around
he indus
The ATA’s Air Ttansport 1988 report notes that last
year airlines operated 6.6 million flights carrying 447
million passengers, up seven percent from 419 million
passengers carried in 1986. Freight, mail and express
tons rose from 6.2 million in 1986 to a record 6.6 million.
The report points out that the safety rate was one of the
best since safety regulation began in 1926.
Other highlights of the report include:
• The airlines last year accounted for more than 92
percent of U.S. intercity travel via public transportation.
• In 1987, 91 percent of domestic airline traffic moved
on discount fares, and the average discount was 62 per
cent off the full fare. The average passenger yield —the
amount the airlines received for flying a passenger one
mile —amounted to 11.1 cents. Since 1984, the average
fare has declined eight percent while the consumer price
index has increased nine percent.
• Airline employment hit a record 457,349 in 1987.
up from 421,686 in 1986. The 1987 figure includes
41,963 pilots, 76,662 flight attendants, and 51,233
mechanics.
• The busiest airport in the country last year was
ORD, handling 57.5 million passengers. Others in the top
10 in order were: ATL, LAX, DFW, DEN, JFK, SFO, LGA,
MIA, and EWR.
• At the end of 1987, the 23 ATA member airlines had
479 aircraft on order and 393 aircraft on option.
* * *
MARTA, Atlanta's rapid transit system, opened June
18 linking ATL with downtown Atlanta and other parts of
the city.
* * *
American inaugurated 767 widebody service from
RDU to Paris on May 26. The 215-seat aircraft includes
15 sleeper seats in first class, 36 business-class seats,
and 164 coach seats. Flight 34 leaves RDU each day at
9:05 p.m.. arriving at Paris' Orly Airport at 11:05 a.m.
(Paris time) the next day. Westbound, Flight 35 departs
Paris at 2 p.m., arriving in RDU at 5:25 p.m. the same day.
* * *
American will begin daily service from RDU to PVD on
August 12 and increase service from RDU to both DFW
and ORD the same month. With these additions, Ameri
can will operate 104 departures a day to 38 destinations
and American Eagle, 42 daily flights to 16 destinations,
at RDU. American is also continuing to grow at Nashville.
The airline will add 39 more flights a day to 18 destina
tions between August 31 and November 1.
* * ♦
United's current 91 daily flights at Washington Dulles
will increase to 114 in September, and to 125 by early
next year. The airline plans to establish a mini-hub at
Honolulu, effective September 7, for inbound flights from
Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco arriv
ing between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Passengers will be cross
connected, and aircraft will depart for Kauai, Kona and
Maui between 3:45 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.
United recently placed firm orders for 30 Boeing 757
aircraft with options for 30 more for a total value in excess
of $2 billion. The first aircraft will be delivered in August
1989. United's fleet has increased by only 52 aircraft in
the past four years, totaling 383 at the end of 1987.
* * *
Airline passenger traffic rose .4 percent in May, com
pared to the same month last year, and was up 2.6
percent for the past five months of 1988. Domestic pas
senger traffic declined 3.2 percent in May, available seat
miles rose .6 percent, and the load factor was 61.5 per
cent, down from 63.9 percent for May 1987.
Air freight increased 13.4 percent in May, compared to
May a year ago, and was up 18.0 percent in the first five
months of this year for the 22 airlines reporting cargo
data to the ATA. Domestic air freight rose 10.8 percent in
May, mail declined 2.7 percent, and total domestic cargo
registered a gain of 7.7 percent.
* * *
About a third of the seats on a Northwest jumbo jet
which flies between Detroit and Tokyo are now equipped
with three-inch T'V screens for passengers. According to
USA Tbday. the tiny TVs show six channels—movies,
news shows, sports, cultural events and TV comedies—
transmitted from videocassette recorders. Headsets are
rented in coach for $4 and given away in executive class.
Northwest began the four-month trial in June. British
Airways and Quantas plan similar experiments with the
tiny TV screens later this year.
Piedmont’s Genersil Aviation Group Headquarters was visited by a “Starship” recent
ly—Beech Aircraft’s revolutionary, all-composite business aircr£ift, that is. St£irship
I, which just received its FAA type certification, arrived in Winston-Salem July 17
as part of a nationwide tour to Beech Aircraft sedes centers. The aircraft’s sci-fi look
and unique method and material of construction drew the attention of several Gen
eral Aviation employees and local media during its two-day visit. Piedmont’s Beech-
craft division at Smith Reynolds Airport is one of the leirgest Beech Aircraft
dealerships in the nation.
June RPMs set new record
Piedmont boarded 2.380,323 passengers in
June, an increase of 13 percent over the
2,106,524 passengers boarded during the
same month of 1987—and a new company
record for the month of June.
We flew those passengers a record
1,159,213,812 revenue passenger miles
(RPMs), an increase of 22.2 percent over the
948,435,132 flown during the same period in
1987. This represents more RPMs during
any one-month period than ever before in
company history.
June's capacity of 1,853,430,798 available
seat miles, also set a new June record for the
Ccirrier, with an increase of 20.3 percent over
the 1,540,493,175 available in June 1987.
Passenger load factor for the month was
62.54 percent, a 0.97 percent increase over
last year's 61.57 percent. In addition, Pied
mont's first-class load factor for June was
the second best month on record, just be
hind our all-time record which was estab
lished this past April.
Dan Brock, senior vice president-marketing,
said that Piedmont experienced a strong sea
sonal demand for service to our vacation
destinations, particularly on our new trans
continental and international routes.
“In addition to a strong kick-off to the
busy summer season, what we're beginning
to see is a maturation of many of the new
services Piedmont introduced during the
past year, including fleet-wide first class ser
vice and new widebody services to London,
Los Angeles, and Orlando," Brock said.
For the six months ended June 30, Pied
mont flew 13,358,257 passengers, an in
crease of 8.2 percent over the 12,345,624
flown during the same period in 1987. Pied
mont had 6.34 billion RPMs, an increase of
15.7 percent over the 5.48 billion recorded
last year. Capacity grew to 10.68 billion
ASMs, an increase of 18.0 percent over the
9.05 billion offered during the first half of
1987. Load factor for the first six months was
59.36 percent, down 1,16 points from a load
factor of 60.52 percent we recorded last year.
USAir established a new monthly record
for revenue passenger miles flown in June,
and the 3,1 million passengers boarded dur
ing the month represented a 30.2 percent
increase over the 2.2 million boarded in
scheduled service in June 1987,
USAir's June 1988 traffic results include
those of the former Pacific Southwest Airlines,
which was merged into USAir on April 9.
Revenue passenger miles flown totaled 1.6
billion, up 41 percent over the 1.1 billion
flown in the same month in 1987, while avail
able seat miles rose 52.1 percent from 1.6
billion last year to 2.5 billion this year. Load
factor in June was 64.3 percent, compared to
69.3 percent in the same month last year.
For the first six months of 1988, USAir rev
enue passenger miles flown increased by 26.1
percent, available seat miles climbed by 32
percent, and passengers boarded were up
25.8 percent compaired to the first half of
1987. Load factor for the first six months
ended June 30 was 61.9 percent compared
with 64.8 percent for the same period in 1987.
traffic
Passengers
RPMs (000)
ASMs (000)
Load Factor
Piedmont
June ’88 June ’87
2,380,323 2,106,524
1,159.213 948,435
1,853,430 1,540,493
62.54% 61.57%
Change
■f 13.0%
h-22.2%
-I-20.3%
-I- 0.97 pts.
record for RPMs. Record June for passengers boarded and ASMs.
* The following 12 stations set record enplanements for the month of June: BWI, CLT. EVV, FWA,
GSR LAX. MSR YOW. PNS. SFO, SEA. and STL.
*Our seven reservations centers answered 3,151,284 calls in June 1988.
USAir
Passengers
RPMs (000)
ASMs (000)
Load factor
June ’88
3,063,869
1,609,571
2,504,945
64.3%
June ’87
2,201,424
1,141,671
1,647,072
69.3%
Change
-1-39.2%
h-41.0%
-t-52.1%
- 5.0 pts.
*USAir’s June 1988 traffic results include those ofRSA which was merged into USAir on April 9.
Piedmonitor • July 1988