ABOARD C-17 NO. 17 - Pilots at the 17th Airlift Squadron at Charleston AFB, S.C., have a few "minor design changes" they'd recommend for a potential follow-on version of the C-17 airlifter, but say they have no complaints when it comes to systems and flying quality. "It performs like a champ," said Capt. Andy Hockman, a former C-141 pilot. "I don't know of anyone who's disgruntled with the airplane....It's an awesome piece of machinery."
America West began selling discount fares yesterday on most of its late- evening flights for travel completed by April 30. The tickets are non- refundable and require a seven-day advance purchase. Fares are $89, $99 or $149 one way, based on roundtrip purchase between the West and cities throughout the country. Tickets must be bought by Feb. 6. The lowest fares are available from Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Tucson to Austin, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Omaha and St. Louis.
Southwest is marketing one-way $49 fares between Oakland and 12 nonstop points it serves from the California city in honor of the San Francisco 49ers' Super Bowl win. Tickets must be purchased by Feb. 14 for travel through May 23. Portland and Spokane will be added to Southwest's Oakland schedule March 4.
American will begin a third daily Chicago-London Heathrow nonstop April 2 using a 767-200ER, the airline said yesterday. Senior VP-Planning Gerard Arpey said its hub strength in Chicago has increased demand on the route.
In a series of aircraft moves intended to shift its focus toward shorter- haul international and domestic flying, All Nippon Airways has placed firm orders for 10 A321s, canceled orders for four 747-400s, deferred delivery of five A340s and converted a total of six options for 777s and 767s into firm orders, the Japanese carrier said yesterday. ANA said it placed its original orders of the long-haul aircraft, particularly the A340s, because it thought a second runway would be built at Tokyo Narita.
Wyle Laboratories has been acquired in a management buyout by its management team and the William E. Simon&Sons investment firm, the El Segundo, Calif.-based scientific services company reported. F. Stephen Wyle will continue as chairman and CEO, and C.D. Yiakas will remain as president and COO, the company said. No terms for the buyout were released.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines has placed firm orders for two A310-300s, becoming a new customer of Airbus Industrie. The aircraft, scheduled for delivery in the second and third quarters of 1996, will be powered by Pratt&Whitney PW4000 engines. The A310s will be configured to accommodate 27 passengers in business class and 194 in coach. They will be used on service between Dhaka and major destinations on its regional route network.
SkyWest's December quarter net earnings dropped more than 52% from the previous year to $1.4 million, or 13 cents per share, the airline company reported yesterday. The company's operating profit fell even more precipitously, dropping 69.3% to $1.6 million from $5.3 million a year earlier. A 10.6% increase in operating revenues was far from enough to offset a 20.8% increase in operating expenses. SkyWest Inc. is the parent company of Delta Connection carrier SkyWest Airlines.
Austrian Airlines yesterday ordered four Fokker 70 aircraft, and took options on four more, for low-density routes, such as those between Vienna and Geneva, Turin and Tirana, Fokker reported. Two aircraft are scheduled for delivery in September and October, and the others are due in March 1996. All four aircraft will be configured identically to those of Tyrolean Airways, which ordered three Fokker 70s and optioned three more in December. Austrian is a shareholder in Tyrolean, and the carriers will maintain the aircraft jointly.
Orbcomm, the orbital communications subsidiary of Orbital Sciences Corp., has signed up Italy's Nuova Telespazio to provide its satellite- based messaging and data communications service in 36 European nations, Orbital reported yesterday. Under the agreement Telespazio will head a consortium of European companies to be known as Orbcomm Europe that will market and provide services throughout Europe. The consortium will build and operate a European Network Control Center, four Earth stations for the satellite signals, and the European network.
British Aerospace Dynamics has received a $10.9 million contract from U.S. Naval Air Systems Command for foreign comparative testing of the Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile (ASRAAM). "The purpose of the testing," the Pentagon said Monday, "is to gather data to determine if the missile meets AIM-9X operational requirements." The effort will be carried out in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England; Eglin AFB, Fla., and China Lake, Calif. (DAILY, Nov. 4, page 187.)
Financial might won out at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) yesterday when the first three licenses for multi-billion dollar "Big LEO" satellite systems were issued to ventures backed by Motorola Corp., Loral Corp., and TRW Inc. Motorola Satellite Communications, Inc., Loral/Qualcomm, L.P. and TRW Inc. received licenses, meaning they can begin building and operating multi-satellite systems capable of providing voice and data communications around the globe. All three systems are scheduled to begin operations in 1998.
NTSB will hold public hearings beginning Feb. 27 in Indianapolis into the crash of American Eagle flight 4184, an ATR-72 that crashed Oct. 31 near Roselawn, Ind., killing all 68 aboard.
Continental's tentative agreement with Boeing to defer delivery of more than two dozen aircraft from 1996-97 to 1998-99 includes some of five Boeing 777s on firm order. The agreement, if finalized, would represent what is thought to be the first time Boeing has allowed a customer to delay a scheduled delivery of the in-development aircraft. When Continental first announced the delivery delay last week, it and at least one other industry source said the deferral would not affect the 777 (DAILY, Jan. 27).
TWA extended from midnight Monday until midnight March 3 the period in which holders of its 11%, 10% and 8% notes and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. can exchange their debt securities for equity. Late last week, TWA and the unofficial creditors committee representing some of the 10% noteholders reached an agreement in principle on revised terms for the exchange (DAILY, Jan. 30).
Pratt&Whitney's PW4084 turbofan, in development for the Boeing 777, completed a 3,000-cycle endurance test Saturday as part of Pratt's attempt to qualify the engine and aircraft for 180-minute Extended Twin Operations. David Crow, senior VP-high-thrust engines, reported "virtually no problems and excellent overall performance."
AMR Corp. will drop 10 markets from American's summer schedule out of Nashville and reduce American Eagle frequencies 8% to "reshape" the hub and eliminate unprofitable operations there. American has "every intention of making the hub work," Senior VP-Planning Gerald Arpey said yesterday, and the new schedule will enhance revenue and profitability. American operates 72 daily departures from Nashville and Eagle has 136. Effective June 15, these will be cut to 44 by American and 125 by Eagle.
Canadian Airlines International is offering all transcontinental passengers a "Taste of Hong Kong" on flights through March 22. During the period, passengers traveling in economy and business classes will be given the choice of a special Cantonese appetizer, entree and dessert, as well as a chance to win a trip for two to Hong Kong with seven nights' accommodation at the Shangri-La Hotel.
FAA officials, responding to concerns expressed by the military, will meet this week with Defense Dept. counterparts on potential changes in the GPS Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), which allows approaches to airports. Richard Arnold, FAA's integrated product team leader for GPS/Navigation, said Friday that the changes are related to signal accuracy. A source told The DAILY that DOD wants provisions for encryption of WAAS signals, and that FAA is trying to avoid this.
January 26, 1995 CAE Link Corporation, Link Training Services Division, Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, Texas, is being awarded an $8,016,034 face value increase to a firm-fixed-price contract for conversion of a DC-10 simulator to the KC-10 simulator conversion. The work will be performed at Binghamton, New York. Contract is expected to be completed March 1996. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (F25606-92- D-0004, QP03).
U.S. Major Carriers Productivity, In RPMs, And ASMs Per Employee Third Quarter 1994 Revenue Available Passenger Seat Miles Miles Airline (000) (000) America West 3,222,041 4,635,251 American 26,987,177 39,712,842 Continental 10,699,493 15,929,117
U.K.-based airport management company BAA plc posted nine-month after-tax earnings of 243 million (US$379 million) yesterday, an increase of 13% from 215 million earned in the same period of the previous fiscal year. Revenue for the nine months that ended Dec. 31, 1994, increased 6.1% to 926 million (US$1.445 billion) from 873 million. BAA, which manages seven U.K. airports, including London Heathrow and Gatwick, said its financial performance reflects the strong growth in passenger numbers and increased income from retailing and property at the airports.
Unions representing USAir's pilots, machinists and dispatchers have agreed on a labor-concessions proposal to present the company, but the fourth union in the labor coalition, the Association of Flight Attendants, has "declined at this point to participate at a level that is minimally acceptable" to the others, the pilots said.The three unions will continue to meet among themselves, without the flight attendants, to develop their proposal.
Defense Secretary William J. Perry declared Friday that the defense portion of the House Republican Contract With America creating a national security commission to review long term defense needs was a "flawed concept" that would undercut his role and that of the House National Security Committee.
