No updates for a while

I will be unable to update this blog until at least late Jan. (more likely early/mid Feb.), but I promise that in time I'll make it up to everyone.

Judge Rules Comair 5191 Pilots "Negligent"

A federal judge has ruled that pilots were "negligent" in the crash of Comair 5191 at Lexington, KY:

A federal judge has ruled that the negligence of two pilots who took off on the wrong runway was a “substantial factor” in the August 2006 crash of a Comair regional jet in Lexington.... The ruling now leaves a jury to decide if Comair committed “gross negligence” in the crash of Comair 5191, which the National Transportation Safety Board has blamed largely on errors by the two pilots who guided the aircraft to the wrong runway at Lexington’s Blue Grass Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board found that the pilots’ failed to notice clues they were on the wrong runway. According to the NTSB, investigators found that the pilots failed to notice clues they were on a general aviation strip too short for a commercial plane to execute a proper takeoff.... A jury will be asked next year to determine if Comair — a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, Inc. — should pay punitive damages. Forty-nine people were killed in the crash. Co-pilot James Polehinke was the lone survivor.

Sources:

Judge: Pilot negligence a factor in Comair crash

Judge: Pilots negligent in Comair crash

Negligence 'substantial factor' in Comair crash

Dept. of Transportation Data for October, 2009

On-Time Arrivals	Flight Operations Cancelled	Mishandled Baggage (Reports / 1000 Passengers)	Consumer Complaints (per 100,000 Enplanements)
HAWAIIAN (93.4)	HAWAIIAN (0.0)	AIRTRAN (1.48)	SOUTHWEST (0.27)
ALASKA (85.8)	CONTINENTAL (0.2)	HAWAIIAN (1.86)	AMERICAN EAGLE (0.27)
JETBLUE (82.9)	JETBLUE (0.3)	JETBLUE (2.06)	ALASKA (0.33)
US AIRWAYS (82.1)	ASA (0.4)	CONTINENTAL (2.36)	HAWAIIAN (0.43)
UNITED (81.7)	AIRTRAN (0.5)	FRONTIER (2.38)	EXPRESSJET (0.44)
DELTA (79.4)	ALASKA (0.5)	US AIRWAYS (2.55)	SKYWEST (0.47)
PINNACLE (78.8)	DELTA (0.5)	NORTHWEST (3.00)	MESA (0.53)
MESA (78.4)	SOUTHWEST (0.6)	SOUTHWEST (3.07)	CONTINENTAL (0.59)
SOUTHWEST (77.8)	AMERICAN (0.7)	EXPRESSJET (3.39)	AIRTRAN (0.60)
SKYWEST (77.6)	US AIRWAYS (0.8)	AMERICAN (3.46)	JETBLUE (0.70
AMERICAN (76.0)	COMAIR (0.8)	UNITED (3.62)	PINNACLE (0.75)
AIRTRAN (75.3)	NORTHWEST (0.9)	MESA (3.80)	FRONTIER (0.85)
CONTINENTAL (75.1)	FRONTIER (1.0)	ALASKA (3.95)	AMERICAN (0.88)
AMERICAN EAGLE (74.0)	UNITED (1.4)	DELTA (4.40)	COMAIR (0.92)
FRONTIER (72.9)	SKYWEST (1.4)	SKYWEST (4.99)	ASA (1.02)
COMAIR (72.7)	EXPRESSJET (1.5)	COMAIR (5.08)	UNITED (1.18)
EXPRESSJET (72.6)	MESA (2.1)	PINNACLE (5.86)	US AIRWAYS (1.21)
ASA (71.6)	AMERICAN EAGLE (2.3)	ASA (6.60)	NORTHWEST (1.24)
NORTHWEST (69.3)	PINNACLE (2.3)	AMERICAN EAGLE (7.11)	DELTA (1.70)

Red cells are (1) Delta, (2) wholly owned subsidiaries Northwest & Comair, and (3) regionals Pinnacle & ASA which fly exclusive for Delta (despite being independent & now able to contract with anyone, Pinnacle once again finds itself working only for NW/DL -- the more things change, the more they stay the same. )

Yellow cells are regionals Skywest & Mesa, which do not fly exclusively for Delta.

All data is for Oct. only. D.O.T. did not provide any new IDB (involuntary denied boarding) data for October.

The red cells are still trending to the bottom, but a couple shifts are noticeable from the September data: On-time data is improved relative to other airlines for Delta & Pinnacle, and the consumer complaints data is worse -- far worse. Delta remains at the bottom of the industry, and Northwest has moved down to 2nd worst.

Source: Air Travel Consumer Report, December, 2009

Delta Air Lines ... is #1 for Fees!

Delta Air Lines is now #1 & Northwest Airlines (still reported separately) is #2 in ancillary fees collected per passenger for the 3rd quarter of 2009:

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines had the highest “ancillary revenues” per passenger in the third quarter among major airlines ranked in a federal report. It brought in $24 per passenger in such revenue, the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics report said. That was 20 percent more than the next-closest airline, Delta merger partner Northwest Airlines, whose numbers were reported separately ....

Sources:

Power Breakfast: Delta tops in fees

FEES: As add-ons proliferate and become permanent fixtures, Delta and Northwest lead all carriers in revenue from fees.

777s Prone to Mid-Air Engine Shutdowns will Continue Flying

Rejecting safety warnings from crash investigators and pilots, federal aviation regulators have decided to allow more than 60 Boeing Co. 777 jetliners to continue flying long-distance international trips through early 2011 with suspect parts that have caused engines in extremely rare instances to ice up and basically shut down in midair.

A Delta Air Lines 777 is among those that have had an engine shut down unexpectedly in flight. A British Airways 777 crashed on landing at London Heathrow after both engines experienced such shutdowns on approach.

Source: FAA Rejects Boeing 777 Safety Warnings

Rudder Problem on Pinnacle CRJ-200

A Pinnacle CRJ-200 flying from Memphis to Gulfport, MS, on Dec. 13 returned to Memphis approximately 45 minutes after takeoff due to an indication of a rudder problem.

Source: Incident: Pinnacle CRJ2 near Memphis on Dec 13th 2009, rudder problem

Northwest Airlines DC-9 Strikes Wing Tip on Landing

A Northwest Airlines DC-9-30 flying from Charlotte, NC, to Minneapolis on Dec. 9 struck its wing tip on the runway upon landing at Minneapolis.

Source: Incident: Northwest DC93 at Minneapolis on Dec 9th 2009, wing tip strike on landing

More Service Reductions at Cincinnati Hub

Delta Air Lines announced additional service reductions at its Cincinnati hub earlier this month:

Delta said Tuesday that the cuts will eliminate direct service to Montreal, Oklahoma City, Okla., Providence, R.I., Des Moines, Iowa, and the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee.... [Delta spokeswoman Kristin] Baur says the combined cuts in January and February will leave the airport with 180 to 190 daily departures and about 70 nonstop destinations.

Sources:

Delta cutting more flights at Cincinnati

Delta to cut more Cincinnati service, no cuts for Memphis

Delta to cut 5 more cities from CVG

Delta And CVG Expect More Cuts

Schedule Change Wrecks Havoc with Couple's Wedding

A Minneapolis couple and their wedding guests were left holding the bag after the bride & groom's flight to their Mexican wedding was canceled:

But their 18 months of planning went down the drain early this month when they learned that Delta Air Lines cut all direct flights, including their full flight, from the Twin Cities to Manzanillo, leaving the couple without enough time to get themselves and friends and relatives rebooked on other flights without lots of added expense.

Now, their new date is Feb. 17, four days after Delta says it plans to resume the direct flights. But besides missing out on their dream wedding date, they're left knowing that their friends and relatives are stuck paying nearly $1,000 total in additional ticketing charges. And at least one couple can't make the new date work.

Source: Big hitch glitch for Twin Cities couple

$1.5B Loss Forecast for 2009

Delta Air Lines is forecasting a $1.5B loss for 2009, or a mere $1.1B after "excluding special items".

Sources:

Delta expects $1.5B loss for 2009

Delta sees $1.1 bln loss 09; but a better 2010

Delta forecasts 2009 loss of $1.5B

Delta Air Lines expects to report a $1.5 billion net loss ...

UPDATE 1-Delta sees $1.1 bln loss 09; but a better 2010

Woman Sues Northwest Airlines for Injury Received Climbing into Middle Seat

A Detroit woman is suing Northwest Airlines for injuries suffered as she tried to climb into a middle seat:

The 58-year-old [Kathy] Kuhn says she wrenched her knee while trying to climb over an armrest that wouldn't go up. Her husband, Gayl, said Monday that she used crutches during their stay in Las Vegas in 2007.

Sources:

Woman Sues Northwest Airlines Over Knee Injury

Detroit Woman Sues Northwest Airlines

Cracked Windshield on ASA CRJ-700

A Delta Air Lines CRJ-700 operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) as DL-5370 from Flint, MI, to Atlanta on Dec. 7 made an emergency landing at Louisville, KY, with a cracked windshield.

Source: Incident: Atlantic Southeast CRJ7 near Louisville on Dec 7th 2009, cracked windshield

Elevator Problem on Freedom Air E-145

A Freedom Air E-145 flying as DL-6176 from Cincinnati to St. Louis on Dec. 6 reported elevator problems after takeoff and diverted to Louisville, KY, an hour after takeoff.

Source: Incident: Freedom Air E145 near Louisville on Dec 6th 2009, elevator problems

Pinnacle CRJ-200 Has Problem With Flaps

A Delta Air Lines CRJ-200 operated by Pinnacle made an emergency landing in Grand Rapids, MI, on Dec. 5 "after its flaps failed to deploy".

Sources:

Delta flight emergency

Airliner that made emergency landing at Ford Airport was repaired, flew two hours later

Multiple Bird Strikes for Comair CRJ-700

A Comair CRJ-700 flying from Omaha to Detroit on Dec. 3 received multiple bird strikes on takeoff from Omaha. The plane landed back at Omaha 8 minutes later.

Source: Incident: Comair CRJ7 at Omaha on Dec 3rd 2009, flock of birds

Translation: Delta to Continue Losing Hundreds of Millions of Dollars

According to CFO Hank Halter, Delta Air Lines is still in "cost-cut mode" and doesn't expect any improvement until mid 2010:

Delta Air Lines doesn't expect to see key revenue measures improve before the middle of next year, which means it will continue cutting costs, an executive told analysts in New York on Wednesday.

Source: Delta still in cost-cut mode

Crack Windshield on Delta Air Lines 757

A Delta Air Lines 757 flying from Bogota to Atlanta (DL 444) on Dec. 2 returned to Bogota after "
the outer pane of the copilot's windshield window cracked".

Sources:

Incident: Delta Airlines B752 near Bogota on Dec 2nd 2009, cracked windshield

Windshield cracks on Atlanta-bound Delta flight

Delta flight from Bogota to Atlanta turns back

Dept. of Transportation Data for September, 2009

On-Time Arrivals	Flight Operations Cancelled	Mishandled Baggage (Reports / 1000 Passengers)	Consumer Complaints (per 100,000 Enplanements)	Involuntary Denied Boardings Per 10,000 Passengers July-Sept
HAWAIIAN (94.1%)	JETBLUE (0.1%)	AIRTRAN (1.36)	SOUTHWEST (0.20)	JETBLUE (0.00)
ALASKA(90.0%)	CONTINENTAL (0.1%)	FRONTIER (1.74)	PINNACLE (0.22)	HAWAIIAN (0.00)
SOUTHWEST (89.1%)	HAWAIIAN (0.1%)	HAWAIIAN (1.90)	HAWAIIAN (0.29)	AIRTRAN (0.08)
FRONTIER AIRLINES (89.1%)	FRONTIER (0.2%)	CONTINENTAL (2.01)	ALASKA (0.32)	NORTHWEST (0.44)
JETBLUE (88.7%)	NORTHWEST (0.3%)	US AIRWAYS (2.14)	EXPRESSJET (0.38)	AMERICAN (0.49)
CONTINENTAL (88.4%)	AIRTRAN (0.4%)	NORTHWEST (2.18)	SKYWEST (0.56)	SKYWEST (0.75)
US AIRWAYS (87.9%)	SOUTHWEST (0.4%)	JETBLUE (2.26)	ASA (0.68)	UNITED (0.79)
UNITED (87.9%)	ALASKA (0.4%)	EXPRESSJET (2.50)	FRONTIER (0.76)	DELTA (0.89)
SKYWEST (87.5%)	EXPRESSJET (0.4%)	SOUTHWEST (2.76)	MESA (0.80)	PINNACLE (0.92)
EXPRESSJET (87.3%)	COMAIR (0.4%)	UNITED (3.00)	JETBLUE (0.80)	US AIRWAYS (1.09)
MESA (87.0%)	US AIRWAYS (0.5%)	AMERICAN (3.04)	COMAIR (0.83)	SOUTHWEST (1.13)
PINNACLE (86.6%)	AMERICAN (0.6%)	ALASKA (3.24)	AMERICAN (0.87)	EXPRESSJET (1.24)
AMERICAN (86.0%)	DELTA (0.6%)	MESA (3.36)	US AIRWAYS (0.88)	CONTINENTAL (1.36)
AMERICAN EAGLE (84.8%)	SKYWEST (0.7%)	SKYWEST (3.90)	AMERICAN EAGLE (0.89)	MESA (1.37)
NORTHWEST (84.5%)	PINNACLE (0.8%)	DELTA (4.10)	AIRTRAN (0.95)	ASA (1.65)
AIRTRAN (83.4c	UNITED (0.9%)	PINNACLE (4.76)	CONTINENTAL (0.97)	ALASKA (2.09)
DELTA (82.2%)	MESA (0.9%)	COMAIR (4.85)	NORTHWEST (1.25)	FRONTIER (2.27)
COMAIR (80.5%)	ASA (1.0%)	AMERICAN EAGLE (5.49)	UNITED (1.29)	COMAIR (2.46)
ASA (72.2%)	AMERICAN EAGLE (1.2%)	ASA (6.12)	DELTA (1.88)	AMERICAN EAGLE (3.41)

Red cells are (1) Delta, (2) wholly owned subsidiaries Northwest & Comair, and (3) regionals Pinnacle & ASA which fly exclusive for Delta (despite being independent & now able to contract with anyone, Pinnacle once again finds itself working only for NW/DL -- the more things change, the more they stay the same. )

Yellow cells are regionals Skywest & Mesa, which do not fly exclusively for Delta.

All data is for Sept. only except for IDB's for which D.O.T. only provide a 3-month count.

The red cells are still trending to the bottom.

Source: Air Travel Consumer Report, November, 2009

Stroke Victim Abandoned by Delta Air Lines at Denver

A 76-year-old woman from Kiev suffered a stroke en route from Kiev to Denver and was left abandoned in a wheelchair in the baggage claim area at the Denver airport:

Medical records say, "At some point during her travels she did suffer a stroke and did suffer a fall while in a plane and attempting to get up to use the lavatory. Flight attendants were not able to communicate with her."

Fitzgerald said she and others from her family were at the airport waiting in the main terminal for her mother to arrive. When Kramarenko did not emerge, the family started searching the airport. Fitzgerald told Kovaleski the family searched for more than an hour before finding her mother at baggage claim. "I was shocked. I didn't expect to see this," said Fitzgerald. "She was only half in the wheelchair because her left arm was hanging down to the ground. I did not know what was going on. Her look on her face, suffering face, and then her left leg was like half on the ground. When I come closer to her, her face was droopy." Hospital records show Kramarenko had suffered a "right frontotemporal lobe stroke."

Kramarenko spent much of the next 18 days in a hospital, at times able to speak, using her daughter as a translator. Fitzgerald said her mother told her she felt as though she was dying on the last leg of her trip from Salt Lake City to Denver... "Kramarenko died on Oct. 26, less than three weeks after landing in Denver.

Source: Family: Stroke Victim Abandoned By Airline At DIA

Mesaba Fined for Role in Tarmac Stranding

The U.S. Department of Transportation has fined Mesaba, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, $75,000 for its role in the stranding of CO 2816 (operated by Express Jet) on the tarmac at the Rochester, MN, airport on August 8, 2009. This is the largest of the fines imposed on the three airlines involved in this incident.

... DOT assessed a civil penalty of $75,000 against Mesaba Airlines, which provided ground handling for the flight, for its role in the incident.... Prior to diverting to Rochester, ExpressJet contacted Mesaba personnel at Rochester to request assistance at the airport, which Mesaba, the only airline staffing the airport at the time, agreed to provide. Shortly after the flight arrived in Rochester, the ExpressJet captain asked the Mesaba employee handling the flight whether the passengers could deplane into the airport terminal. In response to this initial inquiry, and other subsequent inquiries, the captain was told that passengers could not enter the terminal because there were no Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners on duty at that hour, despite the fact that TSA rules would have allowed the passengers to enter the airport as long as they remained in a sterile area.... The consent order covering Mesaba finds that the carrier engaged in an unfair and deceptive practice when it provided inaccurate information to ExpressJet about deplaning passengers from flight 2816.

Sources:

U.S. Department of Transportation Press Release

Airlines Fined for Stranding Passengers

Airlines fined for overnight stranding in Minnesota