National Tour Association (NTA) issued this week its consumer protection guidelines for travelers arranging vacation packages through a tour company. The association recommended that consumers ascertain the tour operator's membership in at least one of the following organizations: NTA, the U.S. Tour Operators Association or the American Society of Travel Agents. Consumers should make sure the company has a consumer protection plan - applying to deposits or prepayments up to $100,000 - as well as professional liability, and errors/omissions insurance, NTA advised.
One in every seven passengers flies because of low-fare airlines and "virtually all passenger growth in this country in the last few years is attributable to these new entrants," Patrick Murphy, DOT deputy assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs, said yesterday. Murphy, addressing an air cargo conference in Toledo, Ohio, said new entrants, "as a group, are bigger than American, Delta or United." He said 25 of 39 new jet airlines certificated by DOT since 1993 still are flying.
The names of consumers who rent and travel agents who book from Dollar Rent A Car in Florida until Aug. 6 will be entered in a drawing to win one year's use of a new Eagle Vision from the Jeep/Eagle Division of Chrysler. Consumers also will receive a discount coupon on their next rental and a telephone card good for a limited amount of free long-distance service.
Travel Industry Association says the hike in gasoline prices has led 40% of Americans to say in a survey that they will either shorten or modify their summer travel plans. Of the 1,000 adults TIA surveyed, 22% planned to take fewer trips and 19% a shorter trip, 14% will spend less on items such as shopping, hotels and restaurants, and 47% said gas prices will have no effect on their travel plans. Respondents living in the West were more likely to change their plans because of higher gas prices, TIA said.
Northwest and Air UK will expand significantly their cooperative and code- share arrangement on service between the U.S. and the U.K., the carriers said yesterday. Beginning June 1, Northwest will place its designator code on all Air UK flights between Amsterdam and 10 U.K. points - Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Humberside, Manchester, Newcastle, London Stansted, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, Teesside and Norwich.
The draft FAA reauthorization bill under review in the House would eliminate Airport Improvement Program set-asides for certain small airports, but in a number of other respects it protects funding for small airports relative to larger facilities. Privatization (DAILY, May 7) and greater reliance on states for distribution of AIP funds are other themes of the draft, which is the first FAA reauthorization bill prepared under a Republican-controlled Congress.
United traffic grew 4.2% last month, compared with April 1995, on a 3.6% increase in capacity. The carrier recorded traffic increases in all service areas - the Pacific, the Atlantic, Latin America and domestic routes. The load factor rose 0.4 percentage points to 70.2%, and passengers increased 2.9%. For the first four months of the year, United's traffic was up 5.7%, compared with the same period last year, on a 3.7% jump in capacity, resulting in a load factor gain of 1.4 points to 69.1%.
TWA's traffic increased 8.9% last month, compared with April 1995, the carrier said yesterday. Capacity for the month rose 5.1%, lifting the load factor 2.3 percentage points to 66.5%. The number of passengers carried grew 9.9%. For the first four months of the year, traffic was up 9.1% on a capacity gain of 5.8%. The load factor was up 1.9 percentage points to 64.3% and the number of passengers enplaned rose 10.6%. TWA said the increase in capacity and traffic growth benefited from new flying to sun destinations added to its 1996 winter schedule.
Spurred by longer route segments and larger aircraft, regional aviation continued record growth in 1995, according to Regional Airline Association President Walt Coleman. The top 50 of 124 regional airlines carried 98.4% of the industry's passengers and flew 99% of its revenue passenger miles, Coleman reported. Overall, regional airline traffic increased 6% in 1995, compared with 4% growth among larger jet carriers. Capacity was up 7.6%, compared with 2.8% for the major and national airlines.
Ford Ennals, British Airways' director of marketing, left the carrier unexpectedly less than a year after joining it. A BA spokesman said Ennals resigned to pursue "other interests." He left underwear-producer Fruit of the Loom to join BA last June.
Ogden Corp. reported first quarter net income of $9.3 million versus $12.1 million a year earlier. Revenues climbed to $520.7 million from $502.4 million.
Runway incursions jumped to 246 in 1995 from 208 the previous year, but near midair collisions declined to 240 from 277, FAA data show. Operational errors last year rose slightly, to 773 from 769, while pilot deviations declined to 1,255 from 1,294. The data were accumulated during a year of traffic growth - 4% by the major and national carriers and 6% among the regional airlines. Total system delays declined during the year to 236,794 from 247,719 in 1994. Both figures are significant reductions from system delays totaling 275,759 in 1993 and 280,821 in 1992.
Vanguard Airlines reported strong traffic in April and hinted that the gain is an indication that it will perform well in the second quarter. Vanguard generated passenger revenue of $5.9 million for the month, up from $2 million in April 1995. The carrier flew 64.9 million revenue passenger miles on capacity of 92.38 million available seat miles, and the load factor increased 23.2 percentage points over April 1995, to 70.3%. Revenue per available seat mile was up 37.2% to $0.0639, while passenger yield fell 8.2% to $0.0909.
Delta's traffic grew 6% last month, compared with April 1995, on a capacity increase of 0.3%. The load factor increased 3.7 percentage points to 68.8%. The airline boarded 8.2% more passengers. For the first four months of the year, Delta's traffic grew 6.1%, compared with the same 1995 period, on capacity growth of 0.2%. April 96 April 95 4 Mths 96 4 Mths 95 RPMs 7,452,454,000 7,029,267,000 28,424,193,000 26,787,444,000 ASMs 10,825,674,000 10,792,701,000 42,459,471,000 42,364,185,000
About 80% of nonstop scheduled U.S. airline flights between the U.S. and foreign points will be smoke-free as of June 1, DOT Secretary Federico Pena reported yesterday. Saying DOT is "committed to the goal of achieving smoke-free travel in all modes of public transportation," Pena pointed out that "due to the efforts of DOT and voluntary bans by airlines, it is possible to fly from the United States to every continent in the world without breathing tobacco smoke."
Southwest traffic grew 12.8% last month, compared with April 1995, on a 15% increase in capacity. The load factor was down 1.3 percentage points to 64.7%, although the number of passengers carried grew 10.2%. For the first four months of the year, Southwest's traffic increased 12.3% on a 13.6% jump in capacity. The load factor for the period fell 0.7 points to 61.6%, while the number of passengers rose 12.2%. April 96 April 95 4 Mths 96 4 Mths 95
The U.S. is trying to set up meetings with officials from Spain and Italy to explore the possibility of open skies negotiations.Negotiations with France, planned this summer, are not scheduled yet.
U.S. Major Carriers Unit Revenues and Expenses, By Region Fourth Quarter Operating Operating Operating Revenues Expenses Profit/Loss Yield per ASM per ASM per ASM per RPM Carrier (cents) (cents) (cents) (cents) America West 8.14 7.66 0.48 11.20 Domestic 8.14 7.66 0.48 11.20
Continental's traffic increased 1.4% last month on a 4% drop in capacity, compared with April 1995 levels. Load factor increased 3.7 percentage points to 69.7%. In the first four months, traffic inched up 1.8% from the comparable period last year on a 7.8% drop in capacity. The load factor was up 6.4 percentage points to 67.7%. April 96 April 95 4 Mths 96 4 Mths 95 RPMs 3,445,470,000 3,398,806,000 13,201,152,000 12,963,184,000
Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs is forming a special committee to study the feasibility of a joint manufacturing venture between Taiwan companies and Russia's Yak Aircraft Manufacturing Co. The venture was proposed by Yak Executive Vice Chairman Ramil Musin during a visit to Taipei early last month. While in Taipei, Musin reportedly met with officials of several of Taiwan's fledgling aerospace firms to discuss a joint venture to produce the three-engine Yak-142 regional aircraft.
McDonnell Douglas has named Andrew Quinn regional VP-product support for MDC China, the company said yesterday. Quinn, to be stationed in Beijing, will be responsible for product support and field service for Douglas commercial jetliners in China. Douglas is co-producing 20 MD-90s in China for trunk and regional airline routes, in addition to an equal number of MD-90s to be delivered from Long Beach.
American and Dallas/Fort Worth parties have filed objections to DOT's selection of Continental over American for new service to Lima, Peru. In its show cause order, the department determined "that Continental's proposal will provide...intergateway competition with Miami, the traditionally dominant U.S. gateway, and...enhanced intercarrier competition with American, the dominant U.S.
Northwest applied yesterday for authority to operate code-share services with Alaska Airlines between the U.S. and Russia. Northwest proposes placing its designator code on Alaska service between Anchorage and Magadan, Khabarovsk, Vladivosok, Petropavlovsk and Kamshatski, beginning June 1. Northwest said it "has been designated to serve the U.S.-Russia market since October 1993 when...[it] commenced its transatlantic code- share services with KLM to Moscow and St.
America West flew a record 11.6% more revenue passenger miles last month, compared with April 1995. Capacity rose 10.8%, pushing the load factor up 0.5 percentage points to 72.9%. The number of passengers carried increased 7.6%. "The April performance is a good indication of anticipated traffic in the traditionally strong summer travel months ahead," said America West Chairman William Franke. For the first four months of the year, America West's traffic was up 16.5%, compared with the same period in 1995, on capacity that was 7.9% higher.
