Tower Air Inc. reported yesterday a net first quarter loss of $8.13 million, or 53 cents a share, up from $3.58 million, or 23 cents per share, in the 1995 period.
Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism's 1995 summer campaign to attract tourists has won an EFFIE award from the American Marketing Association. The award is given for creativity and overall effectiveness of an advertising campaign. The Massachusetts campaign, with the slogan "We'd love to show you around," was credited with an 8% increase in visitors from the target markets - New York, Hartford/New Haven and Albany/Schenectady. The campaign was designed by Boston ad agency Houston Herstek Favat.
KLM, embroiled in litigation against Northwest challenging its U.S. partner's attempts to limit its ownership rights, is considering breaking up the strategic alliance between the carriers. A "high-level official" of KLM told a counterpart at Northwest that ending the partnership is one of three options it is evaluating, according to Northwest spokesman Doug Killian. Keeping the alliance unchanged and expanding it are the other possibilities.
Dragonair is offering Beijing weekend vacation packages through Aug. 31 for HK$4,280 that include air fare and three nights at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza. Two days of sightseeing tours with lunch also are provided, as well as daily breakfast and roundtrip hotel transfers.
After reaching agreement on key outstanding service issues, U.S. and Japanese officials have agreed to meet June 3 and 4 in Tokyo to discuss other outstanding passenger questions, including formal negotiations on an aviation agreement. Under a deal hammered out Monday and Tuesday in Washington, United will be permitted to operate Osaka-Seoul service during the summer season and increase its Los Angeles-Tokyo capacity for five weeks, beginning May 2.
TWA inaugurated nonstop daily service yesterday to Toronto from St. Louis. Operating two flights a day with MD-80s, the carrier is offering its Y- First program on the flights, enabling passengers connecting through St. Louis who purchase a full-fare coach ticket to be upgraded automatically to first class.
The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority is urging DOT to "carefully scrutinize" Laker Airways' certificate application and its plans for service in the U.S.-London market. If DOT grants the application, it should "utilize the London designations that have lain dormant the longest," the authority said, and "make such a designation temporary." Laker Airways is seeking to operate scheduled combination service between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, on the one hand, and London Gatwick, on the other (DAILY, April 4).
David Tate of Virgin Atlantic is being sued for sexual discrimination, not for sexual harassment as reported April 26 by The DAILY. Richard Branson was charged in the suit for sexual harassment.
Casino Magic Corp. has received approval from the Louisiana State Police's Riverboat Gaming Enforcement Division to acquire Crescent City Capital Development Corp., which holds a Louisiana gaming license. Crescent City is in bankruptcy court, and its reorganization plan, approved Monday, includes the sale, valued at $56.5 million. On Friday, Casino Magic received Louisiana Riverboat Gaming Commission approval for the transfer of ownership and relocation of the gaming license to Bossier City, La.
Ski resort equipment in the High Tatras Mountains of Northern Slovakia, a popular tourist destination for skiers, hikers and sightseers, is being renovated and brought up to western standards, but planners are seeking investments from abroad to finish projects. The most basic upgrades of equipment are expected to cost $2.5 million, but officials are expecting necessary longer-term refurbishment costs to total up to $10 million.
Aviall reported a first quarter net loss of $3.7 million compared with a net profit of $1.7 million in the same quarter a year earlier. Sales rose to $92.2 million from $86.9 million. The company took a $3.9 million charge in the latest quarter in connection with the planned sale of its aerospace fastener business to a company to be formed by Quentin Bourjeaurd, currently Aviall Aerospace's VP and general manager. Terms were not disclosed.
Air Canada has moved to year-round daily service in the Toronto-Zurich market. It is operating the 747-200 flights in conjunction with Swissair under a code-sharing agreement signed in December. Swissair offers up to six nonstop flights per week between Montreal and Zurich with Air Canada.
FAA has commissioned the first of 44 air route surveillance radars (ARSR- 4), at Tamiami, Fla. Under a contract with an FAA-Air Force joint program office, the Northrop Grumman system is the only long-range, three- dimensional radar that meets air defense and air traffic control needs, according to the company.
DOT cited prospects for increased competition among carriers and gateways in its tentative selection of Continental over American to operate new service to Lima, Peru (DAILY, May 1). In the hotly contested proceeding, both carriers proposed scheduled daily Boeing 757 service to Lima - American from Dallas/Fort Worth and Continental from Houston - with single- plane, one-stop service to Los Angeles. Pending final approval, Continental can operate daily Houston-Lima service beginning as early as Nov. 1.
The U.S. Commerce Department has opened a Machine Translation Center for Japanese Science and Technology Literature that offers a computerized translation system for industry and university researchers requiring English translations of Japanese documents. The system reads raw data and provides a general idea of their content, enabling users to determine whether a full professional translation is needed.
The DOT inspector general and a representative of the airline industry yesterday expanded on their previous recommendations for new measures aimed at stemming airport revenue diversion (DAILY, March 8).
If properly trained pilots can change seat configurations in a remote area where a certificated mechanic is not available, they should be allowed to perform the same conversions at the operator's maintenance base, FAA said yesterday. The agency made the statement in amending its rule to allow Part 135 pilots of aircraft certificated for nine or fewer passenger seats to perform certain maintenance tasks, a change long sought by the commuter industry. The amended rule also enlarges the list of tasks considered to be preventive maintenance.
UNC Inc. said yesterday its first quarter net earnings increased to $474,000 from $49,000 while sales increased 13% to $141.5 million. Operating income was up 12% to $5.9 million. Chairman Dan Colussy said results in the company's manufacturing, engine services and aviation services divisions offset weaker performance in its accessory services division.
American launched its Boston-Paris service yesterday, on schedule, after gaining the necessary slots for service at Paris Orly Airport. It had trouble in its original attempts to secure the slots (DAILY, April 29) but worked out a deal this week with help from U.S. Ambassador to France Pamela Harriman and DOT Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs Charles Hunnicutt. American is operating daily 767 nonstops on the route.
Cathay Pacific Airways is auctioning 387 seats, the equivalent of a 747- 400, for getaways to Hong Kong from New York or Los Angeles in its third cybertraveler auction. Internet users can bid on 313 seats in economy, 56 in business and 18 in first class. Travel agents are entitled to commissions on the bid amount.
U.S. and Brazil ended two days of negotiations in Washington Tuesday without reaching a new agreement. A U.S. official said the two sides will meet again late in November or early in December and hope for significant advances then. The U.S. is looking for designations for Continental and Delta - United, American and Tower Air currently are designated for the market - plus more frequencies and code-sharing authority. Brazil was not in a position to make significant changes at this time, a U.S. official said.
Promus Hotel Corp. expects its hotel properties in the U.S., Canada, Latin America and Asia to grow from 690 to 800 by yearend. Promus brands are Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn&Suites and Homewood Suites. The company said it continues to see improvements in its operating margin at the corporate level, which increased from 40% in the first quarter 1995 to 43.8% in first quarter 1996.
Continental is seeking five-year renewal of its Route 645 certificate authority to operate scheduled combination service between Houston and co- terminal points Barranquilla, Bogota and Cali, Colombia, via intermediate point San Jose, Costa Rica. The carrier also asked for continued authority to combine these services with its other authorized services. Currently providing daily nonstop Boeing 757 service between Houston and Bogota, Continental said it needs the flexibility to operate via San Jose.
Vietnam's national tourism organization says 145 hotel projects are under way throughout the country, involving 21,000 new and renovated rooms. Vietnam has 42,000 rooms available now, and expects to have 70,000 meeting international standards by 2010.
Three more airlines have signed up for inflight gambling on their jets in a trend that is starting to sweep the business. Swissair and two smaller European carriers - Spanish charter carrier Oasis Airlines and British carrier Debonair Airways - contracted this week for gambling technology from New York-based Interactive Flight Technologies Inc. (IFT). The Swissair contract covers all 21 of the airline's long-haul jets, which will start flying with the systems in November. That contract is valued at $70 million to $80 million, said IFT.
