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Southwest Airlines Under FAA’s Microscope: New Safety Findings Uncovered As Audit Continues

Oct 16 2024

Over the summer the FAA launched a safety audit of Southwest Airlines. This came after the airline came within feet of the water while still miles from Tampa less than a month after another of the airline’s 737s descended to just over 500 feet while still 9 miles out from the Oklahoma City airport. In April, a Southwest Airlines flight in Hawaii came within 400 feet of the Pacific Ocean. Then in June a Southwest Airlines flight took off from a closed runway Southwest has shared internally some of the issues that FAA inspectors have flagged during the Certificate Holder Evaluation Process Safety Audit. I suppose some of these are better than the pilots who spent a flight watching video feed of passengers in the lavatory? The airline declined comment since “[t]he CHEP is still…

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American Airlines Pilots Overthrow Union President in ALPA Merger Battle: The Fallout Begins

cockpit with pilot
Oct 08 2024

The President of the American Airlines pilot union has been removed, recalled by the union’s board of directors in a 15-5 vote. Captain Ed Sicher, in office in 2022, had controversially sought to exclude pilots from union positions that favored merging with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which is the largest pilot union group while pilots at American have their own independent union.

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Passengers Left Standing As Iberia Pilot Pushes Back In Miami—Does Cabin Video Show Major Safety Breach?

Oct 05 2024

The pilot of an Iberia flight from Miami to Madrid pushed back the Airbus A330 despite “DOZENS of passengers still waiting to find their seats and stow their bags.”

One passenger, filming the cabin, noted that flight attendants seemed “unconcerned” and wanted to report this to government authorities. In fact, one crewmember is distributing predeparture beverages in the aisle and overhead bins remain open as well.

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Unprecedented Pilot Wages In Peril: Is The Golden Era Already Over? JetBlue Cockpit Crew Think So

cockpit with pilot
Aug 18 2024

Pilots have been seeing record wages in new deals at the major carriers, in the face of paying too many to retire at the depths of Covid while not adding more to the pipeline, a recovery in air travel, and the time and cost to introduce new pilots as a result of government regulation lobbied for by the big pilot union ALPA. The tide may be about to turn.

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American Airlines Just Cancelled All New Pilot Training Through End Of Year As Stock Tanks

cockpit with pilot
Jun 20 2024

American already reduced its pilot hiring for 2024 by 40% year-over-year, also citing Boeing issues, pausing new hire classes for the summer and potentially for December as well. This was consistent with guidance the airline had provided at its March investor day.

But now has cancelled all of its new-hire pilot training through end of 2024.

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