Northwest posted strong domestic and international traffic figures for October, as systemwide revenue passenger miles rose 9.2% on 5.7% more capacity. The carrier's load factor improved 2.3 percentage points to 72% from 69.7%. International RPMs rose 9.6% on 5.4% additional capacity, pushing the international load factor up 3.1 points to 78%. Domestic traffic increased 8.9% on 6% more capacity, for a load factor of 68%, up 1.8 points. Oct 96 Oct 95 10 Mths 96 10 Mths 95
Delta's traffic increased 11.3% to 8.2 billion revenue passenger miles in October on 4.3% greater capacity, forcing the load factor up 4.4 percentage points to 70.3%. Domestic RPMs rose 15.1% to 6.2 billion but international RPMs remained flat, increasing 0.7% to 1.95 billion. Domestic capacity climbed 6.9% to 9.1 billion available seat miles, while international capacity fell 4.3% to 2.5 billion. Yield "continues to decline" due to "heavier leisure demand," said Robert Coggin, executive VP marketing. He said unit revenues are improving, however.
Delta and Air France signed an agreement Friday to share codes on flights between eight U.S. and two French cities beginning April 1, assuming that the two countries can reach an aviation agreement by then. The code share may be the catalyst needed for a "more positive aviation environment between the two countries," said Delta Chairman Ron Allen. France renounced the then-current bilateral in 1993, and a negotiating date of Dec. 16 in Paris has been proposed. Allen said Delta will brief the U.S.
America West has made its Internet site at http://www.americawest.com capable of enrolling travelers in its FlightFund frequent flyer program. Newly members can print out a membership card immediately to start earning miles, and regular membership cards follow by mail. Members who join on the Internet receive 2,500 bonus miles.
Of Canada's top five international aviation markets, three now operate under liberalized rules: the U.S., U.K. and, most recently, Germany (DAILY, Nov. 7). Although the regimes often are referred to as open skies agreements, Larry LaFleur, Transport Canada's deputy director for international policy, said the phrase means different things to different people.
Japan's transport ministry, faced with its first new-entrant airline application in more than 40 years, lacks standards to evaluate it but is developing them quickly. Giving priority to safety, it hopes to have criteria on equipment, flight crew training and maintenance by mid-month. The applicant, H.I.S. Co., reportedly intends to contract out maintenance of leased aircraft to All Nippon Airways, but the ministry will insist that it have experienced engineers of its own to manage the work.
- In Federal Register dated Nov. 1...Placed special conditions on de Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft. - In FR dated Nov. 4...Proposed an airworthiness directive on Schweitzer 269 and TH-55 series helicopters to require inspections of the ring gear teeth...Proposed an AD on Fairchild SA226/227 aircraft to require modifying the electrical power generating system.
Delta Chairman Ron Allen and a "major international airline" will announce details today of new international code-sharing service to Atlanta. Delta signed a letter of understanding late in October for an alliance with Air France (DAILY, Oct. 17).
Illustration: Graph: 9 Regional Airlines Stocks Nine regional airline stocks recovered about half their value during October following a steep slide early in the month. The average price per share rose to $10.69 on the second day of the period, only to tumble to $9.46 by the ninth and climb gradually back to $10.19 at the monthly close. Delta Connection Comair led the dip, losing $3.38 to close at $20.13. Delta affiliate Atlantic Southeast was off a dollar to $21 per share.
FAA Administrator David Hinson has resigned, effective tomorrow, and Deputy Administrator Linda Daschle will be acting administrator through Jan. 31, FAA said yesterday, as the expected round of post-election Clinton administration departures began. Hinson said months ago that he would leave office after the election. Sources said yesterday that DOT Secretary Federico Pea is stepping down as well, as are several other cabinet secretaries.
Polynesian Limited applied to renew its exemption to provide scheduled combination service between Apia, Western Samoa, and Pago Pago, American Samoa, and beyond to Rarotonga, Cook Islands and Papeete, Tahiti. Polynesian is owned by Polynesian Airlines (Holdings) Limited, which in turn is owned by the Western Samoa government. In addition to one 737-300, it flies de Havilland Twin Otters and Britten Norman Islanders. Polynesian wants to renew unused authority for points beyond Pago Pago.
American experienced a dramatic increase, from 296 in 1994 to 882 in 1995, in incidents in which passengers have been unruly or abusive with the crew. Of those, 33 and 140, respectively, were physical assaults. There were 204 incidents in the first quarter of 1996, so this year so far shapes up as worse than last. American is setting policies to protect its employees (see related story below).
Europe must take bold policy steps soon to protect its aviation and aerospace sectors from U.S. competition, top European Union government and business leaders warned this week during an industry conference in Brussels.
During the next three years, British Airways will eliminate 600 accounting jobs, more than half of the 1,100 workers at the Ruislip, Middlesex, division that handles accounting and ticket sales, and transfer 200 jobs to India, the airline said yesterday. BA said the decision was made "to bring costs into line with other airlines." More than half of the 600 affected employees work part-time and 300 are on fixed-term contracts.
American Airlines Cargo, Northwest Cargo and United will begin imposing fuel surcharges Nov. 15, following Lufthansa Cargo, which began levying a fuel charge on Nov. 1, and KLM (DAILY, Oct. 30). American's surcharge will be 10 cents per kilogram on cargo and priority parcel shipments from U.S. domestic points, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to Europe and Latin America. It will increase charges similarly from Europe to U.S. points, Canada, the Caribbean islands and Latin America. On Nov.
USAir Express affiliate CCAIR posted a 9.1% increase in revenue passenger miles in October to 13.5 million from 12.4 million in October 1995. Capacity climbed just 6.1% to 28.9 million available seat miles from 27.2 million, as the load factor rose 1.3 percentage points to 46.9%.
Used Regional Aircraft Transactions August 1996 Carrier No. Type Engines Previous Operator ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ATC West 1 ET L-410UVP M-601E -- Air Express 1 Beech 1900C-1 PT6A-65B GP Express Air Georgian 1 Beech 1900C-1 PT6A-65B Ray Aircraft CC Air Nostrum 1 Fokker 50 PW125B AF&T
National Air Transportation Association President James Coyne this week said that base membership dues are being slashed from $500 to $340 for small aviation businesses with fewer than seven employees in an attempt to "effectively double NATA's core membership by the year 2000." In addition, dues can be paid yearly, every six months, quarterly or monthly by credit card, he said. Current members with fewer than seven employees also will benefit from the lower fees, Coyne said.
American is trying to stall a code-sharing agreement between Delta and Aeromexico unless its own code share with TACA Group is approved without further procedure. Failing that, American is asking DOT to impose on Delta the same evidentiary requirements the department is applying to the TACA case. The American agreement covers code sharing between the U.S. and Central America points, with beyond rights at both ends. American maintains it is a garden-variety filing, typically approved without further ado when requested by other carriers.
Allied Pilots Association's board will vote as early as late Saturday on contractual language in the new scope clause with American on American Eagle use of regional jets. The current clause accepts jets up to 70 seats and/or 75,000 pounds. The new clause would limit the number of RJs based on the number of American's large jets and also would limit Eagle RJ revenue passenger miles to no more than 1.5% of "Big Bird's" RPMs. It also would initially limit Eagle to no more than 67 RJs through August 2000...
John Timmons, Hill&Knowlton, and David Barnes, Traffic World, will discuss 1996 election results and their implication for aviation interests on Aviation News Today, to be broadcast 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.
Embraer expects Brazil to certify the EMB-145 50-passenger regional jet during the last week in November, the company said. Deliveries will begin in December. The Brazilian aviation authority has accepted all the technical data and is awaiting certification data from the FAA on U.S.- built components including the Honeywell avionics package and the Allison AE3007 turbofans. Regional Airlines of France is the launch customer; however, Continental Express in September ordered 25 firm plus 175 options for the $15.5 million airplane.
Informal talks Wednesday and yesterday between U.S. and U.K. aviation representatives made enough progress that the U.S. side expects formal negotiations to resume during the first week in December, a senior U.S. government official said yesterday. Talks are aimed at an open skies agreement, a U.S. precondition for immunity from U.S. antitrust laws for the proposed alliance between American and British Airways. Negotiations have been suspended since the summer, but the U.S.
The statutory prohibition against the diversion of airport revenues and FAA's interpretation of that law are the primary obstacles to the sale or lease of U.S. airports, but a number of economic hurdles stand in the way even if the transaction clears the legal barriers, the General Accounting Office said in a report dated yesterday.
