Trivia 2015 (miscellaneous news)

[Passenger]

On 31st August 2015, an internal planning error caused that American Airlines AA-31 from Los Angeles to Honolulu (Hawai) was flown by an A321 without the necessary ETOPS certificate.

Full story - and the initial source for all other press reports:
http://www.briansumers.com/home/2015/9/ ... -to-hawaii

[sean1982]

I would have expected the pilots to check the etops status of their aircraft during their pre-flight checks?

[sn26567]

American Airlines is under fire for flying the wrong plane from Los Angeles to Hawaii last month.

The airline admitted that on August 31, instead of an A321H plane, it flew an A321S, which does not have the proper authorization to fly such a long distance over water, according to aviation blogger Brian Sumers.

He first learned about the major gaffe while hanging out on aviation message boards.

The Honolulu-bound plane used did not have ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) certification.

It also did not have extra oxygen and a fire suppression canister mandated for long hauls, according to the Washington Post.

Flying the plane to Hawaii violated Federal Aviation Administration regulations.

The airline says it discovered the mistake shortly after takeoff but made the decision to continue the flight as the plane was not a safety hazard.

However, when it landed it made the return flight back without passengers.

American Airlines did not shed light on how the snafu happened but told the outlet that it immediately upgraded its software so that the correct plane is matched to the correct route.

http://www.eturbonews.com/63695/america ... ane-hawaii

[Passenger]

On 31st August 2015, an internal planning error caused that American Airlines AA-31 from Los Angeles to Honolulu (Hawai) was flown by an A321 without the necessary ETOPS certificate. Full story - and the initial source for all other press reports:
http://www.briansumers.com/home/2015/9/ ... -to-hawaii

The airline admitted that on August 31, instead of an A321H plane, it flew an A321S, which does not have the proper authorization to fly such a long distance over water, according to aviation blogger Brian Sumers. He first learned about the major gaffe while hanging out on aviation message boards.
It also did not have extra oxygen and a fire suppression canister mandated for long hauls, according to the Washington Post. Flying the plane to Hawaii violated Federal Aviation Administration regulations.
http://www.eturbonews.com/63695/america ... ane-hawaii

The report on The Aviation Herald is factual, but the discussion there about who is responsible is alive and kicking there:

http://avherald.com/h?article=48c48e0d&opt=0

[sn26567]

Air India set to ground 130 ‘over-weight’ flight attendants, mostly women

Air India has decided to ground about 130 flight attendants, mostly women, who have failed to meet government-imposed weight standards, angering cabin crew and aviation experts who see the move as "sexist".

The state-owned airline had last year asked 600 flight attendants to lose weight within six months. It now plans to assign over a fifth of them to ground jobs because their body mass index (BMI) levels are still above prescribed limits.

A May 2014 circular by the directorate-general of civil aviation had asked all domestic airlines to classify their flight attendants into "normal", "overweight" and "obese" and ensure that only the "fitter" are assigned aircraft duties.

It said an airhostess was "normal" if her BMI was between 18 and 22, "overweight" if it was between 22 and 27, and "obese" for any figure above 27. For male stewards, the standards were 18-25, 25-30, and above.

After the circular was issued, the airline's 3,500 cabin crew members were tested and 600 were found overweight or obese.

They were declared "temporarily unfit" for flight duties and asked to undergo clinical examinations and weight reduction through a regimen of diet, exercise and lifestyle changes under periodic monitoring by the carriers.

They were given a six-month deadline, which ended recently. About 130 of them failed the reassessment and would be given ground assignments at airports.

Full story: http://www.abplive.in/india/2015/09/13/ ... stly-women

[airazurxtror]

One can understand that an overweight flight attendant costs much because of more fuel used.

http://www.airindia.in/excess-baggage.htm
the excess baggage charges per kilo is 1.5% of the highest normal direct one way economy class fare.

But so does an overweight pilot ... not to speak of the overweight passengers.

[Passenger]

One can understand that an overweight flight attendant costs much because of more fuel used.
http://www.airindia.in/excess-baggage.htm
the excess baggage charges per kilo is 1.5% of the highest normal direct one way economy class fare.
But so does an overweight pilot ... not to speak of the overweight passengers.

Agree, but air fares are calculated on an average weight of passengers. And because it's psychologically impossible to weigh passengers upon check-in, airlines have to apply excess baggage to keep the balance.

I think only two airlines weigh passengers: Uzbekistan Airways and Samoan Air.

[Homo Aeroportus]

SN255 to Ouaga is cancelled tomorrow 18/09.
Supposed due to unrest after a new tenant decided to rock the boat there?

H.A.

[Passenger]

SN255 to Ouaga is cancelled tomorrow 18/09.
Supposed due to unrest after a new tenant decided to rock the boat there?
H.A.

Yep. Airport and borders are closed.

Foreign Affairs Belgium:

Momenteel is het onrustig in de hoofdstad Ouagadougou. De grenzen en de luchthaven zijn voor het ogenblik gesloten. Er werd een avondklok ingesteld (19u00 – 06u00). Belgen die zich ter plaatse bevinden, wordt aangeraden hun verplaatsingen te beperken tot het strikte minimum. Het wordt eveneens aangeraden te allen tijde waakzaam te zijn, demonstraties en samenscholingen te mijden, de berichtgeving in de media te volgen en zich goed te informeren over actuele ontwikkelingen. Belgen die naar Burkina Faso wensen af te reizen, wordt gevraagd om hun reis momenteel uit te stellen. Belgen die zich ter plaatse bevinden, worden verzocht hun aanwezigheid telefonisch (+226.25.31.21.64/65) of online via http://www.travellersonline.diplomatie.be externe link te melden.

Source NL:
http://diplomatie.belgium.be/nl/Dienste ... a_faso.jsp

Actuellement la situation dans la capitale Ouagadougou est tendue. Les frontières et l'aéroport sont fermés en ce moment. Un couvre-feu a été instauré (19h00 – 06h00). Il est conseillé aux Belges qui se trouvent sur place de limiter leurs déplacements au strict minimum. Il convient également de faire preuve d’une vigilance permanente, d’éviter les manifestations et rassemblements, de suivre la couverture médiatique et de s’informer sur les développements actuels. Il est demandé aux Belges qui veulent se rendre au Burkina Faso de reporter leur projet de voyage en ce moment. Nous conseillons aux Belges qui s’y trouvent de signaler leur présence par téléphone (+226.25.31.21.64/65) ou online via le portail http://www.travellersonline.diplomatie.be lien externe.

Source FR:
http://diplomatie.belgium.be/fr/Service ... a_faso.jsp

[airazurxtror]

Tunis-Carthage airport will be closed from 14 october 2015 at 17h to 16 october at 22h, for works on the runway.
The Tunisair flights will go to Monastir (150 km away), with shuttle buses. Air France and Transavia will cancel their flights during the closure.

http://www.air-journal.fr/2015-09-18-la ... 50522.html

[Passenger]

There was a major security alert at AMS Schiphol on Monday evening, closing off the M-terminal for two hours. Reason: a 20-year old female passenger for a flight to Rome went through security with this smartphone cover:



(photo supplied by Dutch police to AD.nl)

[Passenger]

Look at the traffic coming from the left:

[airazurxtror]

Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr has crossed swords with Michael O’Leary, his counterpart at Ryanair, vowing to defend the German carrier’s domestic market from further encroachment from budget airlines despite Mr. O’Leary’s assurances that the business can but shrink.

[airazurxtror]

Ukraine will ban Russian airlines from flying into the country as part of sanctions over Moscow's support for rebels in the east.
Kiev said the measures would take effect on 25 October and would include major Russian airlines Aeroflot and Transaero.
Russian transit flights will also be banned if the planes carry military personnel or dual-use goods.
Moscow described the move as "an act of madness", promising a firm response.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34365791

[airazurxtror]

Virgin Atlantic UK domestic operation Little Red has closed its doors. Little Red launched in March 2014, using Airbus A320s on wet lease from Aer Lingus. The airline was set up to perform flights from London Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, feeding Virgin Atlantic's long-haul network.

However, Virgin Atlantic decided to axe the carrier just seven months later, in October 2014, due to weak demand.

Virgin Atlantic secured nine of Little Red’s 12 London Heathrow slot pairs as part of a European Commission remedy package, when British Airways (BA) acquired bmi. The slots will now be returned to BA and will remain available for airlines wishing to start operations or add frequency on the remedy routes.

http://atwonline.com/finance-data/virgi ... ly+News%29

[sn26567]

Strange diversion occurring right now: American Airlines flight AA93 (Boeing 767-300ER N361AA) from Dublin (DUB) to Chicago (ORD) is diverting to ... London Heathrow. Not exactly on its way... Any explanation?

[sean1982]

Strange diversion occurring right now: American Airlines flight AA93 (Boeing 767-300ER N361AA) from Dublin (DUB) to Chicago (ORD) is diverting to ... London Heathrow. Not exactly on its way... Any explanation?

Probably better maintenance services available and more options to get the passengers on their way? BA is also oneworld so passengers can be put on BA flights

[Reg E S Potter]

Little Red launched in March 2014,

I believe it was March 2013?

Reg

[sn26567]

End of an era: the last British Airways Boeing 737 flight is scheduled to be Gatwick-Turin-Gatwick tomorrow. I remember the time when BA staunchly refused to buy the A320 and got unwillingly its first A320s through its merger with BCal... At that time the B737 was the backbone of its fleet.

[b-west]

Strange diversion occurring right now: American Airlines flight AA93 (Boeing 767-300ER N361AA) from Dublin (DUB) to Chicago (ORD) is diverting to ... London Heathrow. Not exactly on its way... Any explanation?

Everybody loves London