2 ^ Piedmont
around Piedmont
On November 1, our fleet will num
ber 125. We will have 63 737-200s,
eight 737-300S, 34 727-200s, and 20
F28-1000S. TWo more 737-300s and
two F28-4000S are scheduled for
delivery this year.
A new terminal project is underway
at GRR which will give us additional
gates and support area when com
pleted in 1987.
RIC will have a new terminal build
ing and concourse by mid-1987, and
new building projects are in the works
at ROA and ILM.
Piedmont will serve 74 airports
(99 cities) in 26 states and the District
of Columbia on November 1. Henson,
the Piedmont Regional Airline, will
serve 26 airports (40 cities) in eight
states. With the addition of Britt Air
ways and Jetstream International
Airlines, the Piedmont Commuter
System will cover 26 airports (31
cities) in seven states.
On November 1
number of departures: 974
miles flown daily: 350,501
ASMs (available seat miles):
42,895,653
number of aircraft
in fleet: 125
number of block hours
flown daily: 1,088
average aircraft hop:
359.9 miles
At CAE we now have four check-in
positions and additional support area.
A new cargo building will open at
CHS in November, replacing the tem
porary trailer added last year for these
services.
At CLT, the old terminal building
will be demolished this month and
a new building constructed on the
site which will house our cargo and
catering services. Site preparation
will begin late this year for the new
Concourse A with completion set for
late 1986. Concourse A will house
American, Delta, Eastern, People
Express, United and others.
Piedmont will have three new
Presidential Suites by next spring.
The Facilities Department is now
designing suites for LGA and EWR,
and DCA, which already has a suite,
will get a new, larger one next year.
When these Presidential Suites are
completed, we will have 12 on our
system.
The new $6 million addition to
our GSO maintenance facility will be
ready for business November 15. The
127,000-square foot addition will
house the engine build-up shop and
the wheel and brake shop as well as a
stock room and offices.
Our new 737-300 simulator, deliv
ered in August, has been approved by
the FAA for visual status or Phase I
use. Phase II certification is expected
by early next year.
Several new terminal buildings at
airports we serve are under construc
tion. At BDL, we will move to new
facilities in the South Terminal when
they are completed next spring. This
will give us two loading bridges and
full facilities to handle our complete
operation.
At FAY, the concourse and opera
tions areas of the terminal are being
expanded. When the project is com
pleted at the end of 1986, we will have
two loading bridges along with facili
ties for our passenger services areas.
The Piedmonitor has received a
silver award in competition sponsored
by the North Carolina chapter of the
International Association of Business
Communicators (lABC).
Piedmont will be featured Novem
ber 6 on “Stateline,” a news program
which airs on all public television sta
tions throughout North Carolina. The
show begins at 7:30 p.m.
Traffic Stats
September
passengers boarded
revenue passenger miles (RPMs)
available seat miles (ASMs)
load factor
1,325,915
588.6 million
1.2 billion
47.53%
-f 19.9%
-1-25.5%
h-23.3%
+ .82 points
First Nine Months
passengers boarded
revenue passenger miles
available seat miles
load factor
13,295,431
6.0 billion
10.7 billion
56.57%
-1-27.2%
+ 32.5%
+ 23.2%
-(-3.94 points
Cargo Stats
(ton miles)
September
U.S. Mail
Air Freight
Air Express
TOTAL
1,566,034
1,684,111
48,428
3,298,573
- 11.5%
+ 11.2%
+ 2.1%
- 0.9%
First Nine Months
U.S. Mail
Air Freight
Air Express
TOTAL
13,879,811
15,235,644
503,308
29,618,763
- 6.4%
+ 21.4%
+ 24.7%
+ 6.6%
around the industry
• * ‘Remember when the terms hub and spoke only referred to the wheel? Accord
ing to airline industry experts, the words will remain active for years to come in
airline circles. First Boston, the same bank that is financing Pi's Empire purchase,
reported that airline hub development is most likely to occur in north-south routes
or in the "last frontier" for U.S. airline routes — the West. The report identified
BWI, CVG, & CLT as the only primarily north-south hubs in operation. It went on
to say that hubs of the future may become multi directional and agreed with
points made by a Piedmont speaker at a recent meeting of the American Assn. of
Airport Executives. Staff Vice President-Public Affairs Don McGuire predicted that
the hub of the future would most likely be on a smaller scale with continued feeder
arrangements with commuters to fill in service gaps to smaller markets.
•‘•Like to try and guess which airports will be hubs next? The same First Boston
report pointed out six major factors that guide airline hub selection: 1) geographic
location: 2) potential market size: 3) competitive environment: 4) potential flow of
market traffic: 5) facility availability: and 6) operating conditions — i.e. weather
and air traffic control problems.
• • ’Underscoring the fact that it costs to be competitive in today's airline market —
Drexe! Burnham Lambert analysts say commercial jet transport sales should total
almost $13 billion this year — up about $3.5 billion from 1984. They also predict
that by 1988 sales should rise to around $18 billion.
•••If you could see above the clouds every day last year guess which kind of jet
would have been the most frequent flier? According to AVIATION DAILY the Boeing
727-200 accounted for 35% of total block hours flown. Number two in usage was
the DC-9-30 with 12% of all block hours. Neither of the aircraft is still in produc
tion. Planes you'd have been least likely to see — 747SP and L-1011 aircraft had the
least amount of block hours flown. The same study calculated fuel misers and guz
zlers. The 757-200 and MD-80 aircraft came in as the most fuel efficient and the
727-100 and the 747SP were the least.
• • * Fierce competition is the name of the game in a deregulated environment. Af
ter its first full month of operation in DFW, People Express carried close to 15,000
passengers. AA has 60% of the market share at DFW and plans to keep it that way.
The carrier reacted with strategy learned from similar entry of PE into their EWR-
ORD market. AA is offering super saver one-way fare of $59 to all three New York
airports while PE's fare is $99 peak and $69 off peak flying only to EWR.
In other aggressive moves to counter low-fare carriers entering its markets. AA
reduced its already discounted easy saver fares by 20 to 30% to match or undercut
fares in 10 markets where it competes with Braniff, and is also offering the same
fares (with restrictions) advertised by newcomer Continental West on its Seattle-
San Jose routes.
• • •Known for being successfully established in its own market, USAir is having
some of its routes invaded by new upstart Presidential Airways. USAir not only
matched the fares but lifted all restrictions on the discount seats and began offer
ing the tickets two weeks before Presidential even began operating. Examples of
fares: from BWI to BDL or BOS $39 off-peak. $75 peak and BWI to IND $49 off
peak, $79 peak. Directors of Presidential say they're used to fare wars: President
Harold Pareti and Senior Vice President Geoffrey Crowley both came from PE.
••♦With constant operation and almost constant growth, another constant in
the aviation business is the ongoing inspection of airline maintenance procedures
by the FAA. After beginning a special investigation of AA's maintenance record
keeping operations in mid-June, the FAA fined AA $1.5 million in October. An
agency official said the penalty was the largest such fine ever and was based on
alleged violations involving maintenance monitoring, maintenance performance
and quality control.
• ‘ ‘Some post-labor day bargains to mention when friends ask you about good
airline deals — Southwest Airlines is offering $25 one-way fares through Nov. 15 for
flights throughout its system for senior citizens 65 & older. For example, Mon.-Fri.
between 9 a.m. & 3 p.m. seniors can fly lAH to LAX for $50 round trip with i.d. in
stead of paying regular discount fare of $218.
If someone you know decides to go to Europe at the last minute, tell them Iceland-
air is offering $149 one-way fare from New York to Luxembourg for passengers who
make reservations on the day of travel. From BWI carrier is offering $168 same-day
fare, from ORD $199 & from MCO $239. Offer good through late spring with free
round-trip motorcoach service from the tiny kingdom of Luxembourg to eight
cities in West Germany, three in Belgium and three in Holland.
• • ‘Hurricane Gloria left her mark on the airline industry as she blew through the
Atlantic coastal region. Flights were cancelled on Sept. 27 at airports from Maine
to South Carolina. Service was entirely suspended during the storm at airports like
LGA, EWR, BOS, & DCA. PE was the airline most affected by Gloria, cancelling 325
of 422 daily flights. EA cancelled around 289 flights on Sept. 29 & 30, AA 220, PI
188, AL 184, UA 171 and so on.
Minimal if any damage to equipment and facilities was reported because airlines
acted quickly to keep aircraft out of affected cities late on the 26th. Most airports
were ready to resume normal operations late Friday but service was delayed be
cause aircraft and crews were caught out of position. Damage was done, however,
to September's already low airline traffic and revenue figures.
ously ill while visiting in the area.
The man was tired and understand
ably upset because he had been told
that his wife might not be alive when
he reached the hospital.
Myers took the man to the hospital
and even escorted him into the Inten
sive Care Unit. On her way out, she
stopped back by the Information Desk
and asked if it would be possible for
the man to receive some help since he
had trouble seeing and she was afraid
he had very little money.
Because of Myers’ kindness, arrange
ments were promptly made for this
man, making a difficult time a little
easier for him.
Piedmont people
T.H. Davis, Piedmont’s founder and
retired chairman of the board, has
been named to the board of directors
of The First Wachovia Corporation.
* * *
Gordon Bethune, senior vice
president-operations, has been named
to First Citizens Bank’s board of direc
tors in Winston-Salem.
* * *
Gloria Myers, ATL-based flight at
tendant, has received a TOPS (Total
Outstanding Passenger Services)
Award for offering special assistance
to a passenger.
An elderly man from Spokane, Wash
ington, had traveled to Winston-Salem
to see his wife who had become seri-