Thread: Airline News

And the cycle begins again.... More filthy lucre to plunder.

Thai Airways in talks for large aircraft order
On 7 and 8 September 2023, media like the Bangkok Post and Reuters have been reporting that Thai Airways has started negotiations with both Airbus and Boeing for a significant order. According to the news-outlets, the order is for a total of up to 95 aircraft, consisting of 15 narrowbody aircraft and 80 widebodies.
Airbus and Boeing declined to comment but Thai Airways has said the process is in early stages. According to Reuters, a final decision could be expected before the end of the year.

Thai Airways in talks for large aircraft order

Claim of Camera in American Airlines Plane Bathroom Investigated by Feds

An American Airlines flight attendant was reportedly led off the plane by police after a passenger told people there was a camera in the bathroom

Federal authorities and the Massachusetts State Police are investigating a "potential criminal act" on board an American Airlines flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Boston on Saturday, the police announced.

The authorities didn't provide details about what may have occurred, but the local news station Boston 25 reported that it concerned a passenger alleging there was a camera hidden in the plane's bathroom.

A trooper with the police unit that responded to the incident told another local outlet, WSOC-TV, that it involved "a juvenile, a phone, and a flight attendant."

A passenger told Boston 25 that a male flight attendant had stopped a teenage girl from entering the bathroom, saying he needed to wash his hands. She used the bathroom after him, the outlet reported.

The girl's mother was then seen stopping other passengers from using the bathroom and warning them there was a hidden camera inside, the passenger told Boston 25.

When the Airbus A321 landed at Boston Logan International Airport at about 10 a.m., the passenger said the police and airline staff checked the bathroom before the flight attendant was escorted off.

The Massachusetts State Police said in its statement that its officers met the plane upon landing and initiated an investigation. It added that crimes that occur during flight were the responsibility of federal authorities, which asserted their jurisdiction over Saturday's incident.

In a statement shared with Insider, American Airlines said it is taking the incident "very seriously."

"American Airlines flight 1441 from Charlotte (CLT) to Boston (BOS) was met by law enforcement upon arrival. We take this matter very seriously and are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation, as safety and security are our highest priorities," the statement said.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Thai Airways in talks for large aircraft order

I wouldn't mind if the assholes refunded me the tickets paid and cancelled in 2020.

Primitives

Originally Posted by helge

I wouldn't mind if the assholes refunded me the tickets paid and cancelled in 2020.

Primitives

I thought they'd written all those off.

Thai Smile slowly winds down operations as THAI resumes domestic flights

Thai Airways International (THAI) will from October 1 resume flights to nine domestic destinations previously served by its low-cost subsidiary Thai Smile, a source said on Saturday.

From its home base at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport, THAI will fly to Krabi, Khon Kaen, Phuket, Narathiwat, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, Udon Thani and Ubon Ratchathani.

The changes will be effective during the winter flight schedule from October 2023 to March 2024, a THAI source familiar with the matter said.

From October 1, THAI will offer eight flights daily between Bangkok and Phuket. Then from October 29, the national carrier will offer five flights daily between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and three flights daily between Bangkok and Udon Thani from December 1.

From January 1, THAI will offer two flights daily between Bangkok and Krabi, four flights daily between Bangkok and Khon Kaen, one flight daily between Bangkok and Narathiwat, two flights daily between Bangkok and Chiang Rai, three flights daily between Bangkok and Hat Yai, and two flights daily between Bangkok and Ubon Ratchathani.

All the flights will use Airbus A320 aircraft formerly operated by Thai Smile, except for the Bangkok-Phuket route, which will see an addition of Boeing 777-200 ER, according to the source.

This wide-body, 292-seat jetliner is intended to help THAI cope with the large volume of tourists expected to fly to the island resort during the upcoming high season, the source said.

Thai Smile will continue its flights between Bangkok and Phuket until the end of November before shifting to THAI’s airline code TG from December 1, the source added.

Under THAI’s business rehabilitation plan, Thai Smile will wind down operations and prepare to merge with its parent airline in early 2024.

In 2022, Thai Smile had a network of 16 destinations in Thailand and 14 destinations in Asia served by A320s. The low-cost airline started flying in July 2012 on domestic and regional routes, leaving THAI to concentrate on long-haul international routes.

Same route, different paint job.

Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) has unveiled plans to reintroduce nine domestic routes previously serviced by its subsidiary Thai Smile Airways, with the imminent merger of Thai Smile into the group.

The nine domestic routes that THAI plans to relaunch – utilising A320 aircraft ported over from Thai Smile – during its winter flight schedule spanning October 2023 to March 2024 will connect Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport to Krabi, Khon Kaen, Phuket, Narathiwat, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, Udon Thani, and Ubon Ratchathani.

THAI to reintroduce domestic routes following Thai Smile merger | TTG Asia

• Bangkok Airways applies now weighing passengers before boarding

Bangkok Airways has introduced weight measurement for all passengers before boarding, effective until October 31st, assuring that the information obtained will be kept confidential.

The airline said in a statement that the weighing of passengers is in line with the standard measures of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the purpose is to aid in the calculation of the take-off weight, to ensure flight safety.

The airline said the weighing will be done at the departure gate before boarding and it is seeking cooperation from all passengers.

A similar measure has already been applied to passengers on Korean Air and Air New Zealand flights.

Bangkok Airways operates scheduled services to destinations in Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam. It is based at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok.

Remember the movie "Flight"?

A British Airways pilot has been sacked after reports he snorted cocaine off a topless woman before trying to fly a passenger plane back to London.

Married pilot Mike Beaton boasted about his antics to a stewardess who raised the alarm, according toThe Sun newspaper.

The father of one from Devon had been due to fly from Johannesburg, South Africa to London.

He was instead flown to Heathrow as a passenger the next day where he tested positive for drug use, the paper reported.
In a statement to Sky News, BA confirmed the pilot is no longer employed by the airline.

"Safety is always our top priority. The matter was referred to the CAA [Civil Aviation Authority] and this individual no longer works for us," BA said.

The airline said the plane from Johannesburg was delayed overnight while a replacement first officer was found to operate the flight.

The Sun reported the drug-fuelled incident occurred during one of Mr Beaton's nights off in Johannesburg.

In texts to his stewardess colleague, the disgraced pilot described partying with two local men, a female Welsh holidaymaker and a young Spanish woman.

He said the group met at a nightclub before heading back to one of the men's flats where the Class A drugs were apparently produced.

"I've lost my shirt somewhere and one of the local lads produces a plate with a few lines of coke," one of the text messages said, according to The Sun.

"So then there's a debate about whose chest is the best to do a bump off."

Pilot Mike Beaton sacked by British Airways and banned from flying after cocaine binge before flight | UK News | Sky News

United Airlines Pilots Getting Huge Raises Worth $10 Billion - One Mile at a Time

Details of United Airlines’ new pilots contract

This year we’re seeing pilots at most major airlines negotiating new contracts. They didn’t have much leverage to negotiate during the first couple of years of the pandemic, and they now have great bargaining power, given the pilot shortage.

Pilots at Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines have all already ratified new contracts. There’s a major update now at United — the union’s Master Executive Council (MEC) has approved a tentative agreement, and voting among pilots will now be open through September 29, 2023. That means by the end of September, United pilots may very well have a new contract.

United Airlines pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), and the Master Executive Council (MEC) has approved a new contract, so it’s now just up to the membership to vote.

United pilots have been looking for a new contract for around five years, so this is a major milestone. However, it is worth noting that in 2022, an agreement in principle was reached, but the pilots voted against that one. This contract is much more generous, and I have to imagine it will be approved by members.

There’s a dedicated website with all the details of this contract, plus this document has a summary of all the changes. With this new contract, pilots are looking at pay raises of up to 40% over four years, and the union values the incremental value of this agreement at around $10 billion.

To start, pilots will get an immediate pay increase of 13.8% to 18.7% as of the date of signing (on the low end, 14.1% for the 777 and 787, and on the high end, 18.7% for the 737-700 and A319). Below you can find the new pilot pay rates as of the date of signing. You can generally just add three zeroes to the end of the hourly pay to figure out roughly how much pilots earn per year.

Sniffing sherbert off luigi atop doi suthep is almost like the ian rush

Originally Posted by david44

Sniffing sherbert off luigi atop doi suthep is almost like the ian rush

Are you having another stroke?

I know spamdreth is, but that's a different kind.

nope.......

New terminal will expand passenger handling area, provide 28 aircraft parking slots

The Airports of Thailand (AOT) has announced that 10 airlines have shown interest in using Suvarnabhumi Airport’s Satellite One (SAT-1) terminal once it opens for trial runs on Friday.
The terminal is being opened just in time for the expected surge in Chinese tourists, now that Thailand has waived visa fees.

In response to the waiver, the number of flights to and from China is expected to rise by 300 and there should be an estimated rise of 620,000 passengers per month.

AOT also plans to kick off the 7.8-billion-baht second phase of Suvarnabhumi Airport development by early 2024. The initial steps will include launching a bidding for the baggage conveyor system for the satellite terminal.

Meanwhile, the SAT-1 terminal will start providing services after its soft opening on Friday. The terminal was originally scheduled to open in 2021 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The commercial area of the terminal is 70% complete now that issues related to King Power have been sorted out.

AOT CEO Kirati Kitmanawat confirmed on Tuesday that SAT-1 is now ready to serve passengers at full capacity. The new terminal adds 216,000 square metres to the passenger handling area and includes 28 additional aircraft parking stands. This upgrade will boost the airport’s capacity to 60 million passengers per year from 45 million.

AOT expects SAT-1 to become fully operational after its initial one-month trial run.

During the trial basis, the terminal will be used by Thai AirAsia X and Thai Vietjet.

On Friday, Thai AirAsia X’s flight XJ 0761 will take off from the SAT-1 terminal for Shanghai. The airline has scheduled 14 flights daily to and from SAT-1 for the first week of operations.

Thai VietJet, meanwhile, will operate four flights per day from the terminal.

In addition to these two airlines, AOT is currently negotiating SAT-1 package deals with 10 other airlines, including Emirates, Etihad Airways, All Nippon Airways, Qatar Airways, Mahan Air, and Thai Airways.

AOT is also exploring incentives such as offering discounts on ground services, office rental fees and bridge fees, with proposals expected to be submitted to AOT’s board within a month.

Separately, the six AOT-operated airports across Thailand have started showing signs of recovery, with passenger arrivals rising to 70% of pre-Covid levels. This is primarily driven by arrivals from European, American and Central Asian markets, while the Chinese market has yet to fully recover.

Domestic numbers, meanwhile, have fully rebounded to 100%.

AOT believes its six airports will handle a total of 100 million passengers in fiscal 2023, and expects the numbers to rise to 150 million in 2024, beyond the pre-Covid figure of 142 million in 2019.

Suvarnabhumi Airport alone is projected to welcome 40 million passengers in 2023 and expand to 60 million passengers in the following year.

More Thai comedy....

“If you accidentally enter the new satellite terminal [SAT-1], you will have to restart the whole check-in process again and this delay may result in you missing your flight,” the Airports of Thailand (AOT) warned on Friday.

Passengers flying from Suvarnabhumi’s new terminal advised to have at least 20 minutes in hand

• Married British Airways pilot snorted coke before trying to fly

Married British Airways pilot snorted coke off topless woman’s chest before trying to fly: ‘I’ve been a very naughty boy’

He was going to wing it.

A British Airways pilot snorted coke off a topless woman’s chest while partying hard in South Africa before he attempted to groggily fly a jam-packed flight to London, according to a report.

Mike Beaton, a married father of one, had a night off for “downtime” in Johannesburg before he was scheduled to co-pilot a return flight to London four weeks ago.

He spent the night indulging in booze, drugs and women, he boasted in text messages he sent to a flight attendant pal, the Sun reported.

“I’ve been a very naughty boy,” he told her.

When he tried to fly the following day, the crew member reported the pilot’s alarming night to superiors, who canceled the 12-hour flight to Heathrow Airport, costing British Airways roughly $120,000, according to the outlet.

Beaton was suspended and flown home as a passenger the following day. He was drug-tested at the airport — which he failed — and was subsequently fired.

In his text messages to the flight attendant, Beaton said he had met two local men, a Welsh woman on vacation and a “young Spanish bird” at a Johannesburg nightclub.

After hours of drinking, the group staggered to a hotel bar for a nightcap before they ended up at one of the local men’s apartments.

“Welsh has decided that I should actually be her boyfriend — Spanish has hooked up with one of the two local lads and is having her t–s sucked on their sofa,” he said.

The “girls” were dancing topless when the cocaine arrived, Beaton bragged.

“I’ve lost my shirt somewhere and one of the local lads produces a plate with a few lines of coke,” he wrote. “So then there’s a debate about whose chest is the best to do a bump off.”

“That’s the story of how I ended up snorting coke off a girl’s t–s in Joburg,” he gleefully gloated.

“Stayed the night with Welsh, sh– her for ages (I guess the coke played a part),” he continued, “and then was so f–ked I couldn’t even lift my head until gone 2.”

Passengers upset after Swiss International Air Lines plane lands in Spain with zero suitcases

International flight with more than 100 passengers lands with zero suitcases on board

A Swiss International Air Lines plane left 111 passengers upset when it arrived at its destination with zero luggage.

On 9 September, the aircraft touched down in Bilbao, Spain, without a single checked bag. According to Swiss’s spokesperson, Kavin Ampalan, who spoke to AFP, a French news agency, all suitcases were left in Zurich, Switzerland, where the plane had departed from.

Passengers eagerly waited for their luggage at baggage claim, only to be disappointed when nothing came around the conveyor belt, per The Blick’s report. Ampalan credited the unfortunate incident to “a shortage of ground staff” and “operational reasons”.

The representative explained how the aircraft was meant to fly more passengers back from Bilbao to Zurich right after. However, before the initial flight, crew members supposedly waited “one hour and 16 minutes” for the bags to be loaded before deciding to depart without them.

According to The Blick, ticketed passengers recalled the pilot apologising for the delay in their departure but never specified the reason for their lag or that their luggage did not make it on with them. And, when their flight finally landed at their destination, members of the airline reportedly did not notify them where their bags were. Instead, the crew from the Spanish airline Iberia did.

AOG Technics Ordered To Provide Details Of Engine Parts Transactions


Sean Broderick September 20, 2023


AOG Technics, the UK-based broker accused of selling thousands of engine parts with falsified paperwork, has been ordered to turn over records of its GE Aerospace-related transactions, a London court ordered.


The London High Court ruling, issued during a Sept. 20 hearing gives the company 14 days to hand over details on any CFM56 and CF6 parts it acquired and sold, along with relevant supporting documentation. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed Sept. 7 by CFM and its co-owners, GE Aerospace and Safran against AOG Technics and founder Jose Zamora Yrala.


A summary of the manufacturer’s argument before the court confirms that falsified airworthiness approval tags and other relevant records have been linked to thousands of parts sold by AOG Technics. The probe has turned up 86 examples of forged documents, some covering many parts.


In one case, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) turned over one of its AAC-038 approval tags, later confirmed as fake, that came with 32 overhauled CFM56 high pressure compressor (HPC) stage 1 vanes. Two fake FAA 8130-3s covering hundreds of GE CF6 parts were found, the summary said. More than 80 EASA Form 1s representing thousands of CFM56 parts, including turbine blades and seals, have been flagged and confirmed as forgeries.


In all cases, the fake documentation was made to look like it came from CFM or one of its owners.


So far, no life-limited parts have been flagged in the probe.
AOG Technics parts have been found on 96 engines so far—a figure that is likely to grow given the number of parts confirmed to have fake records.


Gaining insight on AOG Technics’ transactions will help the industry quantify the scope and risk of its scheme. Knowing who it sold parts to will aid CFM, operators, maintenance providers and regulators in their effort to confirm whether they are airworthy and isolate any questionable parts. Learning where AOG Technics got the material is just as critical, as it will help quantify the hazard level the parts present.


“We applaud the court’s ruling compelling AOG Technics to release documentation that will aid the industry in more rapidly identifying parts sold with fraudulent documentation so they can be promptly addressed,” CFM said in a statement. “Safety is our first priority, and we are taking aggressive legal action against AOG Technics for selling unapproved aircraft engine parts with falsified airworthiness documentation. We remain united with the aviation community in working to keep unapproved parts out of the global supply chain.”


Several airlines have confirmed having AOG Technics parts on their engines, including Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Australia. Bloomberg was first to report the airlines involved.


CFM and its co-owners, GE Aerospace and Safran, have been working with industry since June to flag parts sold by AOG Technics with falsified records, the court briefing revealed. TAP Maintenance and Engineering flagged EASA Form 1s linked to “certain” CFM56 parts and allegedly generated by CFM.


The engine manufacturer confirmed the records were false, highlighting fake purchase-order numbers and an unknown signature.


TAP then turned over 24 more Form 1s shipped with CFM56 parts bought by AOG Technics and allegedly generated by the manufacturer. These were forged as well, CFM concluded.


The findings prompted CFM to alert industry and regulators, kicking off a global records review to find parts sold by AOG Technics and either pull them from service or remove them from spare parts supplies if related documentation was determined to be fake.


An early August European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) bulletin urged operators and repair stations to review their records, flag any parts in their possession that passed through AOG Technics, and verify whether airworthiness approval tags were generated by the companies listed on them. Parts with falsified records should be quarantined, EASA said. EASA later confirmed the discovery of many forged documents.


The UK Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) issued a similar bulletin, noting that “some” AOG Technics parts were installed on UK-registered aircraft.


The FAA confirmed it is working with its European counterparts on the issue.


“The FAA is investigating the issue and is coordinating closely with the European Aviation Safety Agency and the UK Civil Aviation Authority,” the agency said. “The FAA takes suspected unapproved parts cases very seriously and takes action as necessary for safety.”

AOG Technics Ordered To Provide Details Of Engine Parts Transactions | Aviation Week Network

Originally Posted by malmomike77

AOG Technics and founder Jose Zamora Yrala

are any of the charges attempted manslaughter ?

The guy also has a "property development company" seems well dodgy.

SUNWAVE SOLUTIONS LTD (13384374)

Company statusActiveCorrespondence addressMarine House, 151 Western Road, Haywards Heath, United Kingdom, RH16 3LH
Role ACTIVEDirectorAppointed on10 May 2021
NationalityBritishCountry of residenceUnited KingdomOccupationDirector

Airport security officer in hot water for failing to check luggage

A security screening officer at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Samut Prakan province has been suspended after failing to check inside a suspicious piece of luggage which turned out to contain live animals, the airport said in a statement issued on Thursday.

According to a source, a baby mouse and a baby otter were reportedly found in the luggage smuggled by two foreign passengers on board a flight heading to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Wednesday (October 4) afternoon.

The airport said CCTV footage revealed that the passengers sent the luggage through an x-ray scanning machine at around 1.45pm. It was checked by staffers of AOT Aviation Security Company Limited, a subsidiary of Airports of Thailand (AOT), which has been contracted by the airport to handle security screening.

The statement said an employee responsible for checking x-ray images found that the luggage might contain banned items and therefore passed it to another staffer to check it, but the official did not open the suspicious luggage and instead let the passengers pass the checkpoint.

The airport stressed that its screening technology and procedures are up to international standards but the incident was a result of human error and failure to follow the procedures. The staffer therefore was suspended from duty immediately and will face disciplinary and legal actions, it added.

The airport warned both Thai and foreign passengers that smuggling live animals or animal carcasses on board the aeroplane is illegal, punishable with both a jail term and a fine. Passengers are advised to properly apply for animal transport service at the airport if they want to bring their pets on their trip.

Originally Posted by baldrick

are any of the charges attempted manslaughter ?

Give him to the seppos, a bit of supermax might scare people off trading in these dodgy chinky fakes.