698 Airline Travel Challenges

Airline travel this summer faces challenges with crew shortages and fatigue. Also, the mask mandate, 100th Bombardier Global 7500 Biz Jet delivered, boarding the airplane without a jet bridge, a rare airline amenity, giving up the seat you paid for, some turbofan failures after storage, when passengers are told their flight would be ditching, and therapy animals at airports. Aviation News Airlines are slashing flights due to staffing shortage: ‘The summer will be chaos’ Crew shortages are affecting airlines around the world. Travel demand is up, but staff availability is down. The summer travel outlook looks chaotic. Pilot union sues American Airlines to block pilot training program The Allied Pilots Association (APA) filed a suit to “prevent the airline from eliminating the longstanding practice of using experienced Check Airmen during a critical stage of the pilot training program.” The volunteer program encourages pilots to take simulator training sessions on their days off.  In the press release, Allied Pilots Association Sues American Airlines Over Railway Labor Act Violations, APA President Capt. Eric Ferguson says,  Having failed to plan properly for the recovery in air travel demand, American Airlines management now finds itself having to deal with the consequences of being the only major airline to have furloughed pilots during the pandemic and its decision to forgo training opportunities at that time… Management continues to fall behind and is scrambling to increase the volume of the pilot training funnel. Consequently, they are now soliciting all pilots to volunteer to replace our specially trained Check Airmen as ‘seat fillers’ during a critical training evaluation stage under terms and conditions that remain largely unknown to APA. APA President Capt. Eric Ferguson Fatigue is starting to put safety at risk, pilots say The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), says “Fatigue, both acute and cumulative, has become Southwest Airlines’ number-one safety threat.” Southwest plans to hire 8,000 new employees this year, forty percent of those flight crew. Florida judge voids US mask mandate for planes, other travel A federal judge says the mask mandate exceeds the authority of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and also that the CDC failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking procedures. Bombardier Delivers 100th Global 7500; Milestone Jet Goes to VistaJet – AIN Bombardier celebrated its 100th Global 7500 delivery with its largest customer, VistaJet, which has taken 10 of the aircraft manufacturer’s flagship business jets so far. The delivery ceremony took place at Bombardier’s Montreal Laurent Beaudoin Completion Centre, where the company outfits the aircraft after they’re flown from its Toronto assembly plant. This is where customers oversee the interior finishing of their Global 7500, familiarize themselves with them, and take delivery. VistaJet is a Part 295 air charter broker. https://youtu.be/RuWgyCBraEw Frontier Airlines wants to ditch jet bridges in Denver and board by stairs Starting in 2024, Frontier Airlines plans to use airstairs and switchback ramps to board and deplane its fleet of Airbus aircraft through the front and rear aircraft doors. Frontier’s CEO, Barry Biffle: “A dedicated ground boarding facility will benefit customers by cutting in half the time for boarding and deplaning through the use of both the front and rear aircraft doors. That, in turn, will reduce our time on the ground between flights by nearly half and nearly double our number of aircraft operations per gate.” This Airline Has Offered One Rare Amenity Since 1952 — and It’s Still the Coolest Thing in the Skies KLM Royal Dutch Airlines offers unique Delftware porcelain amenities that have become collector’s items. When do you give up an airline seat that you’ve paid for? Sometimes you don’t want to swap seats with another passenger, but sometimes it’s the right thing to do. FAA warns of in-flight turbofan failures following long-term storage The Federal Aviation Administration issued an airworthiness directive (AD) warning of CF34 failures for engines taken out of storage. “Engines installed on airplanes parked outdoors for 250 or more days are at risk of excessive corrosion build-up,” it says. The AD cites several in-flight CF34 troubles. Airline Passengers Accidentally Told Plane Was Going to Make an Emergency Landing in the Sea Passengers aboard an Aer Lingus flight from Zurich to Dublin listened to an automated emergency announcement stating, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is an emergency. Please prepare for a ditched landing.” Flight attendants didn’t react and a passenger went into the galley to get more information. After that, an announcement from the flight crew confirmed there was no emergency. Easter Bunny Story: Scared of flying? SFO’s new giant rabbit is here to help Alex the Great, a 28-pound Flemish Giant rabbit, has joined the San Francisco International Airport Wag Brigade to help calm nervous travelers. The brigade is composed of mostly dogs but includes LiLou, the “World’s 1st Airport Therapy Pig.”  37 U.S. Airports Have Therapy Dog Programs. Does Yours? San Jose International Airport (SJC) in California was the first airport to bring in therapy dogs shortly after 9/11. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) was the second airport to introduce therapy dogs. The Journey is the Reward Brian T. Coleman and Main(e) Man Micah discuss a letter they received from a United Airlines Captain. Mentioned The Air Current – Exclusive news and insight on the business and technology of flying. The YB-52 prototype, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, takes its first flight on April 15, 1952 A Look Back At All The B-52 Variants As The Iconic Bomber Hits 70 Airliners International 2022 Chicago – Buy, swap, sell airline memorabilia. June 23-25, 2022. 37 U.S. Airports Have Therapy Dog Programs. Does Yours? Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood | Official Trailer | Netflix https://youtu.be/Dzuz5s_Qk-A Airlines Confidential Podcast – Hosted by Ben Baldanza, former CEO of Spirit Airlines, and Chris Chiames, a 30+ year airline/travel industry veteran. Thunder Over Dover, May 21-22, 2022. Hosts this Episode Max Flight, David Vanderhoof, Max Trescott, and Rob Mark.