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Press Release: Lufthansa and Boeing Celebrate 50 Years of Cooperation

From the Boeing 707 to the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental
HAMBURG, May 8 — Lufthansa entered the jet age with Boeing (NYSE: BA) 50 years ago. The airline and airplane manufacturer, both pre-eminent in the aviation industry, can look back on half a century of close and successful cooperation. Neither company shies away from taking the next step forward or from pushing technology and innovation to the next level. Together, Lufthansa and Boeing constantly work on even more efficient and environmentally progressive airplanes.

Lufthansa began scheduled jet service with a Boeing 707 on a direct flight from Hamburg to New York on March 17, 1960. With this jetliner, Boeing accomplished a quantum leap: Seating 168 passengers, the new airplane accommodated nearly twice as many passengers as the biggest propeller-driven airplane of the time. Traveling at a higher altitude, the 707 reduced flying time from Hamburg to New York by half, to around eight hours.

Since then, the airline business has continued to advance on many fronts. New technologies and materials have made flying even safer and more efficient. Passenger comfort has risen to unprecedented levels. Fuel consumption has been reduced by more than 70 per cent since the 1970s. And for the future, the air transport industry continues to develop new design criteria, then evaluate and implement them.

Boeing and Lufthansa are taking their successful cooperation and shared commitment to innovation a major step forward with the introduction of the 747-8 Intercontinental. Lufthansa will soon be welcoming the latest Boeing model into its fleet. The airline placed orders with Boeing for a total of 20 747-8 Intercontinentals. The new 747-8 is cleaner, quieter and more fuel efficient than its predecessor, the 747-400, and adopts the interior cabin architecture and lighting technologies inspired by the 787 Dreamliner.

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    Ryanair Diversion

    What: Ryanair Boeing 737-800
    Where: Billund, Denmark
    When: Sept 22, 2012, 9:30 a.m.
    Who: mo injuries
    Why: Flight FR 9086 from Alicante to Gothenburg made an uneventful forced landing at Billund airport, Denmark due to technical problems. The plane took off normally at 6:55 but diverted to Billund instead of arriving at Gothenburg at the scheduled time of 10:15. Details are scarce.

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  • Press Release: NTSB issues update on its investigation of Flight 188 that overflew intended Minneapolis Airport

    In its continuing investigation of an Airbus A320 that overflew the Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain Airport (MSP), the National Transportation Safety Board has developed the following factual information: On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, at 5:56 pm mountain daylight time, an Airbus A320, operating as Northwest Airlines (NWA) flight 188, became a NORDO (no radio communications) flight at 37,000 feet. The flight was operating as a Part 121 flight from San Diego International Airport, San Diego, California (SAN) to MSP with 144 passengers, 2 pilots and 3 flight attendants.

    Both pilots were interviewed separately by NTSB investigators yesterday in Minnesota. The following is an overview of the interviews:

    The first officer and the captain were interviewed for over 5 hours combined.
    The Captain, 53 years old, was hired in 1985. His total flight time is about 20,000 hours, about 10,000 hours of A-320 time of which about 7,000 was as pilot in command.
    The First Officer, 54 years old, was hired in 1997. His total flight time is about 11,000 hours, and has about 5,000 hours on the A-320.
    Both pilots said they had never had an accident, incident or violation.
    Neither pilot reported any ongoing medical conditions.
    Both pilots stated that they were not fatigued. They were both commuters, but they had a 19-hour layover in San Diego just prior to the incident flight. Both said they did not fall asleep or doze during the flight.
    Both said there was no heated argument.
    Both stated there was a distraction in the cockpit. The pilots said there was a concentrated period of discussion where they did not monitor the airplane or calls from ATC even though both stated they heard conversation on the radio. Also, neither pilot noticed messages that were sent by company dispatchers. They were discussing the new monthly crew flight scheduling system that was now in place as a result of the merger. The discussion began at cruise altitude.
    Both said they lost track of time.
    Each pilot accessed and used his personal laptop computer while they discussed the airline crew flight scheduling procedure. The first officer, who was more familiar with the procedure was providing instruction to the captain. The use of personal computers on the flight deck is prohibited by company policy.
    Neither pilot was aware of the airplane’s position until a flight attendant called about 5 minutes before they were scheduled to land and asked what was their estimated time of arrival (ETA). The captain said, at that point, he looked at his primary flight display for an ETA and realized that they had passed MSP. They made contact with ATC and were given vectors back to MSP.
    At cruise altitude – the pilots stated they were using cockpit speakers to listen to radio communications, not their headsets.
    When asked by ATC what the problem was, they replied “just cockpit distraction” and “dealing with company issues”.
    Both pilots said there are no procedures for the flight attendants to check on the pilots during flight.
    The Safety Board is interviewing the flight attendants and other company personnel today. Air traffic control communications have been obtained and are being analyzed. Preliminary data from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) revealed the following:

    The CVR recording was 1/2 hour in length.
    The cockpit area microphone channel was not working during this recording. However, the crew’s headset microphones recorded their conversations.
    The CVR recording began during final approach, and continued while the aircraft was at the gate.
    During the hours immediately following the incident flight, routine aircraft maintenance provided power to the CVR for a few minutes on several occasions, likely recording over several minutes of the flight.
    The FDR captured the entire flight which contained several hundred aircraft parameters including the portion of flight where there was no radio communication from the flight crew. Investigators are examining the recorded parameters to see if any information regarding crew activity during the portion of flight where radio contact was lost can be obtained.

    The Safety Board’s investigation continues.

    -30-

    NTSB Media Contact: Keith Holloway
    hollowk@ntsb.gov
    (202) 314-6100

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    American Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Bogota

    American Airlines flight AA-984 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Bogota, Colombia, on October 4th.

    The Boeing 767-300 plane heading from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Miami, Florida, was diverted due to electrical issues.

    The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.

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    NTSB TO HOLD SYMPOSIUM ON AIRLINE CODE-SHARING ARRANGEMENTS AND THEIR ROLE IN AVIATION SAFETY

    National Transportation Safety Board
    Washington, DC 20594
    August 16, 2010

    The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a two-day symposium on the role that airline code-sharing arrangements play in aviation safety. The event, chaired by NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman, will be held on October 26-27, 2010, in Washington, DC.

    Code-sharing is a marketing arrangement in which one airline places its designator code on a flight operated by another airline, then sells and issues tickets for that flight.

    Recent NTSB investigations of accident flights operated under code-sharing arrangements include the February 2009 accident near Buffalo, New York, in which a Colgan Air flight was operated as Continental Connection; a 2007 accident in Traverse City, Michigan, in which a Pinnacle Airlines flight was operated as Northwest Airlink; a 2007 accident in Cleveland, Ohio, in which a Shuttle America flight was operated as Delta Connection; and a 2006 accident in Lexington, Kentucky, in which a Comair flight was operated as Delta Connection.

    Today, most airlines participate in some type of code- sharing arrangement, either with domestic or international partners. More than half of passenger enplanements in the U.S. this year are on regional airlines, almost all of which are involved in code-sharing arrangements.

    “In the past twenty years, code-sharing arrangements have so proliferated within commercial aviation that today the vast majority of airlines are involved in what are often complex business and operational arrangements.” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. “We have investigated many accidents in which passengers bought tickets on a major carrier and flew all or part of their trip on a different carrier – one that may have been operating to different safety standards than the carrier that issued the ticket. While all carriers are required to meet minimum standards, a clearer picture and deeper understanding of the best safety practices for code-sharing arrangements are the goals of this symposium.”

    The symposium will be organized to elicit information on the following three issue areas: (1) structures, practices, and oversight of domestic and international code-sharing arrangements; (2) best practices regarding the sharing of safety information between airlines and their code-sharing partners; and (3) the role that a major airline would have in the family disaster assistance response for an accident involving a code-sharing partner.

    These areas will be explored through presentations from major and regional airlines, industry organizations, and representatives of the traveling public.

    The symposium, “Airline Code-Sharing Arrangements and Their Role in Aviation Safety” will be held at the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center, located at 429 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, DC. A detailed agenda will be released closer to the date of the event.

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    American Airlines Recalls Approximately 800 Furloughed Employees

    545 Flight Attendants and 250 Pilots to Be Recalled for Active Duty

    FORT WORTH, Texas, Oct. 6 — American Airlines today announced that it is sending recall notices to 545 flight attendants and 250 pilots. Several factors contributed to the company’s ability to recall, primarily its efforts to capitalize on new international flying and business opportunities with British Airways and Iberia, continuing to strengthen its cornerstone hubs, and preparing for it’s pending alliance with Japan Airlines.

    Following today’s news conference in London announcing the official beginning of American’s alliance with British Airways and Iberia, AMR Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey said: “The company is pleased to be recalling approximately 800 total pilots and flight attendants to help capitalize on our business goals as well as to meet our staffing needs in the coming months. This is exactly the kind of growth we’re hoping to achieve with our network strategy, and my hope is that trends like this will continue.”

    The first group of 25 pilots will be recalled in mid-November, and the company will continue to recall at a rate of approximately 30 per month. For flight attendants, recall notices will be sent in phases. The first notices will be issued to approximately 225 flight attendants this month; subsequent notifications will follow later in the year.

    “I am very pleased to welcome our furloughed flight attendants back to service,” said Denise Lynn, Vice President – Flight Service. “Each day, our flight attendants play an integral role in providing our customers with a welcoming and positive experience onboard all our flights.”

    Captain John Hale – Vice President Flight, added “we are happy to have these pilots back in our cockpits. My hope is that the enhancements we’re making to our network will allow us to extend the same offer to more of our furloughees.”

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    Press Release – FAA Proposes $455,175 Civil Penalty Against Corporate Air

    For Immediate Release

    October 12, 2010

    SEATTLE – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a $455,175 civil penalty against Corporate Air of Billings, Mont., for allegedly operating a Beech 1900C airliner when it was not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.

    “Our aviation safety rules are designed to protect the flying public,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We expect airlines to comply with these rules and will take enforcement action when they do not.”

    The FAA alleges Corporate Air failed to maintain the aircraft under the company’s general maintenance manual, which includes the Pratt & Whitney Canada maintenance manual for the aircraft’s turboprop engines.

    Specifically, the FAA alleges that Corporate Air operated the aircraft on at least 80 flights in spite of continued evidence of excessive oil consumption by the right engine. The FAA-approved aircraft and engine manuals call for post-flight inspection and repair of an engine experiencing excessive oil consumption. Corporate Air did not correct the oil consumption problem despite repeated inspections in which oil had to be added.

    Corporate Air operates charter and air taxi service under Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations.

    “The safety of the passengers and crew must be the top priority for any operator,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “All operators must comply with maintenance requirements.”

    Corporate Air has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency.

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