tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297971422024-03-07T13:13:14.539-07:00The Flight Attendant DossierSince 2005 Flight Attendant and Airline News: Humorous, Entertaining Prose With a Dose of Insanity Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger691125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-33743452920323044702024-01-21T16:28:00.000-07:002024-01-21T16:28:18.132-07:00Flight Attendants Want More from U.S. Airlines. It Might Take a Strike to Get There<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 2.46em;">Flight Attendants Want More from U.S. Airlines. It Might Take a Strike to Get There</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 2.46em;">skift.com</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Flight attendants at Southwest Airlines overwhelmingly rejected a new contract over the weekend. The move is the latest in the mounting tensions between cabin crew and U.S. airline management that could result in the industry’s first labor action in more than a decade.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The agreement that Southwest’s nearly 19,000 flight attendants rejected included pay increases of 36% over five years and other quality of life improvements. The offer clearly was not enough: <a class="link " data-rapid_p="28" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:64% of those who voted rejected;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-08/southwest-flight-attendants-vote-to-reject-contract-agreement" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">64% of those who voted rejected</a> the agreement.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“The flight attendants of Southwest Airlines have made it clear that this proposed contract is not going to heal the hurt,” said Lyn Montgomery, president of the Transport Workers Union Local 556 that represents the crew members. “We will go back to the table to achieve the collective bargaining agreement that meets the needs of the hardest-working flight attendants in the industry.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The union declined to comment further.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">One area of disagreement concerns boarding pay. Almost all U.S. flight attendants are paid only when an aircraft door is closed, rather than during the boarding and deplaning process. Delta Air Lines is the sole U.S. carrier that pays cabin crew for boarding, a policy it <a class="link " data-rapid_p="29" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:added last year;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://skift.com/2022/04/26/delta-offers-flight-attendants-boarding-pay-amid-union-drive/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">added last year</a> amid a drive to unionize (the airline’s cabin crew is currently not unionized).</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Cabin crew unions at Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines are all in active contract negotiations. American flight attendants have gone as far as to <a class="link " data-rapid_p="30" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:authorize a potential strike;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://skift.com/2023/08/30/american-airlines-flight-attendants-vote-to-strike/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">authorize a potential strike</a>.</p><h3 style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.33; margin: 10px 0px 15px;">‘Furious’ Cabin Crews</h3><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Labor is having a moment in the U.S. Strikes have been successful in a number of high-profile industries from the big auto manufacturers to actors and screenwriters in Hollywood. And the threat of strikes helped freight railroad employees reach long-sought deals. Organizing campaigns have succeeded at historically non-union companies like Starbucks.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“People, they’re furious,” said Sara Nelson, president of the largest flight attendant's union, the Association of Flight Attendants. “They’re furious that they haven’t been recognized, and their demands are very high.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Flight attendants were on the frontlines of the pandemic. That included <a class="link " data-rapid_p="32" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:dealing with a surge in unruly fliers;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://skift.com/2021/07/29/1-in-5-flight-attendants-have-had-physical-altercations-with-unruly-passengers-so-far-this-year/" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">dealing with a surge in unruly fliers</a> and having to enforce controversial rules like the mask mandate.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In addition to the ground pay issue, another issue concerns the work rules that govern when flights are delayed and canceled, said Embry-Riddle Professor Blaise Waguespack. This was top of mind for many Southwest crews following the airline’s <a class="link " data-rapid_p="33" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:meltdown last December;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://skift.com/2023/01/26/southwest-airlines-vows-to-return-to-recovery-plan-by-march-after-meltdown/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">meltdown last December</a> when it “lost” many of its pilots and flight attendants.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Some airline executives have received big pay increases as their carriers have returned to profitability post-Covid. And <a class="link " data-rapid_p="34" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:pilots across the industry;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://skift.com/blog/united-pilots-approve-contract-with-40-wage-increases/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">pilots across the industry</a> — even among <a class="link " data-rapid_p="35" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:historically lower-cost regional airlines;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://airlineweekly.skift.com/2023/01/american-airlines-made-the-wrong-bet-by-doubling-regional-pilot-pay-analyst/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">historically lower-cost regional airlines</a> — have ratified contracts with historic pay levels.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“It’s a busy season for labor relations,” Waguespack said.</p><h3 style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.33; margin: 10px 0px 15px;">American Airlines Crews Could Strike</h3><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“Flight attendants across the industry are tired of waiting,” said Julie Hedrick, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents crews at American, in a September virtual town hall.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">That is especially true of flight attendants at American. Their contract became amendable in January 2019 and cabin crew have not received a pay raise since then, Hedrick said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The flat pay has come even as inflation has driven prices <a class="link " data-rapid_p="36" data-v9y="0" data-ylk="slk:18% higher than in 2019;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://www.minneapolisfed.org/about-us/monetary-policy/inflation-calculator/consumer-price-index-1913-" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">18% higher than in 2019</a>.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Strikes at airlines are governed by the U.S. Railway Labor Act. The law lays out strict rules: mediated talks, a strike authorization vote, followed by a release from mediation, and finally a 30-day so-called cooling off period before a strike can begin. There are typically several months between each step. And then, the president can still intervene and stop a strike.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The more than 23,000 flight attendants at American authorized a strike in August, and then sought a release from mediated talks in November. The request was denied by the National Mediation Board.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">If flight attendants at American did strike — a big if — it would be the first at a U.S. airline since pilots at Spirit Airlines struck in June 2010. The scale of such an action at American, however, would be several orders of magnitude greater: Spirit flew less than 1% of all U.S. domestic flights in 2010 whereas American flies nearly 23% today, according to Cirium Diio data.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">One needs to go back to 2005 to find the last time staff at a major airline went on strike – that’s when mechanics at <a class="link " data-rapid_p="37" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:Northwest Airlines;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://skift.com/2023/12/04/8-airline-mergers-that-shaped-todays-u-s-industry/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Northwest Airlines</a> walked off the job.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Even a “<a class="link " data-rapid_p="38" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:CHAOS;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://www.afacwa.org/chaos" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CHAOS</a>,” or Create Havoc Around Our System, strike that <a class="link " data-rapid_p="39" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:only targets a few flights;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://www.npr.org/2023/10/04/1197954201/chaos-alaska-airlines-flight-attendants-union-strike" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">only targets a few flights</a> could be very disruptive. Neither the airline nor passengers know what flights will be affected in a CHAOS action until it happens, which could leave planes full of passengers stranded at the gate without crews.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The Association of Professional Flight Attendants asked American for a 35% pay increase at the date of signing and annual increases thereafter, while American offered just an 11% increase at signing, Hedrick said in September. The union declined to comment on the current status of negotiations.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“There’s no way we’re getting the flight attendant contracts done across the industry without a credible strike threat,” Nelson said when asked if she thought a strike is needed to achieve the gains flight attendants seek. “One of the airlines is going to have to face that, [and] the rest are going to have to know that’s coming.”</p><h3 style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.33; margin: 10px 0px 15px;">Another Cost Concern for Airlines</h3><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Inflation hit every airline during the pandemic. During the first nine months of the year, unit costs excluding fuel — a measure of how much it costs an airline to fly a seat one mile — were up 15-23% at American, Delta, and United compared to 2019. And that was after they largely eased the run up in expenses after double-digit increases last year.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“We are facing sizable [cost] headwinds with labor and [the] expectation of a new flight attendant agreement” next year, United <a class="link " data-rapid_p="40" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:Chief Financial Officer Michael Leskinen;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://skift.com/2023/09/23/united-airlines-appoints-president-of-venture-arm-as-cfo/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Chief Financial Officer Michael Leskinen</a> said in October.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">That sentiment was shared by his counterparts at Alaska and American, who have all mentioned the potential for labor cost headwinds to Wall Street analysts in recent months.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Melius Research analyst Conor Cunningham estimates that a 20% pay increase for flight attendants would cost U.S. airlines roughly $1.9 billion annually, and increase industry unit costs excluding fuel by 1.3%. Add in the boarding pay sought by flight attendants, and expenses would jump another $718 million and unit costs another 0.5%. Southwest would face the largest increases among U.S. airlines.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“Cost pressures continue to mount in the U.S. airline industry,” Cunningham wrote Monday. “Airlines have slowly been revising down January and February schedules to better match supply with demand in hopes of regaining pricing power … [But] the reduction in supply will further highlight the core cost issues.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Southwest is alone among U.S. airlines as having factored a potential new flight attendant contract into its financial outlook.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-68003402476426191482023-04-23T12:22:00.002-07:002023-04-23T12:22:34.770-07:00<p> <strong style="color: navy; font-size: 16px;">Air travel made better: 20 rules of airplane etiquette no one ever tells you (but should)</strong></p><p><a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/air-travel-made-better-20-rules-airplane-etiquette-no-one-ever-tells-you-should" href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/air-travel-made-better-20-rules-airplane-etiquette-no-one-ever-tells-you-should"><span style="color: blue;">Air travel made better: 20 rules of airplane etiquette no one ever tells you (but should) | Fox News</span></a></p><br data-cke-eol="1" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-7725585269751531882018-05-21T10:17:00.001-07:002018-05-21T10:17:05.546-07:00
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><b>The top safety mistakes we make when we fly, according to
pilots and flight attendants</b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><b>While the chances of being involved in a flight-related
accident are low, these experts say it pays to listen to and follow the safety
rules on every flight.</b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">by Nicole Spector / Apr.21.2018 / 8:27 AM ET</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">The tendency to zone out during the safety instructions is
one that Jan Ibarra, a former flight attendant and supervisor, has observed
among countless passengers.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">I've always been an anxious flyer, yet when on a plane, I
tend to pay little if any attention to the pre-takeoff emergency demonstration,
and I've never once read the safety information card in the seat back pocket in
front of me. I suppose my negligence is the result of my just assuming that if
something does go horribly wrong, I'll know what to do from all the times I did
pay attention to the safety demos in the past. I also tend to get trapped in a
fatalistic sort of pessimism, reasoning that if something does go wrong, it
will be a catastrophe so beyond my control that there will be little I can do.</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">After discussions with aviation experts, (based on but not
exclusive to Tuesday's deadly incident on Southwest Airlines flight 1380), I
realized that by being negligent, I’ve been shrugging off my safety duties as a
passenger. What’s more, I’ve somehow been totally misinformed about the chances
of surviving one of those unthinkable catastrophes. A 2001 NTSB study showed
that based on plane accidents between 1983 and 2000, 51,207 of the 53,487
passengers involved, survived. That's 95.7 percent. The odds are tremendously
in our favor — but we can’t get lazy when it comes to the rules.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Pay attention to the safety demo — even if you think you
know it all</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">The tendency to zone out during the safety instructions is
one that Jan Ibarra, a former flight attendant and supervisor for Pan Am and Delta
for 28 years (retiring in 2006), has observed among countless passengers.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">"People may be thinking 'How many times do I have to
watch the same safety demonstration or video? We all know how to buckle our
seatbelt, and we understand that when the mask drops down we're supposed to put
it on before we assist others.’ I think for the most part people are just bored
by these demos."</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">Recognizing passenger’s lackluster response, some airlines
have tried to make these safety spiels fun or even comedic, a move that neither
Ibarra nor Sara Nelson, the international president of the Association of
Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO feels is the right direction.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">"I see some airlines make these funny and silly videos
to try an engage passengers, but I think that is not a good approach because
then they may not take it so seriously," says Ibarra, with Nelson adding:
“These videos can be filled with CGI and look more like a trailer for a movie
rather than a serious demonstration, which it is.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><b>Read the safety card</b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">As with those pre-flight safety demos, the <b></b>FAA requires
airlines to include an information safety card in all seat back pockets. It’s
critical to read this as it contains guidelines and details specific to the
aircraft you’re on.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">“These cards show you where your exits are, and how to open
the window exit,” says Ibarra. “That's important and it’s not an easy task.
They’re heavy and you have to rotate the handle and pull it inward. Depending
on the aircraft, you’ll either toss it on your seat or throw it out of the
plane, but if you don’t read the information card, you may not know what to do
and it can be intimidating.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">Check your safety gear</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">Suran Wijayawardana, a pilot and the COO of Alerion Aviation
notes that passengers should “take the time to acknowledge the mask and reach
down underneath their seat to make sure they know where the life jacket is.
That way, in the rare case of an emergency, they know exactly where to find it
and can keep confident in following procedures.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">Trust flight attendants; they're trained to save your life</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">Flight attendants, with their spiffy uniforms and
accommodating nature, may seem like the wait staff of the sky, but these
professionals are trained to perform a range of medical tasks — from basic CPR
to delivering a baby. They also know the ins and outs of the plane and receive
annual training on safety.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">“It’s quite intensive,” says Ibarra. “For instance, you not
only have to know how to deploy a raft, which is in itself very challenging,
you have to know how to collect water and put up a canopy in case you are not
rescued immediately.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">Not only are flight attendants trained to save you, they may
be trained to, well, kill you.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">“After 9/11, I took voluntary self-defense courses at
Delta,” says Ibarra. “I learned so much from it, including two ways to kill
people.” And yes, that’s with her bare hands.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">The point is flight attendants can be your in-flight
superheroes. Remember that when you’re annoyed that the beverage cart is coming
down the aisle too slowly.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">When seated, keep your seatbelt buckled</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">Often we only fasten our seatbelts when the light alerting
us to do so is on, but we should keep our seatbelts fastened the whole time
we’re seated.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">“I hate to think of it but had the woman who lost her life
on [Tuesday’s Southwestern flight 1380] not had her seatbelt on, she would have
been out that window in two seconds,” says Ibarra, while Nelson adds that other
lives were likely saved by buckling up.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">“In instances of a rapid decompression like [that on the
Southwestern flight], people are saved because they have their seatbelt on,”
says Nelson.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><b>Stay sober so you can be alert</b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">Experts stress the importance of not freaking out if
something goes wrong in the air, and also to remain completely alert. This
means you shouldn’t drink too much on a flight. Ibarra notes that flight
attendants are trained to cut you off when you’re had too much, but you
shouldn’t ever get to that point. Stay sober so that if in an emergency you can
coherently follow all commands.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">Do nothing unless told to by the crew (including trying to
be a hero)</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">The passengers who stepped in to help each other on
Tuesday’s flight acted so bravely and that can’t be underestimated. But in most
emergency situations, it’s not recommended to do anything other than stay
seated unless the flight crew asks you otherwise. Frankly, trying to be of
service can interfere with the people trained to help and distract other
passengers from important messages.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">“Flight attendants are trained to direct people and it is
important to listen to those commands,” says Nelson. “I don't pass judgment on
the passengers [on that Southwestern flight 1380] and I know that had it not
been for the quick response of passengers, that woman would have been swept out
of the plane.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">This incident should be viewed as an exception to the rule.
In the vast majority of cases “it’s best to listen to flight attendant
instructions because we are trained to keep everyone safe,” says Nelson.
“Sometimes when passengers act on their own they could potentially be impeding
that process.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><b>Wear sturdy shoes or sneakers</b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">I tend to dress purely for comfort on a plane, and usually
by the time we’ve taken off, I’ve ditched my shoes for a pair of fat fuzzy
socks. While flight attendants want us to sit back and relax, we may want to
keep our shoes laced.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">“If you're evacuating down a slide and running around form a
burning aircraft you want to be in shoes that will let you run,” says Ibarra.
“You don’t want to be in flip-flops or be barefoot. Sneakers are smart and also
comfortable.”</span></div>
<h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don’t try to get on your laptop or phone during an emergency</span></h2>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">Marty Martinez, a passenger on flight 1380 famously
documented his experience on the rapidly descending plane on Facebook live.
This made for powerful viewing and surely the instinct to connect with loved
ones during what you think could be your last moments, is an understandable
one. But this is highly inadvisable.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">While neither Nelson nor Ibarra wish to “shame” Martinez,
they adamantly advise against such behavior.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri;">“In any emergency you need to be listening for any
information from the flight crew without any distractions,” says Ibarra. “You
also need to keep your laptop and other personal items stowed because that
could all impede an evacuation where time is really of the essence.”</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="color: #073763;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-56888145334482916732016-12-11T23:56:00.003-07:002016-12-11T23:56:40.907-07:00<strong><span style="color: #073763; font-size: x-large;">The fleet and hubs of American Airlines, </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #073763; font-size: x-large;">by the numbers</span></strong><br />
<section class="blogtopbar-bucket story-byline-module story-story-byline-module" id="module-position-PkLqb3MgyZ4"><div class="blog-asset-metabar" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">
<div class="asset-metabar-ribbon asset-metabar-ribbon-travel">
<h4 class="asset-metabar-ribbon-title asset-metabar-ribbon-title-travel">
<span style="color: #073763;"> </span></h4>
</div>
<span style="color: #073763;"><span class="asset-metabar-author asset-metabar-item" itemprop="name"> USA TODAY </span><span class="asset-metabar-time asset-metabar-item nobyline">8:55 a.m. EST December 6, 2016</span></span></div>
</section><section class="blogtopbar-bucket inline-share-tools-module story-inline-share-tools-module" id="module-position-PkLqb3MqWKE"><div class="blog-inline-share inline-share-tools topbar-inline-share-tools topbar-inline-share-tools-blog travel-theme-color">
<span class="inline-share-count-blog share-count-show" style="color: #073763;"> 2.2k Shares </span><span class="inline-share-btn inline-share-btn-facebook" data-share-method="facebook" data-uotrack="InlineShareFacebookBtn"></span><span class="inline-share-btn inline-share-btn-email" data-share-method="email" data-uotrack="InlineShareEmailBtn"></span><span class="inline-share-btn inline-share-btn-comments" data-share-method="comments" data-uotrack="InlineShareCommentsBtn"></span></div>
</section><section class="blogtopbar-bucket piano-module story-piano-module" id="module-position-PkLqb3MULSA"><span style="color: #073763;"></span></section><section class="blogtopbar-bucket google-survey-module story-google-survey-module" id="module-position-PkLqb3N3JfY"><span style="color: #073763;"></span></section><!-- p402_premium class is utilized by Google Consumer Surveys --><span style="color: #073763;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">The fleet and hubs of American Airlines, by the numbers<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Today in the Sky <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">USA TODAY 8:55 a.m. EST December 6, 2016<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">2.2k Shares <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">American Airlines is the largest carrier in the world, moving into the top spot following its merger with US Airways that closed in 2015.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, American and its regional affiliates fly more than 1,500 aircraft through nine hub cities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">American traces its history back to 1920s, when a mail carrier operation that would become today’s American flew its first flight. This century, American has grown through several mergers. In 2001, American acquired TWA (Trans World Airlines). In 2015, US Airways led an effort to merge with American, creating today’s version of the company that kept the American Airlines name. US Airways itself was the product of numerous mergers over the years, including a 2005 merger with America West.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Headquarters: Fort Worth, Texas</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">CEO: Doug Parker</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Destinations: About 350 in 50 countries<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Hubs: Charlotte, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth Los Angeles, Miami, New York LaGuardia/JFK, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Washington Reagan National<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Daily flights: About 6,700<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Frequent-flier program: AAdvantage<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Frequent-flier alliance: oneworld<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Busiest airports (by passengers, 2015)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;">1. Dallas/Fort Worth</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">2. Charlotte<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">3. Miami<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">4. Chicago O’Hare<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">5. Philadelphia<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">6. Phoenix<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">7. Los Angeles<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">8. New York LaGuardia<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">9. New York JFK<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">10. Washington Reagan National<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Busiest airports (by scheduled departures, 2015)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">1. Dallas/Fort Worth (284,223)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">2. Charlotte (231,591)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">3. Chicago O'Hare (165,279)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">4. Philadelphia (156,456)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">5. Miami (117,162)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">6. Phoenix (100,968)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">7. Washington Reagan National (84,832)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">8. Los Angeles (66,076)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">9. New York LaGuardia (54,617)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">10. New York JFK (34,649)</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #073763;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Fleet breakdown (as of December 2016; includes regional affiliates that fly as American Eagle)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Airbus A319 (125)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Airbus A320 (51)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Airbus A321 (199)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Airbus A330-200 (15)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Airbus A330-300 (9)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Boeing 737-800 (284)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Boeing 757 (51)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Boeing 767-300 (31)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Boeing 777-200 (47)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Boeing 777-300 (20)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Boeing 787-8 “Dreamliner” (17)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Boeing 787-9 “Dreamliner” (4)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Bombardier CRJ-200 (120)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Bombardier CRJ-700 (79)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Bombardier CRJ-900 (118)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Bombardier Dash 8-100 (21)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Bombardier Dash 8-300 (11)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Embraer E175 (124)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Embraer E190 (20)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Embraer ERJ-140 (13)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">Embraer ERJ-145 (118)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #073763;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763;">MD-80 (57)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-35986325736302279892016-12-11T23:20:00.002-07:002016-12-11T23:20:23.077-07:00<header class="article-header"><h1>
<span style="color: #073763;">Flight Attendant Who Ditched Cocaine at LAX to Plead Guilty</span></h1>
</header><header class="article-header"><span style="color: #073763;">
</span></header><header class="article-header"><div class="news-feed_item-meta">
<div class="article-meta">
<ul class="authors"><span style="color: #073763;">
</span>
<li><div class="author" rel="author">
<span style="color: #073763;"><span class="by-text">By</span> The Associated Press</span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;">
</span></li>
<span style="color: #073763;">
</span></ul>
<span class="timestamp" style="color: #073763;">LOS ANGELES — Dec 12, 2016, 12:08 AM ET</span></div>
</div>
</header><header class="article-header"><span style="color: #073763;">
</span></header><header class="article-header"><ul class="article-social horizontal" data-id="44133326" data-section="US" data-src="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/flight-attendant-ditched-cocaine-lax-plead-guilty-44133326"><span style="color: #073763;">
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<span style="color: #073763;"></span> </div>
<div class="article-body" style="min-height: 227px;">
<ul class="article-social vertical" data-behavior="sticky_social" data-id="44133326" data-src="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/flight-attendant-ditched-cocaine-lax-plead-guilty-44133326" style="bottom: auto; position: fixed; top: 70px;"><a class="page-action email" data-social="true" href="http://api.addthis.com/oexchange/0.8/forward/email/offer?url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/flight-attendant-ditched-cocaine-lax-plead-guilty-44133326?cid=share_addthis_widget&title=Flight+Attendant+Who+Ditched+Cocaine+at+LAX+to+Plead+Guilty" name="lpos=widget[share_addthis_widget]&lid=link[vertical]"><span style="color: #073763;"> </span></a><span style="color: #073763;">
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<div class="article-copy">
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">A former </span><a class="r_lapi" href="http://abcnews.go.com/topics/business/airlines/jetblue-airways.htm"><span style="color: #073763;">JetBlue</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> flight attendant accused of trying to sneak a suitcase full of cocaine through Los Angeles International Airport and making a dramatic dash to escape is set to plead guilty in the case in federal court on Monday.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span> </div>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<span style="color: #073763;">Marsha Gay Reynolds is expected to plead guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine in federal court, according to court documents. A conviction on that charge carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span> </div>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<span style="color: #073763;">Reynolds, a U.S. citizen and resident of Queens, New York, is a former Jamaican beauty </span><a class="r_lapi" href="http://abcnews.go.com/topics/entertainment/music/queen-brian-may.htm"><span style="color: #073763;">queen</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> and New York University track athlete.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span> </div>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<span style="color: #073763;">Authorities said they found 70 pounds of cocaine in her luggage at LAX on March 18 after she was flagged for a random security screening, flung off her high heels and bolted barefoot down an upward-moving escalator. They said she ran out of the terminal and made her way to New York.</span></div>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<span style="color: #073763;">Reynolds, 31 at the time, surrendered in New York days later.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span> </div>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<span style="color: #073763;">An attorney for Reynolds at the time said she might not have been sure what was in her bag.</span></div>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<span style="color: #073763;">A court document filed by prosecutors on Friday said for the first time that Reynolds was getting paid thousands of dollars to help smuggle drugs and money through airport security at LAX and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span> </div>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<span style="color: #073763;">An unindicted and unnamed co-conspirator illegally in the U.S. would give Reynolds the cocaine and money, and she would use her "known crew member badge" to get them through security, after which she would give them back to the co-conspirator, according to the document.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">The co-conspirator fled to </span><a class="r_lapi" href="http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/jamaica.htm"><span style="color: #073763;">Jamaica</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">, according to the document.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-85040370772981808182016-12-11T22:27:00.001-07:002016-12-11T22:27:02.375-07:00<h1 class="article-title">
<span style="color: #073763;">The world's first non-stop flights between Australia and Europe are coming</span></h1>
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</span><span class="byline-timestamp"><span style="color: #073763;"><span class="cnnbyline "><span class="byline">by Jethro Mullen and Jon Ostrower </span> <a class="soc-twtname" href="https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=CNNMoney">@CNNMoney</a> </span><span class="cnnDateStamp"> December 11, 2016: 11:38 PM ET </span></span></span><span class="fbrec js-share-fbrec"></span><br />
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<section class="column"><article class="module"><div id="storycontent">
<!--storytext--><span style="color: #073763; font-size: x-large;"><strong>The airline with the kangaroo on its tail is losing a bounce.</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<div id="storytext">
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Air travelers will be able to fly from Australia to Europe without stopping after Qantas announced the first direct passenger route between the two continents.</strong></span> </span><br />
<div id="ie_column">
<span style="color: #073763;"></span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;">Boeing (<span class="inlink_chart"><a class="inlink" href="http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=BA&source=story_quote_link">BA</a></span>)'s 787-9 Dreamliner will make the epic 17-hour journey between London and Perth, a city on Australia's remote west coast, Qantas (<span class="inlink_chart"><a class="inlink" href="http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=QABSY&source=story_quote_link">QABSY</a></span>) said. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The airline plans to launch the service in March 2018, joining the ranks of the world's longest passenger flights. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"This is a game-changing route flown by a game-changing aircraft," Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said in a statement. "Australians have never had a direct link to Europe before, so the opportunities this opens up are huge." </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Flying between Australia and the U.K. has long been a holy grail for Qantas, which has had to hop through Singapore and Dubai more recently to get to Europe on its "Kangaroo Route." </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Joyce contrasted the new flight with Qantas' original Australia-to-London service that it introduced nearly 70 years ago. That one was a whole lot slower, taking four days and involving nine stops along the way. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Qantas said the Perth-London service -- at 9,009 miles (14,498 kilometers) -- is expected to be one of the longest passenger flights in the world when it goes live. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Until now, the flight was never economically feasible. The brutal winds going eastbound forced more fuel to be carried, while sacrificing valuable cargo or even leaving seats unfilled. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">In commercial air travel, sometimes the shorter-duration flight actually covers more ground. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">That's true of the current record holder for distance. Air India's service between New Delhi and San Francisco that flies over the Pacific rather than the more typical route over the North Pole. At 9,408 miles (15,140 kilometers), the Pacific path is a lot longer, but it actually saves fuel and time by taking advantage of the tailwinds provided by the high-altitude jet stream. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">In February, there will be a new reigning champion for longest flight by duration when Qatar Airways flies from Auckland to Doha, scheduled for 17 hours and 45 minutes. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Qantas' Perth-London route will be the world's longest using the Dreamliner, which entered service in 2011. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">A host of new ultra-long distance routes have been opened up with a new generation of fuel-efficient Boeing and Airbus (<span class="inlink_chart"><a class="inlink" href="http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=EADSF&source=story_quote_link">EADSF</a></span>) aircraft. Singapore Airlines (<span class="inlink_chart"><a class="inlink" href="http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=SINGF&source=story_quote_link">SINGF</a></span>) restarted direct service to the U.S. recently with the Airbus A350, a route also now flown by United Airlines and its 787. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The Australian airline has pulled off longer flights in the past. In 1989, it flew a Boeing 747-400 all the way from London to Sydney, setting a record for the world's longest commercial flight at 11,185 miles (18,001 kilometers). </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">But that wasn't a scheduled flight. The 20-hour journey was a one-off event, and the jumbo jetliner only carried 23 people, including crew. <b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-65428289349491081712016-08-12T13:56:00.003-07:002016-08-12T13:56:47.165-07:00<h1 class="article-title">
<span style="color: #073763;">Airline problems? Remember to help yourself first</span><style><font color="#073763">
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<span class="byline-timestamp"><span id="js-byline-icon"></span> <span class="cnnbyline "><span class="byline">by <a href="http://www.cnn.com/profiles/richard-quest-profile">Richard Quest</a> </span> CNN <a class="soc-twtname" href="https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=richardquest">@richardquest</a> </span><span class="cnnDateStamp"> August 12, 2016: 3:53 PM ET </span> </span> <div class="share-tools" id="js-sharebar-main">
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<h3>
<span style="color: #073763;">It has been a torrid time for the airline industry this summer.</span></h3>
<span style="color: #073763;"> A </span><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/12/us/jetblue-flight-turbulence/index.html?iid=EL"><span style="color: #073763;">JetBlue flight</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> from Boston to Sacramento on Thursday night hit severe turbulence, injuring 24 passengers. Earlier this week, </span><a href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/11/news/companies/delta-outage-day-four-normal/index.html?iid=EL" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">Delta Air Lines</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> came to a complete halt for a big chunk of time after a computer failure at its Atlanta headquarters. It took the airline the best part of the week to reach normal service. Thousands of flights were canceled and passengers were massively disrupted. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">
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<span style="color: #073763;"> That came after an </span><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/04/middleeast/dubai-emirates-flight-video/?iid=EL"><span style="color: #073763;">Emirates Airlines flight crashed</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> upon landing in Dubai earlier this month. One UAE firefighter was killed, but, miraculously no one on board the plane was seriously hurt. And just last month, </span><a href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/07/21/news/companies/southwest-airlines-flight-cancellations/index.html?iid=EL" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">Southwest Airlines' computer problems</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> forced the cancellation of thousands of flights, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"> So -- dear traveler, what did we learn from the misfortunes of midsummer? </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>1. <span>JetBlue's</span> <span>(<span class="inlink_chart"><a class="inlink" href="http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=JBLU&source=story_quote_link">JBLU</a></span>)</span> turbulent ride: Those who got injured on hit the aircraft ceiling when the plane dropped suddenly. Stop thinking the instruction to keep your seat belt fastened is a cunning plan to turn your seat into your prison locking you there for the journey! It's plain common sense.</strong> Obviously some people will be going to the lavatory, getting out bags or moving about the plane and they are going to be vulnerable. But reduce the risk: keep the belt fastened and protect yourself. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>2. Emirates fire:</strong> The plane is on fire.<strong> Leave your bags behind and GET OUT</strong>. What is so difficult about this to understand? Yet the </span><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/04/middleeast/dubai-emirates-flight-video/?iid=EL"><span style="color: #073763;">video from the burning plane</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> showed passengers attempting to get bags out of the overhead compartment (it was a similar situation when a British Airways flight burst into flames in Las Vegas, </span><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/11/travel/ba-plane-fire-las-vegas-luggage/?iid=EL"><span style="color: #073763;">passengers walked off the burning jet with their hand baggage</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">) <strong>I am not sure how much clearer the airlines can make it: Your bags are not worth your life.</strong> </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>3. Southwest & Delta disruptions:</strong> When airlines suffer mega disruptions, you are on your own in the first few hours. You won't be able to get anyone to answer the phone at the help desk, the website will offer up useless generic advise about re-booking. Banal tweets from the airline designed to pacify will, instead, serve to annoy. You are on truly your own, but consider your options: </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">A) if you haven't started travel: Don't. Take advantage of the airline's offer to let you cancel without penalty. Go home and rest easy. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"> B) If you must travel: Go and book yourself on another carrier ASAP. You can argue about getting your money back later. Believe me -- you are in a brutal battle with others trying to do the same thing. Don't waste a minute. Book any seat you can get. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">C) If you have already begun your trip, become zen-like and be prepared for hours of misery. There is nothing you can do. Nothing. Planes are already nearly full so finding extra seats for displaced passengers will be tough. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"> The lessons from <span>United</span> <span>(<span class="inlink_chart"><a class="inlink" href="http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=UAL&source=story_quote_link">UAL</a></span>)</span>, <span>Southwest</span> <span>(<span class="inlink_chart"><a class="inlink" href="http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=LUV&source=story_quote_link">LUV</a></span>)</span> and <span>Delta</span> <span>(<span class="inlink_chart"><a class="inlink" href="http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=DAL&source=story_quote_link">DAL</a></span>)</span> is that mega-computer screw-ups are going to happen. There is nothing you can do about it. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"> The golden rule: airlines are amongst the most complex companies in the world. Be it weather, baggage, delays, strikes, incidents, computer problems, when they go wrong they do so spectacularly. Just be prepared to help yourself and you won't be disappointed. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><span class="cnnStorySource"> CNNMoney (New York) </span><span class="cnnDateStamp">First published August 12, 2016: 3:53 PM ET</span> </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-16212490443333064092016-05-22T10:27:00.003-07:002016-05-22T10:41:54.087-07:00<h1 class="entry-title">
<span style="color: #073763;">A Look Back at American’s Shifting Fleet As It Plans to Retire Two More Types</span></h1>
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<span class="author vcard notonmobile"><span style="color: #073763;"> By </span><a class="url fn n" href="http://crankyflier.com/author/CF/" title="View all posts by CF"><span style="color: #073763;">CF</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> on</span></span><span style="color: #073763;"> May 17, 2016 | </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">In an internal memo last week, </span><a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2016/05/14/analysis-american-airlines-to-retire-a330-300/"><span style="color: #073763;">American explained that it was going to retire two more fleets</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> in the next couple of years with both the Embraer 190 and A330-300s hitting the road. Both these moves make sense in the context of the airline’s future plans, but it made me think about the evolution of American’s fleet through two mergers and plenty of crises. I went back to the year 2000 to illustrate just how much things have changed.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Here’s a chart showing the fleet mix at the end of each of the shown years. This is for mainline only and it includes TWA, America West, and US Airways in years where those were separate entities. (While most data was procured from financial reports, the TWA fleet in 2000 was estimated from </span><a href="http://airfleets.net/"><span style="color: #073763;">Airfleets.net</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> data and may not be completely accurate.) </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Keep in mind that my seat count here is somewhat generalized. American has</span> changed configurations <span style="color: #073763;">and seat counts multiple times on these aircraft so it’s more about general aircraft size than it is about exact counts. Besides, it’s going to change again on the widebodies when premium economy arrives later this year.</span></div>
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<img alt="American Airlines Fleet Mix" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-15443" src="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix3-698x489.jpg" height="280" sizes="(max-width: 698px) 100vw, 698px" srcset="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix3.jpg 698w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix3-150x105.jpg 150w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix3-300x210.jpg 300w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix3-250x175.jpg 250w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix3-590x413.jpg 590w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix3-90x63.jpg 90w" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">A quick scan of this shows two pretty large trends. One is at the bottom end, where aircraft with less than 120 seats have virtually disappeared from the fleet and the other at the top end where American has been deploying more airplanes with more seats. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Aircraft With Fewer Than 120 Seats</strong><br /> Let’s start at the bottom end.</span></div>
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<img alt="American Fleet Mix Under 120 Seats" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-15450" src="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmixunder120alt-698x489.jpg" height="280" sizes="(max-width: 698px) 100vw, 698px" srcset="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmixunder120alt.jpg 698w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmixunder120alt-150x105.jpg 150w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmixunder120alt-300x210.jpg 300w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmixunder120alt-250x175.jpg 250w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmixunder120alt-590x413.jpg 590w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmixunder120alt-90x63.jpg 90w" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Back in 2000, the 717s (TWA), DC-9-30s (US Airways), 737-200s (America West and US Airways), and Fokker 100s (American and US Airways) were everywhere. By 2005, those were completely and totally gone from the fleet. After 9/11 airlines cut their fleets dramatically, and a rise in fuel prices meant those older and smaller airplanes became less economical. Beyond that, these airlines began contracting for larger regional jets. This all but killed this size fleet with mainline operations at the time.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">It was only later when US Airways agreed to take 20 Embraer 190s to re-enter the space that had been virtually abandoned to the regionals. But now, with only 20 in the fleet and big maintenance work due in 2019, American had to make a decision. In this case, it made sense to just retire the fleet rather than grow it and invest in it. </span></div>
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<em><span style="color: #073763;">The Next Generation: American has nothing on order right now in this size, but that doesn’t mean it won’t. The C-Series and the new Embraer E2 aircraft will be good options here. I don’t expect we’ll see anything happen soon, however. I’ll bet American is holding that decision as a carrot to use during the next pilot negotiations.</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Aircraft with 120 to 140 Seats</strong><br /> </span><span style="color: #073763;">Moving up the chart, you can see the next size up has shrunk as well, but not nearly as much. That’s thanks only to a huge shift in the aircraft type being flown.</span></div>
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<img alt="American Fleet Mix 120 to 140 Seats" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-15444" src="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix120140alt-698x489.jpg" height="280" sizes="(max-width: 698px) 100vw, 698px" srcset="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix120140alt.jpg 698w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix120140alt-150x105.jpg 150w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix120140alt-300x210.jpg 300w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix120140alt-250x175.jpg 250w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix120140alt-590x413.jpg 590w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix120140alt-90x63.jpg 90w" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">This is a category which pre-merger American largely sat out for many years. (Sure there were some that fell into this category during the “More Room Throughout Coach” years, but that was a density issue.) It didn’t bring this size aircraft back again until it started taking A319s just a couple years ago. America West and US Airways, however, had plenty of 737-300s. While those are now all gone, the A319 fleet has grown to nearly match the original size. American likes these for longer, thinner routes but my guess is we’ll probably see some of the pre-merger US Airways aircraft disappear over time as they come off lease.</span></div>
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<em><span style="color: #073763;">The Next Generation: There really isn’t one on the horizon right now, but my money is on either a larger C-Series or E2 aircraft if American feels it needs something here.</span></em></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #073763;">Aircraft with 140 to 160 Seats</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"> The 140 to 160 seat size is a staple in the airline industry these days, and American has had a ton of different airplanes that have fit the bill over the years.</span></div>
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<img alt="American Fleet Mix 140 to 160 Seats" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-15445" src="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix140160alt-698x489.jpg" height="280" sizes="(max-width: 698px) 100vw, 698px" srcset="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix140160alt.jpg 698w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix140160alt-150x105.jpg 150w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix140160alt-300x210.jpg 300w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix140160alt-250x175.jpg 250w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix140160alt-590x413.jpg 590w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix140160alt-90x63.jpg 90w" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Back in 2000, the MD-80 ruled the skies for both American and TWA. The 727s were nearly retired and larger 737s still weren’t in vogue yet. America West and more recently US Airways had A320s, but as you can see, after 2005 that fleet didn’t grow much. American was late to the game, but it started retiring MD-80s in force and you can see that here. In its place? The 737-800. That won’t change. We’ll continue to see more 737-800s while the MD-80s disappear entirely in the next couple of years.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">What about those A320s? They don’t have much of a place at American anymore, and as they come off lease, the airline has been retiring them. I imagine those will go away completely in time since they just don’t fit in the fleet plan.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">It’s important to note how many fewer aircraft are operating in this space compared to 2000. Part of this was simply TWA. That was a bunch of capacity that American ended up cutting because it failed to see that the acquisition was a bad strategy in the first place. But another part of it is the growth in A321s.</span></div>
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<em><span style="color: #073763;">The Next Generation: The 737 MAX8 will carry the torch here with 100 on order.</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Aircraft with 175 to 200 Seats</strong><br /> And now on to the A321s. In terms of manufacturer, this is the opposite story of the last one.</span></div>
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<img alt="American Fleet Mix 175 to 200 Seats" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-15446" src="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix175200alt-698x489.jpg" height="280" sizes="(max-width: 698px) 100vw, 698px" srcset="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix175200alt.jpg 698w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix175200alt-150x105.jpg 150w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix175200alt-300x210.jpg 300w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix175200alt-250x175.jpg 250w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix175200alt-590x413.jpg 590w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix175200alt-90x63.jpg 90w" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">If anyone needs an example of how Boeing has screwed up in this category, American provides it. Back in the day, the 757 was the king. Yes, the 767-200s had longer range but those were niche airplanes. It was the 757 that served as THE high capacity narrowbody. But then Boeing messed up. Instead of investing in a new version, it decided the 737-900 would be good enough. It wasn’t. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">At the same time, the A321 proved to be a rock star. American has been rapidly retiring 757s since the US Airways merger, and it will be keeping a fleet only to serve the markets the A321 can’t. That’s primarily short Transatlantic routes, Phoenix to Hawai’i, and some Latin American flights.</span></div>
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<em><span style="color: #073763;">The Next Generation: It’s all about the A321neo here. That airplane is going to be a category killer, even moreso than the A321 is today. American has 100 of these on order.</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Aircraft with 200 to 240 Seats</strong><br /> Now let’s look at widebodies</span>.</div>
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<img alt="American Fleet Mix 200 to 240 Seats" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-15447" src="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix200240alt-698x489.jpg" height="280" sizes="(max-width: 698px) 100vw, 698px" srcset="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix200240alt.jpg 698w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix200240alt-150x105.jpg 150w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix200240alt-300x210.jpg 300w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix200240alt-250x175.jpg 250w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix200240alt-590x413.jpg 590w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix200240alt-90x63.jpg 90w" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">These aircraft might be technically in the same competitive set, but they did different things. American used to use the A300 back in the day to pack in a bunch of people (maybe even more than the 240), but that’s because it was in a domestic-style configuration. It was useful for flying to the Caribbean and some shorter European stages, but it long ago outlived its usefulness, and that’s flying handled by narrowbodies now. It was the 767-300 that really hit the spot for smaller-gauge, long-haul flying.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">As part of this fleet announcement, American said it will retire a further 8 767-300s so that only 17 are left flying in 2018. Those can’t be more than a couple more years away from being gone completely.</span></div>
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<em><span style="color: #073763;">The Next Generation: There’s something of a split here. As new narrowbody aircraft come out with greater range than even the 757, American can use those to fly some routes that don’t need the capacity of a 767 today. But the true replacement is the 787-8 which is already on the property. That airplane can do everything the 767 can do and more.</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Aircraft with 240 to 260 Seats</strong><br /> The next level up we’ll call the mid-size widebody.</span> </div>
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<img alt="American Fleet Mix 240 to 260 Seats" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-15448" src="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix240260alt-698x489.jpg" height="280" sizes="(max-width: 698px) 100vw, 698px" srcset="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix240260alt.jpg 698w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix240260alt-150x105.jpg 150w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix240260alt-300x210.jpg 300w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix240260alt-250x175.jpg 250w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix240260alt-590x413.jpg 590w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix240260alt-90x63.jpg 90w" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">American’s 777-200s with 247 seats used to fall into this category but only because American had a very generous layout on this airplane that was not very dense. US Airways, however, had the A330-200 as a relatively recent member of the fleet to fill that gap.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">While American has kept 13 of the 777s in a slightly denser 260 seat capacity, that’s primarily for the New York-London route. It’s really the A330-200 that is the workhorse of this category.</span></div>
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<em><span style="color: #073763;">The Next Generation: American has 22 787-9s on order which are going to fit right into this category. The A330-200s still have plenty of life in them and won’t be going away anytime soon, but the 787s are the future.</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Aircraft with 270 to 300 Seats</strong><br /> And now we keep getting bigger.</span></div>
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<img alt="American Fleet Mix 270 to 300 Seats" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-15449" src="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix270300alt-698x489.jpg" height="280" sizes="(max-width: 698px) 100vw, 698px" srcset="http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix270300alt.jpg 698w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix270300alt-150x105.jpg 150w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix270300alt-300x210.jpg 300w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix270300alt-250x175.jpg 250w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix270300alt-590x413.jpg 590w, http://6331-presscdn-0-25.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016_05_17-aafleetmix270300alt-90x63.jpg 90w" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">The A330-300 is on death row, and you can see why. With 34 of the 777-200s being reconfigured to have 289 seats, the A330-300 becomes redundant. Further, the 9 A330-300s in the fleet have a Pratt & Whitney engine that’s not on any other aircraft American owns. You can see why this is gone.</span></div>
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<em><span style="color: #073763;">The Next Generation: There are 22 A350-900s on order which will slot into this space.</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Aircraft with More Than 300 Seats</strong><br /> Lastly we have the big boys. There’s no point in showing a chart here. American had nothing in this range at all since it (along with TWA and yes, America West) retired 747s years ago. But American’s previous management team came to realize that the 777-300 was a good fit for the airline, and that was as smart move. With 18 aircraft in the fleet now, this hits a sweet spot on many big long haul routes.</span></div>
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<em><span style="color: #073763;">The Next Generation: Good question. There’s nothing on the books now, but an A350-900 or a 777X could come in the future. The 777-300s have a lot of life left in them, however, so I wouldn’t look for this to come soon.</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">
</span><span style="color: #073763;">One thing you might have noticed is the decrease in overall fleet size. Back in 2000, there were more than 1,400 airplanes flying between American, TWA, US Airways, and America West. Now there are less than 1,000. Most of this is because TWA and US Airways had a lot of bad capacity out there that wasn’t sustainable, but it’s important to note the fleet size has been steady for the last several years. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Though we’ll always see some fluctuation, that seems like a pretty good place for the fleet at this point in time. I’m hopeful that eventually American will bring back some smaller aircraft into its fleet in much greater quantities than that in which the Embraer 190 exists today.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">If you enjoyed this look back, let me know. In the future I can try to do the same for Delta and United.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-88772601951550803022016-02-01T16:00:00.002-07:002016-02-01T16:00:43.565-07:00<h2>
<span style="color: #073763;">Former APFA Union President Resigns </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="color: #073763;">Now Works For The Airline Execs She Got Too Cushy With</span></h2>
<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Payback For Delivering Airline To Management</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Sticks Union Members With Substandard Contract</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Compiled By Various News Sources</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Feb 1, 2016</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Glading was an active member of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the independent union that has represented the flight attendants at American Airlines, since the 1970s. She rose through the union hierarchy to be elected president in 2008. Glading pushed for and was appointed as one of nine members of the Unsecured Creditors’ Committee overseeing American Airlines’ bankruptcy.</span><br />
<sup><span style="color: #073763; font-size: x-small;"></span></sup><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Glading was an outspoken advocate in support of the </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines%E2%80%93US_Airways_merger" title="American Airlines–US Airways merger"><span style="color: #073763;">American Airlines–US Airways merger</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> and did everything in her power to make the plan a reality. She appeared alongside the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_Pilots_Association" title="Allied Pilots Association"><span style="color: #073763;">Allied Pilots Association</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> to urge approval of the planned merger over </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Justice_Department" title="U.S. Justice Department"><span style="color: #073763;">U.S. Justice Department</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> opposition.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">In September 2013, Glading met with met with top </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antitrust" title="Antitrust"><span style="color: #073763;">antitrust</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> officials at the </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Justice_Department" title="U.S. Justice Department"><span style="color: #073763;">U.S. Justice Department</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> following a rally in Washington. After she helped broker the $16 billion merger deal bringing the two companies together, Glading found a way to represent the combined flight attendant group. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">In December 2014, the APFA reached a contract with the highest rates of pay in the airline industry</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Glading has spoken publicly on a number of issues relating to flight attendant safety and security, including a submission to the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Homeland_Security_Subcommittee_on_Transportation_Security" title="United States House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security"><span style="color: #073763;">United States House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> in April 2013 where she opposed a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportation_Security_Administration" title="Transportation Security Administration"><span style="color: #073763;">Transportation Security Administration</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> (TSA) initiative to permit small knives on planes. The TSA subsequently reversed its decision to allow knives on planes in June 2013.</span><br />
<sup><span style="color: #073763; font-size: x-small;"></span></sup><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">On October 3, 2015, Glading sent a letter to the membership of APFA stating that she would resign as APFA National President on December 2, 2015. On October 5, 2015, she met with the Board Of Directors and then announced that she would step down on October 9, 2015.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Months after Laura Glading resigned from APFA she began forming her own company called Laura Glading & Associates which was filed with NYS Department of State Division of Corporations on December 30, 2015. </span><br />
<sup><span style="color: #073763; font-size: x-small;"></span></sup><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">It was stated by the interm APFA President Marcus Gluth in a letter to members January 7, 2016 that Laura Glading has been offered a position with American Airlines. APFA members are outraged. President Marcus Gluth stated in a hotline to members, "I am launching an internal investigation into Laura's dealings as National President. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">An independent investigator will be selected to review files, conduct interviews, make determinations, and issue recommendations. This investigator will have no previous relationship with American Airlines, APFA, or any of APFA’s outside professionals. The goal of this investigation is to determine whether any quid pro quo was offered by the company and when. "</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-44804334258667282462016-02-01T15:28:00.004-07:002016-02-01T15:44:36.697-07:00<img border="0" src="http://awin.aviationweek.com/Portals/awin/html/MAX-NEO/1-index.jpg" height="225" id="main" usemap="#mainMap" width="320" /><br />
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<br />
<h1 class="entry-title">
<span style="color: #073763;">ANALYSIS: A320neo vs. 737 MAX: Airbus is Leading (Slightly) – Part I</span></h1>
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<aside class="entry-meta"><span class="entry-author-link"><i class="icon-user myAlphaIcon"></i><span style="color: #073763;"> By </span><a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/author/vinayairchive/" rel="author" title="Posts by Vinay Bhaskara"><span style="color: #073763;">Vinay Bhaskara</span></a></span><span style="color: #073763;"> <span class="entry-date"><i class="icon-time myAlphaIcon"></i> January 29, 2016</span> </span><div class="clear">
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<em><span style="color: #073763;">By: Vinay Bhaskara / Published: January 26, 2016</span></em><br />
<em></em><br />
<strong><a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2016/01/25/lh-a320neo-premier/">The first Airbus A320neo entered service with Lufthansa yesterday</a></strong>, easing the global aviation industry into an era that we’ve dubbed the “<a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2014/09/25/analysis-airbus-a320neo-first-flight-is-a-triumph-of-incrementalism/">age of incrementalism</a>.” The initial delivery of Airbus’ re-engined A320 was originally planned for late 2015, but ended up <a href="http://atwonline.com/manufacturers/airbus-sets-two-week-timeline-first-a320neo-delivery">getting pushed back</a> into the first month of 2016 by certification issues surrounding the Pratt & Whitney geared turbo fan (GTF) engine. Thanks to the delay, Airbus’ lead over rival Boeing has shrunk to one calendar year, with <a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2015/12/08/first-737-max/">Boeing’s re-engined 737 MAX</a> set to <a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2016/01/23/first-737max-flight-expected-friday-january-29/">fly for the first time this Friday</a>, and expected to enter into service (EIS) with Southwest Airlines in the third quarter of 2017.<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #073763;">A320neo vs. 737 MAX – how did we get here?</span></h3>
<span style="color: #073763;">In today’s aerospace market, the 737 MAX versus the A320neo is a defining contest. The MAX and the neo are the best-selling products for the two members of the large commercial aircraft duopoly. Accordingly, how this battle plays out will have critical implications for the balance of power between the two most important aerospace players in global aviation.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The history of how the neo and MAX came to be is a fascinating one. For much of modern aviation history, the concept of re-engining an existing airframe with minimal airframe changes was not a popular one. The closest a major manufacturer had previously come to re-engining an airframe was </span><a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2016/01/10/011090-md-11-first-flight/"><span style="color: #073763;">McDonnell-Douglas with the MD-11</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">. But in addition to refreshed engines, the MD-11 also featured several aerodynamic improvements. The Boeing 717 was also born out of a similar process from the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 family (originally planned as the MD-95), but neither of these aircraft was particularly successful.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">So by the late 2000s when Airbus was considering launching the neo, there weren’t a ton of affirmative data points that pointed toward Airbus finding success with a re-engined aircraft. After getting lapped by the launch of the A320 ceo in 1989, Boeing fired back in 1997 with the 737NG and despite Airbus already having sold close to 2,000 A320s before the 737NG had its EIS, Boeing rapidly closed the gap. From a gap of 2,000 aircraft in 1998, today the 737NG has won 7,033 lifetime orders against 7,940 orders for the A320 ceo, outselling the A320 since its launch. By the late 2000s, Boeing’s product had in many ways surpassed the A320.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The 737-700 and A319 were on the tail end of their relevance (the shorter 737-600 and A318 were never relevant). The 737-800 had outsold the A320 ceo outright despite the latter having a seven-year head start in deliveries, and the introduction of blended winglets after a series of performance improvement packages (PiPs) had consolidated a real advantage for the 737-800 in terms of CASM. The A321 was still more popular than the 737-900ER, but the 737-900ER was winning sales and a few key beachheads (such as post-merger United Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Lion Air in Indonesia).</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/DSC_0162.jpg" rel="fancybox"><img alt="DSC_0162" class="size-medium wp-image-39104 alignright" src="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/DSC_0162-300x225.jpg" height="225" width="300" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Airbus’ response was to try and improve the A320, through a program called the A320 Enhanced in 2006 which featured weight savings, a new cabin design, and curved winglets (sharklets). As Airbus progressed with the A320 enhanced, it soon realized that engine technology had progressed to the point that it could deliver the 15-20% operating cost reduction over the present generation of aircraft that had previously been the purview of clean sheet airplanes. So Airbus launched the A320neo in December of 2010.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Simultaneously since 2006, Boeing had been studying various replacement options for the 737, including a clean-sheet design dubbed the Boeing Y1 (following in the footsteps of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner which had a development code name of Y2). Initially Boeing’s preference was to launch this new small airplane (NSA) soon after the 787’s EIS and begin development in the early 2010s. But after the 787 program was subsumed by a variety of issues (including technical challenges that affected elements of the airplane that would be ported over to the NSA), Boeing deferred any decision on the 737 MAX to 2011.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">By 2010, it was clear that Boeing was leaning towards launching the NSA as it had largely gotten the 787 under control. Even after Airbus launched the A320neo with 30 firm orders from Virgin America in December 2010, Boeing didn’t blink. While the A320neo was certain to win customers amongst existing A320 operators, Boeing reasoned that its own loyal customer base would wait a few years for the NSA, which would promise even better operating costs and tangible aerodynamic improvements. Lessor International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), SAS, TransAsia, LAN Airlines, IndiGo, GoAir, and AirAsia all added to the A320neo’s swelling order book in the early part of 2011 (bringing the backlog to 608. But an increasingly nervous Boeing held firm on its decision to focus on the NSA.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Then American Airlines </span><a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2013/10/06/apollo-11-behind-the-scenes-of-americans-landmark-airbus-order-part-two/"><span style="color: #073763;">ordered the A321neo</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">, along with a slew of other Airbus narrowbodies (including A319 ceos as an MD-80 replacement and A321s as a 757-200 and 767-200ER replacement), abandoning its long-standing status as an exclusive Boeing customer. The result of a long courtship by Airbus under the program moniker “</span><a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2013/10/04/apollo-11-behind-the-scenes-of-americans-landmark-airbus-order-part-one/"><span style="color: #073763;">Apollo 11</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">,” news of Airbus’ order reached Boeing in early July of 2011, and left Boeing scrambling to find an answer. With a key Boeing customer essentially in danger of cutting over entirely to become an Airbus customer, Boeing scrambled to save face, eventually settling on a plan to re-engine the 737NG.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/MAX-1-K66476-4.jpg" rel="fancybox"><span style="color: #073763;"><img alt="Photo Credits: Boeing" class="alignright wp-image-37115 size-medium" src="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/MAX-1-K66476-4-300x225.jpg" height="225" width="300" /></span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The newly minted 737RE (re-engine) was hastily pitched to American along with a dirt cheap offer for current generation 737-800s to help Boeing achieve relative parity. Even with a late close by Boeing, it had still been lapped by Airbus, who won 260 orders (130 ceos and 130 neos) to Boeing’s 200. Boeing moved quickly to launch the 737 MAX, with its board formally approving the program’s launch in August 2011.</span><br />
<h3>
<strong><span style="color: #073763;">Comparing the products – changes from the previous generation</span></strong></h3>
<span style="color: #073763;">Both families are composed of three variants apiece, with each dropping the smallest sized aircraft from the prior generation (the A318 and 737-600). The A320neo family features 95% commonality with the A320ceo, with the key differences emanating from the A320 Enhanced and thus being featured on late-build A320ceos. There are two engine choices for the A320neo, CFM International’s LEAP-1A and the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G GTF. The PW1100G is one of a family of GTF engines prepared by Pratt that will power most new generation aircraft including the A320neo, the </span><a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2015/11/11/battle-of-the-regionals-comparing-the-products/"><span style="color: #073763;">Bombardier CSeries</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">, the </span><a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2016/01/20/embraer-starts-building-first-e195-e2/"><span style="color: #073763;">Embraer E-Jets E2</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">, the Russian-built </span><a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2015-06-10/mc-21-shaping-2016-first-flight-planned"><span style="color: #073763;">Irkut MC-21</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">, and the </span><a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2015/12/24/mrj-program-delayed-by-a-year/"><span style="color: #073763;">Mitsubishi MRJ-90</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The LEAP family of engines will also be sole supplier for the Boeing 737 MAX, which will feature the slightly smaller LEAP-1B. As an older, and thus less optimized airframe, Boeing had to invest more in aerodynamic improvements in order to squeeze additional fuel efficiency out of the 737 MAX, including wing integration of the LEAP engine’s nacelle and a new Advanced Technology Winglet featuring a split tip, which combined will deliver an </span><a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2013-11-04/boeing-revises-737-max-fuel-burn-advantage-upward"><span style="color: #073763;">additional 2% improvement in fuel economy</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> beyond improvements from engines. Boeing also had to lengthen the landing gear of the 737 MAX by 6-8 inches to accommodate the increased, 69.4 inch fan diameter of the LEAP-1B over the 61.8 inch diameter of the CFM56-7B engine on the 737NG.</span><br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #073763;">737NG vs. A320ceo orders</span></h3>
<span style="color: #073763;">The 737 NG versus the A320ceo is an important lead in to the contest between neo and MAX because of the 90%+ commonality between the current generation products and the re-engined ones. Thus unlike previous replacement contests, airlines had a stronger financial incentive to stay with the same original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for their next generation fleet.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">As previously mentioned, the 737NG has steadily narrowed the gap with the A320ceo since EIS, but still trails overall thanks to the nearly eight year head start enjoyed by the Airbus family. The following table presents the orders, deliveries, and backlogs for each member of both families as well as the head-to-head comparison for each of the members of the family. Figures for both families include business jets, and the 737-800’s include ~80 orders worth of P-8 Poseidon military aircraft.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">As indicated in the table, the A320ceo family has the edge overall but the 737-800 has actually outsold the A320ceo. This makes sense given that the 737-800 is far and away the best-performing member of the family, offering 12 extra seats and a superior cost per available seat mile (CASM) versus the A320. </span><span style="color: #073763;">The A321 holds similar advantages versus the 737-900ER, and that is reflected in its dominance.</span><br />
<div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_39045" style="width: 628px;">
<a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Screen-Shot-2016-01-23-at-9.14.21-PM.png" rel="fancybox"><img alt="Sources: Boeing and Airbus" class="size-full wp-image-39045" src="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Screen-Shot-2016-01-23-at-9.14.21-PM.png" height="177" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="wp-caption-text">
Sources: Boeing and Airbus</div>
</div>
the Boeing competitor.<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #073763;">737 MAX vs. A320neo orders</span></h3>
<span style="color: #073763;">Similar trends have carried over into the contest between the MAX and neo, where Airbus once again operated with a head start of nearly one year. While the 737 MAX “technically” won its first order from American in July of 2011, the first firm order for the aircraft was placed on December 13, 2011 by Southwest Airlines for 30 737 MAX 7s and 170 737 MAX 8s. In total, the A320neo has won 4,471 orders versus 3,072 for the 737 MAX. Even if you isolate to the period after the 737 MAX won its first order, the A320neo has still outsold its Boeing counterpart, 3,355 to 3,072.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The following table provides the same variant data and overall comparisons for the A320neo and 737 MAX that the prior one presented for 737NG vs. A320ceo.</span><br />
<div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_39201" style="width: 681px;">
<a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Screen-Shot-2016-01-26-at-3.18.19-AM.png" rel="fancybox"><img alt="Source: pdxlight. Airbus, Boeing" class="size-full wp-image-39201" src="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Screen-Shot-2016-01-26-at-3.18.19-AM.png" height="195" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="wp-caption-text">
Source: <a href="http://www.pdxlight.com/neomax.htm'">pdxlight</a>, Airbus, Boeing</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Breaking out the family orders by variants provides a strong indication to the relative strengths and weaknesses of each product. These initial takeaways will be discussed in part two of this analysis, starting with the fact that the 737 MAX 7 and A319neo basically don’t matter. These aircraft are the 737-600 and A318 analogs to the previous generation, and the market has clearly settled on larger mainline narrowbodies as a default. A second takeaway is that despite the hype, the 737 MAX 8 and A320neo sized aircraft continue to be the </span><a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2014/11/11/airwaysnews-high-flyer-interview-boeings-randy-tinseth/"><span style="color: #073763;">“heart of the market</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">.” Combined the two aircraft have five times as many orders as the A321neo and 737 MAX 9.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">It is also clear that the A321neo is the biggest relative advantage in Airbus’ portfolio – having won 404% more orders than the 737 MAX 9, which speaks to the relative capabilities and operating economics of those two aircraft. Even though the sales gap between the A320neo and 737 MAX 8 is sizable, in percentage terms the A320neo’s lead is only 19% and the 737 MAX 8 has actually outsold the A320neo since the date of its formal launch.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">From the chart, it would appear that Airbus has built a tangible advantage over Boeing in the narrowbody space. But to add more context to that assessment, the following graph illustrates the year by year orders won for each aircraft family.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Screen-Shot-2016-01-29-at-5.31.10-PM.png" rel="fancybox"><img alt="A320neo vs. 737 MAX by year" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-39473" src="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Screen-Shot-2016-01-29-at-5.31.10-PM.png" height="200" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">After viewing the chart, it should become clear that the standard story of Airbus building a commanding 60-40 market share in the space is not necessarily presenting the complete picture. Looking at the data, it’s clear that Airbus got a huge head start in 2011, which was then followed by a year of the MAX dominating the neo and two years where the two aircraft were relatively even in orders. So when considering what 2016’s order battle will look like, it is certainly possible that Airbus’ will maintain the 60-40 advantage (say winning 600 orders to Boeing’s 400).</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">But it is also possible that the two aircraft will win a similar number of orders. Each carrier winning 600 orders would reduce Airbus’ lead to 57.5-42.5 and 1,000 orders would reduce it to 56.5-46.5. And in within the last four years, the MAX has doubled up the neo in orders – similar performance across 1,500 combined orders (1,000 to Boeing and 500 to Airbus) would reduce Airbus’ edge to 54.5-45.5.</span><br />
<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-34524880355630651092016-02-01T13:52:00.004-07:002016-02-01T13:52:58.281-07:00<h1 class="headline" id="yui_3_18_1_1_1454359778667_815">
<span style="color: #073763;">Airlines restore tiny perks, like pretzels, to pacify fliers</span></h1>
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<span style="color: #073763;">American Airlines brings back free snacks in coach</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><cite class="byline vcard top-line" id="yui_3_18_1_1_1454359778667_1185"><span>By </span><span class="fn">Scott Mayerowitz, AP Airlines Writer</span> <abbr id="yui_3_18_1_1_1454359778667_1184">31 minutes ago</abbr></cite> NEW YORK (AP) -- </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">After 15 years of near austerity, U.S. airlines are restoring some small perks for passengers crammed into coach.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Don't expect ample legroom or free checked bags. But fliers will find improved snacks, a larger selection of free movies and — on a few select routes — the return of free meals.</span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Monday, American Airlines became the latest carrier to add something back. It announced the return of free snacks in the economy section and more free entertainment options on some aircraft.</span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;">American, which recently merged with US Airways, hasn't offered free snacks since 2003. US Airways stripped passengers of snacks in 2008.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the subsequent recession, U.S. airlines removed almost every perk imaginable on domestic flights. Hot meals disappeared along with legroom, blankets and pillows.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"It was really about survival," says Fernand Fernandez, vice president of global marketing at American.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">When Continental Airlines stopped giving out free cookies and mini bags of pretzels in 2011 — after its merger with United Airlines — it said the move would save $2.5 million a year.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Since then, mergers have created four mega-carriers that control more than 80 percent of the domestic market. They started charging $25 for each checked suitcase. And more seats have been crammed into planes to maximize profits. Now the industry is making record profits.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"What has changed ," Fernandez says, "is that the airlines have been able to fix our core business and be able to reinvest in our customers."</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">That means new planes, larger overhead bins and for a long time, nicer first class cabins.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Now a bit of that wealth is trickling back to coach.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">This month, American will start offering Biscoff cookies or pretzels to passengers flying between New York and San Francisco or Los Angeles. By April, those snacks will expand to all other domestic routes. In May, American will bring back full meal service for coach passengers between Dallas and Hawaii.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"We know that we have customers who select our airline based on price and we're really excited to offer them a product that is superior to choosing an ultra-low cost carrier," Fernandez says.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">United recently announced the return of free snacks on its flights starting in February. Delta Air Lines — the other big legacy carrier — never removed snacks, even during bankruptcy.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">American is also expanding its complimentary entertainment on domestic flights with in-seat TVs. Passengers will be able to choose from up to 40 movies, 60 TV shows and 300 music albums. Delta has taken a different path, focusing more on entertainment that passengers can stream to their own devices. It now offers about 67 movies and 138 TV shows for free.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">"These are token investments in the passenger experience that will not cost airlines a lot of money but are small ways to make passengers a little bit happier," says Henry Harteveldt, the founder of travel consultancy Atmosphere Research Group. "American and United realized: We don't let other airlines have an advantage on price, why let them have one on pretzels."</span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;">__</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Follow Scott Mayerowitz at twitter.com/GlobeTrotScott. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/scott-mayerowitz</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-78314305252344189112016-01-17T15:34:00.003-07:002016-01-17T15:35:30.644-07:00<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-size: x-large;">The Joys Of Flying</span></h2>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-91866711922241357592016-01-17T15:24:00.000-07:002016-01-17T15:24:26.269-07:00<h1>
<span style="color: #073763;">Insider Faces Outsider in American Flight Attendants Union Election</span></h1>
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<span style="color: #073763;"> Written by: <span>Ted Reed</span> <span class="timestamp">01/14/16 - 7:05 AM EST</span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Two veteran flight attendants are vying to succeed Laura Glading as president of the union that represents <strong>American Airlines</strong> <ticker primary="NO" symbol="AAL" type="EQUITY"></ticker> </span><a href="http://www.thestreet.com/story/13398522/1/top-six-airline-customer-service-moments-of-2015.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">flight attendants</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">. The campaign seems cordial. What separates the candidates is that one has 15 years of union leadership and is considered a union insider. The other, with three years as president of a small, now-closed base, cherishes his role as an outsider.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Insider Patrick Hancock, 59, is based in Dallas. For six years, he has been national retirement specialist for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. He previously served on two negotiating teams and twice was national strike coordinator.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Hancock has spent about half of his 31 years as a flight attendant in union jobs.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Outsider Bob Ross, 56, said he enjoys flying. His only union leadership experience came during three years as president of the San Francisco base of flight attendants. His term ended when the base closed in 2011.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">In the January election, with 20,656 eligible voters, 45% or 9,355 members voted. Ross led with 34% of the votes; Hancock got 19%. Now the two top candidates are in a runoff election.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">A major event in the campaign occurs Thursday, when the two candidates will debate in Dallas.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Ross likes being an outsider. "I'm 'Joe the Plumber,'" he said. "I'm 'Joe Flight Attendant.' I've got the experience to do this, but I'm still a flight attendant. I think that is where my popularity is coming from."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"I'm running because I think I have what it takes to reform this union," he said. "It's splintered in many different ways. I think I can unify [it]. Trust and transparency is hugely important to me -- that's something that's been lacking in our union for some time."</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">While Hancock has a ticket that includes Nicole Darak of Charlotte for secretary and Craig Gunter of Philadelphia as treasurer, Ross is on his own. He viewed that as a sign of his independence, but Hancock said it would make for a rough start if Ross wins. "We are ready to walk in day one and start working," Hancock said.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"I differ from my opponent [in that] I have a lot more experience," said Hancock. "I know in this environment, experience is a bad word -- you have to clean house. But there is a learning curve for some of these jobs."</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Still, the two men said they like each other. Ross, if he wins, would have Hancock remain as national retirement specialist. "Patrick is an APFA staple," Ross said. "He's been there a long time. He's a class act."</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Hancock said Ross lacks experience beyond three years leading the relatively small San Francisco base. But he noted, "I don't have anything bad to say about Bob."</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The winner has big shoes to fill. Glading led APFA for nearly eight years. Some call her a labor hero, some call her a traitor. But Glading helped members. She was instrumental in enabling the 2013 merger between </span><a href="http://www.thestreet.com/story/13407348/1/airlines-stocks-look-attractive-for-2016-thanks-to-low-fuel-share-buybacks.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">American</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> and <strong>US Airways</strong>, which led to a better contract. She also grew close to management.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Glading stepped down in October, forced out by the union's board even though her term was about to end. An interim president is now in charge. Glading's shadow hangs over the race. Both Hancock and Ross independently used the same word -- "brilliant" -- to describe her, although both also distance themselves from her.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"I think her vision was to help build American into what it is today," Ross said. "It is </span><a href="http://www.thestreet.com/story/13421634/1/american-airlines-aal-stock-up-after-december-traffic-rises.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">the largest airline</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> and she helped to accomplish that. But she had the interest of management more than the financial interest of the members, and she set up the parameters for the contract to go to arbitration, so we were going to get that contract no matter what."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Ross called Hancock "a Laura loyalist," while Hancock said he has worked with a half dozen APFA presidents since 1986. He has had disagreements with all of them, including Glading, but said, "I believe work is more important than politics."</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Glading "made a lot of personal sacrifices for her eight years [but] because she worked so closely with the management team, it caused her to drift from where the membership was," Hancock said.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Both candidates object to the "Hard 40," a provision that was in the US Airways contract that requires flight attendants to work at least 40 hours a month if they want to continue health care and other benefits. The provision is currently slated to be extended to legacy American flight attendants when the contract is fully implemented.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Ross is based in Los Angeles. Before becoming a flight attendant in 1983, he was an Air Force mechanic. When he was president of the San Francisco base, his wife was vice president. The couple also worked together as realtors, but in 2014 she retired as a flight attendant and he left the real estate business.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Hancock, based in Dallas, joined </span><a href="http://www.thestreet.com/story/13405885/1/airline-stocks-are-just-looking-better-and-better.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">American</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> in 1984. He was one of the first flight attendants to work under the flight attendant B scale. Later, he was on the team that negotiated the end of the B scale. He earned a law degree from Texas Wesleyan and now has a second job as a will and probate attorney.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-10953185119779316212014-12-10T10:27:00.000-07:002014-12-10T10:27:02.603-07:00<section class="storytopbar-bucket story-headline-module" id="module-position-NuSnv2ohKxQ"><h1 class="asset-headline" itemprop="headline">
<span style="color: #073763;">Culture shift evident after American Airlines merger</span></h1>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><span class="asset-metabar-author asset-metabar-item" itemprop="name"> Jason Whitely, WFAA </span><span class="asset-metabar-time asset-metabar-item nobyline">2:42 a.m. CST December 10, 2014</span></span></div>
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<div class="galleries embedded_story hasendslate clearfix" data-base-page-type="gallery" data-cst="money" data-gal-pageurl="http://www.wfaa.com/picture-gallery/money/2014/12/09/american-airlines-ceo-doug-parker/20175461/" data-gallery-id="20175461" data-seo-title="american-airlines-ceo-doug-parker" data-ssts="money" data-title="American Airlines CEO Doug Parker:American Airlines CEO Doug Parker" data-topic="features_consumer,local,local_business,news">
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<span style="color: #073763;"><span class="js-caption">The office of American Airlines CEO Doug Parker, unsurprisingly, has an air travel theme. </span><span class="credit gallery-viewport-credit">(Photo: </span><span class="js-caption"> </span><span class="js-caption">As part of a $2 billion dollar investment, American Airlines is making a number of upgrades such as satellite Wi-Fi on international flights, more tables and plugs for waiting passengers at gates, and upgraded seats on multiple types of aircraft including the Boeing 777 shown here. </span><span class="credit gallery-viewport-credit">(Photo: American Airlines)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">FORT WORTH — Exactly one year after US Airways merged into American Airlines, progress is subtle, but tangible.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"We're getting a new aircraft delivery every four days and replacing an older airplane," said American CEO Doug Parker.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Attitude matters here, and it appears to originate from Parker's sixth floor corner office.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">It's the first time News 8 got an invitation to visit the executive suite in years, and marks a cultural change at the Fort Worth-based carrier.</span><br />
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Doug Parker talks with WFAA's Jason Whitely about his first year as chief executive of the world's biggest airline. <span class="credit">Jason Whitely / WFAA</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">The change isn't just characterized by stunts like the CEO dressing up as a member of the band One Direction for Halloween.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">But Parker removed the security desk outside the executive offices, knocked out a wall, and opened up his private office to employees.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">He rarely wears a coat or tie, and employees say Parker and other executives regularly eat in the employee cafeteria — unlike some predecessors.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"The important thing in the airline business is the people that are on the line working every day," Parker said. "Our job in management is to support those people... not to tell them what to do, but give them the tools they need to do their jobs because they know how to do it."</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">A year ago, Parker led the merger of US Airways into American. A single operating certificate from the FAA is expected in the next six months.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"What I hear from our customers is, 'it feels different,'" Parker explained. "The employees are engaged and excited. We have some work to do there, of course. I'm not suggesting by any means this is over, but attitude matters."</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">In the last 12, months, the new airline has enjoyed large profits. Just this week, American announced $2 billion in investments, including:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #073763;">new seats on several aircraft types</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #073763;">satellite-based Internet access for international flights</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #073763;">upgraded Admirals Club lounges</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #073763;">more tables and plugs for passengers waiting at gates</span></li>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Next month, American gets its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a lighter, more fuel efficient aircraft.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"It'll be a nice growth aircraft for the airline, and one that our customers we know will enjoy," Parker said.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">American has not settled on which routes its initial Dreamliners will fly.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"The first ones that come in will fly around the United States to make sure we get all of our systems in place and get people trained on the aircraft," Parker said.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">American — like all carriers — is closely watching declining fuel prices and considering whether to hedge them. If it worked, it could mean cheaper fares for passengers, and additional profits for the airline — something Southwest Airlines successfully did a few years ago.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"We look at it all the time," Parker told News 8. "We haven't made the decision to do anything in that regard historically, and we've been beneficiaries of that as prices have fallen. We continue to look at it, but at this point have not decided to do anything."</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Parker also confirmed that American is still considering whether to move its headquarters to a new location in North Texas.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"I was here when we moved into this building back in 1991 when I was at American a long time ago," he said. "It's getting on in years. We think it makes sense to at least look to see if there might be something else that we could get done. We're doing that. That's all that's going on right now."</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">American is looking at existing buildings and property, he added, but no change is imminent.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">When asked whether American would scale down or ramp up any of the US Airways hubs in Charlotte, Philadelphia, or Phoenix, the CEO said his airline remains committed to them all.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"All the hubs are doing extremely well. They're doing better than they were pre-merger," he said. "They work very well together. Each of those hubs provides a great benefit to the network in total for what they do. So we're very happy with the hub structure."</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">But working with labor hasn't been as easy.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"Trust is earned, and it takes time," Parker said. "While I would like it right out of the bat that everyone would trust our management team, we've gotta earn that."</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">American's flight attendants have already rejected a contract, and are now in arbitration.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Parker's team is currently negotiating a new pact with pilots that could also end up in arbitration if rejected by the rank-and-file.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"What we didn't want to do was have integration delayed by contract negotiations," Parker said, explaining why the company and labor unions agreed to that arbitration clause if both sides couldn't settle on a new collective bargaining agreement.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"One way or another we will get to joint contracts," he added. "They will be much better contracts than either our pilots or flight attendants had in place prior to this process."</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Doug Parker is confident he will eventually earn the trust of his 120,000 employees. It's something the new CEO will need to sustain momentum at the world's largest airline.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-24297657297058580822014-12-09T09:14:00.002-07:002014-12-09T09:14:36.098-07:00<h1 class="headline" itemprop="headline">
<span style="color: #073763;">Air Line Executive Resigns After Nut Dispute</span></h1>
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<span style="color: #073763;">SEOUL, South Korea — Dec 9, 2014, 9:28 AM ET</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">By YOUKYUNG LEE AP Business Writer </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">In this Sept. 2014 photo, Cho Hyun-ah, Korean Air's vice president responsible for cabin service and the oldest child of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho, answers reporters' question during a news conference in Incheon, west of Seoul, South Korea. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Forget dust-ups over reclining seats in economy class. There's a new and exclusive twist on inflight anger: Nut rage in first class.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">A recent Korean Air flight was delayed when its chairman's daughter, who was also vice president responsible for cabin service at the airline, ordered a senior crew member off the plane. The crime? Allowing her and other passengers in the pointy end of the aircraft to be served bagged macadamia nuts instead of nuts on a plate.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">The executive, Cho Hyun-ah, resigned Tuesday amid a storm of public criticism in </span><a class="r_lapi" href="http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/south-korea.htm"><span style="color: #073763;">South Korea</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">. The airline had earlier excused her behavior even as it apologized for inconveniencing passengers.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">South Korean media reported this week that the flight from New York to Incheon, </span><a class="r_lapi" href="http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/south-korea.htm"><span style="color: #073763;">South Korea</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">, returned to the gate after Cho told the head of the cabin crew to leave the plane. The reports said Cho quarreled with crew in the first-class cabin and the flight departed 20 minutes late.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Cho, 40, is the oldest child of Korean Air's chairman, tycoon Cho Yang-ho. Her two siblings are also executives at South Korea's largest airline.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">The incident caused an uproar in South Korea where it was seen as an example of over-mighty behavior by the offspring of the moneyed elite.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">The South Korean economy is dominated by family-controlled conglomerates known as chaebol. Family members often wield greater influence over major companies than shareholders and executives with no blood ties to the founding family. The Cho family owns about 10 percent of Korean Air Lines Co., part of a business empire than spans the travel, logistics, hotel and leisure industries.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Korean Air confirmed that Flight 86 was delayed at John F. Kennedy airport on Dec. 5 due to the nut incident. But the company said the decision to disembark the crew member was made by the flight's captain.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">South Korea's government said it is investigating whether Cho violated aviation safety law. Cho could face legal action if the probe shows that she interrupted the flight or endangered safety by using threats, her status or violence.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Korean Air said Tuesday before Cho's resignation that it was "natural" for her to fault the crew's ignorance of procedures.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">The airline's cabin crew is required to ask first-class passengers whether they want nuts, partly to avoid serving them to people with allergies. The nuts also should have been served on a plate.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">The airline said it will step up training to improve customer service and safety.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Cho was not available for comment.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, a civic group, said it would file a complaint against Cho with prosecutors.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">"The anger and the concern from the public were so big because safety and procedures related to important services were simply ignored" due to Cho's status, the group said.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-2807161000548280062014-12-08T14:00:00.000-07:002014-12-08T13:27:37.591-07:00<h1>
<span style="color: #073763;">Airline: 'Emotional support' pig kicked off flight for being disruptive</span></h1>
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<span style="color: #073763;">By <strong>Emanuella Grinberg</strong>, CNN</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">updated 11:36 PM EST, Mon December 1, 2014</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><img alt="Passenger Robert Phelps took a picture after this passenger was asked to leave a US Airways flight with her " border="0" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/141130153420-pig-on-plane-story-top.jpeg" disruptive="" height="180" pig.="" width="320" /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Passenger Robert Phelps took a picture after this passenger was asked to leave a US Airways flight with her "disruptive" pig.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #073763;">STORY HIGHLIGHTS</span></strong></div>
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<li><span style="color: #073763;"><b>NEW:</b> "It looked heavy. It was not a tiny, cute little pig," passenger says</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #073763;">Passengers say a pig ran up and down aisle and left a foul mess</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #073763;">Pig was allowed on flight as "emotional support animal," airline spokeswoman says</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #073763;">DOT says animals that provide emotional support qualify as service animals in some cases</span></li>
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<!-- ADSPACE-END --> </span><!--endclickprintexclude--><!--google_ad_section_start--><!--startclickprintinclude--><span style="color: #073763;"> </span><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>(CNN)</strong> -- When US Airways passenger Robert Phelps first saw the woman coming down the aisle of the plane, he thought she had a "really big dog" or a stuffed animal thrown over her shoulder.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">It was about 6:10 a.m. the day before Thanksgiving, and Phelps was waiting to take off from Connecticut's Bradley International Airport for Washington. He thought it could be a service animal, but service animals are usually in crates, he thought to himself.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">As she got closer, there was no denying that the woman was carrying a big brown pig, perhaps between 70 and 80 pounds, Phelps said.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">"Everybody was trying to surmise what it could be, because no one thought it was a pig," he said. "Other than a Fellini movie, where would you see a person with a pig?"</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">The passenger was allowed to bring the pig on board as an "emotional support animal" under Department of Transportation guidelines, a US Airways spokeswoman said.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Apparently, it was not meant to be. Before the plane took off, the passenger and her pig were kicked for being "disruptive," spokeswoman Laura Masvidal said.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">How disruptive? Fellow passengers </span><a href="http://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-pig-on-plane-at-bradley-1130-20141129-story.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">told the Hartford Courant</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> that the big brown pig stank up the cabin of the tiny D.C.-bound aircraft and defecated in the aisle.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Phelps watched in amusement and horror as the pig began "dropping things" in the aisle while his owner stowed her belongings. When she tied him to the armrest and tried to clean up after him, he began to howl.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">"She was talking to it like a person, saying it was being a jerk," he said. "I have no problems with babies, but this pig was letting out a howl."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">A flight attendant asked her to move to the front of the plane, and eventually she left, he said. He took a photo of her as she walked past him.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">"I understand dogs and cats on planes. They come in crates, but this was way too big, and it had no container," he said. "It looked heavy. It was not a tiny, cute little pig."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Why was the animal allowed on the plane to begin with? People have bee</span><span style="color: #073763;">n bringing "emotional support animals" on planes in increasing numbers in recent years, as well as to restaurants, museums and stores.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">In 2003, the Department of Transportation </span><a href="http://airconsumer.dot.gov/rules/20030509.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">updated its policy regarding animals in air transportation</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> (PDF) to say that "animals that assist persons with disabilities by providing emotional support" qualify as service animals.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">It's up to airline personnel to determine whether an animal is a service animal. They can do so by seeking "credible verbal assurances"; looking for physical indicators on the animal, such as a backup or identification tag; or requesting documentation for service animals.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">When it comes to emotional support animals, airlines may require supporting documentation from a mental health professional. The documentation should state that the passenger has a mental health-related disability and that "having the animal accompany the passenger is necessary to the passenger's mental health or treatment or to assist the passenger."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">It is not clear whether the passenger on Wednesday's flight provided such documentation.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-62943005521522142014-12-08T13:34:00.001-07:002014-12-08T13:38:07.161-07:00<h2>
<span style="color: #073763; font-size: x-large;">American Chases Delta to Provide </span></h2>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Cushy Seats, Onboard TV</span> </span></h2>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><span class="author" itemprop="author">By Mary Schlangenstein</span> <span class="divider"></span> </span><span bgdatestamp="mmm d, yyyy h:MM TT Z" bglocalize="true" class="date" epoch="1417888800000" style="display: inline-block;"><span style="color: #073763;">Dec 6, 2014 11:00 AM MT</span></span><span style="color: #073763;"> </span><span style="color: #073763;"> </span></div>
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<a class="web_ticker" density="sparse" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/AAL:US" ticker="AAL:US" title="Get Quote" topic_url="http://topics.bloomberg.com/american-airlines-group-inc/"><span style="color: #073763;">American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL)</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> will spend $2 billion on new aircraft seats, in-flight entertainment and onboard power outlets as it chases its rivals led by Delta Air Lines Inc. in updating amenities for passengers. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The plan announced today marks a shift by the carrier to add a focus on changes that passengers will notice most. It’s also completing the basic work of meshing flight and airport operations with merger partner US Airways that has been under way during the first year of their combination. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">The airline has produced record </span><a class="web_ticker" density="full" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/AAL:US" title="Get Quote"><span style="color: #073763;">profits</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> since the merger closed on Dec. 9, 2013, paid its first dividend since 1980 and announced a $1 billion share buyback plan. Those moves have assuaged bankruptcy creditors who ended up with stakes in the new American when it left court protection through the merger. The company’s improved financial condition will help pay for the aircraft changes. The airline’s shares have more than doubled in the past 12 months. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">“In 2014, the team accomplished great things, and that gives us a lot of confidence,” Chief Executive Officer Doug Parker said in an interview. “What we are now in the position to do is to go take the product up to a level that is better than either airline had in place.” </span><br />
<figure class="hide_caption image_focus inline toggle_caption"><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/photo/american-airlines-boeing-777-300er-/-i84zt6bz.4mo.html" rel="#img_i84zt6bz.4mo" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;"><span class="photo"><img alt="" src="http://www.bloomberg.com/image/iLaFnOEdp2Hc.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></span> </span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> </span><figcaption><span style="color: #073763;">Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg </span></figcaption><figcaption><span style="color: #073763;"></span></figcaption><div class="ext_caption caption_show">
<span style="color: #073763;">Screens are illuminated in the economy-class cabin on board an American Airlines Group Inc. Boeing Co. 777-300ER aircraft in Hong Kong. All of American’s wide-body planes today have power in business and coach cabins, and about 89, or 58 percent, have seat-back screens in at least one cabin, the airline said.</span><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-06/american-chases-delta-to-provide-cushy-seats-onboard-tv.html#"><span style="color: #073763;"> </span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">By the end of this year, American will have received about 100 new aircraft while retiring older planes, swaps the carrier said will give it the youngest fleet among U.S.-based network airlines at 12.3 years. It will add 112 new planes next year, 84 in 2016 and about 300 more through 2022. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Customer ‘Enhancement’ </span></h2>
<span style="color: #073763;">“The act of replacing those aircraft with a brand new airplane is an enormous customer enhancement,” Parker said. They are nicer, they’re brighter and they’re more comfortable. It’s a much better flying experience.’’ </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">All but a “handful” of American’s new aircraft will have seat-back video screens throughout. All of the planes in the carrier’s primary jet fleet now have Wi-Fi, with plans to expand to it to regional aircraft, said Joshua Freed, a spokesman. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Most of the changes announced by the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier today involve larger aircraft used in international markets. Refurbishments already have begun on American’s Boeing Co. 777-200s and 767-300s, including in-seat entertainment or in-flight connectivity and lie-flat business class seats, with work to be finished in 2016. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Lie-flat business seats also will be added to its Boeing 757s used on international routes, while power ports and Wi-Fi will be extended throughout the plane. All of American’s wide-body planes today have power in business and coach cabins, and about 89, or 58 percent, have seat-back screens in at least one cabin, the airline said. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Delta’s Offerings </span></h2>
<span style="color: #073763;">Delta has had seat-back entertainment systems on all cabins of its international fleet since 2013, said Paul Skrbec, a spokesman for the Atlanta-based airline. The carrier has standard power outlets at each seat in its BusinessElite cabin and in the first 10 rows of economy on all of its international widebodies. </span><br />
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<a class="web_ticker" density="sparse" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/UAL:US" ticker="UAL:US" title="Get Quote" topic_url="http://topics.bloomberg.com/united-continental-holdings-inc/"><span style="color: #073763;">United Continental Holdings Inc. (UAL)</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> also has been upgrading its onboard power and entertainment options, with seat-back screens on most of its international aircraft, said Rahsaan Johnson, a spokesman. About 225 United planes have DirecTV, 190 have streaming for personal electronic devices and 185 have seat-back monitors in all cabins, he said.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Eighty-eight percent of United’s international fleet have seat-back monitors in all cabins and 80 percent have in-seat power in all cabins. The airline is installing equipment to support personal electronic devices in the aircraft that don’t have it now, Johnson said. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Current Equipment </span></h2>
<span style="color: #073763;">At American, about 501, or 61 percent, of narrow-body aircraft used primarily on domestic routes today have power ports and about 74, or 9 percent, have seat-back screens in at least one cabin. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Among the renovations announced today, Airbus NV A319s, a mainstay of the US Airways domestic fleet, will get all-new seats and power outlets by the end of 2016. The airline also will add 24 economy seats that give more legroom for an extra charge. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Delta couldn’t provide a percentage breakdown for its narrow-body fleet for power and seat-back screens. All of its domestic aircraft with two-class cabins, including regional jets, have Wi-Fi, Skrbec said. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">United has seat-back entertainment on 46 percent of its domestic fleet, or 237 planes, and plans to provide seat-back screens or personal device streaming in all domestic aircraft by the end of 2015. The airline also has in-seat power in at least one cabin on about 46 percent of the domestic fleet. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Easier Check-In </span></h2>
<span style="color: #073763;">American announced other improvements as part of its $2 billion program, including new kiosks designed to reduce wait times at airport check-in counters worldwide by mid-2015 and 400 kiosks in gate areas for reprinting boarding passes and securing day-of-travel upgrades. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">The airline will install 500 worktables with 12 power outlets each near gates at its major airports, refurbish its airport Admirals Club lounges and expand food offerings. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">American will seek a single operating certificate from federal regulators and fully merge its loyalty programs in the first half of 2015, and plans to move to one passenger reservation system sometime in the second half. It also must reach combined labor contracts for the two airlines before the final integration. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">To contact the reporter on this story: Mary Schlangenstein in Dallas at </span><a density="mailto" href="mailto:maryc.s@bloomberg.net" title="Send E-mail"><span style="color: #073763;">maryc.s@bloomberg.net</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ed Dufner at </span><a density="mailto" href="mailto:edufner@bloomberg.net" title="Send E-mail"><span style="color: #073763;">edufner@bloomberg.net</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> Andrew Pollack, Stephen West</span> </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-13318139489514958402014-12-08T12:55:00.000-07:002014-12-08T12:55:10.562-07:00<h1 class="viziwyg-editable viziwyg-field-2081226-TITLE viziwyg-section-8821 story-headline">
<span style="color: #073763;">A year into its merger with US Airways, American Airlines is flying high </span></h1>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Doug Parker, chairman and chief executive officer of American Airlines Group Inc., says that American’s future is looking bright — but that it was “by no means” time to declare mission accomplished. </span></div>
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<a class="tf3f1" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="author"><span style="color: #073763;">By TERRY MAXON</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> <!-- </p>
--> </span><a class="fico icon-envelope" href="mailto:tmaxon@dallasnews.com"><span class="sr-only"><span style="color: #073763;">tmaxon@dallasnews.com</span></span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> </span></h6>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Staff Writer</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Published: <time datetime="2014-12-06T22:39:32-06:00" itemprop="published"> 06 December 2014 10:39 PM</time></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Updated: <time datetime="2014-12-06T22:58:36-06:00" itemprop="modified">06 December 2014 10:58 PM</time></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Looking out at the crowd at a Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce breakfast last month, Doug Parker ticked off with satisfaction all the accomplishments achieved since American Airlines and US Airways merged last Dec. 9.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The two airlines have linked up their route networks. They’re sharing facilities at close to 100 airports. American began work on a new operations center. Dozens of new airplanes have arrived. Frequent fliers at one airline have been able to enjoy benefits in the other. His list went on and on.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">“I’m excited to report that the future is now looking bright at American Airlines,” said Parker, chairman and chief executive officer of American Airlines Group Inc. “Our landmark merger less than a year ago created the world’s largest airline and built the foundation for building the greatest airline.”</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">But, as he has a number of times since he took over the airline, Parker had to add: There’s still a lot of work ahead.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Indeed, despite the fast start this year, 2015 will make or break this merger or, more accurately, tarnish its early success.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">In particular, four projects have to go well to keep the merger’s progress flying along in the coming year:</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>First</strong>, the company has to satisfy the Federal Aviation Administration’s requirement to get a single operating certificate that will cover both American and US Airways. That should come in the first third of the year, if the current schedule holds.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Second</strong>, in the second quarter of 2015, American plans to combine the frequent-flier programs of the two carriers, AAdvantage at American and Dividend Miles at US Airways, into a single program.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Third</strong>, by the end of 2015, the company intends to combine the American and US Airways reservations system into a single system.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Fourth</strong>, American’s management and labor groups have to maneuver their ways to new joint contracts covering the separate American and US Airways employees without damaging their relationship too much.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Given what’s ahead, Parker in a recent interview acknowledged that it was “by no means” time to declare mission accomplished.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">“Nothing close to it. ‘So far, so good’ is the right phrase. I don’t want to minimize that, ever, because the amount of work by the team required to get us to ‘so far, so good’ is enormous, and I feel really good about how well they’ve worked together and what they’ve accomplished,” Parker said.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">“We all know it’s not done. But it gives us confidence that we’re on the right path to getting it all done in 2015.”</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">With huge profits already for the merged airline, American plans to announce this week that it is investing more than $2 billion in its airplanes and airports next year. That includes new interiors on several older fleets, including lie-flat seating on all its international airplanes that don’t already have that amenity; satellite-based Internet access on airplanes; and power plugs at the seats on most airplanes.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">It also includes upgrading its Admirals Clubs at airports and remodeling check-in areas, including new kiosks that it says are more reliable.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #073763;">Invisible task</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Perhaps the most invisible of the four big tasks of 2015 will be obtaining a single operating certificate. When it is issued, the public won’t even notice.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">But it has to be done before American and US Airways can begin functioning as a single airline.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Even with a single certificate, the date when US Airways disappears and only American remains is some distance in the future, and the old airplane paint jobs will remain for some time.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">But for members of the two frequent-flier programs, the big change comes in the second quarter of next year when everyone will go into the AAdvantage program and the Dividend Miles program goes away.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">For current AAdvantage members, the change will be irrelevant. They’ll keep their current frequent flier number. Dividend Miles members will be issued an AAdvantage number. It will be a little more complicated for people who are members of both programs.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">American will ask travelers with dual memberships to “self identify” so that Dividend Miles points can be moved over to those members’ AAdvantage accounts.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">AAdvantage president Suzanne Rubin said she’s confident that the switchover will go well. She’s also aware that it’s very important that American not get it wrong.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">“The loyalty programs, the frequent-flier programs are one of the most personal touch points that our customers have with the airline,” she said. “It’s also one of the most important points of the integration for customers. It’s a sensitive issue.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">She noted another reason that the move to a single frequent-flier program is important: “I think that will further instill confidence in the overall integration process.”</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #073763;">Reservation system</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">If there’s one time when airline mergers get bad reputations, it’s that weekend that officials flip the switch, shut down one partner’s reservation system and put the entire burden on the other airline’s system.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Maya Leibman, American’s chief information officer who is heading the effort to get to that single reservation system, said it is difficult to overstate how important that system is.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">“You can think of almost any function at an airline that involves a customer, and in some way it will touch the reservation system,” she said. That includes shopping for fares, buying a ticket, reserving a seat, getting the electronic ticket, boarding the flight and other functions.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">“Whatever function, whatever business process you can think of related to the customer will most likely in some way tie back to the reservations system,” she said.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">But while that’s the biggest technology task, it is by no means the only one.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">At the time of the merger, American and US Airways each had about 700 systems, or 1,400 in all. By the time the integration is finished, Leibman would like to have the total down close to 700 again.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">While the work has gone well so far, she said integrating the technology is tremendously challenging.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">“Even though I had been doing technology before, this is unlike anything anyone has done, that anyone does in the normal course of technology,” Leibman said. “Mergers are big, hairy, complicated, emotional beasts. There’s definitely been a lot of ups and downs associated to that.”</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #073763;">Joint contracts</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Front and center in the public’s attention right now are the battles over negotiations to put the two airlines’ labor groups under joint contracts rather than their separate American and US Airways contracts.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Flight attendants, represented by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, on Nov. 9 turned down a joint contract by the narrowest of margins — 16 votes out of more than 16,000 cast. The matter has now been submitted to binding arbitration.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Meanwhile, American and the Allied Pilots Association have twice let deadlines pass to get a tentative agreement, and resumed negotiations last week on what might go into a joint contract covering both American and US Airways pilots. If they can’t reach agreement, that disagreement would also go to binding arbitration.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Other labor groups are waiting to see the outcome of the flight attendant and pilot contracts as they gear up for their own talks for joint contracts.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The labor talks might have gone easier for American Airlines Group if it hadn’t succeeded so spectacularly in its first year of operation.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The company reported the best first quarter profits in its history, the best second quarter, the best third quarter and expects to report the best fourth quarter when it releases 2014 results in late January.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Through Sept. 30, American has earned nearly $2.3 billion. By comparison, its best nine months before 2014 came in 1998 when it posted net income of $1.1 billion.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The consensus of investment analysts is that American will earn just over $1.1 billion in the fourth quarter, giving it $3.4 billion for the year. Compare that to its $17 billion in annual losses between 2001 and 2013, a stretch in which it lost money in all but two years.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The current consensus from analysts is that profits in 2015 will top those of 2014. They are expecting net income of $5.5 billion next year, excluding any special items and one-time charges.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">And, with energy prices now plummeting, American’s profits will only go up.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Given the huge profits, employees have been pushing for profit sharing in their negotiations, even though the talks for joint contracts are limited by prior agreement and weren’t full contract negotiations.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">On Wednesday, about three dozen flight attendants picketed in front of American’s headquarters, carrying signs like “Sharing is Caring.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">“We are here to let American Airlines management know that the tentative agreement that was rejected was not good enough,” Miami-based flight attendant Trice Johnson said. “And based on the unprecedented profits we’re seeing in the marketplace, we want our fair share.”</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Parker acknowledged that he was surprised that flight attendants turned down their tentative agreement.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">“We came into the merger with a lot of employee support for the merger, which has been great and carried us a long way and has been a huge part of us being to the point where we are so far and things going well thus far,” he said.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Both the union and management told flight attendants before the vote that they’d get $193 million in extra value in their contract if they approved the tentative agreement — much of it in pay — or $112 million if it went to binding arbitration. Therefore, Parker is somewhat puzzled by the results.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">“What that says is either people didn’t believe that’s what they were voting on, which means we didn’t do a very good job of communicating, or they didn’t get the communication at all, neither of which is very good,” he said.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">In summary, “I don’t think it’s a mistrust issue,” he said. “I think it’s just not working long enough together and having enough experience with each other to build that trust, and we’ll do that over the course of the next year.”</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<em><span style="color: #073763;">Follow Terry Maxon on Twitter at @tmaxon.</span></em><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #073763;">TIMELINE: Milestones since the merger </span></strong><br />
<span class="text_sans_p"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Dec. 9, 2013</strong>: American Airlines and US Airways merge to form American Airlines Group.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_sans_p"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Jan. 7</strong>: American Airlines and US Airways begin standardizing their treatment of customers.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_sans_p"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Jan. 13</strong>: The two airlines begin code-sharing, or putting their flight numbers on each other’s flights, to link up their two route networks.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_sans_p"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Jan. 27</strong>: American picks Sabre for its reservation system post-merger.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_sans_p"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Jan. 30</strong>: First US Airways airplane takes off in American’s colors.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_sans_p"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>March 31</strong>: US Airways becomes a member of the Oneworld global airline alliance led by American and British Airways.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_sans_p"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>April 3</strong>: US Airways joins American’s joint business alliance with British Airways, Iberia and Finnair.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_sans_p"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>July 7</strong>: American breaks ground on a new “integrated operations center,” which will consolidate existing AA and US Airways centers when completed in 2015.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_sans_p"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>July 23</strong>: American announces a multibillion-dollar “capital deployment program,” including its first dividend in 34 years, a stock buyback and early payment of debt.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_sans_p"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Sept. 19</strong>: Association of Professional Flight Attendants and American negotiators reach a tentative agreement on a joint contract.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_sans_p"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Sept. 25</strong>: American says it will launch flights from D/FW to Beijing in May 2015.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_sans_p"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Oct. 20</strong>: The US Airways and American cargo divisions are combined.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_sans_p"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Oct. 28</strong>: American announces it will combine US Airways’ Dividend Miles frequent-flier program into American’s AAdvantage program in second quarter 2015.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_sans_p"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Nov. 9</strong>: Flight attendants reject their tentative agreement by 16 votes.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_sans_p"><span class="tagline_credit" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #073763;">Terry Maxon</span></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-80534103157656280602014-12-04T18:24:00.001-07:002014-12-04T18:24:27.921-07:00<div class="GridTable-Cell Va-t col-left Pend-20 col-left Pend-20" data-reactid=".27e4vusil8g.0.0.0.$Pos-r.$article-inner-container.$inset-container.$grid-template.0.$col-left.$content.$grid-content.0.0" id="yui_3_15_0_1_1417742002937_693">
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<span style="color: #073763;">12 Surprising Things a Flight Attendant Can't Do for You (So Stop Asking)</span></h1>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><img alt="12 Surprising Things a Flight Attendant Can't Do for You (So Stop Asking)" height="213" id="yui_3_15_0_1_1417742002937_933" src="https://s.yimg.com/cd/resizer/2.0/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w500/0ba0d5cdd9551d9307571c25a5c98adef0e2b56e.jpg" width="320" /></span></div>
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<em id="yui_3_15_0_1_1417742002937_922"><span style="color: #073763;">Stop annoying your flight attendant. (Izabela Habur/Getty Images)</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Yes, flight attendants bring you headphones, yummy snacks, and coffee. But the notion that they are “waitresses in the sky” went out with the term “stewardess.” Flight attendants are professionals who are there to keep you safe. </span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>(Fun fact: Harvard has a higher student acceptance rate than Delta does for flight attendant applicants.)</strong> </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Still, somehow passengers expect FAs to cater to their every whim. While some requests are just obnoxious (Can you hold my crying, drooling, poop-machine of a baby?), others are literally off limits. Yahoo Travel spoke to Shawn Kathleen, a former flight attendant and founder of </span><a data-rapid_p="55" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;t1:a2;t2:article;t3:body;t8:5726b04a-d94d-3ac3-9bc3-4a283fa075e7;t9:18;itc:0;" href="http://www.passengershaming.com/" id="yui_3_15_0_1_1417742002937_926" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">PassengerShaming.com</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">, to find what your flight attendant is just not allowed to do for you. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
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<em><strong></strong></em> </div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>1. Give you any kind of medication</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Nope, your flight attendant can’t even give you an aspirin. They’re not allowed according to regulations, explains Kathleen. There may be some meds on board that they can release to a medical doctor in case of an emergency, she explains, but for a regular Joe on an average flight, if you need an Advil, you have to bring your own.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #073763;"></span></strong> </div>
<strong><span style="color: #073763;">2. Stow your bag for you</span></strong><br />
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<em><span style="color: #073763;">Photo: CandyBoxImages/Thinkstock</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">And here you thought it was their job to do stuff like this. Nope. Flight attendants are actually not permitted to lift your bags because it causes too many injuries — a huge worker’s comp issue. “The rule is, if you can’t lift it into the overhead bin yourself, check it,” says Kathleen. A flight attendant can help you push your bag further into the bin once it’s up there or help you close the door, but that’s about it.</span></div>
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<em id="yui_3_15_0_1_1417742002937_931"><strong id="yui_3_15_0_1_1417742002937_930"><span style="color: #073763;">Related: </span><a data-rapid_p="57" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;t1:a2;t2:article;t3:body;t8:5726b04a-d94d-3ac3-9bc3-4a283fa075e7;t9:18;itc:0;" href="https://www.yahoo.com/travel/confessions-of-a-flight-attendant-airline-slang-lingo-89380809822.html" id="yui_3_15_0_1_1417742002937_929" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">Are the Flight Attendants Talking About Me? Know Your Airplane Slang!</span></a></strong></em></div>
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #073763;">3. Call ahead to hold a connecting flight</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #073763;"><img alt="image" data-reactid=".c" height="254" src="https://s.yimg.com/cd/resizer/2.0/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w500/2980becdaa279b83f0be39dde73777c71328e37e.jpg" width="320" /></span></strong></div>
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<em><span style="color: #073763;">The captain isn’t going to hold the plane for little old you. (Thinkstock)</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">People ask all the time, says Kathleen, but “it’s not going to happen.” And they can’t ask the captain to make a call either.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #073763;">4. Ask the captain to fly faster</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">“But at least that request makes us laugh,” says Kathleen. Just another reason to make sure you leave enough time between flights when booking a connection.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #073763;">5. Accept a cash tip the <em>first</em> time you offer</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Or often the second. But the third time might be the charm. Though rules vary with airlines, it’s often the case that you have to offer multiple times before a flight attendant is permitted to accept cash. However, they are usually allowed to receive gifts. “Everyone appreciates a box of chocolates or a Starbucks card,” says Kathleen.</span></div>
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<em><strong><span style="color: #073763;"></span></strong></em> </div>
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<strong><span style="color: #073763;">6. Have a cocktail with you on the plane</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"></span><div id="yui_3_15_0_1_1417742002937_1696">
<span style="color: #073763;"><img alt="image" data-reactid=".d" id="yui_3_15_0_1_1417742002937_1695" src="https://s.yimg.com/cd/resizer/2.0/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w500/db503d66ac7c52c721143d97df114a028273f132.jpg" /></span></div>
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<em><span style="color: #073763;">No, she can’t have a drink with you. (Thinkstock)</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">It’s not you, it’s them. “We’re not allowed to drink even a drop of alcohol when we’re working,” says Kathleen. “Just like the pilot can’t drink, neither can the flight attendants. We’re randomly tested, because our job is to keep you safe.”</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #073763;">7. Kick off a service animal – even if you’re allergic</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">"By law, we can’t remove a service animal who’s there to aid someone with a disability," explains Kathleen. If you’re allergic, you’re the one who will have to leave and take another flight.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #073763;">8. Make people move seats</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">You can ask someone nicely, but no matter how badly you want to sit with your pal, a flight attendant cannot force anyone to change seats.</span></div>
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<span><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>9. Let you sit in business or first class, even if there obviously are empty seats.</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><img alt="image" data-reactid=".e" src="https://s.yimg.com/cd/resizer/2.0/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w500/1e1c5c5984b242565cb4cb35e81b5d6b863ba792.jpg" /></span></div>
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<em><span style="color: #073763;">Photo: Virgin America/Facebook</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">“You have to pay for those seats,” says Kathleen, whether in miles or money. “I know it sucks, but if you want to sit there, you have to upgrade properly.”</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #073763;">10. Allow you to bring your own alcohol on board and make a cocktail</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">"Most airlines will make the flight attendant confiscate it if she sees it, and you’ll have to fill out a report, and it opens a whole can of worms,” says Kathleen. Even if an airline did let you bring the alcohol on board, we’d have to hold it and pour it for you, adds Kathleen. “We can’t have people getting intoxicated, so we need to have a way to decide whether or not to serve you," she explains. </span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #073763;">11. Escort you off the plane, even if you need help</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">"We can call someone to meet you," says Kathleen, "but as long as there is still even a single passenger on the plane, we are not allowed to step off ourselves according to regulations." If a minor needs assistance or someone really wants the flight attendant’s help, he or she will have to wait to be the last person off the plane.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #073763;">12. Pass out pens on an international flight </span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><img alt="image" data-reactid=".f" id="yui_3_15_0_1_1417742002937_1700" src="https://s.yimg.com/cd/resizer/2.0/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w500/a26f1832461185ac181a5fc9979b1ec7d8e1ba14.jpg" /></span></div>
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<em><span style="color: #073763;">Come prepared to fill out your customs card. (</span><a data-rapid_p="59" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;t1:a2;t2:article;t3:body;t8:5726b04a-d94d-3ac3-9bc3-4a283fa075e7;t9:18;itc:0;" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacebahr/" target="_blank" title="Go to spacebahr's photostream"><span style="color: #073763;">spacebahr</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">/Flickr)</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Gone are the days when the airline and flight attendants would provide pencils to fill out your customs cards. “We don’t have a supply of pens to give out, so you’ll have to use your own,” says Kathleen. </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-14464489024255861592014-12-04T00:28:00.002-07:002014-12-04T00:28:18.394-07:00<h1 class="headline" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1417677985028_1249">
<span style="color: #073763;">Pilot strike grounds half of long-haul flights at Lufthansa</span></h1>
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<a data-rapid_p="1" data-ylk="sec:content;slk:provider;itc:0;tar:www.reuters.com;ltxt:Reuters;" href="http://www.reuters.com/" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1417677985028_1749"><span style="color: #073763;"><img alt="Reuters" class="provider-img" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1417677985028_1748" src="http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/d/0c/d0c3eb8ca18907492a4b337b5cec5193.jpeg" /></span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> </span><div class="credit-text">
<span style="color: #073763;"><cite class="byline vcard top-line"><abbr>17 minutes ago</abbr></cite> <span class="bottom-line"></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Pilots at Lufthansa started their second strike this week on Thursday, grounding about half of scheduled long-haul flights at the German flagship carrier, in a drawn-out dispute over an early retirement scheme.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"> Pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), representing about 5,400 Lufthansa pilots, is fighting to retain with no changes a scheme allowing pilots to retire at age 55 and still receive up to 60 percent of their pay before regular pension payments start at 65.</span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"> Lufthansa has said it would not accept a demand that new pilots, as well as those already with the company, should be able to retire at 55.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"> It offered VC mediation on Wednesday in hopes of resolving the dispute in time for the busy Christmas holiday season.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"> The Germany-wide strike, the tenth this year, started at 02:00 GMT on Thursday (9 p.m. EST on Wednesday) and is to last until 22:59 GMT (5.59 p.m. EST). It forced Lufthansa to cancel 37 long-haul flights and six cargo flights.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"> Domestic and European routes, as well as flights of Lufthansa's units like Germanwings, Austrian Airlines and SWISS are not affected.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"> Industrial action in Lufthansa's dispute with the pilots has already wiped 160 million euros ($200 million) off the airline's operating profit this year, not including this week's two walkouts.</span></div>
<span style="color: #073763;"> Lufthansa's board on Wednesday approved plans to expand its low-cost operations as it battles to compete with budget carriers such as Ryanair and easyJet and Gulf operators including Emirates, Etihad and Qatar. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"> (Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-19986003608996165482014-11-20T22:01:00.002-07:002014-12-04T19:05:02.548-07:00<h1>
<span style="color: #073763;">Southwest Airlines projects 6% capacity growth in CY2015 as long-haul from Dallas ramps up</span></h1>
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20th November, 2014 </div>
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<h2>
Outline</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="#heading-0">Longer stage lengths drive roughly half of Southwest’s planned ASM growth</a></li>
<li><a href="#heading-1">Spirit Airiines adds international flights from Houston ahead of Southwest</a></li>
<li><a href="#heading-2">Southwest projects a more normalised operating fleet in CY2015</a></li>
<li><a href="#heading-3">Southwest sees some yield pressure in CY2014 from increased stage length</a></li>
<li><a href="#heading-4">Fleet modernisation drives lower unit costs for Southwest in CY2015</a></li>
<li><a href="#heading-5">Contract talks remain the big wildcard for Southwest</a></li>
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<div class="abstract">
<a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airlines/southwest-airlines-wn" title="More information on Southwest Airlines">Southwest Airlines</a> is forecasting solid unit revenue growth in CY2015 as it joins the rest of its <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/countries/united-states-of-america" title="More information on US">US</a> airline peers in growing <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/hot-issues/traffic-and-capacity" title="More information on capacity">capacity</a> year-on-year. The airline projects a 6% expansion in supply largely driven by increasing stage length as it capitalises on the lifting of long haul flight restrictions from its <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/dallas-love-field-dal" title="More information on Dallas Love Field">Dallas Love Field</a> headquarters. <br />
<br />
The airline believes it can drive unit revenue growth in CY2015 at the same rate as its projected capacity increase while decreasing <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/hot-issues/airline-costs--performance" title="More information on unit costs">unit costs</a> between 1% and 2%. <br />
<br />
All the US major airlines appear to be adding capacity at a faster rate in CY2015 than during the last couple of years, which is raising some concern that a supply-demand imbalance could occur.<br />
But for now all the airlines including <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airlines/southwest-airlines-wn" title="More information on Southwest">Southwest</a> believe their expansion is justified, and do not feel any pressure to refine their projections.</div>
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<h2>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="heading-0" name="heading-0"></a>Longer stage lengths drive roughly half of Southwest’s planned <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/suppliers/aviation-services-management" title="More information on ASM">ASM</a> growth</h2>
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Approximately half of Southwest’s forecasted 6% ASM growth in CY2015 is being generated by longer stage lengths</div>
Southwest is resuming capacity expansion in CY2015 after keeping its supply essentially flat year-on-year in CY2014. During a recent discussion with investors airline CEO Gary Kelly predicted that for the next several years after CY2015, Southwest is likely to grow its US domestic capacity in the low single digits. Although Southwest is expanding its transborder service to the <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/regions/latin-america--caribbean" title="More information on Caribbean">Caribbean</a> and <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/regions/latin-america" title="More information on Latin America">Latin America</a>, international flights will still represent a fraction of its ASM deployment in CY2015 – roughly 1%. <br />
<br />
<span class="pull-quote">Approximately half of Southwest’s forecasted 6% ASM growth in CY2015 is being generated by longer stage lengths</span>. With the full repeal in Oct-2014 of the Wright Amendment that prohibited certain long haul flights from <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/dallas-love-field-dal" title="More information on Dallas Love">Dallas Love</a> Field, Southwest is adding service to key markets from its headquarters to 17 cities by the end of Nov-2014 (see background info).<br />
<div class="graph-header">
Southwest Airlines CY2015 capacity projections broken out by trips, seats per trip and stage length</div>
<div class="graph-header">
<img alt="" src="http://centreforaviation.com/images/stories/2014/Nov/18/capacityasl.png" height="154" width="320" /></div>
<div class="graph-footer">
Source: Southwest Airlines</div>
<div class="graph-header">
Southwest Airlines CY2015 capacity projections broken out by international, slot purchases and <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/dallasfort-worth-international-airport-dfw" title="More information on Dallas">Dallas</a> long-haul</div>
<div class="graph-header">
<img alt="" src="http://centreforaviation.com/images/stories/2014/Nov/18/capacityslots.png" height="185" width="320" /></div>
<div class="graph-footer">
Source: Southwest Airlines</div>
<div class="quotebox" style="float: left; text-align: left;">
Southwest estimates that its stage length from the airport will grow 70% year-on-year in CY2015</div>
As a result of the new service from Dallas Love Field, <span class="pull-quote">Southwest estimates that its stage length from the airport will grow 70% year-on-year in CY2015</span>. In early Nov-2015 Southwest remarked that the new markets from Love Field were recording load factors in excess of 90%. Some of that is no doubt due to promotions offered by the airline. <br />
<br />
Approximately 2% of Southwest’s anticipated capacity growth in CY2015 stems from slots it acquired at Washington <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airlines/national-airlines-us-n8" title="More information on National">National</a> and <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/new-york-laguardia-airport-lga" title="More information on New York LaGuardia">New York LaGuardia</a> airports that were divested by <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airline-groups/american-airlines-group-inc" title="More information on American Airlines">American Airlines</a> in order to gain approval from the US government for the <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airlines/american-airlines-aa" title="More information on American">American</a>-<a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airline-groups/american-airlines-group-inc" title="More information on US Airways">US Airways</a> <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/hot-issues/mergers-and-consolidation" title="More information on merger">merger</a>. Through a combination of obtaining slots from <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airlines/american-airlines-aa" title="More information on American">American</a> and those held by <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airlines/airtran-fl" title="More information on AirTran">AirTran</a>, which it acquired in CY2010, Southwest now offers 33 daily roundtrips from <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/new-york-laguardia-airport-lga" title="More information on LaGuardia">LaGuardia</a> and 44 from National.<br />
The airline highlighted it is now the second largest airline operating from Washington National, and data from CAPA and <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/suppliers/oag" title="More information on OAG">OAG</a> show that for the week of 17-Nov-2014 to 23-Nov-2014 Southwest holds a 15% seat share at the airport. <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airline-groups/american-airlines-group-inc" title="More information on US Airways">US Airways</a> remains the leading airline with a nearly 40% share.<br />
<div class="graph-header">
<a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/washington-ronald-reagan-national-airport-dca" title="More information on Washington Ronald Reagan National Airport">Washington Ronald Reagan National Airport</a> capacity by airline (% of seats): 17-Nov-2014 to 23-Nov-2014</div>
<div class="graph-header">
<img alt="" src="http://centreforaviation.com/images/stories/2014/Nov/18/dcaseats.png" height="213" width="320" /></div>
<div class="graph-footer">
Source: CAPA - Centre for Aviation and <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/suppliers/oag" title="More information on OAG">OAG</a></div>
<h2>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="heading-1" name="heading-1"></a><a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airlines/spirit-airlines-nk" title="More information on Spirit">Spirit</a> Airiines adds international flights from Houston ahead of Southwest</h2>
Southwest officially began operating international service under its own banner in CY2014, assuming <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/hot-issues/route-changes" title="More information on routes">routes</a> operated by AirTran. Presently it serves <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/san-juan-luis-munoz-marin-international-airport-sju" title="More information on San Juan">San Juan</a>, <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/cancun-airport-cun" title="More information on Cancun">Cancun</a>, <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/montego-bay-sangster-international-airport-mbj" title="More information on Montego Bay">Montego Bay</a>, <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/countries/aruba" title="More information on Aruba">Aruba</a>, Los Cabos, <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/mexico-city-juarez-international-airport-mex" title="More information on Mexico City">Mexico City</a>, <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/nassau-lynden-pindling-international-airport-nas" title="More information on Nassau">Nassau</a> and <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/punta-cana-international-airport-puj" title="More information on Punta Cana">Punta Cana</a>. During CY2015 it is adding flights from <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/baltimorewashington-international-airport-bwi" title="More information on Baltimore">Baltimore</a> to San Jose, <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/countries/costa-rica" title="More information on Costa Rica">Costa Rica</a> and is seeking approval for the launch of service from <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/john-wayne-airport-sna" title="More information on Orange County">Orange County</a> to <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/puerto-vallarta-ordaz-airport-pvr" title="More information on Puerto Vallarta">Puerto Vallarta</a>. Mr Kelly stated that Southwest should add two more international markets in CY2015.<br />
The airline should be revealing international destinations from Houston Hobby in the not too distant future as its new international terminal at the airport is scheduled for completion in late 2015. Ahead of the completion of the new terminal, Southwest plans to add service from Houston to Aruba in Mar-2014.<br />
<a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airlines/spirit-airlines-nk" title="More information on Spirit Airlines">Spirit Airlines</a> is also making an international push from Houston Intercontinental in CY2015 with the introduction of service to Los Cabos, Cancun and <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/mexico-city-toluca-airport-tlc" title="More information on Toluca">Toluca</a> <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/countries/mexico" title="More information on Mexico">Mexico</a> and the Central American markets of <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/managua-augusto-c-sandino-airport-mga" title="More information on Managua">Managua</a>, San Jose, <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/san-pedro-sula-ramon-villeda-morales-airport-sap" title="More information on San Pedro Sula">San Pedro Sula</a> and <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/san-salvador-monseor-scar-arnulfo-romero-international-airport-sal" title="More information on San Salvador">San Salvador</a>.<br />
<a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airlines/united-airlines-ua" title="More information on United">United</a> serves all of those market from Houston Intercontinental (operating to Mexico City instead of nearby Toluca), and Southwest no doubt has examined many of the destinations Spirit is adding ahead of Southwest’s international push from Hobby. It is not clear if Southwest considered an international expansion by Spirit from Houston as it was evaluating the market potential from Hobby; but Southwest may elect to add markets where it does not compete directly with Spirit.<br />
<div class="quotebox" style="float: right; text-align: right;">
Presently, Mexico represents about 33% of Southwest’s international seat deployment</div>
<span class="pull-quote">Presently, Mexico represents about 33% of Southwest’s international seat deployment</span>, and previously the airline has stated its desire to see a full <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/hot-issues/liberalisation-and-open-skies" title="More information on open skies agreement">open skies agreement</a> between the US and Mexico.<br />
<div class="graph-header">
Southwest Airlines international capacity by country (% of seats): 17-Nov-2014 to 23-Nov-2014</div>
<div class="graph-header">
<img alt="" src="http://centreforaviation.com/images/stories/2014/Nov/18/swbycountry.png" height="213" width="320" /></div>
<div class="graph-footer">
Source: CAPA - Centre for Aviation and OAG</div>
See related report: <a href="http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/spirit-airlines-possible-transborder-flights-from-houston-could-dampen-southwests-ambitions-192140">Spirit Airlines’ possible flights from Houston could dampen Southwest’s ambitions</a><br />
<h2>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="heading-2" name="heading-2"></a>Southwest projects a more normalised operating <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/hot-issues/fleets" title="More information on fleet">fleet</a> in CY2015</h2>
As its integration of AirTran comes to a close by YE2014, Southwest will move closer to a fully operational fleet. During the integration aircraft have been out of service for reconfiguration in the Southwest single class layout.<br />
Southwest estimates that during CY2015 it will have 20 fewer aircraft idle than in CY2015. As the aircraft return to operations, “we are generating a low cost capacity that will fund Dallas Love, <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/washington-ronald-reagan-national-airport-dca" title="More information on Washington Reagan">Washington Reagan</a>, New York LaGuardia and international,” Southwest CFO Tammy Romo recently explained to investors.<br />
<div class="graph-header">
Southwest Airlines aircraft on property vs aircraft available for service: CY2011 to CY2014</div>
<div class="graph-header">
<img alt="" src="http://centreforaviation.com/images/stories/2014/Nov/18/fleetidle.png" height="139" width="320" /></div>
<div class="graph-footer">
Source: Southwest Airlines</div>
<h2>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="heading-3" name="heading-3"></a>Southwest sees some <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/hot-issues/yields" title="More information on yield">yield</a> pressure in CY2014 from increased stage length</h2>
As Southwest joins other airlines in concluding that is planned capacity growth will be executed in an efficient manner, it does acknowledge that the higher stage lengths and roughly 20% of its markets under development until Apr-2015 “are a headwind to <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/hot-issues/yields" title="More information on yields">yields</a>”, said Ms Romo. However, she concluded that Southwest will produce favourable margins “because we are funding this growth with minimal incremental cost through better fleet utilisation and fleet gauge”.<br />
Southwest believes it can generate unit revenue growth during CY2015 that is line with its projected 6% capacity increase. With yields being pressured from an increase in stage length, Southwest will drive some of its revenue growth by pushing higher loads. The airline explained that it is rotating some shorter haul routes out of Love Field that have lower load factors for longer-haul routes that could generate higher loads.<br />
<h2>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="heading-4" name="heading-4"></a>Fleet modernisation drives lower unit costs for Southwest in CY2015</h2>
Southwest projects a 1% to 2% decline in its unit costs during CY2015 driven by increased aircraft utilisation and its fleet modernisation that entails phasing out its <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/hot-issues/a320-vs-b737" title="More information on Boeing 737">Boeing 737</a> Classic aircraft. CAPA’s fleet database shows that the airline presently operates 120 737-300s. <br />
<div class="graph-header">
Southwest Airlines Fleet Summary as of 20-Nov-2014</div>
<div class="graph-header">
<img alt="" src="http://centreforaviation.com/images/stories/2014/Nov/18/fleet.png" height="137" width="320" /></div>
<div class="graph-footer">
Source: CAPA Fleet database</div>
The airline estimates the mix of 737s Classics and 717s (a fleet that it inherited from AirTran that are being delivered to <a class="profilelink" href="http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airlines/delta-air-lines-dl" title="More information on Delta Air Lines">Delta Air Lines</a>) represented in its fleet will fall from 41% in CY2010 to 18% in CY2015. Absent the fleet modernisation, Southwest calculates its unit costs in CY2015 would be 10% higher.<br />
<div class="graph-header">
Percentage of 737 Classics and 717s in Southwest's fleet: CY2010 to CY2015</div>
<div class="graph-header">
<img alt="" src="http://centreforaviation.com/images/stories/2014/Nov/18/modernisation.png" height="230" width="320" /></div>
<div class="graph-footer">
Source: Southwest Airlines</div>
Southwest’s unit cost estimates do not factor in the outcome of labour negotiations it is holding with several of its unionised employee groups. It has reached a tentative agreement with the union representing about 6,000 customer service agents and service representatives that does include a pay increase; but the pact has not yet been ratified by the full union membership.<br />
Southwest continually states that its goal is to broker deals with its employees that preserves its cost advantage, but during CY2014 cracks have emerged in the historically favourable relationship between management and employees.<br />
<h2>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="heading-5" name="heading-5"></a>Contract talks remain the big wildcard for Southwest</h2>
After missing its stated goal of achieving a pre-tax return on invested capital of 15% the last two years, Southwest is on a steady course to reach or exceed that target in CY2014. Its merger with AirTran, while taking some time to complete, has gone rather smoothly without creating a significant strain on its financial performance.<br />
The airline is confident of delivering a similar performance in meeting its ROIC targets for CY2015 as it adds more growth than it has during the last couple of years. It should be commended for maintaining its stature as one of the strongest US airlines measured by financial performance.<br />
But the outcome of its labour talks remains a huge wildcard for Southwest, and more importantly, the airline needs to prevent any further deterioration of its employee relations.<br />
<div class="background-info">
Background information</div>
<div class="graph-header">
Southwest new service from Love Field launched in 2014</div>
<img alt="" src="http://centreforaviation.com/images/stories/2014/Nov/18/lovefield.png" height="185" width="320" /><br />
<div class="graph-footer">
Source: Southwest Airlines</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-45225789249009557492014-11-01T14:27:00.000-07:002014-12-04T19:02:02.088-07:00<section class="storytopbar-bucket story-headline-module" id="module-position-NoCnM06OiEY"><h1 class="asset-headline" itemprop="headline">
<span style="color: #073763;">The world's first Boeing 747 gets a much-needed makeover</span></h1>
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<span class="asset-metabar-author asset-metabar-item" itemprop="name"> <span style="color: #073763;">Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special for USA TODAY </span></span><span class="asset-metabar-time asset-metabar-item nobyline" style="color: #073763;">4:24 p.m. EDT October 26, 2014</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><span class="js-caption">With a fresh coat of paint, the first Boeing 747 shines even under the cloudy Seattle skies at the Museum of Flight on Oct. 18, 2014. </span><span class="credit gallery-viewport-credit">(Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren for USA TODAY)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><span class="js-caption">Covered in original markings detailing its first customers, the freshly repainted nose of the airplane makes a striking appearence at the Museum of Flight on Oct. 18, 2014. </span><span class="credit gallery-viewport-credit">(Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren for USA TODAY)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><span class="js-caption">A visitor looks at an exhibit located in the rear of the first Boeing 747, on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle on Oct. 18, 2014. </span><span class="credit gallery-viewport-credit">(Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren / USAToday)</span></span></div>
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<span class="js-caption-wrapper"><span style="color: #073763;"><span class="cutline js-caption">Covered in original markings that detail the jet's first customers, the freshly repainted nose of the first 747 makes a striking appearance at the Museum of Flight on Oct. 18, 2014.</span><span class="credit">(Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren for USA TODAY)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">SEATTLE -- After years of falling into disrepair, the world's first Boeing 747 has finally received some much-needed tender love and care.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Permanently parked at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, the hulking jet is easy to spot. Standing over 63 feet tall at the tip of its tail, it literally towers over its peers in the museum's open-air display lot. Its white fuselage, sporting a fire-engine red stripe, shines even under cloudy skies.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">On a recent Saturday, a line of visitors to the museum queued up thirty-deep outside the jet. All were waiting their turn to have a look at 747's banks of test equipment and a groovy, 1960s-style upper-deck lounge.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Those visitors might be forgiven for thinking they'd been transported back to September of 1968, when the </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="color: #073763;">now-legendary aircraft </span></a><span style="color: #073763;">first rolled out of a custom-built factory in Everett, Wash. Designed by Seattle native Joe Sutter, the first 747 was twice the size of its nearest competitor when it debuted. Known as RA001, it made its first flight for Boeing four months later on Feb. 9 1969, ushering in a new age in air travel and changing the face of modern aviation.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The plane's cavernous main deck </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="color: #073763;">– </span></a><span style="color: #073763;">over twenty-feet wide – meant it could carry more people for less money than other jets of the time. And it could fly them further and faster, shuttling passengers in record time between cities across the globe that airlines previously could not connect with nonstop flights. For the first time in history, long-haul travel started to become affordable for the average person.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">In short, the 747 democratized air travel, says Dan Hagedorn, Senior Curator for the Museum of Flight.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"From a historian's standpoint, that may be its most lasting legacy. Not its size, not its engineering genius," Hagedorn says about the 747's role in bringing global air travel to the masses.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The airplane also played a major role in Seattle's history -- a catalyst, some say, for helping transform the city from a sleepy burgh in the Pacific Northwest into the cosmopolitan giant it has become today.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Boeing suffered early engineering problems and poor sales that nearly bankrupted the program, but ultimately the 747 would go on to become the best-selling jumbo-jet in history. The company </span><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2014/06/27/boeings-1500th-747-not-your-mothers-jumbo-jet/11397925/" title="http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2014/06/27/boeings-1500th-747-not-your-mothers-jumbo-jet/11397925/"><span style="color: #073763;">has built and delivered more than 1,500 747s to date</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">. The rise of that aircraft -- and Boeing -- lifted tens of thousands of Puget Sound workers along with it. The 747 – and </span><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2014/05/27/snapshot-the-planes-made-by-us-jetmaker-boeing/9344901/" title="http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2014/05/27/snapshot-the-planes-made-by-us-jetmaker-boeing/9344901/"><span style="color: #073763;">Boeing's subsequent succes</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">s – helped establish metro Seattle as perhaps the world's leading city for the aerospace industry, a position the city holds on to today.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The majority of RA001's descendants left the Puget Sound, going on to fly an estimated 5.6 billion people on dozens of airlines across the globe in the following 46 years. But No. 1 – that first 747 – never left home. It instead went on to serve Boeing as a dedicated test aircraft, first for the 747, and later for other Boeing jets such as the 757 and 777.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">By the time it retired in 1993, the airplane had completed some 12,000 flights for Boeing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Despite its significance to the region and the world, however, retirement wasn't good to RA001. Left outside and largely neglected for years, the once-luminous white and red paint job had faded and peeled. Seattle's notorious rain took its toll inside too, leaving the interior rife with moisture damage and the lingering stench of mildew.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"It was in distress," Hagedorn acknowledged. The museum commissioned an assessment of the airplane ten years ago, which concluded it was time to fix the aging jet. Still, that didn't materialize and the airplane sat mostly untouched under the damp Seattle skies. Other priorities – and limited funds – suppressed any urgency to bring the 747 back to its former glory.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">But the skies finally cleared in the summer of 2012, when the museum's board green-lighted the restoration for takeoff.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The two-year project -- now nearly complete -- would become one of the largest aircraft restoration jobs ever attempted under the elements and not in the relative comfort of an indoor hangar.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"As far as I know, this is the largest aircraft that has even been restored inside and out where she sits," said Hagedorn, who previously managed the Smithsonian's Air & Space Collection before coming to Seattle in 2008.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="color: #073763;">Work to restore the exterior began in July. To restore the airplane's original luster, crews using more than 15,000 pieces of sandpaper to remove the jet's </span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="color: #073763;">fading paint. </span></a><span style="color: #073763;">Once that was completed, crews used more than 750 foam rollers to apply more than 60 gallons of fresh white, red, black, and blue paint.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Inside, workers began restoring the interior to its first-flight configuration. Mildew-filled insulation was replaced. Testing equipment that would have been on board for first flight, from archaic computer bays to ballast tanks, was sourced and returned to original spots on the main deck. Upholstery dating back to 1969 was tracked down to recreate the only significant creature-comfort on that first 747: an upper deck lounge replete with linoleum-covered tables, chairs with ash trays, and orangey-red sofas.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"We really want to retain the 1969, 1970 character of the aircraft," said Hagedorn.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">That meant tracking down original parts, hardly an easy task.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"A lot of that stuff isn't being produced anymore," he said. For example, that upholstery on the upper deck: "We did our very best to find the original manufacturer, to see if they still had the original looms for the original configuration," he said. They didn't, but did have something very close."</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Workers completed the restoration in late September, opening the jet to the public on Oct. 1.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">The effort wasn't lost on David-George Dauphinee, a visitor to the museum who boarded RA001 on a recent Saturday afternoon (Oct. 18).</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"To be able to be standing here today in this airplane is just mind-boggling," he said, smiling wide. In his hands he held a vintage United Airlines 747 brochure from 1969, a piece of history that helped cement his childhood love of the airplane. Dauphinee, able to catch a glimpse of the lounge upholstery from the main deck, held up the brochure, trying to compare the shades of orange and red to see if they matched.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">"It's amazing that we can get inside and see it," said Dauphinee. "The museum has done an absolutely phenomenal job."</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">It's a job the museum doesn't intend to have to repeat. Plans have been drawn up to place the airplane, along with others, under a new roof that will finally shield them from the elements. The museum is hoping to complete that project in 2016.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"></span><br />
<i><a href="http://jdlmultimedia.com/" title="http://jdlmultimedia.com/"><span style="color: #073763;">Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> is a Seattle-based photojournalist and aviation writer and an occasional contributor to Ben Mutzabaugh's Today in the Sky blog.</span></i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-69550599449332783852014-10-31T12:07:00.001-07:002014-10-31T12:09:18.433-07:00<h1 class="stack-heading stack-heading-spread">
<span style="color: #073763;">BREAKING NEWS</span></h1>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Crashes During Flight. Test Pilot Dead. Other Pilot in Serious Condition</span></h1>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><span class="stack-byline-spread-l">By Alan Boyle </span> </span></address>
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<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/31066137/media-kit/" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/31066137/media-kit/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;"> </span></a><span style="color: #073763;">Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Crashes During Flight Test </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Virgin Galactic said its SpaceShipTwo rocket plane suffered a </span><a href="https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/528254804888682498"><span style="color: #073763;">"serious anomaly"</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> during a powered test flight on Friday that resulted in the loss of the aircraft. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">The anomaly occurred after the plane was released from its WhiteKnightTwo carrier airplane and fired up its rocket engine in flight for the </span><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/virgin-voyage/success-spaceshiptwo-celebrates-new-year-test-flight-n7211"><span style="color: #073763;">first time in more than nine months</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">. Sources said SpaceShipTwo exploded in midflight, and debris fell onto California's Mojave Desert. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">The WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft landed safely," Virgin Galactic said in a statement. "Our first concern is the status of the pilots, which is unknown at this time." </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Two pilots fly in SpaceShipTwo's cockpit during a test. Those pilots are equipped with parachutes, and after the anomaly, chutes were reportedly sighted over the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, the base from which SpaceShipTwo and its WhiteKnightTwo carrier plane took off. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Photographer Ken Brown, who was covering the test flight, told NBC News that he saw an explosion in the air and later came upon SpaceShipTwo debris scattered across a small area of the desert. Mojave airport's director, Stuart Witt, told NBC News that the craft crashed north of Mojave. He said a news conference was scheduled for 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET). </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">During the nine months since the previous rocket-powered test in January, Virgin Galactic </span><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/virgin-voyage/virgin-galactic-makes-switch-spaceshiptwos-rocket-motor-n113216"><span style="color: #073763;">switched SpaceShipTwo's fuel mixture</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> from a rubber-based compound to a plastic-based mix — in hopes that the new formulation would boost the hybrid rocket engine's performance. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Before Friday's flight, the </span><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/virgin-voyage/virgin-galactics-spaceshiptwo-glides-through-test-run-n220206"><span style="color: #073763;">most recent aerial outing was on Oct. 7</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">, when SpaceShipTwo took an unpowered, gliding flight back to the Mojave runway. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">The latest test got off to a slow start. SpaceShipTwo spent more than three hours on the Mojave runway, slung beneath its WhiteKnightTwo mothership, while the ground team assessed whether the weather was right for flight. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">The go-ahead was finally given for takeoff at 9:19 a.m. PT (12:19 p.m. ET). </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">It took WhiteKnightTwo about 45 minutes to get to 50,000 feet, the altitude at which it released SpaceShipTwo for free flight. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">The aim of such flights was to test SpaceShipTwo in preparation for suborbital trips to the edge of outer space. Virgin Galactic had said SpaceShipTwo's first trip to an outer-space altitude — usually defined as 100 kilometers, or 62 miles — could have taken place before the end of the year, depending on how the tests went. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">And the company's billionaire founder, Richard Branson, was hoping to ride on the first commercial flight next year. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">More than 700 customers have paid as much as $250,000 for a ride on the rocket plane. </span></div>
<div class="ember-view" id="ember829">
<em><span style="color: #073763;">NBCUniversal has established a </span><a href="http://www.virgingalactic.com/news/item/nbcuniversal-announces-exclusive-partnership-with-sir-richard-bransons-virgin-galactic-to-televis/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">multi-platform partnership with Virgin Galactic</span></a><span style="color: #073763;"> to track the development of SpaceShipTwo and televise Branson's spaceflight.</span></em><span style="color: #073763;"> </span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-70383463217983994822014-10-31T10:18:00.002-07:002014-10-31T10:35:00.666-07:00<h1 class="entry-title">
<span style="color: #073763;">Images of American Airlines’ first Boeing </span><span style="color: #073763;">Dreamliner appear</span></h1>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Dallas Morning News</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">American Airline’s first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner today emerged from the Boeing paint shop in Everett, Wash.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">American’s first Dreamliner 787-8 jet is scheduled to arrive by the end of the year.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">American will fly both the original 787-8 and the newer, larger 787-9 model. It has ordered a combination of 787-8s and 787-9s, company spokesman Matt Miller said. The Fort Worth-based airline, however, has not said how many of each jet it has ordered and when it will take delivery of the first 787-9.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">American last night posted a few photos on its Facebook and Twitter accounts. Other photos were taken by Seattle-based photographer Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren for <em title="http://jdlmultimedia.com/">Airways News</em>, which provided them to <em>The Dallas Morning News</em>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Overall, American has ordered 42 with an option for an additional 58. Of the 42 jets, the delivery of two are scheduled for this year, 11 next year, 13 in 2016, nine in 2017 and seven in 2018.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">American plans to fly the 787-8 Dreamliner across the country first — probably between hub airports — and then dispatch it on international routes some time next spring, Miller said.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">American will become the second U.S. carrier to fly a Dreamliner. United Airlines already flies the 787-8 and 787-9 models.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Last month, American tweeted a photo of its first Boeing 787 under construction at a Boeing factory, but it was only partially built. </span><span style="color: #073763;">.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29797142.post-28697843281339421632014-10-28T06:59:00.003-07:002014-12-04T19:05:52.397-07:00<h1 itemprop="headline">
<span style="color: #073763;">American Airlines Honors Allegheny, the Number One Merger Airline</span></h1>
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By Ted Reed</div>
<!-- Make individual group author appear --><span style="color: #073763;">In a consolidation-obsessed business, Allegheny Airlines may have been the biggest consolidator of them all.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">It merged with Lake Central. It merged with Mohawk. It changed its named to the more universal “US Air.” It merged with Piedmont. It merged with PSA. It changed its named to the more distinctive “US Airways.” It merged with America West. And finally, it merged with American.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Now, as part of American CEO Doug Parker’s longtime effort to honor airline lineage, Allegheny is being recognized with an American heritage aircraft. The A319 was painted in Roswell, N.M. It had been flying as an Allegheny heritage aircraft in the US Airways fleet, but the paint job means it shows the American logo instead of the US Airways log.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">The Allegheny aircraft joins heritage PSA and America West aircraft in the American fleet. Aircraft that honor Piedmont, as well as Air Cal, Reno Air and TWA, are coming.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Allegheny was known for being generous with its employees. “The principle culture in this company is the Allegheny culture,” US Airways CEO Stephen Wolf told employees in Charlotte in 1997, according to my new book, “American Airlines, US Airways and the Creation of the World’s Largest Airline.”</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">“Allegheny flew monopoly routes in the East for 2,000 years at monopoly price,” Wolf said then. “It was wonderful and profitable every day of its life and as a result of that, we are very generous with our employees.”</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">At the time, Wolf was addressing the issue of “swaps,” raised by a customer service agent during a question and answer period. Swaps enabled trades of shifts with other workers.</span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="0" id="google_ads_iframe_/7175/fdc.forbes/article-new_3__hidden__" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="google_ads_iframe_/7175/fdc.forbes/article-new_3__hidden__" scrolling="no" src="javascript:"<html><body style='background:transparent'></body></html>"" style="border-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: none; vertical-align: bottom; visibility: hidden;" width="0"></iframe><span style="color: #073763;">At one time, the swaps policy allowed the airline’s 4,000 reservations agents to trade up to 50% of their shifts, but the number had been cut back to 20 swaps per quarter, irritating the agents. Many of them had drawn night shifts for years.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Wolf called the policy “goofy.” In 1996, US Airways was still a high-cost airline, largely because every time the airline had completed a merger, the most generous components of the two previous contracts were retained.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">It was a strategy that worked well when airlines were regulated, but after deregulation, it began to fray, as Southwest and other low cost airlines invaded the East Coast. A turning point came when Southwest began to serve Baltimore, then a USAir hub, in 1993.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">As Frank Lorenzo, probably the most important figure in shaping the post-deregulation U.S. airline industry, has said: “They deregulated revenues, but they didn’t deregulate costs.”</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Ed Colodny was the executive who presided over four mergers at Allegheny/US Air between 1975 and 1991.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">When Colodny started at Allegheny in 1957, the headquarters were in Hangar 12 at </span><a class="exit_trigger_set" href="http://www.forbes.com/washington/"><span style="color: #073763;">Washington</span></a><span style="color: #073763;">’s National Airport. “The corporate officers were on the second floor of what was the maintenance facility of the airline,” Colodny said, in an interview for the book.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">“To describe my office as modest would be an overstatement,” he said.</span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="0" id="google_ads_iframe_/7175/fdc.forbes/article-new_4__hidden__" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="google_ads_iframe_/7175/fdc.forbes/article-new_4__hidden__" scrolling="no" src="javascript:"<html><body style='background:transparent'></body></html>"" style="border-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: none; vertical-align: bottom; visibility: hidden;" width="0"></iframe><span style="color: #073763;">At the time, Allegheny served 8 states and about 50 communities, including small Pennsylvania cities such as Altoona, Erie, Harrisburg, Lancaster and Reading. It wanted to grow, and Colodny led various efforts to convince the Civil Aeronautics Board to relax restrictions on local service airlines</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Colodny changed the name to USAir in 1979, and he built the airline through mergers. As a result, Allegheny became the only local service airline from the 1950s to remain viable into the 21<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> century.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Now it is largely just a memory, recalled by a heritage airplane.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0