Boeing to cut 400 jobs as military aircraft unit is reduced Boeing announced on Tuesday plans to trim its military aircraft business and eliminate more than 400 jobs amid U.S. defense spending cuts. Under the restructuring, Boeing Military Aircraft will be reduced from six divisions to four as the company eliminates its stand-alone helicopter unit and combines part of its unmanned aerial-vehicle business with its missile operation. Link
Laser system would blind missiles targeted at helicopters A new laser-based defense system being developed at the University of Michigan and Omni Sciences Inc. would protect helicopters in combat from heat-seeking missiles by essentially blinding the missile as it approaches its target. The inexpensive technology uses mid-infrared supercontinuum lasers capable of scrambling heat-seeking weapons from a distance of 1.8 miles away, and Omni Sciences recently received $1 million in grants from the Army and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to build a second-generation prototype. Link
ILFC scolds Boeing and Airbus for repeated delays International Lease Finance has told Boeing and Airbus that their routine delays of promised craft must stop. ILFC recently canceled an order for 10 A380 freighters after delays resulted in the project's elimination. "We are getting into a pattern that is not sustainable from a company standpoint," ILFC CEO Henri Courpron said. Link
Coalition calls for greater fee transparency A coalition launched an online petition drive urging airlines to be more forthcoming with information on fees. "It's time for consumers, corporate travel managers and travel agents to stand up and say, 'We're not going to take it anymore!'" according to Kevin Mitchell of the Business Travel Coalition, who says fliers often don't learn of the total fees until they arrive at the airport. But a spokesman for the Air Transport Association says the airlines already are forthcoming about fees. Travel consultancy expert Timothy O'Neil-Dunne said the coalition, comprised of one professional membership organization and individual pressure groups, is incorrect in its assertion that ancillary fees are hidden. "Sadly, this [coalition] seems to disparage the work that many, if not the vast majority, of travel agents do in their day-to-day lives," O'Neil-Dunne said. Link
Frequent fliers to see first signs of AA/BA alliance next month Starting next month, trans-Atlantic frequent fliers will be able to accumulate miles on either American Airlines or British Airways as the two carriers kick off their long-awaited joint venture. Soon after that, the airlines will begin coordinating schedules to ensure better connections for their passengers. "We're going to work a lot harder with the other airlines to make sure that when our customers connect at key airports, like Chicago, like London, New York or Madrid, that the connection is a lot smoother," says an official with BA. Link
Unique lab puts college students at controls of NASA satellites College students with the University of Colorado-Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics who have been helping NASA pilot the Earth-watching ICESat satellite for years helped bring the satellite back to Earth and crash it harmlessly into the Barents Sea. The laboratory is one of only a few institutes in the world that teams undergraduates with professional engineers and programmers to help provide the training and certification to operate NASA spacecraft, and it is the only university to have controlled five unique satellites. Link
New software for scanners could ease privacy concerns Manufacturers of controversial full-body airport scanners are launching software upgrades that would allow the scanners to display a generic figure instead of an actual image of a traveler's body. Each person would generate an image that looks like a person wearing a baseball cap. The TSA is currently testing the software. Meanwhile, the TSA continues to add scanners at airports around the U.S. There are currently 194 full-body scanners at airports around the country, and the TSA hopes to add 1,000 more by the end of next year. Link
DOT set to deny Delta, Virgin Blue Group immunity for transpacific alliance US Dept. of Transportation yesterday tentatively decided to reject an application for antitrust immunity for services between the US and Australia from Delta Air Lines and affiliates of the Virgin Blue Group, including Virgin Blue, V Australia and Pacific Blue units in Australia and New Zealand. Link
Virgin Atlantic, pilots reach agreement to avert strike action Virgin Atlantic Airways and the British Air Line Pilots' Assn. representing the carrier's cockpit crewmembers reached an agreement resolving their dispute concerning time off for pilots, averting the possibility of strike action. Link
Ryanair CEO says airline contemplating order for ‘up to 300 aircraft’ Ryanair is contemplating an order of up to 300 aircraft from either Boeing or Airbus, CEO Michael O’Leary told the Financial Times. The LCC late last year walked away from the negotiating table with Boeing after it was unable to agree on a follow-up order for 200 737s for delivery in 2013-16, and decided to use the freed-up cash to award shareholders with €500 million ($637.5 million) in dividends. The dividends, its first since going public in 1997, will be paid out next month. Link
Developing markets buoy Boeing's confidence Boeing, encouraged by the strength of developing markets, is sticking with its bullish aircraft demand forecast despite the uncertain nature of the economic recovery, Commercial Airplanes Marketing Director Drew Magill said Wednesday. Link
DoD official shows fresh optimism on F-35 cost A senior Department of Defense official says Lockheed Martin is now on track to reduce the cost of each F-35 by as much as 6.25%, only four months after the program confirmed a major cost breach. The remarks by Frank Kendall, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, represent a massive turnaround by the DoD's leadership since reporting a Nunn-McCurdy cost overrun in June and restructuring the program last February. Link
Bedek considers extending Airbus freighter conversion options Israel Aerospace Industries' Bedek freighter conversion subsidiary may extend its offerings to include Airbus A300s and A320s, with a decision on an A300 project to be made next year. Link
ANA and Hong Kong firm to launch new low-cost carrier Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) has agreed to launch a new low-cost airline with Hong Kong's First Eastern Investment group. The new carrier is expected to begin operations in the second half of 2011 and will operate on domestic and international routes out of Osaka Kansai International Airport, says ANA. Link
Chinese pilots who faked resumes allowed to fly again Some of the almost 200 Chinese pilots who were found to have falsified qualifications on their resumes have returned to their jobs after they were ordered to undergo training. In April 2008, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) discovered that some pilots had lied about their flying qualifications, says the authority. Link
Other News
Air Berlin said it has begun levying a new fee through all booking channels for travel beginning Jan. 1, 2011, in order to cover the “ecological air travel levy” introduced by the German government last week. The levy ranges from €10 ($12.7), €28 or €50, depending on flight duration,. AB noted that GDS systems began applying the tax to its flights over the past weekend, “even though the airline company had not taken any initiative in this respect.” It acknowledged that retroactively charging the fee to passengers who had already purchased tickets "would be very cumbersome." AB also said in a statement that it is prepared to refund the tax should it "not be accepted in the course of the parliamentary decision-making procedure." AB vowed to “continue to fight against these charges.” Separately, TUI Travel announced it will increase air fares to cover the new tax, which is expected to raise €1 billion ($1.27 billion) annually. Tax revenues will go into the general treasury and are not dedicated to environmental measures.
The US Airline Pilots Assn. representing 5,200 US Airways pilots staged a protest yesterday at Philadelphia International to highlight the fact that their negotiations with airline management over a new, unified labor accord remain unresolved. In particular, the seniority lists of US and the former America West Airlines still aren't integrated five years after the carriers merged. USAPA President Mike Cleary said, "From the pilots' perspective, the carrier is operating as two separate airlines." The airline and union are currently engaged in talks overseen by the US National Mediation Board; pilots would not legally be allowed to take any work action unless they request and receive an NMB release from talks. A court ruling in June essentially allowed USAPA to negotiate on behalf of all of the carrier's pilots. At the time of the merger, both pilot work groups were represented by the Air Line Pilots Assn. and integration of the two seniority lists was conducted under an ALPA-sanctioned arbitration process. However, the former US pilots, the larger of the two work groups by a significant margin, disputed the arbitrator's decision and voted to decertify ALPA and create a new union, USAPA.
Boeing announced it has begun assembly of the 1,000th 767, a 767-300ER, at its Everett factory. Mechanics have loaded the wing spar into the assembly tool, it said. "This is an important milestone for the 767, which has continued to evolve and improve since entering service nearly 30 years ago," 767 Program VP and GM Kim Pastega said. "The 767 is a high-performing twin-aisle airplane that delivers nearly 99% dispatch reliability every day for more than 90 operators around the world." The 767-300ER is scheduled for delivery to ANA in February 2011. The Tokyo-based carrier has taken delivery of a total 89 767s; its first order for the type came in 1979. According to its website, the carrier first introduced the 767 in June 1983.
SAS Group airlines flew 2.39 billion RPKs in August, a 7% increase over the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 4.2% to 3.07 billion ASKs, lifting load factor 2 points to 78.2%. Scandinavian Airlines flew 2.19 billion RPKs, a 6.5% increase, against a 3.4% rise in capacity to 2.76 billion ASKs. Load factor rose 2.3 points to 79.3%.
US Airways operated 5.74 billion system RPMs in August, a 0.8% increase from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 1.2% to 6.77 billion ASMs and load factor fell 0.3 points to 84.7%. US Airways mainline flew 5.53 billion RPMs, a 0.6% increase, as capacity grew 1.2% to 6.49 billion ASMs. Load factor dropped 0.5 points to 85.2%.
Finnair flew 1.73 billion RPKs in August, a 0.6% fall year-over-year, against a 1.7% rise in capacity to 2.21 billion ASKs. Load factor fell 1.8 points to 78.4%.
Hawaiian Airlines operated 840.1 million RPMs in August, up 14.3% on the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 11% to 954.5 million ASMs and load factor increased 2.6 points to 88%.
Ryanair transported 7.68 million passengers in August, up 12% year-over-year, while load factor fell 1 point to 89%.
Monarch Airlines carried 484,594 passengers in August, a 4.98% increase year-over-year. Its load factor jumped 3.6 points to 93.9%.
AVIATION QUOTE
Put these three indisputable facts together:
One: There is a low limit of weight, certainly not much beyond 50 pounds, beyond which it is impossible for an animal to fly. Nature has reached this limit, and with her utmost effort has failed to pass it.
Two: The animal machine is far more effective than any we can hope to make.; therefore the limit of the weight of a successful flying machine can not be more than fifty pounds. Three: The weight of any machine constructed for flying, including fuel and engineer, cannot be less than three or four hundred pounds.
Is it not demonstrated that a true flying machine, self-raising, self-sustaining, self-propelling, is physically impossible?
— Joseph Le Conte, Professor of Natural History at the University of California, 'Popular Science Monthly,' November 1888.
ON THIS DATE
September 9, 1911
The 1st mail carried by air in the United Kingdom is delivered. The mail contains messages for King George V and other members of the British royal family.
Washington D.C., Clearance Delivery: "GAF269, you are cleared to destination Indian Springs via after take off radar vectors to 4000 feet thereafter present position direct BOM do not pass BOM at 6000 feet or below after passing 15000 feet turn right on heading 280 to intercept J156 direct ZZT thereafter intercept J158 own navigation read back."
GAF 269: "Roger German Air Force 269 is cleared to Destination Indian Springs via after take off radar vectors to 4000 feet thereafter present position direct BOM do not pass BOM at 6000 feet or below after passing 15000 feet turn right on heading 280 to intercept J156 direct ZZT thereafter intercept J158 own navigation and I need another pencil."
TRIVIA
Google Airports
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And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
4's MBJ; every landing I ever did there was a greaser. (OK, both landings.) 5's KIN; look hard enough, you'll see the impact craters from me and 172s (hock, spit).
I think 9 is Sao Paulo.
My friend and I applied for airline jobs in Australia, but they didn't Qantas.
1. CUN Cancun Int'l 2. CZM Cozumel Int'l 3. STR Stuttgart-Echterdingen 4. MBJ Sangster Int'l, Montego Bay 5. KIN Norman Manley Int'l, Kingston 6. ORY Paris-Orly 7. CDG Paris Charles de Gaulle 8. VIE Vienna-Schwechat 9. CGH Sao Paolo Congonhas 10. GRU Sao Paolo Guarulhos
"I mean, we're in a galaxy far, far away, and we still have to change in Atlanta" (Stewie Griffin as Darth Vader)
1. CUN, Cancun Int’l, Cancun, Mexico 2. CZM, Cozumel Int’l, Cozumel, Mexico 3. STR, Stuttgart Echterdingen, Germany 4. MBJ, Sangster Int’l, Montego Bay, Jamaica 5. KIN, Norman Manley Int’l, Kingston, Jamaica 6. ORY, Paris-Orly, France 7. CDG Paris, Charles De Gaul, France 8. VIE, Viena Int’l Austria 9.CGH, Cogonas, Sao Paolo, Brazil 10. GRU, Guarulhos Int’l, Sao Paolo Brazil
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
