Aviation-Related Bills Introduced In Congress July 8-August 2 - S.1960 - introduced July 16 by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) - a bill to require the DOT secretary to reorganize FAA to ensure that the administration carries out only safety-related functions, and for other purposes. Referred to the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
FBI agents searched SabreTech's facility at Miami International Airport yesterday in connection with the May 11 crash of a ValuJet DC-9 in the Florida Everglades. The company said only, "We are aware that a search warrant was executed today at our Miami facility. The company is continuing to cooperate fully with authorities." One report, by ABC affiliate WPLG, said workers were told to go home while authorities searched for possible evidence of a crime.
ValuJet suffered a $26.3 million operating loss and a $9.6 million net loss in the second quarter after taking a $31.6 million charge resulting from the crash of Flight 592 May 11 and a subsequent loss of revenue. Operating revenues dipped only to $81.2 million from $86.9 million in second quarter 1995, however. More one-time charges are being spread out to the third and fourth quarters, but the bulk has been accounted for and the company does not expect other charges extending into 1997.
Emirates passengers transiting Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will stay in a new 150-room airport hotel opening in September as part of an existing hotel. The facility will be managed by Airport Hotel LLC under Abela&Company LLC, with which Emirates has a contract for catering and related airline business. The hotel will be used exclusively by Emirates, which currently books with several hotels in Dubai. The facility has been customized to the airline's requirements and is staffed by Emirates reservations employees.
Lockheed L1011 and McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Systemwide Aircraft Utilization Per Day, First Quarter 1996 L1011-01-250 Delta TWA Total Number of Aircraft Operated 37 12 49 Total Fleet Operations Departures 126 29 154 Block Hours 365 97 462
Southwest recorded a 9.7% jump in revenue passenger miles in July from the same month a year earlier, but available seat miles rose 15.6% and the load factor dropped to 68.1% from 71.8%. For the first seven months, traffic was up 12.4% and capacity 13.8%. July 96 July 95 7 Mths 96 7 Mths 95 RPMs 2,393,921,981 2,182,449,038 15,040,376,495 13,380,777,804 ASMs 3,515,527,194 3,040,793,480 23,322,400,067 20,487,990,072
Travel management company Travel and Transport, Omaha, Neb., has opened a virtual travel office on the World Wide Web. Users can check on travel specials, make airline reservations and arrange for rental cars and hotel rooms. The Web site is at http://www.tandt.com or http ://www.travelandtransport.com. The company said it has received significant interest from clients who want it to set up an individual site for them, and it is testing this approach.
Air Transport Association Cargo Traffic May, 5 Months 1996 Revenue Ton-Miles (000) May May % 1996 1995 Change Domestic Freight 725,696 691,230 5.0 Mail 147,788 140,036 5.5 Total 873,484 831,266 5.1 International Freight 616,530 591,500 4.2 Mail 45,086 41,455 8.8
DOT temporarily reallocated to Continental Micronesia three U.S.- Philippines frequencies that had been allocated to United through March 1, 1997. Authorized for services on U.S. Route 2 of the U.S.-Philippines air services agreement of 1980, CMI had held the frequencies through Sept. 1, 1996. Based on revised plans, United will not need them for its three weekly U.S.-Japan-Philippines all-cargo services until March 1, 1997, DOT said.
In terms of percentage of population, Taiwanese were the most frequent visitors to the U.S. in 1995. Commerce Department statistics show that one in every 50 Taiwan residents visited the U.S. last year, the highest ratio of any country. The number of visits was 413,000, moving Taiwan into 10th place worldwide.
DOT has tentatively granted Air 4000 a certificate to operate scheduled interstate passenger service. Founded in October 1995, Air 4000 plans to operate low-cost service from its Myrtle Beach, S.C., base to Detroit, Philadelphia and Cleveland, using one 122-seat 737-200 aircraft. The carrier said it will offer off-peak fares as low as $79 and peak fares up to $139 (DAILY, Jan. 8). Air 4000 is an outgrowth of charter carrier Myrtle Beach Jet Express, which is supported by World Technology Systems LLC (WTS).
U.S. Major Carriers Latin Share of Service, First Quarter 1996 Total Revenue Departures Alaska 2,046 America West 1,246 American 22,735 Continental 7,371 Delta 3,060 United 4,061 USAir 1,406 Total 41,925 Average Number of
U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Share of Service, First Quarter 1996 Total Revenue Departures Alaska 34,508 America West 48,851 American 164,653 Continental 98,937 Delta 218,761 Northwest 133,448 Southwest 179,085 TWA 67,987 United 177,412
A "baseline" working group studying aviation safety and security issues that are expected to be considered by the Gore commission met yesterday at FAA to review an "action plan" previously released by the White House. Indications are that while the Gore commission will consider recommendations from the Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) once it has approved the baseline group's findings, it is likely to draw its members from a broader segment than the aviation industry.
Credit standings most affected as the European airline industry moves toward full deregulation next spring will be those of Europe's flag carriers, shielded from competition and aided by government subsidies in the recent past and even the present, according to Standard&Poor's. The flags have tended to enjoy "more favorable credit terms than their financial positions warranted," says S&P.
Selling stock back to Northwest lifted KLM's net profit to 271 million Dutch guilders (US$162.6 million) for the first quarter of fiscal 1997, more than double the previous year's 135 million guilder (US$81 million) total. Earnings per share grew from 1.48 guilders (US$0.89) to 2.94 (US$1.76). Included in KLM's net earnings is a profit of 179 million guilders (US$107.4 million) KLM received by selling back to Northwest 3,691 non-voting preference A shares.
An increase in domestic traffic contributed to a 3.8% gain in United's July scheduled revenue passenger miles, which totaled 10.843 billion. North American RPMs rose 6.6%, while Atlantic RPMs fell 10.2%. Available seat miles rose 1%, and Atlantic ASMs fell 8.8%. North American ASMs rose 2.1%, Pacific 2.3% and Latin America 1.9%. The load factor was up 2.1 percentage points to 75.6%. For the year, RPMs were up 5.1% and ASMs 2.9%, and the load factor gained 1.5 points. July 96 July 95 7 Mths 96 7 Mths 95
FAA told Chicago officials last week that closing Meigs Field "cannot be considered to be inconsistent" with federal airport grant assurances the city agreed to when it accepted funds for improvements at the reliever airport. Louis Yates, manager of FAA's Chicago Airports District Office, told the city's acting commissioner of aviation, Hugh Murphy, that since the city will not have legal authority to occupy and operate the airport after the Sept.
Association of Flight Attendants, in response to an anonymous news release calling for a worldwide sickout by United's flight attendants, said it has no knowledge of such plans and "strongly encourages its members to report to work as scheduled." The union is in contract negotiations with United.
International Civil Aviation Organization Council President Assad Kotaite called this week for international cooperation to fight terrorism. He said ICAO "has been and continues to be the forum where international cooperation on aviation security issues has achieved successful results." Kotaite said a considerable amount of work has been accomplished within ICAO, leading to the development in 1991 of the Convention on Marking of Plastic Explosives for the Purpose of Detection.
Aerospatiale General Aviation, the Socata subsidiary that announced plans to move from Grand Prairie, Texas, has settled on southeast Florida, in the Fort Lauderdale area, as the location of its new headquarters.
British Airways' traffic increased 2.4% last month, compared with July 1995, on 7.4% more capacity. At 77%, the scheduled passenger load factor was off 3.8 percentage points from last year's record performance. BA flew 9.4 billion revenue passenger kilometers in July on 12.2 billion available seat kilometers. It carried 3.065 million passengers, down 0.1%, as a 1.5% decline in U.K. passengers carried to U.K. and European points more than offset a 2.5% gain in intercontinental traffic.
Signature Flight Support said yesterday that BBA Group, its 68% majority parent, will buy the 32% minority interest of Acadia Partners. Signature provides a wide range of aviation-related services to commercial airlines and general aviation at 36 stations throughout the U.S., including fuel, baggage- and cargo-handling, aircraft cleaning and passenger services. BBA had made recent investments to new fixed-base operations terminals at Hartford, Conn., Bradley Airport and at Las Vegas McCarren Airport.
