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Aviation History
1987
1987 - 0006.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT Rolls will power 767 LONDON Rolls-Royce has signed an agreement with Boeing to offer RB.211-524D4D engines on the 767, for entry into service by early 1990. The D4D is also available for the 747-400, and Boeing says that it can now offer commonality of engine config uration for operators who might benefit from having 747s and 767s in their fleet. British Airways, for example, would be a major target since it will need to replace its TriStars in the next few years, and it has RB.211-engined 747s in service and on order. Spare engines and parts stocks would thus be reduced. The D4D is a 58,0001b thrust powerplant, and it is now competing with the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 and General Electric CF6-80C2. Rolls-Royce is embarking on a further growth study for the D4D, and the projected engine is designated the RB.211-700. The new power unit will produce 65,0001b thrust and more by "the early 1990s", says Rolls-Royce. Texas prepares People for the worst HOUSTON The Texas Air Corp is having problems bringing its newest acquisition, People Express, into a profitable state of operation. In a recent securities filing, Texas Air said that if the financial condition of People Express continues to worsen, then "People Express could determine to seek protection from its creditors and reor ganisation of its obligations", meaning Chapter 11 protec tion. But a later statement by Texas Air declared that the likelihood of any bankruptcy filing by People Express was "fairly remote". I mmmm Canadian Airlines International Pacific Western and Canadian Pacific have renamed themselves as Canadian Airlines Inter national. The new logo symbolises wings across five continents and, with its ambiguous spelling, is acceptable to both French- and English-speaking Canadians. Pacific Western, which is now a division of CAI, has ordered six BAe Jetstream 31s with options on another six, making it the first Canadian customer for the type. The CAI commuter airline, yet to be named, receives its first Jetstream in May to start operations in June or July. "We also need up to six 40-seat commuter aircraft," says Ron Patmore, CAI's v-p Ontario. A decision on the type should be made soon. Agents unhappy with AEA's plastic money LONDON The new Association of Euro pean Airlines (AEA) charge card, AirPlus, intended to "exclusively meet the de mands of the business travel ler," has received a mixed reception from travel agents. The UK's Guild of Business Travel Agents is not too happy about the AEA's approach. The card has been presented to travel agents to promote to its corporate clients. Flights, hotels, car hire, meals, and rail journeys will be chargeable to the card, which also gives a priority telephone line to the issuing AEA airline to make book ings. The 13 airlines involved are Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Icelandair, KLM, Lufthansa, Iberia, Sabena, Swissair, and TAP Air Portugal. The Guild of Business Travel Agents, which repre sents 49 companies which sell four out of every five scheduled airline tickets issued in the UK and handle 30 per cent of British Airways' total revenue, is suspicious, and cannot see why it should get involved. Elder statesman and former chairman of the Guild Gerry Fernback says: "We still have a basic fear that the AEA is not averse to a direct sell". Fernback says that if the priority telephone link is withdrawn agents will be more willing to offer the card to its customers. The agents do not receive any commis sion for selling the card, nor if the card holder goes directly to the airline, Fernback adds. He says, however: "We do not think the AEA intended it in the way that has happened". The AEA says that the card was developed in conjunction with the travel trade, and "if the airlines tried to bypass the agents it would not be in the airlines' interests as they would lose out". Every time the card is used, information will be stored in a data base for frequent-flyer discounts. "Sabre and Apollo com puter reservation systems are advanced," the AEA admits, "and can be seen to be taking business away. This is a way of fighting back". However, any airline can join in the AirPlus system, including American and United. KLM may finance Air Atlanta AMSTERDAM KLM is discussing giving a loan to financially troubled US regional Air Atlanta in return for feeding or market ing KLM's international service from Atlanta. "Contrary to some press reports, we are not discussing a takeover or a financial share in Air Atlanta," KLM says. The US domestic carrier's services from Atlanta could serve KLM well by stimu lating traffic on its Amsterdam-Atlanta route. Some 40 per cent of the Dutch carrier's traffic comes from its five transatlantic routes. KLM seems to be in acquisitive mood. It is negotiating a 15 per cent stake in Air UK, which is rumoured to have been increased to 30 per cent although KLM denies this. It has just bought the remaining 50 per cent of XP Express Parcels (see page 28), and is talking about a stake in UK express package carrier IML. Both Air UK and IML are subsidiaries of British & Commonwealth Holdings. 4 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 4 April 1987
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