I have been led to believe the writers of these articles are using the often misunderstood idea of how RATP works, i.e. many people think that if you attend any flight school that is part 141 and/or you have a degree, you're eligible for the 1000 hr RATP. The list of universities with FAA-approved part 141 training programs and letters of authorization in place is limited, such as Utah Valley University, University of North Dakota, Embry-Riddle, et al. It gets even more specific than that, such as the flight training has to be done by the university's flight department (not a local part 61 school, or doing flight training elsewhere while pursuing the school's online degree), as well as specific courses toward a minimum of 60 selected credit hours within the degree's syllabus. And even then, only certain degrees are eligible. My university has a B.S., A.S, A.A.S. in aviation science (pilot ratings required) as well as a B.S. in Aviation Management. Out of these four degree options, only

(Written on 11/11/2017)(Permalink)

Exactly. With foreflight you can send VFR and IFR flight plans. Shoot, you can even open and close VFR flight plans right from the app. It would be nice if IFR could also be done wirelessly like that. Commercial pilots can use ACARS and CPDLC to get ATIS and clearances and amendments, it would be nice for GA as well.

(Written on 06/12/2017)(Permalink)

I always assumed it would never grow on me, and that seems to still be the case. It's grown on me a little, so much so that when I'm AA hubs and there's the lone polished aluminum 737 or MD80 (or even rarer, an Eagle RJ in old livery) it looks...odd. The only thing I like about the new livery is the tail, I think the flag looks neat. But the flat grey is just so...blah.

(Written on 06/06/2017)(Permalink)

The issue with this article is that it is saturated with the author's slant, riding the coattails of the "outrage culture" over United, plus general public tendency to bash airlines. Time and again, customers say one thing but actually vote with their wallets. Spirit, new Frontier, Allegiant...people won't stop spending their money there. The majors started offering lower fares aligned with those ULCCs, and people are buying them. Take Delta, for example. The ultra-restricted E Basic Economy fare. It isn't on every route or flight, but people are buying it. When DL introduced Economy comfort about 5 years ago, some people bought it but it often remained empty until the gate agent placed displaced standby pax, nonrevs, etc in those seats. DL recently made Comfort Plus a W fare "premium" cabin (which is an absolute joke) and treats it like domestic first: pay an overrated upfare, or get on the upgrade list as a frequent flier perk. The domestic F and C+ cabins remain sparsely populated wh

(Written on 05/30/2017)(Permalink)

Didn't Singapore do this for a while with an A340? Maybe the combination of recovering economies and newer/more efficient twin engine will make it successful again.

(Written on 05/30/2017)(Permalink)

Looks like their regular 30" seat pitch. What surprised me, though, is the actual seat. The picture of the back and sides make it look like its just a plastic shell with a piece of synthetic leather stretched across it.

(Written on 05/24/2017)(Permalink)

I'm surprised you're getting downvoted. Overbooking is a common practice and has been for years. Ignoring the issue that this whole fiasco was due to the force used by the police, not UA, overbooking generally doesn't affect paying passengers. For some, they can take the compensation to get bumped, but the practice of overbooking certainly is one of the (many many) factors that play into air fare. I'm not expecting a huge spike in airfare, but it definitely will have some impact.

(Written on 04/27/2017)(Permalink)

I've read reports recently that airlines in general, especially U.S. carriers, have been growing too much (in the international markets) and getting too many widebodies, and that they need to reevaluate things. This aligns with the comments from Ed Bastian in that article. All I could think when I read it last night was the same sentiment: 757 replacement. Delta already has a large fleet of 757 and is slowly trying to replace it with the 739 (not a stellar replacement) and the A321. I don't know what gets discussed unofficially or behind closed doors, but I have wondered for years if Boeing or airlines have ever tossed out the idea of a next gen 757 or an updated replacement. There are tons of 737 and A320 family aircraft. There are many widebody international configurations. But no one really has medium sized long range yet still domestic niche.

(Written on 04/13/2017)(Permalink)

Good. I still think all the "interference" concerns are mostly malarkey. Planes regularly have 150-300 people on them every trip, and we all know that none of us go to airplane mode until we're lifting off and the cell signal cuts out at a few hundred feet. If those 150-300 phone signals aren't messing with the systems on the ground, they're not going to mess with them in flight. And how many of us have sat next to a passenger whose phone gets a half dozen alerts on short final as you cross the runway threshold and touchdown, and they look a bit startled because they forgot they didn't even turn on airplane mode? Leaving their phone on didn't crash the plane. And I always used to roll my eyes a bit when the speech was given about "phones must be placed in airplane mode when the cabin door is closed," as if that small opening somehow prevented cell signals from doign anything heinous. I digress, but the reason is because I'm glad steps are being taken to finally approve the use of PEDs o

(Written on 04/10/2017)(Permalink)

Interesting. I had never heard of the Atol or the MVP Aero before. Interesting that this type of craft is trending. Though I do have to say the Icon A5 has been around for a while so it's the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of LSA amphibs. I also know the A5 has stall and spin protection, and also that both wings fold back and it has a trailer so you can tow it like a boat. Sure, it's a lot pricier, but I think many people spend comparable amounts on boats already. I would never own a boat, but I could be inclined to at least consider owning an A5.

(Written on 04/07/2017)(Permalink)