Thread: Airline News

Cathay Pacific is ‘spying on you through in-flight entertainment and even recording your movement’
Nestled in the back of every seat on this popular passenger airline is a disturbing piece of technology — it’s watching your every move.

Cathay Pacific passengers have been warned that an updated privacy policy means their movements and preferences are being recorded by the airline through their in-flight entertainment screens as well as at the airport.

Even worse, the information and images will be stored indefinitely, with the carrier claiming it will be for “as long as necessary”.
Their new policy was introduced last week, according to Forbes, which explains that images taken from CCTV on the plane as well as at airports could be held by the airline.

The policy explains that they collect “information such as previous travel arrangements, feedback about your experiences, details of lost luggage and other claims, your use of our in-flight entertainment system and in-flight connectivity, your images captured via CCTV in our airport lounges and aircraft”.

Read more
https://www.news.com.au/travel/trave...10f7ceacb9c67b

Originally Posted by Troy

I imagine the a380s will be sold off to one of the airlines keeping them longer.

I was enquiring more about who has routes suitable and will want to take on 380s at a time when single isle two engine airplanes appear to more useful/adaptable/profitable, in the post hub and spoke world of civil aviation

Originally Posted by OhOh

I was enquiring more about who has routes suitable and will want to take on 380s at a time when single isle two engine airplanes appear to more useful/adaptable/profitable, in the post hub and spoke world of civil aviation

They will either be used for high traffic routes like Thai said they would be, or they will be sold off/leased to a passenger/freight company (although I'm not sure it's cheap to refit them for cargo).

'kinell BA can't catch a break can they.

British Airways said on Wednesday it had cancelled some short-haul flights from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports because of an IT systems failure.


The airline, owned by International Airlines Group, said: "We are working as quickly as possible to resolve a systems issue which has resulted in some short-haul cancellations and delays from London airports."


It said it was offering customers booked on short-haul services departing from London airports the opportunity to rebook on another day.

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/british-airways-cancels-some-flights-due-to-it-failure-3497568

Stupid or kids. Or perhaps stupid kids.

Pilots had to take evasive action to avoid a potentially "catastrophic" scenario after lasers were used to target five planes landing at Glasgow Airport.

The "extremely dangerous" incidents happened between 10pm and 11:30pm on Monday and the same time today.

Lasers were beamed at five different aircraft coming in to land, causing the pilots to take action to protect their vision.

https://www.scotsman.com/news/crime/pilots-take-evasive-action-after-lasers-target-planes-landing-at-scottish-airport-1-4978766

FAA bans some Apple laptops from flights over fire risk

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Tuesday it is banning certain MacBook Pro laptops from flights after Apple recently said that batteries in select units posed fire risks.

The FAA said in a statement to The Hill it was “aware of the recalled batteries that are used in some Apple MacBook Pro laptops” and that it had informed major U.S. airlines of the recall.

The agency went on to remind airlines to follow 2016 safety instructions for products containing recalled batteries, which would mean that the affected laptops should not be taken on airplanes as cargo or in carry-on baggage.

The move echoes a similar warning from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency earlier this month to regional airlines about the MacBook models, saying they should follow 2017 rules mandating devices with recalled lithium-ion batteries to be turned off and not used during flights.

The products in question are some 15-inch MacBook Pros sold between September 2015 and February 2017. Apple said in June it had “determined that, in a limited number of older generation 15-inch MacBook Pro units, the battery may overheat and pose a fire safety risk.”

Four airlines with operations managed by Total Cargo Expertise (TCE) implemented its ban on the laptops this week according to an internal notice obtained by Bloomberg.

“Please note that the 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro laptop, sold between mid-2015 to February-2017 is prohibited on board any of our mandate carriers,” a TCE operations coordinator wrote to employees.

The Apple laptop is not the first product to be banned from flights. Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 phones were barred from airlines in 2016 after several incidents emerged in which its battery exploded while in people’s pockets.

FAA guidelines forbid bringing recalled batteries on flights unless they’ve been replaced or stored in special packing that prevents fires.

https://thehill.com/policy/transport...over-fire-risk

A321 emergency landing after bird strike...Luckily only minor injuries and some stained underwear.

Russia bird strike: 23 injured after plane hits gulls and crash-land

A Russian passenger plane has made an emergency landing in a cornfield near Moscow after striking a flock of birds.
Twenty-three people were injured in the incident, which saw the plane land with its engines off and landing gear retracted, health officials said.


The Ural Airlines Airbus 321 was travelling to Simferopol in Crimea when it hit the flock of gulls shortly after take-off, disrupting its engines.
State media has dubbed the landing the "miracle over Ramensk".


The airline said the plane was significantly damaged and would not fly again. An official investigation is under way.


The plane had 233 passengers and crew on board when the birds were reportedly sucked into its engines and the crew immediately decided to land.
An unnamed passenger told state TV the plane started to shake violently after take-off.


"Five seconds later, the lights on the right side of the plane started flashing and there was a smell of burning. Then we landed and everyone ran away," he said.
Air transport agency Rosaviatsia said the plane landed in a cornfield about a kilometre (0.62 miles) from the runway at Zhukovsky International Airport, with its engines off and landing gear retracted.

etc...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49355236

Russian airliner with 233 on board suffers birdstrike, makes BELLY LANDING near Moscow (VIDEO)

A narrow-body airliner operated by Russia’s Ural Airlines and carrying 226 passengers and seven crew, landed with its wheels up in the countryside near Moscow after suffering a "rare" birdstrike.
Bound for Simferopol, Crimea, the Airbus A321 unexpectedly struck “numerous” seagulls or crows shortly after departing from Moscow’s Zhukovsky Airport.

Having no time to dump fuel and with no deployed undercarriages, the heavy-loaded jet made a belly landing in a cornfield just 1km from the runway. A spine chilling footage from inside the airctaft surfaced online a while later.

Moments before the bumpy touchdown, the malfunctioning engines were switched to avoid fire on board, it has been reported.

Ural Airlines CEO Sergey Skuratov said the scale of the birdstrike was in fact something out of the ordinary.

“It is quite rare, it happens maybe once in 50 years.”

Luckily, there was no blaze on board the ill-fated Airbus and no one died in the incident. Still, 74 passengers – including 19 children – received injuries.

Meanwhile, the airline praised the crew for professionallism during the spine chilling landing as well as for “well-organized evacuation.”

Now I believe in God, for sure.”

“This is my second birthday,” another woman is heard saying in a video taken by one of the passengers.

People later described the traumatic experience they went through.

“The engine clapped several times, they tried to re-activate it but we started going down,” one man wrote on Twitter uploading a video of the jet.

The Thursday incident is reminiscent of a 2009 incident known as the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ involving US Airways Flight 1549, when an Airbus A320 flown by Captain Chesley Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles hit a flock of geese after takeoff from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport and lost all engine power. Unable to land at any available airport, they had to ditch the jet in the Hudson River outside Manhattan, with all 155 rescued by nearby ferries and boats.

https://www.rt.com/russia/466524-pla...anding-moscow/

^^ & ^

Video shows MOMENT when birds hit Ural Airlines jet on take-off

https://vk.com/video-112510789_456254598

https://www.rt.com/russia/466542-a32...y-video-birds/

US Customs and Border Protection says systems are being restored after earlier outage snarled international arrivals at airports

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says systems are being restored after an earlier outage held up immigration processing at U.S. airports around the country.

The issue delayed arriving travelers who swarmed entry checkpoints.

CBP says it will continue to monitor the incident, adding that there’s no indication the disruption was malicious in nature.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/16/comp...nd-the-us.html

THAI struggling with huge debt, executives asked to take voluntarily pay cut

Thai Airways International, the national flag carrier, appears to be in a deep financial crisis and may have to delay debt repayments or seek new loans.


THAI president Sumet Damrongchaitham said this morning (Monday) that he has asked the company’s executives, himself included, to cut their meeting allowances and remuneration voluntarily to show spirit in helping the organization get through this crisis.


“This is just one of the measures to cut costs so that THAI will be able to compete in the aviation industry. The spirit of the board and executives will inspire others in our organization to realize that it is high time that we join forces in all ways to survive this crisis. Whatever can be sacrificed must be sacrificed,” said Mr. Sumet.

He assured the company’s staff that they should not be worried about the remuneration cuts, saying that it will be confined only to the management, and that the voluntary measure will not affect the quality of the company’s services.


Meanwhile, an informed source in the Transport Ministry said that THAI’s debt crisis was very serious and puts the carrier at risk of bankruptcy, with its combined total debt amounting to about 245 billion baht, a debt to equity ratio of 14.55 and debt service coverage ratio reducing to 0.62.


The source said, if THAI is allowed to buy a new fleet of planes, worth an estimated 156 billion baht, it would become the world’s most indebted airline.

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-st...arily-pay-cut/

Bt156 billion is probably what they've trousered or lost in revenue by giving away premium seats to arsehole friends.

No wonder.
They’re as useful as a —— full of snow.

Vietnam Airlines, US’s Delta ink code sharing agreement

Hanoi (VNA) - National carrier Vietnam Airlines and the US’s Delta Air Lines have signed a code sharing agreement in Atlanta, expanding their operation from October this year.


This is a new step of the two airlines since the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted Category 1 aviation safety rating to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam in February this year.


Under the agreement, the two firms will check operation systems next month. After the Vietnam Airlines’ system is assessed to be at operational standard, Delta will deploy ticket sales for flights operated by Vietnam Airlines between Hanoi and Tokyo to serve passengers who needs connecting flights to the US.


Vietnam Airlines said it’s the first step for it to explore the Vietnam – US aviation market.


Last year, Vietnam Airlines and Delta received nearly 18,000 visitors from cooperation between the two firms, mainly passengers travelling from the US to Vietnam. - VNA

National News Bureau Of Thailand

^ if they haven't even worked out where to put the wings yet then they're struggling...

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

^ if they haven't even worked out where to put the wings yet then they're struggling...

Yep ...


If anyone reads into the article, at the end, they are still undecided what engines they will be running!

Well at least the 737 MAX will have some competition.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Well at least the 737 MAX will have some competition.

How is that? This new joint venture is a double aisle airplane. The 737 max is single aisle..

Originally Posted by aging one

How is that? This new joint venture is a double aisle airplane. The 737 max is single aisle..

Oh FFS.

Was it really too subtle?

AOT launches AOT Digital Airports app

To help people who use the main airports in Thailand, Airports of Thailand (AOT) Public Company Limited has adopted technology to improve service, and link information at airports via an application.


The AOT Digital Airports system is an innovation that efficiently links all information technology systems at airports for the convenience of airport service users. The link includes the tourism industry outside airports, especially transport and tour services in and outside the country.


The application software will provide passengers with information about flights, check-in counters, luggage, maps of passenger terminals which lead passengers to their desired locations, information about public transport services and transport inside airports, information on facilities inside airports, shop information and flight alerts to allow passengers to prepare themselves before heading to their airports.


The application also provides translation services in five languages: Thai, Chinese, English, Russian and Japanese. The AOT also has a plan to cooperate with its partners to include useful and necessary information in order to upgrade services for the people. The application software can facilitate the requirements of airport management. For example, it can give real-time reports on the number of passengers at specific locations. Initially, this type of service will be piloted at Suvarnabhumi Airport and the AOT’s 6 airports, including Hat Yai, Chiang Mai and Don Mueang. In future, the AOT will link the system to 16 airports in partnership with AOT around the world. Passengers can download the application on both the iOS and Android systems.


National News Bureau Of Thailand

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

59,756

This sort of sums it all up. quantity, quantity, must get more quantity.

Originally Posted by aging one

This sort of sums it all up. quantity, quantity, must get more quantity.

It would have been 59,755 if you weren't too fucking thick to get an obvious joke.

For the first time in British Airways' history, pilots at the airline are set to go on strike next month.

The pilots, who are members of the British Airline Pilots Association, has given notice to British Airways of the strike on September 9, 10 and 27.

In a statement, BALPA sad, "In what is British Airways' centenary year, this will be the very first time its pilots will go on strike. They do so as a last resort and with enormous frustration at the way the business is now being run."

The union said it had put forward a number of packages to resolve the dispute but British Airways did not accept any of them. Following discussions with its members, it said that BA's most recent offer will not gain the support of a majority of its pilots.

Members voted unanimously (93%) in favour of taking industrial action.

It said a day of strike action will cost BA around £40m and 3 days will cost in the region of £120m. "The gap between BA's position and BALPA's position is about £5m. Our proposal remains on the table should BA wish to reach agreement prior to strike action," the statement read.

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/201...-in-september/