The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating whether Southwest Airlines followed safety orders dealing with older jets.
Federal inspectors believe the airline, along with a repair shop near Seattle, conducted repairs on 44 737s without getting FAA approval. The aircraft were used on more than 100,000 flights, said one source to the AP; details have yet to be released.
The FAA is concerned with the way Southwest and Aviation Technical Services (ATS) worked on the fuselages of the aircraft. Southwest and ATS replaced the patches with new aluminum skin on some aircraft. While Southwest and ATS received approval from The Boeing Company, they did not ask the FAA. The inspectors believe mechanics did not adequately reinforce the aircraft frame with the new skin panels, but the FAA granted retroactive approval to the work.
FAA officials in Seattle are handling the investigation, and are in the process of deciding whether or not to fine Southwest.
It is another sad tale of once complimentary items that are now for sale, as American Airlines moves to charging for pillows and blankets on select flights; a move that almost parallels US Airways’s $7 “power-nap sack” and JetBlue’s blanket-pillow set.
For those seated in coach on domestic flights and select international flights greater than 2 hours, American will charge $8 for a pillow and blanket. The select international flights include routes to and from Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, the Caribbean and Central America.
“American evaluates all aspects of the business to ensure that economic decisions are prudent and strategic for the long-term success of the company,” said spokeswoman Andrea Huguely.
Blankets in premium-class cabins will remain complimentary.
What do you get? For the price of $8 you get a one of a kind blue fleece blanket with an inflatable neck pillow in a clear zippered pouch. But wait, there’s more! Buy the pack and you’ll get a coupon for $10 off a $30 purchase at Bed, Bath and Beyond. That’s decent… but…
I think $8 is a little too pricey. US Airways’s $7 pack includes the blanket, pillow, eye shades, and earplugs; along with a $10 SkyMall coupon for $50 spent. To me, that’s a much better value.
Share your thoughts – would you buy it? Why or why not?
Boeing did it again! Today, the new Boeing 747-8 freighter took to the sky for the very first time. The day started off with fog and the usual Seattle / Washington-esque weather. Yet, it did clear up, and the airplane lifted off at 12:39 PM PST.
So what’s different about this 747? It’s longer, beating the previous 747 by 18 feet, has new engines, outfitted with the same type of engines available for the 787, and has brand new wings. The freighter can carry 30 more tons of cargo than the previous version, and has a range of 4,390 nautical miles – just 55 shorter of the 747-400.
Yet the range isn’t a huge issue – it’s only 55 nautical miles – which isn’t far at all. However range isn’t a critical problem for a cargo plane. “Cargo doesn’t care if it stops for gas,” said Thomas Crabtree, a regional marketing director for The Boeing Company.
The order-book for the 747-8 consists of 108 orders. 76 are for the freighter and 32 for the 747-8 Intercontinental passenger variant. While the 747-8I only has 32 orders, Boeing is confident that as airlines retire 747-400s, a market will open for the airplane.
While I wish I could have been there, a few friends went and captured phenomenal video / pictures. Here is AirlineReporter.com’s David Parker Brown’s video of the 747-8F first flight’s takeoff and landing.
This Tuesday, February 9, 2010, at 9 P.M. ET, PBS will air a segment on the regional airline industry. Frontline investigators interview pilots and industry experts to learn how the regional airline industry is weathering safety concerns.
Program description:
One year after the deadly airline crash of Continental 3407 in Buffalo, NY, FRONTLINE investigates the accident and discovers a dramatically changed airline industry, where regional carriers now account for half of the nation’s daily departures. The rise of the regionals and arrival of low-cost carriers have been a huge boon to consumers, and the industry insists that the skies remain safe. But many insiders are worried that now, 30 years after airline deregulation, the aviation system is being stretched beyond its capacity to deliver service that is both cheap and safe.
Japan Airlines has decided to maintain its alliance with American Airlines and will end talks with Delta Air Lines, Japanese media reported early Monday.
American and Delta are competing for JAL’s alliance loyalty, as the Japanese carrier flies significant routes both inside Japan and to other parts of Asia. JAL recently declared bankruptcy with 26 billion dollars of debt.
Early reports within the past two months suggested the carrier would chose Delta Air Lines and its SkyTeam alliance over American Airlines and its Oneworld alliance. However that was prior to a “clean-house” in JAL’s management.
The new management team promised to take a new look at the two offers. Early last week, JAL’s new chairman Kazuo Inamori said the carrier would make a quick decision.
JAL would not confirm the reports, and said that no decisions have been made.
Both Delta and American are offering hefty packages to Japan Airlines; American and its Oneworld partners offered a package valued at $2 billion, while Delta offered approximately $1 billion in its package.
Analysts and industry-insiders said the Delta offer looked more appetizing, since SkyTeam has a larger footprint in Asia with Korean Air and China Southern Airlines. American’s Oneworld alliance includes one carrier in Asia: Hong-Kong based Cathay Pacific Airways.
According to the Nikkei Business Daily, JAL plans to tell Delta as early as this week that it will end alliance negotiations. American Airlines and JAL are expected to apply for anti-trust immunity within this month.
I spent a lot of time writing and covering the JAL story, so this post is duplicated both here and at my blog at the Seattle P-I. Feel free to share your thoughts / comments.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating whether Southwest Airlines followed safety orders dealing with older jets.
