Major Airlines

Meetings and events were canceled. Thousands of business travelers were stranded nationwide. Packages that absolutely, positively had to get there overnight, didn't. Despite international resolve not to let Tuesday's terrorist hijackings stand in the way of world commerce, many businesses that rely on commercial aviation to conduct business in Maryland and beyond suffered in ways big and small as the nation's airlines remained largely grounded for a second day yesterday. Even with the resumption of normal air traffic, many analysts predict a sharp decline in air travel that could change the way America does business for weeks or months to come.

A collective groan rose from the United Airlines check-in line at La Guardia Airport last week as the announcement sounded from a loudspeaker. Because of heavy thunderstorms in Chicago, the disembodied voice intoned, flights to O'Hare International Airport would be delayed one to four hours. For Sharon Mantel, a drug saleswoman on her way to a meeting in Chicago, this was not the first bad news of the day. She hit a deer on her way to the New York-area airport from her home in Stamford, Conn.

WASHINGTON -- America West Airlines Inc. had the highest passenger-complaint rate among major U.S. carriers in February and Alaska Air Group Inc. had the worst on-time performance, the U.S. government said yesterday. America West had 9.74 complaints per 100,000 passengers, the Department of Transportation said in its monthly air travel consumer report. "Our performance for the month of February was very adversely affected by the flight management computer outage in mid-February," said America West spokeswoman Patty Nowack.

DALLAS -- Southwest Airlines Co., the world's biggest low-fare airline and the dominant carrier at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, said yesterday that second-quarter earnings rose 18 percent because of increased passenger demand along the East Coast.Net income climbed to $157.8 million, or 29 cents a split-adjusted share, from $133.4 million, or 25 cents, in the second quarter of last year. The most recent per-share results were in line with the average estimate of 30 cents from analysts surveyed by First Call Corp.

MY BEST SHOTDesert sentinelBy Marilyn V. Chamberlain, BaltimoreLots of red rocks, hoodoos and all sorts of strange formations show nature's power and create a fascinating Southwestern view. This picture was taken outside Sedona, Ariz., and, as the sky indicates, it was the prelude to a swift-moving spring snowstorm.A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCEFond farewell to LuxembourgBy Richard BaschSpecial to the SunThe first time I flew Icelandic Airlines, I hauled a duffel bag full of hope and a young wife from New York to Belgium via Luxembourg.

Television stations like to tell us in their promotional messages how committed they are to diversity. But, when it comes time to walk the walk and air programs that might be controversial because of the diversity they celebrate, many stations run for cover.Maryland Public Television is backing up its campaign to promote diversity this television season with a couple of productions dealing with gay and lesbian issues, and our local PBS outlet deserves some recognition. Not that MPT has made a major commitment to gay and lesbian programming by any stretch of the imagination.

The new pier at Baltimore-Washington International Airport is drawing airline executives from around the world. They come in small groups, at least 20 in the past year, to inspect the whitewashed architecture and hear the state's marketing pitch.But one thing is still in short supply at the $140 million Gov. William Donald Schaefer International Terminal at BWI these days: More airplanes.Maryland's newest international gateway is a year old this week, and state officials say the facility hasn't blossomed into the bustling payoff they would have liked.

For aspiring airline pilots, it's a great time to be looking for a job.U.S. carriers are scrambling to hire the more than 10,000 additional pilots they need each year to fly their airplanes. They have new planes arriving as pilots hired during the 1960s and 1970s are reaching mandatory retirement age.AIR Inc., an Atlanta-based company that specializes in pilot career consulting, estimates that the airlines will hire at least 14,000 pilots in 1998. This year will be the third in a row that pilot hirings set a record.

US Airways pilots have overwhelmingly approved a five-year contract that will allow the airline to launch a low-fare operation to compete with discount carriers such as Southwest Airlines and Delta Express.A count of mail-in ballots yesterday showed that 88 percent of the airline's 4,600 pilots returned ballots and 84 percent voted in favor of the agreement.After 17 months of sometimes contentious talks, the company and the pilots' negotiating committee reached a tentative deal Sept. 30, subject to approval by the union's rank and file.

Electronic ticketing, which has the potential to save airlines considerable money, is off to a slow start.Until this summer, "ticket-less travel" was available only for trips in the United States and Canada, but now two routes to Frankfurt, Germany, have been enfolded in the system.Major airlines first offered electronic tickets -- or e-tickets, as they are called -- in 1994, with Southwest Airlines leading the way. Linda Rutherford, a Southwest spokeswoman, says that more than half the line's daily trips are now made using electronic tickets, and this seems to be the best any airline is doing.