I will be taking a two and a half week trip to New York City, starting this Wednesday, the 17th, which means I will be unable to write three new blog posts. In addition to the normal tourist sightseeing around the city, starting next Sunday, I will be taking a business intensive course at Adelphi University on Long Island for two weeks to learn more about business, and of course get college credits. But because I will be studying such a wide range of subjects in such a short period of time, I will have little if any time to write for this blog. While I thought I would be able to write a little bit here and there, after looking at the schedule, I've come to realize that it would be impossible. So i chose my future career over my hobby, and I think I made the right decision.
You can expect my first blog post on August 12, a week after I come back.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Monday, July 8, 2013
Asiana Airlines Flight Crash Lands at San Francisco Airport
Saturday morning started like any other morning at San Francisco International Airport. But after the marine layer had dissipated, that would change. At 11:27 AM, Asiana Airlines flight 214, a Boeing 777-200ER, experienced a hull-loss accident upon landing at the airport. The crash landing caused the tail and landing gear to separate from the plane, the aft pressure bulkhead to burst, and the plane to spin like a top. The crash of flight 214 was the first fatal accident to happen on American soil since the Colgan Air crash in Buffalo, New York, which killed all 49 passengers and one person on the ground. Killing two and injuring 183, the flight from Shanghai via Seoul hit the seawall and left a trail of debris as it spun out of control off the runway and into the dirt nearby. The accident was the first involving a fatality for the 777, going to show the outstanding safety record of the model first delivered in 1995.
Among the 307 passengers and crew on the flight, two were killed, 183 were injured ten of which were in critical condition (as of the this writing that number has been downgraded to 6), and 122 walked away uninjured. Most of the injuries consisted of head trauma from the initial impact and burns from the fire that ensued. The two that were killed were Chinese 16-year-old girls Ye Meng Yuan and Wang Li Jia. The flight had 141 Chinese citizens on board, including 70 students and teachers traveling to the US for a summer school program. 91 passengers and crew were South Korean citizens, 61 were American citizens, and the other 11 were citizens of 6 other countries.
Witnesses reported seeing the plane flying extremely low before the accident, and passengers reported hearing the engines revving and the plane tilting upwards seconds before impact. The National Transportation Safety Board has indeed confirmed that the plane was flying too low and too slow to make a safe landing. They have also stated that according to the cockpit voice recorder, the pilot called for a go around, which of course, failed, hence the engines revving moments before impact. Because the plane survived the crash for the most part, the two black boxes were easily recovered, and thanks also to eyewitness and survivor testimonies, the NTSB knows exactly what happened. The investigation must continue however to determine a cause.
At this point so early in the investigation, everything is still on the table, including pilot error and mechanical failure.
Among the 307 passengers and crew on the flight, two were killed, 183 were injured ten of which were in critical condition (as of the this writing that number has been downgraded to 6), and 122 walked away uninjured. Most of the injuries consisted of head trauma from the initial impact and burns from the fire that ensued. The two that were killed were Chinese 16-year-old girls Ye Meng Yuan and Wang Li Jia. The flight had 141 Chinese citizens on board, including 70 students and teachers traveling to the US for a summer school program. 91 passengers and crew were South Korean citizens, 61 were American citizens, and the other 11 were citizens of 6 other countries.
Witnesses reported seeing the plane flying extremely low before the accident, and passengers reported hearing the engines revving and the plane tilting upwards seconds before impact. The National Transportation Safety Board has indeed confirmed that the plane was flying too low and too slow to make a safe landing. They have also stated that according to the cockpit voice recorder, the pilot called for a go around, which of course, failed, hence the engines revving moments before impact. Because the plane survived the crash for the most part, the two black boxes were easily recovered, and thanks also to eyewitness and survivor testimonies, the NTSB knows exactly what happened. The investigation must continue however to determine a cause.
At this point so early in the investigation, everything is still on the table, including pilot error and mechanical failure.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Potential Route Development for Dulles Airport
Last week, British Airways announced their inaugural routes for their first two Dreamliners, saying they will fly to Toronto starting September 1st and Newark starting October 1st, a move that, while not surprising, did disappoint yours truly. While unlikely, it could have been possible for Washington to receive one of British Airways inaugural 787 flights given the fact that British Airways' international 767s fly primarily to the East Coast and Canada, and Dulles gets one of them (read more about why Dulles could have gotten BA's inaugural here). This got me thinking about what other possible inaugural routes Dulles could see. In just the past year and a half since I started following the industry, Washington has seen dramatic growth, adding 3 new airlines and inaugurating the 787 Dreamliner for Ethiopian Airlines. Dulles even had the honor of being the destination of the worldwide launch of the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, flown by Lufthansa from Frankfurt. With more and more airlines flying new aircraft like the 787 and A380, and the launch of the A350 just a year away, could Dulles' next superstar route be just around the corner?
When the FAA let the Dreamliner fly again, it opened up doors for hometown airline United to fly some more off-the-beaten-path routes to Latin America and Africa. Cities such as Buenos Aires, Johannesburg, Sao Paulo and even potentially Rio de Janeiro could see service from United thanks to the 787's cost efficiency, making niche routes more financially viable. One route United could especially target in the upcoming years out of Dulles is a flight to Accra, Ghana. The West African capital used to receive service from United by their 767s, the primary aircraft the 787 is set to replace, but was dropped a year ago citing poor financial performance. Thanks to the improved economics of the Dreamliner, we could see that route make a comeback.
A few years after the Airbus A350 starts flying commercially, which will come in about a year, don't be too surprised if you see a couple of them buzzing through Dulles airport. Not only does hometown airline United have 35 A35-1000s on order due for delivery in 2018, but many other airlines that already fly to Washington have orders of all variants on the table, including but not limited to, Emirates, Air France-KLM, Aeroflot, and launch customer Qatar Airways. The airlines that have placed firm orders have variants that are perfectly fit to replace the aircraft they currently have flying here. United's order for A350-1000s, the largest variant, are most likely to be used to upgrade capacity on load heavy routes, and along with Newark and Chicago, Washington could see capacity increases on routes to major European cities such as London, Paris and Amsterdam, cities that the airline already flies up with 777-200s, their largest twinjet by capacity.
Disagree on potential routes? Think a different airline could bring something new to Washington? Think I missed something? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.
When the FAA let the Dreamliner fly again, it opened up doors for hometown airline United to fly some more off-the-beaten-path routes to Latin America and Africa. Cities such as Buenos Aires, Johannesburg, Sao Paulo and even potentially Rio de Janeiro could see service from United thanks to the 787's cost efficiency, making niche routes more financially viable. One route United could especially target in the upcoming years out of Dulles is a flight to Accra, Ghana. The West African capital used to receive service from United by their 767s, the primary aircraft the 787 is set to replace, but was dropped a year ago citing poor financial performance. Thanks to the improved economics of the Dreamliner, we could see that route make a comeback.
A few years after the Airbus A350 starts flying commercially, which will come in about a year, don't be too surprised if you see a couple of them buzzing through Dulles airport. Not only does hometown airline United have 35 A35-1000s on order due for delivery in 2018, but many other airlines that already fly to Washington have orders of all variants on the table, including but not limited to, Emirates, Air France-KLM, Aeroflot, and launch customer Qatar Airways. The airlines that have placed firm orders have variants that are perfectly fit to replace the aircraft they currently have flying here. United's order for A350-1000s, the largest variant, are most likely to be used to upgrade capacity on load heavy routes, and along with Newark and Chicago, Washington could see capacity increases on routes to major European cities such as London, Paris and Amsterdam, cities that the airline already flies up with 777-200s, their largest twinjet by capacity.
Disagree on potential routes? Think a different airline could bring something new to Washington? Think I missed something? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.
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