Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.

Dismiss

Airjet Airline News

18 views

Skip to first unread message

fox1

unread,

Mar 16, 2000, 3:00:00 AM3/16/00

*** FAA Inspector outraged over arrest for 'Trespass' at Dulles

WASHINGTON – Professional Airways Systems Specialists National
President Michael D. Fanfalone called for the FAA to investigate
an incident resulting in the arrest of an FAA Inspector while in
the performance of his duties last week at Washington Dulles Airport.
In a letter today to FAA Administrator Jane Garvey, the PASS national
president, whose union represents the FAA’s inspectors, said that on
March 7, 2000, FAA Inspector Joseph J. Gore, of Mt. Prospect, IL, "was
inexplicably ‘arrested’ after performing a walkaround inspection" as
part of his official duties by Dulles Airport Authority Security staff.
Inspector Gore, Mr. Fanfalone wrote to Ms. Garvey, was "charged with
‘trespassing’ – all because the Authority’s Security staff refused to
recognize his FAA Inspector’s credentials." Apparently, Mr. Fanfalone
said, "Mr. Gore is the latest victim of an on-going dispute between the
FAA and the security operations of several local airport authorities."
Fanfalone noted that Mr. Gore had his proper FAA credentials prominently
displayed and was conducting an inspection when he was detained. The
FAA’s own security staff "abandoned Mr. Gore" and told him "it’s too
bad you got caught in the middle" of an inter-agency fight. FAA
management’s immediate response, according to Fanfalone, was to advise
"other FAA inspectors to ‘refrain from conducting ramp activities at
Washington Dulles Airport,’" pending the outcome of an investigation.
"I can’t tell you strongly enough," Fanfalone said, "how that
inappropriate and timid response will negatively affect Inspector
morale." Fanfalone warned the Administrator, "Every FAA Inspector
is watching how your office handles this matter. Their own personal
safety is at risk. I ask that you join me in swiftly dealing with
this problem before it escalates into something too large for the
agency to handle."
http://www.passnational.org/

*** Passengers evacuate U.S. Airways jet in Tampa

A woman was injured on Wednesday when several passengers used
emergency chutes to evacuate a US AIRWAYS GROUP Boeing 737 jet at
Tampa International Airport, an airport spokeswoman said.
Spokeswoman Brenda Geoghagen said the jet was pushing back from
its gate on a flight to Pittsburgh when some passengers noticed
smoke and flames coming from the engines. The emergency chutes
were opened and 13 passengers slid down them before the crew
decided to stop the evacuation and bring the jet back to the gate.
The remaining passengers left the plane through the jetway.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564987977-30e

*** Frontier signs for 5 Airbus A318s, 6 A319s

European planemaker Airbus Industrie said FRONTIER AIRLINES INC
of the United States had now signed an order announced last year
for 11 narrowbody aircraft. Frontier had contracted for six A319s
and five aircraft from the A318 line, a model launched less than a
year ago and now battling for early orders against BOEING CO's
similar 717. (Reuters 02:55 PM ET 03/15/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564987446-90c

*** U.S. 'concerned' about British aid to Airbus

The Clinton administration said it may protest Britain's 530
million pounds ($837 million) investment in the Airbus Industrie's
A3XX super-jumbo plane project, and could file a complaint at the
World Trade Organization (WTO), which sets global trading rules.
The United States has long complained about European subsidies
at benefit the four-nation Airbus consortium. In recent months,
BOEING CO has urged U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky
to increase pressure on the European Union to halt the practice.
Airbus is owned by Aerospatiale Matra, DAIMLERCHRYSLER Aerospace
AG, BAE Systems Plc and Spain's Casa. (Reuters 07:12 PM ET)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564967989-4db

*** Aviation bill goes to president

WASHINGTON (AP) - Looking toward the rapid expansion of air travel,
the House Wednesday approved and sent to the president legislation
that would significantly increase spending on airport safety and
modernization. It also could mean higher taxes on tickets. "This
legislation will make our skies safer, modernize air traffic control,
reduce flight delays and boost airline competition," said Rep. Bud
Shuster, R-Pa., the House Transportation Committee chairman. It
passed 319-101.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564986841-997

*** WSJ FRONT PAGE: Boeing Halts Effort On New Jet Line Amid Strike

BOEING CO, hit by a five-week old strike by about 15,000
engineers and technical workers, has suspended research under its
20XX program to devise a new line-up of planes, the Wall Street
Journal reported on Wednesday. Citing employees familiar with the
project, the Journal said the company has begun importing
engineers to its main Seattle facilities from its
military-aircraft unit in St. Louis and a commercial-jet unit at
Long Beach, Calif. A spokeswoman for Boeing's airplane group told
the Journal that product-development employees are being
reassigned to help "strike recovery."
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** Boeing says strike slowing product development

A five-week engineers strike at BOEING CO has stalled product
development work at the world's largest aerospace concern,
delaying customer-driven commercial jet upgrades, the company said
on Wednesday. The projects -- ranging from extending the flying
range on certain aircraft to upgrading manufacturing techniques
and materials -- are on hold temporarily, but any delays could
upset investors and raise the risk of customers defecting to
archrival Airbus Industrie, analysts said.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564989410-b6c

*** Algerian suspect appears in court

MONTREAL (AP) - An Algerian man wanted in the United States for his
alleged participation in a bomb-making plot knows nothing about the
allegations and should be freed, his lawyer told an extradition
hearing Wednesday. Prosecutors acting on behalf of the United States
in the hearing said they needed more time to determine if the
evidence against Mokhtar Haouari, 31, merits his extradition. Another
hearing was scheduled for April 6. Haouari has said he knew fellow
Algerians Ahmed Ressam and Abdel Ghani Meskini, both of whom are now
in jail in the United States. Ressam, who had lived in Canada, was
arrested at the U.S. border in December trying to bring explosives
and bomb-making components into the U.S. from British Columbia. U.S.
prosecutors say he may have been part of a conspiracy that to bomb
U.S. targets during the millennium celebrations.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564985878-cbc

*** USA TODAY: Algerian suspect denies terrorism ties

MONTREAL - An Algerian man wanted in the United States
for his alleged participation in a bomb-making plot
knows nothing about the allegations and should be freed
his lawyer told an extradition hearing Wednesday.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/nw1.htm

*** WSJ: Singapore Airlines Pursues Stake in Air New Zealand

SINGAPORE -- Singapore Airlines is in talks to buy a stake
in Air New Zealand, people close to the negotiations confirmed.
Analysts responded positively, saying the deal would enable
Singapore Airlines to establish itself as a dominant carrier
in the lucrative Australasian market.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** NYT: Sabre Ready to Begin Independence From AMR

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sabre Holdings Corp. (TSG.N), operator
of the world's leading computer reservation system, is set to
begin trading as a fully independent company Thursday, a day
after the spin-off of a majority stake owned by AMR Corp.parent
of American Airlines. Sabre employs over 10,000 people worldwide
and earned $264 million last year.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-tech-sabre.html

*** GE Gets $200M Engine Order From Alitalia

Italian airline Alitalia said on Wednesday it had chosen GENERAL
ELECTRIC CO engines for five 747-400s it was buying from BOEING
CO. "The contract also contains an option to buy another three
B747-400s," Alitalia said in a statement, without giving details
of the option, or the price paid for the five aircraft.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564988125-66f

*** MSNBC: Are kids flying the unfriendly skies?

March 14 — More children are flying than ever, yet the largest
U.S. airlines aren’t scoring high marks for their treatment of
kids. During the last 18 months, several major airlines raised the
fees they charge for unaccompanied minors. Airlines are cutting
down on preboarding for families with children. In-flight
entertainment for kids is virtually nonexistent on longer
domestic flights. Learn which airlines are the best for kids, and
get some tips on airline travel with children.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/381826.asp

*** Taiwan cancels flights in dispute

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Resuming a dispute over passenger quotas,
Taiwan canceled all flights to the Philippines on Wednesday,
stranding more than 600 passengers at Taipei's international airport.
Taiwan officials said they ordered the cancelations a day after
Manila reneged on a recent aviation agreement that had partially
settled a five-month dispute over passenger quotas. The two countries
agreed last month that each would fly no more than 4,800 passengers
every week to the other's country, after the Philippines accused air
carriers China Airlines and EVA Air of poaching PAL's passengers.
Taipei complained that Manila had not given adequate warning before
breaking the most recent air pact.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564984167-994

*** MSNBC: What to do if US Airways shuts down

If you are holding a ticket for a US Airways flight
on or after March 25, it's time to think about what to
do if the airline and its flight attendants fail to reach a
new labor agreement by that date. US Airways has said it would
shut down rather than have customers face the uncertainty of
the Association of Flight Attendants' announced plan to conduct
a series of random strikes against individual flights. A shutdown
would not affect US Airways Express flights, however. What you can
do: If you are flying on or after March 25, you can call the US
Airways reservations line at 1 (800) 428-4322. If there is a shutdown
the airline will offer a number of solutions, such as booking you on
another airline or on US Airways Express, or refunding your money.
http://expedia.msn.com/daily/travnews/march2000/march14-00TravAlert.asp

*** WSJ: Tan Says Philippine Airlines Out Of Rehab In 5 Yrs

MANILA -- Businessman Lucio Tan said Wednesday he expects
his carrier, Philippine Airlines (Q.PAI), to complete its
rehabilitation program within five years, or half the time
originally projected by its receivers and creditors.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** Wall Street Journal Briefs

American Air Jetliner's Wheel Falls Into Neighborhood
Boeing Halts Research Effort On New Jet Line Amid Strike
Sabre Hldgs Spinoff From AMR Corp. Effective Wed.
PRESS RELEASE:Amer Air Coach Seat Expansion Ahead Of Plan
Baan Obtains Upgrade Orders At 19 Boeing Plants
Australia Hot Stk: Qantas Shrs +8.5% At A$3.85
Qantas Doesn't Dismiss Rumors of CEO's Move To BA
Ansett Declines Comment On Talk Of Eddington Move To BA
US Airways, Union Reach Simulator Engineers Pact
Qantas Doesn't Dismiss Rumors of CEO's Move To BA
Great Lakes Aviation Feb. Traffic Rose 4.7%
Northrop Eager to Reduce Dependence on Boeing
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** Russian plane had not been de-iced

MOSCOW (AP) - The private jet that crashed last week in Moscow,
killing nine people including a prominent journalist and an oil
executive, had not been treated with de-icing liquid before takeoff,
investigators said Tuesday. The chartered Yak-40 crashed shortly
after taking off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo-1 airport March 9. The
victims included noted investigative journalist Artyom Borovik and
Ziya Bazhayev, president of the Oil Alliance company. Initially there
was wide speculation the plane had been sabotaged, and a security
services spokesman said there was an indication the Chechnya-born
Bazhayev had been resisting pressure to give support to Chechen
rebels fighting Russian troops. Officials said Monday they had ruled
out bombing as the crash cause, but had not excluded sabotage.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564966899-1dc

*** Jetliner's Wheel Falls Into Street

SOUTH GATE, Calif. (AP) - A nose wheel fell off an American
Airlines Boeing 757 and plunged into a street in front of a
market, coming to rest by a church Tuesday. No one was injured.
The right nose wheel fell around 1:30 p.m. into a gutter next
to the sign for Albertson's supermarket in this city of 92,000
about 10 miles east of Los Angeles International Airport,
said police Sgt. C.R. Smith. It then bounced diagonally across
the street, which is 80 feet wide, into the parking lot of St.
Helen's Roman Catholic church at the intersection's southwest
corner, Smith said. The Rev. John Provenza said the wheel landed
right next to a woman who was entering the church. He said the
wheel was traveling so fast it would have destroyed anything it hit.
Flight 2425 from Dallas-Fort Worth landed safely with 105 passengers
and six crew members on board, said John Hotard, a spokesman for AA.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000314/us/plane_wheel_1.html

*** Thai shares rise on privatisation approval

BANGKOK, March 15 (Reuters) - Shares of Thai Airways rose sharply on
Wednesday after the Thai cabinet approved a plan for the national
carrier to sell 400 million shares to strategic partners, the public
and employees. The cabinet on Tuesday approved the long-awaited step
on Tuesday, under which the government would reduce its over 90 percent
stake in the airline to about 70 percent.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000314/bjr.html

*** U.S. wants pilots to speak up on runway incidents

WASHINGTON, March 14 (Reuters) - Federal regulators
concerned about near misses on airport runways said on
Tuesday they would encourage pilots to discuss their
experiences without penalty. The Federal Aviation Administration
also scheduled a series of meetings around the country to try to
uncover the root causes of the problem that has been on the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) most-wanted list of safety
improvements for 10 years.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000314/bgx.html

*** ILFC close to ordering 50 Airbuses - Flight

LONDON, March 13 (Reuters) - American International Group unit
ILFC is close to ordering 50 aircraft from Airbus weekly Flight
International reported on Monday. Such an order would be worth
more than $3 billion, based on list prices, which are routinely
discounted, especially for big customers such as ILFC (International
Lease Finance Corp). Flight said ILFC was negotiating for three
A340-600s (Airbus's biggest model), seven A330 widebody twinjets
and 40 units from the hot-selling A320 family of narrowbodies.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000313/g0.html

*** ATA sees airline fuel costs rising 40 pct in 2000

NEW YORK, March 14 (Reuters) - Airline fuel costs in 2000 could
rise 40 percent over 1999, or $4.4 billion, almost as much as the
industry made in profits last year, according to an industry
association forecast. On an annualized basis, the Air Transport
Association forecast that jet fuel costs will rise to $14.6 billion
in 2000 from $10.2 billion in 1999.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000314/beu.html

*** Canadian Airlines to withdraw from oneworld on 1 June

The oneworld airline alliance governing board has confirmed that
Canadian Airlines will no longer participate in the alliance or offer
customer benefits as of 1 June, 2000. oneworld will continue to provide
services to more than 650 destinations around the world including
serving seven Canadian cities with 64 daily flights. Canadian Airlines
was a founding member of oneworld, along with American, BA, Cathay
and Qantas. Canadian announced late last year that it would withdraw
from oneworld after it was purchased by Air Canada.
http://www.oneworldalliance.com/pressroom/releases/details.cfm?dID=129

*** Kavminvodyavia to Take Delivery of Tu-204-100

[14 Mar 2000] Kavminvodyavia will take delivery of one
Tu-201-100 plane in May, Lev Lanovsky, Tupolev Lead Designer
said. According to Lanovsky, the airline has paid for the
aircraft being built at a production line in Ulyanovsk.
http://www.avia.ru/english?referer=AirlineBiz

*** Volga-Dnepr Upgrades An-124 Avionics

[14 Mar 2000] Volga-Dnepr upgraded navigational equipment
package of its first An-124-100 super freighter. In March, the
An-124-100 /registry # 82078/ was fitted with brand new navigational
systems, VolgaInform News Agency said.
http://www.avia.ru/english?referer=AirlineBiz

*** Gzhel M-101 to be Certified by Late 2000

[14 Mar 2000] The certification of Gzhel M-101 9-seater
plane is expected in late 2000, Eugene Charsky, Lead Designer
of Myasishchev plant said. The sales of the new plane will begin
in early 2001. According to Charsky, the minimal demand for the
plane is estimated at over 300 aircraft units. M-101 has potential
applications for Siberia, Russian Far East and Northern Russia.
http://www.avia.ru/english?referer=AirlineBiz

*** Bomb Was not Cause of Yak-40 Crash

[14 Mar 2000] Russian investigators have ruled out bombing
as the cause of a plane crash at Moscow`s main airport but
have not excluded the possibility of sabotage, officials said Monday.
http://www.avia.ru/english?referer=AirlineBiz

*** Cash-strapped TU-234 Program Faces 12-Month Delay

[14 Mar 2000] The insufficient budget appropriations for
certifying TU-234 jet may lead to a 12-month postponement of
certification tests, Lev Lanovskiy, Tupolev`s Lead Designer
said. If this is the case, the new 166-seater plane will see
its certification only in 2001.
http://www.avia.ru/english?referer=AirlineBiz

*** Aeroflot Offers Free Tickets for Women

[14 Mar 2000] In honor of the March 8 women`s day holiday
Aeroflot is offering women free business class tickets to
European destinations through April 16, provided they fly with
a man who pays his own way.
http://www.avia.ru/english?referer=AirlineBiz

*** Cathay Pacific to order aircraft in 6-8wks -Flight

LONDON, March (Reuters) - Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd will order
new aircraft for Asian routes in six to eight weeks, industry
weekly Flight International reported on Monday. The deal would
not include a planned order of ultra-long-range A340-500 or
777-200LR aircraft, which the airline would probably bring into
service in 2003, Flight quoted Cathay Chief Executive David
Turnbull as saying.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000313/hi.html

*** Boeing -- SPEEA -- In Time of Crisis -- Where are Boeing Leaders?

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2000--As the strike by engineers
and technical workers drags on, airplanes pile up along runways, Boeing
stock continues to drop and CEO Phil Condit, President Harry Stonecipher
and Vice President of People James Dagnon are conspicuously absent.
Stonecipher surfaced briefly during the second week of the strike. He
has since stepped back. James Dagnon, the executive with ultimate
authority for union negotiations, was seated for a press conference
during week two of the strike but said little. He has made no public
statement since. The absence of Boeing's top executives underscores
the concerns of workers walking the picket lines. If the company
really cared about employees -- or for that matter about the customers
who buy Boeing products -- wouldn't the top executives want to face
the issues head on? If they truly believed they were right, wouldn't
they want to step up and convince the workforce to come back to work?
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/000313/wa_speea_b_1.html

*** Pa. Aviation Director Fired

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The director of aviation for the Philadelphia
International Airport was fired Monday as federal officials looked
into the airport's radar tracking system, which malfunctioned last
week. Mayor John F. Street's decision to dismiss Alfred Testa Jr.
came 10 months after his appointment by then-Mayor Edward G. Rendell.
It was effective immediately.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000313/us/brf_airport_problems_1.html

*** EU Limit on Jets with Noise Mufflers Challenged by U.S.

W A S H I N G T O N, March 14 — The European Union’s decision
to limit use of older commercial jet aircraft equipped with
engine mufflers called “hush kits” will be challenged by the
Clinton administration. EU officials, especially concerned about
the environment, have said that while reducing noise pollution
the kits are ineffective at controlling pollution.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/travel/DailyNews/muffler000314.html

*** Continental Move Fails to Inspire Industry-Wide Increase

H O U S T O N, March 14 — Continental Airlines is backing off a
fare increase. The carrier had raised fares last week up to $40
per roundtrip. Continental blamed soaring jet fuel prices. American
United and others matched the hike a few days later.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/travel/DailyNews/continental000314.html

*** Conference on Tu-154 Flight & Landing Accidents Held in Ulyanovsk

[15 Mar 2000] Russia`s conference on Tu-154 flight & landing
accidents opened yesterday at Yulyanovsk-based Civil Aviation
college. Representatives of Federal Aviation Authority of Russia,
Aeroflot and other organizations took part in the meeting.
http://www.avia.ru/english?referer=AirlineBiz

*** Novosibirsk Airport Posted 1999 results

[15 Mar 2000] Novosibirsk-based Tolmachevo airport made
a profit of 78.9 million rubles in 1999, which was 18.9 million
rubles more than initially planned, Nadezhda Chekalova, assistant
to airport director said. The other profits were 30.2 million rubles,
an increase of 10.2 million rubles. The operating profit was 48.7
million rubles. In the meantime, the airport`s consolidated debts
achieved as of January 1, 2000 99.4 million rubles.
http://www.avia.ru/english?referer=AirlineBiz

*** Aeroflot Plea Rejected

[15 Mar 2000] A top Swiss court has backed law enforcement
authorities' handling of a Russian information request in connection
with Moscow`s money-laundering probe into state airline Aeroflot.
http://www.avia.ru/english?referer=AirlineBiz

*** Non-Standard Flap Position Could Cause Yak-40 Crash

[15 Mar 2000] Moscow`s Yak-40 crash could occur due to
non-standard flap position during the take-off, Rudolph Teymurazov,
Vice-Chairman, Interstate Aviation Committee /MAK/ said at
a press–conference. This conclusion was made by the committee`s
experts on reviewing the flaps control system that remained intact
after the crash. It was found, in particular, that the flaps were set at
10 degrees against 20 degrees, normally required for take-off.
http://www.avia.ru/english?referer=AirlineBiz

*** Magistrate Rules on Northwest discovery

Local 2000 Attorneys appeared on behalf of the Union on February 29
before Magistrate Boylan. The following is the outcome of the motion:
Fortunately, we were able to obtain several important rulings from the
Magistrate. First and foremost, the Magistrate ordered that the accounting
firm of Ernst & Young is under the supervision of the Court. As such,
Northwest Airlines no longer has the ability to dictate to Ernst & Young
what is proper or not. Even more important, however, is the ruling from the
Court that all discovery attempts by Northwest Airlines (not just discovery
that was stayed by the stipulated agreement) must stop immediately.
Northwest Airlines is, thus, precluded from attempting to obtain information
about the Local through its discovery of Defendants Griffin and Reeves. It
was the Court’s opinion that in order to curb any discovery abuses which may
occur by Northwest Airlines, that the simplest thing to do was to strictly
prohibit any and all discovery while the Court order stay is in effect.
Obviously, Northwest Airlines was not pleased to lose the direct control it
had over Ernst & Young. Likewise, they were clearly disappointed that the
Magistrate stopped all discovery during the pending stay of the order.
By placing Ernst & Young under the Court’s direction and stopping all
discovery attempts by Northwest Airlines, the Court is confident that the
privacy concerns of the Local and its members have been resolved.

*** Sharif's lawyers feeling safer

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) - Lawyers for deposed premier Nawaz Sharif
said Wednesday they would return to southern Karachi to defend their
client confident that the government has made special arrangements
for their security. After last week's shooting death of a colleague,
lawyers for Sharif had refused to return to Karachi, saying they
feared for their lives. But the government provided them with the
details of security arrangements Wednesday and Khawaja Sultan, a
leading defense lawyer, said he was satisfied. So far police, who are
investigating the shooting death of Sharif's lawyer, Iqbal Raad, have
not found a link between the killing and the Sharif trial.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564983396-24f

*** Oregonian: Airport girds for spring break crush

For many infrequent fliers, the dreaded clash is approaching:
fear of airport traffic vs. the need to leave town for spring
break. The annual spring break escape starts Thursday at Portland
International Airport, with airlines smiling about the expected
crush of 45,000 or more travelers a day. The rush is expected to
last 11 days.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf?/news/oregonian/00/03/lc_41spring15.fra
me

*** British Airways hunt for replacement

The hunt for a replacement is now on, but in the meantime
Lord Marshall, who stepped up to be BA chairman to make way
for Ayling's elevation, will add the chief executive's role to
his responsibilities. Sir Richard Branson, Ayling's archrival
at Virgin Atlantic , was swift to offer his condolences.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/street/20000314/bs/british_airways_stock_jumps_afte
r_ceo_resigns_1.html

******************************************************************************
A I R L I N E N E W S B R I E F S
W E D N E S D A Y | March 15, 2000
******************************************************************************

* China Southern Airlines' Gateway Magazine On-Line March Issue
http://www.cs-air.com/en
* Death penalty sought in bombing
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564980424-e00
* China's premier warns Taiwanese
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564986436-d88
* Egypt security officials arrest 48
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564985862-ed4
* Iraq claims shooting down Iran jet
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564983679-92b

******************************************************************************
A I R L I N E F I N A N C I A L N E W S R E P O R T S
W E D N E S D A Y | March 15, 2000
******************************************************************************

* AAR CORP reported 3Q EPS of $0.40 vs $0.37 in the prior year
period, on revenues of $256.6 mln vs $227.7 mln. Analysts' mean
estimates were $0.41, according to First Call. (Reuters)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564981584-1aa

* Like other old-economy industries, the $500 bln global aerospace
industry is moving toward putting its supply chain on the
Internet. But unlike the automotive and retail industries, which
recently announced industry-wide portals backed by the biggest
players, the aerospace industry has not yet defined a standard Web
market for itself. It has so far been left to parts suppliers to
start business-to-business e-commerce sites with the hope of
signing on users such as airlines or aircraft makers. "We don't
think the (aerospace) industry will support two major exchanges,"
Ari Bousbib, UNITED TECHNOLOGIES' vice president of strategy and
corporate development, told Reuters. (Reuters 01:10 PM ET)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564985912-4fd

* PaineWebber analyst Sam Buttrick raised his rating on UAL CORP
to buy from attractive. Buttrick has a price target on the shares
of $66-$68. 2000 EPS estimate is $7.95. 1Q operating income is now
estimated to fall 44%, slightly below an earlier forecast.
Buttrick trimmed his earnings estimates on AMERICA WEST HOLDINGS
CORP, CONTINENTAL AIRLINES INC, DELTA AIR LINES, NORTHWEST
AIRLINES CORP and US AIRWAYS GROUP. The airline group "remains
highly washed out, with stocks down 35% from their 52-week high,"
Buttrick wrote.(Reuters 11:36 AM ET 03/15/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564984424-604

* Britain's armed forces took delivery on Wednesday of the first
of 67 WAH-64 Apache helicopters, an advanced version of the
much-publicized U.S. attack aircraft grounded during the Kosovo
crisis. The helicopter division of British engineering group GKN
Plc will assemble components from Britain and the United States,
making 59 of the tank killers as part of the two billion pound
($3.14 billion) contract. The Apache handed over on Wednesday was
one of eight being delivered by BOEING CO, which owns the design.
(Reuters 11:12 AM ET 03/15/2000) For the full text story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564984078-fea

******************************************************************************
F E D E R A L A V I A T I O N A D M I N I S T R A T I O N
W E D N E S D A Y | March 15, 2000 -- Preliminary Accident Reports
******************************************************************************
National Air Disaster Alliance -- http://www.planesafe.org/

*** FAA: 121 Air Carrier Accidents & Incidents for March

*** DOT: Upon House Approval of FAA Reauthorization Bill

Today's vote by the House approving the FAA reauthorization bill,
following last week's action by the Senate, is another important chapter
in the three-year effort to conclude landmark aviation legislation for
America. President Clinton has indicated that he will sign the bill, and
I look forward to this new era in American aviation history during the new
century and the new millennium. Unfortunately, the bill does not include
all of the management and financial reforms that we requested, such as
establishing the user fees that we proposed. We will continue to work with
the Congress to institute these reforms through future legislative efforts.
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

******************************************************************************
N A T I O N A L T R A N S P O R T A T I O N S A F E T Y B O A R D
W E D N E S D A Y | March 15, 2000 -- Preliminary Accident Reports
******************************************************************************
National Air Disaster Alliance -- http://www.planesafe.org/

*** NTSB: Southwest Airlines 737 crash in Burbank

NTSB Identification: DCA00MA030
Scheduled 14 CFR 121 operation of SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
Accident occurred MAR-05-00 at BURBANK, CA
Aircraft: Boeing 737-300, registration: N668SW
Injuries: 7 Minor, 135 Uninjured.
On Sunday, March 5, at approximately 18:11 PST, a Southwest
Airlines Boeing 737-300, N668SW, operating as flight 1455
from Las Vegas, Nevada, overran the departure end of runway 8
while landing at Burbank, California. The airplane traveled
through a fence and came to rest on a highway outside the airport
perimeter. There were no fatalities to the 137 passengers and 5
crew aboard.
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/DCA/00A030.htm

*** NTSB: 121 Air Carrier Accidents & Incidents for March

* 03/05/2000 NEWARK DC-10 FEDEX
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/NYC/00A086.htm
* 03/05/2000 BURBANK B737-300 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/DCA/00A030.htm

******************************************************************************
A I R L I N E DAILY | 52 WEEK S T O C K R E P O R T
W E D N E S D A Y | March 15, 2000
******************************************************************************

(00s)
SYMBL SECURITY CLOSE CHANGE VOL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
AIR AAR Corp........................... 23 +1 9/16 1580
AMR AMR Corporation.................... 60 5/8 +2 13/16 17385
ACY Aerocentury Corp................... 6 7/8 unch 0
ACNAF Air Canada Corp.................... 9 1/4 - 1/8 33
AIRT Air T Inc.......................... 3 5/8 unch 26
AAIR AirTran Holdings Inc............... 3 3/4 unch 8048
ABF Airborne Freight................... 18 11/16 +1 1/16 4027
ALK Alaska Air Group................... 30 1/16 +4 1/8 6524
AWA America West Holdings Corp......... 14 3/16 +1 1/8 2278
AMTR Amtran Inc......................... 15 3/4 +1 287
ACAI Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings In 20 3/16 +1 7/8 2095
CGO Atlas Air Inc...................... 27 7/8 - 5/8 1121
BEAV BE Aerospace....................... 7 1/16 + 3/32 2536
B Barnes Group Inc................... 12 3/16 - 5/16 1109
BA Boeing Co.......................... 34 7/8 +1 13/16 48593
BAB British Airways.................... 49 +2 527
CEA China Eastern Airlines Corp........ 9 3/4 - 5/8 80
ZNH China Southern Airlines Co Ltd..... 7 11/16 - 3/8 170
CAL/A Continental Airlines Inc........... 39 +3 3/8 49
CAL Continental Airlines Inc........... 39 3/16 +3 1/4 5476
DAL Delta Air Lines.................... 50 1/4 +1 9/16 21520
FA Fairchild Corp..................... 5 15/16 + 15/16 4397
FDX FedEx Corp......................... 33 13/16 +1 3/4 16823
FRNT Frontier Airlines Inc.............. 11 3/16 + 1/8 1063
GLC Galileo International Inc.......... 19 +2 7909
GLUX Great Lakes Aviation Limited....... 2 5/8 - 1/8 43
HA Hawaiian Airlines Inc.............. 1 15/16 unch 805
JAPNY Japan Airlines..................... 4 5/8 + 1/8 40
KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines........... 19 +1 543
KTTY Kitty Hawk Inc..................... 4 1/2 - 1/2 1630
LFL LAN Chile SA....................... 8 - 3/8 401
LMT Lockheed Martin Corp............... 17 1/8 + 1/2 40598
MAX Mercury Air Group.................. 6 3/4 unch 40
MESA Mesa Air Group Inc................. 5 1/2 - 1/4 3347
MAIR Mesaba Holdings Inc................ 10 1/2 - 3/8 282
MDWY Midway Airlines Corp............... 6 3/8 + 1/16 141
MEH Midwest Express Holding............ 25 9/16 + 7/8 339
NWAC Northwest Airlines Corp............ 18 1/2 +1 15/32 10558
PZB Pittston........................... 16 1/16 + 9/16 1432
RYAAY Ryanair Holdings................... 45 3/4 - 7/16 753
TSG Sabre Holdings Corp................ 48 7/16 +1 3/16 21104
SKYW SkyWest Inc........................ 30 15/16 + 5/16 1259
LUV Southwest Airlines................. 19 1/2 + 9/16 30434
TRW TRW Inc............................ 55 1/8 +2 13/16 11779
TOWRQ Tower Air Inc...................... 1 1/2 unch 0
TWA Trans World Airlines............... 2 1/2 + 1/16 3172
UAL UAL Corp........................... 52 1/4 +5 3/8 14550
U US Airways Group................... 23 3/4 +3 14155
UCP UniCapital Corp.................... 2 3/16 + 1/16 1644
UPS United Parcel Service.............. 54 15/16 +2 3/8 22743
VIRGY Virgin Express Holdings............ 4 + 1/8 3
WLDA World Airways Inc.................. 1 3/16 - 9/64 80
AADFX Amer AAdvant Inst: ShTrmBI x....... 0.00
XAL Amex Airline Index................. 130.41 +9.84

******************************************************************************
A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S | C O P Y R I G H T | T H A N K Y O U
1999©AirlineBiz.Com | Terms of Use: http://airlinebiz.com/legal
AIRJET AIRLINE WORLD NEWS™ is a free service provided by AirlineBiz.Com™
******************************************************************************
S U B S C R I B E | U N S U B S C R I B E | I N F O R M A T I O N
http://airlinebiz.com/main/subscribe
******************************************************************************
MileSource.Com -- Double your miles using airline credit cards and MileSource
http://www.milesource.com/join.php3?referrer=airline
******************************************************************************
Embry-Riddle & ALPA Co-Sponsor International Aviation Security Academy
http://airlinebiz.com/main/iasa
******************************************************************************

fox1

unread,

Mar 17, 2000, 3:00:00 AM3/17/00

*** WSJ: Toxic Chemical Leaks In Malaysian Airliner - Reports

KUALA LUMPUR (AP)--Five airport workers were admitted to a
hospital after being exposed to poisonous gas escaping from
canisters aboard a Malaysia Airlines aircraft, news reports
said Friday. Safety personnel scrambled aboard the Airbus 330
early Thursday after several workers unloading the canisters
at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport suddenly became nauseous
and started vomiting, The Star daily reported. The plane was
carrying 80 canisters filled with 2,000 kilograms of hydroxy
quinolene, an anti-rust chemical. The canisters were bound
for Chennai, India. A Malaysia Airlines spokeswoman contacted
by telephone confirmed the leak, but said none of the passengers
were endangered. The 266 passengers and crew members aboard the
plane during the leak were unaware of the incident, the
Malay-language Utusan Malaysia daily reported. The plane has
been grounded pending investigations by the Department of Civil Aviation.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** Most of Flight 261 wreckage found

PORT HUENEME, Calif. (AP) - Having pulled about three-quarters of the
wreckage of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 from the Pacific,
investigators are close to wrapping up recovery operations. The MD-83
jetliner plunged into the ocean Jan. 31, killing all 88 people
aboard. The plane, headed to San Francisco and Seattle from Puerto
Vallarta, Mexico, was trying to make an emergency landing in Los
Angeles after crew members reported problems with the rear
stabilizer, which controls the plane's pitch. The National
Transportation Safety Board probe has focused on the aircraft's
control mechanisms, including damage to a component called a
jackscrew, which controls the up and down movement of the stabilizer.
Flight 261's jackscrew was found with the shredded remains of a nut
that the screw moves through.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565004831-650

*** WSJ FRONT PAGE: Boeing Accuses Engineers Of Smear Campaign on Safety

SEATTLE -- A top Boeing Co. executive accused striking engineers
of trying to destroy the company's reputation by telling airlines
and the government that new aircraft are unsafe. Alan Mulally
president of the commercial-airplanes unit, said in a letter that
"a few" employees were maligning the company. The strike is
virtually locking up many jet-making operations, and certain
military lines. Airline customers say they are upset over
increasing delays in jet deliveries as the summer travel
season approaches.
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB953226894343602809.htm
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** Cabin fumes ground Alaska jet -- Seattle Times

ALASKA AIR GROUP on Monday grounded a Boeing Co. 737 in Juneau
after foul smelling chemical fumes from lubrication oil seeped
into the cabin, the Seattle Times reported on Thursday. None of
the 76 passengers and 5 crew members suffered serious injuries but
some passengers vomited and one had an asthma attack. The airline
called the incident minor, posing no serious health risks, the
Times reported. After the fumes appeared, the plane returned to
Juneau, where mechanics spent 90 minutes running tests. The
narrowbody jet was cleared to take off again, but the fumes
reappeared, forcing a second landing, the paper reported. (Reuters)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565011210-a31

*** WSJ: US Airways Shuttle Faces Strike Threat

The airline and its flight attendants are in a 30-day
cooling-off period, and a shutdown due to a strike threat
is looming as early as March 25. Airline analysts say US
Airways flies nearly half of the total New York, Boston and
Washington, D.C., traffic on the Northeast shuttle. "That
can't be replaced overnight," says aviation consultant
Michael Boyd of Boyd Associates in Evergreen, Colo. Other
airlines on the shuttle route are bracing for the possible
overflow, but say they have no plans to boost capacity. One
option: Amtrak says it will monitor advance bookings and add
seats wherever possible to accommodate a surge in demand on
its Northeast corridor.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** Boeing executive accuses strikers

SEATTLE (AP) - A top Boeing Co. executive has accused striking
engineers of trying to destroy the company's reputation by telling
airlines and the government that new aircraft are unsafe. Alan
Mulally, president of the commercial airplanes unit, said in a letter
dated Monday "a few" employees were maligning the company. Mulally
also said in the letter mailed to 91,000 employees in the commercial
airplanes division that universities were being told that Boeing "is
a terrible place to work." "You and I know that these statements are
not true," Mulally wrote.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565004871-a56

*** WSJ: Air France Board Approves Talks With British Airways to Buy Unit

The board of Air France approved talks with British Airways
about acquiring the U.K. carrier's unprofitable French subsidiary
Air Liberte. AOM, which is France's No. 3 airline, is also pursuing
No. 2 Air Liberte, according to people familiar with the talks. The
talks between British Airways and the two suitors were reported
earlier this month. British Airways has said previously that it is
looking to end its losses at Air Liberte, potentially through a sale.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** Boeing commercial jet boss says union attacks hurt

Stung by striking workers' claims that its airplanes are unsafe
and its job opportunities inferior, BOEING CO's commercial
airplane boss in a letter this week has asked disgruntled
employees to back off. In the letter to all 91,000 commercial jet
unit employees, Boeing senior vice president Alan Mulally urged
them not to join a "the few who are maliciously attacking our
company and deliberately trying to destroy our reputation."
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564991978-c05

*** Airbus eyes A340 growth to answer Boeing

Airbus Industrie could extend the range and payload of its
biggest aircraft, outflanking BOEING CO's latest models, the
European civil plane maker said on Thursday. The Airbus A340-500
and -600 models had been designed for such growth, although market
demand did not warrant the move yet, Alan Pardoe, product
marketing manager for Airbus's A330 and A340 lines, told Reuters
in an interview. "There is some growth potential in there," Pardoe
said. "We are looking sometime in the future, when it is required,
to drive this airplane further." (Reuters 02:53 PM ET 03/16/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565009258-8cd

*** US Airways bookings hurt by union standoff

US AIRWAYS GROUP told investors and regulators late on Wednesday
its business is being hurt by the current dispute with the union
representing its 10,000 flight attendants. In a regulatory filing
with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday, the
airline said it expects a "material adverse effect" on operational
results, particularly short-term revenues, from a
federally-mandated "cooling-off" period with the union and any
cessation of operations that could result from a continued
standoff. (Reuters 07:42 PM ET 03/15/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564991808-9e0

*** Ansett's Eddington committed to see through merger

Ansett Australia executive chairman Rod Eddington declined to
comment on Thursday on whether he would be interested in the top
job at Ansett Australia BRITISH AIRWAYS, which is looking for a
new chief executive. But Ansett said Eddington remained committed
to seeing through the airline's merger with Air New Zealand and
repeated he intended to take up roles at Rupert Murdoch's News
Corp Ltd where he is a director, after leaving Ansett. "We haven't
been given any information he's been approached (by BA) or
anything like that," said an Ansett spokeswoman. (Reuters)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564991835-ec6

*** ABCNews: Airline Courts Gays and Lesbians

C H I C A G O, March 16 — You might call them the Gay
Friendly Skies. Chicago-based United Airlines is
intensifying its marketing efforts in the gay and
lesbian community. Airline officials say they’re eager
to repair damage from a three-year boycott that ended
last year when United agreed to offer health benefits
to partners of gay and lesbian employees. Since then
United has been taking out full-page ads in the gay press.
There’s also a renewed push to get more gay organizations
to declare United their “official airline.” In doing so
the company hopes to overtake American Airlines, which
many consider the airline of choice among gay and lesbian travelers.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/travel/DailyNews/gay_marketing000316.html

*** ABCNews: House Passes Aviation Bill More Flights, Higher Taxes

W A S H I N G T O N, March 15 — Get ready for more airline
flights out of some of the nation’s busiest airports and a $1.50
increase in local airport passenger taxes. Both are part of a $40
billion aviation bill the House passed today.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/travel/DailyNews/aviationbill000315.html

*** NYT: Traveling Pet Protections Approved

WASHINGTON (AP) -- New rules will require U.S. airlines to
compile and release information on traveling pets that are
killed or injured. The requirements are part of an aviation
bill approved by the Senate on March 8 and by the House on
Wednesday. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater said President
Clinton will sign it into law.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/w/AP-Pets-on-Planes.html

*** Actor's mission on Mir canceled

MOSCOW (AP) - An exotic plan to rocket a Russian actor to the Mir
space station to make a movie collapsed Thursday because of the
filmmakers' failure to foot the flight's bill, officials said. The
movie, tentatively called "The Last Journey," was to have told the
story of a renegade cosmonaut who refuses to leave Mir, insisting
he'll orbit the Earth for the rest of his days. Ground controllers
decide to send up a woman to lure him back. British producer John
Daly and Russian director Yuri Kara said they hoped to involve big
box-office names like Robert De Niro, Gary Oldman, Sean Penn and
Catherine Zeta-Jones.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565004704-11d

* A Ukrainian company said on Thursday that its rocket was not to
blame for a crash that destroyed a U.S. telecommunications
satellite. A Ukrainian Zenit-3 SL rocket crashed after being
launched at sea on Sunday from a converted oil rig by the Sea
Launch consortium, led by BOEING CO. The crash destroyed ICO
GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS' maiden satellite. "None of the Zenit rocket
systems caused the launch to fail," Yuzhnoye, the Ukrainian firm
that made the rocket, said. Russia's Energiya denied Yuzhnoye's
statement that an Energiya-designed computer system was behind the
crash. The company said the Ukranian criticism was premature and
that investigations were still taking place. (Reuters 01:26 PM ET)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565007950-c77

* FEDEX CORP will enter the ocean shipping business, a company
spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday. FedEx Logistics, a unit of
FedEx Corp, will become a non-vessel operating common carrier,
meaning it will send freight by sea but not own any ships, Mark
Gunn, of the logistics firm, said in a telephone interview. FedEx
Logistics will arrange the global logistics of ocean freight but
Gunn did not say when this will start. (Reuters 06:15 AM ET)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565001778-e4d

* ABN AMRO analyst Robert Johnson on Thursday started coverage of
SABRE HOLDINGS CORP, operator of the world's leading computer
reservation system, with a buy rating and a 12-month price target
of $61 a share. "Sabre is the market leader among 'bricks' and
'clicks'," Johnson wrote in a research note. "Strong technology
skills across its CRS (computerized reservation system), IT
outsourcing and online travel business provide unmatched synergies
and capabilities in the travel services industry," he added. (Reuters)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565011085-1db

*** FAA: USAirways 737 engine torch -- Pax emergency evac

A. Type: Incident Mid Air:N Missing:N Entry date: 03/16/2000
From: SOUTHERN REGION OPERATIONS CENTER
B. Reg.No.: USA220 M/M: B737 Desc: MODEL 737
Activity: Business Phase: Other GA-A/C: Air Carrier
Descr: USAIRWAYS ACFT ENGINE TORCHED DURING PUSH-BACK FROM THE GATE, THE
PAX WERE EVACUATED VIA EMERGENCY CHUTES, ONE MINOR INJURY WAS
REPORTED, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN, TAMPA, FL.
WX: UNKN Damage: Unknown
C2. Injury Data: # Crew: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:Y
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 1 Unk:Y
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 UNK:
D. Location City: TAMPA State: FL
E. Occ Date: 03/15/2000 Time: 11:55
F. Invest Coverage. IIC: Reg/DO: SO15 DO CTY: ORLANDO
DO State: FL Others:
G. Flt Handling. Dep Pt: TAMPA, FL Dep Date: 03/15/2000 Time:
http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/q_0316_n.txt

*** FAA: COPA 737 wing hits truck while taxiing

A. Type: Incident Mid Air:N Missing:N Entry date: 03/16/2000
From: SOUTHERN REGION OPERATIONS CENTER
B. Reg.No.: COPA300 M/M: B737 Desc: MODEL 737
Activity: Business Phase: Taxi GA-A/C: Air Carrier
Descr: COPA ACFT RIGHT WING SLAT STRUCK A TRUCK WHILE THE ACFT WAS TAXIING
TO THE GATE, THE ACFT HAS MINOR DAMAGE, NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED,
MIAMI, FL.
WX: UNKN Damage: Minor
C2. Injury Data: # Crew: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:Y
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:Y
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 UNK:
D. Location City: MIAMI State: FL
E. Occ Date: 03/15/2000 Time: 18:06
F. Invest Coverage. IIC: Reg/DO: SO19 DO CTY: MIAMI
DO State: FL Others:
http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/q_0316_n.txt

AIR AAR Corp........................... 23 1/16 + 1/16 1439
AMR AMR Corporation.................... 30 9/16 +4 15/16 41808
ACY Aerocentury Corp................... 6 7/8 unch 251
ACNAF Air Canada Corp.................... 10 1/16 + 13/16 54
AIRT Air T Inc.......................... 3 1/2 - 1/8 29
AAIR AirTran Holdings Inc............... 3 15/16 + 3/16 9900
ABF Airborne Freight................... 22 3/4 +4 1/16 12239
ALK Alaska Air Group................... 32 1/2 +2 7/16 5012
AWA America West Holdings Corp......... 14 3/4 + 9/16 1952
AMTR Amtran Inc......................... 15 3/4 unch 157
ACAI Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings In 21 3/16 +1 2332
CGO Atlas Air Inc...................... 29 1/16 +1 3/16 2951
BEAV BE Aerospace....................... 6 15/16 - 1/8 1583
B Barnes Group Inc................... 13 7/8 +1 11/16 397
BA Boeing Co.......................... 35 5/8 + 3/4 47252
BAB British Airways.................... 53 1/2 +4 1/2 916
CEA China Eastern Airlines Corp........ 9 11/16 - 1/16 34
ZNH China Southern Airlines Co Ltd..... 7 3/4 + 1/16 79
CAL/A Continental Airlines Inc........... 39 1/2 + 1/2 29
CAL Continental Airlines Inc........... 39 5/8 + 7/16 6829
DAL Delta Air Lines.................... 50 15/16 + 11/16 19582
FA Fairchild Corp..................... 6 1/16 + 1/8 2438
FDX FedEx Corp......................... 35 1/2 +1 11/16 22612
FRNT Frontier Airlines Inc.............. 11 11/16 + 1/2 1591
GLC Galileo International Inc.......... 19 3/4 + 3/4 4034
GLUX Great Lakes Aviation Limited....... 2 5/8 unch 22
HA Hawaiian Airlines Inc.............. 2 + 1/16 1111
JAPNY Japan Airlines..................... 4 15/16 + 5/16 96
KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines........... 19 1/8 + 1/8 496
KTTY Kitty Hawk Inc..................... 4 23/32 + 7/32 1814
LFL LAN Chile SA....................... 8 5/16 + 5/16 702
LMT Lockheed Martin Corp............... 18 1/16 + 15/16 37714
MAX Mercury Air Group.................. 6 3/4 unch 45
MESA Mesa Air Group Inc................. 5 15/16 + 7/16 6974
MAIR Mesaba Holdings Inc................ 10 57/64 + 25/64 388
MDWY Midway Airlines Corp............... 6 3/8 unch 341
MEH Midwest Express Holding............ 27 1/16 +1 1/2 2171
NWAC Northwest Airlines Corp............ 18 15/16 + 7/16 9813
PZB Pittston........................... 16 11/16 + 5/8 1642
RYAAY Ryanair Holdings................... 44 5/8 -1 1/8 242
TSG Sabre Holdings Corp................ 51 +2 9/16 20355
SKYW SkyWest Inc........................ 33 1/2 +2 9/16 3860
LUV Southwest Airlines................. 19 7/8 + 3/8 21793
TRW TRW Inc............................ 56 5/16 +1 3/16 6940

TOWRQ Tower Air Inc...................... 1 1/2 unch 0

TWA Trans World Airlines............... 2 7/16 - 1/16 5902
UAL UAL Corp........................... 54 1/2 +2 1/4 10085
U US Airways Group................... 23 5/16 - 7/16 11143
UCP UniCapital Corp.................... 2 1/8 - 1/16 1235
UPS United Parcel Service.............. 56 1/4 +1 5/16 16352
VIRGY Virgin Express Holdings............ 4 1/16 + 1/16 247
WLDA World Airways Inc.................. 1 3/16 unch 38

AADFX Amer AAdvant Inst: ShTrmBI x....... 0.00

XAL Amex Airline Index................. 135.73 +5.32

fox1

unread,

Mar 18, 2000, 3:00:00 AM3/18/00

*** Guinness mystery puzzles drinkers

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) - As the first of 10 million frothy pints of
Guinness are raised Friday in St. Patrick's honor, one of life's
intriguing scientific debates will inevitably follow: Why do the
bubbles in a glass of Guinness float downwards instead of up? Anyone
who has downed a pint of the thick dark stout has no doubt noticed
that Guinness bubbles hug the side of the glass and then shimmy
downward, appearing to defy the laws of nature. Various theories have
been floated since brewer Arthur Guinness introduced his grog to
Dublin in 1739. Back then, Guinness was known as porter because of
its popularity with porters and stevedores.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565008719-67b

*** More money urged for bag screeners

WASHINGTON (AP) - Airline baggage screeners, who provide a crucial
line of defense in the nation's airline safety program, often quit
their jobs to make more money flipping hamburgers. "Screeners are a
critical link in the performance chain," Cathal Flynn, the Federal
Aviation Administration's associate chief for security, said during a
hearing Thursday of a House Aviation subcommittee panel. "While it is
difficult to verify a correlation between better pay and better
performance, we can all agree that properly trained and qualified
people who are on the job longer tend to perform better," Flynn said.
The testimony had subcommittee members searching for ways to improve
the pay and training for screeners and other ways of beefing up
airport security.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565010406-080

*** Alaska Air Mechanics Allege Pressure

SEATTLE (AP) - Sixty-four mechanics at Alaska Airline's
Seattle maintenance hangar told company officials they'd
been ``pressured, threatened and intimidated'' to cut corners
on repairs, prompting the airline to put a top manager on leave
while it investigates. Federal Aviation Administration and airline
officials began interviewing the mechanics after the airline told
the agency about the complaints, which came in a letter delivered
to the carrier on Thursday. FAA spokesman Mitch Barker said the
agency was aware there had been recent `debate' at Alaska Airlines
over a horizontal stabilizer repair. He said the plane was returned
to service in proper condition. A draft of the letter by 64 mechanics
quoted by the Times said workers were `directed ... to do things
specifically contradicting' federal aviation regulations, and alleged
they had been ``pressured, threatened and intimidated ... in the daily
performance of our work.' In a statement, Alaska Airlines said about
12 mechanics had been interviewed and that it would immediately ground
any planes found to be potentially unsafe. Robert Falla, the leader of
the airline's Seattle maintenance base, was placed on administrative
leave, the airline said. He could not be reached by telephone. His
lawyer predicted he would be exonerated. `Robert Falla has never
knowingly allowed any aircraft to go into service that was not
airworthy or (that) failed any safety standard,' said a statement
from his lawyer, Scott J. Engelhard.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/xseap/20000317/lo/20000317161.html

*** WSJ: TALES OF THE TAPE:Airlines Thwart Oil Spike With Hedging

NEW YORK -- The top three U.S. airlines are suffering less
from skyrocketing oil prices than their passengers may think.
Airline chiefs learned how exploding fuel prices could ruin
profits in the early 1990s, when crude prices spiked during
the Persian Gulf War. They had no choice but to morph into savvy
buyers and market players: jet fuel is an airline's second-largest
expense after labor. In 1993, American, the second-largest U.S.
airline, was the first of the top three airlines to hedge fuel.
No. 3 Delta followed in December 1995. UAL Corp.'s (UAL) United
the biggest, began building its hedging team in 1998.
* Airlines Say They Still Need Fare Hikes
* Top Brass Sets Hedging Guidelines
All add predictability to an industry where weather, labor
scuffles and government regulations make forecasting tedious
analysts say. American's Mandeville agrees: "I think that's
been a primary driver of companies hedging more, combined with
seeing what a significant price spike in fuel can do to earnings."
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** Continental Flight Attendants Ratify New 54-Month Labor Contract

HOUSTON, March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Continental Airlines announced
today that it has been informed by the International Association
of Machinists and Aerospace Workers that Continental's 8,500 flight
attendants have ratified a new four-and-a half-year labor contract.
The contract comes after six months of intense negotiations with the
IAM. Typically, labor contracts in the airline industry take much
longer, even years, to negotiate.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/000317/tx_contine_1.html

*** US, Ghana Sign Aviation Agreement

WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States and the West African
nation of Ghana signed an open skies agreement, Transportation
Secretary Rodney Slater announced Friday. The pact, signed on
Thursday, will eliminate all restrictions on air service between
the two nations over the next six years. Restrictions on air cargo
services and airline pricing are to be removed immediately.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000317/pl/brf_us_ghana_1.html

*** Airlines complain over Milan switch

BRUSSELS, Brussels (AP) - Twelve European airlines said Friday they
have filed a complaint with the European Commission over Italy's
plans to switch flights from Milan's popular Linate airport to the
newly renovated Malpensa hub. The complaint is the latest move in a
long-running fight with Italian authorities, who want to push flights
from Linate, six miles from downtown Milan, to Malpensa, which is
some 33 miles away. The government says the move is needed to end
overcrowding at Linate. The airlines - including British Airways,
Lufhansa and Air France - complain that the plan unfairly
discriminates against them in favor of Italy's Alitalia carrier.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565026115-8b7

*** Costa Rica killings may dent tourism

PUERTO VIEJO, Costa Rica (AP) - This nation's image of safety and
stability in a turbulent Central America has helped attract thousands
of U.S. retirees, an annual flow of almost $1 billion in tourism
revenues and more than 1 million tourists. But now - as a private
Ohio college tries to cope with the loss of two of its own killed
here - residents say they fear that the valuable perception of Costa
Rica as "the Switzerland of Central America" may have been damaged.
"The image now is that something crazy happened in paradise," tour
operator Ed Oliver said Thursday. "Something like this, of course,
it's going to hurt business," said Oliver, who moved here three years
ago from Seattle.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565027045-2a6

*** Agreement reached in Boeing strike

SEATTLE (AP) - A tentative agreement was reached Friday to end a
38-day strike by thousands of Boeing Co. engineers and technical
workers, one of the largest white-collar walkouts in U.S. history.
Members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in
Aerospace will vote on the three-year pact Sunday, and union leaders
recommended approval. The union said the deal includes guaranteed
wage increases of at least 9% over the life of the contract as well
as cash bonuses of up to $2,500, a key issue in a strike that had
grown increasingly rancorous since it began Feb. 9.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565028413-887

*** Man breaks into plane's cockpit

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Terrified passengers watched a man roam their
jetliner muttering threats and shedding clothes before tackling him
as he broke through the locked cockpit door apparently to attack the
crew. "What really scared me was when he tried to open up an exit,"
said Chris Honochick, 37, of Salem, Ore., who helped subdue the man.
Police had no motive for Thursday night's attack on Alaska Airlines
Flight 259, which was on the same Mexico-to-San Francisco route as an
Alaska Airlines flight that crashed in January, killing all 88 people
aboard. Flight 259 was carrying 43 passengers and five crew members.
It took several people to subdue the man until the flight landed.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565028447-ce8

*** Alaska Airlines crash probe ends

WASHINGTON (AP) - With 90% of the wreckage of Alaska Airlines Flight
261 recovered, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday
it has completed its field study of the Jan. 31 crash. The board
closed its command post at Port Hueneme, Calif., but the
investigation of the crash that killed 88 people will continue, board
chairman Jim Hall said in a statement. The MD-83 airliner plunged
into the ocean off the California coast while trying to make an
emergency landing in Los Angeles. Hall said the medical examiner has
identified remains of 58 of the victims and is continuing work on
identifying the others. Suspicion in the accident has focused on the
jackscrew that controls the tail stabilizer of this type of aircraft.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565028884-28c

*** Officials insist Costa Rica safe

PUERTO VIEJO, Costa Rica (AP) - Costa Rica has been called "the
Switzerland of Central America" for its safety and stability, but
some residents said Thursday they fear that this week's murder of two
U.S. women may have damaged that valuable perception. The image has
helped the country attract thousands of U.S. retirees, an annual flow
of almost $1 billion in tourism revenues and more than 1 million
tourists, some of whom probably wouldn't venture into the rest of
turbulent Central America. "The image now is that something crazy
happened in paradise," tour operator Ed Oliver said. "Something like
this, of course, it's going to hurt business," said Oliver, who moved
here three years ago from Seattle.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565016758-086

*** Nautical charts available on Web

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sailors who want to update their nautical charts
can now do it via the Internet. The National Ocean Service said
Thursday that mariners can arrange to get weekly updates delivered by
e-mail. The service is a joint effort between the Ocean Service and
Maptech Inc., the company that handles marketing for the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's electronic charts. Maptech's
latest edition raster charts, or charts for use on a computer, are a
commercial product produced under a cooperative research and
development agreement with NOAA. The optional update package which
will provide small patch files delivered by e-mail.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565011990-254

*** Wayward winds may warn of storms

WASHINGTON (AP) - Shifting winds over the Pacific Ocean may turn out
to be the hurricane season's Paul Revere - warning that tropical
storms are about to march on the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.
Scientists at the University of Washington in Seattle have found that
the direction of the winds over the eastern Pacific Ocean affects the
likelihood of the storms forming in the Gulf and Caribbean. "This is
somewhat surprising," Eric D. Maloney and Dennis L. Hartmann note in
Friday's issue of the journal Science, since the area of Pacific
winds is separated from the storm region by the mountains of Mexico
and Central America. But they found that the likelihood of hurricanes
in the Gulf and Caribbean increases fourfold about two weeks after a
change in wind movement over the Pacific called the Madden-Julian Oscillation.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565008475-50d

*** Other airlines match Northwest hike

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Northwest Airlines has taken the lead in a new
fare increase after spoiling two recent attempts by other carriers.
Other carriers were matching it. Northwest on Thursday raised
round-trip fares throughout its domestic system. The Eagan-based
carrier's biggest increase, $20 to $40 round-trip, is in unrestricted
fares. Northwest, the nation's fourth-largest carrier, is limiting
the increase to $10 to $20 for round-trip excursion fares, the
cheaper rates paid by vacationers who plan in advance. Continental
Airlines, Northwest's U.S. alliance partner, led failed attempts to
boost fares on Feb. 18 and March 10. Continental had posted increases
of between $10 and $30 for excursion fares in February. Three weeks
later, Continental tried again, boosting its excursion fares by $20 and $40.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565028143-f38

*** Traveling pet protections approved

WASHINGTON (AP) - New rules will require U.S. airlines to compile and

release information on traveling pets that are killed or injured. The
requirements are part of an aviation bill approved by the Senate on
March 8 and by the House on Wednesday. Transportation Secretary

Rodney Slater said President Clinton will sign it into law. The
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals hailed "a
stunning win for animals that must travel by air." But the airline
industry warned some airlines may choose to stop accepting animals.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565013034-8ce

* AMR CORPORATION'S American Airlines said late on Thursday a
five-week engineers strike at BOEING CO has delayed three or four
plane deliveries and prompted it to cancel a few flights in March
and April. American said the problem was small now but could
worsen if the strike continues into the heavily traveled summer
flying season. (Reuters 08:43 PM ET 03/16/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565014477-8de

* Spain said on Friday a group of core shareholders had signed for
the final purchase of a 40% stake in flagship airline company
Iberia, paving the way for a long-awaited share offering. The
group, including BRITISH AIRWAYS and AMR CORPORATION, signed the
first part of the deal last December and paid a total of 181.74
bln pesetas ($1.06 bln). Senior officials say the offering of 54%
of Iberia, delayed several times, could now take place in May or
early June. (Reuters 07:37 AM ET 03/17/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565023898-f02

* Most major U.S. airlines matched a fare increase led by
NORTHWEST AIRLINES CORP of up to $40 round-trip for business fares
and $20 round-trip for leisure fares. AMR CORPORATION's American
Airlines, CONTINENTAL AIRLINES INC, DELTA AIR LINES, and UAL
CORP's United Airlines had all matched, according to Terry
Trippler, who tracks airline fares for online travel company
1Travel.com. The matches round out the nation's top five airlines,
meaning the increase, seen as a move to combat high fuel prices,
stands a good chance of being sustained. But US AIRWAYS GROUP had
not yet matched as of Friday morning. "We definitely need US Air
to match them. (Reuters 04:52 PM ET 03/17/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565032008-cdf

* An unruly passenger was apprehended by authorities after forcing
his way into the cockpit of an ALASKA AIR GROUP's Alaska Airlines
jet and lunging for the controls, authorities said on Friday. Sgt.
Joe Reilly of the San Francisco Police Department's airport bureau
said the man had been acting irrationally on Flight 259 from
Puerto Vallarta late on Thursday, changing seats and removing his
clothing. Fellow passengers and crew members restrained the man by
sitting on him until the plane landed in San Francisco, Reilly
added. The suspect, who allegedly lunged for the jet's controls
after storming the cockpit, was subdued with plastic wrist
restraints until he was arrested upon landing. (Reuters)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565020530-020

* Federal investigators said on Friday they had completed recovery
of wreckage at the scene of the Jan. 31 crash of an ALASKA AIR
GROUP's Alaska Airlines plane into the sea off California. The
National Transportation Safety Board said trawling for wreckage,
after larger pieces had been brought up by a remotely operated
vehicle, had resulted in about 90 percent of the plane being
recovered when operations ceased on Wednesday. Nearly all the
major components of the tail section had been found, the safety
board said in a statement. (Reuters 01:58 PM ET 03/17/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565029413-0f6

* D.A. Davidson & Co. late Thursday cut its quarterly and
full-year earnings estimates for BOEING CO due to the expected
impacts from the strike at the aerospace giant. D.A. Davidson cut
first quarter estimates to 30 cents per share from 55 cents per
share and its full-year expectations to $2.45 per share from
$2.50. (Reuters 03:55 AM ET 03/17/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565020820-711

* BOEING CO said on Friday it had reached a tentative contract
deal with striking engineers that could bring some 17,000 workers
back from the picket line as early as next Monday. The strike
delayed 15 of 30 commercial jet deliveries Boeing had scheduled
from Feb. 9 to Feb. 29. The company had delivered just three
planes in March, causing Wall Street analysts to lower earnings
forecasts and dropping the stock to a 52-week low. The Society of
Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) claimed it
got most of what it wanted from Boeing after the 38-day-old strike
slashed commercial jet deliveries and bogged down work on key
military fighter programs. (Reuters 04:26 PM ET 03/17/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565031595-d92

* BOEING CO said the deal ending a 38-day strike by its engineers
would help to avert any lasting disruptions to its commercial jet
orders and deliveries and a key military jet-fighter project. "I
think the thing that will really matter is our performance from
here. I think if we can step up and deliver those airplanes (the
strike) will have very little impact," Phil Condit, chairman and
chief executive of Boeing, told a news conference. Boeing
commercial airplane boss Alan Mulally said he was confident the
company would meet its 2000 goal of delivering 491 jetliners.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565029181-f25

* SG Cowen said it has raised its rating on BOEING CO to strong
buy from buy and set a price target of $55 to $60 per share for
the aircraft maker. Boeing and the union representing some 17,000
of its engineers and technicians said earlier Friday they have
reached a tentative settlement of a strike that slowed the
delivery of planes to a trickle. The union is scheduled to vote on
a proposed contract March 19, the company said. SG Cowen anaylst
Cai vom Rumohr said that the strike, which has lasted 38 days so
far, is unlikely to be a long-term drain. (Reuters 09:28 AM ET)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565025382-550

* NORTHWEST AIRLINES CORP said it raised fares throughout its
entire domestic system, by as much as $40 per round-trip, days
after it foiled a similar increase attempted by other airlines to
counter historically high fuel prices. Northwest said it raised
unrestricted, or business, fares by $20 to $40 round-trip, and
leisure fares by $10 to $20 round-trip. Other fares, such as
senior fares, military fares, some Internet offers and
consolidator fares, vary in their levels of increase. (Reuters)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565014221-3be

* Joseph Gorman, chairman and CEO of TRW INC, which manufactures
seat belts, airbags and other vehicle safety devices, saw his pay
package rise 45 percent last year to $4.4 million. Gorman's
compensation included $1.2 million in salary, a $3.02 million
bonus and $202,622 in other compensation, according to TRW's
annual proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on Friday. In comparison, he received $3 million
package in 1998, including a little more than $1.2 million in
salary, a $1.64 million bonus and $206,768 in other compensation,
which includes use of the company's aircraft and contributions to
employee stock ownership and savings plan, among other things.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565030477-588

******************************************************************************
F E D E R A L A V I A T I O N A D M I N I S T R A T I O N
F R I D A Y | March 17, 2000 -- Preliminary Accident Reports

******************************************************************************
National Air Disaster Alliance -- http://www.planesafe.org/

*** FAA: Alaska Airlines MD-80 -- Pilots attacked during flight

A. Type: Incident Mid Air:N Missing:N Entry date: 03/17/2000
From: WESTERN PACIFIC REGION OPERATIONS CENTER
B. Reg.No.: ASA259 M/M: MD80 Desc: DC-9/80
Activity: Business Phase: Descent GA-A/C: Air Carrier
Descr: ALASKA AIRLINES ACFT WAS 30 MINUTES FROM ARRIVING AT ITS
DESTINATION OF SAN FRANCISCO, CA, WHEN THE PILOT DECLARED AN
EMERGENCY AFTER AN UNRULY PASSENGER GAINED ACCESS TO THE COCKPIT,
THE FIRST OFFICER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES WHEN A CONFRONTATION
OCCURRED, THE ACFT LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT, AND THE
PASSENGER WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY, NO OTHER INJURIES WERE
REPORTED, SAN FRANCISCO, CA.
WX: UNKN Damage: None
C2. Injury Data: # Crew: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 1 Unk:Y

# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:Y
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 UNK:

D. Location City: SAN FRANCISCO State: CA
E. Occ Date: 03/16/2000 Time: 03:48
F. Invest Coverage. IIC: Reg/DO: WP27 DO CTY: OAKLAND
DO State: CA Others:
G. Flt Handling. Dep Pt: PUERTO VALLARTA, MX Dep Date: / / Time:
Dest: SAN FRANCISCO, CA Last Radio Cont: UNKN Flt Plan: UNK
http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/q_0317_n.txt

*** FAA: 121 Air Carrier Accidents & Incidents for March

* 03/16/2000 TAMPA B737 USAIRWAYS
http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/q_0316_n.txt
* 03/16/2000 MIAMI B737 COPA
http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/q_0316_n.txt
* 03/17/2000 SAN FRANCISCO MD-80 ALASKA AIRLINES
http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/q_0317_n.txt

******************************************************************************
N A T I O N A L T R A N S P O R T A T I O N S A F E T Y B O A R D
F R I D A Y | March 17, 2000 -- Preliminary Accident Reports

******************************************************************************
National Air Disaster Alliance -- http://www.planesafe.org/

NO NEW REPORTS ON FILE.

*** NTSB: 121 Air Carrier Accidents & Incidents for March

* 03/05/2000 NEWARK DC-10 FEDEX
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/NYC/00A086.htm
* 03/05/2000 BURBANK B737-300 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/DCA/00A030.htm

******************************************************************************
A I R L I N E DAILY | 52 WEEK S T O C K R E P O R T

F R I D A Y | March 17, 2000
******************************************************************************

(00s)
SYMBL SECURITY CLOSE CHANGE VOL
---------------------------------------------------------------------

AIR AAR Corp........................... 23 1/4 + 3/16 503
AMR AMR Corporation.................... 29 7/16 -1 1/8 22174
ACY Aerocentury Corp................... 6 13/16 - 1/16 18
ACNAF Air Canada Corp.................... 10 5/8 + 9/16 253
AIRT Air T Inc.......................... 3 1/2 unch 0
AAIR AirTran Holdings Inc............... 3 15/16 + 1/64 7025
ABF Airborne Freight................... 20 3/8 -2 3/8 7400
ALK Alaska Air Group................... 30 11/16 -1 13/16 3564
AWA America West Holdings Corp......... 14 13/16 + 1/16 2102
AMTR Amtran Inc......................... 15 5/8 - 1/8 97
ACAI Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings In 19 1/2 -1 11/16 798
CGO Atlas Air Inc...................... 30 + 15/16 2309
BEAV BE Aerospace....................... 7 1/16 + 1/8 1349
B Barnes Group Inc................... 14 + 1/8 220
BA Boeing Co.......................... 37 3/16 +1 9/16 150994
BAB British Airways.................... 51 1/4 -2 1/4 386
CEA China Eastern Airlines Corp........ 9 3/8 - 5/16 45
ZNH China Southern Airlines Co Ltd..... 7 1/2 - 1/4 169
CAL/A Continental Airlines Inc........... 38 -1 1/2 61
CAL Continental Airlines Inc........... 38 -1 5/8 6276
DAL Delta Air Lines.................... 49 3/4 -1 3/16 12824
FA Fairchild Corp..................... 6 1/2 + 7/16 1528
FDX FedEx Corp......................... 34 3/16 -1 5/16 20264
FRNT Frontier Airlines Inc.............. 11 11/16 unch 553
GLC Galileo International Inc.......... 19 7/8 + 1/8 1528
GLUX Great Lakes Aviation Limited....... 2 5/8 unch 40
HA Hawaiian Airlines Inc.............. 2 1/16 + 1/16 378
JAPNY Japan Airlines..................... 5 + 1/16 55
KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines........... 19 15/16 + 13/16 508
KTTY Kitty Hawk Inc..................... 4 3/4 + 1/64 850
LFL LAN Chile SA....................... 8 1/8 - 3/16 143
LMT Lockheed Martin Corp............... 18 - 1/16 65043
MAX Mercury Air Group.................. 6 3/4 unch 82
MESA Mesa Air Group Inc................. 5 7/8 - 1/16 669
MAIR Mesaba Holdings Inc................ 11 1/8 + 7/32 404
MDWY Midway Airlines Corp............... 6 15/32 + 3/32 233
MEH Midwest Express Holding............ 27 1/8 + 1/16 529
NWAC Northwest Airlines Corp............ 18 9/16 - 3/8 6840
PZB Pittston........................... 16 - 11/16 1553
RYAAY Ryanair Holdings................... 44 3/4 + 1/8 719
TSG Sabre Holdings Corp................ 51 5/8 + 5/8 23243
SKYW SkyWest Inc........................ 30 3/4 -2 3/4 2405
LUV Southwest Airlines................. 19 - 7/8 22715
TRW TRW Inc............................ 56 3/16 - 1/8 7154

TOWRQ Tower Air Inc...................... 1 1/2 unch 0

TWA Trans World Airlines............... 2 7/16 unch 3077
UAL UAL Corp........................... 54 1/2 unch 10898
U US Airways Group................... 22 1/4 -1 1/16 7484
UCP UniCapital Corp.................... 2 5/16 + 3/16 1792
UPS United Parcel Service.............. 55 1/2 - 3/4 6224
VIRGY Virgin Express Holdings............ 4 - 1/16 56
WLDA World Airways Inc.................. 1 1/8 - 1/16 2246

AADFX Amer AAdvant Inst: ShTrmBI x....... 0.00

XAL Amex Airline Index................. 132.25 -3.48

fox1

unread,

Mar 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM3/20/00

*** AJN: Ramp workers weak link in airport security -- Acceptable Risk

W A S H I N G T O N - 19MAR2000 - (AJN) -- Thirteen years after
a USAir employee boarded PSA Flight 1771 and killed 43 people
there has been little done in the way of airport security. The
four-engine BAe146 crashed shortly after the employee shot the
pilots with his .44 caliber pistol, according to NTSB reports.
In the months to follow the FAA gave the impression of a
security crackdown by mandating that all flight crew members
pass through security screening points. The crackdown has been
labeled as a "white wash" for the public who see crew member
security as the solution. Crew members are quick to point
out that it is not the crew member, but the airline baggage and
ramp workers that the public has to worry about. "When was the
last time you saw a pilot hijack his own airplane," said one
airline pilot for a major U.S. carrier. Airline pilots go through
a number of security checks and physiological evaluations throughout
their career. On the other hand, airlines often do a poor job of
screening ramp workers and other airport personnel. Low wages and
high turnover plague the airlines. In a recent report by the GAO,
investigators called for higher wages and better training for
security screeners. But, as the call goes out to increase wages
and decrease the turnover of security screeners airlines are
cutting wages and replacing ramp personnel with low-wage contract
workers. In many cases airlines are setting up subsidiaries
companies to perform ramp and baggage duties. Delta Air Lines
recently created Delta Air Lines Global Services (DGS) which
operates in 22 Delta cities. DGS employees receive low wages, few
benefits, and pose a substantial risk to the security at our nation's
airports. Recent high-profile airport drug bust are indicative of a
severe lack of proper security measures. The Miami drug bust revealed
a number of security lapses. Employees in Miami were allowed to by-pass
security measures by using their airline and airport I.D.s. Airline
employees were able to carry weapons and explosives onboard the aircraft
in addition to the drugs they were smuggling. "Every time you hear the
word 'drugs' just substitute it with the word 'gun' and you can see just
how serious a problem it is," said one airline security expert. "Airline
crew members are not the threat, ramp employees are," he added. "If we
really want to fix the problem then all employees should pass through
airport security, every time." In an attempt to to cut cost, airlines bean
counters calculate acceptable risk. Is widespread baggage theft and drug
smuggling an acceptable risk? It may be cheaper to pay baggage claims rather
than beef up airport security. It may be cheaper to deal with high turnover
and criminal activities on the job rather than pay decent wages and benefits.
Is it a well calculated, acceptable risk to play the odds of another PSA
Flight 1771 not happening again in the next 13 years?
http://airlinebiz./com/main/assoc

*** NTSB: DCA88MA008 PSA DEC-07-87 BAE-146-200 N168US 43 Fatal

Probable Cause
* Control interference..Intentional..Passenger
* Sabotage..Intentional..Passenger
* Emotional reaction..Passenger
Contributing Factors
* Security..Inadequate..Company/operator management
* Procedure inadequate..Company/operator management
* Insufficient stds/rqmts - Operation/operator..FAA(organization)
http://www.ntsb.gov/Aviation/DCA/88A008.htm

*** MSNBC: A Terrible Trade Bag-Switchers Frame Travelers For Drug Smuggling

M E X I C O C I T Y, March 19 — The scheme requires someone
inside an airline, such as a baggage handler, to switch the
suitcases at the departure airport and someone else to grab
the substitute bag at the other end before it makes it onto
the luggage carrousel. The maneuver gets around an anti-terrorism
practice of many airlines to not allow their planes to take
off with unidentified luggage on board. And, in case a
drug-filled suitcase is found, the blame shifts from the
smugglers to the unfortunate person whose real bag has been
filched.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/384273.asp

*** Landing Gear Problem Shelves Delta 727

NEW YORK (AP) - A Delta Air Lines flight bound for Orlando, Fla., was
forced to return to La Guardia Airport minutes after takeoff Sunday when
the landing gear failed to retract, authorities said. Smoke was later
detected in the cabin, forcing an evacuation that left four passengers
with minor injuries. Delta Flight 1971, with 139 passengers and six crew
members, took off at 8:30 a.m. but quickly returned because of the landing
gear failure, landing without incident, said Port Authority spokesman Allen
Morrison. While on the runway, the pilot detected smoke in the cabin and
decided to evacuate the aircraft, deploying the emergency chutes, Morrison
said. Four passengers suffered minor knee and back injuries during the
evacuation, he said; none required hospitalization. The plane, a Boeing 727
was immediately taken into maintenance to be examined, said Delta Air Lines
spokeswoman Harmony Sockman. The airport was closed for about 30 minutes and
was reopened at 9:15 a.m., Morrison said.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/xnyap/20000319/lo/20000319001.html

*** Exam Ordered for Cockpit Suspect

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A judge has ordered a psychological
examination of the man accused of bursting into the cockpit
of an Alaska Airlines jet and attacking the co-pilot. Magistrate
Bernard Zimmerman on Friday ordered the evaluation for Peter Bradley
39, who showed up in court with a black eye and bruises police say he
got when passengers and crew members tackled him on the jet Thursday
night. Bradley faces a single charge of interfering with flight crew
members and attendants, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a
$250,000 fine. Zimmerman scheduled a second hearing for Wednesday.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000318/us/cockpit_attack_17.html
*** Passenger arraigned after inflight attack on jet pilot
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000317/40.html

*** SEATTLE TIMES: What next for labor, Boeing?

If Boeing engineering workers approve their contracts today
they will return to work tomorrow morning, airlines will
receive their delayed jets and Boeing's profits eventually will
recover. Maybe. Many observers expect the financial scars from
the nation's largest white-collar corporate strike to heal fully
possibly in time for Boeing's year-end results. But the true cost
of the 40-day strike by engineers and technicians may appear much
later on Boeing's balance sheet.
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/business/html98/spea_20000319.html

*** SEATTLE TIMES: Lost while job-hunting at Sea-Tac? Not anymore

Finding a job in a place as large as Seattle-Tacoma International
Airport used to be a job in itself. Until recently, you had to go
to each individual airline, caterer or cargo company to learn about
job vacancies and fill out applications. But now there's a single
stop: the new Airport Employment Information Center (AEIC).
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/business/html98/airp_20000319.html

*** SEATTLE TIMES: Passengers hailed in midair fracas

Chris Honochick, a 37-year-old seafood salesman from Oregon
says he'll probably return to Puerto Vallarta to visit his
parents again next year. But who would fault him if he has
second thoughts? Honochick, of Salem, was one of several
passengers who helped stop a man from taking over the cockpit
of Alaska Airlines Flight 259 Thursday night in the skies
over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast.
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/nation-world/html98/craz_20000318.html

*** SEATTLE TIMES: FBI investigating Alaska Airlines maintenance

Federal law-enforcement agents are conducting a criminal
investigation into the fatal crash of Alaska Airlines Flight
261, focusing on the carrier's maintenance practices. The
investigation, which has been under way for several weeks
was confirmed by three sources in two federal agencies who
spoke yesterday to The Seattle Times.
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/nation-world/html98/alas_20000318.html

*** SEATTLE TIMES: Case of confusion over policy on carry-on bags

The airlines have been increasingly strict about the
size and number of carry-on bags that they allow, and
there isn't a simple solution for travelers. The industry
has not adopted a uniform set of rules for carry-on bags
and as a result, a bag that is OK to bring on one airline
might be barred from another. Policies can even differ
within a particular carrier, depending on the type of
aircraft you're flying.
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/travel/html98/lugg_20000319.html

*** ABCNEWS: Pilot’s Map Lamp Eyed in Swissair Crash

ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) -- Swissair has told investigators
probing its 1998 airline crash off Nova Scotia about overheating
problems with a pilot's map light in the cockpit ceiling, an
airline spokesman said Sunday. The pilots reported smoke in the
cockpit before losing contact with air controllers.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/swissair000319_cause.html

*** WSJ FRONT PAGE: Boeing and Engineers Reach Tentative Pact to End Strike

SEATTLE -- A tentative agreement was reached Friday to end

a 38-day strike by thousands of Boeing Co. engineers and

technical workers, the head of the Federal Mediation and
Conciliation Service said. Boeing's value has reportedly
fallen by about $5.3 billion since the walkout began and
that strikers have lost more than $125 million in wages
based on a company estimate of $3.4 million a day.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB953292052538893198.htm

*** NYT: Aerospace Portals Vie for E-Commerce Edge

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Like other old-economy industries, the
$500 billion global aerospace industry is moving toward putting

its supply chain on the Internet. But unlike the automotive and
retail industries, which recently announced industry-wide portals
backed by the biggest players, the aerospace industry has not yet
defined a standard Web market for itself.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-aerospace-bb.html

*** NYT: FAA to 'White Glove' Test Alaska Air -- Paper

SEATTLE (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration
will scrutinize all operations of Alaska Airlines next month
in the wake of the fatal crash of Flight 261 on Jan. 31, the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported in its Saturday edition.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-alaskaair-pr.html

*** NYT: Alaska Airline Center in Turmoil After Complaint by Mechanics

SEATTLE, March 18 -- After 64 mechanics at Alaska Airlines's
maintenance center here signed a letter saying they had been
"pressured, threatened and intimidated" to cut corners on
repairs and maintenance, the airline put one of its managers on
administrative leave and said today that it was conducting
detailed interviews with all of the mechanics.
http://www.nytimes.com/00/03/19/news/national/alk-air-mechanics.html

*** NYT: Qantas May Start No-Frills Service

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- No. 1 Australian carrier Qantas
Airways Ltd. said Sunday would consider starting a no-frills
service to compete with Virgin Airlines, if the British airline
becomes Australia's third domestic carrier. Hinting at a
price-cutting war with Virgin, Qantas chief executive officer
James Strong said the company was considering various options
to compete with Virgin services, including starting its own
low-price airline, or slashing the price of tickets on existing
services.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/f/AP-Australia-Qantas.html

fox1

unread,

Mar 22, 2000, 3:00:00 AM3/22/00

*** WSJ: Qantas Pilot Blames Poor Maintenance For Mishap

SYDNEY (AP)--Cleaning fluid residue in an air conditioning duct
created fumes which forced the flight crew and passengers aboard
a Qantas Airways (A.QAN) flight to don oxygen masks on a flight
between two Australian cities last year, a spokesman said Wednesday.
The plane landed safely, but the captain said the fumes caused crew
in the cockpit to feel dizzy and lightheaded and could have led to
"a catastrophe," according to a report in The Australian newspaper.
The captain complained about lax maintenance in a report to airline
executives, The Australian reported.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** NYT: TWA's mistake exposes email addresses

Trans World Airlines is bracing for turbulence after the company
inadvertently included subscribers' email addresses in an electronic
bulletin--potentially leaking valuable information to marketers and
spammers. By the time TWA programmers could resolve the problem late
last night, the email addresses of 80 percent of TWA's subscribers had
been disclosed, according to the company. None of the people who received
the TWA bulletin received a complete list of all other subscribers.
Instead, most received a chunk of addresses close to their own in an
alphabetical list. For example, a subscriber whose email address started
with "jon" could have received dozens of email addresses beginning with
the letters "jo." TWA would not disclose the number of subscribers to its
bulletin. But spokesman Mark Abels called the number "significant." TWA's
mistake also could expose "Dot Com Deals" subscribers to spammers--people
or organizations that send unsolicited bulk email, or spam.
http://www.nytimes.com/cnet/CNET_0_4_1580221_00.html

*** NYT: NW Airlines Loses Communication

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) -- Northwest Airlines lost most of its
communications lines systemwide for about 2 1/2 hours Tuesday when
an independent contractor hit a fiber-optic cable, leading to
cancellations and delays around the country. About 130 of the
airline's 1,700 daily flights were canceled systemwide, and an
undetermined number were delayed. Schubert said communications
lines went down just after 2 p.m. CST, affecting reservations and
baggage information and the airline's electronic ticketing system.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/f/AP-Northwest-Cable-Cut.html

*** ABCNews: Fly the Angry Skies Irate Passenger Strikes Co-Pilot

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - An irate woman who allegedly entered the
cockpit of an American West jetliner in flight and struck the
co-pilot was arrested Monday. Flight 2186, an Airbus A-320 bound for
Phoenix from New York with 128 passengers and five crew members, was
diverted to Albuquerque because of the disturbance, FBI supervisory
agent Doug Beldon said. Denise Laverne Brown, 39, of New York City,
was arrested at about 5 p.m., Beldon said. "Apparently she refused to
return to her seat, failed to obey the orders of the flight
personnel, became angry, went into the cockpit and struck the
co-pilot," Beldon said. "The passenger was obviously under the
influence of alcohol," Beldon added. Brown, held at the Bernalillo
County Detention Center in Albuquerque, faces a charge of interfering
with a flight crew.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/airline000321.html

*** Japan Red Army man freed in Lebanon --1972 Airport Attack

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - A member of the Japanese Red Army who
participated in a deadly 1972 airport attack in Israel left a
Lebanese prison Tuesday after being granted political asylum. Kozo
Okamoto was driven from the suburban Roumieh penitentiary east of
Beirut to the Justice Ministry in the capital. There, witnesses said
he was let go and driven by supporters to an unknown destination.
Okamoto had been jailed for three years along with four other Red
Army members for illegally entering Lebanon. The others, expelled
from Lebanon to Jordan on Friday, were arrested Saturday in Tokyo.
The Japanese government, which wants to try the five on terrorism
charges, said it plans to keep pushing Lebanon to extradite Okamoto.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565112336-87b

*** WSJ: Boeing Projections Not Surprise, But Challenge

LONGVIEW, Wash. -- News Tuesday that Boeing Co. (BA) doesn't expect
a just-concluded strike to affect its year-end financial projections
didn't surprise Wall Street analysts, although some said meeting the
projections will be a challenge. Boeing confirmed earlier Tuesday that
it expects 2000 revenue of about $50 billion, operating margins of about
7% and free cash flow at about $2.5 billion. The company has backed these
financial projections since last year, and the strike has made no change
in them, the company said. It said, however, that analysts should focus
on the "conservative side" of its margin guidance.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** WSJ: BAE Systems Gets Aircraft Order From Greek Airlines

NEW YORK -- BAE Systems (U.BA), formerly British Aerospace PLC, received
an order for two AvroRJ100 aircrafts from Aegean Airlines, of Athens.
Financial terms weren't disclosed. In a press release Tuesday, BAE Systems
said it expects to deliver the aircrafts in June and July. Separately
Manx/British Regional Airlines agreed to use BAE Systems' Web-based fleet
maintenance and reliability system. The management system, which comes
on-line in June, was developed to facilitate cost saving decisions. The
product will allows users to produce fleet reliability and comparison reports.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** WSJ: 4 Foreign Cos Interested In Dominican State Airline

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP)--The Dominican government
has begun reviewing documents from four foreign companies interested
in reviving the state-owned airline that folded in 1995, an official
said Tuesday. The potential bidders for Dominicana de Aviacion are New
York financial firm Friedman, Turbidy and Co., Venezuela's Aserca Airlines
Lauda Air SPA of Europe and Mexico's Allegro, local media reported. The
state plans to keep a 50% interest in the 56-year-old company.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** WSJ: Clinton Meets Widow Of Man Killed In Indian Air Hijacking

NEW DELHI (AP)--U.S. President Bill Clinton met Tuesday with
the widow and parents of a passenger killed in the December hijacking
of an Indian Airlines Airbus 300, a domestic news agency reported.
Rachna Katyal, who was widowed three weeks after her wedding to Ripan
Katyal, 25, was accompanied by the victim's parents, Chandramohan and
Kusum Katyal, during the 25-minute meeting, Press Trust of India reported.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** NYT: There´s Something Rhyming in the Air and Elsewhere

Increasingly, marketing departments at companies nationwide are
distributing books of poetry, hoping that a few of their customers
will appreciate it. Meanwhile, some corporate executives -- apparently
having had their fill of consultants that promise to "optimize" or
"rationalize" or "compartmentalize" -- are turning instead to poetry
for inspiration. American Airlines is the latest company to jump on
the poetry bandwagon. In April, National Poetry Month, flight attendants
on select international flights will hand out 100,000 copies of a poetry
anthology along with the peanuts. A Chicago-based flight attendant, Eric
W. Bergman, proposed the idea to American Airlines. "People are always
asking for magazines or something to read on the airplane," he said. He
heard about the American Poetry and Literacy Project book giveaways, and
told the airline. "I hoped that our passengers would be excited and that
we'd get some recognition for doing something interesting," he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/financial/columns/032100poetry-adcol.html

*** NYT: US Airways' Strike Deadline Near

WASHINGTON (AP) -- With a strike deadline less than a week away, US
Airways flight attendants are back at the bargaining table in a final
attempt to resolve a three-year contract dispute with the nation's sixth
largest airline. Negotiations aimed at preventing a walkout began Friday
and the carrier is threatening to shut down if a strike occurs. The talks
are being supervised by Ernest DuBester, chairman of the National Mediation
Board, which oversees labor disputes in the transportation industry.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/a/AP-US-Airways-Attendants.html

*** MSNBC: Northwest Airlines resumes flights

CHICAGO, March 21 — Thousands of Northwest Airlines passengers were
stranded for hours after a construction crew cut a fiber optic cable
bringing down data communications at the nation’s fourth largest
airline. The system was up and running again at about 6:15 p.m. ET
and the airline was working to resume normal service.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/385168.asp

*** Update: Arrests made in Oscar statues case

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Two men who worked for the trucking company hired
to deliver Academy Awards statues were charged with stealing the 55
Oscars, all but three of which were found over the weekend beside a
trash bin by a man scavenging for valuables. Police said Monday the
two men hoped to profit from Hollywood's most valued trophy. Bruce
Davis, Academy executive director, said the 52 statues recovered look
fine and some probably will be awarded Sunday. Police said the Oscar
theft was an inside job involving two 10-year employees of Roadway
Express, the company hired to deliver the statues. Anthony Keith Hart
and Lawrence Edward Ledent, both 38, were arrested Saturday and
booked for investigation of grand theft.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565097337-e2b

*** ABCNews: US Airways Workers May Strike Union Seeks End to Dispute

A R L I N G T O N, Va, March 21 — Flying on US Airways this weekend?
You may want to make other arrangements. The airline’s flight attendants’
union, which might strike Saturday, has said it would target random routes
with impromptu walkouts to cause maximum chaos. In response, the airline
said it would shut down rather than subject passengers to unpredictable travel.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/travel/DailyNews/usairways000321.html
*** US Airways warns of strike
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565093354-596

*** WSJ: Airlines in Asia Are Moving Toward Fare Increases

Unlike their peers in the U.S., travelers in Asia have escaped the
impact of higher oil prices because airlines in the region have been
too worried about scaring off returning passengers to raise most
international fares. That could change next month. Members of the
International Air Transport Association, which includes most of the
world's international carriers, quietly decided at a special
fare-coordination conference in Geneva recently to raise published
fares by 2% to 3%. The increases, which would require government
approval, wouldn't cover recently raised fares, nor would they
necessarily apply to all routes.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** WSJ: Australian Regional Airline Impulse Plans Canberra Ops

CANBERRA -- Impulse Airlines, an Australian regional airline
said Wednesday it plans to establish an operations and maintenance
center at Canberra's airport. A spokesman for the company said the
facilities will cost the company over A$20 million and rely on the
capital territory's government providing a package of capital and
incentives valued at A$10 million. Impulse Airlines is a regional
airline that may act as a possible competitor on some domestic
routes with the country's major carriers.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

* Belgian flag airline Sabena said it would start a second daily
flight to New York-JFK from Brussels as of June 1, in a codeshare
arrangement with AMR CORPORATION. Sabena already operates
codeshare with American Airlines to Boston, Chicago and Washington
and will gradually introduce codesharing on domestic U.S. flights
from April 2. Sabena, which is 49.5% owned by Swissair parent
SAirGroup and belongs to the Qualiflyer code-sharing group, said
it would stop flying to Cincinnati from March 26. (Reuters 06:21)

* BOEING CO said it still expects to meet earlier financial
projections for 2000, despite delays in aircraft deliveries
resulting from the 40-day strike by its engineers and technical
workers. Based on a preliminary assessment of the strike by
members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in
Aerospace, Boeing said it still expects 2000 revenues of $50
billion, operating margins of roughly 7 percent, and $2.5 billion
in free cash flow. "At this point, there is some added uncertainty
that a preliminary assessment cannot capture, which we would hope
to mitigate and eliminate as we proceed through our recovery
plan," Boeing CFO Debby Hopkins said. (Reuters 03:55 PM ET)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565114744-3ec

* HAWAIIAN AIRLINES INC reported 4Q EPS of $(0.83) vs $0.01 in the
prior year period, on revenues of $122.4 mln vs $101.6 mln.
Analysts' mean estimates were a loss of $(0.03), according to
First Call. FY 1999 EPS were a loss of $(0.70) vs $0.19. NOTE: 4Q
EPS includes a special non-cash fleet impairment charge. (Reuters)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565107221-3a7

* ING Barings said it had boosted its 2000/2001 EPS estimate for
KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES to 1.29 euros from a loss of 0.47. ING
Barings, which reiterated its hold recommendation, said it
believed about 80% of cost savings from the company's
reorganisation plan would be realised in the 2000/2001 financial
year and the remainder in 2001/2002. No further information
immediately available. (Reuters 04:46 AM ET 03/21/2000)

* LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP has agreed to provide a performance bond
assuring it would repay up to $2 bln to the United Arab Emirates
if the plane maker fails to deliver 80 F-16 fighter jets, the Wall
Street Journal reported Tuesday in its online edition. It cited
unnamed sources close to the matter and said a Lockheed spokesman
acknowledged the agreement. The bond was required as part of the
$6.4 bln deal for the fighter jets. UAE officials routinely
require such bonds when awarding orders to foreign providers.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565104913-3a1
*** Lockheed agrees to repayment bond for F-16 order
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565115029-971

* NORTHWEST AIRLINES CORP on late Monday said it will increase its
fuel surcharge on May 1 to $0.15/kg from $0.10/kg on all
trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic shipments originating in North
America. The surcharge does not apply to U.S.-based domestic
freight shipments, for which Northwest recently implemented a
surcharge of $0.04 a pound. The average spot price for jet fuel
has increased 163% since March 1999, to $0.87 a gallon from about
$0.33, Northwest said. (Reuters 06:06 PM ET 03/20/2000)

http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX
******************************************************************************

* US AIRWAYS GROUP and its flight attendants' union remained at
odds in talks over the weekend and into late Monday, while a
possible shutdown of the No. 6 U.S. airline loomed, sources
familiar with the talks told Reuters. "They're not making any
progress," said one source, who asked not to be named. The sides
resumed talks Friday, in "super-mediation" with the National
Mediation Board (NMB). The intensive negotiations are a final
attempt to agree on a contract for the airline's 10,000 flight
attendants. Failure to reach a deal in four days could mean a
shutdown by the carrier. (Reuters 07:17 PM ET 03/20/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565095822-90e

* US AIRWAYS GROUP Chairman Stephen Wolf-a potential contender for
the top job at British Airways-said he intended to continue with
the the US carrier. Wolf said that to succeed Robert Ayling at the
head of British Airways Plc would be a "terrific opportunity for
someone." "I have a responsibility for US Air and I intend to see
it through," he told a news conference on Tuesday at the handover
of the airline's first Airbus Industrie A330-300 aircraft which
will begin transatlantic services on May 4 to Paris from
Charlotte, North Carolina. (Reuters 12:17 PM ET 03/21/2000)

* The delivery of US AIRWAYS GROUP'S new Airbus Industrie A330-300
aircraft may open the way for the U.S. carrier to join an airline
alliance, the airline's Chairman Stephen Wolf said on Tuesday.
Until now US Air had rejected entering an alliance. "Our aircraft
were already full. We could offer a lot to (prospective) partners
but they couldn't do much for us us.," said Wolf. But the new high
capacity A330, with up to 266 passengers, in a three class layout
changed the situation. (Reuters 12:25 PM ET 03/21/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565111658-acb

* US AIRWAYS GROUP had a difficult January as a result of
negotiations over pay with its 10,000 flight attendants, Chairman
Stephen Wolf said. He said the introduction of a 30 day cooling
off period had seen some business lost and this was "spilling over
and will have some impact in the second quarter." "But we are also
looking more positively towards the second half of the year," Wolf
said, but declined to make any specific comment about the pay
talks. (Reuters 01:04 PM ET 03/21/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565112289-651

******************************************************************************
F E D E R A L A V I A T I O N A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

T U E S D A Y | March 21, 2000 -- Preliminary Accident Reports

******************************************************************************
National Air Disaster Alliance -- http://www.planesafe.org/

NO NEW REPORTS ON FILE.

*** FAA: 121 Air Carrier Accidents & Incidents for March

* 03/06/2000 BURBANK B737 SOPUTHWEST AIRLINES
http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/q_0306_n.txt
* 03/09/2000 SAN JUAN B757 AMERICAN AIRLINES
http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/q_0309_n.txt
* 03/13/2000 NEWARK DC-10 FEDEX
http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/q_0313_n.txt
* 03/14/2000 SFO B727 DELTA AIR LINES
http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/q_0314_n.txt
* 03/16/2000 TAMPA B737 USAIRWAYS
http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/q_0316_n.txt
* 03/16/2000 MIAMI B737 COPA
http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/q_0316_n.txt
* 03/17/2000 SAN FRANCISCO MD-80 ALASKA AIRLINES
http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/q_0317_n.txt

* 03/20/2000 NEW YORK B727 DELTA AIR LINES
http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/q_0320_n.txt

******************************************************************************
N A T I O N A L T R A N S P O R T A T I O N S A F E T Y B O A R D

T U E S D A Y | March 21, 2000 -- Preliminary Accident Reports

******************************************************************************
National Air Disaster Alliance -- http://www.planesafe.org/

NO NEW REPORTS ON FILE.

*** NTSB: 121 Air Carrier Accidents & Incidents for March

* 03/05/2000 NEWARK DC-10 FEDEX
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/NYC/00A086.htm
* 03/05/2000 BURBANK B737-300 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/DCA/00A030.htm

******************************************************************************
A I R L I N E DAILY | 52 WEEK S T O C K R E P O R T

T U E S D A Y | March 21, 2000
******************************************************************************

(00s)
SYMBL SECURITY CLOSE CHANGE VOL
---------------------------------------------------------------------

AIR AAR Corp........................... 20 1/2 -3 3214
AMR AMR Corporation.................... 31 3/8 +1 3/8 21119
ACY Aerocentury Corp................... 6 15/16 + 5/16 26
ACNAF Air Canada Corp.................... 10 5/16 - 1/4 46
AIRT Air T Inc.......................... 3 5/8 + 1/8 46
AAIR AirTran Holdings Inc............... 4 1/4 + 7/32 4610
ABF Airborne Freight................... 20 1/4 + 1/8 4483
ALK Alaska Air Group................... 31 5/8 +1 5/8 3061
AWA America West Holdings Corp......... 15 3/16 + 3/16 1352
AMTR Amtran Inc......................... 16 1/2 unch 33
ACAI Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings In 21 1/4 +1 11/16 2411
CGO Atlas Air Inc...................... 30 1/16 + 3/8 1116
BEAV BE Aerospace....................... 7 1/16 - 1/16 1504
B Barnes Group Inc................... 14 1/4 + 1/16 95
BA Boeing Co.......................... 36 9/16 - 7/16 41534
BAB British Airways.................... 53 3/4 +2 13/16 1105
CEA China Eastern Airlines Corp........ 9 1/4 + 1/8 49
ZNH China Southern Airlines Co Ltd..... 7 1/4 + 3/16 37
CAL/A Continental Airlines Inc........... 41 +1 3/8 21
CAL Continental Airlines Inc........... 40 7/8 +1 9/16 3490
DAL Delta Air Lines.................... 52 3/8 +2 8874
FA Fairchild Corp..................... 6 5/16 - 5/16 468
FDX FedEx Corp......................... 36 5/8 +1 3/16 20920
FRNT Frontier Airlines Inc.............. 11 1/8 + 7/16 473
GLC Galileo International Inc.......... 19 5/8 + 3/16 2154
GLUX Great Lakes Aviation Limited....... 2 19/32 unch 0
HA Hawaiian Airlines Inc.............. 2 7/16 + 3/16 1142
JAPNY Japan Airlines..................... 5 unch 6
KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines........... 19 5/16 + 5/16 258
KTTY Kitty Hawk Inc..................... 4 1/2 - 1/4 799
LFL LAN Chile SA....................... 8 - 1/16 173
LMT Lockheed Martin Corp............... 17 5/16 - 7/16 14392
MAX Mercury Air Group.................. 6 1/2 unch 27
MESA Mesa Air Group Inc................. 5 15/16 + 5/16 479
MAIR Mesaba Holdings Inc................ 11 1/8 + 1/8 1304
MDWY Midway Airlines Corp............... 6 3/8 + 1/4 544
MEH Midwest Express Holding............ 26 15/16 + 1/2 316
NWAC Northwest Airlines Corp............ 19 1/8 + 7/8 7797
PZB Pittston........................... 16 7/16 + 3/8 1202
RYAAY Ryanair Holdings................... 43 1/8 -2 1/8 500
TSG Sabre Holdings Corp................ 40 3/4 -2 1/4 31985
SKYW SkyWest Inc........................ 30 5/8 + 7/16 4481
LUV Southwest Airlines................. 20 3/16 + 5/16 14628
TRW TRW Inc............................ 57 + 9/16 4838

TOWRQ Tower Air Inc...................... 1 1/2 unch 0

TWA Trans World Airlines............... 2 7/16 unch 2411
UAL UAL Corp........................... 55 3/8 +1 3/4 5529
U US Airways Group................... 23 +1 3/16 7415
UCP UniCapital Corp.................... 2 1/4 - 1/8 1687
UPS United Parcel Service.............. 58 3/16 +1 5/8 8890
VIRGY Virgin Express Holdings............ 4 1/16 + 1/16 161
WLDA World Airways Inc.................. 1 1/8 + 9/64 1439

AADFX Amer AAdvant Inst: ShTrmBI x....... 0.00

XAL Amex Airline Index................. 137.51 +4.79

fox1

unread,

Mar 23, 2000, 3:00:00 AM3/23/00

*** I've got a 16 incher in my underpants - Careful!

PARIS (Reuters) - French police on Tuesday caught a man
trying to sneak through customs at a Paris airport with a
snake hidden in his underpants, an airport spokeswoman said.
The 30-year-old Frenchman, who was trying to smuggle the 16
inch boa into Roissy airport from Colombia, was caught out
after a sniffer dog latched on to the reptile's scent through
his bulging trousers, she said. The man told customs officials
he wanted to add the snake -- export of which is outlawed as an
endangered species -- to his reptile collection. The snake was
confiscated and placed in the temporary care of airport officials
who wanted to try it on for size themselves.
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20000321_2047.html

*** Medicine Blamed for Alaska cockpit attack

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A bad reaction to prescription blood pressure
medicine may have caused a man to barge into the cockpit of an
Alaska Airlines jet and attack the crew, his lawyer said. Peter
Bradley, 39, remained jailed Wednesday. Bradley, of Blue
Springs, Mo., is charged with interfering with crew members and
attendants on a March 16 flight from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to
San Francisco. Witnesses said he lunged for the controls, cursing
and shouting ``I'm going to kill you,'' and was wrestled away by
the pilot and subdued by fellow passengers. Bradley, a carpenter
with no criminal record or history of mental health problems, stood
quietly in court while a federal prosecutor argued for his detention
without bail until trial. He could face up to 20 years in prison if
convicted. Defense lawyer Jerrold Ladar told reporters that Bradley
has little recollection of the incident and that tests after the
arrest turned up no signs of illegal drugs or alcohol. Bradley may
have had a reaction to prescription drugs for high blood pressure.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000322/us/brf_cockpit_attack_1.html

*** Forget having privacy on the Net -- Northwest and Trojan Horses

Minnesota: A judge authorizes Northwest Airlines to search the
home computers of 22 flight attendants targeted in a civil suit
between their union and the airline. Northwest claims e-mail and
other records on the computers might prove the workers engaged in
a possibly illegal work action. The Constitution doesn't provide a
specific privacy guarantee, but citizens definitely have a reasonable
and time-honored expectation of privacy. Police can't come into our
homes or record our phone conversations without a court order. We
can't be compelled to testify against ourselves or our spouses. Our
doctors and lawyers can't be forced to divulge personal information
about us. But when it comes to new technology, there are few restraints
on the authorities, and they sure aren't eager to see any imposed.
For every well-intended use of technology, there's an alarming misuse.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/zd/20000322/tc/20000323049.html

*** Travel agents avoid US Air flights

SPRINGFIELD, Va. (AP) - Some travel agents have stopped booking
tickets on US Airways for this weekend because of the airline's
threat to shut down if flight attendants strike on certain routes.
Customers of Alpha Travel Network in Fairfax are being told it's a
bad idea to book flights on US Airways this weekend, although the
agency has continued to sell tickets for flights in later weeks,
manager Mazen Kassem said. Negotiators for the nation's sixth-largest
airline and the Association of Flight Attendants met again Tuesday,
hoping to reach an agreement before the strike deadline of 12:01 a.m.
ET Saturday. That deadline follows a 30-day cooling-off period called
for by the federal National Mediation Board, which oversees labor
talks in the transportation industry.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565132857-2e8

*** Northwest expects normal flights

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) - Northwest Airlines expected to return to normal
operations Wednesday after it was forced to cancel or delay hundreds
of flights around the world when a utility crew accidentally severed
a crucial link in its computer network. Airline spokeswoman Mary Beth
Schubert said communications lines were down for about three hours
Tuesday afternoon, affecting reservations, baggage information,
electronic ticketing and digital links between the airline's dispatch
center and its cockpits. Passengers aboard planes were not in danger,
but Northwest temporarily suspended boarding until the problem was fixed.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565132002-2a8

*** US probers say TWA 800 witness reports little use

WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) - Air safety investigators have
concluded that witness accounts of the 1996 explosion of a TWA
jumbo jet off Long Island, New York, are of little use in their
nearly completed probe of the crash. The National Transportation
Safety Board Tuesday issued the report of its `witness group' that
reviewed 755 records of interviews performed by the Federal Bureau
of Investigation following the July 17, 1996, crash that killed all
230 people on board. The safety board is expected to hold a final
hearing on the crash of TWA flight 800 later this year. Investigators
suspect an electrical fault ignited fuel vapors in the Boeing 747s
nearly empty center fuel tank, breaking the plane apart and sending
it into the sea. Nevertheless, witness accounts of seeing a streak
of light in the sky around the time of the crash have continued to
aid conspiracy theories that a missile could have brought down the
plane. The safety board said that 670 witnesses reported seeing
something judged to be related to the accident and of those 258
saw something that fit the definition of a streak of light.Most of
those streak of light accounts were consistent with the path of
the accident plane, the witness review group said. There were 38
accounts of a streak of light rising straight up, or nearly so, but
these accounts seemed to be inconsistent with the calculated flight
path of the plane. The safety board said some FBI interviewers had
framed their questions in a manner that emphasized aspects relevant
to a missile investigation. The FBI conducted the original interviews
without safety board investigators being present because it initially
believed it was dealing with a criminal probe. NTSB's witness group
said a at least a handful of witness accounts could be cited to
support a variety of theories about the accident.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000321/bc5.html

SEATTLE (AP) - Pat Buchanan (news - web sites) warned Tuesday that
subsidies to Airbus Industrie, a European aerospace consortium, are
a threat to Boeing, the world's No. 1 maker of passenger jets. Buchanan
described Airbus as a `subsidized socialist cartel which is designed by
our European allies to basically take down the American aerospace and
aircraft industry.' Stopping over en route to a Reform Party convention
in Alaska, Buchanan said Airbus already has driven Lockheed and McDonnell
Douglas from the market and `now has Boeing under attack.' He said the
effort is succeeding because `we Americans and our government ... are
asleep at the switch.'
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000321/el/buchanan_15.html

*** McleodUSA Launches Investigation Into Accidental NWA Cable Cut

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 22, 2000--McLeodUSA
has launched an investigation into why telecommunications cables
were cut at a construction site in the Minneapolis area yesterday.
The cables were cut by a contractor working on behalf of McLeodUSA
and affected operations at Northwest Airlines on Tuesday afternoon.
In a letter sent to Northwest Airlines management today and copied
to US West management, McLeodUSA expressed their regret for the flight
delays, cancellations, and confusion caused by the interruption in service.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/000322/ia_mcleodu_1.html

*** Fewer Europe Air Delays Expected

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Flight delays in Europe should be
significantly lower this summer despite an estimated growth
in traffic of 5.3 percent, the organization that coordinates
air traffic management said Wednesday. Eurocontrol, which
deals with 29 European nations, said in a statement that it
was holding to a target of cutting the average delay to 3.5
minutes. That's half the level of last summer, when the air
war over Yugoslavia disrupted commercial flights.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000322/wl/europe_flight_delays_2.html

*** US Air may join air alliance with new A330's

TOULOUSE, France, March 21 (Reuters) - The delivery of US Air's new Airbus

Industrie A330-300 aircraft may open the way for the U.S. carrier to join
an airline alliance, the airline's Chairman Stephen Wolf said on Tuesday.

Until now US Air - the largest airline on the U.S. East coast - had
rejected entering an alliance. US Air's pole position on the U.S.
East coast, a popular destination region for passengers from Europe, should
make it attractive as an eventual partner, he said. It has made a
massive committment to Airbus planes and by end-2000 will be
operating some 90 aircraft from the A320 family series as well as
seven A330-300s.
Next year, it will receive 21 Airbus 321 planes also upgraded to
provide `truly transcontinental' capability.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000321/vd.html

*** Watch your Ash -- Update: Montserrat volcano erupts with fury

SALEM, Montserrat (AP) - After scientists announced in 1998 that
Montserrat's Soufriere Hills volcano had ended a three-year eruption,
weary islanders looked forward to moving back. But the scientists
were wrong. In November, after months of silence, the volcano began
spewing molten rock. And late Monday it briefly exploded, thrusting
glowing rock and a thundering ash cloud six miles high. "This volcano
likes to give us surprises," Gill Norton, director of the Montserrat
Volcano Observatory, said before Monday's explosion. "The longer the
quiet went on, the more certain we were that we had seen the end. But
apparently it wasn't done yet."
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565116115-c31

*** U.S. officials to visit Pan Am 103 Libya Terrorist state

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Clinton administration plans to send a team of
U.S. officials to Libya to assess whether it is safe for Americans to
visit there, the State Department announced Tuesday. Spokesman James
P. Rubin said following the visit, a determination will be made on
whether to remove restrictions on "travel to, in or through Libya."
The State Department's top counter-terrorism official, Michael
Sheehan, outlined the plan in a telephone conference call with family
members of the victims of Pan Am flight 103. Susan Cohen, of Cape May
Court House, N.J., said about 15 families were informed of the plan.
She said the families were told four U.S. officials plan to travel to
Libya for a stay of 26 hours. The U.S. has banned use of American
passports for travel to Libya since 1981 on grounds that conditions
there are unsafe for Americans. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
renewed the ban last November.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565116688-ce0

*** Vanguard Airlines Buys Two Aircraft

KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Vanguard Airlines announced
today that it has taken acquisition of two of six Boeing 737-200 Advanced
aircraft from US Airways Leasing & Sales. Under the terms of the Letter
of Intent (LOI) signed November 9, 1999, the Company will have
purchase options on each of the six aircraft.
http://www.flyvanguard.com/about/presrel/presrel-main.html

**** WSJ: Travel Agents Avoid US Airways

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Some travel agents have stopped booking tickets
on US Airways for this weekend because of the airline's threat to
shut down if flight attendants strike on certain routes. "Until the
situation clears up, I'm not booking US Airways," said Malal Nezam
manager of Advance Travel in Fairfax, Va. Customers of Alpha Travel
Network in Fairfax are being told it is a bad idea to book flights
for this weekend on the US Airways Group Inc. unit, although the
agency has continued to sell tickets for flights in later weeks
manager Mazen Kassem said. Negotiators for the sixth-largest U.S.
airline and the Association of Flight Attendants met again Tuesday.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** US Airways shutdown threat disrupts travel plans

NEW YORK, March 22 (Reuters) - The threat of a shutdown of
US Airways Group Inc. (NYSE:U - news) is disrupting travel
plans, shifting business to other airlines and raising the
prospect that thousands of would-be passengers will have to
stay home this weekend. US Air, which controls about a third
of passenger traffic in the Northeast, has said it will shut
down operations rather than face random strikes by the Association
of Flight Attendants, the union representing its 10K flight attendants.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000322/bch.html

*** Air Canada gets better access to Tokyo, Hong Kong

MONTREAL, March 22 (Reuters) - The Canadian government said
on Wednesday that Canada's two major airlines had gained better
access to the Hong Kong market after negotiations with the Chinese
territory. Also, Ottawa said negotiations with Japan confirmed plans
by Air Canada to serve the Japanese market. The agreement allows for
improved code-sharing between airlines of both countries.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000322/85.html

*** Analysts ponder Boeing stance during SPEEA strike

SEATTLE, March 21 (Reuters) - Boeing suffered only minor financial
damage from a 40-day engineers' strike but may not have gained much
either and could have easily avoided the public relations headache
analysts said on Tuesday. The lost cash from about three dozen late
commercial jet deliveries can easily be made up and the aerospace
giant will barely notice the delays in its military programs
including the Joint Strike Fighter model vying for a contract
worth over $300 billion. Boeing said it was saving about $3.4
million a day by not paying SPEEA strikers, which should more
than offset the $2,500 conditional bonuses it granted to each
of SPEEA's 22,000 members and the health care co-pays Boeing
failed to impose.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000321/bcl.html

*** 4 Days Till Shutdown or Chaos(TM) at US Airways

WASHINGTON, March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Fighting back against
corporate greed at US Airways, flight attendants continue to
press for fairness in contract negotiations. US Airways flight
attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants
AFL-CIO, have been fighting for close to four years for a new
contract. Although the airline has seen five straight years of
profits totaling more than $2.1 billion, and executives have
rewarded themselves with millions in bonuses, the airline is
demanding that flight attendants take major cuts in pay and
benefits totaling 5%.
http://www.afausairways.org

* BOEING CO suffered only minor financial damage from a 40-day
engineers' strike but may not have gained much either and could
have easily avoided the public relations headache, analysts said
late on Tuesday. From the strike's outset on Feb. 9, Wall Street
puzzled over Boeing's negotiating tactics that helped fuel a
walkout by about 18,000 workers represented by the Society of
Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA). With the
white collar union back at work after only minor concessions by
management, analysts pondered why the company went to the mat with
the union in the first place. (Reuters 06:31 PM ET 03/21/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565117029-e00

* TITANIUM METALS CORPORATION said on Wednesday it filed a breach
of contract suit against BOEING CO and is seeking damages in
excess of $600 mln. Under a 1997 agreement Boeing was required to
buy minimum volumes of titanium products from Titanium for each
year of a 10-year contract, Titanium said in a statement. Boeing
officials could not be reached for comment early on Wednesday.
(Reuters 05:14 AM ET 03/22/2000) For the full text story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565128398-097

* VANGUARD AIRLINES INC said Wednesday it has acquired two of six
BOEING CO 737-200 aircraft previously contracted from US Airways
Group Inc. unit US Airways Leasing and Sales. The company said it
has purchase options on the six aircraft. Vanguard Chief Executive
Robert Spane said the aircraft would reduce the average age of the
airline's fleet and support the company's goal of growth in
targeted business markets. Vanguard, which began service in
December 1994, is a low-fare passenger airline serving nine
cities. (Reuters 11:54 AM ET 03/22/2000)

* The Navy said Lockheed Martin Information Systems of Orlando
Florida, a unit of LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP, has received a U.S.
defense contract valued at up to $300 million for the Marine
Corps' master flight simulator plan. The plan provides for
simulator training of air crews in a wide range of Marine Corps
aircraft, ranging from helicopters to fighter jets to KC-130
refuelling tanker planes. The contract work is expected to be
completed by March, 2007, the Navy said. (Reuters 05:27 PM ET)

******************************************************************************
Free issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology weekly Magazine...!!!
http://specialoffer.com/aviationweek/welcome.cgi?source=IOAS121-IOAS139
******************************************************************************

* NORTHWEST AIRLINES CORP said that service had returned to normal
a day after a severed communications cable caused the nation's
fourth-largest airline to delay or cancel hundreds of flights.
Northwest canceled 130 of its 1,700 flights Tuesday and had delays
on most of its afternoon and evening flights after a construction
crew cut through a communications line operated by U S West Inc,
the airline said. The cut occurred near a Northwest computer
center, disrupting its internal data network for three hours. The
incident interfered with the airline's ability to issue boarding
passes and to make sure weight was distributed evenly throughout
the aircraft. (Reuters 02:10 PM ET 03/22/2000)

* US AIRWAYS GROUP flight attendants were girding for a strike but
holding out hope for a last-minute settlement as a strike deadline
loomed in their three-year contract battle with the nation's
sixth-largest airline, union picketers said on Wednesday. Three
days before a mandatory 30-day cooling-off period ends early on
Saturday, flight attendants walking a picket line outside
Charlotte-Douglas International airport, one of the airlines'
major hubs, remained committed to striking random flights unless
talks yield progress toward a new pact. (Reuters 03:15 PM ET)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565136839-122

******************************************************************************
F E D E R A L A V I A T I O N A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

W E D N E S D A Y | March 22, 2000 -- Preliminary Accident Reports

******************************************************************************
National Air Disaster Alliance -- http://www.planesafe.org/

*** FAA: Company ships flammable liquid aboard airline

CHICAGO, IL, March 21, 2000 – The Federal Aviation
Administration has proposed to assess a $90,000 civil penalty
against Superior Foam Division, Koala Corporation, for allegedly
violating Department of Transportation hazardous materials
regulations. The action stems from an incident that occurred on
or about May 13, 1999. The FAA alleges that Superior Foam offered
a shipment of hazardous materials to Emery for transportation by
air. These materials consisted of one wooden crate bearing no
orientation or identification markings, and no labels. The shipment
was flown from Austin, Texas, to an Emery sort facility in Dayton
Ohio. There, ground-handling personnel noticed the shipment emitted
an odor. Upon opening the crate, Emery personnel discovered eight (8)
1-gallon cans of adhesive, a packing group II flammable liquid. These
items were not properly prepared for transportation as required by federal
regulations. In addition, Superior Foam failed to make required emergency
response information available.
http://www.faa.gov/apa/pr/pr.cfm?id=1004

*** FAA: PSA targeted by FAA for improper maintenance on Dornier 328

CHICAGO, IL, March 21, 2000 – The Federal Aviation
Administration has issued a letter seeing to recover a civil penalty
of $75,000 against PSA Airlines, Inc., flying as US Airways
Express, Dayton, Ohio, for allegedly performing improper
maintenance on one of its aircraft, then operating that aircraft
when it was not in an airworthy condition. The FAA discovered the
potential violation through a routine surveillance inspection.
Under Federal Aviation Regulations, the airline was permitted to
defer maintenance for a specified period of time on an inoperative
ice detection system that was part of a Dornier 328 turboprop
transport aircraft. However, the FAA alleges that during this
deferred maintenance period, PSA Airlines disconnected the
illuminated cockpit warning signal that indicated the ice detection
system was inoperative, thereby rendering the aircraft
unairworthy. Workers failed to use technical data approved by
the FAA when this alteration was performed. The airline also failed
to make a complete entry in the maintenance record describing
the work performed. The aircraft flew on 86 passenger flights between
June 12, 1998, and September 3, 1998. During this time it was
unairworthy because it did not meet FAA maintenance requirements
(improper maintenance and documentation).
http://www.faa.gov/apa/pr/pr.cfm?id=1003

*** FAA: Company ships flammable liquids in violation on FedEx

CHICAGO, IL, March 21, 2000 – The Federal Aviation
Administration has proposed to assess a $70,000 civil penalty
against SummerSet Products, Inc., Rosemount, MN, for allegedly
violating Department of Transportation hazardous materials
regulations. The action stems from an incident that occurred
on or about May 3, 1999. SummerSet offered the shipment to
Federal Express for transportation by air and Federal Express
transported the shipment by ground to its sort facility at the
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Minneapolis.
Sort facility employees examined the shipment because one of
the packages had failed and exhibited stains. When they opened
the first box, they found two (2) 2.5-gal plastic cans of organic
herbicide concentrate. The other box contained two (2) 2.5-gal
plastic cans of ready-to-use herbicide. Further investigation
showed a small amount of liquid from one of the cans in the
second box had leaked through the second fiberboard container.
http://www.faa.gov/apa/pr/pr.cfm?id=1002

*** FAA: Toyota may be fined for improper shipments on FedEx

KANSAS CITY, MO, March 21, 2000 – The Federal Aviation
Administration has proposed to assess a $860,000 civil penalty
against Toyota Motor Sales, USA, for allegedly violating the
Department of Transportation hazardous materials regulations.
The two-count case involves nine shipments that Toyota offered
to the Federal Express in early 1998, for transportation by air
from Kansas City International Airport.
One of the fiberboard boxes, which contained a shock absorber,
was offered to Federal Express on February 26, 1998. Six of the
fiberboard boxes, each containing a shock absorber or paint, were
offered to Federal Express on March 17, 1998. One box,
containing a shock absorber, was offered to the same Federal
Express facility on April 3, 1998. One box, containing paint, was
offered to Federal Express on April 6, 1998.
The first shipment was discovered on February 26, when Federal
Express noticed Toyota had offered a box for shipment that was
marked “Articles, Pressurized Pneumatic” that did not feature the
required box labels or indication by shipping papers that hazardous
materials were contained therein. After this incident, Toyota
offered eight additional shipments of hazardous materials for
transportation by air without the appropriate labels or hazmat
documentation.
http://www.faa.gov/apa/pr/pr.cfm?id=1001

*** FAA: Company ships flammable liquids via UPS

The Federal Aviation Administration, Southern Region, has
proposed to assess a $66,000 civil penalty against McCoy's of
Brownsville, Texas, for allegedly violating Department of
Transportation hazardous materials regulations.
FAA alleges that McCoy's improperly offered a fiberboard box
containing 12 one-quart metal containers of oil-based stain, a
flammable liquid, to United Parcel Service for transportation by
air. Ground handling employees at the UPS sort facility
discovered the contents of the shipment had leaked.
McCoy's offered the hazardous materials for transportation when
they were not packaged, labeled, marked, classed, described,
documented, or in condition for shipment as required by
regulations. McCoy's also failed to ensure employees were
trained to properly package and handle hazardous materials, and
did not make available at all times the required emergency
response information.
http://www.faa.gov/apa/pr/pr.cfm?id=1007

NO NEW REPORTS ON FILE.

*** FAA: 121 Air Carrier Accidents & Incidents for March

******************************************************************************
N A T I O N A L T R A N S P O R T A T I O N S A F E T Y B O A R D

W E D N E S D A Y | March 22, 2000 -- Preliminary Accident Reports

******************************************************************************
National Air Disaster Alliance -- http://www.planesafe.org/

*** NTSB: Crew member injuried after aircraft "jolt" ASA

NTSB Identification: MIA00LA108
Scheduled 14 CFR 121 operation of ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST AIRLINES
Accident occurred MAR-10-00 at ATHENS, GA
Aircraft: Aerospatiale ATR-72-212, registration: N636AS
Injuries: 1 Serious, 26 Uninjured.
On March 10, 2000, about 1308 eastern standard time, an Aerospatiale
ATR-72-212, N636AS, registered to First Security National Bank, NA,
operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Inc., as a Title 14 CFR Part
121 scheduled air carrier flight number 4163, sustained a cabin
crewmember injury while in cruise flight 12 miles northwest of Athens
Georgia at 15,000 feet msl. The ATP-rated pilot, the commercially-rated
copilot another cabin crewmember, and 23 passengers were not injured.
Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight
plan had been filed. The flight originated from Atlanta about 20 minutes
before the accident. According to the pilot's statement, the flight was
en route to Greenville-Spartanburg, at 15,000 feet msl, passing northwest
of cloud buildups that did not show on the airborne weather radar, with
the seat belt sign illuminated when the aircraft passed through the edge
of a cloud. The aircraft experienced a hard jolt, followed by moderate
turbulence, and the cockpit received a cabin interphone report that one
flight attendant and two passengers received possible injuries. Upon landing
the two passengers were determined by medical personnel not to be seriously
injured and the flight attendant was transported to a hospital. On March 15
2000, the NTSB was notified by the airline's FAA Principal Operating Inspector
that the flight attendant had sustained a broken left ankle and right toe.
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/MIA/00A108.htm

*** NTSB: 121 Air Carrier Accidents & Incidents for March

* 03/05/2000 NEWARK DC-10 FEDEX
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/NYC/00A086.htm
* 03/05/2000 BURBANK B737-300 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/DCA/00A030.htm

******************************************************************************
A I R L I N E DAILY | 52 WEEK S T O C K R E P O R T

W E D N E S D A Y | March 22, 2000
******************************************************************************

(00s)
SYMBL SECURITY CLOSE CHANGE VOL
---------------------------------------------------------------------

AIR AAR Corp........................... 18 9/16 -1 15/16 3147
AMR AMR Corporation.................... 30 1/8 -1 1/4 14521
ACY Aerocentury Corp................... 7 1/4 + 5/16 74
ACNAF Air Canada Corp.................... 10 5/8 + 5/16 59
AIRT Air T Inc.......................... 3 3/4 + 1/8 81
AAIR AirTran Holdings Inc............... 4 3/8 + 1/8 2691
ABF Airborne Freight................... 20 7/8 + 5/8 3097
ALK Alaska Air Group................... 28 15/16 -2 11/16 8373
AWA America West Holdings Corp......... 15 1/16 - 1/8 1411
AMTR Amtran Inc......................... 16 15/16 + 7/16 132
ACAI Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings In 21 9/16 + 5/16 1993
CGO Atlas Air Inc...................... 29 7/8 - 3/16 704
BEAV BE Aerospace....................... 7 1/8 + 1/16 944
B Barnes Group Inc................... 14 13/16 + 9/16 202
BA Boeing Co.......................... 36 3/8 - 3/16 33586
BAB British Airways.................... 54 1/4 + 1/2 730
CEA China Eastern Airlines Corp........ 9 3/8 + 1/8 37
ZNH China Southern Airlines Co Ltd..... 7 3/8 + 1/8 32
CAL/A Continental Airlines Inc........... 39 15/16 -1 1/16 36
CAL Continental Airlines Inc........... 40 - 7/8 5674
DAL Delta Air Lines.................... 50 1/2 -1 7/8 10110
FA Fairchild Corp..................... 6 5/16 unch 650
FDX FedEx Corp......................... 37 + 3/8 22053
FRNT Frontier Airlines Inc.............. 11 3/16 + 1/16 1247
GLC Galileo International Inc.......... 20 1/4 + 5/8 4792
GLUX Great Lakes Aviation Limited....... 2 1/2 - 3/32 40
HA Hawaiian Airlines Inc.............. 2 1/2 + 1/16 1191
JAPNY Japan Airlines..................... 4 1/2 - 1/2 121
KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines........... 19 1/2 + 3/16 275
KTTY Kitty Hawk Inc..................... 4 7/16 - 1/16 1054
LFL LAN Chile SA....................... 8 1/4 + 1/4 523
LMT Lockheed Martin Corp............... 17 1/8 - 3/16 14245
MAX Mercury Air Group.................. 6 3/16 - 5/16 81
MESA Mesa Air Group Inc................. 5 7/8 - 1/16 715
MAIR Mesaba Holdings Inc................ 11 - 1/8 1129
MDWY Midway Airlines Corp............... 6 7/16 + 1/16 408
MEH Midwest Express Holding............ 26 13/16 - 1/8 711
NWAC Northwest Airlines Corp............ 18 15/16 - 3/16 5226
PZB Pittston........................... 16 3/4 + 5/16 2021
RYAAY Ryanair Holdings................... 42 -1 1/8 523
TSG Sabre Holdings Corp................ 41 1/4 + 1/2 24786
SKYW SkyWest Inc........................ 29 15/32 -1 9/64 2622
LUV Southwest Airlines................. 19 9/16 - 5/8 12877
TRW TRW Inc............................ 55 15/16 -1 1/16 7151

TOWRQ Tower Air Inc...................... 1 1/2 unch 0

TWA Trans World Airlines............... 2 1/2 + 1/16 1953
UAL UAL Corp........................... 55 - 3/8 5299
U US Airways Group................... 22 5/8 - 3/8 5967
UCP UniCapital Corp.................... 2 3/4 + 1/2 2902
UPS United Parcel Service.............. 56 7/8 -1 5/16 7631
VIRGY Virgin Express Holdings............ 4 1/16 unch 26
WLDA World Airways Inc.................. 1 1/8 unch 5803

AADFX Amer AAdvant Inst: ShTrmBI x....... 0.00

XAL Amex Airline Index................. 133.87 -3.64

fox1

unread,

Mar 24, 2000, 3:00:00 AM3/24/00

NEW YORK (AP) - Two Wall Street brokerage firms where sexual
harassment was said to be so pervasive that a prosecutor compared it
to "Animal House" have settled a $10 million lawsuit brought by the
state. Under the agreement announced Thursday by state Attorney
General Eliot Spitzer, harassed female workers and minority employees
subjected to sexual or racial epithets are eligible for a financial
settlement from Garban LLC and its affiliated firm, Garvin Guy
Butler. The deal allows female and minority workers who were at the
firm between September 1996 and September 1998 to seek damages,
regardless of the statute of limitations.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565156151-194

* Upcoming Stories: Sexual Harassment and Airline Safety
Best Managed Airline does not Manage rape well
Sky-High Fines -- Delta Tops the List
http://airlinebiz.com/delta.series

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Airlines are looking for ways to reinforce
cockpit doors following an incident this month in which a 250-pound
man attacked a co-pilot, lunged for the controls and shouted: `I'm
going to kill you.' American, Alaska, Northwest, Delta and TWA airlines
said Thursday they were seeking to modify and strengthen bi-fold cockpit
doors that are standard on certain planes, including DC-9s and MD-80s.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/f/AP-Cockpit-Doors.html

*** Thursday March 23 7:02 PM ET Today In History

Today's Highlight in History:
One year ago: The National Transportation Safety Board concluded
that Boeing 737 rudder problems caused two fatal airline crashes
and nearly triggered a third.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000323/us/history_579.html

*** MSNBC: US Airways: Other airlines to honor tickets if strike occurs

NEW YORK, March 23 — US Airways said Thursday it has arranged for other
airlines and the Amtrak train line to honor its tickets in the event of a
shutdown by the No. 6 U.S. airline.Arlington, Va.-based US Airways has said
it will cease operations rather than be subjected to random strikes threatened
by its flight attendants’ union. The carrier and the Association of Flight
Attendants are in final talks for a new contract.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/384634.asp

*** BBC: Transport boost for Scots

Aircraft provide lifeline services in remote areas Chancellor
Gordon Brown has announced a Budget boost for transport in
Scotland. The abolition of air passenger duty for flights from
Highlands and Islands airports has been welcomed as has a reduction
of 5% on budget flights within the UK. The chancellor has also allocated
an extra £280m for transport in the UK, from which Scotland could benefit
up to £28m. The abolition of air passenger duty from the Highlands and
Islands has been welcomed by the Inverness Chamber of Commerce.
http://news2.thls.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/scotland/newsid%5F685000/685691.stm

*** BBC: Jobs delight for aviation workers

There will be jobs from research to construction Thousands of UK aerospace
workers are looking forward to a more secure future now the Airbus A3XX
project is going ahead. The UK Government has provided £530m of funding to
BAE Systems to enable it to develop the wings for the new super-Jumbo.
It had been feared that the work would go to Germany. The loan means that
22,000 jobs could be created at BAE and its suppliers, and another 60,000
will be safeguarded.
http://news2.thls.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid%5F676000/676092.stm

*** BBC: Prescott resists US anti-terror plan

US proposals would affect Virgin and BA UK Deputy Prime Minister John
Prescott has the backing of UK airlines in resisting American attempts
to impose their own anti-terrorist measures on UK companies flying to
the US. Under proposals currently before the US Congress, legislators
hope to bring in US security agents and procedures on flights run by
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic from Heathrow and Gatwick. But in
a letter to his American counterpart on transport, Rodney Slater Mr
Prescott said the plans to force other countries to use identical
security programmes to US companies was an unacceptable "infringement
on UK sovereignty". A spokesman for Virgin airlines responded to the
news saying: "We completely agree with Mr Prescott.
http://news2.thls.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk%5Fpolitics/newsid%5F677000/677000.stm

*** BBC: The Super-Jumbo Fact File

The European commercial aircraft organisation Airbus is betting its future
on the development of a new generation of super-Jumbos, which will be capable
of flying more people further than any other commercial airliner. BBC News
Online gives some details of the project. The A3XX:
* Size: Wingspan 80m, Length 67.4-78.9m
* Passengers: 480-656
* Range: approx 8,500 miles (16,200km)
* Engines: four Rolls-Royce or Pratt-Whitney-General Electric engines
* On-board services: shops, sleeping areas, creche and exercise room
* Development costs: $10bn-$12bn (£6bn-£8bn)
* Date in service: 2005 to 2007
* Estimated cost of each plane: $220m-250m
* Estimated market: 1,300 planes over 20 years
* Assembly sites: Broughton in north Wales; Hamburg: Toulouse
* Possible launch customers: British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa
Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines, Cathy Pacific, Virgin
* Jobs: 60,000 (22,000 at BAE Systems)
http://news2.thls.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid%5F675000/675654.stm

*** BBC: The height of luxury

The new Airbus plane promises class and comfort For some people
flying will never be a comfortable experience. But increasingly
airlines are taking steps to make it as pleasant - and in some
cases as luxurious- as possible. The sheer size of the proposed
Airbus A3XX - now likely to get off the ground after funding from
the UK Government - makes it a pioneer. But the specifications
inside the aircraft indicate that air travel is moving into a new
era of comfort. It is likely to include lounges, a separate
restaurant, shops and even a gym.
http://news2.thls.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid%5F675000/675865.stm

*** NYT: Wishing Hard for a Smooth Return Flight

Joe Kegler and Karen Roy were heading yesterday to Orlando for
a short Disney World vacation, but as they waited to check in at
the US Airways counter at La Guardia Airport they worried how they
would get back home to Connecticut on Sunday if the airline shuts
down in a labor dispute. These reactions -- and the accounts by
travelers who have already rebooked from US Airways to other carriers
for trips in the next few weeks -- reflected the mix of concern
indifference, frustration and foresight voiced by passengers at airports
across the United States as they faced the prospect of being unable to fly
soon on the nation's sixth-largest airline.
http://www.nytimes.com/00/03/23/news/financial/usairways-strike.html

*** FedEx net income increases 45%

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - FedEx Corp. reported its third-quarter earnings
rose 45% although soaring fuel costs raised its expenses by more than
$100 million. The overnight delivery company said Thursday its net
income came to $113 million, or 39 cents per share, for the quarter
ended Feb. 29, compared to $78 million, or 26 cents per share, in the
same period a year ago. The results beat the 34 cents per share in
operating earnings forecast by analysts surveyed by First
Call/Thomson Financial. Revenue came to $4.5 billion, up 10% from
$4.1 billion. Company officials cited growth in the company's
International Priority service, where average daily volume increased
14%, for the strong results.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565157460-a87

*** Doubts Raised About U.S. Runway Warning System

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New airport safety equipment to prevent
on-the-ground collisions may fail to give air traffic controllers
enough time to avert such disasters, a congressional committee heard
Wednesday. National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jim Hall said a
computer simulation of the equipment's performance using data from a
near miss in Chicago last year showed it would have given controllers just
six seconds warning. After years of delays and cost overruns, FAA plans to
begin deploying the equipment -- the Airport Movement Area Safety System
(AMASS) -- starting at the San Francisco International Airport in September.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Jane Garvey told the subcommittee
that her agency realized the seriousness of the problem.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000322/pl/airlines_safety_2.html

*** SWFIA: Condor German Airlines Comes to Southwest Florida Int'l Airport

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 20, 2000) - Condor German Airlines will begin weekly
service between Frankfurt, Germany, and Southwest Florida International
Airport May 7, 2000. Airport officials made the announcement during the
International Tourism Bourse (ITB), held in Berlin last week. The new flight
will stop in Tampa before arriving in Fort Myers, and will return
nonstop to Frankfurt. The airline will use 269-seat Boeing 767-300 aircraft
on the new route. Fort Myers joins Tampa and Fort Lauderdale as the Florida
cities served by Condor, the leisure-travel carrier of Lufthansa
German Airlines.
http://www.SWFIA.com/rswpress/2000/condorsvs.html

*** MIAMI HERALD: Airport tower flaws -- FAA told before construction

The air-traffic controllers union warned the Federal Aviation
Administration of design flaws in the controversial new air traffic
control tower at Miami International Airport two years before
construction started -- but the agency refused to modify the design
federal records show. The union first complained about the tower
design in August 1996; work on the facility began in August 1998.
The FAA decided last week to slow down construction work while the
agency conducts an engineering review of the nearly completed $18
million tower's visibility problems.
http://www.herald.com/content/today/docs/014908.htm

*** SEATTLE TIMES: Alaska Air: Don't talk to FAA without OK

Alaska Airlines sent a memorandum to its employees Monday telling
them to refer all inquiries from federal investigators to top company
officials. The memo, from Vice President of Maintenance Bill Weaver to
"all maintenance and engineering employees," notes that the National
Transportation Safety Board is looking into the fatal crash of Alaska
Flight 261 and that the Federal Aviation Administration and federal
prosecutors are investigating the airline's maintenance practices.
A copy of the memo was provided to The Seattle Times yesterday by an
Alaska employee who said he was concerned that company officials were
trying to stymie federal investigators. Alaska spokesman Jack Evans
said last night that the memo was meant to refer only to FAA inquiries
not to keep employees from talking with federal prosecutors, FBI
agents or the Department of Transportation agents who for the past 15
months have been investigating practices at Alaska's OAK mx facility.
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/local/html98/faaa_20000316.html

*** NYT: New Systems for Controllers May Ease Air Traffic Woes

MEMPHIS -- A red warning on a screen told an air traffic controller
here that two west-bound passenger jets, flying 100 miles apart over
Tennessee and Alabama, were on courses that would intersect 250 miles
ahead, setting up a possible collision over Arkansas. Jim Ashe, a flight
controller in Memphis, quickly set a new course for American Airlines 843
ensuring that it would get no closer than 5 miles to United 1801 -- and
as a bonus, shortening its route. The warning turned from red to yellow.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/yr/mo/biztech/articles/23traffic.html

*** Doubts Raised About U.S. Runway Warning System

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New airport safety equipment to prevent
on-the-ground collisions may fail to give air traffic controllers enough
time to avert such disasters, a congressional committee heard Wednesday.
National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jim Hall said a computer
simulation of the equipment's performance using data from a near miss in
Chicago last year showed it would have given controllers just six seconds
warning. After years of delays and cost overruns, FAA plans to begin
deploying the equipment -- the Airport Movement Area Safety System
(AMASS) -- starting at the San Francisco International Airport in September.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000322/pl/airlines_safety_1.html

*** NYT: Airplane Flight Recorders: The Boxes That Live to Tell the Tale

Before the mid-1950’s, commercial passenger aircraft looked much like
the one that parted Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart at the end of
“Casablanca” — they had propellers on each wing, and they flew at what
we would now consider a leisurely pace. It was not until the British company
de Havilland leveraged wartime research on jet propulsion into a
commercial jet airliner called the Comet that rapid air transport became
feasible. The Comet was able to fly faster and higher than propeller planes
and it was put into service three years before any other company could produce
a competing jet.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/03/circuits/articles/09howw.html

*** US FAA operations seen shortchanged by recent bill

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration
was warned Wednesday to watch its spending on expenses such as
salaries because of recent legislation that emphasized money for airport
improvements and air traffic control equipment. The $40 billion three-year
bill which cleared Congress last week assumes generous increases in spending
that are only partially covered by the airport trust fund that is replenished
by various ticket and fuel taxes. The last item to be paid for from the trust
fund will be operations, forcing the FAA to engage in an uncertain competition
for general revenues each year to make up the difference.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000322/8e.html

*** Huge iceberg breaks from Antarctica

WASHINGTON (AP) - An iceberg about twice the size of Delaware has
broken off from the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica and could drift into
shipping lanes around the South Polar region. The elongated iceberg,
detected by satellites, measures 183 miles by 22 miles and is among
the largest ever observed, according to the National Science
Foundation, which coordinates American research at the South Pole.
Scientists estimated that the iceberg surface area is about 4,247
square miles. Delaware is 1,932 square miles. Calving of the iceberg
moved the boundary of the Ross Ice Shelf southward about 25 miles.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565155498-f77

*** AW&ST: U.K. Cuts Some Air Passenger Taxes

Britain is cutting taxes for passengers flying coach within
Europe, but holding fast on taxes for travelers flying beyond
Europe’s borders and boosting duties on First and Club-class
passengers flying outside Europe. “These changes will make the
duty fairer by bringing the rate of duty more in line with the
cost of travel,” explains the U.K.’s Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Beginning April 5, 2001, taxes on economy flights within the European
Economic Area (EEA) will be halved to $8, though economy passengers
flying to destinations outside the EEA will continue to pay the $32
return tax. For those traveling First or Club class outside the EEA
today’s $16 duty jumps to $64. The existing $16 passenger tax for
travel within the EEA remains. Passengers flying from airports in the
Scottish Highlands and Islands will soon not have to pay passenger tax
at all, an exemption recognizing the region’s remoteness and dependence
on air travel as part of everyday life. In the 1998/99 budget year, Britain
raised $1.339 billion from air travel taxes. The Exchequer estimates next
year’s cuts will cost the government $128 million.
http://specialoffer.com/aviationweek/welcome.cgi?source=IOAS121-IOAS139

*** AW&ST: Delta Air Lines Modifying Logo

Delta Air Lines has unveiled a new look that modernizes the air
carrier’s famous delta-shaped widget and brings a colorful flowing image
to the tails of its aircraft. The new logo also drops “Air Lines” and will
read, simply, Delta. Delta unveiled the new livery on a Boeing 777 Wednesday
at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. "Ultimately, we are
evolving as an airline, and our look has to evolve with it,”
explained Frederick
W. Reid Delta’s executive VP and chief marketing officer. “We recognize the
emotional connection that loyal passengers and Delta employees have with our
logo and name as core elements of our brand, and changing them was not a
decision we took lightly."
http://specialoffer.com/aviationweek/welcome.cgi?source=IOAS121-IOAS139
* New Delta Air Lines New Colors (Photos)
http://justplanes.com/images/DL4.jpg
http://justplanes.com/images/DL3.jpg
http://justplanes.com/images/DL2.jpg
http://justplanes.com/images/DL1.jpg

*** AW&ST: U.S. BAe-146/Avro RJ Operators Face $9.3M In Engine Fixes

FAA Thursday issued its second significant BAe-146/Avro RJ rule in two
days, this time calling for major work on the jets' engines that could cost
U.S. operators $9.3 million. FAA mandated a pair of British Aerospace/BAe
Systems service bulletins calling for work on Lycoming ALF502 and LF507 No.
4 and No. 5 bearing systems hardware, including a modified fourth turbine
rotor disk. Estimated cost for the 300 U.S.-registered engines is
$31,200 per engine, or $124,800 per aircraft, FAA said. The rule supersedes
two others and specifies that some of the work be done before further flight
once it becomes effective on April 27. FAA estimated that there are 1,200
engines outside the U.S. that would need the mod, raising the potential total
cost to $46.8 million for the fleet.
http://specialoffer.com/aviationweek/welcome.cgi?source=IOAS121-IOAS139

*** AW&ST: Almost Three-Quarters Of Alaska Air Wreckage Recovered

With about three-quarters of the wreckage of Alaska Airlines Flight 261
in hand, NTSB investigators are close to wrapping up recovery operations.
The agency expects to issue an update on the crash probe’s progress within
the next few days. The MD-83 jetliner plunged into the Pacific on Jan. 31
killing all 88 people aboard. The flight, headed to San Francisco and Seattle
from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, was trying to make an emergency landing in Los
Angeles after crew members reported problems with the plane's rear stabilizer
a mechanism that controls the plane's pitch. The NTSB probe has focused

on the aircraft's control mechanisms, including damage to a component called

the jackscrew which controls the up and down movement of the stabilizer.

Flight 261's jackscrew was found with the shredded remains of a nut that

the screw moves through. Meanwhile the Ventura County coroner has identified
the remains of 58 victims. Officials say DNA analysis may be required to
identify the rest of the victims.
http://specialoffer.com/aviationweek/welcome.cgi?source=IOAS121-IOAS139

*** AW&ST: American Eagle Incident Closes Killeen Airport

Killeen Municipal Airport in Texas is closed this morning and will remain
closed until an American Eagle Saab 340 turboprop airliner that ran off
a runway last night has been recovered. The aircraft overran Runway 01 Tuesday
night and came to a halt in a drainage ditch, where it remains this morning
said Killeen aviation director Don Christian. The aircraft’s nose
landing gear collapsed, but it’s not known how that may have contributed to
the accident. One of the 33 passengers and three crewmembers on board
the flight was taken last night to a local hospital for observation. The
flight departed Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport at 6:12 p.m. Central
time and landed on a wet runway in Killeen at about 7:05 p.m. It came to a
stop 175 ft. beyond the runway. The airport reported weather conditions as
three-quarters of a mile visibility, light drizzle and an easterly wind at
nine mph. Apart from confirming the incident American won’t comment pending
the outcome of the investigation.
http://specialoffer.com/aviationweek/welcome.cgi?source=IOAS121-IOAS139

*** AW&ST: Without Customers, BAe Launches New Small Jet Family

British Aerospace Tuesday officially launched its BAe RJX family
of regional jetliners, but without a launch customer. “We are
confident of finalizing initial Avro RJX orders in the near future,”
declared Mike O’Callaghan, BAe’s managing director for regional aircraft.
Based on British Aerospace’s 146/Avro RJ series, the RJX family spans
70-110 seats in three models – the RJX-70, RJX-85 and RJX-100 series,
all powered by the new AS900 turbofan engine, developed by
AlliedSignal Aerospace
now part of Honeywell following a merger. The first RJX-85 and RJX-100 aircraft
are in early stages of assembly in Woodford, England, and the first customer
delivery is slated for September, 2001. The company claims that with
a 500-pound
decrease in empty weight, the new planes will burn 15% less fuel, fly
17% further and cost 20% less to maintain than current-generation Avro RJs.
http://specialoffer.com/aviationweek/welcome.cgi?source=IOAS121-IOAS139

*** US FAA operations seen shortchanged by recent bill

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration
was warned Wednesday to watch its spending on expenses such as salaries
because of recent legislation that emphasized money for airport
improvements and air traffic control equipment. The $40 billion three-year
bill which cleared Congress last week assumes generous increases in spending
that are only partially covered by the airport trust fund that is replenished
by various ticket and fuel taxes.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000322/8e.html

*** Cardiologist Calls On FAA To Require Emergency Medical Equipment

NEW YORK, March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the nation's leading
cardiologists is calling upon the Federal Aviation Administration to
require emergency medical equipment on all commercial airline flights
to help heart attack victims. The physician, Dr. Martin B. Leon, president
and CEO of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, said that the FAA should
also make Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training mandatory for all
flight attendants. Some airlines have already voluntarily equipped their
planes with a small battery-powered monitor/defibrillator, which costs $3k.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/000322/ny_crf_faa_1.html

*** Boeing CFO sees no market for Airbus A3XX

SEATTLE, March 22 (Reuters) - Boeing Chief Financial Officer Debby Hopkins
on Wednesday reiterated the U.S. aerospace giant's skepticism of rival Airbus
Industrie's plan to build a 650-seat super jumbo jet, the A3XX. Calling
the A3XX `a cruise ship in the sky', Hopkins said the project, which would
cost more than $12 billion to develop, made no sense given Boeing's forecast
for rising demand for smaller and mid-sized commercial jets.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000323/u.html

*** US Airways Flight Attendants Gird for Strike

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Reuters) - US Airways flight attendants were girding

for a strike but holding out hope for a last-minute settlement as a

deadline loomed in their three-year contract battle with the sixth-largest
U.S. airline, union picketers said on Wednesday. Three days before a

mandatory 30-day cooling-off period ends early on Saturday, flight
attendants walking a picket line outside Charlotte-Douglas International

airport, one of the airline's major hubs, remained committed to striking

random flights unless talks yield progress toward a new pact.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000322/ts/usairways_strike_2.html
*** 2 Days And Counting ... CHAOS Dry Run Planned in Philadelphia
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/000323/dc_afa_us__1.html
*** Charlotte Business Leader Urged To Speak Out
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/000323/nc_afa_us__1.html

*** Travelers prepare for US Air strike

(AP) - US Airways ticketholders scrambled to revise vacation plans,
airlines readied for an onslaught of stranded passengers and flight
attendants demonstrated at airports from Los Angeles to Boston
Wednesday as the travel industry braced for a potential shutdown by
US Airways. The Arlington, Va.-based airline, the nation's
sixth-largest, has said it will shut down Saturday rather than face
random walkouts by its 10,000 flight attendants, who want increased
pay and benefits. The flight attendants have threatened to disrupt
flights on 49 of the airline's busiest routes, a strategy they have
dubbed CHAOS, for "Create Havoc Around Our System." Wendy Lathrope,
28, of Williamstown, N.J., fretted about her return flight to
Philadelphia from Orlando, Fla., next Tuesday.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565139122-93a

*** Parts of plane found in Panama

PANAMA CITY (AP) - The remains of a Panamanian plane missing for five
days were spotted on a mountaintop Wednesday. The plane apparently
crashed, killing all 10 people on board, authorities said. Officials
initially thought the twin-engine plane, missing since Friday, may
have been hijacked, possibly by Colombian guerrillas. Security and
Defense director Pablo Quintero Luna told reporters that a search
helicopter had spotted the remains of the plane on top of the Pico
Carreto mountain, just south of Puerto Obaldia, the port city near
the Colombian border where the plane was heading. Upon closer
inspection, investigators determined there were no survivors,
Quintero said. Efforts to recover the bodies were called off for the
day but were to resume early Thursday.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565139798-832

*** Airport to be named for Schulz

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) - An airport will be named for Charles
Schulz. Sonoma County supervisors approved a resolution Tuesday
changing the name of Sonoma County Airport to "Charles M. Schulz -
Sonoma County Airport" for the late "Peanuts" creator. Schulz, who
died Feb. 12 at his home in Santa Rosa after a battle with colon
cancer, kept an airplane at the airport. Some of his family members
are pilots, said county Supervisor Paul Kelley, who made the
proposal.

*** SEATTLE TIMES: 'Secret' file in Ressam bomb case causes stir

The Canadian government is asking that federal public defenders
in Seattle be barred from using "secret" information from a
Montreal court file on alleged terrorist Ahmed Ressam, according
to law-enforcement sources. In what's become an international
dispute, the U.S. Justice Department has intervened on behalf of
Canadian officials, filing a sealed motion in federal court in
Seattle, the sources said. Attorney General Janet Reno has been
briefed on the situation that has angered Canadian officials.
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/local/html98/bomb_20000323.html

*** SEATTLE TIMES: Alaska CEO talks about airline's troubled times

The FBI, the Department of Justice and the Department of
Transportation have been investigating practices at the carrier's
Oakland maintenance base for more than a year. In a conversation
with Seattle Times aerospace reporter Chuck Taylor, Kelly spoke
of the crash, the investigations, the mechanics and the airline's
public image. Because Alaska is a party to the NTSB investigation
of the crash, that topic was not discussed. This transcript has
been edited for clarity and space.
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/local/html98/jkel_20000323.html

*** SEATTLE TIMES: About John Kelly

John Kelly, 55, is chairman, president and chief executive
officer of Seattle-based Alaska Air Group, which consists of
Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Alaska is the nation's
10th-largest airline. Kelly, a Puget Sound-area native, is a
1967 graduate of the University of Puget Sound. Before joining
Alaska Airlines in 1976, Kelly worked for Continental Airlines. At
Alaska, Kelly was vice president of marketing. He became president
and chief executive officer of Horizon Air in 1987 and then rejoined
Alaska as an executive vice president and chief operating officer.
He became Alaska Air Group's chairman and chief executive officer in 1995.
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/local/html98/kbio_20000323.html

*** SEATTLE TIMES: Boeing looks beyond 747s

Everyone knows Boeing builds airplanes. But how many people know
that Boeing is the fifth-largest vendor on the Internet? Or that
some of its technology ends up underwater aboard submarines, instead
of in the air? Or that its work may soon allow airplane passengers to
watch Seattle Mariner games in flight? Faced with the inevitable
maturing of the jetliner industry, the company is looking for ways
to stretch its wings. Air travel, after all, is expected to grow by
just 5 percent a year. Boeing wants to grow at triple that rate.
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/business/html98/phil_20000323.html

*** SEATTLE TIMES: Alaska Airlines responds to safety concerns

Conceding his carrier is viewed "with a question mark," Alaska
Airlines Chief Executive John Kelly yesterday announced initiatives
intended to allay concerns travelers and even employees might have
about the company's commitment to safety. Kelly said at a news
conference that an outside team of auditors will be assembled to
review the airline's practices, going beyond maintenance issues to
cover "all operational areas." But Kelly sidestepped questions
about whether planes were correctly repaired only after mechanics
resisted pressure to cut corners. At the news conference, Kelly
bristled at one point when asked if cost considerations were
driving the airline's maintenance practices. "I mean, come on
give me a break," Kelly said. "Why would we do something like
that? It makes no sense whatsoever. Especially when you're talking
about safety - the most critical thing we have. What would be the
motive? What would be the end result that we would possibly get out
of such an action." When a reporter suggested higher profits, Kelly
responded, "How long would those profits last? All we offer is safe
air transportation, and we're going to compromise that for a 1-year profit?"
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/local/html98/alas_20000321.html

*** Air Canada says on target for Canadian Air debt deal

CALGARY, March 23 (Reuters) - Air Canada has reached restructuring
deals with holders of 80 percent of unit Canadian Airlines Corp.'s
large debt, and is on track to finalize the whole package by May, top
executives said on Thursday. Canadian, the struggling carrier bought
this year by Air Canada in a deal creating the world's 10th-biggest
airline, must convince creditors on the hook for $2.4 billion of
debt and aircraft leases to accept cuts in their returns.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000323/bdu.html

*** WSJ FRONT PAGE: FedEx Delivers Earnings Surprise

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- FedEx Corp. topped analysts' estimates with a
45% gain in third-quarter income, though the shipping giant said
higher gasoline prices have taken a toll. FedEx said net income in
the three months ended Feb. 29 rose to $113 million, or 39 cents a
share, from $78 million, or 26 cents a share, a year ago. The latest
quarter included a gain of two cents a share from the sale of securities
while year-earlier figures include the cost of contingency plans related
to contract negotiations with pilots.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB953819521842731700.htm

*** WSJ: NZ Business Briefs: Auckland Airport Flights From Taiwan

WELLINGTON -- New Zealand airport concern Auckland International
Airport Ltd. (A.AIA) Friday said China Airlines' (Q.CAI) inaugural
flight from Taiwan to the airport is due on March 27. The airline will
fly from Taiwan via Sydney to Auckland three days a week. "The downturn
in tourists from Asia is now well and truly over, and we are expecting
in excess of 40,000 tourists from Taiwan to visit New Zealand this year,"
said Auckland Airport Managing Director John Goulter.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** WSJ: Boeing, 3 Aerospace Giants Forming E-Commerce

SEATTLE -- The four largest aerospace and defense companies, led by
Boeing Co. (BA), are near an agreement to form a single Internet
business-to-business venture for brokering everything from aircraft
and weapons parts to raw materials and data services, according to
people familiar with the transaction. The jointly owned venture would
include giants Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT), Raytheon Co. and BAE Systems
PLC (U.BA) of Britain, with Web site technology developed by Commerce
One Inc., of Walnut Creek, Calif. Each of the companies are said to
have agreed on the basic construct of the new entity, which would dwarf
other such endeavors already begun in those industries.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** WSJ: United Air, Pilots To Seek Federal Mediation, Union Says

CHICAGO -- UAL Corp.'s (UAL) United Airlines and its pilots' union
will ask federal mediators for help in negotiating a new contract
because the two sides can't reach an agreement, the union said Thursday.
"We've got sticking points on just about everything," said spokesman
Capt. Herb Hunter of United's Air Line Pilots Association, which
represents about 10,000 pilots. Union Chairman Rick Dubinsky and United
Chairman and Chief Executive Jim Goodwin agreed in January that if both
sides couldn't come to terms by their April 12 target deadline, the
two would go to Washington together to request mediation, Hunter said.
United airlines spokeswoman Wendy Parsons refused to comment on the
status of the negotiations. Hunter said the sides were in conflict
over areas such as pay scale and contract scope. The negotiations
wouldn't impact passengers flying United, even if the April deadline passes.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** WSJ: Canadian Airlines CEO Sees Debt Restructuring By May

CALGARY -- Canadian Airlines president and chief executive Paul
Brotto said he is "confident" that the airline will reach an agreement
with its creditors by May to restructure its roughly C$3.5 billion of debt.
At a news conference in Calgary, he said the airline is seeking either a
reduction in the amount of principal owing, or in the interest rate payable
on the outstanding debt. At the press conference, Milton said Air Canada
intends to expand its services over time. "There will be increases in
capacity over what we have today. This is a growth story, not a
contraction story," he said.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** WSJ: Smoke From Thailand Fires Forces Flight Cancellations

MAE HONG SON, Thailand (AP)--Flights to the border town of Mae
Hong Son in northwestern Thailand were canceled Thursday because
of poor visibility caused by thick smoke from brush fires, an
airline official said. Thai Airways International (H.TAI) said it
canceled all three flights from the northern city of Chiang Mai
to Mae Hong Son, 650 kilometers (400 miles) northwest of Bangkok.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** WSJ: Alaska Air Dn 8.5% Wed. After CIBC Analyst Cut Rating

PALO ALTO -- Alaska Air Group Inc.'s (ALK) stock fell 8.5% Wednesday
after an analyst cut the stock's rating to hold from strong buy.
NYSE-listed shares in the Seattle holding company that owns Alaska
Airlines closed at 28 15/16, down 2 11/16, on volume of 844,300 compared
with average daily volume of 312,900. Company officials were not
immediately available for comment. The airline has been in the headlines
since a Jan. 31 crash that killed 88 people. Maldutis told Dow Jones
Newswires that the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation
of that crash as well as grand jury and Federal Bureau of Investigation
attention to allegations of mx problems at the airline were "all old news."
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

******************************************************************************

A I R L I N E N E W S B R I E F S

T H U R S D A Y | March 23, 2000
******************************************************************************

* China Southern Airlines' PremiumBusiness Feb Pax Loads Up 50%
http://www.cs-air.com/en/news/index.htm
* China Southern Airlines' The "Hometown Airline" for April Global Exhibition
http://www.cs-air.com/en/news/20000320/001.asp
* Delta Air Lines Launches Web Site to Gain Support for New China Service
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/000323/ga_delta_a_1.html

* US Airways dispute need not lead to strike, lockout
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000323/bbf.html
* Northwest Airlines, KLM Agree to Accommodate US Airways Passengers
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/000323/mn_northwe_3.html
* Delta Outlines Ticket Acceptance Procedures For USAirways
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/000323/ga_delta_u_1.html
* US Airways Outlines Contingency Plans
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000323/bs/usairways_contingency_4.html
* Travelers scramble as US Airways shutdown looms
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000323/bco.html

******************************************************************************
A I R L I N E F I N A N C I A L N E W S R E P O R T S
T H U R S D A Y | March 23, 2000
******************************************************************************

* CIBC World Markets said it lowered its rating on shares of
ALASKA AIR GROUP to hold from strong buy and started coverage on
WESCO INTERNATIONAL INC with a buy rating. Further details not
immediately available. (Reuters 09:56 AM ET 03/22/2000)

http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565128398-097

* NORTHWEST AIRLINES CORP said that service had returned to normal

a day after a severed communications cable caused the nation's
fourth-largest airline to delay or cancel hundreds of flights.
Northwest canceled 130 of its 1,700 flights Tuesday and had delays
on most of its afternoon and evening flights after a construction
crew cut through a communications line operated by U S West Inc,
the airline said. The cut occurred near a Northwest computer
center, disrupting its internal data network for three hours. The
incident interfered with the airline's ability to issue boarding
passes and to make sure weight was distributed evenly throughout
the aircraft. (Reuters 02:10 PM ET 03/22/2000)

******************************************************************************
F E D E R A L A V I A T I O N A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

T H U R S D A Y | March 23, 2000 -- Preliminary Accident Reports

******************************************************************************
National Air Disaster Alliance -- http://www.planesafe.org/

NO NEW REPORTS ON FILE.

*** FAA: 121 Air Carrier Accidents & Incidents for March

*** DOT: Open Skies Agreement with Turkey

U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater today announced
that the United States and Turkey have reached a new open skies
aviation agreement which replaces the existing, more restrictive
agreement that imposed limits on competition and market access.
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

******************************************************************************
N A T I O N A L T R A N S P O R T A T I O N S A F E T Y B O A R D

T H U R S D A Y | March 23, 2000 -- Preliminary Accident Reports

******************************************************************************
National Air Disaster Alliance -- http://www.planesafe.org/

*** NTSB: EGYPTAIR FLIGHT 990 UPDATE -- Recovery of Wreckage Effort Postponed

The recovery of additional wreckage from EgyptAir flight 990 has
been postponed until the end of the month. The Carolyn Chouest is in stand
down for repairs and is expected to leave port no earlier than March 28.
Once it begins, the recovery operation will take up to 10 days to complete.
http://www.ntsb.gov/pressrel/2000/000323.htm

*** NTSB: 121 Air Carrier Accidents & Incidents for March

* 03/05/2000 NEWARK DC-10 FEDEX
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/NYC/00A086.htm
* 03/05/2000 BURBANK B737-300 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/DCA/00A030.htm

******************************************************************************
A I R L I N E DAILY | 52 WEEK S T O C K R E P O R T

T H U R S D A Y | March 23, 2000

fox1

unread,

Mar 25, 2000, 3:00:00 AM3/25/00

*** ABC: Danger on the Runway -- 75 Percent Increase in Near Collisions

March 24 — After an uneventful 6-hour flight, Paula Garvaglia’s
USAIR plane was ready to land in Los Angeles. Just a few minutes
later, she and 88 other passengers were jolted as the plane crashed
into another aircraft that was waiting to take off. Both planes skidded
off the runway and plowed into an unoccupied fire station, bursting into
flames. The accident, which resulted in the death of 34 passengers, was
later blamed on problems with the air traffic control system. Noting a
dramatic increase in near collisions — called runway incursions — experts
fear too many people will die in runway crashes that could have been
avoided. Some say the situation has become so bad that the most hazardous
part of any flight may be when it’s on the ground. “Runway incursions are
the number one aviation safety problem in the United States,” says Jim
Hall of the National Transportation and Safety Board.
http://abcnews.go.com/onair/2020/2020_000324_runwaycrash_feature.html

*** ABC: Audio between ATC and Air China Flight "I don't understand..."

Lack of communication often leads to disaster on the
runway. This is a horrifying interchange between an air traffic
controller and a non-English speaking pilot.
http://abcnews.go.com/onair/2020/2020_000324_runwaycrash_feature.html

*** Northwest fires 12 queried in sickout -- More Trojan Horse

CHICAGO, March 9 (Reuters) - Northwest Airlines has fired 12 flight
attendants who were questioned by the airline regarding what it has
contended was an illegal sickout, an airline spokesman confirmed on
Thursday. Five other flight attendants who were questioned have resigned
Jon Austin, a spokesman for the nation's fourth-largest airline, said. He
declined to give the reasons for the firings. Billie Davenport, president
of Teamster's Local 2000, which represents St. Paul, Minn.-based Northwest's
11,000 flight attendants, said that her understanding was that the firings
were related to alleged conduct of the employees during the inquiry.
She reiterated the union's position that its officials did not organize
a sickout, which would be illegal under U.S. labor laws. Northwest has
said that the sickout over the winter holiday season forced the company
to cancel 300 flights. The union and the company are in the midst of
negotiations for a new contract. The previous contract became amendable
in August 1996. Union membership rejected a tentative contract agreement
last year. Contract negotiations resume next week, with the three remaining
issues being retirement, compensation and job protection, Davenport said.
The fate of the fired flight attendants will also be negotiated at the
bargaining table, she said. Earlier this year, a federal judge in St. Paul
issued a subpoena allowing the airline to search union members' personal
computers for evidence concerning the sickout. Northwest sued the union
and its officers, winning an injunction against sickouts.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000309/bgn.html

*** WSJ: Alaska Air Names 2 To Lead Safety Audit

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 2000--Alaska Airlines has
named two independent aviation experts with nearly 100 years
of combined experience to lead a comprehensive safety audit of
all aspects of the airline's operations. "Each has impeccable
credentials and extensive experience," said John F. Kelly, Alaska
Airlines chairman and CEO. "I have asked them to go beyond just
a traditional audit of records and procedures to ensure we maximize
the benefit of their safety expertise. So they will also be looking
at what are termed `best practices' in addition to their detailed
review of operations." Jack Enders, former manager of Aviation Safety
Research for NASA and past president and vice chairman of the Flight
Safety Foundation, will oversee the audit team. He is president of
Enders Associates International, an engineering consulting firm that
will coordinate all aspects of the audit. The firm specializes in
aviation safety, technology, air traffic control and human factors
issues. Bill Hendricks, a former director of accident investigation
for both the FAA and NTSB, will serve as day-to-day project director.
Another ten independent experts will be brought in to provide specific
expertise in each of the operating areas -- flight operations, and
maintenance & engineering -- as well as in security and hazardous
materials handling. In addition, the team has requested that several
Alaska Airlines employees from Flight Operations, Maintenance &
Engineering, and Customer Services serve as liaisons and provide
assistance to the team. Work is already underway. Team leaders
believe they will finalize their report in about eight weeks.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** US Airways signals shift in stance

WASHINGTON (AP) - With a possible strike by flight attendants
looming, US Airways signaled a shift in its negotiating stance
Thursday night, saying it is offering union negotiators "alternative"
approaches to reaching a settlement that is competitive with the
major airlines. The company also said its tickets will be honored on
other airlines and Amtrak trains if there is a shutdown this weekend.
"Our goal is to get an agreement by midnight Friday and we are
singularly focused on that, but in case we do not ... this is one of
the steps we are taking to accommodate our customers needs," US
Airways spokesman Rick Weintraub said. The Association of Flight
Attendants is resisting the airline's proposal to put them under a pay
and benefits formula based on what its biggest competitors offer, plus 1%.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565168530-b8a

*** US Air union reports some progress

WASHINGTON (AP) - As time runs out for a last attempt at mediation,
some progress has been made in US Airways negotiations with
disgruntled flight attendants who are threatening a walkout, union
officials said Friday. "We've been able to settle a large number of
issues, mostly the smaller issues, but the larger issues of pay and
pension remain unresolved," said Pat Friend, president of the
Association of Flight Attendants. At a news conference Friday at the
Ronald Reagan National Airport here, Friend, flanked by US Airways
flight attendants, said the union is still preparing for the
possibility of a strike starting at midnight Friday. "We are not
happy to be here, but we believe this is the only way we will get an
agreement," Friend said.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565179265-312

*** 6 die in Sri Lanka cargo jet crash

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - A Sri Lankan cargo plane with eight crew
members aboard crashed near the international airport Friday, killing
six people and wounding the other two, authorities said. The AN-12
aircraft was coming from Bangkok, Thailand, and was about to land in
bad weather when it crashed in the Kadirana area, near the airport.
The Katunayake International Airport is 20 miles north of the
capital, Colombo. "Six of the crew members were dead on admission and
two others are in serious condition and are being operated upon,"
said G.D. Silva at the Negombo Hospital. She said that five of the
dead were foreigners and the other was a Sri Lankan.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565176840-ba8

*** Japan claims it has smallest 'copter

TOKYO (AP) - A Japanese company has built what it says is the world's
smallest helicopter, a futuristic-looking device that it plans to
start selling over the Internet this summer. The compact 'copter,
which seats one and can travel as fast as 60 miles per hour, was on
display Friday at the Japan International Aerospace 2000 exhibition.
Lacking the bubble-like body of a traditional helicopter, it looks
like a chair with propellers attached. The passenger sits in the open
with feet propped on a bar and hands on a horizontal rod used for
steering. Similar helicopters have been developed for military use,
but the Gen H-4 is "purely for fun," said Engineering System Co. vice
president Masumi Yanagisawa.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565177076-989

*** Aviation art exhibit opens in D.C.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Salt spray flies upward from the Curtiss Seagull's
floats as the 1930s Navy biplane lands near the battleship USS
Mississippi. The scene is so clear it could be a photo, but it isn't.
It's an oil painting. Twenty-five works by Robert Grant Smith went on
display Friday at the National Air and Space Museum. The exhibition
of aviation art titled "The 'Old Master' of the Sky" is to remain
until Sept. 5. The show chronicles flight from the era of wood and
fabric aircraft to supersonic transports, spanning Smith's lifetime.
He was born in 1914 and retired from painting in 1996.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565179348-e5c

*** WSJ: Boeing Awarded Large Stock Grants To Three Executives, CEO Bonus

Boeing Co. granted restricted-stock units valued at about $4.8
million to each of three top officers, including Chief Financial
Officer Deborah Hopkins, military-airplanes chief Michael Sears
and space-products leader James Albaugh, according to the company's
proxy statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The move mostly brings those three executives' compensation plan close
to the one granted for 1998 to commercial-airplane unit President Alan
Mulally, as a means of retaining him. Chairman and Chief Executive Phil
Condit received a $1.9 million bonus for 1999, in addition to a salary
of about $1.09 million. Mr. Condit had taken no bonus for 1998, because
of the company's financial struggle in that year. Harry Stonecipher
Boeing's president and chief operating officer, was paid a salary of
about $946,000 for 1999, with a bonus of about $1.43 million. For 1998
his salary totaled about $899,000 and he received no bonus. Boeing
Seattle, has been on a financial rebound that stalled recently because
of a 40-day strike by engineering-related workers over pay and benefits.
The dispute ended earlier this week. Ms. Hopkins has said the company
expects to recover and reach planned annual financial targets for 2000.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB953945268870491466.htm

*** WSJ: Canadian Airlines Gets U.S. Court Protection

CALGARY -- Canadian Airlines Corp. (T.CA) said the U.S.
Bankruptcy Court for the District of Hawaii has granted an
order under section 304 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in respect
of Canadian Airlines International Ltd. As reported earlier Friday
the airline filed for court protection in Canada under the Companies'
Creditors Arrangement Act. In a news release, the company said section
304 provides a process whereby the U.S. court will give effect to the
Canadian court's jurisdiction with the protection of the U.S. court.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** WSJ: Canadian Airlines Note Hldrs Seek Crt Order To Enforce Rights

CALGARY -- Law firm Goodman, Phillips & Vineberg said the holders
of $175 million of senior secured notes issued by Canadian Airlines
Corp. (T.CA) are seeking an Alberta court order that will secure the
monies owed to them by the company. In a news release, the firm said
the holders of the senior secured notes are seeking payment in full
of all obligations owed them by Canadian Airlines, which total about
$184 million. Failing payment of that amount, the firm said holders
are seeking to enforce their rights against the key operational
assets charged in their favor.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** WSJ: EU Clears Singapore Air's Stake In Virgin Atlantic

BRUSSELS -- The European Union Commission said Friday it has
given antitrust clearance to Singapore Airline's acquisition of
a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic Airways. In a statement, the
commission said the "airlines' activities are largely complementary.
Therefore, the Commission didn't raise any competition concerns."
The acquisition will give Singapore Airlines joint control over
Virgin with holding company Barford Services.
http://www.specialoffer.com/wsj/welcome.cgi?from=28JBHEX

*** Korean Air says Canada drops punitive action plan

SEOUL, March 24 (Reuters) - Transport Canada has dropped its plan
to take punitive action against Korean Air after an inspection of the
Korean flagship carrier's safety standards, the carrier said on Friday.
Korean Air said it had received a letter from Transport Canada advising
that a formal ``Notice of Suspension'' issued on December 24 had been
withdrawn after a review of new measures taken by the carrier to improve
safety. The letter acknowledged the `many constructive measures undertaken
and accomplishment achieved by Korean Air during the past several months.'
A series of crashes of Korean Air aircraft in recent years raised concerns
about its safety measures, prompting Transport Canada to send a team of
investigators to carry out exhaustive checks earlier this year. Despite a
$200 million spending package on safety measures, a Korean Air cargo
crashed in China and another in Britain last year, killing a total of
13 people. In August 1997, a Korean Boeing 747 jet crashed on approach
to Guam's Agana International Airport, killing 228 of the 254 on board.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000324/bz.html

* The U.S. Export-Import Bank will offer guarantees on credits
totalling some $2.3 billion for Indian firms, including $300
million for Jet Airways to buy 10 BOEING CO aircraft, a U.S.
official said on Friday. The official, who asked not to be
identified, said Ex-Im bank would offer guarantees on credits of
around $1 billion for small and medium-sized enterprises. (Reuters)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565168224-62f

* The world's four biggest aerospace and defense companies are
planning to form an Internet business-to-business company, the
Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition on Friday,
citing sources familiar with the transaction. The venture would be
led by BOEING CO and include LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP, RAYTHEON CO and
British Aerospace Plc. The venture would broker the sales of
everything from aircraft and weapons parts to data services, the
sources said. The venture would include giants now doing business
as BAE Systems PLC of Britain, with Web-site technology developed
by COMMERCE ONE INC It would likely be spun off into a stand-alone
enterprise. (Reuters 02:19 AM ET 03/24/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565169568-5e7
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565177939-5ed

* The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration this week ordered
inspections on over 2,500 older model BOEING CO 737s to find and
repair any forward bulkhead cracks, which could cause a loss of
cabin pressure. In an official airworthiness directive, the FAA
reported "numerous" findings of cracks on the bulkhead, a wall
between the cockpit and the airplane's outer shell, which created
a safety hazard, although it cited no evidence that the cracks had
caused any cabin decompression. (Reuters 03:14 PM ET 03/24/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565180696-bc6

* The chairman and chief executive of BOEING CO, Phil Condit,
received $4.5 mln in compensation last year, a 250% increase over
his 1998 pay package as the aerospace giant performed better than
expected. The 58-year-old Boeing chief received a $1.9 mln bonus
and $1.43 mln in restricted stock on top of $1.1 mln in salary and
$86,270 in other compensation, according to the Seattle-based
company's proxy filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
on Friday. Boeing's compensation committee said it awarded the
bonus because the company's "financial performance exceeded
expected levels." (Reuters 02:58 PM ET 03/24/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565180448-df2

* Dutch Theodoor Gilissen said on Friday it stuck to its "Hold"
recommendation for KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES, leaving its EPS
estimates unchanged after KLM gave details of its cost-reduction
programme. "We feel that it will be difficult for KLM to introduce
another cost-reduction programme after just finishing Focus 2000.
The outlook for KLM still mainly depends on the oil price,"
Gilissen said in a note to investors. (Reuters 07:54 AM ET)

* TRW INC said it had joined construction management company
Parsons Corp. to seek a U.S. government contract to develop a site
for spent U.S. nuclear fuel. The company said in a statement that
the Department of Energy contract was worth $3.1 billion for the
first five years. TRW would be the lead contractor. Parsons would
provide construction management and transportation operations as
well as engineering and design for the repository. The Department
of Energy plans to award the contract this year. (Reuters)

* The union representing about 10,000 pilots at UAL CORP 's United
Airlines said Friday that it was unlikely the two sides would meet
their optimistic goal of reaching a new contract before their
current one ends. If a new contract is not reached by the time the
current contract becomes amendable on April 12, the two sides have
agreed to seek mediation, Hunter said. Under federal law, airline
contracts do not expire, and failure to get a contract before
April 12 would not impact passengers. Most airline negotiations in
recent years have dragged on well after the old contract became
amendable. (Reuters 03:05 PM ET 03/24/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565180566-1a3

* US AIRWAYS GROUP and the union representing its 10,000 flight
attendants huddled on Friday in intensive talks aimed at averting
a threatened shutdown of the sixth-largest U.S. airline this
weekend. The airline has said it will cease operations rather than
be subjected to random work stoppages and sporadic flight
cancellations. The union has said it will begin selective strikes
on some flights one minute after midnight on Saturday morning if
no contract is reached. Late Thursday the company, in an internal
memo, told employees it had eased its position by offering
alternative options for a contract that would be cost competitive
with the four leading U.S. airlines. (Reuters 02:32 PM ET)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565179999-0be

* US AIRWAYS GROUP plans to suspend operations after midnight
tonight, at the end of the federally mandated 30 day pre-strike
"cooling off period," if it is unable to reach agreement with its
flight attendants on a new contract. As stated previously,
Standard & Poor's ratings on US Airways and parent US Airways
Group Inc will be placed on CreditWatch with negative implications
if the 30 day period ends without agreement. (Reuters)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565182043-597

* BOEING CO chief financial officer Debby Hopkins repeated the

aerospace giant's skepticism of rival Airbus Industrie's plan to

build a 650-seat super jumbo jet, the A3XX. "We do not see any
market for an airplane of that size," Hopkins told an investment
conference here, likening the proposed jet to a "cruise ship in
the sky." Hopkins noted that the current fleet of Boeing's 747,
currently the largest jetliner in the world, stands at 1,100.
Boeing has said it sees a market for less than 400 A3XX-sized jets
over the next 20 years. (Reuters 12:53 AM ET 03/23/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565146861-0b7

* Preussag AG unit JMC Airlines has ordered two aircraft from
BOEING CO slow-selling 757-300 line and plans to acquire widebody
aircraft, such as 767s or A330s, the carrier said on Thursday. The
charter airline is rationalizng its fleet around 757s, Airbus
A320s and a widebody type yet to be selected, engineering and
maintenance director Lucas Mollan told Reuters. Prices are
flexible, but Boeing negotiates with airlines on the basis of
about $80 mln per 757-300. (Reuters 12:00 PM ET 03/23/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565156230-155

* A final decision is expected shortly before Easter on Britain's
short term (2001-2007) strategic airlift requirement for the
worldwide deployment of its rapid reaction force, air industry
sources told Reuters. The main choice is between the U.S.-backed
BOEING CO C-17 Globemaster military transport and the
Ukrainian-built Antonov An-124 freighters offered by a consortium
led by Britain's Air Foyle. The sources said the Ministry of
Defence had apparently come down in favor of the 55 ton capacity
C-17 rather than the 120 ton capacity An-124 but the final
decision had still to be taken at the highest level of the
government. (Reuters 09:33 AM ET 03/23/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565154129-d63

* BOEING CO said it had booked a firm order for 50 narrowbody 737
jetliners worth about $2.3 billion at list prices. Boeing declined
to identify the buyer, but a spokesman noted that the orders
reflected the confirmation of a tentative order previously placed
by the customer. The order will cover a mix of the current
generation of 737 models, the -600, -700, -800 and -900, which
Boeing lists at $36 million to $60 million, though customers often
receive significant discounts from catalog prices. (Reuters)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565160579-b45

* FEDEX CORP said that net income rose 45% in the fiscal 2000 3Q,
with earnings beating estimates despite soaring fuel prices. The
company reported net income of $113 mln for the 3Q ended Feb. 29,
up from $78 mln a year ago. The year-ago quarter was penalized by
contingency costs for a potential pilots' strike. Earnings were
$0.39 a share, up from $0.26 a year ago and beating the $0.34 a
share consensus posted by First Call/Thomson Financial. (Reuters)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565153664-cb3
*** TABLE-Fedex Q3 net rises
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565153056-7f5

* GALILEO INTERNATIONAL INC said it has formed a new
telecommunications subsidiary to provide global Internet and
private network services to customers. Describing its first
venture outside of the travel business, Galileo said the new
company, Quantitude Inc., would offer multinational corporations
the ability to link all of their computers, so that branch offices
around the world would be able to access the same corporate
computer system. (Reuters 04:24 PM ET 03/23/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565160039-81e

* MCLEOD USA INC said late Wednesday it has launched an
investigation into a severed cable at a construction site in the
Minneapolis area yesterday which disrupted NORTHWEST AIRLINES
CORP's flights. Service had returned to normal on Wednesday, a day
after the severed communications cable caused the nation's fourth
largest carrier to cancel 130 of its 1,700 flights and delay most
of its afternoon and evening flights. (Reuters 06:20 PM ET)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565139340-e3f

* His promotion to chairman and chief executive officer of United
Airlines parent UAL CORP helped net James Goodwin an 87% increase
in salary and bonuses in 1999, the company said Thursday. Goodwin,
who became chairman and CEO when predecessor Gerald Greenwald
retired on July 1, was paid $572,943 in salary and $580,000 in
bonuses in 1999, up from $306,374 in salary and $309,500 in
bonuses last year. Goodwin, formerly UAL's president and chief
operating officer, also was awarded stock options valued at $6.4
mln last year, the company said in a proxy statement filed with
the SEC. (Reuters 02:42 PM ET 03/23/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565158511-70c

* The threat of a shutdown of US AIRWAYS GROUP is disrupting

travel plans, shifting business to other airlines and raising the
prospect that thousands of would-be passengers will have to stay
home this weekend. US Air, which controls about a third of

passenger traffic in the Northeast, has said it will shut down

operations rather than face random strikes by the Association of

Flight Attendants, the union representing its 10,000 flight
attendants. (Reuters 06:11 PM ET 03/22/2000)
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565139236-f39

* US AIRWAYS GROUP said it has arranged for other airlines and the

Amtrak train line to honor its tickets in the event of a shutdown

by the No. 6 U.S. airline. US Airways has said it will cease

operations rather than be subjected to random strikes threatened
by its flight attendants' union. The carrier and the Association

of Flight Attendants are in final talks for a new contract. March
25, when the union has said it will strike if no contract is
reached, US Air said. A federally-mandated "cooling off" period
ends March 25, on Saturday. Most major airlines, as well as the
Amtrak train line, will honor US Air tickets, the carrier said.
(Reuters 03:05 PM ET 03/23/2000) For the full text story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565158815-a40

******************************************************************************
F E D E R A L A V I A T I O N A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

F R I D A Y | March 24, 2000 -- Preliminary Accident Reports

******************************************************************************
National Air Disaster Alliance -- http://www.planesafe.org/

NO NEW REPORTS ON FILE.

*** FAA: 121 Air Carrier Accidents & Incidents for March

*** DOT: Slater to Travel To Europe to Promote Open Aviation Markets

During his meetings with European officials, Secretary Slater will
discuss moving beyond bilateral aviation agreements and toward
plurilateral or multilateral agreements among groups of like-minded
countries. This effort follows on last December's conference "Aviation in
the 21st Century -- Beyond Open Skies," hosted by Secretary Slater in
Chicago, during which the United States and its Open Skies partners agreed
to explore ways to further liberalize global aviation. That conference
was a follow-up to the historic 1944 Chicago Convention, which established
the international aviation regime that has guided aviation policy for the
last 56 years.
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

******************************************************************************
N A T I O N A L T R A N S P O R T A T I O N S A F E T Y B O A R D

F R I D A Y | March 24, 2000 -- Preliminary Accident Reports

******************************************************************************
National Air Disaster Alliance -- http://www.planesafe.org/

*** NTSB: Delta Air Lines gear inop crash landing SFO

NTSB Identification: LAX00IA127
Scheduled 14 CFR 121 operation of DELTA AIRLINES, INC.
Accident occurred MAR-13-00 at SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Aircraft: Boeing 727-232, registration: N516DA
Injuries: 77 Uninjured.
On March 13, 2000, about 2006 hours Pacific standard time, Delta
Airlines Flight 1972, a Boeing 727-232, N516DA, sustained minor
damage when the right main landing gear failed to fully extend
prior to landing at San Francisco, California. The captain
contacted Delta maintenance in Atlanta to discuss all available
options. The crew completed emergency procedures in their flight
manuals, and discussed cycling the landing gear. Delta procedures
did not allow the pilot to cycle the landing gear in this situation with the
intent to avoid more complications. The landing gear was selected down, and
green lights illuminated for the nose gear and left main gear, while a red
light illuminated for the right main gear. The red "doors" light on the front
panel and the amber right main gear door light on the second officer's panel
were also illuminated. The second officer, who went into the cabin to view
the landing gear position through a porthole, reported seeing the clamshell
door, the wheel canted down about 10 to 15 degrees, and the ground. Manual
extension procedures were attempted several times with no movement of
the wheel. Preparations were made for a partial gear landing. An emergency
was declared and the flight attendants briefed the passengers and divided
the required duties. The captain resumed control of the airplane, returned
to the airport, and flew an ILS to a visual approach. He acquired the airport
at the outer marker. He aligned the airplane slightly left of centerline in
case the airplane pulled to the right and applied left aileron to hold the
right wing up as long as possible, but said the airplane went straight ahead.
The right wing leading edge slats, right flaps, right wing tip, and right
main gear doors were damaged during the landing. The captain had previously
instructed the flight attendants to evacuate on his command unless a fire
was detected. After the airplane stopped, the front right side of the
airplane was low to the ground and fire and rescue personnel were standing
by at that location. The captain ordered evacuation through the R1
(right front) door. All passengers remained calm, followed the crew's
instructions, and evacuated the cabin with no injuries. The captain
completed the evacuation checklist, pulled the T handles then evacuated
the airplane and joined everyone at the front of the airplane as briefed.
During postincident inspection of the right main landing gear by Safety
Board investigators, the safety bar was found bent down from its midpoint
to the tip with the leading edge bent more than the center. The safety bar
drive rod connecting the inner door to the wheel well attach point, completely
fractured several inches below the attach point. A longitudinally running
scuffmark, which was black along one edge, was located on the outer clamshell
door. The Safety Board investigator retained several components for further
testing. New clamshell door halves and a new drive rod were installed. The
right main clamshell gear door was isolated and cycled; the right main wheel
was cycled with the door, followed by cycling of all the landing gear. All
wheels and doors cycled in proper sequence.
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/LAX/00A127.htm

*** NTSB: USAirways 737 -- Non-Rev FA prompts evac -- Pilot unaware

NTSB Identification: MIA00SA106
Scheduled 14 CFR 121 operation of U.S. AIRWAYS
Incident occurred MAR-15-00 at TAMPA, FL
Aircraft: Boeing 737-3B7, registration: N505AU
Injuries: 90 Uninjured.
On March 15, 2000, about 0640 eastern standard time, a Boeing 737-3B7, N505AU
registered to First Union Bank Trustee, and operated by U.S. Airways
Inc., as a Title 14 CFR Part 121 scheduled domestic passenger flight from
Tampa, Florida to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, had a flight attendant initiated
evacuation after pushback from the gate. Visual meteorological conditions
prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The airline
transport-pilot first officer, 3 flight attendants, and 85 passengers were
not injured. The flight was originating at the time of the evacuation.
According to U.S. Airways personnel, the night before, maintenance had been
performed on the airplane. The No. 2 engine had been bore scoped and its
ignition circuit breakers were pulled. During the first flight of the day
the crew attempted to start the engine after pushback, but all attempts
were unsuccessful. Just prior to returning the aircraft to the gate
maintenance told the crew to check the circuit breakers. The crew
checked the circuit breakers, saw they were pulled, reset them, and
started the engine. When the engine started, flames shot out the back
of the engine, and a non revenue flight attendant seated in the aft
cabin of the airplane saw the flames and told the flight attendant on
duty in the back of the airplane that the engine was on fire. The flight
attendant on duty then opened both aft cabin doors and deployed both
slides. Thirteen passengers then exited the airplane through the aft doors
while the engines were running. The flightcrew piloting the aircraft
was unaware of the flight attendant initiated evacuation, until they
were told by the ground crew attending to the airplane.
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/MIA/00A106.htm

*** NTSB: United 737 experiences aileron control system malfunction

NTSB Identification: LAX00SA132
Scheduled 14 CFR 121 operation of UNITED AIRLINES, INC.
Incident occurred MAR-21-00 at LAS VEGAS, NV
Aircraft: Boeing 737-300, registration: N328UA
Injuries: 100 Uninjured.
On March 21, 2000, at 0836 hours Pacific standard time, United Airlines
flight 2701, a Boeing 737-300, N328UA, experienced an aileron control
system malfunction during the landing roll on runway 25L at the Las Vegas
Nevada, airport. The airplane was operated by United Airlines, Inc., as a
regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight under 14 CFR Part 121. The
airplane was not damaged. None of the 5 crewmembers or 95 passengers were
injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an IFR flight plan
was filed. The flight originated from Denver, Colorado, at 0816 mountain
standard time as a nonstop flight to Las Vegas. The flight crew reported
that all aspects of the flight were normal until the landing roll. The crew
disconnected the autopilot about 3,000 feet agl and hand flew the approach
through touchdown due to turbulence. After touchdown, the captain was holding
about 30 degrees of right control wheel input for the existing crosswind
condition and as the airplane slowed below 100 knots, the wheel smoothly
moved to a full right aileron deflection. A detailed examination of the
lateral control system is in process.
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/LAX/00A132.htm

*** NTSB: 121 Air Carrier Accidents & Incidents for March

* 03/05/2000 NEWARK DC-10 FEDEX
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/NYC/00A086.htm
* 03/05/2000 BURBANK B737-300 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/DCA/00A030.htm

* 03/13/2000 SAN FRANCISCO B727 DELTA AIR LINES
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/LAX/00A127.htm
* 03/15/2000 TAMPA B737 USAIRWAYS
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/MIA/00A106.htm
* 03/21/2000 B737 UNITED AIRLINES
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/LAX/00A132.htm

******************************************************************************
A I R L I N E DAILY | 52 WEEK S T O C K R E P O R T

F R I D A Y | March 24, 2000
******************************************************************************

(00s)
SYMBL SECURITY CLOSE CHANGE VOL
---------------------------------------------------------------------

AIR AAR Corp........................... 17 1/4 -1 3/16 3578
AMR AMR Corporation.................... 31 9/16 - 1/4 11244
ACY Aerocentury Corp................... 6 7/8 - 1/8 14
ACNAF Air Canada Corp.................... 10 3/8 - 9/16 48
AIRT Air T Inc.......................... 3 1/2 + 1/8 12
AAIR AirTran Holdings Inc............... 4 3/4 + 25/64 9234
ABF Airborne Freight................... 22 7/16 + 5/8 10174
ALK Alaska Air Group................... 29 1/16 -1 5/16 5925
AWA America West Holdings Corp......... 15 5/8 + 9/16 2371
AMTR Amtran Inc......................... 16 7/8 + 1/8 609
ACAI Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings In 24 +1 15/16 2332
CGO Atlas Air Inc...................... 28 -1 5/8 1738
BEAV BE Aerospace....................... 7 1/16 unch 1794
B Barnes Group Inc................... 15 1/8 + 1/16 321
BA Boeing Co.......................... 36 1/8 +1 57974
BAB British Airways.................... 55 7/16 -1 1/16 185
CEA China Eastern Airlines Corp........ 9 1/4 - 1/16 3
ZNH China Southern Airlines Co Ltd..... 7 - 1/4 22
CAL/A Continental Airlines Inc........... 40 1/2 - 1/8 33
CAL Continental Airlines Inc........... 40 5/8 - 1/16 3986
DAL Delta Air Lines.................... 52 5/8 - 7/16 10326
FA Fairchild Corp..................... 5 13/16 - 7/16 1193
FDX FedEx Corp......................... 39 5/8 - 1/8 18361
FRNT Frontier Airlines Inc.............. 11 1/8 unch 1062
GLC Galileo International Inc.......... 24 5/8 -1 1/4 10093
GLUX Great Lakes Aviation Limited....... 2 1/4 unch 177
HA Hawaiian Airlines Inc.............. 2 1/4 - 3/16 344
JAPNY Japan Airlines..................... 4 7/8 + 1/4 64
KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines........... 20 1/2 + 1/2 520
KTTY Kitty Hawk Inc..................... 4 5/16 - 3/16 918
LFL LAN Chile SA....................... 8 3/4 + 7/16 70
LMT Lockheed Martin Corp............... 17 1/2 + 7/16 21661
MAX Mercury Air Group.................. 6 7/8 + 3/8 98
MESA Mesa Air Group Inc................. 5 15/16 + 1/8 173
MAIR Mesaba Holdings Inc................ 11 1/2 + 1/2 540
MDWY Midway Airlines Corp............... 6 1/4 unch 431
MEH Midwest Express Holding............ 25 3/8 - 5/8 448
NWAC Northwest Airlines Corp............ 19 9/16 + 1/8 6083
PZB Pittston........................... 16 11/16 - 1/2 2087
RYAAY Ryanair Holdings................... 41 3/4 - 1/4 373
TSG Sabre Holdings Corp................ 40 5/8 -1 9/16 15237
SKYW SkyWest Inc........................ 33 3/16 +3 1/16 3874
LUV Southwest Airlines................. 20 - 5/16 14952
TRW TRW Inc............................ 56 13/16 +1 5/16 5799

TOWRQ Tower Air Inc...................... 1 1/2 unch 0

TWA Trans World Airlines............... 2 7/16 unch 2301
UAL UAL Corp........................... 57 1/2 unch 5635
U US Airways Group................... 22 3/8 - 7/8 9595
UCP UniCapital Corp.................... 2 13/16 - 3/16 2546
UPS United Parcel Service.............. 63 1/2 +3 7/8 21481
VIRGY Virgin Express Holdings............ 4 1/4 unch 189
WLDA World Airways Inc.................. 1 - 1/16 345

AADFX Amer AAdvant Inst: ShTrmBI x....... 0.00

XAL Amex Airline Index................. 137.61 -1.00

0 new messages