Today at Naha Airport on the Japanese island of Okinawa a China Airlines aircraft burst into flames.
There were 165 people onboard all of whom managed to escape. Some only just made it when the plane exploded just seconds before they had evacuated.
Television pictures showed flames and smoke pouring out the 737-800 and even showed the pilot jumping out the cockpit window.
The Airline has said the cause of the explosion is not yet known but some reports have said that the left engine of the plane caught fire.
"Everything was normal, including take-off and landing, until the pilots were told the airplane was on fire," China Airlines spokesman Johnson Sun said.
"Then the crew on board immediately took the due procedure to evacuate all the passengers."
The plane had embarked on a routine flight from Taipei to Okinawa but after only 8 minutes after landing on the Japanese island black smoke and fire was seen coming from the plane.
The aircraft had actually broken in two after the fire was put out. There were 8 members of crew onboard the flight and all eight are reported to be safe despite reports that two had to be taken to hospital.
China Airlines have a reputation for being one of the unsafest airlines in the world and this recent incident will only add fuel to that belief.
During the 1990s the airline had several crashes and in 2002 one crashed into the sea near Penghu with 225 passengers onboard.
Showing posts with label Cabin Crew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cabin Crew. Show all posts
Tuesday, 21 August 2007
Friday, 17 August 2007
Cabin Crew in 'quality of life' talks with Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines have been hit where it hurts following hundreds of flight cancellations in the summer. This has prompted the company to call their flight attendants to a meeting to discuss quality-of-life improvements.
"The more expeditiously and creatively we can collaborate on improving our flight attendants' work environment and quality of life, the better our prospects will be for long-term success," Chief Executive Officer Doug Steenland said in a letter.
Michigan’s biggest carrier have not guaranteed increasing the cabin crew salary but would instead look for ‘cost neutral ways’ to improve their working lives.
Flight attendants suffered pay cuts when the airline went bankrupt whilst at the same time the company secured court rulings that prevented staff from striking.
President of the Northwest branch of the Association of Flight Attendants Kevin Griffin has taken a ‘wait and see’ attitude.
"He's extending an olive branch," Griffin said. "We want to see whether it will hold any olives."
When the talks will take place is not yet known.
"The more expeditiously and creatively we can collaborate on improving our flight attendants' work environment and quality of life, the better our prospects will be for long-term success," Chief Executive Officer Doug Steenland said in a letter.
Michigan’s biggest carrier have not guaranteed increasing the cabin crew salary but would instead look for ‘cost neutral ways’ to improve their working lives.
Flight attendants suffered pay cuts when the airline went bankrupt whilst at the same time the company secured court rulings that prevented staff from striking.
President of the Northwest branch of the Association of Flight Attendants Kevin Griffin has taken a ‘wait and see’ attitude.
"He's extending an olive branch," Griffin said. "We want to see whether it will hold any olives."
When the talks will take place is not yet known.
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
Drunk and disorderly onboard Southwest Airlines flight
Passenger Andy Lee Osuna has been accused of shouting profanities, making crude comments and pushing a member of cabin crew onboard a Chicago to Las Vegas flight.
Southwest Airlines flight 2275 had to be diverted to Denver after the passenger became violent and was arrested immediately upon arrival.
Investigators were told that Osuna had drunk 2 malt liquors before the flight and then another 5 cocktails whilst onboard. He had also said that he didn’t remember even being handcuffed upon arrest.
It’s not known where Osuna is from and he made his first court appearance on Tuesday where he was held without bail.
A passenger onboard the plane said that she and her family were sitting behind the accused when he turned round and made an inappropriate comment. He then allegedly grabbed the lady’s husband’s shirt.
When a flight attendant tries to intervene in the situation, Osuna pushed them away. At one point the man’s trousers had to be pulled up as his buttocks were on display.
Southwest Airlines flight 2275 had to be diverted to Denver after the passenger became violent and was arrested immediately upon arrival.
Investigators were told that Osuna had drunk 2 malt liquors before the flight and then another 5 cocktails whilst onboard. He had also said that he didn’t remember even being handcuffed upon arrest.
It’s not known where Osuna is from and he made his first court appearance on Tuesday where he was held without bail.
A passenger onboard the plane said that she and her family were sitting behind the accused when he turned round and made an inappropriate comment. He then allegedly grabbed the lady’s husband’s shirt.
When a flight attendant tries to intervene in the situation, Osuna pushed them away. At one point the man’s trousers had to be pulled up as his buttocks were on display.
Monday, 30 July 2007
Malaysia Airlines wins award for best cabin staff.
Malaysia Airlines has won an award for ‘World’s best cabin staff’ at the World Airlines Award 2007.
The airline has been recognised for its excellent passenger support service resulting in the top position of the 11 month survey.
Chief Executive of MAS Datuk Idris Jala said he feels incredibly proud of the crew for their portrayal of the best Malaysian hospitality.
The survey also concentrated on the “soft service” of attendants such as friendliness, enthusiasm, sincerity and efficiency.
The survey data involved 3 million people who each represented a different nationality and nominated their chosen carriers based on personal experiences flying with them.
The airline has been recognised for its excellent passenger support service resulting in the top position of the 11 month survey.
Chief Executive of MAS Datuk Idris Jala said he feels incredibly proud of the crew for their portrayal of the best Malaysian hospitality.
The survey also concentrated on the “soft service” of attendants such as friendliness, enthusiasm, sincerity and efficiency.
The survey data involved 3 million people who each represented a different nationality and nominated their chosen carriers based on personal experiences flying with them.
Sunday, 29 July 2007
Are airlines paying fair?
Further to my previous article relating to poor pay for cabin crew, Sara Nelson who has worked 11 years for United Airlines had to sell her car in order to afford living costs.
Sara believes her pay has come down at least 30% and although has to do without the luxury of a car she does have longer hours and the addition of more broken lavatories to deal with!
"It seems more and more that one or two lavatories are shut down," said Nelson, who is also a spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants union.
With on-board staffing reduced, "There are fewer people to look out for the problems and try to head them off from the get go," she said.
Tensions are riding high as cabin crew have to cope with more and more difficult conditions that the airlines are imposing on them.
Flight attendants are starting to actually resemble prisoners as a result of tighter security restrictions, faster turnaround times and congested planes without being provided adequate food and more importantly more pay.
"You have more people getting off, more people getting on, so the expectation is you basically don't get off the plane," Carla Rogat of Mesaba Airlines said.
"You can work a 14-hour day and get off the plane for 20 minutes,"
Contrary to what people may think, when aircraft are still waiting at the gate due to lengthy delays cabin crew aren’t actually being paid whilst the plane is standing still. It’s only when the plane leaves the gate that crew are being paid, so in effect they are working for free while the aircraft is stationary.
"I can work a 14-hour day and get paid for five of it," said Rogat.
The average salary of US flight attendants can be between $US19,200 and $US33,800 but many stay within this employment for the travel benefits and flexibility.
"I still really do love the job," said Alin Boswell, an 18-year veteran of US Airways Group Inc.
Airlines have in the past promised to ease stress put upon cabin crew but such actions have remained under the belt.
"We have taken a number of steps to improve the quality of life and scheduling flexibility for our flight attendants," said United Airlines spokeswoman Jean Medina.
"People are very, very upset. They've been stretched to the end," said Nelson. "They were stretched to the end before, but at least there was a promise of something better. Now when that hasn't been returned, it's as if the rubber band was broken."
Sara believes her pay has come down at least 30% and although has to do without the luxury of a car she does have longer hours and the addition of more broken lavatories to deal with!
"It seems more and more that one or two lavatories are shut down," said Nelson, who is also a spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants union.
With on-board staffing reduced, "There are fewer people to look out for the problems and try to head them off from the get go," she said.
Tensions are riding high as cabin crew have to cope with more and more difficult conditions that the airlines are imposing on them.
Flight attendants are starting to actually resemble prisoners as a result of tighter security restrictions, faster turnaround times and congested planes without being provided adequate food and more importantly more pay.
"You have more people getting off, more people getting on, so the expectation is you basically don't get off the plane," Carla Rogat of Mesaba Airlines said.
"You can work a 14-hour day and get off the plane for 20 minutes,"
Contrary to what people may think, when aircraft are still waiting at the gate due to lengthy delays cabin crew aren’t actually being paid whilst the plane is standing still. It’s only when the plane leaves the gate that crew are being paid, so in effect they are working for free while the aircraft is stationary.
"I can work a 14-hour day and get paid for five of it," said Rogat.
The average salary of US flight attendants can be between $US19,200 and $US33,800 but many stay within this employment for the travel benefits and flexibility.
"I still really do love the job," said Alin Boswell, an 18-year veteran of US Airways Group Inc.
Airlines have in the past promised to ease stress put upon cabin crew but such actions have remained under the belt.
"We have taken a number of steps to improve the quality of life and scheduling flexibility for our flight attendants," said United Airlines spokeswoman Jean Medina.
"People are very, very upset. They've been stretched to the end," said Nelson. "They were stretched to the end before, but at least there was a promise of something better. Now when that hasn't been returned, it's as if the rubber band was broken."
Saturday, 28 July 2007
Have your say - Airlines poll!
Check out the crazy4planes poll where you can vote on topical airline issues.
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Do airlines pay their cabin crew a fair wage?
Cabin crew have to endure both long and short haul flights so why do they only get a basic salary of £10,000?
True they are experiencing the delightful element of travel but they only have a stop over of one or perhaps in some cases two nights. In order to get to these fabulous destinations they have to first serve people tea and coffee and deal with difficult passengers.
Looking after 50-300 people isn't easy so why do they only earn a very small salary? At the end of the day it is just another type of job, these people still need somewhere to live and put food on the table for families.
How on earth can cabin crew live on that salary!!! Is it really only because the employers believe they are travelling all round the world that they feel justified in paying such low wages?
Businessmen travel the world also yet I don't think they would for that kind of money!!
True they are experiencing the delightful element of travel but they only have a stop over of one or perhaps in some cases two nights. In order to get to these fabulous destinations they have to first serve people tea and coffee and deal with difficult passengers.
Looking after 50-300 people isn't easy so why do they only earn a very small salary? At the end of the day it is just another type of job, these people still need somewhere to live and put food on the table for families.
How on earth can cabin crew live on that salary!!! Is it really only because the employers believe they are travelling all round the world that they feel justified in paying such low wages?
Businessmen travel the world also yet I don't think they would for that kind of money!!
Monday, 23 July 2007
Cabin Crew applicants sent packing at AirAsia!
Hundreds of applicants that applied to work for AirAsia as cabin crew have been turned down due to their lack of English speaking skills.
A recruitment day was held in Kuching over the weekend and of the 426 hopefuls, around 95 percent failed as they lacked any serious command of the language.
AirAsia executive vice president Bo Lingham said:
"The ability to communicate well in English and Bahasa Malaysia is a criterion, and English is a must"
The 16 applicants that did reach the final interview stage still may not make it to being a member of cabin crew.
The airline is set to add 37-37 new planes at the end of the year and is looking to recruit at least 300 cabin crew.
Lingham further added recruits might have to be sourced from Thailand and Indonesia, which could be to their advantage as cabin crew are required to speak foreign languages.
"For example, we are looking for Mandarin-speaking crew for our China routes."
A recruitment day was held in Kuching over the weekend and of the 426 hopefuls, around 95 percent failed as they lacked any serious command of the language.
AirAsia executive vice president Bo Lingham said:
"The ability to communicate well in English and Bahasa Malaysia is a criterion, and English is a must"
The 16 applicants that did reach the final interview stage still may not make it to being a member of cabin crew.
The airline is set to add 37-37 new planes at the end of the year and is looking to recruit at least 300 cabin crew.
Lingham further added recruits might have to be sourced from Thailand and Indonesia, which could be to their advantage as cabin crew are required to speak foreign languages.
"For example, we are looking for Mandarin-speaking crew for our China routes."
Friday, 2 March 2007
Quantas Airlines to participate in test flights of A380
The Airbus A380 is to become a major investment into Quantas’s fleet of aircraft as they have named next year to begin commercial flights.
Complete with a Quantas flight crew the A380 will be embarking on two test flights later this month. The first will be on March 19th landing at Los Angeles International Airport in front of at least 100,000 spectators. The second also on March 19th will land at John F Kennedy Airport.
"Being the first to bring the revolutionary A380 aircraft to LAX continues Qantas's tradition of being an industry leader and innovator," said Wally Mariani, Qantas's senior executive vice president of the Americas and Pacific.
"As the second oldest airline in the world, Qantas has made aviation history on many occasions, including pioneering long haul travel and being the first airline to launch a business class service.
"We are committed to providing our customers with the most up to date and technologically advanced fleet possible and this multi-billion dollar investment in the A380 which will bring new levels of comfort to our passengers, further demonstrates this."
In order to give more comfort for passengers on long haul flights the capacity to hold at least 800 passengers will be confined to only 500.
This spectacular event will enable Quantas to witness the plane’s ability to manoeuvre, its docking at the gate and any ground handling services.
Sunday, 28 January 2007
Hope as Talks Resume
UK air passengers are keeping their fingers crossed that BA and the Transport and General Workers Union can today broker a deal to avoid a scheduled two day walkout by British Airways cabin crew later this week.
Talks went well last night and it is hoped further progress can be made today to avoid the planned strike.
Meanwhile, thousands of passengers are hoping to get an early getaway on holidays and business trips to avoid the impending confusion that will occur if the union action goes ahead.
Long queues of people gathered at Gatwick airport yesterday trying to book available seats.
We all hope a speedy and fair agreement can be reached over pay and sick leave for all BA cabin crew.
Talks went well last night and it is hoped further progress can be made today to avoid the planned strike.
Meanwhile, thousands of passengers are hoping to get an early getaway on holidays and business trips to avoid the impending confusion that will occur if the union action goes ahead.
Long queues of people gathered at Gatwick airport yesterday trying to book available seats.
We all hope a speedy and fair agreement can be reached over pay and sick leave for all BA cabin crew.
Thursday, 25 January 2007
Cabin Crew Strike Action Goes Ahead
Talks have broken down between BA and the T and G Union and the two-day strike by thousands of British Airways cabin crew is to go ahead as planned on January 30 and 31.
BA claim union officials rejected its plans to end the dispute over sickness, pay and staff issues.
The airline will now advise passengers to make alternative arrangements when hundreds of flights are cancelled.
BA had hoped the union would completely cancel the strike, saying that enough progress had been made in the talks.
Chief executive Willie Walsh said: "We are bitterly disappointed that the T and G has refused to respond positively to the serious proposals we have made."
Of the 14,000 cabin crew working for BA about 11,000 are members of the T and G.
The union had postponed the strike action for 24 hours to allow more time for talks.
Disappointed T and G union deputy general secretary Jack Dromey said BA had squandered a "sincere gesture of goodwill" as the move was designed to open up a "new relationship between BA and the cabin crew".
He said BA "has failed to hear the voice of common sense" by rejecting its proposals.
T and G claim a new regime on sickness pay, introduced 18 months ago, means BA staff are forced to work when they are ill.
BA insists the measures were needed to cut high levels of sickness absence.
Staff now take an average of 12 days' off sick each year - down from 22 days before the new rules were brought in, the airline says.
Starter pay rates for crew members is also subject to dispute.
BA claim union officials rejected its plans to end the dispute over sickness, pay and staff issues.
The airline will now advise passengers to make alternative arrangements when hundreds of flights are cancelled.
BA had hoped the union would completely cancel the strike, saying that enough progress had been made in the talks.
Chief executive Willie Walsh said: "We are bitterly disappointed that the T and G has refused to respond positively to the serious proposals we have made."
Of the 14,000 cabin crew working for BA about 11,000 are members of the T and G.
The union had postponed the strike action for 24 hours to allow more time for talks.
Disappointed T and G union deputy general secretary Jack Dromey said BA had squandered a "sincere gesture of goodwill" as the move was designed to open up a "new relationship between BA and the cabin crew".
He said BA "has failed to hear the voice of common sense" by rejecting its proposals.
T and G claim a new regime on sickness pay, introduced 18 months ago, means BA staff are forced to work when they are ill.
BA insists the measures were needed to cut high levels of sickness absence.
Staff now take an average of 12 days' off sick each year - down from 22 days before the new rules were brought in, the airline says.
Starter pay rates for crew members is also subject to dispute.
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