Hong Kong-based Dragonair named Stanley Hui chief executive officer, effective Feb. 1, moving the carrier closer to management autonomy from Cathay Pacific Airways. Hui was chief operating officer of Air Hong Kong and replaces Philip Chen, who returned to Cathay from Dragonair earlier this month.
United's North American sales team is trying to snare the often overlooked mid-sized corporate market - companies that spend $40,000 to $500,000 a year on air travel. After three weeks of testing the sales pitch in Kansas City, Phoenix, Buffalo and Chicago, the carrier's telemarketers signed up 123 companies, according to an employee bulletin. The offer includes a variety of perks, such as discounted car rentals, United Connection software and upgrades.
Travel Industry Association and the American Automobile Association will issue the 1996-1997 winter and holiday travel forecast Dec. 11 in Miami Beach, Fla. TIA also has a report available, A Portrait of Travel Industry Employment in the U.S. Economy, that shows employment directly generated by travel is up 33.3% in the last 10 years. By 2005, it should grow more than 18% in major travel industry sectors, generating more than one million new jobs.
Asiana Airlines will increase Los Angeles-Seoul service on Thursday from seven weekly flights to nine. The Korean carrier now offers 40 weekly flights to Seoul from six U.S. cities, operating Detroit-Seoul jointly with Northwest.
The Dutch government and KLM have entered preliminary talks about a sale of all or part of the government's 38.2% stake in the carrier. "No decision has been made and these are just exploratory talks," said KLM spokeswoman Odette Foder. KLM has not ruled out a partial buy of stock to boost the carrier's share price, and Foder said any stock move is entirely separate from the airline's recently announced restructuring plans (DAILY, Nov. 6). The Dutch government's shares of KLM are worth more than $750 million at current prices.
While the U.S. attorney for the Miami area has refused comment on possible criminal charges arising from the May 11 ValuJet DC-9 crash, several FBI agents took extensive notes during last week's public hearing on the crash by the National Transportation Safety Board. Several persons scheduled to testify exercised their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.
Passengers on nine European carriers will be entitled to recover full compensation in the event of an accident resulting in death or injury, the International Air Transport Association said yesterday. Austrian Airlines, Crossair, Finnair, KLM, KLM CityHopper, Martinair, Transavia, SAS and Swissair said they will not invoke passenger liability limits set out in the Warsaw Convention and national air traffic acts and regulations, said Pierre Jeanniot, IATA director general.
United and Mexicana Airlines have signed a code-sharing agreement - for effect May 1 if their governments approve - for flights from Mexico City to the U.S. The agreement includes through check-in and improved connections, United said, as well as enhanced cooperation by their respective frequent flyer programs.
ValuJet said yesterday it intends to resume scheduled service Dec. 19 from Atlanta to Dallas/Fort Worth, West Palm Beach and Fort Myers, Fla. It will offer introductory one-way fares to DFW of $49 through Jan. 15, and to West Palm Beach and Fort Myers from $49 to $139. ValuJet also is adding 10 daily nonstop frequencies from Atlanta to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Chicago Midway and Washington Dulles.
Kiwi is in a holding pattern after the second potential rescuer, Isbre Holding Corp., failed to deliver the cash it promised. Isbre expected yesterday to give Kiwi $60,000 of the $5 million promised. The firm hopes to have $2.5 million by tomorrow, when the two companies return to bankruptcy court.
Air Traffic Control Association symposium, Operations in the New Sky, will be held Dec. 3 starting at 8 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel, Arlington, Va., Speakers will include representatives from FAA, the Defense Department, MIT, Mitre, NASA, National Air Traffic Control Association, airlines and other industry groups. For more information, call 703-522- 5717.
TWA has warned U.S. officials not to buy a "pig in a poke" if the U.K. assures negotiators that sufficient slots at London Heathrow Airport will be available if an open skies agreement is signed with the U.K. Bilateral talks resume in London next week. The warning, in a letter obtained by The DAILY, focuses on European Union Regulation 95/93, which states that the EU has jurisdiction over slots at Community airports, including Heathrow. Regardless of what the U.K.
China Southern Airlines, the largest domestic carrier in the People's Republic of China, has agreed to invest $7.36 million to acquire a 45% stake in a division of St. Petersburg, Florida-based Phoenix Information Systems Corp. The division, Hainan Phoenix Information Systems Ltd., operates a travel information and reservations system in China based on Phoenix's proprietary software. Captain Yu Yan'en, president of China Southern, will serve a three-year term on Phoenix's board.
KLM Cargo has launched service from Amsterdam to Vienna and Stockholm. The flights to Vienna will be operated with a Lockheed Electra owned by an outside operator. Freighter service to Stockholm will operate five times weekly with Shorts Belfast aircraft owned by Heavylift. The latter service will connect with flights to the Baltic states and St. Petersburg.
FAA's Flight Standards District Office in Atlanta, which oversees ValuJet, was overstaffed at the time the carrier experienced its fatal DC-9 accident in May, according to an FAA staffing model. Thus, despite pleas from local officials for help in overseeing ValuJet's rapid growth, FAA refused to assign more inspectors permanently.
Air Canada, adding to an already tense labor situation, has placed employment ads in major Canadian newspapers and has contracted with a temporary personnel service to hire replacements for most of its 3,500 customer service workers. The Canadian Auto Workers union, representing the group, said the move was intended to force workers to grant concessions to the airline. Even before Air Canada expressed its intention to hire replacements, CAW Local 2213 set a Dec. 5 strike deadline. Negotiations were suspended Sept. 28 and attempts to revive them have failed.
Canadian Airlines International was chosen by Transport Canada to serve Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, and Air Canada will fly to Denmark, Norway and Sweden. None of the Central American countries has a bilateral aviation agreement with Canada. Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala have expressed interest in negotiating agreements, which the transport ministry says will be needed before Canadian can launch service.
Martinair Cargo will begin freight service from Atlanta to Ecuador and Costa Rica this month. The twice-weekly service will use MD-11 freighters. Martinair Cargo offers three weekly all-cargo flights from Atlanta to Amsterdam.
FAA has published an advisory circular (AC No. 120-65) providing guidance to airlines, law enforcement officers and the public on how to manage and reduce passenger interference with crewmembers (DAILY, Nov. 8). "We will not tolerate any interference with the vital safety functions performed by crewmembers," FAA Acting Administrator Linda Daschle said.
Starting Jan. 24, American Trans Air will fly three times a week between Orlando and Kent County Airport, which serves Grand Rapids, Mich. The airline will use a 727-200 on the route on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, providing the only nonstop service between those points. The lowest introductory fare will be $109 one way. The carrier will continue to operate ATA Connection flights linking Grand Rapids to Chicago Midway via a code share with Chicago Express, providing connections to American Trans Air's Midway flights.
An Air South Thanksgiving promotion awards free roundtrip tickets to anyone whose legal surname is Turkey, Pilgrim, Stuffing or Holiday. The roundtrips, good for any point served by Air South, are for travel completed by Wednesday. The carrier flies to Columbia, Greenville/Spartanburg, Charleston and Myrtle Beach, S.C., as well as Atlanta, Savannah, Jacksonville, Miami, Norfolk, Chicago Midway and New York Kennedy.
Bilateral discussions with Vietnam proceed "off and on" and open skies is not on the horizon there, DOT Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs Mark Gerchick said last week. "We have a fundamentally different view" than the Vietnamese, he said. Vietnam is focused on supporting and developing its own airlines and is "not as competition oriented" as the U.S.
Emery Worldwide appointed Rod Hamby director-Latin America Development, Tamera Pulkrabek director-Fashion and Textile Industry Group and Bob Fogarty director-Automotive Sales, Latin America.
