Pan Am Launches Midway Service

A familiar name returned to Chicago's Midway Airport with the recent launching of Pan Am's service to Miami and San Juan.

The new Pan Am is offering two roundtrips a day with first and economy service, according to Donald McSullivan, senior vice president of sales for the New York-based carrier. Chicago is the fifth city Pan Am has added to its schedule since its debut last September.

As soon as it can acquire more Airbus A-300 widebody planes, Pan Am plans to begin flights between Midway and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. Executives also are looking at expanding service to Los Angeles or San Francisco, McSullivan said.

Meanwhile, at O'Hare International Airport, GTE and American Airlines are making it easier for Admirals Club members to retrieve e-mail and access the Internet using a high-speed Internet kiosk. GTE has installed two portable terminals in the Admirals Club and its Executive Center, which travelers can use to access the Internet at a cost of 33 cents a minute. Charges can be billed to credit cards. The units can download files at 128 kilobits per second, 10 times faster than a conventional modem.

GTE research indicates that less than one-third of all business travelers take a laptop computer with them on the road, according to Gary Avery, director of consumer markets for GTE's Internet business unit.

The company also is installing units in Dallas and Hartford, Conn.'s Bradley Airport.