load factor, and its market share in the two cities grew from 29% to 41% in 1995.
Cutting United's request by 30%, DOT issued a show cause order tentatively awarding 276 third- and fourth-freedom scheduled combination frequencies between the U.S. and Germany for the 1996 summer season. With 309 applications, the department pared back United to 44 of the 63 frequencies it requested; American to 42 of 49 and World Airways to seven of 12. Delta was awarded all but two of the 121 frequencies it requested. Four carriers were allotted their entire requests: USAir, 28; Northwest, 15; TWA, 7, and Continental, 14.
Fairchild Corp. will team with a consortium of Taiwanese companies to form a US$7.3 million venture to produce aerospace fasteners in Taiwan. The new company, which may be called King Grand Development Corp., will be located in Lungtan, in northern Taiwan. Fairchild will hold a 45% stake in the venture, while the Taiwanese partners, which include China Development Corp. and an investment firm controlled by Taiwan's Nationalist Party, will own 55%.
Boeing 727 and 737 Systemwide Aircraft Utilization Per Day Third Quarter 1995 B727-200 American Continental Number of Aircraft Operated 81 41 Total Fleet Operations Departures 294 135 Block Hours 694 344 Flight Hours 574 290
United has opened a $3 million Red Carpet Club in Miami Airport. It includes a lounge for First Class customers, a Business Center and a smoking lounge.
Moody's Investors Service downgraded its rating of the Airbus Industrie consortium's $95 million in long-term debt yesterday to A1 from Aa3, citing the weakening credit quality of its two biggest partners, the possibility that all of its partners will reduce their liabilities for its debt, and its overall business prospects.
Consultant Putnam, Hayes&Bartlett and Travel Intelligence bulletin have scheduled a meeting of airline representatives to discuss computer reservations systems' costs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 11 in Washington, D.C. (DAILY, Feb. 20). The meeting is timed to precede the Computerized Airline Sales&Marketing Association meeting March 12-13 in Annapolis, Md. Kevin Neels, a director of the consulting firm, said, "CRS booking fees have been the subject of controversy and complaint for well over a decade now.
Disneyland and Taiwan's EVA Airways have signed an agreement designating EVA as Disneyland's preferred airline for 1996. Also signing on were eight Taiwanese travel agencies that, under the terms of the deal, will provide individual and tour packages at special prices. Michele Rees, Disneyland's senior VP-marketing and sales, said Taiwan is Disneyland's second largest Asian market after Japan. The number of Taiwanese visitors to the theme park has grown 11% annually over the past five years and reached 110,000 in 1995.
United's frequent flyer members have contributed five million miles to charities since the carrier began its Mileage Plus Charity Miles campaign Jan. 1. United said the five-million-mile goal was reached on Valentine's Day. The charities aid children and families in need.
GP Express Airlines pilots have voted for representation by the Air Line Pilots Association. Of the 118 eligible voters, 83, or 70%, voted for ALPA. Pilots of the regional carrier, based in Nebraska, previously were represented by an independent union, Regional Express Pilots Association. ALPA said the pilots recently concluded a four-year contract with the company and will continue to work under that contract.
