This sounds like a competitive, globalised market working for the consumer; you may choose to apply brand loyalty or go for the lowest price. We plan ahead for our transatlantic trips and, as it happens, both the October hop and the Thanksgiving trip will be on British Airways. "Golden Tail"? I though that United adopted the lovely ex-Continental "globe" tail design after the merger?

(Written on 27/07/2019)(Permalink)

It has been fascinating to read through this entire chain of discussion on Saturday morning. Where America/California leads...….. Light blue touch-paper and retire.

(Written on 27/07/2019)(Permalink)

Err - wanna bet? It will be fascinating to see how Boeing's marketing teams respond to this challenge - and the corporate bonuses paid when the advertising bears fruit. Ryanair cannot afford to have one of these drop out of the sky post-reinstatement. Think of the circumstances - the world's worst-reputation airline (for customer service) is no longer annoying its customers, but killing them.... It would spell the end, even of Ryanair. Therefore, I would be confident that Ryanair will eventually fly the rebranded (and thoroughly re-rested and re-certified) MAX. They are still a lousy airline and I would never use them - the old reputation for c**p customer service shines through!

(Written on 19/07/2019)(Permalink)

Someone listened to The Donald!

(Written on 19/07/2019)(Permalink)

I believe that, as we (UK aviation CAA) have trusted our transatlantic cousins to do a good job the USA approval was taken on trust and "nodded through". It's a standard way of working in a globalised economy (why check twice?) Not any more....

(Written on 19/07/2019)(Permalink)

Reduce, re-use, re-cycle; a pragmatic resolution to a supplier problem, maintaining fleet commonality and assuring service to customers. This seems a sensible issue-mitigation step. I had forgotten how short the -700 looks (unless the article had the wrong stock photograph).

(Written on 19/07/2019)(Permalink)

Pray?

(Written on 14/07/2019)(Permalink)

Probably - yes; Habsheim in 1988 was a cascade of cockups (wrong lineup on other runway, inadequate briefing and late flight plan, very early airframe but most of all, a French driver - as in AF447 with piss-poor CRM). Any clown can fly a plane into the deck regardless of the badge on the nose. And what about the 737 rudder hard-over incidents in US airspace, with US drivers? After UA585 at Colorado Springs in 1991 (all 25 on board dead); US457 at Pittsburgh in 1994 (132 dead) and then the recoverable (higher-altitude) Eastwind Airlines flight 517 in 1996, finally the drivers and passengers lived to tell the tale. As for Germanwings; if the driver doesn't tell his employer that he's been signed off for suicidal thoughts, I don't think you could fairly pin that on any airframe manufacturer. Not even a Boeing will survive CFIT (Japan Airlines 747 on flight JAL123 in 1985 with 520 dead and four survivors) - oh hang on, that was an airframe failure because of botched repairs to

(Written on 12/07/2019)(Permalink)

Our experience of the 787 is very limited. We had our first flight in a 787 with BA; seats 1J&1K right behind the driver (the slight curve where the nose meets the fuselage). The whole cabin - on both flights - seemed to spend the entire flight creaking. "Oh yes sir, they all seem to do this." Not worrying (per-se) but irritating when you are trying to sleep on a transatlantic overnight leg.

(Written on 12/07/2019)(Permalink)

Just a polite clarification from the eastern edge of the Atlantic; "suspenders and belt" in US parlance relates to "belt and braces" engineering "over here". Suspenders have a different connotation in Old English! But thanks for brightening an slow afternoon in the home office!

(Written on 12/07/2019)(Permalink)