All Systems & Interiors news – Page 814
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News
Culture shock
Paul Phelan/CAIRNS Following a relatively minor accident, Ansett Australia recently set about overhauling the way the whole company looks at its safety task. This was not done in isolation - there is a growing understanding, manifested at recent air safety forums, that some traditional industry practices, and even early ...
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American goes for health check to save money
David Learmount/LONDON American Airlines plans to install diagnostic medical equipment on all its aircraft after finding that costly diversions can be reduced by determining whether apparent heart attack symptoms are real. The equipment, know as an automatic external defibrillator (AED), can also treat actual cardiac problems by supplying ...
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Dassault will replace 900B
Kate Sarsfield/LONDON Dassault Aviation is replacing its Falcon 900B triple-turbofan business jet with an upgraded variant of the aircraft known as the 900C. The Falcon 900C offers the same performance and cabin features as those of the 900B, but has the avionics of the extended range 900EX. The ...
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CFM56-7 failures spark FAA action
The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) which requires inspections of CFM International CFM56-7B turbofans that are used to power newly delivered Next Generation Boeing 737s. The move follows two inflight engine shutdowns on 26 June, both caused by failures in the accessory gearbox ...
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BA delays narrowbody decision
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES British Airways has delayed a decision on whether to choose Airbus Industrie or Boeing to supply its new short haul fleet after a last-minute revision of the US manufacturer's bid appeared to stave off an imminent move towards the European consortium. An evaluation team was ...
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SOHO disappears from its deep space orbit
The European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA spacecraft, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), has been lost in its deep space orbit after operating since December 1995. The spacecraft went into an emergency sun reacquisition mode on 25 June. This is activated when orientation to the sun is lost ...
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JAL aims to speed cost cuts with new express subsidiary
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Japan Airlines (JAL) has launched its new low cost subsidiary, JAL Express (JEX), in an effort to counter the country's crippling high labour costs and in response to the impending entry into the domestic airline market of the first of several planned start-ups. JEX launched its ...
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Completion centre
Associated Air Center of Dallas, Texas, has become the first US completion company approved by Airbus Industrie to outfit the A319 Corporate Jetliner. Similar agreements have been signed with Jet Aviation in Switzerland and Lufthansa Technik in Germany. The US centre will offer a range of cabin layouts. Source: ...
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Where's the glue
The major alliance groups are each taking different approaches as they try to balance the need for IT integration against potential divorce. When United Airlines' chairman Gerald Greenwald announced the planned alliance with Delta Air Lines, he pointed to IT as one of the major hurdles that would determine ...
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Are you IT- compatible?
Anybody who has not realised that strategic alliances between airlines are the future of the industry must have been asleep for the last few years. But as the major alliance groups seek to implement the close ties their strategists have planned, they are becoming acutely aware of a painful reality: ...
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Alliances: three forgotten factors
Stop. Wait. Listen. Think. The whole world is alliance-mad. The fanatical alliance worshippers of this world might think this is heresy, but a fundamental question needs to be asked. Is the crazy web of continuously changing alliance relationships actually going to produce workable results? Alliance-building is basically an egotistical ...
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A first class idea
While the rest of the airline industry promotes the idea of no-frills, virtually fat-free flying, Midwest Express is pampering its passengers with premium service. Meanwhile, in France Fairlines hopes to emulate this success. A handful of peanuts and a dribble of Coca-Cola never satisfied anyone, least of all an airline ...
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US alliances face scrutiny
The US General Accounting Office has planted serious seeds for concern in politicians' minds by claiming that proposed US domestic alliances could mean a reduction in competitive service to almost 101 million American passengers. The GAO highlights the Delta Air Lines/United Airlines partnership as especially worrying because of its ...
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US airports face review
If major US airports thought they were immune from the Department of Transportation's surge of interest in anti-competitive behaviour, they can think again. DOT secretary Rodney Slater is establishing a taskforce with airports in mind. Details of what the taskforce will be looking at are not yet clear, although ...
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Mesaba to double RJ85 fleet
Mesaba Airlines, a US regional feeder for Northwest Airlines, is to double its fleet of Avro RJ85 regional jets in a move that is bound to anger Northwest pilots who are already in bitter contract negotiations. The Northwest Airlink affiliate agreed to amend its regional jet agreement to increase ...
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Qantas embarks on European charter routes from Heathrow
Ian Sheppard/LONDON Qantas has started operating Boeing 747-400 charter flights in Europe by leasing its aircraft to other carriers during layover at London Heathrow Airport. Qantas pilots and cabin crew will operate five trips to Barcelona and four to Istanbul, flying P&O cruise passengers to and from the ...
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Swissair moves to reduce fuel bill
Swissair is aiming to save SFr14 million ($10 million) a year and boost its environmentally-friendly image by cutting fuel consumption by 3%. It plans to achieve the reduction by reducing aircraft operating weights and improving operating procedures. Studies conducted jointly by Swissair flight operations and US company Flight Sciences ...
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Emirates turns down Star for its own global network plans
Doug Cameron/Dubai Emirates has turned down an offer to join the Star Alliance, the Dubai-based flag carrier opting instead to develop its own global network following an order for up to 12 ultra long haul aircraft. A decision between the Airbus Industrie A340-500 and Boeing 777-200X - for six firm ...
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Courting trouble
By the time that the European courts actually got round to ruling on the Air France state aid issue, it is a fair bet that few people remembered that the case was still pending. It is, after all, four years since the European Commission waved through approval for the French ...