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Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants’ Union Ratifies Boeing 737-800 Tentative Agreement

DALLAS, Nov. 18, 2010
Southwest Airlines is pleased to announce that its Flight Attendants, represented by the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 556, voted to ratify a tentative agreement reached with the Company in September to add the Boeing 737-800 to the current collective bargaining agreement. With this positive vote, the Flight Attendants’ current contract will also be extended by one year, becoming amendable May 31, 2013, and will include the potential for wage rate increases based on the Company’s financial performance. TWU 556 is made up of more than 9,700 Flight Attendants.

“Since we began evaluating the opportunity to introduce the Boeing 737-800 into our fleet, the TWU negotiating committee and Leadership Team quickly grasped the potential benefits along with the added operational complexities associated with this decision,” said Mike Van de Ven, Southwest Airlines Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “This was an important step in our due diligence process, and we are pleased that our hard working Flight Attendants recognize the long-term benefits of adding this new aircraft to our fleet.”

The decision to add the -800 still isn’t final. The carrier is still waiting for a ratification vote with its Pilots’ Union, SWAPA, and is continuing to evaluate network and configuration options. Any details regarding firm orders with Boeing, timing, and quantity of deliveries are still to be determined. If the Company pursues the -800, a joint committee would meet to work on the logistical details related to scheduling and bidding procedures that adding a fourth Flight Attendant will require.

After nearly 40 years of service, Southwest Airlines continues to differentiate itself from other low fare carriers–offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer Service. Southwest Airlines is the nation’s largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded, now serving 69 cities in 35 states. Southwest also is one of the most honored airlines in the world known for its commitment to the triple bottom line of Performance, People, and Planet. To read more about how Southwest is doing its part to be a good citizen, visit southwest.com/cares to read the Southwest Airlines One ReportTM. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,100 flights a day and has nearly 35,000 Employees systemwide.

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    FAA Proposes Safety Systems for Certificated Airports

    The FAA has proposed requiring airports certificated under Part 139 to put in place safety management systems (SMS) for all airfield and ramp areas.

    There are currently 553 airports in the U.S. that hold Part 139 certificates. These certificate holders serve scheduled and unscheduled air carrier aircraft with more than 30 seats. These certificate holders also may serve scheduled air carrier operations with air carrier aircraft with more than nine but less than 31 seats.

    SMS is a formal approach to managing an organization’s safety through four key components — safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance, and safety promotion.

    This proposal will help airports enhance safety by developing an organization-wide safety policy; implementing methods to mitigate airport hazards; and analyzing and mitigating risks before they change airport procedures or infrastructure. The proposed rule requires that SMS be used for airport movement and non-movement areas which includes runways, taxiways, ramps, aircraft parking aprons, and fuel farms. The FAA believes that SMS will provide an additional layer of safety at airports and help reduce airport incidents and accidents. Airports will have the flexibility to implement a SMS plan that considers their unique operating environment.
    While the proposed SMS requirement will not take the place of regular FAA Part 139 inspections, this proactive emphasis on hazard identification and mitigation will provide airports with robust tools to improve safety.
    Airports are identified by four classes, depending on the type of air carrier service at the airport. The proposal states that Class I airports would be required to develop a SMS implementation plan within six months and implement within 18 months after the final rule is published. The remaining Class II, III, and IV airports would be required to develop a SMS implementation plan within nine months and implement within 24 months after the final rule is published. The FAA will review and approve the SMS implementation plans.

    The NPRM is published in today’s Federal Register and open for a 90-day public comment period that ends on January 5, 2011. To view the NPRM, Economic Evaluation, and make comments go towww.regulations.gov using docket # FAA-2010-0997.

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    Press Release: Boeing Delivers 11th 737-800 Airplane to Air Algerie


    SEATTLE, Sept. 29 — Boeing today delivered to Air Algerie its 11th 737-800.

    Air Algerie, the state-owned flag carrier of Algeria, operates a fleet composed primarily of Boeing 737s and some 767s. Boeing is scheduled to deliver two additional 737-800s in 2010 as well as four more in 2011. Air Algerie will be operating 17 737-800s in 2011 for a total of 22 Next-Generation 737 airplanes to complement its fleet.

    “The Boeing 737-800 has played an instrumental part in contributing to the success of Air Algerie’s growth in the region,” said Abdelwahid Bouabdallah, director general of Air Algerie.

    More than 120 customers around the world have ordered more than 5,000 Next-Generation 737s.

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    NASA UPDATES BROADCAST PLANS FOR JAPANESE CARGO FLIGHT TO STATION

    Jan. 20, 2011
    MEDIA ADVISORY

    HOUSTON — The launch of the H-II Transfer Vehicle “Kounotori2” (HTV2)
    planned for Thursday, Jan. 20, was rescheduled due to a forecast for
    weather conditions that would exceed launch restrictions. The Japan
    Aerospace Exploration Agency reset the launch for 11:37 p.m. CST on
    Friday, Jan. 21.

    NASA still plans live television coverage of the launch from
    Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. With an adjusted
    rendezvous plan, the grapple and attachment of the cargo ship to the
    International Space Station remain planned for Thursday, Jan. 27, and
    also will be covered live on NASA Television.

    NASA TV’s updated programming schedule for HTV2 events includes (all
    times CST):

    Friday, Jan. 21:
    11 p.m. — Launch coverage, anchored from NASA’s Johnson Space Center
    in Houston, begins. Launch is scheduled at 11:37 p.m.

    Thursday, Jan. 27:
    5 a.m. — Grapple coverage, anchored from Johnson, begins. The grapple
    of HTV2 is scheduled at 5:44 a.m.
    8 a.m. — Berthing coverage, anchored from Johnson, begins. The
    attachment should be complete at approximately 10 a.m.

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    PR: All-new Boeing Airplane Touches Down Safely After 3-Hour Mission

    In George’s opinion, Boeing is smart to add the heavy metal to the composite.


    SEATTLE, Dec. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The Boeing (NYSE: BA) 787 Dreamliner took to the sky for the first time today, ushering a new era in air travel as it departed before an estimated crowd of more than 12,000 employees and guests from Paine Field in Everett, Wash. The flight marks the beginning of a flight test program that will see six airplanes flying nearly around the clock and around the globe, with the airplane’s first delivery scheduled for fourth quarter 2010.

    The newest member of the Boeing family of commercial jetliners took off from Paine Field in Everett, Wash. at 10:27 a.m. local time. After approximately three hours, it landed at 1:33 p.m. at Seattle’s Boeing Field.

    787 Chief Pilot Mike Carriker and Capt. Randy Neville tested some of the airplane’s systems and structures, as on-board equipment recorded and transmitted real-time data to a flight-test team at Boeing Field.

    After takeoff from Everett, the airplane followed a route over the east end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Capts. Carriker and Neville took the airplane to an altitude of 15,000 feet (4,572 meters) and an air speed of 180 knots, or about 207 miles (333 kilometers) per hour, customary on a first flight.

    “Today is truly a proud and historic day for the global team who has worked tirelessly to design and build the 787 Dreamliner – the first all-new jet airplane of the 21st century,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. “We look forward to the upcoming flight test program and soon bringing groundbreaking levels of efficiency, technology and passenger comfort to airlines and the flying public.”

    Powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, the first Boeing 787 will be joined in the flight test program in the coming weeks and months by five other 787s, including two that will be powered by General Electric GEnx engines.
    The 787 Dreamliner will offer passengers a better flying experience and provide airline operators greater efficiency to better serve the point-to-point routes and additional frequencies passengers prefer. The technologically-advanced 787 will use 20 percent less fuel than today’s airplanes of comparable size, provide airlines with up to 45 percent more cargo revenue capacity and present passengers with innovations that include a new interior environment with cleaner air, larger windows, more stowage space, improved lighting and other passenger-preferred conveniences.

    Fifty-five customers around the world have ordered 840 787s, making the 787 Dreamliner the fastest-selling new commercial jetliner in history.

    ###
    Contact:
    Yvonne Leach
    787 Communications
    +1 206-854-5027
    yvonne.l.leach@boeing.com
    Marc Birtel
    787 Communications
    +1 206-390-4115
    marc.r.birtel@boeing.com
    More Information: http://www.boeing.com/commercial/787family/index.html
    SOURCE: Boeing
    Web site: http://www.boeing.com/

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    American Airlines Assists Customers Affected By Weather in Northeast

    FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 20, 2011 — Due to the anticipated weather impact on the Northeastern United States, American Airlines offers customers the convenience to change their plans. Customers ticketed to travel on American Airlines, American Eagle or AmericanConnection flights to, from, or through the airports listed below may change flights as shown without penalty.

    If you are traveling to/from/through those cities on Jan. 20-21 and your ticket was issued no later than Jan. 19, you may begin travel as late as Jan. 24.

    • Allentown/Bethlehem, Penn. (ABE)
    • Boston (BOS)
    • Harrisburg, Pa. (MDT)
    • Hartford, Conn. (BDL)
    • Newark (EWR)
    • New York Kennedy (JFK)
    • New York LaGuardia (LGA)
    • Philadelphia (PHL)
    • Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Pa.(AVP)
    • White Plains, N.Y. (HPN)
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    GE Aviation’s Flight Management System Provides Technology behind Southwest Airlines RNP

    January 12, 2011
    GE Aviation’s Flight Management System Provides Technology behind Southwest Airlines RNP
    –Grand Rapids, MI — GE Aviation’s flight management system TrueCourseTM is providing the technology to enable Southwest Airlines’ pilots to begin flying Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedures at 11 airports. TrueCourse is standard on all Boeing 737 aircraft. RNP is a satellite-based navigation that brings together the accuracy of GPS (Global Positioning System), the capabilities of advanced aircraft avionics, and new flight procedures.

    With RNP/NextGen procedures designed at 11 Southwest airports, Southwest Airlines’ projected savings is $16 million a year, with an anticipated savings of more than $60 million per year once all Southwest airports have efficient RNP procedures.

    “TrueCourse enables operators to fly the most efficient RNP operations available,” said Chris Beaufait, president of Avionics for GE Aviation Systems. “Southwest is well equipped and is positioning to lead the way in the expansive use of these approved routes realizing fuel, emission and noise reductions.”

    The TrueCourse flight management system controls the aircraft track to an accuracy of 10 meters (33 feet) and the time of arrival to within 10 seconds to any point in the flight plan. Benefits include the ability to fly shorter flight paths and idle-thrust descents which reduces fuel consumption, thereby lowering emissions and community noise levels. Software and hardware updates provide the latest technology to continue to meet the needs of the world’s evolving airspace requirements, offering safe and efficient improvements to aircraft operations and dispatch reliability.

    Southwest Airlines’ pilots and dispatchers now follow these new efficient flight procedures and enhanced avionics to fly specifically designed satellite-based navigation approaches. The primary airports with efficient RNP procedures include Amarillo*, Birmingham, Boise, Corpus Christi*, Los Angeles, Chicago Midway, Oakland, Oklahoma City, West Palm Beach, Raleigh-Durham, and San Jose.

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