irrational fear of flying

[Dave Thompson]

I’m flying Delta to Europe next week. I sure hope they’re better than they were 10 years ago.

[Saab2000]

I’m flying Delta to Europe next week. I sure hope they’re better than they were 10 years ago.

What did they do wrong ten years ago?

I do not work for Delta, so I have no strong opinions but they generally have a very good reputation.

[72gmc]

when i get to fly to Europe for work, I choose Delta. Sometimes Air France gives me the same service for less.

[thollandpe]

Rewind to spring 2018, when a Southwest 737 experienced an uncontained engine failure that broke a window and killed a passenger. Tragic, and the first US airline fatality since 2009.

But two years prior there was a similar uncontained failure that resulted in damage to the aircraft's fuselage but no fatality. Same engine, airframe, and carrier. (Background: designing and testing containment for a failed fan blade is one of the most stringent, important, and dramatic tests for an engine to receive FAA certification)

In 2017 the FAA issues an airworthiness directive that required ultrasonic testing of all the fan blades in service on that engine. This was to be done within 18 months. The engine manufacturer disagreed, commenting that the compliance time should be 12 months. The airlines, not only Southwest but also American, Delta, and United pushed back for 18 or 20 months. The second failure happened 8 months after the directive.

[rwsaunders]

I’m flying Delta to Europe next week. I sure hope they’re better than they were 10 years ago.

My airline of choice these days. I’ll make sure that they look out for you Dave...maybe you can score a first class blanket and a pillow. Just be sneaky when you pass through the cabin.

[theflashunc]

Even the FAA's internal assessment identified the MAX as possibly the most unsafe airliner in service, and they still continued to allow the thing to fly.

People absolutely need to go to prison for this.

Internal FAA Review Saw High Risk of 737 MAX Crashes - WSJ

[sine]

I don't understand the mentality.......lets approve an airplane that is less safe than the current fleet.

I agree, folks need to be put behind bars. Christ, a bloke (who was stupid enough to come to the US for vacay) from VW is behind bars.

But D.C. is a bit preoccupied with self promotion, etc. etc.

[SteveP]

The saga continues...
Boeing stops production of the plane...
Will have big impact on suppliers as well as Boeing.

I'm guessing that , if they thought approval would be coming soon they would not have taken this step.
But, I guess we get to see.
This will be a hard sell in Europe to get this thing flying again. Again, developing story.

[Saab2000]

As much as anything I’d bet there’s no place left to park the airframes coming out of production. It’s a logistical issue as much as anything. That said, yes, they’ve painted themselves into a serious corner with this fiasco.

[SteveP]

We are storing one in our backyard... The Grandkids love playing in it... especially since it won't be going anywhere very soon.

[rwsaunders]

And you wonder why people can find air travel to be inconvenient and impersonal. Our oldest flew Alaska Airlines from SEA to PIT yesterday and along with a dozen others, her luggage apparently didn't manage to be on the same plane as her. No response from Alaska customer service as they don't open until 10am PST. Here's the response that she received after filing a claim...never mind that the bag has her clothes for a week and Christmas gifts for family members.

[happycampyer]

And you wonder why people can find air travel to be inconvenient and impersonal. Our oldest flew Alaska Airlines from SEA to PIT yesterday and along with a dozen others, her luggage apparently didn't manage to be on the same plane as her. No response from Alaska customer service as they don't open until 10am PST. Here's the response that she received after filing a claim...never mind that the bag has her clothes for a week and Christmas gifts for family members.

Makes you wonder why they bother to add “within 30 days”...

[slwrnu]

rw - that is beyond awful. I sometimes wonder if we would all be better off paying a little more for goods and services and hope for better customer support in return. I hope you can turn it on its head - cobble together some basic essentials for your daughter, beg, borrow or steal, cook some nice food, as I am sure you will, and laugh about it. Good luck.

[Matthew Strongin]

Ha. That's actually kinda funny since it's not my baggage. I recently had an issue with grocery delivery delay. The customer support system told me to contact them for support once my delivery was delayed by 5 days. I got a laugh out of imagining my groceries stuck on a truck for a week.

[rwsaunders]

rw - that is beyond awful. I sometimes wonder if we would all be better off paying a little more for goods and services and hope for better customer support in return. I hope you can turn it on its head - cobble together some basic essentials for your daughter, beg, borrow or steal, cook some nice food, as I am sure you will, and laugh about it. Good luck.

First world problem I know but she called the Alaska Airlines baggage "hot line" yesterday, which didn't open today until 10:00am PST. The robo kindly directed her to leave her number as all agents were busy...promised to call her within 3+ hours. No digital news where the bag is other than on the robo call, they indicated that there was a baggage issue at SeaTac yesterday...no kidding.

[sebaudet]

As much as anything I’d bet there’s no place left to park the airframes coming out of production. It’s a logistical issue as much as anything. That said, yes, they’ve painted themselves into a serious corner with this fiasco.

Sure and not enough manpower to maintain in condition to fly the parked aircrafts...

[Saab2000]

Sure and not enough manpower to maintain in condition to fly the parked aircrafts...

Hope all is well and you’re a 777 captain now! Or A380..!

My employer’s future is strongly impacted by the MAX situation so I hope there’s a solution, and soon. That said, I want the smartest people to take as much time as is needed.

[sebaudet]

Hope all is well and you’re a 777 captain now! Or A380..!

My employer’s future is strongly impacted by the MAX situation so I hope there’s a solution, and soon. That said, I want the smartest people to take as much time as is needed.

You move ? cool...I hope so but it seems to be difficult to validate a solution.... And no I am not a captain, I just leave AF and now I work for an european manufacturer . Next year will be intensive for me as I have to complete my Test course. But I installed my welder in the garage and hope to build again within two years, as the situation is stablilised and boys older

[vertical_doug]

Hope all is well and you’re a 777 captain now! Or A380..!

My employer’s future is strongly impacted by the MAX situation so I hope there’s a solution, and soon. That said, I want the smartest people to take as much time as is needed.

According to Boeing, this is where they are in the process. It seems only #1 is completed. In part five, there is a period for public comments which delays the process. Longest scenario given the circumstances, regulators will require full 737 simulator training for crews before certifying them for flights.

At what point does the BOD fire the CEO or he resigns? If he resigns or is fired before the process is finished, the situation is really FUBAR because the next CEO will need to sign off on the process greatly delaying the approval process.

1.Simulator Certification Session: A multi-day simulator evaluation with the FAA to ensure that the overall software system performs its intended function. COMPLETED
2.Line Pilots Crew Workload Evaluation: A separate, multi-day simulator session with airline pilots to assess human factors and crew workload under various test conditions.
3.Certification Flight Test: FAA pilots will conduct a certification flight(s) of the final updated software.
4.Final Submittal to the FAA: After completion of the FAA certification flight, Boeing will submit the final certification deliverables and artifacts to support software certification.
5.Joint Operational Evaluation Board (JOEB) Training Evaluation: The JOEB, a multi-regulatory body, conducts a multi-day session with global regulatory and airline pilots to validate training requirements. Following this session, the Flight Standardization Board will release a report for a public comment period, followed by final approval of the training.

[SteveP]

Speaking of luggage fiascos.
ALITALIA.

A few years ago myself and some friends were flying direct Boston- Milan with bikes.
Most of us got bikes on arrival, 2 did not.
" You were in coach? There is no luggage office for coach, you can only call the 800 #"
Call the 800#... after 30 minute hold ...only speaks Italian.


Hope the bikes get on next flight.. drive back to airport from Menaggio- 2 hrs each way.
day 2 no bikes
same day 3, no bikes.

I tell friend to get a friend of ours in Boston to go to the Alitalia booth at airport in Boston.
He does and tells the guy there his story.
guy responds...
" Oh yes, the big boxes right back in the luggage area? We will put them on the next flight ( one flight a day only )."
get bikes day 4. They would still be there if he didnt go down there.
Beware Alitalia...Plane was dirty and the crew smoked on the flight behind a curtain during the return flight.
You could smell the smoke through the plane.
dreadful.