Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association named William Deere VP and executive director of AOPA Legislative Action. Deere, who has been Appropriations Committee staffer for Rep. Jim Lightfoot (R-Iowa), worked previously for AOPA as director of congressional affairs and manager of the AOPA Political Action Committee.
Innsbruck, Austria-based Tyrolean Airways has placed a firm order with Bombardier Regional Aircraft for four Dash 8-400 aircraft in a transaction worth approximately $83 million. That evaluation does not include options, of which the Austrian regional took four. Deliveries will take place in the fourth quarter of 1999, the first and third quarters of 2000 and the first quarter of 2001, Bombardier said.
United Airlines' pilots voted overwhelmingly yesterday to reject a tentative mid-term wage adjustment. Fully 80% voted against the tentative agreement. The wage adjustment was a provision of the pilots' 1994 employee-ownership agreement.
Great Lakes Aviation's passenger traffic in December rose 20.4% to 24.3 million revenue passenger miles from 20.2 million as capacity climbed 13.5% to 55 million available seat miles.
U.S. National Carriers Productivity, In Revenues and Expenses Per Employee Third Quarter 1996, In Dollars Total Total Operating Operating Revenues Expenses Airline (000) (000) American Trans Air 192,801 211,233 Carnival 64,857 71,739
Raytheon and Hughes Electronics Defense business announced yesterday they will merge in a $9.5 billion deal that includes a transfer of stock and debt. The combination creates another powerhouse in the air traffic control sector, where both companies are strong. It turns Raytheon into a $21 billion company with a backlog of $23 billion. Raytheon Chairman Dennis Picard said the consolidation could bring layoffs in areas where there are overlaps. ATC could be such an area, as both companies have gone head to head in many competitions.
FAA intends to budget $250 million at the end of the decade for its evaluation of the free flight project it will oversee in Alaska and Hawaii. The amount, comprising $100 million in the Fiscal 1999 budget and $150 million in Fiscal 2000, was confirmed by George Donohue, FAA associate administrator for research and acquisition.
Regional carriers logged more than 3.7 billion revenue passenger miles in the third quarter of 1996, an increase of 5.7% from 3.5 billion in third quarter 1995, RAA reported this week using statistics compiled by AvStat Associates.
DOT Deputy Secretary Mort Downey will discuss Airport Improvement Program funding, aviation security, FAA financing reform and international aviation issues on Aviation News Today this Sunday on Washington's NewsChannel 8 from 12:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Alaskan Regional Era Aviation in May will begin passenger service between Anchorage, Alaska and Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory, Canada, providing the first direct air service between the two points. Era, which has flown charter service into the Yukon for a number of years, will operate a 50-passenger Convair 580 turboprop on the new route.
Hawaiian Airlines reported a 4.4% increase in systemwide traffic during December, to 337.6 million revenue passenger miles, on 458.4 million available seat miles, up 4.9% from that of December 1995. The load factor slipped 0.4 percentage points to 73.6%. For the full year, traffic was up 6.8% and capacity 9%, and the load factor fell 1.6 points to 75.3%.
Maverick Airlines, with newly issued operating authority from DOT, will begin scheduled service Monday between Denver and Steamboat Springs, and Tuesday between Denver and Grand Junction, using Dash 7s. The privately held carrier, with a $4.3 million financing plan, has raised funds through a direct placement equity offering and issuing convertible secured debentures.
Airbus Industrie has selected Sextant Avionique of France to provide flight management systems for the A319/320/321 and A330/340 aircraft families. Available for new aircraft and as retrofits, the system includes the first RNP\ANP (required navigation performance/actual navigation performance) certified approach and departure procedures.
Asset Management-Jets, the BAe 146 sales and leasing arm of British Aerospace, reported that its sales and lease transactions totaled more than $320 million in 1996. The year's results included the sale of another Bae 146 from its portfolio and the five remaining Fokker 100s acquired by British Aerospace as part of the Crossair Avro RJ100 transaction, as well as a BAe 146 lease deal. It placed or re-leased aircraft with Qantas of Australia; Air Canada Connector carriers Air BC and Air Nova; Aer Lingus, Malmo Aviation, Jersey European Airways and Ansett Airlines.
Continental Connection affiliate Gulfstream International posted a 20.6% increase in revenue passenger miles last month to 9.9 million from 8.2 million in December 1995. Capacity was up 13.1% to slightly more than 19 million available seat miles from 16.8 million. The resulting load factor was 52.1%, a 3.2 percentage point increase from 48.9% in December 1995. Gulfstream this week signed a code-share agreement with Continental, to take effect in April, covering its Florida-Bahamas flights as well as intra-Florida service (DAILY, Jan.
Delta Connection affiliate Comair flew 127.6 million revenue passenger miles last month, an increase of 25.8% from December 1995. Capacity rose just 17.6% to 227.6 million available seat miles from 193.5 million.
American Airlines and the Allied Pilots Association have given little indication that either side will concede an inch during the coming weeks, airline and industry observers said yesterday. With the threat of a strike in mid-February, the current 30-day cooling-off period began with a stinging APA statement. An American management comment that "all issues" are back on the negotiating table was taken negatively by the pilots - "Management's announcement...is a provocative move that will not help us resolve our differences," APA said yesterday.
Top U.S. carriers in November posted an on-time record of 77.9%, identical to that of November 1996 and fractionally better than the 77.2% level in October 1996. Simultaneously, they achieved a slight improvement in baggage handling but drew substantially more consumer complaints. In November 1996, Continental had the best performance with on-time arrivals at 80.9% at all reporting airports, followed by USAir at 80.6% and American at 79.7%. Alaska Airlines had the worst record with 68.9%.
Air Canada, Air Canada regional airline management and the Canadian Air Line Pilots Association made no progress this week on talks to end a regional airline strike that enters its seventh day today. No further meetings are planned, the union said, and the strike will continue "in full force." Air Canada's four subsidiaries - Air Nova, Air Alliance, Air BC and Air Ontario - struck Jan. 10 over career advancement issues. CALPA said it wants structural and work rule changes.
SabreTech Inc. has retained the Flight Safety Foundation to conduct a safety and regulatory audit of its operations in Phoenix and Orlando. SabreTech's operations, including its handling of oxygen canisters, came into question after the ValuJet DC-9 crash, with improperly processed canisters a suspected factor in the onboard fire that led to the accident.
Plantronics introduced a new TriStar headset which it said "cancels the majority of background noise commonly found in environments for air traffic controllers."
Regional traffic - based on a sampling of 14 of the largest carriers - increased an average of 13.1% during December from December 1995, aided by the last day of the Thanksgiving holiday falling on the first day of the month. Capacity, measured in available seat miles, increased an average of 6.9%. Continental Express stood at the top of the list in terms of traffic growth. COEx's traffic, measured in terms of revenue passenger miles, increased 32.4%, while its capacity was held to 28%. Mesaba Holdings was second, with RPMs up 29.7% and ASMs up 23.7%.
Bill Keil, former VP-technical services for the Regional Airline Association, has accepted a senior associate position with aviation consulting company HKS&A Inc., Redwood City, Calif. Keil is a 44-year veteran of the U.S. airline industry.
Airclaims Limited of London reports there were 26 known losses of western- built turboprop airliners during 1996 - six fewer than in 1995 and the lowest figure since 1986, when losses also totaled 26. The average annual total of turboprop losses during the 1980s was 32, although the worst year was 1989 with 45. The best year was 1980 with 25. The average annual number of turboprop losses during the 1990s is 34. Airline hull and liability losses during 1996 totaled nearly $1.6 billion, up 25% from 1995.
