Aircraft

Category Archives for Aircraft.

President Trump Grounds Boeing 737 MAXs in the US

by Gary Leff on March 13, 2019

Mar 13 2019

I’ve just written that I believe the FAA was reasonable not to ground the Boeing 737 MAX, and that doing so brings along its own safety risks. I wrote that I hoped that new data would be what guides any shift in position.

Minutes after writing that, though, President Trump announced a grounding of the aircraft type. It’s not obvious that there’s been any actual new information which has become available since the FAA resisting doing so. The only meaningful news item has been Canada’s decision to ground the plane, also based on no new material information.

Why the FAA is Right Not to Ground the 737 MAX, and Still Right if They Ground it Later

by Gary Leff on March 13, 2019

Mar 13 2019

I do generally trust the FAA, and the pilots operating these aircraft, to offer their best judgment here. Standing athwart regulators the world over who are taking the simple path (they’ll never get blamed for a car crash or incident on another aircraft type) isn’t easy.

I just hope that new data would be what guides any shift in position.

Delta Appears to Raise Europe Business Class Awards to 105,000 Miles Each Way (50% Increase in a Year)

by Gary Leff on March 13, 2019

Mar 13 2019

It appears that SkyMiles is now charging 105,000 miles each way for transatlantic business class awards, up from 86,000 miles. That’s a 22% devaluation without notice on top of Delta’s already most-expensive saver awards compared to competitors, and a 50% increase in a year.

When Delta raised transatlantic prices to 86,000 miles just over a year ago they rolled back the increase briefly, before bumping it up again to 82,000 miles in June. So we don’t know if this new highest price will hold in the immediate term.

Boeing Reportedly Asked the President Not to Ground the 737 MAX

by Gary Leff on March 12, 2019

Mar 12 2019

The New York Times is reporting that Boeing’s CEO spoke to President Trump today and asked him not to ground the 737 MAX.

Meanwhile China’s Civil Aviation Administration Deputy Director offered pilot confidence and experience as a reason why it makes sense to ground the aircraft in Asia even though similar measures aren’t being taken in North America.

What Airlines Are Doing For Customers Who Don’t Want to Fly the 737 MAX (And Why I’m Not Worried Yet)

by Gary Leff on March 12, 2019

Mar 12 2019

Regulators are risk-averse. There’s almost nothing for a regulator to gain by not banning something that could be dangerous that turns out not to be. However they’re going to face significant blame if something bad comes to pass and they did nothing.

So it’s not surprising to see country after country ground the Boeing 737 MAX in light of the tragic Ethiopian Airlines incident. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has now grounded the MAX. However the FAA has not. Outside of Aeromexico North American airlines continue to stand by the aircraft.

President Trump Has Opinions About the Boeing 737 MAX, and They’re Exactly What You’d Expect

by Gary Leff on March 12, 2019

Mar 12 2019

The President takes an intellectually consistent position with his views on trade, focusing on displaced workers when new technologies compete away older products.

Filed under: bad news for Uber and self-driving cars, good news for those who like the continued use of paper flight strips by air traffic controllers.

Free Inflight Wifi Coming to Delta

by Gary Leff on March 12, 2019

Mar 12 2019

For seven years I’ve been saying that inflight internet will eventually be free. Since I started making that prediction JetBlue introduced free inflight internet and Aer Lingus has announced usage-capped free wifi. Southwest, Delta and Alaska now offer free inflight messaging.

My 2012 prediction was that inflight wifi would be free in 10 years (so by 2022). Delta CEO Ed Bastian says they’ll do it in a year or two so by 2021.

Australia Bans the 737 MAX

by Gary Leff on March 12, 2019

Mar 12 2019

Australia has temporarily banned the 737 MAX. This affects only Fiji Airways which operates Boeing 737 MAX 8s on Australia routes.

Aeromexico has grounded its 737 MAX aircraft. Groundings have occurred in Argentina and Brazil. In the US Senators Diane Feinstein and Richard Blumenthal, clearly aviation experts themselves, have called for the grounding of the plane.

American Airlines Flight Attendants Union Telling Crew They Don’t Have to Work the 737 MAX

by Gary Leff on March 11, 2019

Mar 11 2019

American Airlines has 24 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in service. Plenty of customers are expressing concern over the aircraft after the Lion Air incident in October was followed by yesterday’s tragic crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX. China and Indonesia have grounded the jet.

Many airlines operating the plane, including Southwest and American, have expressed support for the aircraft’s safety. And it’s too early to know just what happened in yesterday’s occurrence. We’ll know more soon, especially now that the aircraft’s black boxes are being studied. It’s natural though to have concerns.

Don’t Read Too Much Into China and Indonesia Grounding the Boeing 737 MAX

by Gary Leff on March 11, 2019

Mar 11 2019

Just as China’s move to ground the MAX conveniently serves political interests (in escalating trade tensions with the U.S.), Indonesia has an interest in blaming the aircraft itself versus their country’s largest privately-run airline for its tragic incident.

Aircraft

President Trump Grounds Boeing 737 MAXs in the US

Why the FAA is Right Not to Ground the 737 MAX, and Still Right if They Ground it Later

Delta Appears to Raise Europe Business Class Awards to 105,000 Miles Each Way (50% Increase in a Year)

Boeing Reportedly Asked the President Not to Ground the 737 MAX

What Airlines Are Doing For Customers Who Don’t Want to Fly the 737 MAX (And Why I’m Not Worried Yet)

President Trump Has Opinions About the Boeing 737 MAX, and They’re Exactly What You’d Expect

Free Inflight Wifi Coming to Delta

Australia Bans the 737 MAX

American Airlines Flight Attendants Union Telling Crew They Don’t Have to Work the 737 MAX

Don’t Read Too Much Into China and Indonesia Grounding the Boeing 737 MAX

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