CommercialPIA A310 shot at in Peshawar landing; one deadA Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Airbus A310-300 was shot at while on descent to Peshawar airport, leaving at least one dead, say reports. The aircraft was landing after a flight from Riyadh when it was shot at. Reports say one passenger died while two others, believed to be cabin crew members, were injured. It is not immediately clear who was behind the shots, but reports say militants fighting government forces in the country's northwest could claim responsibility.
LinkLinkNTSB rules crew errors as probable cause of Asiana crashThe National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says failures by the crew ultimately caused the crash of Asiana Airlines flight 214 in San Francisco last year, although a number of factors contributed to the crash. In a statement released today, the agency points to a number of contributing factors, including Boeing’s failure to adequately document complexities in the aircraft’s systems, failures in Asiana’s flight training and crew fatigue. The aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER, crashed into the airport seawall after its speed decayed to 103kt. The accident killed two passengers. A third passenger likely survived being ejected from the aircraft, only to be killed after being hit by emergency response vehicles, investigators have said. Prior to the crash, the aircraft’s autothrottle transitioned in “hold” mode while the aircraft’s flight computer was in “flight-level change mode,” a configuration under which the autothrottle does not maintain speed.
Link‘Crew competency’ not a factor in Asiana crash: NTSBThe National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) hearing into the causes of the crash of Asiana flight 214 last year continues to focus on misunderstanding of the aircraft’s systems, with one board member saying “crew competency” was not an issue. ‘“I personally do not believe this is a case of crew competency,” says board member Robert Sumwalt. “I think this is a case of the pilot flying the airplane expecting the airplane would do something… that it wasn’t designed to do.” Though the NTSB’s hearing is still ongoing in Washington DC, investigators noted that Lee Kang Kuk, the pilot flying the Boeing 777-200ER, told investigators that he was “astonished” that the aircraft’s autothrottle did not maintain speed during the final approach.
LinkNTSB cites autothrottle system, crew failures in Asiana 214 crashOver-reliance on automated systems and the complexity of flight systems contributed to the crash of Asiana flight 214 on 6 July 2013, says the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). “In this instance, the flight crew over-relied on automated systems [that] they did not fully understand,” Christopher Hart, the NTSB’s vice chairman, says on 24 June. Hart made his comments during an opening statement at the NTSB’s hearing into the crash of flight 214 from Seoul. He added that although automation has made aviation safer, the complexity of aircraft systems have created opportunities for new problems that designers never anticipated. Investigators also noted that the pilots had inadequate understanding of the aircraft's systems and did not effecitvely monitor the aircraft's airspeed.
LinkDelta sees 787-9 a potentially ‘very viable’ aircraftDelta Air Lines chief executive Richard Anderson is hopeful that the Boeing 787-9 will be a “very viable airplane”, as the carrier continues to meet with Airbus and Boeing for its planned up to 50 widebody aircraft order. “We’re hopeful that the 787-9, with all the lessons learned on the -8, is going to be a really viable airplane,” he says at an Aero Club of Washington luncheon on 24 June. Anderson also made favourable comments regarding the Airbus A350-900, which is seen as a competitor to the 787-9. Delta is evaluating the A330-200 and -300, A350-900 and -1000, Boeing 777-300ER and 787-8, -9 and -10 under a request for proposals for up to 50 aircraft that it launched in April. The aircraft would replace Boeing 747-400 and a significant number of Boeing 767-300ERs in the Atlanta-based airline.
LinkDelta CEO Opposes Ex-Im Bank If No ReformsDelta Air Lines chief executive Richard Anderson on Tuesday said he opposes renewing the US Export-Import Bank's charter unless there are changes to the way the bank finances the sale of wide-body aircraft. "Without meaningful reform we are opposed to reauthorization," he said. Anderson, speaking at the Aero Club in Washington, also said there could be "a path" to reauthorization if the bank takes steps to stop giving foreign airlines what he said was an unfair competitive advantage over US carriers. The Delta CEO's comments come as the newly elected No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, put the future of the bank in doubt by saying he opposes renewing its charter when it expires at the end of September.
LinkSpanish Travel Firm eDreams Sees Q2 RecoverySpanish online travel agency eDreams Odigeo expects its profitability to improve in the second quarter of this year. "We reiterate that a downward trend is only expected to last for one quarter, and with a floor of 20 percent adjusted EBITDA margin," eDreams said in a statement to the Spanish stock exchange regulator. It said the EBITDA margin would recover from the second quarter of its fiscal year 2014-2015. On Monday the stock dropped by more than a third after analysts cut forecasts after the company warned on Friday of rising competition and other factors that could hurt business.
LinkSouthwest CEO: Fun-loving employees showcase cultureGary Kelly, the CEO of Southwest Airlines, said comedy routines by flight attendants show the culture of the fun-loving carrier. "I think our people are the best in the business and I think that's why they have the best contract and we want to continue that," Kelly said. "We really want our people to take care of each other and in turn take care of our customers."
LinkIs it time to toast United and Goose Island Beer?United Airlines and Goose Island Beer Co. are making an announcement on Friday, fueling speculation about an expanded partnership between the two Chicago companies. The craft brewer currently operates the Goose Island Pub at Terminal 1 in O'Hare Airport.
LinkU.S. airlines see $507M in Q1 profitsU.S. commercial airlines enjoyed a combined $507 million in profits for the first quarter of 2014, with American Airlines leading the pack with a net income of $401 million. Airlines lost $392 million in the first quarter of 2013.
LinkAmedeo CEO predicts U.S. acceptance of Airbus A380Mark Lapidus, the CEO of Amedeo, predicts that Delta Air Lines will be the first U.S. carrier to deploy the Airbus A380. However, Delta has not indicated an interest in the A380, which seats 600 passengers. Foreign carriers such as Emirates have flown the A380.
LinkBlog: Watch lightning's effects on aircraft When you’re on a plane, do you ever worry about what would happen if it is struck by lightning? Will the aircraft survive? “Power Players” traveled to Seattle to meet Boeing’s lightning guy: Rob Steinle, who along with a team of engineers, literally makes lightning – a million volts of electricity worth – and tests its effects on plane models. “In here, we're learning where the attachment [lightning strike] is going to happen so we can beef up the materials in those areas, so we can be sure that they can sustain a major lightning attachment,” Steinle explained from inside Boeing’s lightning lab.
LinkColumn explores carry-on policies at airlines Well it certainly was interesting earlier this month when I posted this column about the airlines' carry-on bag policies. I'd never heard from the United and Delta media relations people before (hey, I've only been writing and/or tweeting about air travel for 25 years). But I sure got an earful. And from readers as well. Basically, the response was "nothing has changed in the last five years or since 2008" or whenever. The article went viral, and a number of television reporters took what I wrote to mean that the airlines had changed one of the "allowed" dimensions (the depth) from 15 down to 14 inches, which is not what I said at all.
LinkQueen Elizabeth to unveil Heathrow's Terminal 2London Heathrow's Terminal 2: The Queen's Terminal officially celebrates its launch this week after an unveiling by Queen Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh. The new terminal replaces the old Terminal 2, which was unable to handle the 8 million-passenger capacity the airport was seeing. The new terminal began limited operations at the start of June and eventually will accommodate 26 airlines.
LinkCheers: Escape to these top airport barsPassengers who want to flee airport chaos for a quiet sip of high-end wine are drawn to Le Grand Comptoir, in Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Other airport bars on this Top 10 list include Philadelphia International Airport's Cibo Bistro and Wine Bar (free Wi-Fi), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport's One Flew South (great cocktails) and Changi Airport's Pool at SIN (poolside drinks).
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