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United and Continental Offer Rebooking Options to Customers Affected by Winter Weather

CUSTOMERS TRAVELING TO IMPACTED CITIES MAY RESCHEDULE WITHOUT PENALTY on united.com OR continental.com
CHICAGO, Jan. 10, 2011

United Continental Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: UAL) today announced travel options for United and Continental customers whose flight plans may be affected by severe winter weather forecast for the U.S. Northeast region and Chicago. Weather conditions are expected to lead to the delay or cancellation of certain flights at Continental’s New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport for travel from Jan. 11 through Jan. 13 and United’s hub at Chicago O’Hare International Airport for travel on Jan. 11. Operations at other airports throughout the Northeast may also be affected.

The travel waiver for the Southeast region continues for customers traveling through Jan. 11.

Change Flights for No Fee at united.com or continental.com

Customers scheduled on flights to, from or through the impacted areas may reschedule their itinerary with a one-time date or time change, and the change fees will be waived. If a flight has been canceled, a refund in the original form of payment may be requested. Complete details and eligible travel dates are available at united.com and continental.com.

The fastest and most convenient way to change travel plans is via united.com or continental.com, and customers should continue to manage their reservations on the respective company’s website from which their ticket was purchased. Customers may also book a new reservation, change an existing reservation or check flight status by calling United Reservations at 800-UNITED-1 or Continental Reservations at 800-525-0280 or their travel agent.

Another excellent way to receive information about flight delays, cancellations and gate changes is with United’s EasyUpdate service or Continental’s TripAlert service, which provide customers notifications via phone, text or e-mail.

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    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Yemenia Air Under Scrutiny by Investigative Team

    Yemenia Air Airbus 310 flight 626 en route from Yemen’s capital Sanaa to the Comoros Islands crashed on the second pass to land at the ill-equipped airport during heavy weather.

    Westlake Village, California (Press Release) July 8, 2009 — A lawyer has contacted George Hatcher to dispatch a team of his consultant staff to work on the Yemenia Air crash. The latest development in this recent aviation disaster is that the thirteen bodies found by fishermen 500 miles away from the Comoros Islands may be victims who have drifted from the Yemenia Airbus crash. On its second pass at attempting a landing at the airport during a fearsome storm off the Comoros, the Yemenia Airlines Airbus flew into the ocean, killing 141 passengers and 11 crew members. This is the second Airbus lost at sea in a single month, and the crash points to an ominous trend toward a lessening of safety in aviation. Bahia’s survival and thirteen hour ordeal clutching at floating debris while suffering a broken collarbone, and too weak to climb into the rescue boat is one that clutches at our heartstrings, especially when we find out that her mother died in the crash. Bahia was flown back to her family in Marseilles. But that is not the end of the story.

    Almost half of the dead were French citizens; and French citizens are up in arms over Yemenia Air. Having failed required criteria, the Airbus involved in the incident was under scrutiny, and not allowed to fly in French airspace; but the plane was allowed to regularly fly to Comoros, a poor island society with an ill-equipped airport. There is culpability to be assigned here, though it is all speculation until the black boxes are found. A 40 year veteran of litigation investigation and evaluation (including aviation,) George Hatcher explains that he was contacted by a lawyer working, “on behalf of some families, and we have dispatched a team there to assist.”

    The thirteen bodies that were just found washed ashore on “Mafia Island,” some 500 miles from the site of the crash. A wing with “Airbus” scribed on it, and a plane seat were found in close proximity to the bodies. However, the black boxes have NOT been found yet; and the vast distance that the wreckage traveled bodes ill for the prospects of finding them.

    There is already a group organized to protest the substandard plane accommodations. Spokesperson Farid Solihi of the protest group “SOS voyage aux Comores” has been an outspoken detractor of intolerable conditions aboard flights to and from Comoros. Hopefully the Hatcher team will be able to make contact with Solihi or some other “SOS voyage aux Comores” member.

    About George Hatcher
    George Hatcher is an independent generalist, a consultant dedicated to the support of the victims of aviation incidents or accidents. Known internationally, Hatcher works with well known lawyers, and develops crack teams to help support litigation, communication, and safety initiatives. To read further about the company, visit http://aircrashconsultants.com

    Contact: george@georgehatcher.com
    Aviation Consultants

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    Boeing Achieves Power On for New 747-8 Intercontinental

    EVERETT, Wash., Nov. 5, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) has completed the power on sequence for the new 747-8 Intercontinental. This milestone enables the program to begin functional tests on the airplane.

    “This is a critical step in the assembly process for the new 747-8 Intercontinental,” said Elizabeth Lund, 747 deputy program manager, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The airplane’s systems are now live. This milestone is a reflection of the focus and hard work of our engineers, mechanics and suppliers.”

    Power on is a complex series of tasks that methodically energize and activate the airplane’s systems. In this critical stage of the assembly process, the electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic systems are brought on line.

    Mechanics connected the 747-8 to an external power cart to energize the flight-deck display and maintenance systems. The electricity coursing through the airplane’s 133 miles (214 km) of wire will be as high as 105 kilovoltampere (kVa).

    The program also activated the airplane’s hydraulic and pneumatic systems. Pressurized to 3,000 pounds per square inch (psi), the hydraulics power the flight control surfaces, landing gear, brakes and steering systems. The 160 psi applied to the pneumatic system enables the airplane to operate the environmental control systems and the leading-edge flaps.

    “We are very methodical in ensuring the integrity of the airplane’s systems,” said Todd Zarfos, vice president of 747 engineering, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “This accomplishment is a key milestone in validating the design, installation and functionality of the electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic systems.”

    A video that gives you an inside look at the power on sequence is available at http://bit.ly/dlXgym.

    The program is expected to complete assembly of the 747-8 Intercontinental in the first quarter of 2011. The airplane is scheduled to enter service in late 2011 following the flight test program.

    The 747-8, which includes the 747-8 Intercontinental and the 747-8 Freighter, was launched in November 2005. Boeing has 109 orders for the 747-8 — 33 for the 747-8 Intercontinental and 76 for the 747-8 Freighter. The first 747-8 Intercontinental is scheduled to deliver in late 2011.

    The new 747-8 Intercontinental offers the lowest operating costs and best economics of any large passenger airplane, while providing enhanced environmental performance. The 747-8 provides new revenue opportunities that allow airlines to maximize profits. Eighteen feet longer than the 747-400, the 747-8 has 51 additional seats to accommodate 467 passengers in a typical three-class configuration, and it also offers 26 percent more cargo volume.

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    Aussie Aviation engineers urged to learn about new rules

    All licensed aircraft maintenance engineers, apprentices and aircraft maintenance engineers are being urged to attend a seminar on Australia’s new aviation maintenance regulations.

    All licensed aircraft maintenance engineers, apprentices and aircraft maintenance engineers are being urged to attend a seminar on Australia’s new aviation maintenance regulations.

    A series of 13 seminars on the new maintenance rules are being held by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority across the nation from mid March to mid April.

    Seminars are being run in all capital cities, except Canberra, as well as Newcastle, Wagga and Cairns.

    The new maintenance regulations come into effect on 27 June 2011.

    All licensed aircraft maintenance engineers (LAMEs) with current licences will have them converted to the new regulations before 27 June 2011. It is expected new licences will be issued in early June.

    LAMEs with licences that expire before the end of June are reminded to renew their existing licence.

    While LAMEs will retain their current privliges under the new rules it is important they understand how the new regulatory system operates and its impact on all sectors of the aviation maintenance industry.

    Apprentices and aircraft maintenance engineers also need an overview of the rule changes.

    Importantly, under the new rules there will be a focus on safety management systems and human factors training will be introduced for maintenance organisations which support regular public transport operations.

    The new maintenance suite of regulations covers all LAMEs, all maintenance training organisations, maintenance organisations maintaining regular public transport aircraft and regular public transport air operators.

    Revised maintenance regulations for other sectors of aviation such as charter, aerial work and private operations will be developed at a later date, after wide consultation with these sectors.

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    New DOT Consumer Rule Limits Airline Tarmac Delays, Provides Other Passenger Protections

    DOT 199-09
    Monday, December 21, 2009
    Contact: Olivia Alair
    Tel.: (202) 366-4570

    New DOT Consumer Rule Limits Airline Tarmac Delays, Provides Other Passenger Protections

    U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a new rule that significantly strengthens protections afforded to consumers by, among other things, establishing a hard time limit after which U.S. airlines must allow passengers to deplane from domestic flights.

    “Airline passengers have rights, and these new rules will require airlines to live up to their obligation to treat their customers fairly,” Secretary LaHood said.

    The new rule prohibits U.S. airlines operating domestic flights from permitting an aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours without deplaning passengers, with exceptions allowed only for safety or security or if air traffic control advises the pilot in command that returning to the terminal would disrupt airport operations. U.S. carriers operating international flights departing from or arriving in the United States must specify, in advance, their own time limits for deplaning passengers, with the same exceptions applicable.

    Carriers are required to provide adequate food and potable drinking water for passengers within two hours of the aircraft being delayed on the tarmac and to maintain operable lavatories and, if necessary, provide medical attention.

    This rule was adopted in response to a series of incidents in which passengers were stranded on the ground aboard aircraft for lengthy periods and also in response to the high incidence of flight delays and other consumer problems. In one of the most recent tarmac delay incidents, the Department fined Continental Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines and Mesaba Airlines a total of $175,000 for their roles in a nearly six-hour ground delay at Rochester, MN.

    The rule also:

    • Prohibits airlines from scheduling chronically delayed flights, subjecting those who do to DOT enforcement action for unfair and deceptive practices;
    • Requires airlines to designate an airline employee to monitor the effects of flight delays and cancellations, respond in a timely and substantive fashion to consumer complaints and provide information to consumers on where to file complaints;
    • Requires airlines to display on their website flight delay information for each domestic flight they operate;
    • Requires airlines to adopt customer service plans and audit their own compliance with their plans; and
    • Prohibits airlines from retroactively applying material changes to their contracts of carriage that could have a negative impact on consumers who already have purchased tickets.

    Today’s final rule was adopted following a review of public comments on a proposal issued in November 2008. The Department also plans to begin another rulemaking designed to further strengthen protections for air travelers. Among the areas under consideration are: a requirement that airlines submit to the Department for review and approval their contingency plans for lengthy tarmac delays; reporting of additional tarmac delay data; disclosure of baggage fees; and strengthening requirements that airline ads disclose the full fare consumers must pay for tickets.

    The rule goes into effect 120 days after date of publication in the Federal Register. The rule may be obtained on the Internet at www.regulations.gov, docket DOT-OST-2007-0022.

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  • Press Release: Premier Turbines Named Designated Repair Center in Americas for M601 and H80 Engines

    December 8, 2009 — RENO, NEVADA — GE Aviation has selected Premier Turbines as its Designated Repair Center in North and South Americas for M601 and H80 turboprop engines.

    As part of this exclusive agreement, Premier Turbines will offer heavy repair services, exchange engines and rentals, line replacement unit rotable pools and field service support to all existing and future M601 and H80 engines in the Americas region. GE Aviation will provide the necessary OEM parts to meet Premier Turbines’ needs. Premier Turbines will be ready to accept M601 engines for repair in the first quarter of 2010.

    “GE chose Premier Turbines based on its strong commitment to customer support and quality as well as its extensive experience providing repair services for turbine engines,” said Brad Mottier, vice president and general manager of Business & General Aviation at GE Aviation. “This designation will further expand GE’s service and support offerings for M601 operators and future H80 engine operators.”

    Located in Neosho, Missouri, Premier Turbines is a leading provider of repair and overhaul services for commercial, government and military turbine engines, components and accessories with more than 40 years experience. Premier Turbines is dedicated to providing precision service, on-time performance and the expertise that comes from decades of experience on thousands of turbine engines. The company was acquired by BBA Aviation in 2003.

    Last year, GE Aviation began offering M601 operators around-the-clock customer support through its Business Jet Operations Center. The Business Jet Operations Center is staffed with customer product technicians who can provide a rapid response to needs, such as parts availability, trouble-shooting and field issues. M601 engines are overhauled at GE Aviation Czech’s facility in Prague.

    GE Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of commercial and military jet engines and components as well as avionics, electric power, and mechanical systems for aircraft. GE Aviation also has a global service network to support these offerings. For more information, visit us at www.ge.com/aviation.

    GE AVIATION EXPANDING OPERATIONS IN BATESVILLE

    Governor Haley Barbour announced today that GE Aviation is expanding its operation in Batesville. The company’s Batesville plant produces composite components for the GEnx jet engine, which will power Boeing’s new 787 and 747-8 aircraft. The GEnx engine is the world’s only jet engine with composite fan blades, composite fan platforms and a composite fan case.

    With the expansion, GE Aviation will add an additional 350 jobs over the next few years. The facility currently employs more than 100 employees.

    “I am delighted that GE Aviation is expanding its operations in Mississippi and is adding 350 jobs at its Batesville facility,” Governor Barbour said. “This premier aviation company has become a valued corporate citizen in Mississippi, and I commend it for its continued commitment to the state and for creating additional high-wage, high-skill jobs for Mississippians.”

    The opportunity to expand these operations stems from the growth of advanced composites in jet engines, which can provide greater durability and weight savings over more traditional metal materials. GE Aviation is pursuing advanced technologies, materials and processes that will result in more efficient jet engines.

    “Our Batesville operation is involved in some of the most advanced manufacturing processes in the aviation industry,” said Jeanne Edwards, GE’s plant leader in Batesville. “Also, GE is very fortunate to have a strong order book for its new GEnx engine. Many of the technology advantages inherent in the GEnx engine are linked directly to the components produced in Batesville.”

    The expansion will represent a company investment of approximately $85 million. The Mississippi Development Authority provided $8.6 million in Momentum Mississippi incentives to assist with this project. In addition, Panola County provided $4 million to assist with the expansion.

    GE Aviation partnered with Mississippi State University’s Raspet Flight Research Laboratory to demonstrate the capabilities necessary for producing composite fan platforms in 2006. In 2007, the company announced it would locate a new manufacturing facility in the state. After its Batesville facility was completed in 2008, the company began production of these components there.

    In June of this year, GE Aviation announced a new research partnership with the University of Southern Mississippi in which researchers from both the company and the university are working together on technologies related to composite panels, which will also be produced in Batesville.

    “Mississippi is rapidly becoming known as a center for composite materials and technologies,” said Gray Swoope, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority. “I am proud that GE Aviation is utilizing our available resources and developing these materials and processes here in Mississippi, and I am pleased the company is working with Mississippi universities to further refine these technologies. GE Aviation’s decision to further invest in its Mississippi operations demonstrates its continued confidence in the state and in our workforce.”

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    Pilots urged to keep Port Lincoln Australia skies safe

    CASA Media Release – Friday 11 February 2011
    Pilots urged to keep Port Lincoln skies safe

    Port Lincoln pilots are being urged to attend an important air safety workshop next week.

    The workshop will give local pilots special training to improve their flying and safety skills.

    The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is holding the workshop to help make the skies over Port Lincoln even safer.

    Safety issues to be covered at the workshop include aviation weather and avoiding airspace infringements. There will also be the opportunity for pilots to ask questions and raise issues about local flying.

    CASA’s Peter Gibson says the workshop is part of a national regional air safety campaign.

    “Giving pilots from Port Lincoln extra training will lift their safety skills to even higher levels,” Mr Gibson says.

    “All pilots receive comprehensive training but this workshop means they will be even better equipped to fly safely at all times and deal with emergencies.

    “Port Lincoln has a good air safety record but accidents do happen and everyone in aviation must work hard to keep local skies safe.”

    The workshop is being held at the Port Lincoln Aero Club on Wednesday 16 February 2011, starting at 6:00pm.

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