American has designated a special sales force to concentrate on the African-American market and build a philanthropic relationship with that segment of the public. The new sales and marketing group, the Urban and Community Relations Group, is headed by Lou Phillips, formerly regional sales manager for the mid-Atlantic states. Michael Gunn, senior VP- marketing, said the mission of the group is to secure incremental business and meet the airline's goal of being a good corporate citizen.
Granted orally an exemption to Tower Air for scheduled service between New York and Paris through Oct. 11, 1998...Granted orally an exemption to Transwede Leisure AB renewing its exemption to operate charter service between Sweden and Fort Lauderdale through Oct.
Delta is testing a process to improve customer service for passengers who will miss their connecting flights. Passengers are informed of their new travel arrangements at the connecting city while they are still en route to it, through a coordinated effort by the operations control center, airport customer service and flight control, using the Inconvenienced Passenger Rebooking System. Delta said the process is "very much in the formative stages," but initial customer response has been positive.
- In Federal Register dated Oct. 11...Proposed an airworthiness directive on Sikorsky S-64F helicopters to require inspection of the main gearbox...Proposed to supersede an AD on Sikorsky S-64E helicopters concerning inspections of the main gearbox. - In FR dated Oct. 15...Issued an AD on Piper PA31 and PA42 series aircraft to require inspecting for cracks around the inboard aileron hinge bracket...Superseded an AD on Piper PA23, PA31 and PA42 series aircraft
U.S. National Carriers Traffic, September, 9 Months 1996 U.S. National Carriers Traffic September, 9 Months 1996 September September % 1996 1995 Change American Trans Air Revenue Passenger Miles (000) 647,664 643,962 0.6 Available Seat Miles (000) 1,011,432 946,971 6.8
Some industry officials wince when FAA Administrator David Hinson links reducing accident rates to establishing a network of databases for sharing safety information. Many in the industry believe other ways must be found to cope with a hull loss every week or 10 days by 2015, the frequency projected if the accident rate stays the same as it is now.
System One Amadeus has transferred Theo Kruijssen to Houston to take over the position of director-business development. He previously worked in Madrid for Amadeus Marketing as manager of market development for North America. Kruijssen will pursue new business opportunities for the U.S.
An operations executive at American, noting Virgin Atlantic's inflight massages and manicures and Japan Airlines' bamboo sticks for foot massages, can't quite figure out Cathay Pacific's first-class perk - bath oil beads. "Guess you never know when someone wants to luxuriate in a lavatory sink," he said in his daily employee update.
Small U.S. airlines and some computer reservations system (CRS) vendors are battling over what the carriers believe are displays biased toward their larger competitors. DOT has proposed rules that would amend current CRS regulations by requiring vendors to provide at least one display that does not include an online preference. As an alternative, DOT proposes to bar systems from creating displays that neither use elapsed time as a significant factor in selecting flights from the database nor give single- plane flights a preference over connecting service.
FAA appears willing to permit Jetstream Aircraft to use passenger airbags on the seats of its 4100 series aircraft to satisfy head injury rules. The agency acknowledges that the requirement "has proved difficult to comply with using conventional means," and that there has been "resistance" to installing upper torso restraints for passengers.
The Office of Tourism Industries (TI) in the Commerce Department and the Bureau of Economic Analysis have agreed to develop a travel and tourism satellite account over the next three and one-half years. Leslie Doggett, Commerce deputy assistant secretary, speaking last week at the Travel Industries Association's National Outlook Forum, said the account will help economists weigh the impact of travel and tourism on the gross domestic product. To this end, the Standard Industrial Classification system has been expanded to include travel and tourism.
Seventy percent of Air Canada's 3,500 employees represented by the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) cast ballots on the question of striking the company over contract talks, with 91% of those voting favoring the action. Negotiations came to an end Sept. 28 after only four weeks of talks, the union said. "Air Canada refused to make an economic offer to the union." The CAW said it will meet with management in conciliation Oct. 28-29.
USAir has reduced transcontinental fares through Feb. 13 on its seven-day advance purchase tickets. The fares require a stay of at least two nights and must be purchased by Oct. 25.
U.S. Major Carriers Traffic September, 9 Months 1996 (000) September September % 1996 1995 Change Alaska Revenue Passenger Miles 810,000 697,000 16.2 Available Seat Miles 1,231,000 1,147,000 7.3 Load Factor (%) 65.8 60.8 America West
Northrop Grumman said its net income for the third quarter increased 15% to $70 million from $61 million during the same quarter a year ago. Sales were up 25% to $2 billion from $1.6 billion. For the year to date, sales were up 16% to $5.8 billion and net income increased 12% to $217 million from $194 million.
Shuttle By United may boost United far more than raw numbers indictate. Lehman Brothers analyst Brian Harris said 80% of passengers who fly Shuttle earn frequent flyer miles, almost twice the industry average. Loyal West Coast customers, including many business travelers, subsequently choose United on many non-Shuttle flights. What Harris terms the "halo effect" will add $321 million to United's revenues in 1996.
Air Atlantic Dominicana has proposed scheduled service from Santo Domingo to San Juan, Miami and New York. In its application to DOT for scheduled and charter authority, the carrier said it would inaugurate the service with a wet-leased 727-200. Air Atlantic will provide information on the lessor once its agreement is finalized. The carrier argued that U.S.
Great Lakes Aviation will not be permitted to drop its Manistee, Mich., service as soon as it had hoped. DOT is requiring the carrier, which had filed to suspend its service at Manistee effective Dec. 16, to continue serving the point at least through Jan. 15 or until replacement service is obtained.
Allison Engine Co. executives could not be more delighted. The Embraer EMB-145 regional jet, on its recent demonstration tour of Europe, encountered a flock of seagulls near the English Channel coast. The crew felt a "thump," but continued on the one-hour flight to Paris. On landing they found that the left engine - an Allison AE3007 turbofan - had swallowed a two-and one-half-pound gull with "minute damage" to one turbine blade. "We felt very encouraged," said a senior Allison executive, "and the real-life experience made Embraer very confident as well."
Servicio Aereo a Territorios Nacionales (SATENA) of Colombia has ordered three high-speed Dornier 328s as part of an ongoing modernization program, Fairchild Dornier reported. The state-owned carrier, founded in 1962 and based at Santafe de Bogota Airport, serves 54 domestic destinations in the areas of the Amazon, Orinoco and the Pacific rain forest with a fleet of 13 aircraft.
Northwest apparently is nearing a decision - or decisions - on the makeup of its Airlink feeder network. The marketing agreements with Express I Airlines at Memphis and Mesaba Holdings at Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul expire in April. The carrier is known to be unhappy with Express I, and Mesaba, which is 30% owned by Northwest, has long coveted the Memphis hub. However, Trans States owner Hulas Kanodia, who is West Coast Airlink operator, also is said to be interested in Memphis and a possible BAe 146 operation.
