Good service pays off, but not as much as bad service hurts, according to recent findings by a unit of American parent AMR Corp. The survey found that when passengers receive good service they may tell as many as five people about the experience. But when service is bad, more people find out - on average, nine to 13 people hear passenger complaints.
The United States Air Tour Association (USATA) said FAA's proposal to prohibit air tours over Rocky Mountain National Park is "frivolous" and could set a dangerous precedent (DAILY, May 15). "The FAA's attempt to place restrictions on air tour operations at Rocky Mountain National Park, when no air tour operations exist, represents a pre-emptive strike against the industry nationwide and suggests that the Clinton administration will go to any lengths to put us out of business."
Gerald Baliles of ACCESS U.S.-Japan and Gerald Greenwald of United, at loggerheads on service to Japan versus service beyond Japan, will meet May 30 in Washington to discuss - and look for common ground on - U.S.-Japan aviation issues. John Dasburg of Northwest may get an invitation as well.
American Trans Air's April traffic inched up 0.2% from April 1995, to 814.7 million revenue passenger miles, on 6.3% more capacity. Available seat miles totaled 1.2 billion and the load factor fell 4.2 percentage points to 68.7%. American Trans Air carried 550,291 passengers during the month. For the first four months of the year, RPMs rose 9.1% to 3.3 billion and ASMs were up 7.4% to 4.6 billion. The load factor was up 1.1 points to 71.6%.
U.S. Major Carriers Domestic Share of Service Fourth Quarter 1995 Total Revenue Departures Share America West 49,642 3.8 American 172,129 13.2 Continental 103,643 8.0 Delta 223,278 17.2 Northwest 135,814 10.4 Southwest 182,830 14.1
FAA dedicated a $7.9 million control tower and terminal radar approach control (Tracon) facility this week at Lehigh Valley, Pa., Airport. The tower cab will have seven controller positions, up from the current three. The Tracon will have 12 positions.
Continental said yesterday a secondary offering of 2.2 million shares of its Class B common stock by Air Canada and 1.73 million shares by investors of its main shareholder - Air Partners - has been completed. The offering was priced at $53.50 per share. Members of Continental's board will not stand for re-election June 26 at Continental's annual meeting. As part of the sale, Air Canada has agreed to convert its remaining 2.8 million shares to Class B shares, with the intent of selling them by early 1997.
Mandarin Airlines, a subsidiary of Taiwan's China Air Lines, has received permission to operate charter flights between Taiwan and North Korea. The first of an unannounced number of charter flights between the two countries will depart Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek Airport on May 31 and return on June 5. A consortium of seven Taipei travel agencies has chartered the flights for a series of six-day group tours to North Korea.
Continental Devices International said FAA has approved use of the company's onboard performance system on Sun Country Airlines' DC-10-10 aircraft, which "paves the way" for its use on the carrier's DC-10-15, DC- 10-30 and 727 aircraft. Phil Benedict, the supplier's program manager for airline operations systems, said Sun Country will be the first customer to fly the system in revenue service.
United has signed a marketing agreement with Indian carrier Modiluft Airlines, the U.S. carrier said yesterday. The pact covers joint fares, marketing and schedule coordination, as well as interline ticketing and baggage handling. The U.S. carrier has served India since December, when it started "round-the-world-service," which includes 767-300 flights on a Hong Kong-Delhi-London routing. The Indian airline serves 17 markets in India with 19 daily flights to Delhi. The pact will provide feed for both carriers, a United spokesman said.
Carnival Air Lines and Ecuadorian carrier SAETA Airlines have established a code-sharing agreement. As of June 1, Carnival's flights between Miami and Los Angeles will carry SAETA's code. Carnival operates one 248-passenger A300 in the market.
DOT is taking steps to improve FAA inspection operations as part of a continuing effort to bolster safety and the agency's own reputation in the wake of the ValuJet 592 crash on Saturday. In a memorandum to President Clinton, Secretary Federico Pena said the department will act immediately to accelerate inspector hiring and strengthen FAA's data tools. Also, he directed FAA to launch today a comprehensive internal review of its inspection operations.
Leaders of the Air Line Pilots Association at Federal Express have voted to recommend that the membership not ratify the tentative agreement reached by the negotiating committee at the end of March, but not without explanation. The Master Executive Council, which voted 9 to 7 in favor of a ratification recommendation, has told members that a number of improvements were made to the contract since they expressed concerns about contract language at the time the agreement, their first with the company, was reached.
Boeing said it has started assembling its 50th 777. It noted that less than a year after the program started, it began production of the increased gross-weight version of the jet and completed 25% of the design for the 777-300.
Unless the City of Los Angeles stops misusing airport funds, the House Appropriations Committee "will be compelled to seek severe reductions of transportation appropriations benefiting Los Angeles," the chairman of the transportation appropriations subcommittee said this week. In a May 13 letter to Mayor Richard Riordan, Rep.
Lufthansa CityLine has outfitted its fleet of Canadair Jets with the Head- Up Guidance (HUG) system, the carrier said. It said it is the first airline based in Europe to install the equipment on its jets. The JUG system, developed by Flight Dynamics, allows pilots to land their aircraft with visibility of only 200 meters and a decision height of 50 feet.
Air Canada Chairman Hollis Harris will step down Aug. 1, he said yesterday at the carrier's annual shareholders meeting in Toronto. Harris formally handed over most of his responsibility for running the airline to his longtime colleague, Lamar Durrett, at the meeting. Durrett, who also worked with Harris at Delta and Continental, formally was named president and chief executive of Air Canada. Harris indicated earlier he planned to leave the carrier sometime this year, but he had not made public a date until yesterday.
Pemco World Air Services will sponsor an operators' conference June 23-26 in Vail, Colo., for owners and operators of Boeing 727 aircraft it has converted into freighters. Conference topics include product support, operator issues, service programs and conversion options for the aircraft.
Japan's Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries, with an 8.5% stake in GE Aircraft Engines' GE90 turbofan program, is considering whether to take a role in the proposed GEAE-Pratt&Whitney joint venture to develop a new engine for growth versions of Boeing's 747. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, with a 10% stake in the rival P&W PW4000 series program, also is mulling joining the team. Industry executives expect both Japanese companies to take some role in the new engine program.
FAA Deputy Administrator Linda Daschle is scheduled to speak May 22 at a luncheon co-sponsored by the Women's Transportation Seminar and the International Aviation Women's Association. The lunch will be held at the Capitol Holiday Inn, 6th&C Sts. S.W., Washington, D.C. Reception is at 11 :30 a.m. and lunch at noon. Cost is $20 for WTS or IAWA members and $30 for non-members. For reservations, call Paulette Lutjens at 202-267-9065.
Dobbs International Services will provide food service on five daily Continental flights from Dallas/Fort Worth Airport under a multi-year contract. The agreement, covering 2,500 meals per week at DFW, also provides a multi-year extension of a current Dobbs-Continental food service contract at 17 other locations. With eight additional points covered by a contract issued early this year, Dobbs now will serve Continental at 26 airports.
The administration scrambled yesterday to boost confidence in the nation's airlines in general and ValuJet in particular, in the wake of the crash of ValuJet 592 Saturday in the Florida Everglades. President Clinton directed DOT Secretary Federico Pena to report to him this week on "additional measures that the Department of Transportation and FAA can take to ensure all our airlines can continue to operate at the highest level of safety." Earlier, FAA announced it would expand its ongoing review of ValuJet, begun in February.
Air Transport Association Cargo Traffic March, 3 Months 1996 Revenue Ton-Miles (000) March March % 1996 1995 Change Domestic Freight 723,163 748,962 (3.4) Mail 154,619 154,084 0.3 Total 877,782 903,046 (2.8) International Freight 634,754 644,623 (1.5)
Hawaiian Airlines flew 266.4 million revenue passenger miles last month, an increase of 21.2% compared with April 1995. Capacity increased 21.5% to 337.7 million available seat miles, pushing the load factor down 0.2 percentage points to 78.7%. The number of passengers carried rose 11.7% to 431,600. The carrier sharply increased the amount of cargo it carries, flying 2.94 million revenue ton miles (RTMs), up 43.9%. For the first four months, RTMs rose 53% from the comparable period last year to 15.88 million. RPMs were up 23.9%, while capacity increased 22.8%.
