Delta and Swissair will expand their code-share pact to include flights from Newark, Boston and Washington to Zurich. Delta already is buying seats on Swissair's daily service from Newark to Zurich, five times a week service from Philadelphia to Boston and on to Zurich, and twice-weekly service on a Washington-Boston-Zurich routing.
Beleaguered air traffic officials from FAA's New York area were criticized for management shortcomings yesterday by 24 members of Congress from both parties and by controllers' union officials. The congressmen wrote President Clinton complaining about poor staff management at high-traffic- volume towers and radar facilities in the area and an increase in near- collisions between aircraft.
KLM's May traffic rose 7% in May for a total of 689.6 million revenue ton kilometers, compared with 641.7 million in May last year. Capacity was up 8% to 987 million available ton kilometers, depressing the load factor to 69.9% from 70.2%. For passenger service, traffic was up 13% to 3.9 billion revenue passenger kilometers, and capacity up 10% to 5.5 billion available seat kilometers. The load factor improved 1.5 points to 72%. KLM said its greatest passenger traffic increase was on service to the Middle East/South Asia, where RPMs grew 26%.
David White, president of the American Sleep Disorders Association, told FAA last week that the association has strongly believed for many years that the effects of sleep deprivation and basic circadian physiology on job performance - including that of flight crewmembers - have been "substantially underestimated." White endorsed a review of FAA's proposed rules on flight and duty time funded by the Independent Pilots Association, which represents UPS pilots.
Reno Air will offer a free space-available upgrade to first class for passengers traveling on their birthdays until July 1, 1997. The offer is part of Reno's celebration of its fourth anniversary.
Rich International, charged by FAA with installing parts on six L- 1011s that it had removed from another L-1011, is contesting the agency's call for $2.6 million in civil penalties, saying the charges are "groundless." About 75 of the parts could not traced to an FAA-approved source (DAILY, June 28).
Granted orally to Alaska Airlines an exemption to operate scheduled combination service between the terminal point Phoenix and the terminal point Puerto Vallarta, Mexico...Granted orally to Aero Costa Rica Acori renewal of its authority to conduct scheduled combination service between San Jose, Costa Rica, and U.S.
Fairchild Aircraft Chairman Carl Albert has been named chairman of the management board and managing director of Fairchild Dornier Luftfahrt. Harold Williams, president of Fairchild, also was named managing director. Jim Robinson, who was president of Learjet, becomes president of Dornier. He is succeeded at Learjet by Lachlan Beatson.
Clearwater, Fla.-based Sun Jet International has named David Banmiller president and chief executive. He began his aviation career at TWA and later was president and chief operating officer of AirCal, VP-international services at American, president of Air/Lyon and president of The Falcon Group.
- In Federal Register dated June 21...Issued an airworthiness directive on certain Fokker F28 aircraft requiring inspection for cracking of the elevator gust lock housing...Issued an AD on certain Fokker F28 aircraft requiring replacement of junction fittings of the horizontal stabilizer.
TAP Air Portugal has applied for permission to carry individually waybilled cargo on passenger charter flights between Portugal and the U.S. The carrier said it has entered into an agreement with a Portuguese tour operator to conduct flight service in connection with a public charter program to be operated between Lisbon and Miami once each week between July 24 and Oct. 2. TAP will use its Airbus 310-300 aircraft in a one-class, 198-seat configuration for the service.
Comsat named Mike Hughes VP-finance for Comsat International Communications. Dassault Falcon Jet named Jean-Michel Jacob manager-international sales for South America. GTE named Horace Lindsay VP-technology marketing. Jetfleet Management appointed Christopher Tigno general counsel. Kosola And Associates promoted Lorinza Henry to shop operations superintendent. LEP Profit International appointed Eric Williams director-Latin America.
Aeronautical Repair Station Association, in the aftermath of the ValuJet crash, is warning its members to make sure they have the information necessary to show that they are in compliance with air carrier manuals. "As with most knee-jerk reactions, the guidance needed to ensure compliance" will be provided "long after the FAA starts looking for the problems."
Summary of U.S. National Carriers Systemwide Revenues and Expenses Fourth Quarter 1995 (In Dollars) Total Operating % Passenger Carrier Revenues Change Revenues Alaska 278,232,000 8.68 227,512,000 American Trans Air 164,626,000 16.64 87,226,686
United's 45 old 737s will be marketed by Interlease Aviation Corp., a new leasing company, but not to U.S. carriers in passenger configuration, according to Morten Beyer Associates. Interlease is offering them at about $5 million after overhaul or $6 million in cargo configuration. MBA says the restrictions on sales or leases to U.S. startups "would appear to skirt antitrust and restraint-of-trade laws."
The U.K. House of Commons Transport Committee announced Friday it will investigate the proposed American-British Airways alliance. The committee said it will accept public evidence from interested parties July 10, 15 and 17. Witnesses will include BA, American, Virgin Atlantic, Delta and U.S. DOT. The action comes as the U.K. Office of Fair Trading considers whether the alliance requires a full-scale inquiry by the British Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
GTE announced a collaboration with Telecom Italia to supply Alitalia's 767s with Airfone telecommunications equipment. Fifteen telephones will be located in first and business classes and wall-mounted phones in the rest of the aircraft.
Airlines Reporting Corp. is introducing a credit card chargeback policy for travel agents that will replace individual carrier procedural rules, effective Sept. 1. The policy is the first in which ARC-participating carriers agree to absolve travel agents from liability for credit card chargebacks, provided certain credit card acceptance procedures are followed. ARC has distributed a bulletin with the new policy to travel agents.
InVision Technologies said its FAA-certified CTX 5000 explosives detection system (EDS) has been installed and is being operated by Delta at Atlanta Hartsfield Airport. The EDS is being used to check for explosives and other contraband in baggage on international flights. "Through exhaustive testing, the FAA has determined that computed tomography is now the most effective method of detecting all classes of explosives," said Cathal Flynn, FAA associate administrator for civil aviation security.
Jeppesen signed a contract with Southwest to provide its JetPlan IV flight planning, wXstation weather system analysis and its Flight TraX aircraft situation display.
Continental said Friday it has reached agreement in principle with the City of Houston on a shift of some of the airline's operations to Houston Intercontinental's Terminal B, which would be expanded to accommodate growth. Subject to City Council approval, Continental will begin operating from Terminal B by June next year, and Delta and American will move to Terminal A from Terminal B. The arrangement will enable Continental to meet its plan for 500 daily departures at Intercontinental by 2002 (DAILY, June 12).
The House last week passed the fiscal 1997 DOT appropriations bill (H.R.3675), voting 247 to 159 to prohibit funding for a National Transportation Safety Board study of FAA's Age 60 rule for commercial pilots. The House rejected 193 to 212 an amendment sponsored by Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) to transfer $1 million from the DOT inspector general's budget to FAA for aircraft inspection training. The vote on final passage of H.R.3675 was 403 to 2.
FAA and the aviation industry need to "get going with proper labeling so mechanics do not have to guess" whether materials presented as passenger aircraft cargo are hazardous, according to SabreTech President Steven Townes. SabreTech personnel, providing third-party maintenance services to ValuJet at Miami, had "no warnings to ignore" on many of the older oxygen generators loaded onto the ValuJet DC-9 that crashed May 11 in Florida, Townes told The DAILY in a telephone interview.
U.S. and Japanese negotiators failed to make progress on clearing up existing issues in two days of talks in Washington. The discussions ended without setting dates for future talks. "In view of Japan's apparent unwillingness to approve service authorized by the agreement, we must now consider our options as to how we should respond," said DOT Secretary Federico Pena.
