All Systems & interiors articles – Page 830

  • News

    US airline profits are 'best ever'

    1998-02-04T00:00:00Z

    The major US airlines ended 1997 with their strongest profits on record, but the celebrations were accompanied by the promise of more turbulence ahead, with the fall-out from Asian economic crisis and the prospect of a renewed round of consolidation closer to home following the Continental/Northwest Airlines tie-up. With only ...

  • News

    DOT spotlights fare changes

    1998-02-01T15:17:00Z

    The US Department of Transportation began publishing its domestic airline fares consumer report in response to an increasing number of inquiries about ticket prices. The first report, for the third quarter of 1996, was released in June last year and the latest report is based on data for the second ...

  • News

    Higher US fares are hitting home

    1998-02-01T00:00:00Z

    As US domestic fares continue to rise, more business travellers are making concessions in order to obtain lower fares, or are switching to low-cost carriers. Report by Karen Walker. The New Year had barely been rung in when both American Express and the US Department of Transportation confirmed what most ...

  • News

    Taiwan demob

    1998-02-01T00:00:00Z

    Taiwan's parliament has passed a law allowing police to board aircraft to break up demonstrations by travellers. Airline customers in Taiwan regularly stage cabin protests on both domestic and international flights when they are delayed, demanding free tickets or cash compensation for the inconvenience. Source: Airline Business

  • News

    US hubs need to be consolidated

    1998-02-01T00:00:00Z

    Karen Walker Driven as they are by the shareholder, the major US carriers will no doubt sit up and take notice of a new report from a Wall Street analyst that assesses their growth potential, and therefore investment worth, based on the relative strengths and weaknesses of their hubs. ...

  • News

    Cheap thrills with no frills

    1998-02-01T00:00:00Z

    Lois Jones Low-cost startups are beginning to looking extremely vulnerable as more majors launch low-cost subsidiaries, ignoring the argument that the independent players should instead be left to satisfy the demand for low fares in underserved markets. By Lois Jones. To your corners, please. To the left of the ring ...

  • News

    Carriers free private parts

    1998-02-01T00:00:00Z

    Doug Cameron Belgium-based City Bird's rocky initial public offering suggests that the recent spate of successful IPOs by European airlines may be over. Last year, low-cost European airline stocks benefited from a surge in interest from US investors who moved heavily into Ryanair and Virgin Express. However, the ...

  • News

    No more red China blues?

    1998-02-01T00:00:00Z

    Tom Ballantyne China's airlines are getting their first taste of capitalism as the country's carriers drastically slash their air fares and liberalisation hits the region. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has given its 27 CAAC-approved airlines the go-ahead to cut prices by up to 40 per cent ...

  • News

    Islands apart

    1998-02-01T00:00:00Z

    A grand plan for Air Jamaica to be the focus of closer cooperation in the Caribbean region has failed to materialise, and instead would-be partners like BWIA continue to pursue their own separate strategies. Karen Walker reports. According to a joke that circulates in the Caribbean, St Peter allows newly ...

  • News

    Ultimate mobility

    1998-01-28T00:00:00Z

    Tim Furniss/LONDON Making a mobile telephone call to and from anywhere in the world is about to become reality. Motorola's Iridium satellite system should be declared operational this year. Market studies indicate, however, that satellite services may not make as great an impact as first thought. The sixth Boeing Delta ...

  • News

    The generation gap

    1998-01-28T00:00:00Z

    Douglas Barrie/LONDON Fifth-generation fighter, second- generation cockpit - what's the point? So goes the succinct view of no less than Col Gen Anatoly Sitnov, Russian defence ministry acquisition chief, in considering Russia's future combat-aircraft programmes. Sitnov's barbed comment was directed at the Sukhoi S-37 forward-swept-wing multi-role fighter prototype, but it ...

  • News

    Fair enough ?

    1998-01-28T00:00:00Z

    What is a slot, and why does the European Commission (EC) want so desperately to become involved in its future? A slot is not a physical entity, it is merely a permission for a particular airline to land an aircraft, or have that aircraft take off, at a particular time ...

  • News

    Rekkof seeks way back for Fokker production

    1998-01-28T00:00:00Z

    Efforts are under way to restart production of the Fokker 70 and 100 airliners. The initiative is being led by Jaap Rozen Jacobson, chairman of Belgian airline VLM. A new Dutch company, Rekkof (Fokker spelled backwards) Restart, is seeking funds and negotiating with potential suppliers. In a bid to ...

  • News

    Carriers attack EC competition policy

    1998-01-28T00:00:00Z

    Kevin O'Toole/LONDON Europe's major carriers have led an attack on the airline-competition policy coming from the European Commission (EC) - which is studying a series of global alliances - with claims that new entrants are being unfairly promoted at their expense. The attack came during a meeting on ...

  • News

    AI(R) partnership teeters as ATR looks to break with BAe

    1998-01-28T00:00:00Z

    Kevin O'Toole/LONDON Andrea Spinelli/GENOA ATR is on the verge of extracting its sales and marketing from Aero International (Regional) (AI(R)) and may move to abandon its two-year-old venture with British Aerospace. The partners are to hold an initial meeting by 30 January to review the future of AI(R) following the ...

  • News

    Agusta power

    1998-01-28T00:00:00Z

     Peter Gray/CASCINA COSTA DE SAMARATE Although it has been said before, the statement that "if it looks good, it flies good" certainly applies to the Agusta A109 - and particularly to the Power version. The outside shell has changed little since the first-prototype days of 1971, but as I ...

  • News

    Work on turbulence detection device advances in Europe

    1998-01-28T00:00:00Z

    Ian Sheppard/LONDON A new detection device which could allow civil pilots using head-up displays to "see" invisible atmospheric hazards such as wake vortices, windshear and clear-air turbulence (CAT)at long range is being developed by a European consortium led by Sextant Avionique of France. The European Commission (EC)-backed Multifunction ...

  • News

    Air China agrees deal to acquire 737-800s

    1998-01-28T00:00:00Z

    Air China has signed a purchase agreement with Boeing for five 737-800s and taken options on another 15 as part of China Aviation Supplies' (CASC) recently announced order for 50 widebodies and narrowbodies. The five 167-seat aircraft are the first Next Generation 737s to be officially purchased by a ...

  • News

    NTSB calls for software rethink after A300 lost speed in descent

    1998-01-28T00:00:00Z

    Software redesign following investigation of an in-flight upset to an American Airlines Airbus Industrie A300-600R has been recommended by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The aircraft's airspeed was allowed to decrease dangerously when it levelled out at 16,000ft (4,900m) during descent, before the stall-warning sounded and the aircraft ...

  • News

    Blue Sky prepares for launch as PAL 737-300s are secured

    1998-01-28T00:00:00Z

    Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON British Airways has secured a fleet of eight Boeing 737-300s to launch its low-fare subsidiary at London Stansted Airport. The airline, known as Operation Blue Sky, has also applied for its operating licence. The airline, which is believed to be aiming for a launch in April, has filed ...