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* Aeroflot, the state-owned carrier of Russia, carried 3.9 million passengers and 89,500 tons of cargo in 1996, up from 3.5 million and 70,400 tons, respectively in 1995. The carrier flies to 94 countries with two Boeing 767-300ERs, 10 A310-300s, and six IL-96-300s. * Air France and Alitalia have signed a cooperation agreement which will take effect April 1. The move aims to help each operator expand and cut costs in the face of increasing competition in post- liberalization Europe. Both airlines said they would "try to find new ways to expand and deepen their cooperation in the future." * Air France has begun weekly flights between Paris and the West African petroleum center of Port Harcourt. The flights are being operated with 747s until April 1 and will be serviced by A310s thereafter. * Braathens S.A.F.E., Scandinavia's largest 737 operator, has purchased six 737-700s. The Oslo-based carrier will receive the aircraft between 1998 and 2000. * Continental has announced fares up to 50 percent off spring and summer travel in the U.S. and Canada, and to Europe and Latin America. TWA announced that it will match Continental's sale with 50 percent off domestic flights on routes competing with Continental. * Lufthansa Group carried 41.4 million passengers during 1996, up 1.7 percent from the previous year. Average load factor for 1996 was 70.2 percent, down from 70.4 percent in 1995. * Northwest Airlines barred a passenger from its aircraft as a result of unprovoked violence towards a Northwest pilot Dec. 6. In a Jan. 20 letter to the passenger, a Northwest official wrote, "This is to inform you that Northwest Airlines prohibits you from boarding any future flight operated by our airline; furthermore, we will advise other airlines with which we maintain cooperative agreements of our decision and the background that led to it." * The Slovak Government has approved a draft resolution to establish a Slovak national carrier, Slovak Airlines. According to the draft act, the airline will provide both domestic and international services and will be a joint stock company. Shareholders will include the Devin Group (33.5 percent), the Wili Company (28.9 percent), and the Russian firm Yakovlev (2.5 percent). The remaining 34.2 percent will be divided between a yet unspecified number of large Slovak companies. The carrier will operate Russian-built Tupolevs and Ilyushin aircraft. * South African Airways has ordered Rolls-Royce RB211-524 engines to power two Boeing 747-400s. The new aircraft are due for delivery in May and October 1998. The carrier already operates four 747-400s and ordered the two additional aircraft to meet increasing passenger traffic between the U.S. and South Africa. * United Airlines, pending government approval, will launch a second daily flight between Chicago and London Heathrow beginning in April. The second daily flight, to be operated with a Boeing 767-300, will operated between April 1 and Oct. 25. * USAir will add a new daily roundtrip nonstop flight between New York's La Guardia Airport and Bermuda effective April 6, and between Charlotte and Bermuda effective May 6. * According to DOT's Air Travel Consumer Report released Feb. 5, the 10 largest U.S. carriers posted an on-time arrival record of 74.5 percent in 1996, down from 78.6 percent the previous year. The carriers posted a mishandled baggage rate of 5.3 complaints per 1,000 passengers last year, compared to 5.18 in 1995. Finally, consumers filed 7,105 complaints about airline service in 1996, nearly 18 percent above 1995's total. LABOR * The Air Line Pilots Association's (ALPA) merger with the Canadian Airline Pilots Association (CALPA) gives the U.S. labor group a total of 46,000 members among 48 airlines. CALPA added 10 airlines and 2,700 pilots to ALPA's roster. The move, says labor management consultant Ralph Craviso, is significant in that ALPA is becoming more politicized with more influence in setting international pilot standards. * Lufthansa's pilots and flight attendants, which entered into a strike vote late last month, will have those votes counted Feb. 15. If at least 70 percent of the members vote in favor of a strike, pilots and flight attendants will walk off the job on a date to be determined. At issue are three main concerns: pilots want a one-year contract while management is seeking a 27-month contract; management is offering a 1.7 percent wage increase while pilots are asking for a 4 percent increase; and pilots want greater job security with management's assurance that it will not contract out Lufthansa routes to regional carriers. SUPPLIERS/MANUFACTURERS * ARINC has introduced a series of new features for its Data Network Service which are designed to make it possible for the airlines to take advantage of the Internet while avoiding the high cost of modifying their long-standing reservations and operations applications. ARINC will provide public and private web application hosting, firewall protection, secure access to private web serves, databases, and existing systems. The company also intends to further expand its web application development and hosting facilities. {Curtis Lewis, 410-266-4815} * FLS Aerospace, following completion of a DC-10 "C" Check in July 1996, has been contracted by Transaero to complete a similar check on a second DC-10. {Bryan Southgate, 44 (0)1 1279 825244 or publicrel@flsaerospace.com} * Messier-Bugatti wheels and third-generation Sepcarb III carbon brakes will be installed on Philippine Airlines' 12 Airbus A320s. The first aircraft will be delivered in July 1997. According to Messier- Bugatti, these third-generation brakes increase endurance by about 70 percent over second-generation carbon brakes. {Monique Ranvier, 33 (0)1 46 29 82 20} * Pratt & Whitney employees at the manufacturer's North Berwick, Maine, plant each received a check for $1,762 as part of a Results Sharing program introduced in Jan. 1996. The award was based on exceeding targets for cost reduction, overhaul and repair profit margins, and customer satisfaction measures. Correction: Last week's story on Kuwait Airways incorrectly stated that the airline had a stake in Indian Airlines and Royal Nepal Airlines. The carriers cooperate by providing each other with connecting flights, but both Indian and Royal Nepal are state-owned. Web Sites for air carriers and manufacturers in this issue Air France http://www.airfrance.fr Alitalia http://www.alitalia.it American Airlines http://www.americanair.com America West http://www.americawest.com Boeing http://www.boeing.com British Airways http://www.british- airways.com Continental http://www.flycontinental.com Delta http://www.delta-air.com Emirates http://www.ekgroup.com Lufthansa http://www.lufthansa.de Mesaba http://www.mesaba.com McDonnell Douglas http://www.mdc.com Northwest http://www.nwa.com Pratt & Whitney http://www.pweh.com Singapore Airlines http://www.singaporeair.com Southwest http://www.iflyswa.com South African Airways http://www.saa.co.za TWA http://www.twa.com United http://www.ual.com USAir http://www.usair.com ValuJet http://www.valujet.com Western Pacific http://www.westpac.com