Air Transport Association airlines say they would need to hire more than 4,000 pilots every year until 2005, and more than 5,000 every year from then until 2010, to comply with FAA's proposed rules on flight and duty time. This accounts for the $5.2 billion ATA says the rules would cost, assuming average pilot compensation of $126,259 a year in salary, benefits, taxes and per diems. FAA's cost estimates used an average pilot salary of $82,572.
U.S. National Carriers Traffic May, 5 Months 1996 May May % 1996 1995 Change American Trans Air Revenue Passenger Miles (000) 707,614 603,697 17.2 Available Seat Miles (000) 1,132,552 866,651 30.7 Load Factor (%) 62.5 69.7
May Traffic for Gulfstream International was misstated last week because incorrect numbers were supplied by the carrier (DAILY, June 14). Correct figures are: revenue passenger miles, 10,497,000, up 113.9% from 4,908,000 in May 1995; available seat miles, 19,332,000, an increase of 115.6% from 8,966,000 in May 1995, and passenger boardings, 54,815, a 99.2% rise from 27,514 in the prior May.
TWA ends a three-day sale today that cuts ticket prices in 33 U.S. cities and San Juan. Travel must be completed by Oct. 31. Sample roundtrip fares are Miami-New York for $178, Moline-Indianapolis $198 and Charlotte- Honolulu $620.
The House DOT appropriations bill (H.R.3675) and its accompanying report (House Report 104-631) provide $34 million above the administration request for development of the wide area augmentation system (WAAS) in fiscal 1997. The committee is recommending $117.1 million for the program, including $8.6 million transferred from FAA's proposed operations budget to facilities and equipment.
UPS plans to open a regional sortation hub late in 1997 at Bradley Airport near Hartford, Conn., replacing the current facility. The new hub, part of a $41 million UPS investment in the Hartford area, is scheduled to be at full capacity by 2003. The two-phase expansion plan will create 230,000 square feet of sorting space. Sorting capacity at Bradley will increase from 10,000 packages an hour to 15,000 when the facility opens and to 20,000 by late 1998.
Miami-based Greenwich Air Services said yesterday that its board of directors has authorized it to repurchase up to 100,000 shares of its Class B non-voting common stock on the open market. The company said the stock will be purchased from time to time depending on its price and availability.
Atlas Air has awarded a 10-year, $300 million contract to GE Engine Services to maintain and repair GE CF6-50 engines that power the carrier's 15 Boeing 747-200 aircraft as well as 10 spare engines. "The majority of Atlas' fleet is powered by GE engines," said Mickey Foret, president of Atlas Air.
Airlines, pilots, industry associations and unions filing comments on FAA's proposed flight and duty time rules - no matter which side they take - agree on one point: they question the validity and accuracy of the scientific evidence used by FAA as the basis of broad changes in the rules. In some cases, they ask why available evidence was ignored.
SabreTech, supplier of maintenance services to ValuJet at Miami, announced its intention to start offering its repair and overhaul services to airlines in Orlando, the company said. The firm said it has signed a 10- year lease to expand its aircraft maintenance and modification business to the city and will begin operations there in late August or early September. The company will create 500 aviation-related jobs over the next five years, it said.
Embraer logged 90 flights during its month-long sales tour of the U.S. of the new 50-passenger EMB-145 regional jet during May and early June. The aircraft accumulated about 130 flight hours during its visits to 13 cities and carried more than 1,600 passengers. In total, it operated 90 individual flights with an average block time of 80 minutes and an average flight time of 59 minutes. Average fuel burn was 2,535 per flight hour, which equated to 378 gallons per trip and 384 gallons per hour.
Era Aviation expanded service for the summer season. Era, an Alaska Airlines commuter affiliate, will operate two daily flights to Cordova from Anchorage during the week, a fifth weekday flight will be added to Kodiak from Anchorage and the carrier will operate six daily flights between Homer and Anchorage. Flights also will be added from Anchorage to Kenai, Valdez and Iliamna.
DOT has approved the application of Brazilian carrier Vasp to wet-lease a DC-10 to Ecuatoriana de Aviacion for scheduled combination service between Ecuador and Miami and New York. Service to Miami is scheduled to begin June 27 and could be expanded to New York in the future (DAILY, June 16). Ecuatoriana cannot operate on its own to the U.S. because of restrictions imposed on Ecuadoran carriers by FAA, which has questioned safety oversight standards of civil aviation authorities in Ecuador. (Docket OST-96-1450)
The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA) has denied a $28 million breach-of-contract claim against the Air Force by TPI International Airways, a decision that could push the small Brunswick, Ga., cargo carrier toward liquidation. The airline plans to seek reconsideration of the ruling.
Atlantic Coast Airlines will be allowed to convert firm orders for Jetstream 41 aircraft to options without penalty under an agreement between the carrier and J41 marketing organization Aero International (Regional) (AIR), ACA announced. ACA said the agreement "reflects circumstances that did not exist at the time of the original order, including the availability of a limited number of used J41 aircraft and more favorable aircraft financing alternatives."
Wheeling and dealing rages as the competition for a potentially huge order of high-performance regional aircraft by Continental comes down to the wire. Proposals for the Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ), EMB-145 regional jet and Saab 2000 high-speed turboprop are expected to be presented to the Continental board next week. "Big Continental" management is said to favor the CRJ, while Continental Express management is believed to lean toward the 145. Initial order will be for 12, but that could grow to a reported 100 units. Lease proposals have been very creative.
McDonnell Douglas opened a commercial aircraft marketing office in Sydney, Australia, in what it described as an attempt to "compete head-to-head with other aircraft manufacturers as airlines in the South Pacific expand or replace their fleets." Thomas Epperson, with McDonnell Douglas for more than 30 years, heads the office as VP of commercial marketing, South Pacific operations.
British Airways signed a marketing alliance with Aerovias DAP of Chile that will give its passengers direct scheduled-service access to the Falkland Islands from the U.K. The accord will enable passengers to fly from London to Santiago on BA and connect with Aerovias DAP flights to Mount Pleasant Airport on the Falklands. Until now, the only way to reach the islands from Britain has been with the Royal Air Force or by boat. Aerovias DAP operates 727 service to the islands.
Rep. Jim Traficant (D-Ohio) has strong, if obscure, criticism of DOT's and FAA's handling of the ValuJet matter, as evidenced by the June 19 Congressional Record. "Beam me up, Mr. Speaker," Traficant said, concluding a brief floor statement faulting officials for proclaiming the airline's safety weeks before they shut it down. "It is evident after this soap opera that the only call the flying public can make is to Ghostbusters, because the FAA is out to lunch with a bunch and the DOT has gone for soup with the group. Think about it."
Gerald FitzGerald will resign as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's director of aviation Aug. 1 to become president of Parsons Brinkerhoff's new aviation business unit. The new division will offer comprehensive planning, design, construction management, program management, privatization, and operations and maintenance services for airports worldwide.
Summary of U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Traffic December 1995 Revenue Average Revenue Passengers Length of Passenger Enplaned % Travel Miles Carriers (000) Change (Miles) (000) America West 1,356 6.92 780 1,057,988 American 5,144 (8.47) 1,121 5,767,763
GE Aircraft Engines and Russia's Rybinsk Motors have agreed to form Rybinsk-GE Aviation Motors to make aircraft engines and aeroderivatives in Russia, the first definitive agreement to emerge between the two companies since GE named the company its strategic partner in Russia last year. The CT7 turboprop and turboshaft engines probably will be among the first products of the partnership, DAILY affiliate Aerospace Propulsion reported (DAILY, June 9, 1995).
Some legislators are asking FAA to take a second look at the airworthiness of ATR aircraft. The House Appropriations Committee Wednesday approved an amendment to the fiscal 1997 transportation appropriations committee report that directs FAA to review the airworthiness of ATR aircraft and submit a report by Dec. 1. Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) offered the amendment citing concerns about the safety of the aircraft in icing conditions following the crash of a Simmons ATR 72 Oct. 31, 1994, near Roselawn, Ind.
Eliot Brenner, a Treasury Department speechwriter, has been tapped to replace Sandra Allen as FAA assistant administrator for public affairs. Allen left the agency in March.
Carl Albert, head of Fairchild Aircraft which now controls German firm Dornier, wants to develop a 50-seat version of the normally 30- to 33- passenger Do-328 high-speed turboprop and expects to corral the German government as a risk-sharing partner in the effort. Fairchild, which has an 80% stake in the venture that owns Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH, also plans to move some Metro product development work to Dornier's Oberpfaffenhofen facility (DAILY, June 14).
