Thread: Airline News

Good idea, no-one wants to be in those Boeing flying coffins.

DUBLIN/CHICAGO, Jan 28 (Reuters) - United Airlines UAL.O has approached Airbus about buying more A321neo jets to fill a potential void left by the delayed Boeing 737 MAX 10, in a trade-off likely to ease deadlock over a long-delayed separate order for larger jets, industry sources said.
United CEO Scott Kirby flew to Toulouse recently to sound out the planemaker on a potential quid-quo-pro deal after a mid-air emergency on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 raised new doubts over certification of the already delayed MAX 10, they said.
"United Airlines has been in talks with Airbus about possible alternatives to the MAX 10 order. To my knowledge no agreement has been reached," a person familiar with the discussions said.
Talks are at an early stage and there is no guarantee of a deal, the sources said.

https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/unit...delays-sources

• FAA investigating after Delta Boeing plane loses front nose wheel before takeoff

The FAA said Tuesday it will investigate after a tire under the front nose of a Delta Boeing 757 fell off one of the wheels and rolled down a nearby embankment.

The incident occurred on Saturday around 11:15 a.m. local time at Georgia's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport while Delta Flight 982 was taxiing before takeoff to Bogota, Colombia.

In air traffic control audio included in a report from the FAA, a controller is heard alerting the pilot of the situation, saying, "One of your nose tires just came off; it just rolled off the runway behind you."

The report also says that the tire landed on the south side of the runway, down an embankment.

Following the incident, passengers and their luggage were returned to the terminal via buses and their departure was delayed. The passengers were put on another aircraft to their destination, according to the FAA report.

No injuries were reported in the incident, the FAA said.

In a statement Tuesday, Delta offered an apology "to our customers for the inconvenience."

Some good news as my flight back to Bangkok might have been affected.
EVA Air averts strike after reaching deal with pilots union.
EVA Air averts strike after reaching deal with pilots union - Focus Taiwan

What a fantastic way to endear yourself to potential customers.

Bravo!

Thai Airways is suing a passenger who took to Facebook to complain about the events that transpired on January 28th's flight from Bangkok to Melbourne, which diverted to Sydney due to low visibility in Melbourne, causing a four-hour delay.

Their response is a hoot, too:

Thai Airways' response and legal proceedings against the passenger reflect its commitment to maintaining a high standard of safety and security while also safeguarding its reputation against harmful and inaccurate public perceptions.

Thai Airways Takes Passenger To Court For Complaining About Flight Diversion

^^ I would say that no passenger has sufficient information to complain about a Captain's decision to divert and, in this case, other aircraft also diverted due to the weather.

Still, it's a minor complaint and Thai should grow some thicker skin if they want to continue their blatant bribery when purchasing aircraft without criticism.

Originally Posted by Troy

^^ I would say that no passenger has sufficient information to complain about a Captain's decision to divert and, in this case, other aircraft also diverted due to the weather.

I would say it's better to engage with the customer and make them feel wanted while you explain their mistake - rather than threatening them.

I think most PR companies would say the same thing.

• 2 Flight Attendants on ANA Flight Bound for Bangkok Injured Due to Shaking; No Passengers Injured

Two flight attendants were injured on an All Nippon Airways flight from Haneda to Bangkok on Thursday due to sudden shaking of the plane, the transport ministry said Friday. There were 257 passengers and crew on board. None of the passengers were injured.

According to ANA and the transport ministry, ANA Flight 849, a Boeing 787-9, experienced sudden shaking at around 1:10 a.m. while flying over the sea off the coast of Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture at an altitude of about 8,500 meters.

Due to the shaking, which occurred while flight attendants were serving passengers in the cabin, a flight attendant in her 20s twisted and fractured her right ankle while another flight attendant sustained abrasions from hitting their foot on a cart.

The flight attendant with a fracture in her foot was diagnosed at a medical institution on Friday after returning to Japan, which ANA reported to the ministry on the day. The Japan Transport Safety Board will investigate the incident as an aviation accident and seek the detailed cause.

• NTSB says four bolts 'missing' on Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 door plug blowout

The National Transportation Safety Board says four key bolts were "missing" when a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines flight in midair last month. That's one of the findings from the NTSB's preliminary investigative report released Tuesday.

The Boeing 737 Max 9 jet had departed Portland, Ore., and was climbing through 14,800 feet when the door plug explosively blew out. It resulted in a rapid depressurization and emergency landing back at Portland.

No one was seriously hurt, but the Jan. 5 incident has renewed major questions about quality control at Boeing and its top suppliers.

In its 19-page report, the NTSB says four bolts that were supposed to hold the door plug in place were not recovered. Nevertheless, investigators say "the observed damage patterns and absence of contact damage" on the door panel and plane itself indicate the four bolts were "missing" before the door plug was ejected from the plane.

The report does not say who was responsible for the failure to ensure the bolts were reinstalled.


Might have to use a US IP address to open the report: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/...CA24MA063.aspx

Some nutter opened a plane door on the tarmac at Chiang Mai last night.

• New Zealand woman asked to leave Delta Airlines plane over not wearing a bra

A New Zealand traveller set to fly between two US cities claims she was booted off a plane simply because she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Performer and publicist Lisa Archbold, who resides in New York, was travelling between Salt Lake City and San Francisco when she was allegedly asked by cabin crew to come to the front of the plane.

Archbold, who was travelling on board a Delta Airlines plane after attending the Sundance film festival, said as soon as she arrived at the gate she received a frosty welcome by airline staff.

According to the New Zealand Herald, despite the cool reception from staff — Archbold made her way on board and found her seat. But soon afterwards — in front of a full aircraft — she was quickly summoned by cabin crew.

“I’m thinking, someone has died or they found something weird in my bag,” Archbold told the Herald.

“This woman from the ground crew comes to me and loudly says in front of the whole plane ‘I need to speak to you in private. Follow me’.”

At first, Archbold thought perhaps the bottles of alcohol in her luggage was the problem, but she soon realised that the concern was around her lack of underwear.

“It is Delta’s policy to remove anyone in revealing clothes from the aircraft,” Archbold claims to have been told by the cabin crew member.

She claims the cabin crew addressing her said she could stay on the plane if she put a jacket on for the duration of the flight — given she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Korean Air increases flights to Thailand for tourists seeking warmer climates

Korean Air is expanding its service to Thailand with two additional weekly flights from Incheon to Bangkok, responding to a surge in tourism demand. According to the airline’s country manager, Kim Jongmin, the added flights on the Incheon-Don Mueang route cater to the high demand from Korean tourists seeking warmer climates during the winter months of January and February.


With these additions, Korean Air now operates five weekly flights to Bangkok, along with regular services to Phuket and Chiang Mai, marking a full recovery and even an increase in flight frequency to Thailand post-Covid.

The airline witnessed a significant 190% increase in passenger volume on its Korea-Thailand routes last year, contributing to an overall profit of US$11.3 billion, which exceeds the figures from 2019. Despite Thailand’s slow tourism recovery, with revenues not yet reaching pre-Covid levels, Korean tourists have shown a strong presence, ranking third among international visitors in 2023.

The Asia-Pacific region has seen the highest growth in air traffic globally in 2023, with a 126.1% increase, as reported by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Beyond Thailand, Korean Air is also enhancing its services to other Southeast Asian destinations, including Manila and Bali, anticipating a full recovery of passenger demand and capacity in the early part of the year. The airline is optimistic about sustained long-haul demand and expects a revenue increase from the winter tourism peak season.

Korean Air increases flights to Thailand for tourists seeking warmer climates - Pattaya Mail

Woohoo! Korean Air has started flying Incheon to Las Vegas again. That means Chiang Mai-Incheon-Las Vegas is now available.

Originally Posted by misskit

Woohoo! Korean Air has started flying Incheon to Las Vegas again. That means Chiang Mai-Incheon-Las Vegas is now available.

You'd better leave now if it's the Superbowl you're after.

Although I hear Taylor Swift is in Japan, maybe you could cadge a lift.

• FAA asks airlines to share more information to boost safety

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is requesting more information from airlines in order to bolster safety following backlash from a midair blowout last month that led the agency to ground more than 170 Boeing planes.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker met with airline CEOs Wednesday and asked the carrier leaders to increase their information-sharing in order to better identify problems.

“As I mentioned in my testimony yesterday, data is crucial to identifying and mitigating significant risks and emerging safety trends, allowing us to move toward a more predictive system,” Whitaker said. “Today we discussed the need for more access to real-time data and better tools to detect and manage risk within our aviation system.”

Representatives from United Airlines and Alaska Airlines — the two airlines that used the Boeing planes — and others, including Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, FedEx, UPS and JetBlue, were present in the meeting.

The gathering took place just over a month after the Jan. 5 incident, when the agency ordered a grounding of nearly 200 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft to complete inspections after a door panel flew off one of the jets midflight above Oregon, leaving a gaping hole in the plane.

Snip

“Aviation safety is a team sport, and it requires that we constantly reexamine processes and procedures as well as how we use data to detect risks and introduce more transparency in our business practices,” Whitaker said.

Which mod cleaned up the Thai Airways 787 post?

FFS

Let's try again.

Feb 8 (Reuters) - Thai Airways has placed a firm order for 45 Boeing 787 jets, with options potentially boosting the size of the deal to around 80 aircraft as it serves rising international travel demand, industry sources said.

The deal, to be formally unveiled later this month, is already reflected in Boeing's published order backlog as a contract for 45 planes with an undisclosed customer, they said.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/thai-airways-orders-45-boeing-787s-plus-options-sources-2024-02-08/

• Finnish carrier Finnair is asking passengers to voluntarily weigh themselves before boarding flights

Almost everything that gets onto a commercial plane — fuel, checked-in baggage, cargo and meals — is weighed. For passengers and their cabin bags, most airlines use average data.

But Finland’s national carrier Finnair said Friday that it started asking passengers this week voluntarily and anonymously hop onto a scale with their hand luggage at the country’s main airport in Helsinki, the airline said Friday. The aim is to get their own figures.

“We will need data for both winter season and for summer season — in winter season people typically have heavier clothing, which impacts weights,” Finnair spokeswoman Päivyt Tallqvist told The Associated Press, adding that the survey would last until May.

Passengers boarding onto European and long-haul flights won’t be “penalized for their weight,” and “the numbers are kept discreet, away from prying eyes,” she added.

So far, about 800 people have joined the survey, and those who agree to take part receive a small gift — a reflective baggage tag, Tallqvist said.

Airlines can either use official data by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, known as EASA, or do their own standard weights measurements, Tallqvist said. Finnair has chosen the latter, but safety authorities require that the survey is renewed every five years. The last time Finnair weighed passengers was in 2018.

In June, New Zealand’s national airline also weighed passengers before boarding.

The weight figures will be sent to the Finnish transport and communications agency later this year and will be used for balancing aircraft and loading calculations for the period running from 2025 until 2030.

“We hope to have a good sample of volunteers, both business and leisure travelers, also this time, so that we can get the most accurate information possible for important balance calculations,” Satu Munnukka, head of ground processes at Finnair, said in a statement.

ANA Unveils AirJapan for Asian Tourists

ANA Holdings launched its new airline brand, AirJapan, on Friday (Feb 9), adding to its portfolio a medium-haul low-cost carrier that taps into the increasing tourist traffic from Asia, including Thailand. The airline commenced operations with six weekly round-trip flights from Narita Airport near Tokyo to Bangkok, utilizing Boeing 787-8 aircraft.


According to ANA, the inaugural flight took off on Friday afternoon, offering passengers an all-economy class seating arrangement that boasts the same legroom as full-service flights.


AirJapan President Hideki Mineguchi said the airline's seat comfort will be a major selling point, expressing hopes for passengers to enjoy their travel experience to Bangkok. The airline also announced plans to expand its services, including flights from Narita to Incheon Airport near Seoul starting February 22 and to Singapore beginning April 26. Passengers have the option to purchase in-flight meals featuring popular Japanese dishes such as sushi and oyakodon.


The launch of AirJapan comes at a time when Japan is experiencing a resurgence in inbound tourism following the lifting of COVID-19-related border restrictions last year. The country recorded a more than sixfold increase in foreign visitors in 2023, reaching 25.1 million, with recent data indicating a return to pre-pandemic visitor levels.

NNT

A man, believed to be British, is reported to have punched an air steward in the face and damaged the toilet on a Thai Airways flight traveling from Bangkok to London.

The incident, occurring on Feb. 7, led to the passenger’s arrest after the plane landed at Heathrow airport, as per the Daily Mail’s report.

Metro cited a female passenger, who preferred to remain unnamed and recorded the incident on her phone, stating the 35-year-old man began causing a disturbance in the airplane’s lavatory. She recounted how he started "screaming and shouting" inside the toilet before "smashing the [toilet] door," resulting in the door being dislodged from its hinges.

The man’s unruly behavior escalated, prompting intervention from fellow passengers and the cabin crew. Despite their efforts, the situation deteriorated when the passenger struck a male air steward in the face, knocking him down to the aisle floor.

This altercation led to panic among the passengers, some of whom moved their children to the rear of the aircraft, while others stepped in to help subdue the man.

Despite the chaos, the flight managed to reach its destination in London after passengers were alerted about a possible detour to Dubai. Police officers reportedly entered the plane and took the man into custody upon landing.

Another individual caught up in the incident was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

British passenger attacks Thai Airways steward on Bangkok-London flight - VnExpress International

• Two people killed after small private jet plane crash-lands on Florida highway

Two people have died after a small private jet plane attempted to make an emergency landing on Interstate 75 in south-west Florida on Friday afternoon, colliding with two vehicles and bringing traffic to a halt as a plume of black smoke rose into the air.

The crash landing happened near the Pine Ridge Road exit in Collier county, just north of where the interstate heads east toward Fort Lauderdale along what is known as Alligator Alley.

Brianna Walker saw the wing of the plane drag the car in front of hers and slam into the wall.

“It’s seconds that separated us from the car in front of us,” she said. “The wing pulverized this one car.”

Walker and her friend spotted the plane moments before it hit the highway, allowing her friend to pull over before the crash.

“The plane was over our heads by inches,” she said. “It took a hard right and skid across the highway.”

Walker said an explosion of flames then burst from the plane with a loud boom. Pieces of the plane littered the highway.

“It feels unreal, like a movie,” she said. “It was seconds between us dying.”

^ Double engine flame-out on finals. Nearly made it. Both crew killed but both passengers and hostess survived.
There's a video of the plane's final descent onto the highway on youtube.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

• New Zealand woman asked to leave Delta Airlines plane over not wearing a bra

A New Zealand traveller set to fly between two US cities claims she was booted off a plane simply because she wasn’t wearing a bra.

For context: