Category Archives for Aircraft.
Three years ago American Airlines promoted a hypothetical maybe order for electric aircraft using taxpayer bailout funds. Now they’re promoting a hypothetical maybe order for hydrogen-fueled aircraft while positioning themselves as unable to afford higher wages for flight attendants.
The group Just Stop Oil promoted themselves vandalizing Stonehenge – and then the next day, going after Taylor Swift’s private jet at London’s Stansted airport. But – whoops – they went to the wrong London airport.
A new whistleblower was identified in advance of Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun’s testimony today. A Renton, Washington quality assurance inspector says that the planemaker “improperly tracked and stored faulty parts, and that those parts were likely installed on airplanes including the 737 Max,.”
Furthermore, he claims that supervisors instructed him “to conceal evidence from the FAA,” and that he has faced retaliation. Boeing offered to fly the whistleblower to D.C. on a 737 MAX 9.
After a number of high profile incidents, the FAA has been auditing safety practices at United Airlines. They’ve been unable to open up flights to new cities or add new delivery aircraft to their fleet, and they have had to defer already-announced service.
There was some worry that this could drag on as the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General announced an audit of the FAA’s audit.
An airline employee fell off a TransNusa Airbus A320 in Indonesia, and video of the incident is spreading widely. He stepped out the door of the aircraft – just as stairs to the aircraft were being removed. Fault here lies with the ground handler, which shouldn’t remove the stairs while the aircraft’s door is open.
The best American Airlines domestic aircraft is the one that it flies on premium cross-country routes like New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Airbus A321T (T for transcon) features first class, business class and economy.
However that plane is on the way out, with the premium cabins being dismantled and even coach being made worse. The first of these – the aircraft registered as N115NN – has already been converted into a standard domestic plane with regular first class, TVs removed, and less legroom. It will soon re-enter service as a stripped-down experience.
It’s unclear whether the FAA’s latest fuel tank concerns will merely delay the introduction of the A321XLR, at least for U.S. airlines and transatlantic service, or whether it will mean less fuel capacity and range for the aircraft – meaning that it winds up less useful for the airlines that have ordered it.
Boeing has admitted to falsifying manufacturing safety records on 787 aircraft. They’re now dealing with another FAA investigation.
The FAA offers a statement that they’re investigating that this may have happened but Boeing acknowledges that it did happen.
Boeing’s reputation is in tatters, and their manufacturing capacity has been throttled by the government and a need to revamp quality control processes. Airbus can’t keep up with demand, and has its own delivery delay issues. Both are booked up with sales for the next several years, regardless.
The world may desperately need another mainline jet manufacturer.
Joshua Dean, a 45-year-old former quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems who had recently become a whistleblower about manufacturing defects on the Boeing 737 MAX, tragically passed away following a sudden illness. Boeing whistleblowers keep passing away.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
