U.S. carriers that provide scheduled service to France were invited by DOT to apply for the five additional frequencies in the market made available recently under the U.S.-French deal that granted Air France five additional frequencies for its winter schedule (DAILY, Oct. 29).
Midwest Express has been hired by the Milwaukee Bucks to fly the team during the 1996-97 National Basketball Association season. The carrier will use a DC-9-10 configured for 52 seats instead of the usual 60, with extra legroom. The aircraft will be equipped with TVs, VCRs, special headrests and "a collection of the Bucks' favorite board games." The team logo will be on the bulkhead wall and flight attendants' sweater vests. The passengers will be served trainer-approved meals developed by the Midwest Express dining services unit.
Boeing telegraphed an alert service bulletin (SB) to 737 operators Friday, warning them that new tests show rudder jamming can occur and recommending a test they can conduct during the next overnight at a maintenance base or within 10 days. FAA was expected to issue a telegraphic airworthiness directive during the weekend making the SB mandatory. The SB is Boeing's first acknowledgement that something can go wrong in the 737 rudder system that could affect control of the aircraft, a National Transportation Safety Board source said Friday.
Northwest's Air Line Pilots Association unit says it is "disturbed" by Northwest's decision to purchase 12 Avro RJ85s for sublease to Mesaba Airlines instead of investing in its core fleet. The regional jets will replace Northwest's DC-9s in some Minneapolis and Detroit markets (DAILY, Oct. 29). The acquisition of $300 million worth of regional jets was called a predictable tactic during contract negotiations. The carrier's pilots have long complained that Northwest has a pilot shortage.
American's political action committee contributed about 45% of the money passenger airlines gave to federal candidates and other federal campaign committees during the 1995-96 election cycle. As of Oct. 16, American had doled out $419,309, more than United, Northwest and Delta combined, but dwarfed by the United Parcel Service and FedEx PAC contributions - $1.67 million and $1.05 million, respectively.
American Trans Air announced that it is accepting Diners Club Cards and has become a member of the Club Rewards program. Diners Club members can redeem their points for tickets on the carrier.
International Lease Finance Corp. said its pretax income rose 41.9% to $104.9 million in the third quarter, and revenues increased 16.2% to $423.3 million. Rental income was up 13.4% to $375.5 million. For the first nine months, pretax income climbed 25.1% to $298 million, revenues 16.9% to $1.2 billion and rental income 16.6% to $1.1 billion.
Orally renewed an exemption for Philippine Airlines to serve Saipan as an additional point on Route 2 of its foreign air carrier permit through Oct. 30, 1997...Orally renewed an exemption for Finnair to conduct scheduled service between Helsinki and San Francisco through Oct. 30, 1997...Orally renewed an exemption to Cargolux Airlines International to conduct scheduled air transportation on the upper deck of Cargolux freighters, from points behind Luxembourg, via Luxembourg, to points in the U.S. via intermediate points, and beyond...Extended through Nov.
Pan Am's two-class fleet is a "recipe for disaster" for a new entrant, according to Morten Beyer Associates. The carrier did not reconfigure its A300 aircraft from the current 24 first-class, 230 economy seats to all- economy class with 330 seats, which would have reduced its seat-mile costs 25%. "Continental was forced to retire these aircraft two years ago, primarily because of unreliability, although costs were low," MBA says.
Swissair, countering European media reports that it is considering retrenching from its investment in Sabena, said Friday its relationship with the Belgian carrier is solid and unchanged. "Our investment in and commitment to Sabena is part of our long-term strategic plan," said Swissair spokeswoman Linda Parseghian. "Nothing has happened to change that." Sabena President Paul Reutlinger, responding to a question at last week's press conference on a restructuring plan (DAILY, Nov.
Southwest is offering a "one-time extension" of its Friends Fly Free program, which was to have expired last week but instead will continue through Nov. 20 for ticket purchases. Fares are good for travel through April 4. The program allows a full-fare paying passenger to take along a friend at no charge.
TWA is offering customers an upgrade to first class, if space is available a few hours before the flight, for a small fee based on the length of the trip. Passengers in coach, known as Comfort Class, can upgrade at the airport two hours prior to departure. Fees are $50 for trips between St. Louis and cities in the Midwest, $100 for trips between St. Louis and the East Coast, $125 for flights between St. Louis and the West Coast, $150 for trips between New York and the West Coast, and $250 for flights between St. Louis and Honolulu.
Administrative Law Judge Burton Kolko has set March 11 as the hearing date for DOT's anti-bias enforcement action against American Airlines and the Sabre computer reservations system. The hearing will start at 10 a.m. in Room 5332 at DOT headquarters, 400 Seventh St. S.W., Washington, D.C. Kolko may be hoping for a reconciliation - his notice of hearing specifies that pretrial discovery must "culminate on Valentine's Day."
UNC Inc. said its net earnings for the third quarter jumped 178% to $2.3 million, operating income rose 98% to $12.5 million and revenues increased 80% to $247.9 million. The company said revenues from its Garrett Aviation Services Division were stronger than expected in the quarter. For the first three quarters, revenues were up to $570.7 million from $394.5 million, a 44% increase, while operating income gained 51% to $27.1 million and net earnings rose to $4.3 million from $1.8 million.
CityLink Airlines Inc., a new entrant planning MD-80 service out of the Chicago area, plans to begin operating next spring at Gary, Ind., Regional Airport, a suburban location between Gary and Chicago. In its DOT application, CityLink said it chose the airport on the basis of low congestion, low cost, an origin-and-destination pool of 2.5 million people in a 24-mile radius, and expressway access said to be much easier for a large part of the local population than at O'Hare and Midway.
John Tague, chairman, chief executive and president of Columbia, S.C.-based Air South, has assumed the new role of chairman, chief executive and president of Kansas City-based Vanguard Airlines. Vanguard Chief Executive and President Robert McAdoo resigned, effective last Friday, but will remain on the board of directors. Tague will continue with his role at Air South and remain living in Columbia. Tague was president and chief operating officer of American Trans Air, which he left in July 1995.
Canadian Transport Minister David Anderson last week completed the formal transfer of the nation's civil air navigation system from Transport Canada to the Nav Canada not-for-profit, private corporation. The government still will be responsible for overseeing safety, but Nav Canada Chairman John Crichton said safety is "at the heart of Nav Canada's mandate.
Seven years after it was privatized, Air Canada still is struggling to counter the perception that it is a government-owned carrier. President and Chief Executive Lamar Durrett said that "even some in the [Canadian] government" don't know that Air Canada was taken private in 1989.
Canadian Airlines International posted 13% lower net profits of C$85.7 million (US$64 million) for the third quarter, but the slightly lower results are worse than they look, the airline said. Continuing operating losses "are threatening the company's viability," said President Kevin Benson, and the carrier is embarking on a new attempt to reduce overhead and increase efficiency. Benson expects to cut as many as 250 jobs, 1.5% of its work force, and plans a 10% pay cut for all surviving employees.
Open skies agreements between the U.S. and individual European countries have limitations compared with a comprehensive but elusive pact involving the entire European Union, European Commission director for air transport Claude Chne notes. For example, if Lufthansa gave up a U.S.-coveted slot at congested Frankfurt Airport, the slot would have to be thrown back into the common European pool, up for grabs by any European airline under Commission rules, regardless of the free-market understanding between Germany and the U.S.
Alliance for Safe and Efficient Air Transportation is pushing DOT to make sure its congressionally mandated independent assessment of FAA's needs is done by a firm or organization that has no current or recent contractual relationship with FAA, DOT or the aviation industry.
America West appointed Jeffrey Anderson station manager-Miami. British Airways World Cargo appointed Geoff Corpe general manager- worldwide sales and marketing.
United's new federal inspection facility in the midfield terminal at Washington Dulles Airport has reduced processing time to 10 to 12 minutes per passenger from 45 to 90 minutes in the FIS facility in the main terminal, the carrier said at a dedication ceremony last week. The new facility will be used exclusively by United and partner Lufthansa, enabling them to process 1,400 passengers an hour. During a test run, processing took only seven minutes per passenger.
Continental President and Chief Operating Officer Greg Brenneman toured thePacific last week in search of an alliance partner. Continental said he met with Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines before heading off to Saipan and Guam.
DOT has approved code sharing by United and Air Canada in the San Francisco-Toronto-Montreal market and amended the carriers' authorities to permit intra-Canada code sharing in all markets where they hold the underlying economic authority. The department dismissed, however, United's request for blanket authority combining authorized U.S.-Canada services with existing authority between the U.S. and third countries, to permit code sharing beyond Canada on third-country flights operated by Air Canada.
