Thursday, February 28, 2013

Boeing exec in Japan on Dreamliner mission


A senior Boeing executive was in Tokyo to meet government officials on Thursday as reports emerged that the planemaker was at odds with its battery supplier over how to fix the grounded Dreamliner.

Japan's transport ministry said it was the first mission to the country by headquarter executives since the next generation 787 was ordered out of the skies in January following a series of incidents.

The mission, led by Raymond Conner, executive vice president of Boeing and head of commercial airplanes, will meet transport minister Akihiro Ota, an official said.

"They have said they want to explain what Boeing is studying over the battery issue," said the official, who is in charge of aircraft safety at the ministry.

The visit came as the Wall Street Journal reported Boeing was in disagreement with GS Yuasa, the company that makes the lithium-ion batteries at the centre of the worldwide safety probe, over what remedial measures to take.

Boeing last week told the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the US Department of Transportation what it intended to do to fix problems behind incidents in which one battery caught fire and another emitted smoke.

The company, which has bet heavily on its lightweight plane at a time airlines are crying out for ways to slash fuel costs, desperately wants to get it back in the air.

But the paper, citing sources familiar with the matter, said Japanese battery maker GS Yuasa believes Boeing's package of fixes will not eliminate all possible risks to the power pack.

A probe has found short circuits caused a rapid rise in battery temperatures, but the search for the root of the short circuit has so far proved elusive.

A spokesman for GS Yuasa told AFP the company had no comment on the paper's report.

The worldwide grounding of all 50 Dreamliners in service has thrown airline schedules into disarray, especially in Japan where All Nippon Airways (ANA), the biggest operator of the plane, has been forced to cancel more than 3,600 flights through to the end of May.

SOURCE

Many tests before Boeing 787 flies again: FAA


The senior US air safety official said Wednesday that even if his agency accepts Boeing's plan to fix batteries on its 787, the plane will need a slew of tests before it is allowed to fly again.

Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Huerta was speaking after a report that Boeing might be able to make test flights as early as next week, but he seemed to suggest that the process might take time.

In testimony to the House of Representatives aviation subcommittee, said he expected to have an FAA report next week on Boeing's proposal.

"What Boeing has presented to us is a proposal that identifies a handful of probable causes that are all in the battery itself," he said.

"Once we approve the plan we have to go through the process of actually implementing the plan which will involve a great deal of testing, a great deal of further analysis and re-engineering before these planes are back in the air."

All 50 of the world's 787s were grounded on January 16 after the lithium-ion batteries on the cutting-edge plane overheated, causing a fire on one parked in Boston and smoke on another that forced an emergency landing in Japan.

The eight-cell battery was manufactured by GS Yuasa of Japan, which was hired for the project by Thales, a French subcontractor for the 787 Dreamliner, an all-new plane built largely with lightweight composite materials.

The lithium-ion batteries are significantly more powerful and lighter than the nickel-cadmium batteries used in other planes.

Huerta said that Boeing had presented a "comprehensive" plan that offers three levels of fixes, including design and re-engineering, to make sure that fire and smoke do not reoccur.

Boeing's plan focuses on a problem on a single cell, a problem that migrates to another cell and a problem that affects the entire battery, thus affecting the aircraft.

"We're working on the cell level, the battery level and the plane level," Huerta said, without providing details on the processes.

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that US government regulators have been working to give Boeing approval for test flights of its proposed battery fixes as early as next week, citing people familiar with the situation.

The people said Boeing had told some airline customers that if testing were conducted in early March, the jets could be carrying passengers by the end of the month, the Journal said.

The FAA gave Boeing approval earlier this month for two 787 test flights so the aerospace giant could collect data on the battery problems.

"I don't have an application in front of me for any other test flight," Huerta said.

SOURCE


Wednesday, February 27, 2013

More job opportunities for Singaporeans in aerospace industry


Singapore's aerospace industry produced a total output of S$8.7 billion last year - more than double the output a decade ago.

The industry accounts for nearly 20,000 jobs and a majority of them are skilled workers in areas like aerospace manufacturing, repair and overhaul, testing, as well as training, research and development.

It will also require over 6,300 new direct employees by 2015.

Speaking at the opening of the AeroSpace eXchange 2013 on Wednesday, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Lee Yi Shyan said the growth of the industry will create many job opportunities for Singaporeans.

Meanwhile, the Association of Aerospace Industries (Singapore) has signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with industry associations to develop training programmes.

These organisations include BSI Group Singapore and VTOC "fokker" BV and educational institution German Institute of Science and Technology - TUM Asia.

Mr Lee noted that the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Institute of Technology, as well as local polytechnics offer specialised courses in aerospace and will supply a pipeline of engineers and associate engineers for the industry.

For instance, a new 10.6 hectares ITE Campus - set to open by the end of this year - will house a Boeing 737 aircraft to offer aerospace students practical and hands-on training on aircraft maintenance.

Mr Lee said the industry has always been "amongst the most productive industrial sectors" and that the government will help industries switch to higher productivity.

"Looking ahead, productivity and innovation must continue to be key drivers of our growth. To help firms overcome manpower challenges, the newly-introduced Budget 2013 contains a number of programmes such as the Wage Credit Scheme, PIC and PIC Bonus, enhanced PACT and Corporate Income Tax rebate, to help our companies transit to a productivity-driven business model," he said.

SOURCE


Tuesday, February 26, 2013

AirAsia profit soars, bullish on outlook


AirAsia, Asia's largest low-cost carrier by fleet size, said Tuesday that its fourth-quarter profit jumped 168 percent year-on-year amid increased passengers.

AirAsia said in a statement that net profit for the quarter ending December 31 stood at 350.65 million ringgit ($114.08 million), up from 130.68 million ringgit in the same quarter the previous year thanks to "a seasonally strong quarter".

Revenue for the quarter was a record 1.41 billion ringgit, up 10 percent, as more people flew the airline, which increased its aircraft in Malaysia to more than 60.

"It has been another good quarter and overall a great year for AirAsia as we continue to defy the industry in terms of operational and financial performance," said Malaysia AirAsia chief executive officer Aireen Omar.

For the full financial year, AirAsia recorded a 238 percent jump in net profit to 1.88 billion ringgit despite a 1.0 percent rise in the average fuel price this year.

Its 2012 revenue increased by 11 percent to 5.0 billion ringgit.

Group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes was bullish about the year ahead as AirAsia expands its model -- no frills and keeping operational costs low.

"The aviation landscape is constantly changing with high fuel prices and new competition, but through all these challenges AirAsia will continue to defend our leadership titles," he said.

AirAsia has grown rapidly since Fernandes, a former record industry executive, bought the failing airline in 2001. It initially had only two aircraft in operation.

The group now has a total fleet of 120 A320s and has set up subsidiary budget carriers in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Japan.

The airline, one of the biggest customers for European aircraft maker Airbus, is expecting 360 more aircraft to be delivered up to 2026.

Last week, it announced a new airline joint venture with India's Tata conglomerate.

SOURCE


Monday, February 25, 2013

Asia to get almost 10,000 planes over 20 years: Airbus


Asia-Pacific carriers will take delivery of 9,870 new passenger and cargo aircraft valued at US$1.6 trillion over the next 20 years, European plane manufacturer Airbus said Monday.

The region will account for 35 percent of aircraft deliveries worldwide and 40 percent of the market in terms of value during the period, putting it ahead of Europe and North America, Airbus said in a statement.

Airbus expects a total of 28,200 new aircraft deliveries globally with a market value of US$4.0 trillion in the next 20 years.

"Everything is going to grow, but the shift to Asia-Pacific in terms of market share and market presence is going to be enormous," said Airbus chief operating officer John Leahy.

"Growing economies, bigger cities and increasing wealth will see more people flying, driving the need for larger and more efficient aircraft," he told journalists in Singapore.

Emerging markets like China and India as well as the growing middle class in the region are powering demand for new aircraft, Leahy said, with Asia-Pacific carriers favouring wide-body models.

The size of the middle class in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to increase fivefold from 746 million in 2011 to 3.4 billion in 2031, according to estimates cited by Airbus.

In contrast, the number of people making up the middle class in North America is expected to drop while a modest increase is predicted for Europe during the 20-year period.

Domestic travel in the United States, which currently holds the largest share of world passenger traffic, is also expected to be matched by travel within China in 2031 at 10.4 percent of the global total.

SOURCE


Japan's ANA grounds Dreamliner fleet until May


Japan's All Nippon Airways said Monday it was grounding its fleet of Dreamliners until at least the end of May, with no end in sight to woes for Boeing's next generation plane.

The airline is cancelling 1,714 flights in April and May, a period that includes Japan's busy Golden Week holidays, taking the total affected to more than 3,600 since the Dreamliner was ordered out of the skies in January.

Of the newly-announced cancellations, 1,250 are domestic and 464 are international flights, including those bound for Seoul, Seattle and Frankfurt.

"Unfortunately, it includes Golden Week, but we have decided to inform our customers in advance as the prospect for their resumption is still unseen," a company spokeswoman said.

ANA is Boeing's biggest Dreamliner customer so far, with 17 of the world's 50 operational 787s.

The next-generation aircraft has suffered a series of glitches culminating in a global alert from the US Federal Aviation Administration after two incidents involving the battery packs.

All operational 787s were grounded in January after smoke was detected mid-air on a flight in Japan. That incident came just days after the lithium-ion battery caught fire on a Japan Airlines-operated plane parked at a US airport.

ANA's announcement is a further setback for Boeing, which has bet heavily on the 787, hoping its lightweight carbon fibre body would appeal to airlines desperate to clamp down on spiralling fuel costs.

Last week US operator United Airlines said it was taking its six Boeing 787s out of service through June 5, except for the launch a Denver-Tokyo route on May 12 if circumstances allowed.

That came as Boeing said it had proposed a fix for the battery issues, but had not yet convinced US safety regulators it has a sufficient handle on the problem.

On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration said it was reviewing a plan by the aircraft manufacturer after meeting with senior executives.

"The safety of the flying public is our top priority and we won't allow the 787 to return to commercial service until we're confident that any proposed solution has addressed the battery failure risks," the FAA said.

Boeing had earlier said it was "encouraged by the progress" being made in the battery probe, which it hopes will allow it to get its plane back in the skies.

However, the extent of the problems and the potential complexity in addressing them remains unknown, triggering mounting speculation on how long the groundings will last.

Aviation expert Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group said that if the FAA accepted the Boeing fix, the 787 could be flying again in April, but he added: "There's a very good chance that they won't."

"We don't know to what extent it is a temporary fix and if it is accompanied by a broader solution that's not going to work as a long-term fix," he said.

Boeing said it was working around the clock with teams of hundreds of experts on the issue, and working closely with the FAA and other authorities.

The New York Times reported last week that Boeing had zeroed in on how lithium-ion batteries could fail and concluded they would be safe to use after making changes, such as adding insulation between the cells.

Japanese engineers said Friday they had identified the cause of fuel leaks the plane had suffered, but were still working on the battery problems.

The nation's transport ministry said the leaks were caused by defective paintwork and impurities getting into a fuel valve, adding that it had already ordered the airline to take measures to remedy the problem.

Boeing halted 787 deliveries shortly after the planes were grounded on January 16 but continued to produce 787s at a rate of five per month.

Last week, Boeing's European arch-rival Airbus said it decided to drop lithium-ion batteries planned for the new A350 aircraft it is developing and use heavier nickel-cadmium batteries instead.

SOURCE


Sunday, February 24, 2013

Week 17: ATPL Ground School Week 17

A pretty busy week with every subject in full throttle.We have started in Flight Planning using the Jeppesen charts, a very new experience in contrast to the usual theory based learning. The frustrating feature about the charts is the size and the absence of colour. Our poor eyes got really strained finding the minute waypoints.

We thought the charts were bad, until we went into fuel flight planning with all the small numbers and crazy interpolations on the data sheets. Our brains were totally fried with the tedious aspects of Flight Planning.

Away from Nav, instruments was ok but Radio Aids is crazy with the amount of info we have to UPLOAD into our brains' data bank. Let's not talk about Meteorology, another memory intensive subject.

This coming week will be the first week where we have progress tests for all the subjects.

Monday - Radio Aids
Tuesday - Flight Planning + Meteorology
Thursdays - Instruments + HPL

Hell week we call it. It won't be easy, but we will take it as it comes.

A breather during lunch time

Eyesight killing charts

Crazy data which frustrates us

Sharing of knowledge, doggie style

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Japan identifies cause of Dreamliner fuel leak


Japanese engineers probing problems with Boeing's Dreamliners have identified the cause of fuel leaks but are still investigating more serious issues with the aircraft's batteries, according to the transport ministry.

Last month, a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 due to fly to Tokyo was grounded in Boston following a fuel spill, while the airline also found a similar problem with another of the next-generation jets in Tokyo.

The transport ministry said Friday that the leaks were caused by defective paintwork and impurities getting into a fuel valve, adding that it had already ordered the airline to take measures to remedy the problem.

"As for the battery issue, our Transport Safety Board and the aviation bureau are continuing to investigate the causes" with their US counterparts, Transport Minister Akihiro Ota said in comments posted on the ministry's website.

All 50 of the 787s in service have been grounded for more than five weeks, disrupting airline schedules, as investigators try to pinpoint the cause of a battery fire on a parked plane and a battery smoke incident that forced another into an emergency landing.

While Boeing has reported progress in the probe, the extent of the problems and the potential complexity in addressing them remains unknown, triggering mounting speculation as to how long the grounding will last.

On Friday, US air safety regulators said Boeing had proposed a fix for battery problems on the Dreamliner but the aircraft would stay grounded worldwide until a safe solution is determined.

SOURCE


Boeing submits 787 battery fix to FAA


 Boeing has proposed a fix for battery problems on the 787 Dreamliner but the aircraft will stay grounded worldwide until a safe solution is determined, US air safety regulators said Friday.

"The FAA is reviewing a Boeing proposal and will analyse it closely," the Federal Aviation Administration said after meeting with senior Boeing executives to discuss the ongoing investigation of the battery issues.

"The safety of the flying public is our top priority and we won't allow the 787 to return to commercial service until we're confident that any proposed solution has addressed the battery failure risks."

Boeing earlier said that Ray Conner, the head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, had a "productive meeting" with FAA chief Michael Huerta in Washington to discuss the lithium-ion battery issues on the cutting-edge plane that is key to the company's growth strategy.

"We are encouraged by the progress being made toward resolving the issue and returning the 787 to flight for our customers and their passengers around the world," a Boeing spokesman said.

All 50 of the 787s in service have been grounded for more than five weeks, disrupting airline schedules, as US and foreign investigators try to pinpoint the cause of a battery fire on a parked plane and a battery smoke incident that forced another into an emergency landing.

While Boeing claims progress in the probe, the extent of the problems and the potential complexity in addressing them remains unknown, triggering mounting speculation on how long the groundings will last.

Neither the FAA nor Boeing offered any details on the battery proposal.

Aviation expert Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group said that if the FAA accepted the Boeing fix, the 787 could be flying again in April, but he added: "There's a very good chance that they won't."

"We don't know to what extent it is a temporary fix and if it is accompanied by a broader solution that's not going to work as a long-term fix," he said.

"The FAA is talking about zero tolerance."

Boeing said it was working around the clock with teams of hundreds of experts on the issue and working closely with the FAA and other authorities.

"We greatly appreciate all the resources that have been dedicated to this effort across the FAA by administrator Huerta," the spokesman said.

The New York Times reported this week that Boeing had zeroed in on how lithium-ion batteries could fail and concluded they would be safe to use after making changes, such as adding insulation between the battery cells.

Boeing halted 787 deliveries shortly after the planes were grounded on January 16 but continued to produce 787s at a rate of five per month.

Airlines flying the fuel-efficient plane have been forced to cancel flights and rearrange schedules due to the groundings, while postponed deliveries have put strains on waiting customers.

On Thursday, United Airlines said it was taking its six Boeing 787s out of service through June 5, except to launch a Denver-Tokyo route on May 12 if circumstances allowed.

Last week, Boeing's European arch-rival Airbus said it decided to drop lithium-ion batteries planned for the new A350 aircraft it is developing and use heavier nickel-cadmium batteries instead.

SOURCE


Friday, February 22, 2013

Air France losses widen on restructuring charge


Air France-KLM says its net loss widened to 1.2 billion euros (US$1.59b) last year from 809 million euros in 2001, but underlying prospects are improving despite heavy fuel and restructuring costs.

The group has suffered from a fall of competitiveness in recent years, under the pressure of low-cost operators and the rise of airlines in the Middle East and in Asia.

In January of last year, the company announced a vast restructuring plan called "Transform 2015".

The group cut its operating loss in 2012 to 300 million euros from a loss of 353 million euros in 2011.

This was better than the average figure expected by analysts polled by Bloomberg financial agency of a loss of 334.6 million euros.

In the fourth quarter of last year, the operating loss was reduced to 143 million euros from 202 million euros 12 months earlier.

Net debt, which weighs heavily on the group, fell by 540 million euros to slightly less than 6.0 billion euros.

Sales rose by 5.2 percent to 25.6 billion euros.

Financial director Philippe Calavia said that 2012 was an important year for the group because decisions about the structure and transformation of the company had been taken.

SOURCE


Air Berlin flies back into profit


Germany's second-largest airline Air Berlin said Friday that it posted a profit last year for the first time in five years thanks to cost-cutting measures.

Air Berlin said in a statement it booked a net profit of 6.8 million euros (US$9.0 million) in 2012 compared with a loss of 420.4 million euros a year earlier.

At an underlying level, too, the carrier flew back into the black, with operating profit before interest and tax (EBIT) amounting to 70.2 million euros compared with a year-earlier loss of 247 million euros.

Revenues grew by 1.9 percent to 4.31 billion euros while the number of passengers declined by 5.5 percent to 33.3 million.

The net profit figure "marks a return to profitability for the first time since 2007," said chief executive Wolfgang Prock-Schauer.

"We managed to accomplish this despite increased competition and the continued extremely challenging environment," he said.

"Nevertheless, we have not yet reached our target and are mindful that non-recurring events also contributed to the result," Prock-Schauer added.

The carrier calculated that cost-cutting and efficiency-boosting measures contributed 250 million euros to earnings, "which has helped to considerably offset an increase in fuel prices of 80 million euros," the statement said.

SOURCE


A Singaporean in space by 2015?


A Singapore hi-tech start-up plans to develop a space science education and send the first Singaporean to space by 2015. The start-up, IN.Genius, signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday between the Singapore Science Centre Board and the Singapore Space and Technology Association, as part of their plans.

On the same day, the government announced plans to set up a new Office for Space Technology and Industry, according to second minister for trade and industry S. Iswaran at the Global Space Technology Convention at the Sheraton Towers.

The memorandum set the groundwork for an ambitious plan to develop a new Singapore space industry and create new jobs for Singaporeans in engineering. As part of such efforts, IN.Genius’s plan is to send a Singaporean astronaut into space by the nation’s 50th National Day.

Home-grown entrepreneur Lim Seng emphasised that the spaceman target was not a one-off event, but part of a larger series of flight testings towards developing a commercial space tourism vehicle that can accommodate six people.

Lim believes his start-up’s vision will put Singapore on the world map and attract more tourists. However, Lim highlighted that “fervent support from the government” is key to break into the “high-barrier” space business.

Students get to benefit too

“This research collaboration will also serve as a learning platform for our students and impressing upon them the importance of engineering in today’s society,” said assistant professor Daniel New from Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

New will be collaborating with IN.Genius to conduct wind tunnel testing, in assessing aerodynamic performance of planned space vehicles. The company is also speaking with relevant government agencies for flight planning and local scholastic institutions for aerodynamics testing.

Singapore-born citizens with a pilot licence are invited to volunteer as astronauts-in-training for the space travel mission. They can send their CV at this link by May 30 this year.

Local firm ST Electronics also announced plans Thursday to launch the first commercial satellite made in Singapore by 2015 to aid research in fields such as maritime security and environmental monitoring.

The firm joins NTU and National University of Singapore (NUS) in satellite plans announced Thursday. NTU will send a student-developed second satellite in 2016 to aid in tropical weather research, while NUS confirmed plans to develop a hyperspectral-imaging 50kg microsatellite.

SOURCE


United Airlines extends 787 grounding to May


United Airlines said Thursday it expected to keep its six Boeing 787s out of service until at least May 12, as the cutting-edge airplane remained grounded worldwide due to battery problems.

United, the only US airline with the 787 Dreamliner, just two days ago announced it would keep them on the ground through March 30.

United has "tentatively" scheduled a 787 on its Denver route to Tokyo's Narita International Airport on May 12, UAL spokeswoman Christen David said in an emailed response to an AFP query.

"We are taking the 787 out of our schedule through June 5, except for Denver-Narita," she said.

A person familiar with the case said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigation of overheated lithium-ion batteries on the 787 was ongoing and schedule adjustments were necessary.

All 50 787s in service around the world have been banned from flight since January 16 after a battery fire on a parked plane and battery smoke on another one forced an emergency landing.

US and foreign investigators have reported progress in the probe of the lithium-ion batteries but have yet to pinpoint the cause of the problems.

Boeing is set to propose temporary fixes to the battery problems to US air-safety regulators Friday and could have them back in the air in two months, The New York Times reported.

The Times, citing industry and federal officials, said Boeing had narrowed down the ways in which the lithium-ion batteries could fail, concluding they would be safe to use after making changes such as adding insulation between the battery cells.

Boeing commercial airplane division chief Raymond Conner will unveil the proposals in a meeting Friday with FAA chief Michael Huerta, according to the Times.

Federal officials told the newspaper the aircraft could be back in the air by April if the fixes are approved.

A Boeing spokesman said the aerospace giant was aware of United's 787 schedule adjustments and reiterated the company's regret about the impact of the groundings on its customers.

Asked about the media reports that Boeing intends to submit a proposed battery fix to the FAA Friday, the spokesman declined to comment.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published late Thursday, Boeing Chief Executive Jim McNerney explained that he has been working behind the scenes to resolve the crisis.

"I'm the one who has to stand up with absolute confidence when Boeing proposes a solution to enable this technology for the world," he told the newspaper, "And the only way I know how is to dive in deeply with the people doing the scientific and technical work."

He added: "This airplane is our near- and medium-term future, and ultimately speaks to our reputation and our brand."

SOURCE


Thursday, February 21, 2013

Life of a flight attendant (Part 3): Vanessa's story of debt, pain and emptiness


 SQ stewardess Vanessa (not her real name) is only 29 but she has over ten credit cards and is more than $30,000 in debt. Despite her growing credit card bills, she continues to live in style, driving a European sports car and owning a wardrobe full of expensive branded bags and clothing, most with their price tags still on.

Her extravagant behaviour is far from uncommon in the industry she works in – in fact, she said, most of her colleagues lead the same lifestyle. Young, beautiful, well-paid and jet-setting, their motto is to “live in the now” – and spend far more than they earn.

In Vanessa’s case, however, she might have bitten off more than she can chew: she has accumulated so much debt that she currently only pays the interest on her credit cards to keep the banks at bay.

“I know I’m in trouble, but I don’t know how to get out of it. Maybe I’ll sell some of my bags to pay it off. But I can’t sell my car, I’ll make a big loss,” said the petite, pixie-faced young woman during a recent three-hour interview with Yahoo! Singapore.

Vanessa started working as a flight attendant after graduating from a private university here about five years ago and was instantly swept up by the free-spending behaviour of her fellow flight attendants.

“I started off buying one branded bag per long haul trip, which works out to maybe two or three bags or S$4,000 a month for luxury brands like Miu Miu and Prada. Within half a year, I "graduated" to even more high-end brands like Chanel and Hermes and was spending about $7,000 a month on my bags,” said Vanessa, who cringed when she said the amounts out loud.

While she declined to comment on how much she earned a month, she said that it was "at least" $6,000 on average.

Out of this sum, $2,500 a month goes to paying for her car, which she admitted she hardly uses because she is seldom in town, and everything else goes to either shopping or paying part of her debt.

“Of course, I feel very stupid. I drive an expensive car, carry an expensive bag to meet my friends, but I always leave before meal times to go home and eat plain bread because I can’t afford to eat at a restaurant like them. I have no savings at all. In fact, my balance has been negative since I started to work,” said Vanessa.

However, instead of turning her life around and adopting a lifestyle change to clear her debts, Vanessa said she has no intention nor determination to give up her so-called “high life”.

“My colleagues and I have an inside joke. We all owe quite a lot of money, and we always say – all we have to do is a “Jamie Cuaca” and we’ll be secure for the rest of our lives,” said Vanessa.

The ex-Mrs Jamie Cuaca, now Jamie Chua, is a former SQ girl-turned-socialite who married Indonesian tycoon Nurdian Cuaca after the pair met when the latter flew in Business Class. Their acrimonious divorce saw demands from Chua for maintenance of $500,000 a month, and she is famous for owning more ultra-expensive Hermes Birkin bags than celebrity Victoria Beckham.

“I feel that the only way I can stop my crazy spending is to quit my job so that I don’t feel the pressure of keeping up appearance(s). But the money is too good – and I’ve been doing this for five years, I can’t imagine working in any other job,” said Vanessa.

Poor health

Her bank account isn’t the only thing that has suffered from her choice of career. According to Vanessa and her colleague, who wanted to be known only as Min, female flight crew suffer from a range of occupational hazards which include hair loss, headaches, and tired legs with cracked heels.

“Those of us with long hair need to keep it tightly pinned and in a bun that we secure with lots of hairspray. The hairstyle is very heavy and a lot of us get bad headaches as a result. The hairspray also damages our roots and hair quality… leading to hair loss,” said Vanessa.

Their skin condition also deteriorates due to the extremely dry inflight cabin air, while cracked heels and varicose veins come from standing on their feet for hours on end with hardly any rest.

“It’s a job that you can only do when you’re young, because unless you take very good care of yourself, your body will not be able to handle the pressure of flying non-stop,” said Min, 28, who cut her hair to chin length after pinning up her long locks gave her bouts of migraine every month.

Severe dry-eye syndrome, fatigue and weight-gain are other common problems that flight crew face because of harsh cabin conditions and irregular meal and sleeping times.

“There is a permanent feeling of confusion. I always wake up not very sure about where I am, and I don’t think it’s good for my mental health either to always feel a bit lost,” said Min.

Weight gain is also a permanent pre-occupation for flight crew, who are under pressure to stay svelte and slim in their uniforms. SQ’s iconic kebayas, in particular, are unforgiving on less-than-perfect hourglass figures.

“A lot of girls take weight-loss supplements bought overseas but banned here to lose weight. It’s not like we have time to go to the gym regularly. Although nobody will say you are getting fat or your uniform is bulging, we are all very aware of the need to look good. It’s our livelihood,” said Min.

Difficulty settling down

Both Vanessa and Min said they have not been in a stable relationship since they started working because their boyfriends could not accept their long absences or trust them when they were overseas. They also said their ex-boyfriends felt extra pressure after seeing how high-maintenance they had become, putting a serious strain on their relationships.

“In the end, we date other stewards because it’s convenient, but because we know all about how easy it is for flight crew to cheat, it becomes our turn to get suspicious,” said Vanessa.

While many flight crew live on the same extravagant terms as Vanessa and Min, there are others on the opposite end of the spending scale – scrimping and saving for something bigger, especially education.

“I feel very tempted to splurge when I’m on long-haul trips to Europe, but I control myself by leaving my credit cards at home and only carry small amounts of cash with me,” said steward James, 27, who joined Qantas to pay off his university loans.

After two years, James has already stowed away enough to pay off his loans, and more. He intends to use the excess to buy an engagement ring for his long-time girlfriend, with whom he has already applied for a flat.

“It’s very easy to lose focus of what you want with all the hard partying and peer pressure from colleagues but I stuck to my goal. For me, flying is not a career. It’s given me a chance to explore the world for two years, earn more than decent money to pay off my loans and not be a burden to my parents,” he said.

“I am starting off my ‘real life’ a bit later than my other friends whose parents paid for their university education, but it is good to be debt-free.” 

Boeing to meet with FAA on Dreamliner fixes: source


A senior Boeing Co executive will meet with the head of the US Federal Aviation Administration on Friday and present a series of measures aimed at preventing battery failures that grounded its 787 Dreamliner fleet for five weeks, according to a source familiar with the plans.

Ray Conner, who heads Boeing's commercial airplanes unit, will explain the proposed changes to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta on Friday, but the plans have already been vetted with lower level US government officials, the source said.

If Huerta and US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood accept the proposed plan, that could lay the groundwork for resuming flights of the Boeing 787 by April, said the source, who asked not to be identified.

The engineering changes that Boeing has proposed include an improved box to contain any possible fire in the airliner's lithium-ion batteries.

They are aimed at addressing four possible causes for the battery failures that resulted in a fire in a parked 787 in Boston on January 7, and a separate incident that forced a second 787 to make an emergency landing in Japan.

The grounding of all 50 Dreamliners that have already been delivered is costing Boeing and the airlines that operate the world's newest airliner dearly, compounding pressures caused by earlier delays in 787 deliveries.

On Wednesday, the chief executive of Australia's Qantas Airlines Ltd. said it had received US$125 million in compensation income from Boeing for 787 delivery delays.

Analysts estimate the world's largest planemaker is missing out on about US$200 million in delivery payments every month that the 787 remains grounded, while spending as much as US$1 billion a month to keep its 787 production line running.

A second source familiar with Boeing's plans told Reuters that the company also planned to increase the space between the cells in the lithium-ion batteries made by Japan's GS Yuasa as a potential fix.

"The gaps between cells will be bigger. I think that's why there was overheating," said the source, who declined to be identified because the plans are private.

A spokeswoman for the US National Transportation Safety Board declined comment on the potential battery fix or any Boeing plan to return the 787s to the air.

"The decisions to return the airplane to flight will be made by the FAA and only after Boeing has demonstrated to them that the solution is adequate," Kelly Nantel said. "We continue to investigate the cause of the short circuiting."

An FAA spokeswoman declined to comment on the reported meeting. Boeing declined comment on details of any battery fix it may be considering.

The logical solution for Boeing would be to install ceramic plates between each cell and add a vent to the battery box, Kiyoshi Kanamura, a professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University who has conducted research with several Japanese battery makers, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, the chairman of state-run Air India AIN.UL said Boeing is hopeful of getting the Dreamliner back in service by early April.

"They said that these planes should start flying again from early April. They can't be sure but they are hopeful," Rohit Nandan said.

Air India has six Dreamliners and has ordered 21 more. The question of the airline seeking compensation from Boeing for the jet's glitches would be taken up once the aircraft are flying again, Nandan said.

"We have been in close communication with our customers since this issue arose," a Boeing spokesman in Seattle said, regarding the issue of compensation. "The details of our conversations with customers are confidential."

The Boeing spokesman declined to address the details of the battery fix, but said it was making progress.

"Boeing has teams of hundreds of engineering and technical experts who are working around the clock with the sole focus of resolving the issue and returning the 787 fleet to flight status," he said. "Everyone is working to get to the answer as quickly as possible and good progress is being made."

On February 7, in its most recent official update on the Dreamliner, the NTSB said it had a "long road ahead" in its investigation of the lithium ion batteries.

Spokesmen for Japan's All Nippon Airways Co Ltd (ANA), which has the biggest fleet of Dreamliners, and Japan Airlines Co Ltd said they were unaware of the suggested April schedule.

ANA and JAL have been most affected because they own around half of the lightweight, fuel-efficient jetliners in operation as a strategic move to win market share from their US and European rivals.

Boeing shares closed 13 cents higher at $74.78 on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday.

SOURCE

Qantas reports sharp rise in first-half profits


Australia's Qantas banked compensation from Boeing for Dreamliner delays and slashed international losses in reporting Thursday a doubling of six-month net profit, but saw more turbulence ahead.

The flagship carrier also announced a fleet upgrade, after last year posting its first annual loss since privatisation in 1995 amid tough regional competition, damaging industrial action and high fuel costs.

Over July-December 2012, Qantas said its overall net profit jumped 164 per cent from the same period of 2011 to A$111 million (US$114 million), and it reaffirmed its strategic focus on Asia under a new alliance with Emirates.

The company offered no profit guidance "due to the high degree of volatility and uncertainty in the competitive environment, global economic conditions, fuel prices and foreign exchange rates".

Nevertheless the stock market welcomed the earnings news, driving Qantas's enfeebled share price up 4.15 per cent in Sydney trade to A$1.68.

Peter Borkovec, a fund manager at White Funds Management, said investors expected a long-awaited recovery in Qantas's fortunes.

"It's about where the company is coming from and whether its strategy is heading in the right direction," he said.

"Investors can see it's working, and given Qantas's low valuation you can understand why the market is taking this positively."

Overall, underlying profit before tax -- the airline's preferred measure of financial performance -- rose 10 per cent to A$223 million, on revenues of $8.24 billion.

The group's ailing division Qantas International reported an underlying pre-tax loss in the six months of A$91 million, an improvement of A$171 million.

"Qantas International is well advanced in its turnaround plan," group chief executive Alan Joyce told a news conference, crediting a round of cost-cutting including the closure of loss-making routes.

But that improvement included A$125 million from the August restructuring of the group's B787 Dreamliner order, with the troubled Boeing plane suffering lengthy production delays. It is now grounded worldwide over a safety scare.

It also included A$30 million from the sale of a local unit.

And underlying pre-tax profit for the domestic service was halved to A$110 million, in what Joyce called a highly competitive field where rivals have pumped up capacity to claim market share from Qantas.

The chief executive forecast capacity growth of five to seven per cent for the airline in the first six months of 2013.

Qantas also announced an order for five new Boeing 737-800s and the upgrade of 20 Airbus A330-200s and 10 A330-300s.

The new Boeings are for domestic service and delivery during 2014, the company said in a statement, adding that leases on two existing B737-800s would be extended this year.

"The refurbished aircraft will give Qantas International a truly world-class product in global aviation's most dynamic and competitive market," it said.

"Growing with Asia is a major priority for the Qantas Group and this investment underpins our commitment to the region."

The upgrade will not affect planned capital expenditure of A$1.6 billion in 2012-13 and A$1.5 billion in 2013-14.

The Asia expansion is a consequence of Qantas's alliance with Dubai-based Emirates, freeing services to Asia from onward links to Europe. The pact was cleared by Australia's competition watchdog last month.

Macquarie Equities analysts say the deal could bring in A$240m for Qantas.

New direct destinations from Australia being considered include Beijing, Seoul, Mumbai, Delhi and Tokyo-Haneda at the same time as increasing capacity and frequency of flights to Hong Kong and Singapore.

SOURCE

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Japan probe finds Dreamliner battery improperly wired


Japanese officials probing the emergency landing of a Boeing Dreamliner said on Wednesday that the plane's battery pack was improperly wired, but added this was unlikely to have caused it to overheat.

A series of problems with Boeing's next-generation aircraft sparked multiple probes around the world and the grounding of the entire Dreamliner fleet last month after the domestic All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight was forced to land.

Japanese investigators have focused on the ANA Dreamliner's main lithium-ion battery, which was severely damaged by what they believe to have been a build up of heat that resulted in uncontrollably high temperatures.

Japan's Transport Safety Board said on Wednesday it had discovered that the circuit wiring of the burned battery and another one were connected, even though this is not typical in airplanes.

However, investigators added that the battery system has a system to block a reverse current and it had remained intact so the "unusual" wiring was an unlikely culprit for the overheating.

Investigators said they would now expand the scope of their search to include the aircraft's circuit wiring.

"We have been investigating what happened, but as we haven't got to a point where we can say why it happened yet, we can't say we've made progress," Norihiro Goto, chairman of the Japan Transport Safety Board, told a press briefing.

The unusual circuit wiring may have affected the digital flight data recorder's measuring of voltage in the burned battery, investigators added.

ANA and Japan Airlines (JAL), major customers of the aircraft with more than 100 combined orders, have been hit hard by the grounding, slashing hundreds of flights, affecting tens of thousands of passengers.

SOURCE

Haha, that is some comical findings. The people responsible for the replacement of batteries are going to be re-trained on how to connect the wires properly. Sadly, this isn't the cause of the battery fire with the Dreamliner, thus the investigation continues.


Lufthansa orders 108 new Airbus, Boeing jets for US$12b


Lufthansa, Europe's biggest airline, said it plans to order eight long-haul aircraft and 100 short- and medium-haul aircraft from Airbus and Boeing for a total 9.0 billion euros ($12.1 billion).

The purchases still have to be approved by Lufthansa's supervisory board. Delivery is scheduled between 2015 and 2025, the airline said in a statement late Tuesday.

That brings the total number of new aircraft that Lufthansa has ordered until the end of 2025 to 239 for a total price of 23 billion euros, which the carrier will pay for in cash or via loans.

Given the magnitude of the investments, Lufthansa announced it would waive a dividend payment for 2012 and fully retain its net profit.

"Our aim is to allow our shareholders to participate sustainably in the group's future success. It is now all the more important to invest all available resources in the group in order to drive the future (investment) programme forward," said chief executive Christoph Franz.

"The group net profit will consequently be retained in full for the purpose of strengthening equity capital," he added.

Lufthansa said it flew back into the black last year, turning in net profit of 990 million euros compared with a loss of 13 million euros a year earlier.

But the airline noted that its bottom line had been inflated by windfall gains from the sale of a number of investments.

Underlying or operating profit -- which included 160 million euros in restructuring costs -- fell by 36.1 percent to 524 million euros.

Revenues, on the other hand, grew by 4.9 percent to 30.1 billion euros, Lufthansa said.

"Profitability for an airline is not simply a given in the present industry environment, it is a good performance," Franz insisted. But he insisted Lufthansa "needs to perform even better".

In order to achieve this, Lufthansa has embarked on a massive cost-cutting and earnings improvement programme in order to sustainably lift operating profit by 1.5 billion euros by 2015.

As part of the programme, the airline is planning to shut down a number of its administrative sites, including its head office in Cologne, it said.

Lufthansa is scheduled to released full 2012 results on March 14.

SOURCE

108 aircraft spanning a decade, averaging out to roughly 10 new deliveries per year. Luthansa's mammoth order is perhaps only matched by Emirates in the non-LCC airlines. A look at Luthansa's current fleet reveals more than 100 aircraft from the A320 family. This should explain such an order, with expansion and replacement in mind, just like how AirAsia made a similarly sized order from Airtbus.


Fare structure of high-speed rail will determine impact on buses, airlines


Travellers have welcomed the move to build a high-speed rail link between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Industry players, however, said the impact on buses and airlines will depend on the future rail link's fare structure.

Presently, those travelling by bus between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur pay as little as $25 per trip for the five-hour ride.

This is in contrast to just 90 minutes on the high-speed rail link to be built by 2020.

Some say they do not mind paying more - for speed and predictability on the rail link.

"It is more secure and more safety. And the timing will be more fixed."

"I'm expecting about S$80 to S$90 per trip, per one-way trip."

The Express Bus Agencies Association says the rail option may have a "tremendous impact" on the industry, and called on operators to be "prepared to re-strategise".

This includes complementing the rail service, by offering services to smaller towns from the stations along the rail line.

Still, it feels bus operators will retain some market share.

Mr Sebastian Yap, who is from the Association's Terminal Services sub-committee elaborates.

"We have to look at the fare structure, to me the high speed train cannot be cheaper than bus, there's no way about it. So in terms of the pricing, I think we still have a bit of a competitive edge," he said.

Flights between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur can take up about 40 minutes to an hour, with budget carriers offering cheap fares.

But industry watchers say budget carriers are less likely to see an impact, compared to full-service ones.

Mr Siva Govindasamy, Managing Editor from Flight global Asia, said: "The bigger impact could actually be on the full-service carriers, because passengers - the premium passengers, are the ones who would want to get from point A to point B comfortably.

"So if this high-speed rail system offers a premium proposition for these business people who need to get from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore comfortably and very fast, then I think it's the full-service carriers who could have a bigger impact, because the leisure passengers are still price-sensitive.

"The budget airlines cater to these leisure passengers, so they might not have an impact, as trends worldwide point that while the high-speed rail system - while efficient, are more expensive and that's the case here, then it might affect the full service carriers more than the budget carriers."

Mr Logan Velaitham, CEO of AirAsia Singapore, said: "This high-speed rail introduction to be implemented in 2020 is not going to be a big challenge to us because being a low-cost carrier, the biggest competitor for us is cost itself and if we keep our costs low as much as possible.

"Therefore we can compete against any form of alternative travel mode that is coming in. No doubt there will be some market shifting over to this mode of travel given the fact, the convenience they want to have or a stopover along the way which is hard beyond our reach."

When contacted, Tiger Airways said it will "re-strategise accordingly should business conditions change or new opportunities arise."

Singapore's Transport Ministry said that the Iskandar- Malaysia Joint Ministerial Committee will study details of the system including its alignment.

Separately, Malaysia's Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha said that based on initial study, the line may have five new stations stopping by Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Iskandar Johor, before heading to Singapore.

The stops are Seremban (Negeri Sembilan), Ayer Keroh (Melaka), Muar, Batu Pahat and Iskandar Johor (johor).

SOURCE

Air Asia and India's Tata propose joint airline


Asia's largest low-cost carrier AirAsia on Wednesday announced plans to invest in an airline joint venture with India's giant Tata conglomerate and another party.

The proposal, if cleared, would be the first foreign investment in India's aviation sector since the government last September allowed overseas airlines to take up to a 49 percent stake in domestic operators.

"We have carefully evaluated developments in India over the last few years and we strongly believe that the current environment is perfect to introduce our low fares," said AirAsia's chief executive Tony Fernandes.

A statement from the airline said it had applied to India's Foreign Investment Promotion Board for approval to take a 49 percent holding in the proposed joint venture with Tata Sons and independent investor Telestra Tradeplace.

The three parties have signed an agreement and will apply to the civil aviation regulator for a flying permit, it added.

The proposal would mark the Tata group's re-entry into the aviation sector after nearly eight decades.

Former chairman J.R.D. Tata was passionate about planes and formed Tata Airlines in the 1930s. It was later nationalised by the government to become the country's flagship carrier, Air India.

"The Tatas will be an investor in the proposed venture, with a minority stake of 30 percent, without any operating role. The airline will be managed by AirAsia," a Tata group spokesman said.

"When AirAsia approached Tata Sons with a proposal for a stake in the venture, we concluded that given its reputed business model, AirAsia could be a relevant and successful service provider in the sector."

Indian private carrier Jet Airways announced last month that it was in discussions with Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad Airways for a stake sale, but no deal has been announced.

Indian carriers need money to fund expansion and cut debt after several years of losses caused by fierce price battles and rising fuel costs.

Only one of India's six main scheduled carriers -- privately held low-cost carrier IndiGo -- made a profit last year, helped by a strict business plan and punctual performance.

Tata's decision to return to aviation surprised analysts.

"It is difficult to digest why they are looking at aviation after staying away for years," said Sharan Lillaney at Mumbai's Angel Broking.

He was confident, however, that the low-cost carrier model was the only one that made business sense in India at the moment.

Access to capital and expertise are "critical" for India's aviation market, the Centre for Aviation said in a recent report, which described India as encumbered by weaknesses in policy, skills and other areas.

"Foreign airline investment will deliver greater integration with the global aviation industry and exposure to best practice," the consultancy said.

The AirAsia-Tata venture plans to operate from the southern city of Chennai and boost connectivity between smaller towns for Indian travellers.

Through its operations based in Thailand and Malaysia, AirAsia already connects Southeast Asia with some Indian cities such as Chennai, Bangalore, Tiruchirappalli, Kochi and Kolkata.

SOURCE

Changi Airport sees more passenger movements for January


Changi Airport handled 4.33 million passenger movements in January 2013, an increase of 1.9 per cent compared to a year ago.

Air traffic movements for the month grew in tandem - by 2.2 per cent to 28,200 flights.

But the growth of 1.9 per cent for passenger movements is much lower than the 12.1 per cent (4.24 million) of the same month in 2012.

January 2012 enjoyed the surge from the Lunar New Year holidays, while this year's Lunar New Year holidays are in February.

This meant that there was a higher traffic base, compared to January this year.

Among Changi Airport's top 10 country markets, growth in air travel demand was strongest for Australia, Japan and Thailand.

Traffic to and from Sydney, Tokyo and Bangkok increased by 10 per cent or more.

Airfreight movements saw an increase of 2.5 per cent on-year, as air shipments picked up ahead of the Lunar New Year period.

A total of 140,300 tonnes of cargo passed through Changi Airport during the month.

SOURCE

CNY period is when many people here travel back home, judging by the amount of non-citizens residing in Singapore. A bigger jump will come in February.


Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Boeing seeks temporary fix for suspect batteries: report


US aerospace giant Boeing is considering an interim plan to protect its 787 Dreamliner if its batteries overheat or catch fire, according to a report Monday in the Seattle Times.

Boeing's flagship new jet has been banned from flight worldwide since the middle of last month after battery smoke forced an emergency landing of one plane and a battery fire was reported on a parked jet.

The company has stood by the safety of the lithium-ion batteries used in the plane, pending the results of an official investigation, but Monday's report said that the company was looking for a temporary solution.

According to the daily, which covers a region including a major Boeing plant, Boeing may encase the battery cells in a titanium or steel box fitted with a high pressure vent to contain any fire that erupts in flight.

No Boeing spokesman was immediately available to comment on the report, which the paper said came from people familiar with the plan.

The Dreamliner, a long-haul fuel-efficient airliner built using the latest composite materials, is key to Boeing's business strategy as it battles to be top dog in the virtual duopoly it shares with rival Airbus.

Airbus insiders have told AFP that the European giant has dropped plans to use lithium-ion batteries in its future 787 rival, the A350.

According to the reports, Boeing hopes its interim plan to shield the plane from battery fires will convince US safety authorities to allow the 50 jets grounded around the world to return to service by May at the earliest.

SOURCE

Not exactly a very smart fix but you can sense that Boeing is getting desperate in pushing the plane back into passenger service as it struggles to find the cause of the battery fire. Even so, the earliest o get approval from FAA will be in May, and that is still a long way away from now.



Monday, February 18, 2013

Jet Airways shares dive on delayed Etihad tie-up


Shares of Jet Airways slid on Monday amid reports that Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad wanted to revise its deal to buy a stake in India's biggest private carrier.

Last month, Jet Airways announced it was in discussions with Etihad Airways.

But at the weekend, Etihad Airways Chairman Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed al-Nahayan was reported to have said the Gulf carrier needs to revise its planned agreement to buy a stake in Jet and it was too early to say when a deal would be struck.

Shares of Jet plunged nearly nine percent before clawing back some of their losses to close down 7.7 percent at 570.75 rupees.

Several Indian airlines have been in talks with foreign carriers after the government last year opened up the aviation sector further to allow non-Indian airlines to invest in their counterparts in the country.

Indian carriers need money to fund expansion and cut debt after years of losses caused by intense air-fare battles and rising fuel costs.

Tail Winds, the Isle of Man-based investment firm of Jet founder Naresh Goyal, currently holds nearly 80 percent of Jet Airways.

India's Business Standard newspaper had reported that Etihad might pick up a 24-percent stake in Jet, valued at between 15 to 18 billion rupees ($270-320 million).

Meanwhile, the Press Trust of India quoted India's commerce minister as saying Etihad and Jet Airways are still keen on building a partnership.

"I am given to understand that both the airlines are in negotiations and they are keen to build a partnership," Anand Sharma said in Abu Dhabi where he was visiting.

Jet reported earlier this month that it swung into a quarterly net profit from a net loss a year ago.

SOURCE

Not exactly what the airline wants to hear. One more Indian airline will face financial troubles if Etihad decides to pull out all together. During the perod of delay while Etihad ponders on the deal, Jet Airways will have to try its best to stay alive.


Life of a flight attendant (Part 2): Dealing with passengers from hell


Serving demanding customers in a restaurant can be nasty business. But up in the air, it can be many times worse.

Cranky passengers and crying children cramped into limited space for hours miles in the air make for one of the most pressurizing (pun intended) working environments in any service industry.

“There’s a 50/50 chance of a flight being smooth or a complete nightmare. The stress can be incredibly high – and there’s no escape. You’re in a plane. You can’t leave and take a smoke or walk to the back of a restaurant for some fresh air. You take a minute to calm yourself in the tiny crew galley and then it’s back to work to face those annoyed, uncomfortable and angry passengers,” summed up Qantas steward Rick, 36.

In his almost decade long career as a flight steward, Rick has done everything from warming up milk in an ice bucket while balancing a screaming baby on his hip, to chasing couples hoping to join the mile-high club out of plane toilets.

“It’s a skill like no other. I tell my friends, I can handle anybody and anything now. And with a smile,” laughed the Singapore-born steward who is now an Australian citizen.

Unlike Rick, however, most of the other 14 flight crew Yahoo! spoke to said they often struggled with keeping their smile – and cool – when confronted with nightmare passengers and filthy, clogged toilets which stink up the entire plane.

Treated like slaves

The poor treatment starts right from the get go – with fussy passengers demanding to have their seats switched or shoving hand-carry luggage at flight crew expecting to be helped with stowing it away.

“If I see a young lady or elderly person struggling with pushing their luggage into the overhead compartments, of course I will help. But so many times rude passengers just dump their luggage on my arms and then sit down after telling me to ‘help me keep this’. I tell them politely they are supposed to do it themselves, but still help with it anyway,” said SQ stewardess Karen, 31, who added that many even roll their luggage over the feet of cabin crew in their haste to get to their seats.

She has also had passengers asking for their seats to be switched because they don’t like the person they’ve been placed next to, feel that their seats are uncomfortable, or, incredibly, want to have empty seats next to them so they can take a two or three seat nap across the row.

“If it’s a child or someone who is genuinely uncomfortable and the flight is not full, we always oblige,” said Karen.

“Sometimes we can’t because there aren’t enough seats, and they are being unreasonable. Some are just trying their luck, but we’ve had people who shouted until their saliva hits our faces and then threaten to complain to management.”

In these cases, Karen simply escalates the matter to the lead flight crew and continues about her business.

The rudeness usually continues on through the flight, with passengers simply reaching out to tug on the flight crew’s uniforms as they move up and down the aisle. Certain Asian passengers, for example, are commonly known for being blatantly disrespectful to stewardesses.

“These men just yank at my skirt when I am distributing snacks or drinks. Once they pulled so hard at my colleague’s skirt she nearly fell down, and they laughed,” said Korean Air stewardess Jenny, 27.

Her colleague was so humiliated that she started to cry once she reached the back of the plane.

Jenny said that she has also been pinched on her arm by persistent passengers and some even try to walk up to the meal trolley to demand a tray because they cannot wait their turn, and others who treat her uniform like a napkin, wiping their dirty hands on her skirt as she walks past.

Meal-times are another trial for flight crew, as they are inundated with demands for extra meals, different food and drinks while cleaning up the mess made by clumsier passengers or children.

“The most common issue we deal with are people who do not inform us beforehand that they need a vegetarian meal, and then get upset when we don’t have enough to go around. We only pack a limited number of vegetarian meals. Some of these passengers aren’t even vegetarians – I’ve seen many who finish the regular meal and demand a second vegetarian one,” said Emirates stewardess Shikin, 26.

Those who ask for second rounds and it’s likely that a crew member has to give up his or her meal for you as catering only allows for a limited number of meals to be brought on board to avoid wastage and save space.)

“So many times we’ve given up eating ourselves so a passenger can have an extra portion – but I have only been thanked once,” said Shikin ruefully.

Drunken, rowdy passengers

All flight crew are unanimous when it comes to their passenger from hell – The Rowdy Drunk. Usually male, middle-aged and travelling alone, they are the most difficult to handle and agitate the entire plane of passengers with their antics.

“I can tahan (tolerate) the sleepy drunks. At most, they vomit and then fall asleep. But the ones who start disturbing other passengers and crew are the worse,” said SQ steward Frank, 32.

Flight crew are given instructions on how to prevent the passenger from getting drunk in the first place: once they notice a passenger has been drinking, they mix weaker drinks or try to offer them other beverages instead. However, this method does not work on most, who are already determined to drink as much as possible.

“They get angry and ask why I’m adding less alcohol and more mixer. Then they demand to have three miniatures (small alcohol bottles). It’s really tough to stay polite and helpful but firm,” said Frank.

Things get ugly quickly – many drunk passengers start to slur and use rude languages to harass flight crew who deny them more alcohol, or vomit on themselves and their neighbours, creating a scene and disturbing their fellow passengers.

Frank said that in worst case scenarios, if the passenger starts getting violent or verbally abusive, the crew leads him or her away to the back of the plane, where they try to isolate and sober up the person up. If they can’t control him, plastic flexi-cuffs are used to attach the passenger to male crew members, who stay with him for the rest of the journey until the plane touches down.

“I have had to accompany one drunk passenger who puked on himself, puked on me and all over the seat. It was the worst flight ever. I felt like throwing up too and let’s just say he threw up 2 hours into a 7-hour journey,” said Frank, his expression full of disgust.

Ex-steward Donald Yeo, 46, recounts a horror situation when a drunk South Asian passenger started arguing with passengers and crew and using derogatory terms on the stewardesses. He refused help to go to the toilet, and on his way down the aisle, fell flat on his face, losing two teeth.

“Wow, that moment was just great. Of course, we couldn’t show it on our faces, but it felt really good. I didn’t even mind cleaning up his vomit after that,” said Yeo.

Filthy toilets

Second on their list of pet peeves are filthy toilets, especially on long haul flights. All it takes, they say, is one inconsiderate passenger for the mess to get out of control.

“It can get absolutely gross, worse than a public toilet,” said Karen, describing occasions when she found faeces on the floor or on top of the toilet seat, dirty baby diapers overflowing from the trash bin, and a wash basin clogged with spat-up food.

“We do our best to clean it up, but often we have to shut the toilet, which is a lose-lose situation because the other toilets get overused and equally dirty.”

The other flight crew have had their share of stomach-curdling moments. One reached into the front pouch of a seat to get a vomit bag for an ill passenger, only to pull out a hand coated in phlegm – the passenger had earlier spat into the bag. Another was given a used blanket by a First Class Passenger only to find a mess of baby faeces and urine when it was opened.

“Glamour? What glamour? There is no glamour in cleaning toilets,” said Rick with a laugh.

“When you think about what we have to put up with on flights, you won’t think that our salaries are that fantastic. We’re often so exhausted after long flights we sleep away our recreational time, and by the time we’re rested, it’s time to meet our next plane load of passengers.”

SOURCE

Tiger Airways flew 42% more passengers in Jan


Tiger Airways flew a total of 664,000 passengers in January, a 42 per cent increase from 466,000 a year earlier.

The budget carrier on Monday reported a 34 per cent increase in January traffic to 1.01 billion revenue passenger-kilometres, while capacity rose 20 per cent to 1.2 billion available seat-kilometres.

Consequently, overall passenger load factor improved 8 percentage points to 84 per cent from a year ago.

Tiger Singapore saw its passenger load factor increase 10 percentage points to 84 per cent, on a 23 per cent growth in revenue passenger-kilometre which outpaced the 8 per cent increase in capacity.

SOURCE

Load factor increasing more than fleet expansion. That is good news for the young carrier.


Sunday, February 17, 2013

Week 16: ATPL Ground School Week 16

Very short week with only 3 school days due to the Chinese New Year holidays, therefore we didn't really cover much. Two progress tests were conducted; Nav and Met. Nav was pretty ok but Met was quite disastrous, I still haven't get a grip on this subject, which is not very assuring.

Oh, and the new instructor started teaching us this week on Radio Aids. Quite a lot of things to memorize from what I saw and that is also worrying. How much can the brain take before it starts losing data? We are roughly 60 days away from the first day of the ATPL exams. Looking at the amount of data we have yet to cover, it is very daunting.

Discipline in studying will be the key, along with consistency.

Charts given to us. Errrr, I'm lost.. haha!!

If you're good in Mathematics and is able to calculate fast, Nav should be ok.

Close shave, concept is weak


Friday, February 15, 2013

Airbus will not use lithium batteries in A350: source


Airbus will not use lithium batteries in the A350 long-range liner under development, a company source told AFP on Friday, as investigations continue into battery fires that have grounded rival Boeing's 787 carriers.

"The first planes will be delivered with cadmium, not lithium batteries," the source said, adding that the airliner's first test flights will nevertheless take place with the lithium batteries.

The announcement comes as Boeing's 50 Dreamliners in service around the world have been grounded since January, after battery smoke forced an emergency landing of one plane and a battery fire was reported on a parked plane.

US air safety investigators have since zeroed in on how a battery fire occurred on the parked plane -- a Japanese Airlines 787 at Boston's Logan airport -- saying that evidence pointed to a single cell on the eight-cell lithium-ion battery, which short circuited, leading to a rise in temperature.

Investigators do not yet know what specifically caused the short circuit.

The Airbus A350 is due to enter service in the second half of 2014, with the company hoping the liner will make it competitive in the long-haul market, where its planes have found it hard to challenge Boeing's 747s and 777s.

SOURCE

Preventive measure by Airbus to avoid the same issue plaguing Boeing currently? If it is as simple as that, then it will be a simple solution. Maybe the Dreamliner should try flying with nickel batteries first to prevent more loss, while at the same time, try to find out the problem with the lithium batteries. But then, I guess the FAA wouldn't allow that, because it might not be as simple as a battery issue.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Is being a flight attendant all that glamorous?


What’s life really like behind the bright smiles, perfect uniforms and five-star hotel stays of jet-setting flight attendants?  In a three-part series on the inflight service industry, Yahoo! Singapore finds out that it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. In the first part of this series, we explain how the initial attraction and glamour attached to the job can be quickly replaced by travel fatigue and loneliness. (For the purposes of this series, only first names have been used as most flight crew are bound by confidentiality agreements)

A glamorous life in the skies, jet-setting to exotic cities like Tokyo, London and Paris --  and being paid (very well) to do it.

To many, the perfectly coiffed and immaculate airline crew have it all – striding confidently and elegantly through international airports and being able to picnic at the Eiffel Tower one week and then be on safari in South Africa the next, all the while staying in five-star luxury hotels.

But ask the flight stewards and stewardesses themselves and you get a very different picture.

“Supermodels in uniform? Most of the time, we feel like waitresses – just further above ground,” scoffs a senior stewardess Vanessa K, 34, who flies with a well-known Hong Kong carrier.

She isn’t the only flight crew to feel this way. All 15 air stewards and stewardesses from various airlines Yahoo! Singapore spoke to expressed similar sentiments: that when the novelty of flying wears thin and the trips get longer, the shiny veneer of glamour and excitement disappears  quickly to be replaced with loneliness and homesickness.

Add to that the recent allowance and hiring cutbacks facing the airline industry due to stiff competition from budget carriers and an increasing number of flight crew are ditching their jobs to find stability back home and on land.

Honeymoon first year

The first two years of a flight attendant’s career are apparently the happiest years.

“When you first join, it really feels like the best job in the world – everyone envies you,” said Singapore Airlines girl Marie T, 26, who has been a stewardess for nearly five years.

“Firstly, the pay is really good. For SQ, we can easily hit S$4,500 a month with allowances. Secondly, we get to travel the world without paying a single cent. All your colleagues are outgoing and good looking – it feels like you’re perpetually on holiday.”

For Marie, who only had ‘O’ level qualifications, a salary of S$4,500 was far more than what her peers were earning. She had previously worked part-time jobs doing sales and administrative work for less than half of her current pay.

“My spending power increased so fast, I could treat my parents and friends to good meals and talk about my trips to places like Rome, New York, Tokyo. If I was not an SQ girl, I definitely would not have the money to go to these places. I was really on a high for the first two years,” said Marie, who, before becoming a stewardess, had only travelled as far as Hong Kong.

Within two months, she had bought her first S$3,000 branded bag, expensive gifts for her parents, and splurged on hundreds of dollars’ of skincare and makeup for herself.

“The lure is really easy money. You don’t have to work 9-5, and when you’re on your days off, you’re really off – you don’t bring your work home. On top of that, the pay is good, and if you’re single, it’s super fun to hang out with pretty girls and travel all the time,” said Emirates steward Daniel, 29, who left his S$2,600 job as an accountant to take to the skies.

“You meet all these new and enthusiastic people on every flight and you party with them, hang out footloose and fancy free in a foreign country. It’s an exciting life that a normal desk-bound paper pusher would never get to experience.”

Travel fatigue

Two years in is when most flight crew start finding their job to be more a burden than a joy. Those who are married or in relationships start feeling the strain of being away from loved ones, while others find it hard to maintain friendships or find a potential spouse with their irregular work schedules.

“In the beginning, I’d immediately leave the hotel room to explore the country I was in but after two years, I just wanted to stay in my room and Skype with my fiance, or order room service and watch a DVD. Traveling got more and more tiring each time, and I feel like my face has aged six, seven years in just two years because of all that flying,” said ex-stewardess Jasmine Yeo, 34, who left her Hong Kong-based airline employer to get married and start a family three years ago.

“It is the worst when we are away during festive seasons like Christmas and Chinese New Year. I’ve seen many stewardesses crying in their hotel rooms because they can’t make it back for reunion dinner or a good friends’ wedding. Travelling is fun, but after a while I keep wishing I had my loved ones with me enjoying all these beautiful places. The feeling is really empty.”

“In the beginning, it’s fun, and you tell yourself you don’t mind not being there for New Year. But three years in, when you’re alone in your hotel room with only your lap top and you see your family on your webcam enjoying steamboat and going visiting together, it can get really hard. It doesn’t seem worth it to miss all these moments,” said Daniel.

Alcohol-fuelled parties – once an attraction to newly ‘graduated’ flight crew --  become tiresome for those who are married or attached and want to stay faithful. Most end up staying in their rooms alone to recuperate from their long hours on the plane.

Broken relationships, affairs

This loneliness is what leads many flight crew to resort to short-term flings or affairs when they are at work. All 15 this reporter spoke to said that they had been propositioned by fellow stewards or stewardesses before and that sleeping around was fairly common, especially among the younger crew.

“In general crew members are very friendly and flirty with each other – we like to keep things light-hearted when we are working because the pressure of handling a plane full of uncomfortable and demanding passengers can get to us,” said Qantas steward Jonathan, 35.

“If we’ve got chemistry working together on the flight, we usually hang out after we touchdown – if both parties are single and willing, sometimes one thing leads to another. No strings attached, of course. It’s an unspoken rule.”

Not all obey this rule, however, and Cathay Pacific stewardess Y.L Tung, 28, told Yahoo! that she has seen cases where flings or affairs turn ugly.

“The most common scenario is when an amorous steward on board who approaches all the hostesses – both single and attached. Some of them don’t get the message and overstep their boundaries. One time, I saw a steward being thrown out of a hotel room by an angry colleague who was not interested. He was only wearing his boxers. We had a good laugh,” she said in Mandarin.

But, she adds a little sadly, “we are all quite lonely for home and most of us have a tough time maintaining relationships”.

Some common pick-up methods used by male flight crew include invitations to “watch a show in my room together” or a lot of “accidental” body contact in the crowded flight cabins.

Lower pay, poor job prospects

Earlier this month, it was reported that Singapore Airlines would be adjusting its flight allowances according to new exchange rates – cutting the allowances received for working on flights to Europe and America by as much as 20 per cent.

The change would severely impact the salaries of many of their flight crew, who draw low basic salaries of about $2,000 and rely on their travel allowances to support their lifestyles.

For flight crew with other work experience and higher education, the immediate response has been to quickly start looking elsewhere for employment – a trend that has resulted in a steadily growing turnover rate among airline crew all over the world.

“It’s quite simple – if I leave now, I can start over without feeling the pinch as much. If I stay another three-four years and then leave, starting from scratch with no relevant experience will put me in a very lousy position. I am just cutting my losses,” said SIA steward Lionel, 25, who joined after he graduated last August but is thinking of quitting once his first six months are up.

Then there are those without the option of a equally well-paid career on the ground.

“I’m worried about the cuts, of course. It affected morale among us quite badly,” said Marie, who said she had considered leaving Singapore Airlines but felt that she would not be able to make as much money elsewhere.

“I only have ‘O’ levels. If I quit and work somewhere else, my pay will be less than half. I have monthly installments to pay on my credit cards. I cannot afford to quit,” she said bluntly.

“Even my parents don’t want me to quit. However, if I could turn back time, I would have just continued studying and getting a degree. My thinking was too short-term and now I am stuck.”

In Part 2 of our series on the inflight service industry, flight attendants tell Yahoo! Singapore what it’s like dealing with nightmare passengers.

SOURCE

Interesting article which pretty much summarizes the life as a cabin crew, though there is still a second part of the article yet to be publish, so stay tuned for it. Well, many will think that it's a great job. It is, but only for a short period of time of let's say two years as mentioned above. The lure is there, the dream to travel the world is inevitable, the money is good and it probably is a job that requires less brain juice as compared to some other mainstream jobs on the ground.

The advice is to go into the job with your eyes fully open and not in your dreamy state. More will come in Part 2.