2 Small Carriers Want to Fill Strike Void
Two small feeder airlines prepared to resume service to 17 towns served by Northwest Airlines Corp. Wednesday, while negotiators for Northwest and its striking pilots met again with a federal mediator and a Clinton administration official.
Presidential aide Bruce Lindsey remained with negotiators, trying to help a mediator find a way to end the 12-day-old strike. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater met with representatives of both sides Tuesday night.
The talks have been hung up on issues of pay and job security.
As the talks continued under a news blackout at a suburban hotel, two feeder airlines that had suspended service because of the strike were making plans to resume flying to 17 smaller towns with no other air service.
The Transportation Department gave Express Airlines Inc. until 6 p.m. today to develop a plan to serve five markets from Memphis, Tenn., a spokesman for Express said.
The department also was reviewing a plan filed by Mesaba Airlines for resumption of service to 12 markets from Minneapolis and three markets from Detroit. But the U.S. attorney in Minneapolis late Wednesday filed a lawsuit against Northwest and Mesaba to ensure that service was restored, a Transportation Department spokesman said.
Northwest said it would offer ground support to Mesaba and Express Airlines if the Transportation Department accepts operating plans of the two carriers that would allow a realistic possibility of recouping their costs.
However, Northwest said there are difficulties involved in restarting Northwest Airlink service and said its support operations, including reservations and ground handling, could be provided only on a day-to-day basis during the strike.
Meanwhile, striking pilots were told by the Air Line Pilots Assn. that they should not bid on October flights while the strike continued.
If pilots do not bid on October flights by Sept. 25, it could take 10 to 12 days to resume full service once the strike ends.
Also Wednesday, Newark, N.J.-based Kiwi International Air Lines said it will begin service to the Minneapolis market from Newark, Detroit and Chicago.
