More than $1.2 billion this year to fly US-troops & supp

[SN30952]

The Pentagon spent more than $1.2 billion this year to fly troops and supplies to Iraq on commercial aircraft, giving airlines a financial lifeline as they struggled with the weak economy.
According to a military report that outlined the use of passenger and cargo airlines in the Iraq conflict, the government paid $636.2 million to 10 airlines that flew troops overseas during a 131-day emergency mobilization from February through June. It also paid $574 million to 14 cargo carriers to deliver equipment to Iraq and neighboring countries in that period.

The payments were made as part of the Pentagon's Civil Reserve Air Fleet program, in which airlines contract to transport troops and supplies on domestic and international flights in peacetime, and agree to participate in a mobilization during war. They must provide planes and crews for 30 days at a time, often with as little as 24 hours' notice.

All of the nation's major airlines, air delivery companies and cargo carriers joined in the recent mobilization, though the amount of business each handled varied widely. Two companies, World Airways and Omni Air International, transported both troops and cargo.
In all, the airlines have flown nearly 500,000 troops to and from the war zone this year, while the cargo companies have carried more than 161,000 tons of equipment.

In addition to the money they earned during the buildup in Iraq, passenger airlines have been paid $1.2 billion in 2003 for moving soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines elsewhere around the world, work they have done for years. Cargo carriers were paid $1.2 billion as well.

Most flights under the program were between military bases in the United States and Kuwait. Passenger planes flew to Kuwait loaded with troops and their gear, but generally returned to the United States empty, with only airline crew members on board.

The cost of a typical flight between Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and Kuwait City was $379,965, according to the report. That was for a 13,546-mile, round-trip flight for a McDonnell Douglas DC10 with 330 seats.
The Pentagon paid the airlines 8.5 cents a seat for each mile flown.
The Air Transport Association, said airlines brought in an average of 6.4 cents a seat mile in trans-Atlantic revenue during the first quarter, when travel was hurt the most by economic and war concerns.
SO THE PENTAGON PAID 2.1 CENT over the market.... (And reckon these flights were FULL)
Later the revenue improved to 8 cents in the second quarter, and averaged 8.52 cents in the third quarter, slightly more than what the Pentagon paid.

The american cariers earned 3.6$ billion DURING the Iraqi war.... ON that war.
So do not believe them when they send you wishes of peace and health and many miles..... for 2004!

[SN30952]

Omni Air International is a U.S. Part 121 air carrier operating a fleet of DC-10 & B757 aircraft for major tour operators, the U.S. government and other airlines.
Founded in 1983 as Omni Air Transport, the company operated Learjet aircraft providing corporate charter and air ambulance services. In 1993, the company purchased Boeing 727 freighter aircraft and began operating under the brand name Omni Air Express. Cargo customers included Emery Worldwide, UPS, BAX Global and DHL. Success in arena allowed Omni to purchase DC-10 equipment and enter the passenger charter markets in 1997, where it has built a solid name for providing safe, reliable and on-time performance. Omni received authorization in February 1999 from the U.S. Department of Defense to operate military missions throughout the world.
In 2002, Omni re-entered the cargo market with the addition of 2 DC-10-30 freighter aircraft. The company will continue to grow by introducing 2 B757 passenger aircraft in spring 2003.
Profitable every year since its inception, Omni is proud of the reputation it has earned for operational excellence and financial success.

World Airways was formed on March 29, 1948, by Benjamin Pepper with a fleet of three surviving Boeing 314 Clippers.
The airline continued to struggle, and was sold to the Beroviche Steamship Company which acquired a Curtiss C-46 Commando from the War Assets Administration. This was the airline that Daly bought in 1950 by borrowing $50,000 (also assuming $250,000 in debt). He went about improving World's fleet, leasing a Douglas DC-4 from Braniff in 1951. In the same year, World received the first of what would be many government contracts.
On October 23, 1956, the Hungarian Revolution began, with some 180,000 refugees fleeing into neighboring countries, mainly Austria. World received a contract to fly trans-Atlantic refugee flights to Vienna.
Just after the Hungarian airlift ended, World received a Military Air Transport Service (MATS) contract to provide daily inter-island service between Tokyo, Okinawa, Taiwan, and Manila in support of US troops in the western Pacific.
In 1959, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) issued World Airways a Supplemental Air Carrier certificate, which gave authority to operate domestic non-scheduled services for five years.
World received a contract to carry military personnel and equipment on trans-continental routes.
World Airways In Vietnam: During most of the war, World - along with most other airlines, provided airlift for military personnel and materiel across the Pacific. But in July 1968, World started Rest and Rehabilitation (R and R) flights for battle weary troops from Vietnam to Japan and Australia. In addition, World was responsible for delivery of Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper, to Vietnam from Japan where it was printed.
Daly often made trips to Vietnam to help spread Christmas cheer to those in Saigon. Daly would personally deliver traditional Christmas items like trees, hams, and turkeys. Did World provide the famous Bagad turkey as well? The early 1970s were a very profitable time for World. The military airlift to Vietnam was the airline's main business.
On October 24, 1978, the Airline Deregulation Act was passed. This legislation would free the airline industry from the shackles of CAB regulation. In anticipation of scheduled service, World ordered an additional 747 (the first had entered service in 1973) and ordered six McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30s. But Daly's Irish luck was about to change.
On April 11, 1979, World Airways started scheduled service between Los Angeles and Oakland on the West Coast to Newark and Baltimore on the East Coast. Less than six weeks later, all DC-10's would be grounded by the FAA Administrator after the crash of an American DC-10 in Chicago on May 25. This curtailed World's new service greatly. Daly took another hit when, just after the flights resumed - his pilots, flight attendants, and mechanics went out on strike from August to December.
Even after the crews came back to work, World faced new unfettered price competition from some of the very airlines that had opposed deregulation. This cutthroat discounting had a damaging effect on World's finances, resulting in a loss of $28 million in 1980. In 1981, World inaugurated service from Baltimore to London and Frankfurt.
On January 21, 1984, Edward Joseph Daly died at the age of 61. Daly's death created a leadership vacuum at World.
In 1986, T. Coleman Andrews III, former advisor to President Gerald Ford, became president and CEO of the floundering airline. Andrews moved the airline's headquarters, located in Oakland for 30 years, to Washington-Dulles. The 747's and 727's were sold off or returned to their lessors, leaving the DC-10 as the sole type in the fleet.
In the 1990's, World Airways concentrated on contract flying, cargo, and military flying. The list of airlines that World has operated wet-leases for includes: Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, British Airways, Malaysian and Philippine Airlines. In addition, World has flown cargo under contract to United Parcel Service, Burlington, China Airlines among others.
World also flies contract charters for tour companies to destinations such as London, Paris, and Sao Paulo. Another area of business that World was and is very successful in, is the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. These Hadj flights started in 1973 and have continued every year since. World has carried pilgrims from more Muslim countries to the Islamic Holy Land than any other airline in the world.
World introduced its first MD-11 in March 1993. Today, World operates 15 wide-body aircraft, eight MD-11's and seven DC10-30's.
from ©2001 World Airways except -
Did World provide the famous Bagdad turkey as well?
The Bird Was Perfect But Not For Dinner.
Notice, nobody pays attention, except the lady that wears a badge that looks very similar to the tail logo of World! How many turkeys did she deliver?

Note: Legends abound about the founding fathers of the airline industry. One often repeated legend about World Airways founder Ed Daly is that after a particularly great run of luck at a poker table, he took his $50,000 in winnings and bought World Airways. Although, while this story is not rooted in fact, Ed Daly took a big gamble when he purchased this fledgling airline over fifty years ago.