> Siegel Accepts Award > > President and CEO Dave Siegel today accepted the Airline Financial Management of the Year award > on behalf of US Airways at the World Transport Summit and 59th annual International Air > Transport Association (IATA) luncheon meeting in Washington. The awards are presented to > recognize excellence in boardroom leadership and strategy. The judging criteria for this award > includes provisions for success in seeing through a major financial transaction, new strategy or > cost initiative. > > After accepting the award, Siegel said US Airways went into a seven-and-one-half month > reorganization that was "aggressive, yet doable." He offered special thanks to employees "whose > enormous support during these difficult times enabled us to emerge from Chapter 11 on a fast > track." Areas of competition in the category ranged from financial restructuring programs and > new market launches to acquisitions through key transactions, and leasing and debt financing. > G.E. Capital Aviation Services was US Airways? sponsor for the event. There were about 150 in > attendance at the ceremony, including other airline CEOs and industry analysts. A judging panel > included industry executives and airline consultants, and awards were presented in seven > separate categories. IATA represents over 270 members from 143 entries. > > Industry News: > > Bloomberg News reports that United is revising its application for a $1.8 billion U.S. > government loan guarantee to emerge from bankruptcy protection. United CEO Glenn Tilton told > reporters at a news conference that the airline is in the process of supplementing its > application. United filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 9, 2002. The board's executive > director said at the time United would be allowed to submit a new plan as part of Chapter 11 > restructuring. United will take a new business plan to its board of directors in June and meet > with a creditors' committee, and will then submit the revised application to the ATSB. > > Northwest and its Northwest Airlink affiliate, Pinnacle Airlines, have upgraded service between > Detroit and State College, Pa. Effective Aug. 3, Northwest will replace one of the four > 34-passenger Saab 340 turbo-prop airplane flights operating on Sundays with a 50-passenger > Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ). Beginning Sept. 2, the flight will become a daily jet flight > between the two cities. > > Separately, Northwest will add new service and resume seasonal nonstop flights from its > Minneapolis/St. Paul and Detroit hubs to destinations in Alaska. The airline?s summer schedule > to Anchorage and Fairbanks will be offered through Sept. 1, and will include a total of eight > daily flights from the lower 48 states to Alaska. Northwest will also add a second seasonal > daily nonstop between June 7 and Sept. 1 on the Minneapolis/St. Paul ? Fairbanks route. > > The Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a final decision approving a code share agreement > between American and British Airways that allows cooperation on routes beyond hubs but excludes > nonstop transatlantic flights to London. The two airlines first applied for the code share in > November, and DOT issued a tentative decision on April 9. Unlike previous applications filed > with the DOT, the most recent application did not request antitrust immunity. > > In other news, the DOT has lifted the ban on air service between the U.S. and Iraq, the first > step toward allowing U.S. carriers to operate scheduled service to Baghdad. Following a DOT > order issued in 1990, U.S. and foreign air carriers have been prohibited from selling any > services in the U.S. that included a stop in Iraq. The DOT said procedures for restoring > U.S.-Iraq air service are under review, as several airlines have applied for Baghdad flights. > > United has reinstated daily nonstop service between San Francisco and Seoul, becoming the only > U.S. carrier to serve the market nonstop from the United States. The service was suspended as > part of the airline?s post-Sept. 11 service cutbacks. United will operate the flights with > Boeing 777 aircraft. Korean-speaking flight attendants, Korean-dubbed movies and Korean entree > selections will be on each flight. > > The Air Transport Association (ATA) has announced that John M. Meenan has been named executive > vice president and chief operating officer, effective immediately. Meenan has held leadership > positions within the association since joining the ATA general counsel's staff in 1985, and has > most recently served as senior vice president for industry policy, overseeing industry economic > analysis and public communications. In his new position, Meenan will work to increase ATA's > focus on industry issues and improve service to passenger and cargo airline members while > continuing his involvement in industry environmental affairs, security, passenger and cargo > facilitation, and coordination of airport policy. > > > > > US Airways Implements City Ticket Office Service Fee > > US Airways has implemented a $10 service fee for certain tickets purchased or changed through > any of the airline's city ticket offices (CTOs), beginning today. > > "It is important to continue to offer personalized service in our key cities," > said Steve Tracas, US Airways vice president of sales. "CTOs provide numerous services that our > customers value, such as the ability to make changes to reservations, have tickets reissued and > handle group travel. > > "For us to continue to provide this service, it has to be done in a cost- > effective manner. Other carriers have implemented service fees for this and other value-added > services, and this nominal fee is in line with that trend," said Tracas. > > The service charge will be assessed per customer transaction, and will apply to all fares except > negotiated corporate/group programs, schedule change reissues, award tickets and tickets subject > to change fees. > > US Airways has 13 CTOs in the U.S. and Canada, with locations in Annapolis, Md., Arlington, > Boston, Charlotte, N.C., Dayton, Ohio, the District of Columbia, New York City (2), > Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Raleigh-Durham, N.C., Toronto, Ontario and Winston-Salem, N.C. > > > > US Airways and Caribbean Sun Airlines to Code Share > > US Airways announced today that it has entered into a marketing agreement with Caribbean Sun > Airlines, with the first code share flights to begin on June 15, 2003, offering daily connecting > service between San Juan, Puerto Rico and the destinations of Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Kitts > and Tortola. > > These code share flights are now available for purchase. The agreement provides travelers with > the convenience of a single ticket between the U.S. and Caribbean Sun's island destinations, > with conveniently coordinated flight schedules, through check-in, including a boarding pass for > the connecting code share flight, and baggage checked through to the final destination. > > The agreement includes network expansion and affiliation through US Airways' Dividend Miles > frequent flyer program. Beginning June 15, 2003, Dividend Miles members will be able to earn > miles on all flights operated by Caribbean Sun. Dividend Miles members will be able to redeem > miles on flights operated by Caribbean Sun at a later date to be announced. > > Caribbean Sun operates 37-seat deHavilland Dash 8-100 aircraft. Its flights will link to US > Airways service at San Juan to Boston, Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In San > Juan, Caribbean Sun operates from the same concourse as US Airways, and utilizes the same ticket > counter. > > "This code share agreement is part of our plan to extend our GoCaribbean Network to bring more > of the Caribbean to more of our customers," said Douglas D. Leo, US Airways vice president of > international. "With convenient connections, Caribbean Sun will provide customers with new ways > to reach these popular and attractive Caribbean destinations." > > R. Allen Stanford, Chairman of Caribbean Sun Airlines said, "This agreement is an important part > of realizing our goal to stimulate traffic to the Caribbean and we are pleased to have the > opportunity to work with US Airways." > > US Airways' GoCaribbean initiative is a major marketing venture that recognizes the regional > airline network in the Caribbean as partners, offering additional customer conveniences. Under > this initiative, US Airways has added greater access to the Caribbean in cooperation with > Windward Island Airways (Winair) and Caribbean Star Airlines. Combined with US Airways' mainline > and Express operations, US Airways and GoCaribbean serves over 35 destinations in the Caribbean > and Latin America. > > > > Chautauqua Pilots Mull Strike Vote > > Chautauqua Airlines pilots are threatening to strike over US Airways' "Jets for Jobs" program > that is designed to provide jobs for furloughed US Airways pilots in exchange for allowing the > regional partners to obtain new regional jets. The pilots claim that the airline's management > has postponed "meaningful negotiations." __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com