Delta's senior VP-Airport Customer Service, Marty Braham, has been named senior VP-Delta Staffing Services Business Unit Development. Vicki Escarra, VP-reservation sales&distribution planning, will become VP- Airport Customer Service, replacing Braham.
India's Finance Ministry more than doubled planned outlays for civil aviation for the fiscal year that ends March 31, 1997, but it reduced the government's budgetary support to the sector by 10% in keeping with the federal administration's policy to make its constituents - particularly, the state-owned carriers Air-India and Indian Airlines - increasingly self- reliant.
System One Amadeus named Maria Escosa director of sales for Latin America, the Caribbean and Mexico. She has been VP-sales and marketing for Aero Costa Rica in Miami.
Microsoft and American Express have agreed to offer jointly an online corporate booking service for travelers who want to make reservations and book tickets from their own computer. The Internet/Intranet alliance gives American Express a two-year exclusive license for a system the companies say will substantially change the way businesses manage employee travel. Development of the product is under way and the companies expect it to be fully functional by the first half of 1997.
Aviation Sales Co. said second quarter revenues rose 19.1% to $34.3 million from $28.8 million, but net income fell slightly to $1.8 million from $1.9 million. For the first six months, revenues rose to $67.2 million from $57.2 million and net income fell to $3.7 million from $4.3 million. The aircraft spare parts redistribution company said it continues to see "strong performance in our core part sales and growth in our inventory management services."
Japan Airlines and Federal Express squared off over the question of proposed sanctions against JAL in separate comments. Responding to Japan's refusal to allow FedEx to operate beyond-Japan services, DOT, in a show cause order issued this month, proposed prohibiting JAL from carrying on its scheduled all-cargo services from Japan to the U.S., any cargo transported to Japan by any Japanese airline from Cebu and Manila, the Philippines; Jakarta, Indonesia, and Beijing and Shanghai, China (DAILY, July 17).
UPS reported that its average daily volume in the second quarter increased 14.2% over the same quarter last year to 1.6 million express packages and documents. Domestic express volume gained 14.4% and international express volume 11.6%. John Alden, senior VP-business development, said the company has "invested in the infrastructure, new services and technology that we believe will generate double-digit growth well into the future."
Frontier Airlines will discontinue service to Bismarck and Fargo, N.D., from Denver Sept. 11 because of "continued shortfalls" in traffic. Frontier serves Bismarck with one daily roundtrip that continues to Fargo, with 737 aircraft. The carrier, which started service to several unserved markets from Denver in 1994, discontinued flights to seven points last year to focus its resources on more lucrative destinations.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines' net income rose 23.1% to a record $18.4 million in the second quarter, up from $15 million in second quarter 1995. Second quarter revenues also hit record levels, $104.2 million, up from $90 million. The results include after-tax accruals of $0.9 million, or $0.03 per share, and $2.6 million, or $0.08 per share, related to the stock appreciation rights plan. The net revenues also include a one-time, after- tax settlement of $1.2 million with an equipment supplier.
FlightSafety International and Interactive Learning International Corp. announced an agreement to create a distance learning capability that will provide FSI customers with many "virtual classroom" sites without traveling or compromising education objectives. FSI said it will create virtual classrooms enabling customers to see, hear and communicate with an instructor and view multimedia courseware from a personal computer terminal. It will use the program to train employees as well as clients.
The House Transportation Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee filed reports (House Report 104-714, Part I and Senate Report 104-333) Friday on their versions of the FAA reauthorization bill. With assurance from the House Ways and Means Committee that it will act this year to renew the aviation taxes, the House Transportation Committee plans to schedule its bill (H.R.3539) for floor action soon, possibly this week. On Friday, Senate Commerce Chairman Larry Pressler (R-S.D.) formally introduced the FAA bill (S.1994) the committee approved last month.
Eastwind Airlines plans to inaugurate four-days-per-week service to Orlando Aug. 29 from its base at Trenton-Mercer Airport, N.J. The new service puts Eastwind back into Florida markets, where it suspended service last April. It intends to offer more "Bee Line Specials" - the first, announced last week, provides $25 one-way fares for a brief period between Atlanta Hartsfield and Trenton.
Productivity Measures for Major Carriers First Quarter 1996 Revenue Available Passenger Seat Miles Miles Airline (000) (000) Alaska 2,126,048 3,500,253 America West 3,503,883 4,955,068 American 24,586,246 37,508,248 Continental 8,604,200 12,813,325
Tower Air Inc. reported net income of more than $2.9 million, or 19 cents per share, for the second quarter. The results turned around an $8.13 million loss in the first quarter, but they were off considerably from the same period last year, when the carrier reported $4 million in earnings, or 26 cents per share.
Northwest Aerospace Training Corp. said it is offering Part 121 training and support programs to regional and national airlines, including certification services, dispatcher systems and training and crew resource management development and implementation services. NATCO said it concluded contracts recently with Mesa Air Group and Express Airlines 1. "We have been able to take Northwest Airlines' training and support programs and adapt them to the specific operating environments of regional airlines," said Nannette Gibbons, NATCO manager, training programs development.
- In Federal Register dated July 19...Superseded an airworthiness directive on Sikorsky S-76B helicopters concerning inspection of the drive shaft. -- In FR dated July 22...Issued an AD on Pratt&Whitney Wasp engines requiring inspection of the crankshaft counterweights...Proposed special conditions on de Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft.
UNC Inc. reported second quarter revenues of $181.3 million, operating income of $8.8 million and net earnings of $1.4 million for the second quarter. In the same quarter last year, sales were $131.3 million, operating income was $6.4 million and net income was $959,000. Performance for the quarter included one-month results for Garrett Aviation Services, acquired by UNC at the end of May.
Revenue passenger miles of member airlines increased 7% in June, compared with the same month a year earlier, the Air Transport Association reported. For the year-to-date, revenue passenger miles were up 6.4%, ATA said. Available seat miles rose only 2.7% in June and 2% in the first six months, causing the load factor to increase to 74.9% in June from 71.9%, and to 69.1% from 66.2% for the year-to-date.
American is creating an AAdvantage Marketing Division to manage its frequent flyer program. Bruce Chemel, managing director-marketing programs, who has overseen AAdvantage for five years, was named president of the new division. "This strategic initiative will enable American to maintain its leadership and grow the AAdvantage program at an even more rapid rate in the years ahead," said President Donald Carty. Michael Gunn, senior VP-marketing, said creating a separate division recognizes the growing importance of that portion of the business.
U.S. National Carriers Operating Revenues and Expenses (1Q96/95) Operating Operating Revenues Expenses (000) (000) First Quarter 1996 American Trans Air $ 207,135 $ 201,919 Carnival 78,305 75,155 Hawaiian 94,062 93,689
