Agree its a tough choice, but that is result of accountant and actuary process at any point in time. I went through that and at least end up with control over the funds to use how we like rather than a pension.

(Written on 08/18/2022)(Permalink)

Russia has lied about everything in this war from the initial deployment of troops for "training exercises" through the "special operation" to the atrocities committed by their troops and the rockets targeting civilian buildings. So why stop the lies now. But they are kidding themselves - they are going to lose, big time.

(Written on 05/05/2022)(Permalink)

I think Qatar Airways are entitled to a fully fit for purpose, as specified, warranted and finished airplane and they are very strict on getting that. What's interesting is then how QA maintain them and how the "wear and tear" and "consumables" (like tires) are treated. Paint (which is far more complex than just paint because it has many layers the first bonding one would be critical) surely is a known issue that deterioration due to weather, damage, cleaning, time and other things needs inspection, upkeep, repair and repainting in certain circumstances. The issue Qatar Airways raises now is how responsible Airbus is for the coating layers lasting a certain number of years and to fix it "permanently" which seems rather optimistic given its nature and the elements and with the aircraft being out of Airbus realm of control in airline service for example flying through volcanic ash and sandstorms from time to time! I think Qatar Airways have demanded too much from Airbus in this instance,

(Written on 02/17/2022)(Permalink)

It was interesting to watch the escalation of this complaint by Qatar Airways (I'll refer as QA) in comparison to earlier issues with, say, refused plane deliveries for cabin finishes etc. So here, it seems QA went too far for Airbus to tolerate, stating safety issues from their country regulator. I believe the head of said regulator is the head of QA. What we see in the video is not the first aircraft found with deterioration. Rather its from planes left out in the elements without remediation for months if not years. Clearly Airbus and the "paint" suppliers have to work out a long term solution, but the short term fix is to repair any lightning grid damage and re-coat (several layers) the plane. As stated, other airlines seem to have taken care of this and are all still flying their A350's and Airbus are still announcing new orders. QA therefore seem to have taken an extreme position and it will be interesting to see the outcome of the court case. Bear in mind that QA petitioned the c

(Written on 02/17/2022)(Permalink)

Yes there must be (or have been) an issue with the surface coating layers after being in service for some years, but if they are not addressed when first noticed then the effects of water, heat, sun, temperatures will soon exacerbate the condition. It is understood Qatar Airways had these planes parked for months / years without re-coating so the further deterioration will be massive and I guess this is now part of what they will be squabbling over.

(Written on 01/29/2022)(Permalink)

The longer Qatar Airways leaves planes with surface coating defects parked outside without undertaking the remediation that Airbus advises to repair or re-coat, the more deterioration will occur. If you leave cracked paint out in the weather it will soon peel off. Why is this so hard for Qatar Airways to understand and do something about?

(Written on 01/27/2022)(Permalink)

I think it is fair to say that the commercial relationship started to deteriorate long ago and well before the latest actions. Last year Bakar himself is quoted as saying something like the issue was very serious and he didn't think Qatar Airways could work with Airbus any more. If Airbus was trying to fix the planes but Q.A. couldn't agree a solution, called it a safety issue that Airbus and EASA did not agree then Airbus sought legal mediation, then Q.A. took them to Court the escalation had already happened. Q.A. even wants the Court to stop Airbus delivering further A350's. It is not too surprising to me that Airbus decided to simplify things and completely terminate the relationship after all these events and public statements by Bakar about their A350 (and disparaging remarks about the A380) while other airlines continue to fly their A350's and A380's. I think the dispute says much more about Qatar Airways and its management failures than about Airbus and their products.

(Written on 01/27/2022)(Permalink)

Agree and they need more seat width and padding. The window seat is too close to the fuselage so the aisle person usually has to lean away to give more room. They're also more susceptible to air pockets so some form of turbulence smoothing would encourage me to fly on them, otherwise I look for alternatives every time.

(Written on 06/11/2020)(Permalink)

I'm not expecting that the 737 MAX will be back in the air (or not) to a "deadline". That would be like Mr Muilenburg saying that the only thing preventing the 737 MAX from flying again is something political. I don't believe any authority is going to approve it back into service before everything necessary to ensure safety and conformance is actually fixed by Boeing. Its a very good thing that now the 737 MAX is under scrutiny they find all the deficiencies and Boeing remedy those so we don't have any more tragedies. Imagine the deadline set and the 737 MAX back in the air with faults followed by another crash. The consequences would be horrendous for Boeing, the authorities and the whole airline industry. No deadline please, only the full and proper fixing of all the issues. I would have thought even Mr Muilenburg would agree with that.

(Written on 07/13/2019)(Permalink)

Boeing can and will fix the 737 MAX but its not just MCAS. It may take some hardware as well as software modifications. It may take longer than they've been saying. Approvals look to be more stringent than in the past. Meanwhile less old aircraft will get retired I guess and substitute aircraft will be used like with the engine issues on the 787. I don't think anyone can reliably say when the 737 MAX will be approved to fly again but it won't be back up in the air until the several issues that have now been found are tested and approved.

(Written on 07/11/2019)(Permalink)