Paul Lewis/ORLANDO
Trans World Airlines plans to extend its regional feeder coverage to California and further increase the number of regional jets in a move to catch up with competing major carriers.
TWA has declared its intention to establish a new regional airline partnership to service Los Angeles. The additional Trans World Express operation would initially link with five Californian destinations comprising Bakersfield, Monterey, Palm Springs, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara.
No decision has been taken on whether to use its partners or sign a new carrier, says TWA. Express operator Trans States Airlines only recently halted its Californian service which it undertook on behalf of Northwest Airlines and Alaska Commuter.
The move is part of a wider expansion of TWA's Los Angeles presence, which includes an added daily frequency to New York and an application to open the first nonstop service from Washington National three times a day. It has also recently boosted connections to Hawaii, San Juan and St Louis.
Regional jets are one of four key factors that will determine a carrier's ability to "improve service, win customers and build a strategic advantage," says TWA chief executive William Compton. The carrier has lagged badly behind other airlines' regional operations as the result of strict union scope clauses.
The local Air Line Pilots Association has now agreed to effectively lift scope restrictions, which had capped regional jets numbers at 15 until the mainline carrier fleet had reached 188 or more aircraft. This has been raised to 45 jets and once the 188 mainline figure is exceeded, one more regional jet can be added for every two additional larger aircraft.
Trans States already operates three Embraer RJ-145s for Express and wants to exercise options on another 12 aircraft transferred from United Airlines. Chautuaqua Airlines will put the first of 15 ERJ-145s into Express service in August, with the conversion of options this will increase to 30 by the end of next year.
Corporate Airlines in the meantime has begun taking over smaller Express routes from Trans States, which it is dropping with the withdrawal of British Aerospace J32s. Corporate has leased five of the19-seaters from the manufacturer for five years and is operating for TWA to five destinations in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri from St Louis. The carrier, which also operates 10 J32s for Midway Airlines, is in talks with TWA about using 30-seat turboprops.
Source: Flight International
