FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1979
1979 - 1281.PDF
FLIGHT International. 21 April 1979 New BA wages deal "a milestone" A NEW wage deal for British Airways engineering workers was described as a milestone for industrial relations by both the airline and shop stewards. The deal is worth an average of 14 per cent, but up to 23 per cent for some skilled men. BA says it will ensure the efficient running of its replacement programme, under which it will buy 100 aircraft worth £1,000 million over the next five years. The government has given its blessing to the deal, which is based on productivity. Much of its cost will be recouped from the non-replacement upon retirement of 1,500 engineering staff. Heathrow engineering workers voted overwhelmingly for the deal after it had been recommended by their shop stewards. Some 14,000 workers are affected—the airline's largest bargaining group. BA chairman Sir Frank McFazdean replied to recent criticism by the CAA that the airline was inefficient. The authority, he says, had "insufficient knowledge of our problems." "Like the rest of British industry, including some of our more vociferous critics, we have to improve produc tivity. We accepted this long before the CAA started its posturing." But given inflation rates and industrial problems, it was unrealistic to expect BA to rely on productivity alone to meet its financial objectives in a short period. Overmanning had come about through several factors. BA had a more diverse range of aircraft and engines in operation than any of its leading competitors. "This albatross was not put round our necks by pre vious managements but by successive governments intervening in the air line's affairs." Africa prospects good INTERNATIONAL traffic to, from and within Africa on African airlines, as well as on those from outside the region, should increase considerably in the next few years, according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Icao forecasts a likely growth of 14 per cent a year in scheduled international passenger traffic over the 1977-86 period, with freight traffic rising by a similar amount. Within the continent, average annual growth rate for international passenger traffic is forecast at 16 per cent for the northern region, 12 per cent for the western and central regions, 11 per cent for the eastern region, and 14 per cent for the south ern region. UAL expansion UNITED Airlines signed a contract with Incoterm Corporation for 10,000 reservations positions to meet the expected requirements of its Apollo reservations network over the next four years. The equipment will join more than 6,500 Incoterm display and ticketing positions already installed. 1225 National merger plans in doubt COMPETING bids for National Air lines from Pan Am, Eastern and Texas International have been put in doubt after a ruling from a US Civil Aero nautics Board administrative law judge. Judge William Dapper has recommended that the CAB turn down merger bids from Pan Am and Texas International Airlines on grounds that if a National merger is allowed, it will trigger off a wave of other mergers and reduce the number of carriers competing in the US domestic market. Dapper also recommended that the CAB should force Pan Am and TXIA to sell their current shareholdings in National. While the Board is not obliged to follow the judge's ruling, it will have to justify itself if it doesn't. Eastern's merger application is being considered separately and a decision has not yet been handed down. People Grand Metropolitan Airport Services has appointed M. V. Laws operations director responsible for catering, duty free and gift-shop concessions, replac ing David Denham, who becomes development director. Stephen Wheatcroft, British Airways director of subsidiaries, and Raymond A. Young, president of the US com muter airline Skyways, have been appointed to the board of the Institute of Air Transport. General-arrangement drawing of the Boeing 757 in the low-tailed form as ordered by British Airways and Eastern Airlines. At the time of BA's order, the reason given for the switch from the original T-tailed layout was "superior aerodynamics and hence better operating figures." However, the low- tailed aircraft is some 18ft shorter, which surely implies a lower structural weight even with the bigger tail surfaces demanded by their shorter moment arms. Hangar space requirements and first-line servicing problems may also be eased. Although aerodynamic problems with the T-tail have never been discussed, it is likely that BA would in any case have preferred the low-tail solution once given the option. There can be no doubt that the T-tail is now eclipsed and that its one real advantage—commonality with the 727—involved too many sacrifices in other areas
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
