OST Docket Filings for June 10, 1997

OST Docket Filings for June 10, 1997

Pleadings:

Notices of Action Taken:

Air India | Cathay Pacific

Notices and Orders:

EL AL | Glasgow et al, Montana | Standard Foreign Fare Level | Order Confirming Notices of Action Taken

Air-India Limited (Notice of Action Taken)

OST-95-537 | Posted June 10, 1997

Notice of Action

Renew exemption for one year to conduct scheduled foreign air transportation between India and Chicago, via the intermediate points Toronto; London; Paris; and Frankfurt; with local Chicago-London, Chicago-Paris, and Chicago-Frankfurt traffic rights.

By: Paul Gretch / Counsel: Marshall Sinick, Squire Sanders

Index

AirTran Airways, Inc. (Exemption, Slot Restrictions at New York LaGuardia)

OST-97-2557 | June 10, 1997

Response in Support on Behalf of Moline/Quad Cities and Bloomington/Normal, IL

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The Moline/Quad City International Airport, along with the 770,000 plus residents of the Illinois/Iowa Quad Cities wish to add their support to the above filing on the part of AirTran Airways, Inc. (AirTran). AirTran's proposed new service would significantly increase the availability of air service to one of the Quad Cities most important markets. The overall community has been growing considerably in the last few years and traffic has increased 11+% increase in 1996 and to date this year a 6.8% increase over last year's passengers has additionally been realized.

Included with this filing as Exhibit A is an Air Service Study conducted by the Quad City International Airport's consultant, Michael Boyd of Aviation Systems Research Corporation, Golden, Colorado, which clearly supports the need for the service. Additionally, Exhibit B contains letters of support for the granting of slots to AirTran for the service to the Quad Cities and Bloomington/Normal. The response from the federal, state and local legislators, along with the corporate community, over the last week to ten days has been overwhelming as is exhibited in the attached letters of support. Enclosed with the letters of support are various articles from local newspapers concerning this service. The newspapers, together with the television and radio response, has been outstanding.

Exhibit A | Exhibit B

By: Kent George, Director of Aviation, Quad City Intl Airport

Letters in Support from Akron Canton Regional Airport and Civic Parties

Letter in Support from J Edward Auld

Letter in Support from Picton Cavanaugh, Inc.

Letter in Support from Sunoco

Index

Austrian Airlines, Osterreichische Luftverkehrs AG (Amended Foreign Air Carrier Permit, US-Austria Open Skies)

OST-97-2608 | June 10, 1997

Application for an Amended Foreign Air Carrier Permit

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The grant of an amended permit to Austrian that reflects the broad rights available under the Open Skies Agreement is clearly in the public interest, and is consistent with U.S. aviation policy and bilateral commitments. The issuance of this authority will facilitate Austrian's ability to offer new, innovative, and procompetitive international air transportation services to the benefit of the traveling and shipping public. The hallmark of an open skies agreement is the complete discretion it affords carriers in selecting markets and implementing services, without the need to seek point-to-point approvals. Grant of the requested authority will help achieve the liberal marketplace benefits envisioned by the Open Skies Agreement. The Department should proceed promptly with the issuance of an amended permit, as there is no question that Austrian is a designated carrier under the Open Skies Agreement, and that it is fit, willing and able to perform the services contemplated herein.

Verification | OS-1 Air Operator Certificate | OS-2 Annual Report 1996 | OS-3 Supervisory Board and Board of Management | Service List

Subpart Q, Answers are due by July 8, 1997

Counsel: Shaw Pittman, JE Murdock, 202-663-8342

Index

Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (Notice of Action Taken)

OST-95-940 | Posted June 10, 1997

Notice of Action

Renew exemption for one year to conduct scheduled foreign air transportation between Hong Kong and New York, via the intermediate point Vancouver; and property and mail between Hong Kong and the coterminal points Anchorage, Chicago, and New York, via Toronto.

By: Paul Gretch / Counsel: William Evans, Verner Liipfert

Index

EL AL Israel Airlines, Ltd. (Renewal of Exemptions)

Order 97-6-12 | OST-95-472 (47986) & 97-2547 (48826) | Issued and Served June 9, 1997

Order Vacating Order 97-6-6

In this order we are vacating Order 97-6-6, which otherwise would have withdrawn, effective June 11, 1997, authority held by EL AL to engage in scheduled foreign air transportation between Israel, on the one hand, and Washington/Baltimore; Dallas/Ft. Worth; and Orlando, on the other hand.

On June 9, 1997, we received official notification that the Government of Israel had accorded Tower the necessary authority immediately to operate its Tel Aviv service as requested. Tower has confirmed to us that it has received the desired authorization.

By: Charles Hunnicutt

Index

Glasgow, Glendive, Havre, Lewistown, Miles City, Sidney, Wolf Point, Montana (EAS)

Order 97-6-13 | OST-97-2605 | Issued June 10, 1997 | Served June 13, 1997

Order Revising Service Levels and Subsidy Rate

By this order, the Department is revising the service levels and subsidy rate for the EAS operated by Big Sky Transportation d/b/a Big Sky Airlines, between the seven Montana communities listed above and Billings, Montana, beginning October 1, 1997, or when the new service pattern is implemented, whichever is later, through the remainder of the carrier’s present rate term, which ends on Nov. 30. 1998.

Appendix A – Map | Appendix B – Annual Compensation Requirement | Appendix C – Service and Subsidy Rate | Appendix D – Service List

By: Charles Hunnicutt

Index

Midway Airlines Corporation (Raleigh/Durham – St Maarten)

OST-95-332 | June 10, 1997

Corrected cover page to the above-referenced application

Counsel: Shaw Pittman, Robert Cohn, 202-663-8000

Index

Nations Air Express, Inc. (Exemption, Miami-Maracaibo)

OST-97-2551 | June 10, 1997

Petition for Review of Staff Action by European-American Travel and Student Travel Services

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Acting immediately to vacate the NOAT should cause neither Nations Air nor the traveling public any serious inconvenience. Nations Air cannot start new scheduled service to Venezuela without first being designated by the U.S. Government and obtaining operating authority from the Government of Venezuela. It is highly unlikely Nations Air could have completed either requirement since the NOAT granting its application was issued on June 5. Without this authority, Nations Air could not have begun to hold out its proposed Miami-Maracaibo scheduled service, or to solicit passengers for the service.

Attachment - EAT and STS pleading of June 6, 1997

Counsel: Ginsburg Feldman, Bruce Rabinovitz, 202-637-9036

Index

Sky Trek International Airlines, Inc. (Certificates of Public Convenience, Interstate and Foreign Charter Air Transportation)

Order 97-6-8 | OST-96-1102 & 96-1103 | Issued June 6, 1997 | Served June 12, 1997

Order Issuing Effective Certificates and Confirming Oral Action

Certificate for Interstate Charter | Certificate for Foreign Charter | Service List

By: John Coleman

Index

Trans Continental Airlines, Inc. (Amendment of Certificate Authority to Remove Condition)

OST-97-2257 | June 10, 1997

Second Supplement

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The most significant difference between the audited and unaudited balance sheets is the $1,010,000 increase in "prepaid expenses," which results in a corresponding increase in the total "current assets," now $3,860,818. We also note that the entry for "deposits" has increased by the same amount, and is now $1,028,405. These increases result from the reclassification of approximately $2 million in a hush kit deposit and prepaid engine repair costs, which had been incorrectly entered under "fixed assets."" The amount for the hush kit deposit was re-entered as a deposit, and the engine repair payments as a prepaid expense. This correction greatly increases the carrier's ratio of current assets to current liabilities.

Financial Statements and Letter from Comerica Bank

Counsel: Sher Blackwell, Mark Atwood, 202-463-2513

Index

U.S. – Russia Overflight Rights

Docket 50326 | June 10, 1997

Reply of United Air Lines and Motion for Leave to File

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Also left unstated in Northwest's application is the fact that it proposes to operate services to Delhi only three days per week, while on other days its flights would serve Bombay. A carrier operating between Amsterdam and Bombay is able to operate efficiently over a more southerly routing and does not need to operate over Afghanistan airspace in order to offer optimum schedules. The airway between Amsterdam and Bombay is 400 miles longer via Afghanistan than via Iran. This is due to a circuitous airways structure in Northern India which negatively affects flights to/from Bombay as compared to those serving Delhi. Currently, a flight from Bombay to Amsterdam via Iran would take 8:36 hours whereas via Afghanistan would take 8:56 hours. Thus, the elapsed time for a Bombay-Amsterdam flight operated over Afghanistan is 20 minutes longer than a flight operated over Iran. While the airways distance between London and Delhi is equivalent whether operations are routed over Iran or Afghanistan, the prevailing winds result in Delhi-London operations via Afghanistan saving on average 30-60 minutes of flying time.

Counsel: United and Ginsburg Feldman, Joel Burton, 202-637-9130

Index

Order Confirming Notices of Action Taken

Order 97-6-7 | Issued June 5, 1997 | Served June 11, 1997

Order