Doubling the engines, regardless of size, will double acquisition costs, double maintenance and nearly double fuel burn - facts that airlines are learning the hard way and why 4-engine airplanes are disappearing from the skies and the order books.

(Written on 2019年 03月 01日)(Permalink)

The report said the airplane was built in 2007. The airframe had 7,690.6 total hours and 28.3 hours since its most recent annual on March 21, 2018.

(Written on 2018年 04月 20日)(Permalink)

Blaming Boeing management for a flight delay is like blaming an entire education system for an uninformed post. The MAX met and surpassed its program milestones and delivered on-time. Bloomberg reports near 99.7% dispatch reliability and Leehman Bros. reports better than predicted efficiency in its first 5 months of service.

(Written on 2017年 10月 09日)(Permalink)

"You're probably not going to build another freeway, and you're probably not going to build another airport in those places," said Anderson in the article, referring the to the Seattle-Portland corridor. In yet another irony, Delta airlines is indeed getting a new airport location at Paine Field in Everett WA, just 30 miles north of Seattle. Alaska and United airlines will be joining Delta as operators at that airport as well. Everett to Portland is 6 hour journey (with stops) or even longer during winter when landslides close the rail routes for days at a time. It will be difficult to compete with a 3 hour journey (including security and waiting) by air.

(Written on 2017年 09月 22日)(Permalink)

KPAE runway headings didn't change. It was KBFI.

(Written on 2017年 08月 18日)(Permalink)

A return to regulation will drive increases to the base cost of tickets and reduce availability as airlines fail or merge. The flying public has benefited from airline ticket prices that have dropped steadily and significantly since airline deregulation when adjusted for inflation. http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/02/how-airline-ticket-prices-fell-50-in-30-years-and-why-nobody-noticed/273506/ As stated in another post, be careful what you wish for.

(Written on 2016年 03月 14日)(Permalink)

You don't have to pay extra fees if you travel on Southwest. Or pack light with just a carry on which incurs no fees with most US Airlines. That's the great thing about choice - you get to make the decisions and not the government.

(Written on 2016年 03月 11日)(Permalink)

A key tactic of US airline business models is to pass taxes and other government-imposed operating costs onto the customer. These taxes are added to every ticket now and as such, any extended taxes will only increase the total cost to the passenger and not the airline.

(Written on 2016年 03月 11日)(Permalink)

Competition is great. Southwest already offers no change fees and free baggage (2 bags). In the end, this is a case of "Be careful what you wish for. It might come true." There is only one way for ticket prices to go if the fees that generate their profit margins are eliminated. All of the costs in the linked chart will be added to your ticket. http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/3801089/airline-baggage-fees-chart/

(Written on 2016年 03月 11日)(Permalink)

After delving into the histories of the F-15 Eagle and F-14 Tomcat, I am experiencing a deja vu after reading this article. It would be easy to replace instances of F-35 with either of these aircraft names and then replace the F-14/F-15 with the F-4 Phantom to create an article fit for the early 1970's. Why would we need expensive fighters with questionable systems, reliability and engines when the F-4 does it all for every service? I am not much of a fan of the F-35 but it is important to realize that few large defense programs live up to their full potential at their service introduction.

(Written on 2016年 02月 01日)(Permalink)