Business Express Airlines posted a 1.5% increase in revenue passenger miles in March, to 28.4 million from 27.9 million in March 1995. Available seat miles fell 23.2% to 57.7 million from 75.2 million, resulting in a load factor of 49.2%, up 12 percentage points. Business Express attributed the load factor improvement to the reduction of non-productive flying and more efficient schedules.
Sabre Travel Information Network has named Simon Todd managing director- leisure marketing. Todd comes from Holiday Inn Worldwide, where he was VP- worldwide sales for the Americas. Jeff Katz, STIN president, said the leisure side of travel will be the highest growth segment "for the foreseeable future." Todd also will look to "partner with key associates, technology companies and travel agencies to grow Sabre's position in the global leisure market."
The Hillsborough County (Fla.) Aviation Authority, operator of Tampa Airport, urged DOT to renew British Airways' authority to operate scheduled combination service between London and Tampa. Upgraded last fall from weekly to twice-weekly flights, BA's service to the area "has been quite successful," said the authority. "In the first nine months of operations, according to airport records, British Airways carried over 26,000 Tampa Bay-London passengers." The authority noted that BA "has averaged 4,200 per month" since it upgraded the service.
Without renewal of the aviation excise taxes that lapsed Jan. 1, the uncommitted balance in the aviation trust balance will drop to $600 million by Sept. 30, the end of fiscal 1996, the General Accounting Office said. In a report released yesterday, GAO said Congress will need to reinstate the taxes by December for the trust fund to provide 75% of FAA's fiscal 1997 funding as proposed by the President's budget.
United plans to begin flying July 16 between Chicago and Hong Kong, which at 7,788 miles would be the longest nonstop route in its history. The carrier will operate the 15-hour, 55-minute flight with a 301-passenger 747-400. Because of the distance, the carrier may have to limit passengers and cargo on westbound trips when winds are strong, a United spokesman said. United will fly the route three times a week. The flight will use the FANS-1 air navigation system, which is required for time-saving operations over Siberian airspace under an agreement between the U.S.
Continental yesterday reported record first quarter profits and said that it is distancing itself from partner Air Canada. Continental will sell 2.2 million shares of its common stock held by Air Canada and 2.3 million shares held by its primary investor, Houston-based Air Partners. It expects to complete the offering in May, and at that time Air Canada Chairman Hollis Harris will drop his seat on Continental's board. Air Canada also plans to convert 1.7 million of its Class A Continental shares into Class B stock.
Airborne Express said yesterday its first quarter net earnings declined to $1.2 million from $1.8 million in the same quarter last year due to "extreme and extended winter weather conditions." Revenue for the quarter increased 13% to $597.9 million from $529.9 million.
Western Pacific Airlines reported a net loss of $2.44 million in the first quarter on revenues of $33.71 million. WestPac started flying on April 28, 1995, so no year-over-year comparison can be made, but the carrier lost $3.011 million in the fourth quarter of 1995. Total operating expenses grew 31% to $36.88 million in the first quarter. Available seat miles rose 32% to 565.7 million while revenue passenger miles increased 29% to 332.1 million. Operating cost per available seat mile fell to 6.52 cents from 6.59 cents in the fourth quarter.
Greenwich Air Services said yesterday it has signed a definite agreement to buy Aviall's Commercial Engine Services for about $250 million. Aviall announced in January that it planned to exit the engine service business. Included in the purchase are engine repair, maintenance, overhaul and service operations in Dallas and Fort Worth and in Prestwick, Scotland, and the components business in McAllen, Texas. Greenwich, located in Miami, repairs and services turbofan engines used in a variety of jet transports.
Pratt&Whitney Canada/MTU European Customer Support Center said yesterday it has purchased a 51% share of Anglo-African Airmotive, owned by Simera and National Airways Corp. Simera and NAC both will retain interest in the company, which will be renamed Pratt&Whitney Canada Customer Support Center Africa. The main focus of the company, located near Johannesburg at Lanseria Airport, will be to support all P&WC engines in the territory, especially in the corporate and commuter sectors.
Top 25 City-Pair Markets Over 750 Miles O&D Passengers Fourth Quarter 1995 Long Total Average Haul Markets Non-Stop Passengers Rank Rank City-Pair Mileage Per Day 1 2 Los Angeles - New York 2,467 7,214 2 6 Miami - New York 1,097 5,603
Delta intends to hire 300 flight attendants in what it expects to be a mix of company transfers and new hires, needed because of attrition and high summer load factors. The crews are expected to graduate by mid-July, in time for the Olympic Games in Atlanta.
TWA is offering special Saturday-only fares to Kansas City from 17 cities in honor of the Smithsonian's 150th anniversary exhibition. Fares range from $79 to $99 roundtrip. Travel must begin before 1 p.m., and return flights cannot begin earlier than 3 p.m. but must be on the same day. The Saturday fares are good April 20 through May 18.
Boeing is ahead of Airbus Industrie in net new orders through the first quarter, but only by 10 aircraft, investment house Merrill Lynch says in its latest tabulation of orders minus cancellations. Boeing booked 100 net new orders, while Airbus had 90 and McDonnell Douglas seven.
Aerovias de Mexico has started twice-weekly service from Mexico City to Lima, Peru, with continuing service to Sao Paulo, Brazil, using 175-seat, two-class 757s. The service is part of a Wings of America marketing alliance, which includes Mexicana Airlines and Aeroperu. Aeroperu operates three weekly roundtrips in the market. The Wings program was started a month ago with the launch of Mexicana service between Mexico City and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A Delta pilot representative probably will be appointed to the carrier's board this week if the Air Line Pilots Association unit approves its contract with the airline in today's vote. Even though final contract language will not have been completed, Delta management invited the new non-voting member to participate in a board meeting on Thursday.
Delta says the Justice Department is in the final stages of its review of the carrier's request for antitrust immunity for its alliance with Austrian, Sabena and Swissair. DOT has told the carrier it will issue an order soon, possibly in the next three weeks.
Sundstrand yesterday reported first quarter sales of $368 million and net earnings of $29 million, compared with sales of $346 million and net earnings of $26 million during the same quarter last year. Robert Jenkins, president, said that for 1996, commercial original equipment manufacturer sales had been expected to increase 10% to 20% "but now are projected to grow by about 5%, reflecting the loss of sales as a result of Fokker's bankruptcy."
The state of South Carolina supported Air South's application to DOT for an exemption from the high-density rule to obtain slots at New York Kennedy Airport for new low-fare services between South Carolina and New York. The carrier plans to use the slots to operate to Kennedy from Charleston, Columbia and Myrtle Beach, S.C. (DAILY, April 8).
Delta and All Nippon Airways detailed Friday their code-sharing/blocked space agreement. Pending approval by both governments, the two will operate 13 weekly flights between Tokyo Narita and Los Angeles. Delta will buy seats on ANA's daily 747-400 service between Los Angeles and Tokyo, and ANA will purchase seats on Delta's six weekly MD-11 flights between the two cities.
Air Transport Association said Phil Boughton, director-aircraft systems and engineering, was elected to the industry's Avionics Electronics Engineering Committee. National Aviation Hall Of Fame inducted Harry Combs, Combs Aircraft; retired Capt. David McCampbell, USN; Donald Slayton, Mercury Seven astronaut, and retired Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets, USAF, pilot of the Enola Gay. Society of Automotive Engineers named Darlene Filler managing director of new affiliate Service Technician's Society.
Continental has signed a new agreement with the In-Flight Phone Corp. (IFPC) that will enable the carrier to resume installation of IFPC's inflight phone and entertainment systems. The installations were halted because of chronic hardware and software problems. USAir, which is embroiled in a lawsuit with IFPC, stopped installing the systems on its jets because of the problems. Under the new agreement with Continental, IFPC will install its FlightLink systems on 190 aircraft this year, and will have a total of 292 jets outfitted with the systems as of 1997.
Boeing said Friday it has formed a new unit - Aviation Systems - that will focus on domestic and international air traffic management markets. Nancy Price, who was president of Hughes Canada Systems Division where she was responsible for all Hughes air traffic control programs in Canada, was named VP of the new unit. Aviation Systems will be part of Boeing's Defense&Space Group, Kent, Wash. Defense&Space Group currently is pursuing several ATM programs, including FAA's Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS), worth potentially $1 billion.
Soaring Above Setbacks: The Autobiography of Janet Harmon Bragg, African American Aviator as told to Marjorie Kriz. Smithsonian Press; $19.95 hardcover. To order, call Brenda Tucker, 202-287-3738, ext. 343.
House Transportation Committee Chairman John Duncan (R-Tenn.) introduced last week legislation (H.R. 3267) to prohibit individuals who do not hold a valid private pilot certificate from manipulating the controls of aircraft in any aviation record-breaking attempt. The legislation was prompted by the death of seven-year-old Jessica Dubroff the week before. Under the bill, a flight instructor's airman certificate would be revoked if he or she knowingly is involved in a record-breaking attempt with a person who lacks a pilot license.
