Zak/forum/images/avatars/gallery/first/user2/2.pngoffline(netAirspace FAA) 06 May 11, 08:33
NEWS
Air France crash body recovered The body of one of the 228 victims of the Air France Rio-Paris flight that crashed into the ocean off Brazil in 2009 was lifted to the surface on Thursday from a depth of 3.9 km (12,800 feet). The body -- preserved by high pressure and low temperatures as it lay in the submerged wreckage for nearly two years -- was still belted to an airline seat as French investigators brought it aboard their search vessel off Brazil's northeast coast from a robot submarine, a spokesman for the operation said. Link
LH Group reports big first-quarter loss partly attributable to fuel hedge valuation Lufthansa Group incurred a first-quarter net loss of €507 million ($752.6 million), widened 70.1% from a €298 million net deficit in the year-ago quarter. LH said the loss is not as steep as it appears since it includes a €300 million charge associated with a change in the value of fuel hedge options. Link
Boeing confirms final 787 electrical software installation completion Boeing has confirmed it has completed development and installation of revised 787 electrical systems software on its test fleet, modified after an electrical fire halted test operations last November, sliding the programme's schedule an additional six months. Link
Branson says Virgin Atlantic will seek compensation for further 787 delays Virgin Atlantic Airways expects further delivery delays of the 15 Boeing 787s it has on order and will be seeking compensation, Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson said Wednesday in Australia on the sidelines of the event marking the rebranding of Virgin Blue to Virgin Australia. Link
Buckingham: Boeing to develop both advanced 737NG and new aircraft Boeing's response to the A320neo is likely to be both a higher-performance 737NG ready by 2015 and an all-new aircraft, which will probably be a light twin-aisle entering service in 2019 or 2020, according to an assessment by Buckingham Research Group. Link
Fuel problems halt Tel Aviv departures Israel halted most departures from Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion airport on Thursday after routine checks found aviation fuel supplies were contaminated, an airport spokesman said. Link
American: We are at a maintenance competitive cost disadvantage American Airlines wants the Transport Workers Union to drop a proposal issued in March that it says will raise the carrier's expenses by $360 million annually and return to a previous tentative accord. The carrier said its decision to retain its maintenance operations has burdened it with excessive costs. American's rivals opted to outsource much of their maintenance, repair and overhaul work. Link
Alaska Airlines says dispatchers ratify new contract Alaska Airlines and the Transport Workers Union said in a joint statement that a new four-year contract with the carriers' 36 dispatchers includes provisions that address "quality of life issues" as well as wage increases. Kelley Dobbs, vice president of human resources at the airline, said the company welcomed the contract, which "recognizes the professionalism, dedication and skills" of its dispatchers. Link
SkyWest reports first quarterly loss in decades SkyWest reported a quarterly loss of $11.1 million, its first in 91 quarters. Utah-based SkyWest, which flies more than 700 planes for major airlines, is expected to face continued pressure on its margins, said Brad Rich, chief financial officer at the airline. Link
Airline stocks start to climb after 5-month slide As the summer travel season approaches, airline stocks have started to rebound after dropping for the past five months. "Despite all of the doom and gloom on oil ... passenger traffic grew 4.8% in the first quarter and load factors [the percentage of seats sold] averaged 77%," said Robert Stallard, an RBC Capital Markets analyst. "This is despite almost universal ticket price increases, which suggests to us that demand is holding in." Link
Commentary: Tarmac strandings are all but gone Columnist Joe Sharkey says that tough federal rules that went into effect a year ago have nearly eliminated tarmac strandings, which airlines correctly noted accounted for an infinitesimal percentage of the estimated 10 million flights a year. ATA President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio argued airlines did not need federal intervention and they policed themselves. "As the DOT statistics demonstrate, airlines already have made many service improvements, and many of the regulations formalize procedures already in place." Link
Plan would allow frequent fliers to pass through expedited screening The Transportation Security Administration may eventually use data from airlines' frequent-flier programs to identify "trusted travelers" who would be allowed to leave their shoes on and avoid body scanners as they pass through security checkpoints. Under the program, which the TSA is still developing, a bar code on the traveler's boarding pass would indicate his or her status as a trusted traveler, TSA Administrator John Pistole said. Trusted travelers would be allowed to use an expedited screening line. However, Pistole said, the system would still include some unpredictability to prevent terrorists from manipulating it. Link
Newark airport's domestic flight fares now virtually the same as in 2000 For a second consecutive quarter, average fares for domestic flights out of Newark Liberty International Airport were the most expensive in the nation, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. An ATA spokesman said a longer-term look at fares provides a clearer view of just how tightly carriers have controlled costs, both at Newark and nationwide. For example, the average price of a domestic ticket at Newark Liberty in 2000 was $458, virtually the same as in the last three months of 2010. By contrast, the price of jet fuel rose from 91 cents a gallon in 2000 to $2.28 during last year's fourth quarter. Link
FedEx’s costly money-back violation FEDEX has been ordered to pay US$8 million for violating its money-back guarantee on late deliveries. In a court case the operator of the world’s largest cargo airline blamed the US government’s stringent post-9/11 security measures for the tardiness, a point which the government contests. Link
European airlines eye more cost cuts European airlines are seeking ways to further cut their costs to offset high fuel prices and the impact of international crises that are squeezing margins this year. Political unrest in North Africa, an earthquake and subsequent nuclear crisis in Japan and European debt problems are adding to a toxic mixture of high oil prices and fierce competition among airlines fighting to make a profit. Link
ATAG's Steele: Airline industry needs biofuel Air Transport Action Group Executive Director Paul Steele said the airline industry failing to achieve its stated goal of a 1.5% improvement in fuel efficiency/carbon dioxide emissions annually through 2020 and CO2-neutral growth beyond 2020 would "destroy our credibility." But he cautioned that the development of economically viable biofuel is essential for the industry to achieve its environmental goals. Link
Copa quarterly earnings soar on strong demand, cost control Copa Holdings, parent of Panama's Copa Airlines and Copa Airlines Colombia (formerly Aero Republica), reported first-quarter net income of $94.5 million, more than double the $42.6 million earned in the year-ago period, as strong sales growth more than offset a near 50% rise in fuel expense. Excluding special items, the Panama-based airline said it would have reported net income of $82 million, a 30.9% increase over adjusted income of $62.7 million in the 2010 period. Link
Vueling first-quarter loss deepens to $35 million Vueling Airlines reported a first-quarter net loss of €23.6 million ($35 million), widened from a €6.3 million deficit in the year-ago period, citing sharp increases in fuel costs and a “significant” 15% fare reduction owing to the weak domestic Spanish market and increased competition. The adverse environment “forced tactical flight schedule cuts,” resulting in a 6% capacity reduction year-over-year. Link
Oxygen system concerns prompt F-22 stand-down The US Air Force has stopped flying all Lockheed Martin F-22s for an indefinite period over concerns about a possible glitch in the onboard oxygen generation system. The stand-down order issued on 3 May by Air Combat Command (ACC) chief Gen Will Fraser comes about six weeks after the F-22s were restricted to flying below 25,000ft due to the same problem. Link
US airline mulls 'going all the way' with Aircell wireless IFE, Ka-band connectivity At least one US airline is considering "going all the way" with Aircell by offering the firm's suite of commercial products, including its new wireless in-flight entertainment (IFE) solution plus Ka-band satellite-based high-speed Internet in addition to its air-to-ground (ATG)-supported Wi-Fi in the domestic United States. Link
Air Canada's chief aware of pitfalls in launching a new LCC Air Canada's management is using lessons learned from previous industry attempts in launching a low cost carrier within its legacy structure. The carrier's proposed low cost business plans emerged last month and since that time Air Canada has been fielding questions about the new business segment. Link
EASA proposes AD for A319, A320s The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on May 5 issued a proposed airworthiness directive (AD) for Airbus A319 and A320 airplanes. The proposed AD follows discovery of several cases of structural damage or cracks on keel beam side panels during certification of structural fatigue tests according to the AD. Cracks on the aircraft were observed from both sides of the keel beam around the rivets below the center wing box between frame FR40 and FR42 and in part of the area of the upper elliptical cut out forward of FR41, the AD states Link
Talks continue over Air India strike A fresh round of talks Thursday between striking Air India pilots and authorities failed to resolve the impasse and end a nine-day strike. “The talks remain inconclusive, and we hope to continue talks with the striking pilots on Friday,” says a Civil Aviation Ministry official, who was confident that the deadlock would end soon. Link
Rethinking Heavy Lift Under a little-publicized program sponsored by the Pentagon, a small Southern California company is working on a design that is radical even by the quirky standards of buoyancy-aided aircraft: a rigid-hulled aircraft that varies its density to land and take off vertically. Link
Other News
Korean Air's first A380 flew on Wednesday in Hamburg for the start of a final phase of flight and ground tests by Airbus ahead of delivery later this month. KE will become the sixth operator of the A380 when it begins flying the aircraft in June, initially operating it from Seoul Incheon to destinations in Asia such as Hong Kong. It plans to later deploy A380s on long-haul services to North America and Europe.
Ural Airlines took delivery of a 220-seat Airbus A321. The carrier operates 12 A320s and five A321s.
GECAS delivered one new Airbus A320 to Vueling Airlines under a lease agreement.
AWAS announced it delivered a new Airbus A320-200 to Royal Jordanian, to be followed by deliveries of three A320s, two A321s and, one A320 as part of RJ’s fleet renewal program.
Alaska Airlines and the Transport Workers Union jointly announced the carrier's 36 dispatchers have ratified a new four-year contract by a ratio of nearly 86%. The contract includes wage increases and provisions that improve quality of life issues, among other changes. A tentative agreement was reached in March and becomes amendable March 24, 2015.
Jazeera Airways announced it has passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit after a six-month evaluation.
Saudi Arabian Airlines said it is seeking a business partner to contribute to the privatization of 30% of its MRO unit. The carrier is moving to privatize all its business units following a ruling by the Supreme Economic Council, the Arab Air Carriers Organization reported.
Austrian Airlines and its subsidiaries, Tyrolean Airways and Lauda Air, received IOSA certification renewals.
AVIATION QUOTE If you aren't sweating too much before a flight, you surely haven’t asked enough questions. If you are not sweating just a little during the flight, you may not be attentive enough. And, if you are not sweating out the answers with all the experts you can think of after the flight, you may never find that very beautiful pearl in all that pig litter. — Corwin H. Meyer, Grumman test pilot W.W. II.
ON THIS DATE
May 6th
• In 1896... After four years of work and failed flights, Samuel P. Langley succeeds in obtaining good results with his steam-powered, model-size, tandem-wing airplane. His model No.5 makes a flight of 3,300 feet (c. 1 km).
• In 1908... The Wright brothers fly for the first time since 1905, at Kitty Hawk. Wilbur pilots the 1905 Flyer III, modified so that the pilot and a passenger can sit erect, on a flight of just over 1,000 feet.
• In 1919... The first commercial flight, from Canada to United States, occurs as a Canadian Curtiss aircraft flies 150 pounds of raw furs from Toronto to Elizabeth, New Jersey. It is not a non-stop flight.
• In 1941... Igor Sikorsky pilots the Sikorsky VS-300 helicopter in Stratford, Connecticut, on a flight of 1 hour, 32 minutes, 26 seconds, a world endurance record for a helicopter
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
Sex Change Pain John (now Jean) is walking down the street after a sex-change operation has transformed him into a beautiful women. His old friend Pete sees him and says, "John, you look great...you're beautiful!" John says, "Thanks...but holy Christ, did it hurt." Pete says, "When they cut open your chest and put in those implants?" John says, "No, that didn't really hurt." Pete says, "When they cut off your pecker and dug out a vagina?" John says, "No, that didn't really hurt." Pete says, "Then what did hurt?" John says, "When the doctor drilled a friggin hole in my head and sucked out half my brain."
TRIVIA
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Ideology: The mistaken belief that your beliefs are neither beliefs nor mistaken.
