Well, it's not quite goodbye just yet. But Continental Airlines
CEO Gordon Bethune, widely credited with bringing the airline back
from the brink of financial ruin, will retire at the end of the
year. Continental says he'll be replaced by the airline's current
president, Larry Kellner.
When Bethune joined Continental ten years ago (as of next month),
the airline was staggering out of its second bankruptcy in a
decade. In a few short years, Continental rose in all standings,
from customer service to on-time performance.
When passengers aboard a US Airways Express flight got on board
in Pittsburgh (PA) last week, they thought they were going to
University Park Airport outside State College (PA). When they go
off the flight, however, they discovered they weren't in State
College at all.
The pilot instead landed at Mid-State Airport, near Philipsburg,
about 20 miles away. Mid-State business manager Joann Shields was
there to greet the unexpected flight.
Chicago's plan to expand O'Hare International Airport -- the
most complex and controversial airport development issue in civil
aviation today -- is so fundamentally flawed that it should be
scrapped, the former acting administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration said Friday.
"Chicago's plan is in serious trouble. It will cost too much, will
not produce the claimed benefits and will fail to meet FAA safety
standards," said Joseph Del Balzo, who served as acting
administrator at the FAA in 1994. The O'Hare plan would not just
fail to reduce delays, but would actually increase them at the
nation's most pivotal airport, he said.
Pilots at North American Airlines, a charter carrier that
provides service to civilian and military passengers, have voted to
join the Teamsters Union. Out of 117 eligible pilots, the vote was
78 for the Teamsters and two for the Air Line Pilots
Association.
"This indicates a major success for members of the pilots group,
who wanted a strong collective voice," said Don Treichler, Director
of the Teamsters Airline Division.
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