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NTSB TO HOLD PUBLIC FORUM ON CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY IN AUTOMOBILES AND ON AIRPLANES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 13, 2010
SB-10-35

Washington, DC – The National Transportation Safety Board will address the safety of children traveling in airplanes or in cars when it holds a public forum on child passenger safety on Thursday, December 9, 2010.

“American families are on the go, and children today are frequent travelers almost from the time they are born,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. “Much more should be done to reduce fatalities and injuries of our smallest travelers, whether they are in a jumbo jet or their family’s car.”

The forum will be geared to providing parents and care givers information they can use immediately to protect their children while traveling. The forum will explore current education and other safety advocacy efforts by non-profit groups and government, as well as the continuing problem of nonuse of child seats and seat belts by a significant portion of the traveling public.

Safety experts from the transportation industry, trade associations, unions, advocacy groups, and federal government will be asked to discuss the best approaches for keeping children safe while flying and riding in cars, how to increase the use of child seats and seat belts, and the importance of government data collection on the issue of nonuse.

The NTSB has issued 33 safety recommendations addressing child passenger safety; 12 of these safety recommendations have been or currently are on the NTSB’s Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements.

The forum, titled “Child Passenger Safety in the Air and in Automobiles”, will be held at the NTSB’s Board Room and Conference Center, located at 429 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C. Parents, care givers, and others interested in child safety are encouraged to view the forum in person or by webcast on the NTSB’s website, www.ntsb.gov. Additional information about the forum can be found at www.ntsb.gov/children.

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    Boeing Begins Assembly of First 747-8 Intercontinental

    EVERETT, Wash., — Boeing announced it began assembly of the first 747-8 Intercontinental at the factory in Everett, Wash. Late this week, mechanics took the first step in major assembly for the new airplane by loading its wing panels and spars in the assembly tools. The spar is the internal support structure that runs through the full length of the wing.

    “This milestone symbolizes the dedication, focus and hard work that our team, suppliers and customers have invested in designing this wonderful airplane,” said Mo Yahyavi, vice president and general manager of the 747 program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The 747-8 Intercontinental will provide our customers with increased levels of passenger comfort, greatly improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions and noise.”

    Deutsche Lufthansa AG was the first airline to order the new, fuel-efficient passenger airplane, contracting for 20 747-8 Intercontinentals, with purchase rights for an additional 20. “We are very pleased to see that the production on the 747-8 Intercontinental has begun,” said Nico Buchholz, senior vice president, Corporate Fleet of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. “We are looking forward to welcoming the aircraft in our fleet as it is a component of Lufthansa’s strategy to modernize its fleet and increase environmental stewardship. The 747-8 shows our clear commitment to customer orientation.”

    The new 747-8 Intercontinental is stretched 18.3 feet (5.6 m) from the 747-400 to provide 467 seats — 51 more than its predecessor — in a three-class configuration. GEnx-2B engines and a new wing design provide airlines a quieter, more fuel-efficient airplane. The 747-8 is 16 percent more fuel efficient and creates a 30 percent smaller noise footprint than its predecessor. The 747-8 also provides nearly equivalent trip costs and 13 percent lower seat-mile costs than the 747-400, plus 26 percent greater cargo volume.
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    The 747-8, which includes the 747-8 Intercontinental and the 747-8 Freighter, was launched in November 2005. Boeing has 108 orders for the 747-8 — 32 for the 747-8 Intercontinental and 76 for the 747-8 Freighter. The first 747-8 Intercontinental is scheduled to deliver in late 2011.

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    Delta Kicks Off 70th Anniversary Year as Atlanta’s Hometown Airline

    Celebration includes christening of Delta Boeing 777 as the “Spirit of Atlanta”

    Jan 21, 2011

    ATLANTA, Jan. 21, 2011 — When Lynda Lloyd boarded her first Delta Air Lines flight in Atlanta as a flight attendant in 1964, the airline had recently become the first commercial carrier to fly across the country in less than three hours and had just launched the industry’s most sophisticated electronic reservations system, all under the watchful eye of company founder and then-chief executive C.E. Woolman.

    Today, Lloyd, Delta’s most senior employee who lives and works in Atlanta, will join hundreds of her fellow Atlanta-based employees as well as elected, community and business leaders from across Georgia to mark the airline’s 70th anniversary as Atlanta’s hometown airline.

    A Delta Boeing 777-200LR aircraft used to connect Atlanta nonstop to cities such as Tokyo, Dubai, Johannesburg and Tel Aviv, will be christened as the “Spirit of Atlanta” during a celebration at Delta’s massive Technical Operations Center, adjacent to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and in the shadow of the $1.4 billion Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal currently under construction.

    Delta (NYSE: DAL), today among the largest airlines in the world, was a small carrier focused on the Southeast when it moved its headquarters from Monroe, La., to Atlanta in 1941. In the decades that followed, Delta built the world’s largest connecting hub in Atlanta, and for more than two decades has remained Georgia’s largest private employer and a major economic force in the region.

    With 25,000 employees based in Atlanta, Delta is estimated to pump more than $25 billion into the local economy, and is a major contributor to key community organizations, including the Grady Health Foundation, the Woodruff Arts Center, AID Atlanta, Hands On Atlanta, Habitat for Humanity, CARE, the Carter Center and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

    “Delta Air Lines and Atlanta have a unique partnership that has been inextricably linked to the success and prosperity of our city and our airport for nearly three quarters of a century,” said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. “The strong relationships among companies such as Delta, state and local elected officials and civic organizations are what make Atlanta not only a global, dynamic city, but a great place to live and do business. Congratulations to Delta Air Lines, Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson and all employees on the company’s 70th anniversary as Atlanta’s hometown airline.”

    “Delta is truly an economic force for Georgia,” said Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal. “It is our biggest employer and its presence here plays a key role in helping us attract new investment and jobs. I look forward to partnering with Delta as it sets out on the next 70 years.”

    “The success of Delta and the city of Atlanta have been intertwined for seven decades, and it’s hard to argue with the results,” said Richard Anderson, Delta’s chief executive. “Atlanta has grown into a major international city while Delta built the world’s largest hub at the city’s airport. Central to this success has been the historic partnership between Delta, the city of Atlanta, the state of Georgia and our thousands of Atlanta-based employees and customers.”

    Recognizing one of Atlanta’s longest and most successful business partnerships, the “Spirit of Atlanta” will be christened at the celebration with a bottle of Coke. Muhtar Kent, chairman and chief executive of the Coca-Cola Company, will be honored and make remarks at the celebration.

    In addition, Lloyd will be honored as the Delta employee who has lived and worked in Atlanta the longest. The airline also will recognize its most frequent Atlanta flyer, Ed Robinette, who has flown nearly 7 million miles on Delta over the past 30 years, and Cheryll Davis, Delta’s most active Atlanta-based community volunteer, who has dedicated thousands of hours during her 20-year Delta career to the airline’s preferred local charities.

    “As a longtime Atlanta resident it’s been so exciting to be part of this airline, which is such a positive force for the community,” Lloyd said. “It was the very best decision of my life, to come to Atlanta, remain here, and be a Delta Flight Attendant. I am still enjoying the very best job in the world. It always makes me proud when I tell people I work for Delta.”

    “Two years ago, I moved my business to Atlanta because of the great flights and service offered by Delta, and I’m not the only one, we have so many businesses based in Atlanta solely because of Delta,” said Robinette, who has been a member of the Delta SkyMiles frequent flier program since its inception in 1981. “I’ve flown 7 million miles on Delta, and I can honestly say I don’t remember a single bad experience.”

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    Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 357 destinations in 67 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 75,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline’s service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, the world’s largest airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $2 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

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    Boeing Begins Certification Testing on 737 Performance Improvements

    SEATTLE, Nov. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — A Boeing (NYSE: BA) Next-Generation 737-800 in the new United Airlines livery successfully completed its first test flight late last week, signifying the start of certification for a package of 737 performance improvements. Testing and certification will continue through April 2011. Aerodynamic and engine changes included in the package will reduce fuel consumption by 2 percent. Boeing is phasing the changes into production mid-2011 through early 2012.

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    Watch video of the first certification test flight and learn how engineers came up with the design improvements here: http://bit.ly/a8T9oM.

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    NTSB PRESS RELEASE: NTSB CITES LACK OF BIRD STRIKE RESISTANT WINDSHIELD REQUIREMENTS IN FATAL CRASH OF HELICOPTER IN LOUISIANA

    National Transportation Safety Board
    Washington, DC 20594

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 24, 2010
    SB-10-45

    The National Transportation Safety Board today released a
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    On January 4, 2009, a dual-engine Sikorsky S-76C++
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    The aircraft had reached level cruise flight at 850 feet
    mean sea level and 135 knots when the cockpit voice recorder
    recorded a loud bang, followed by sounds consistent with
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    aircraft crashed several seconds later. Feathers and other
    bird debris were collected from the canopy and windshield of
    the aircraft. Laboratory analysis identified the remains as
    coming from a female red-tailed hawk; the average weight of
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    The investigation revealed that the impact of the bird on
    the canopy just above the windshield near the engine control
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    control levers into or near the flight idle position,
    reducing fuel to both engines. The pilots were probably
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    were unable to react in time to maintain control of the
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    The helicopter was originally equipped with laminated glass
    windshields that complied with European bird-strike
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    The NTSB determined that the helicopter crashed because of
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    strike and the subsequent disorientation of the crewmembers.
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    Recommendations were issued to the FAA dealing with, among
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    NTSB Safety Recommendation


    The National Transportation Safety Board makes the following recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration:

    Require that Avions de Transport Régional (ATR)42-seriesairplanes operating in the United States incorporate a revised stickpusher activation angle of attack(AOA), such that the stick pusher activates before the stall AOA in the presence of airframe ice accretions. (A-12-24)

    Evaluate all U.S.-certificated transport-category airplanes equipped with stick pushers to ensure that the stick pusher
    activates at an angle of attack that will provide adequate stall protection in the presence of airframe ice accretions.(A-12-25)

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    American Airlines Statement Regarding Court Action Against Sabre

    FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 10, 2011 / — Today, American filed a lawsuit in Texas state court in Tarrant Country against Sabre. The lawsuit alleges that Sabre’s recent actions taken against American, including the biasing of American’s services in all Sabre flight displays, violates agreements between American and Sabre and harms American, the travel agent community, and the traveling public.

    Also, American today filed a request for a temporary restraining order prohibiting Sabre from continuing to bias its display of American flights. We are gratified that, after a contested hearing, the Court has granted American’s request for interim relief, to be in effect until the Court considers American’s request for longer term relief.

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