Accident At Logan Airport Puts Airline Safety Back In The Spotlight

Just when the buzz has died down about the Southwest Airlines aircraft that had to make an emergency landing because of a hole in the fuselage, there has been another incident to bring airline safety back in the spotlight. The attention given to these types of incidents may make some people weary about air travel but in the long run it helps to bring more attention to the issue. Because of this increased attention airlines are taking all possible measures to prevent future incidents. In this particular case at Logan Airport a Boeing 767 being operated by Delta Airlines made contact with a much smaller Atlantic Southeast Airlines Canadair Regional Jet 900.

The smaller aircraft was heading down a taxiway when it turned left onto another taxiway and then abruptly stopped. The larger Boeing 767 was following behind the smaller jet and when the smaller jet turned onto another taxiway the 767 continued down the taxiway, unaware that the smaller jet had stopped. When the smaller jet turned onto the other taxiway and stopped there was not adequate room for the 767 to safely pass by and this is when the collision occurred. The left wing of the 767 collided with the tail of the smaller jet, which resulted in substantial damage to both aircraft. Luckily there was only one minor injury between the two aircraft. The potential for serious injury and damage was definitely present, but luckily did not occur. Considering that both aircraft had full fuel loads and both were carrying passengers, a much worse situation was thankfully averted. This incident does however highlight the need for a serious review of current airline safety and how ground approaches are handled.

The chain of events leading up to the crash include the action of the pilots, the instructions from ground and air traffic controllers, as well as an emergency landing which was occurring at the same time. All of these events combined together led to the crash and it is going to be difficult to determine where the error(s) were made. It is unclear whether or not the smaller jet stopped due to instructions from ground control or for some other reason. The third aircraft which had requested to make an emergency landing was the likely cause for the smaller jet to stop on the taxiway, thus allowing the aircraft in distress to land.

The responsibility will likely fall in the hands of the 767 pilots, as this was the aircraft which struck the smaller jet. Regardless of why the smaller jet had stopped, the 767 pilot has the responsibility to ensure that there is enough room to safely pass by. The difficult part of this whole situation is that it is nearly impossible for a pilot of a 767 to see the wings, especially the wingtips. Therefore, in this situation as a pilot of such a large aircraft they are at the mercy of the other pilots and ground control crews. This is an incident that will likely be used in the future for airline safety training purposes and hopefully help to prevent similar accidents from occurring in the future.

Spirit Airlines No Frills Philosophy Paying Off

With the currently struggling economy and high fuel prices there are few airlines that are still making substantial profits, Spirit Airlines is one of those few. They have been consistently profitable, having turned a profit in every quarter of the last four years. This is an impressive feat considering that the last four years have probably been the worst years, economically speaking, of the last few decades. Prior to this point four years ago they were not turning a profit so it begs the question “what changed”. The answer to that is, the company hired Ben Baldanza as its CEO and they have never looked back since. Prior to Baldanza’s hiring the company struggled to turn a profit as the airline is a small company in an industry that is known for chewing up and spitting out this size of a company. The problem with the previous business model was that Spirit Airlines was trying to offer ticket prices that were middle of the road and service that matched. This strategy has proven to be disastrous for many airlines and would have likely led to Spirit’s demise had they continued down this path.

In 2006 when Baldanza took over they evaluated every aspect of the airline’s operations and decided to implement many radical changes. The initial strategy was to compete as an ultra low cost airline that focused solely on making a profit. Every decision was driven by the impact it would have on the bottom line, putting customer service at the back of the line as a priority. They decided that every effort would be made to offer the lowest price fares of any airline, which meant charging fees for things that were included with a base ticket price on other airlines. This method allows customers to choose what services they want and not end up paying for things that they don’t care about. For example, they charge customers for a bottle of water, which is included for free with most other airlines. This may not seem like a big deal but when you multiply the cost of a single bottle of water by the total number of passengers an airline carries in a year you will see that it adds up quickly.

Another move which helped Spirit Airlines achieve profitability is to always configure aircraft with the maximum amount of seating as possible. While other airlines will often have aircraft configured with less seats to give passengers a few extra inches of legroom, Spirit Airlines puts the most seats possible in every aircraft which allows them to charge lower fares. For example, if operating costs increase by $1,000 per flight and this is spread amongst more passengers it will obviously result in much less of an increase per passenger under this model. There are many people who feel nickel and dimed by all of the fees charged by airlines, but in the case of Spirit Airlines these fees are all optional. When you are charged a mandatory fuel surcharge fee it feels like you are being taken advantage of but when you have to pay for a bottle of water that you ask for it doesn’t seem as bad. The reason for this is because people view optional fees in a much more positive light when compared to mandatory fees.

The last four years of profitability at Spirit Airlines has proven that there is a market for ultra low cost carriers. This is because there are many people who don’t care about the little extras when flying and just want the cheapest fare possible. Spirit offers customers the ability for its customers to receive extra services, you just have to pay a fee. In an economy where funds are so scarce it is no wonder that they have done so well using this model. The only question now is whether this model will work when the economy improves, if it ever does. The way things look right now, we may never know.

Delta To Cut Service To 24 Smaller Airports In US

In a recent announcement Delta Air Lines stated they are planning to discontinue service to 24 smaller airports in the US. These airports are scattered throughout many rural areas of the country, which are served with either turboprop aircraft or small regional jets. Many of the 24 airports fall under the Essential Air Service program, which provides subsidies to airlines that provide services to airports in areas which have few options for air travel. Delta officials have stated that they simply cannot make enough money, even with the current subsidies, to make it worthwhile to continue serving these areas. Some of these 24 airports are extremely unprofitable, with some daily flights taking off without any passengers on board. Yet there are some airports which are right on the border of almost being profitable for Delta, but these are still going to be cut from service.

Delta says that they would consider continuing service to areas which are right on the edge of profitability, if increased federal subsidies were offered. The current Essential Air Service program which provides these subsidies is only funded through 2013 and after that funding is questionable. Given the current budget crisis being dealt with by the government, subsidy programs such as this are likely to be reduced or eliminated all together. Many taxpayers do not like the fact that their hard earned money is being handed out to big corporations such as Delta. Many advocates for reduced spending simply refer to this as corporate welfare and do not feel this serves a legitimate need. The subsidy program is like any other out there as it provides a great service in some areas, while not having much of an impact in others.

Delta Air Lines is focusing on these unprofitable routes as the airline industry is facing one of the toughest operating environments ever. With fuel costs outpacing labor costs for many airlines, the way they operate needs to change. Delta officials gave an example of how unprofitable some of these airports are by providing data on the amount of seats filled at individual airports. They state that on average they see around 80% of the available seats filled at any given time. Yet, in one airport in Thief River Falls, Minnesota they fill an average of only 12% of the seats available. It is not difficult to see why this airport made the list and is obvious that even with subsidies this would be a difficult market to turn a profit in.

The plan by Delta is to stop service to these airports whenever the current contracts they have expire. Under the Essential Air Service program the US Department of Justice is responsible for finding another airline to fill the void left by Delta. Many people who live near the effected airports are upset that they will have less options to fly locally. However, in most cases the cost to fly out of these smaller airports is so high that people end up driving to larger airports with cheaper fares. This makes you wonder how effective the Essential Air Service program really is and whether or not it will be funded past the current expiration in 2013.

Honda Aircraft Co. Unveils New Plant For HondaJet In North Carolina

Honda Aircraft Company recently unveiled the main building in their newly constructed production and servicing plant, which is located in Greensboro, NC. According to officials within the Honda Aircraft Co. the completion of this building means that they now have all necessary operations located at one single facility. Everything from marketing to design and production are going to be handled at this one facility in order to streamline the process. Placing all of the business functions in the same physical area will greatly reduce turnaround time when changes are implemented and allows for all business areas to be more aware of the situations being faced by one another. They are hoping that this facility will eventually have the capacity to churn out around 100 of the small corporate jets yearly for the next three years.

Representatives speaking on behalf of Honda Aircraft stated that they have currently received around 100 orders for the new HondaJet. They are also starting to heavily market the jet and with a second test model scheduled to be finished within a few months, they will be further increasing marketing and promotion efforts. With the current demand for corporate jets just starting to experience a slight rebound it seems that the timing is right for the HondaJet. Also, they have designed the jet to be very affordable and offer tremendous value to their customers. If they can deliver on this design philosophy there is no doubt they will easily sell the 100 per year that are scheduled to be manufactured.

The plan for Honda Aircraft is to increase hiring efforts at the new Greensboro, NC plant to fill an additional 300 positions, which will bring the production end up to full capacity. This is in addition to the 600 employees who are currently working for Honda Aircraft Co. The company plans to move all of the necessary equipment into the plant by early next year, with the first production model being completed by the beginning of 2013. The base price for this jet is a meager $4.5 million, which in terms of a private jet is quite affordable. Honda Aircraft is hoping to bank on the strong reputation of the company in other areas to help people put their faith in this new endeavor. Initial testing has gone fairly well and all indications are that production will begin as scheduled, which is a rarity in the aviation world these days.

Alaska Airlines Pilots To Start Using iPads

When many pilots and airline professionals first saw the iPad they instantly thought of all the useful and helpful tasks it could help with. Alaska Airlines had been testing the iPads among a small group of pilots over the last year or so. They recently concluded testing the units and decided to have all pilots within the company use them. As is the case with many other industries, technology such as the iPad can greatly benefit pilots in a number of ways. Alaska Airlines is utilizing the iPad to greatly reduce paper and they estimate that it will reduce the need for millions of pieces of paper each year. Pilots can greatly benefit from these by having all of the pertinent information in one place and it also reduces the weight of the pilot’s flight bag by around 25 pounds.

The iPads that are being used by Alaska Airlines will be loaded with the GoodReader App as well as other information commonly used by pilots. They will have manuals, reference materials, and other flight data that can by quickly and easily accessed by pilots. With all of the necessary information in one convenient location the iPad is a much better alternative when compared to paper manuals and documents. The best thing about using these is that whenever new components are added to an aircraft, a simple update on the iPad will add all of the necessary information in just a few seconds. This will not only save paper but will allow the airline to spread time sensitive information much quicker than previously available methods. While an iPad is a relatively expensive item, it will pay for itself in a short amount of time through reducing paper use and increased efficiency.

While the FAA has deemed that the iPad does not “impair the functioning of on board electronics” on an aircraft, Alaska Airlines has developed a policy which requires pilots to stow the tablet during takeoff and landing. This may be more intended to prevent pilots from being distracted or other issues that could lead to a potential problem. Since the FAA has cleared the iPad for use in cockpits during takeoff and landing, pilots on other airlines will be able to keep it on all the time if they want. The iPad being used by pilots from Alaska Airlines is just another example of how technological devices can greatly reduce the need for bulky manuals and make traveling for pilots even more convenient. Instead of having a bulky flight bag stuffed with 20-30 pounds of paperwork and manuals, pilots will now be able to simply carry the iPad.

Paramount Signs MOU to Recruit Crews for Korean Air

Crew-leasing companies partner to provide Captains and First Officers to Korean airline Alexandria, Virginia – July 25, 2011 –Paramount Aviation Resources Group , a global provider of flight crew personnel, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Total Aviation Service (TAS), a Los Angeles based flight crew procurement agency, to recruit crew members for Korean Air. The MOU between Paramount Aviation Resources Group and TAS outlines a joint, multi-year arrangement to recruit crew members for South Korea’s flagship airline.

“I look forward to working with TAS on this joint effort. Korean Air continues to expand and requires the addition of many highly-qualified, professional pilots. The collaboration between TAS and Paramount will enable Korean Air to satisfy its demand for pilots,” said Michael W. Johnson Paramount Aviation Resources Group President and CEO. “Paramount has had a lot of success recruiting for the Asian market, and we look forward to finding Korean Air some of the best pilots in the business.”

Paramount Aviation Resources Group has been recruiting pilots in the Asian market since 2008. In that time, Paramount Aviation Resources Group has placed dozens of pilots with airlines such as IndiGo, Shenzhen Airlines and Hainan Airlines.

“We are very pleased to work in partnership with Paramount,” said Bruce Philips Total Aviation Service’s General Manager. “Paramount has a proven track record for recruiting reputable and professional pilots. We are looking forward to working together to fulfill Korean Air’s present and future expat cockpit crew manning requirements.”

Paramount Aviation Resources Group is currently recruiting Captains and First Officers for Korean Air on Boeing B-747-400, Boeing B-777, Boeing B-737NG and Airbus A-330 aircraft. Korean Air is hiring rated and unrated pilots; therefore, both are encouraged to apply. Interested pilots should contact Paramount Aviation Resources Group Vice President of Recruitment Services, Mr. Ayman Jarrah at ayman.jarrah@paramountarg.com.

In addition to winning numerous awards in 2010 for its commercial service, Korean Air was also ranked as the number one global cargo airline by IATA for the sixth consecutive year. On June 17, 2011 Korean Air flew its inaugural Airbus A380 commercial flight from Incheon International Airport in Seoul, Korea to Narita International Airport in Tokyo, Japan. Korean Air has ordered ten A380 aircraft with the first five to be delivered by the end of 2011 and the remaining five by 2014.

About Paramount Aviation Resources Group
Founded in 2006, Paramount Aviation Resources Group is quickly becoming the most-trusted provider of leased flight crew personnel in the world. With a commitment to aviation safety, reducing operating costs, and providing impeccable service, Paramount Aviation Resources Group is helping air operators achieve long-term viability. Paramount Aviation Resources Group was formed by airline professionals with thousands of flight hours and decades of experience as line pilots, instructors, and managers at international Part 121 air carriers. Visit Paramount Aviation Resources Group on the web at www.paramountarg.com or on Twitter @ParamountARG.

About Total Aviation Service
TAS was created in early 2010, by senior level airline management, as the newest flight crew leasing agency provider to Korean Air. The company’s management team has a combined 45 years of accumulated experience and expertise in the flight crew leasing and airline business in the Asian marketplace. The company’s goal is to become one of the preeminent flight crew providers in the years to come by offering a fluid process from the initial application procedure, through the selection process, initial training and the term of their crews’ assignment to the airline. TAS is committed to the philosophy that the cornerstone of its success will involve professional, transparent and continual open and honest communication with its assigned flight crewmembers. Visit TAS on the web at www.flytas.com.

Airlines Increasingly Rely On Fees As Source Of Revenue

In the past major airlines charged fees to cover costs of certain services that were offered as a premium or non-standard service to customers. This was not a major source of revenue but rather a way to make sure they did not lose money from providing extra services. Now most airlines are starting to rely upon these fees for a large portion of their revenues and in fact last year US airlines collected almost $6 billion in fees from their customers. This is primarily comprised of the baggage fees that the majority of airlines are now charging customers for any checked baggage. In most cases the airlines charge $25 each way for one bag and then additional charges for extra bags.

If you are traveling with your family of four on a vacation that is an extra $200 in fees just to be able to bring one bag each. As you can see these fees add up quickly and most people who fly on a regular basis are getting pretty fed up with it. The general consensus is that the airlines are starting to nickel and dime passengers, which is not sitting well with many of them. However, there are some situations where fees are more accepted by customers. For example, fees that are charged for add on services that are optional, such as having a reserved seat, are more acceptable to customers.

The reason that the baggage fees are so widely disliked is because that almost everyone who flies needs to check baggage and they feel like the airlines have them cornered with no way out. When they are charged fees for services such as reserved seating or early boarding it is not viewed in such a negative light. Since airlines did not charge fees in the past for checked baggage the flying public feels like this is a service that should be included with the ticket price. In a recently released report Delta Airlines generated the most revenue of all airlines from checked baggage, charging a total of $952 million. Continental and United, under their recent merger, collected the second highest amount of baggage fees, coming in at $655 million.

The most interesting thing to note in regard to these amounts is the fact that the airline that collected the highest amount of baggage fees, Delta, is also the airline which has consistently ranked lowest in terms of customer satisfaction. On the other hand Southwest, which doesn’t charge baggage fees, consistently ranks in first place among major airlines in terms of customer service. There seems to be a fairly direct correlation between the amount of baggage fees collected and customer satisfaction, the more fees collected the less customers are satisfied. Whether or not the baggage fees are the cause for this dissatisfaction has not been determined, but it is an easy leap to make. Some airlines have seen the revenue potential from adding more fees but hopefully they do not get carried away or before you know it there will be a credit card reader on the bathroom doors of every aircraft.

Southwest Airlines Remains First In Customer Service

It comes as no surprise to most that Southwest Airlines has recently come in first place in yet another customer service survey. This survey was conducted by the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and published as part of the American Customer Satisfaction Index which ranks different industries as compared to one another. Southwest has consistently been on top of most surveys which measure customer service or customer satisfaction among airline passengers. They have figured out how to provide a great experience for customers, all while charging some of the lowest fares in the industry. It is quite ironic that Southwest is referred to as a “no frills” airline, whatever frills the other airlines are providing obviously do not make much of a difference to customers.

Southwest definitely earns their spot in first place for customer service and this is a result of a corporate culture which is ingrained in all of the airline’s employees. From the pilots to ticket agents and every other employee, there is just a lighthearted and enjoyable feel when you are flying with Southwest. The fact that the fares they offer are some of the lowest in the industry certainly doesn’t hurt either. The airline is often dubbed a discount or budget airline, which again is a bit puzzling since those terms usually indicate something entirely different than what Southwest provides. When you think of budget hotels as compared to luxury hotels there is a very big difference in what you receive from each one. When you compare the service you receive when flying on Southwest with what you receive on any other major airline that is not considered to be a “budget” carrier, there is really no major difference. If anything, the service you receive when flying Southwest is better than the other major airlines.

Southwest Airlines has created an experience that is unrivaled by any other airline in the US and yet they still charge less than most. They have blown away the competition in this most recent survey, with the next closest airline scoring almost 20% lower. Southwest is also famous for its no fee baggage policy, in a time when others are charging for any checked baggage. Other airlines have found that customers view these fees negatively, and they are now trying to figure out ways to eliminate these fees but still replace the revenues. Since Southwest never implemented these fees they do not have to worry about this predicament. They have always managed to offer more to their customers for less money and if they continue to do so they will likely stay on top in terms of customer satisfaction.

American Airlines Replacing Up To 250 Aircraft

Officials with American Airlines unofficially revealed that the struggling airline is negotiating with both Boeing and Airbus in efforts to secure a contract to replace around 250 aircraft. This replacement would essentially provide an entirely new fleet for all of the airline’s domestic flights. American currently utilizes a large amount of MD-80s which are a reliable jet but they are not nearly as efficient as some of the newer models that are being sought out. This would be a major move by the airline as they try to stave off future losses and return to running a profitable operation. An entirely new fleet would benefit the airline in a number of ways, although at a significant cost. The price tag on this potential order of 250 aircraft would run somewhere around $15 billion.

American Airlines has had difficulty in attracting enough customers to fill their aircraft in recent years and they are hoping that these new aircraft will help with this matter. Along with attracting more customers these new aircraft will likely attract a host of new employees. It is only natural that more flight crews would want to work for an airline that has a fleet of entirely new aircraft, as opposed to working in older models that lack the features and comforts of newer models. In addition to this the majority of aircraft that are currently being produced are far more fuel efficient than those which are being replaced. The aging fleet that American Airlines currently operates is lacking in this area. With fuel at the high prices we are currently paying this would be a huge benefit to the airline and could play a big part in returning the company to its once profitable state.

Over the last 20-30 years American Airlines has transitioned from having one of the top reputations of domestic airlines to landing somewhere towards the bottom of the pack. With a fleet that is older than many they desperately need to replace these aircraft as quickly as possible if they stand any chance of remaining a viable company. The majority of airline passengers today expect certain amenities and comforts that just aren’t provided in many of the current aircraft that American is operating. This surely takes a toll on the flight crews as well and is likely responsible for a good deal of turnover. After all if you have a choice of working for a company that offers a shiny new facility or an old run down facility, we all know which one will win out in the end. This deal will certainly help to improve both the customer experience and employee moral but the big question is will it be soon enough to help in turning things around for them.

Virgin Blue Airline’s Re-branding Off To A Rough Start

If the recent changes made by Virgin Blue Airlines are any indication of what lies ahead, it will be a rough transition for them. Since John Borghetti took over the helm the airline has initiated a lot of changes in an attempt to move away from a budget based airline and move towards a business class airline. Borghetti has said that the transition will be in stages over the next 10-12 months and not all at once. The first change was to drop the Blue from the name, which has been synonymous with budget airlines. At first he was considering trading the Virgin name for something else entirely but recently has decided to stick with Virgin. The initial steps in the re-branding strategy include upgrading airport lounges, adding business class seats, adding more wide body aircraft for longer flights, revamping in-air food services and an entirely redesigned uniform.

The redesigned uniform project was undertaken by famous super model Elle Macpherson and Project Runways Juli Grbac. The goal was to design a uniform that is attractive and brings the glamour back into commercial jet travel. They were going for something closely akin to the Pan-Am uniforms, which at one time if you were wearing this you were treated almost like a celebrity. The uniforms looked nice in their initial debut but shortly after employees starting wearing them the complaints started to fly in. So many so that the Civil Aviation Safety Authority has received at least 4 formal complaints about the uniforms. The complaints state the uniforms are ill fitting, cause rashes, and are highly flammable. Employees state that while wearing the uniform they are unable to raise their arms above their shoulders, which poses a serious safety issue in the event of an emergency. The employees also say that when designing the uniforms they only took the look into consideration and didn’t care about comfort or safety. This seems to be a problem that needs immediate attention and is not helping the Virgin re-branding effort.

Virgin Airlines recently announced a fare increase along with the increase in fuel surcharges as a result of the recent surge in fuel prices. This couldn’t come at a worse time, as they are trying to get through the pains of making major changes to their organization. There has also been a lot of publicity about the recent lawsuit against Virgin that was filed by two employees who are claiming discrimination because of issues with maternity leave. And who can forget the incident with the baby being put into the overhead luggage compartment. All of this adds up to a ton of publicity for the airline, the only problem is that it’s the wrong type of publicity. With any luck they can put this behind them, but they are faced with a lot of problems at once which is hard to overcome. With the unstable economy we are currently faced with a slew of problems such as this can be disastrous, but we will see what the future holds.

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