Flight Safety Information October 30, 2013 - No. 224 In This Issue Small plane crashes at big airport; no one notices Another Near Plane Crash in Abuja Bushfires aftermath: water-bombing plane's crash site reached at last JetBlue Defers Embraer Jets as Airbus Order Has Priority Crash investigator urges stall training for pilots Ryanair pilots push for talks with O'Leary Virgin America Turns Pre-Flight Safety Videos into Entertainment Honeybees Could Help Scientists Build A Better Aircraft Nigeria: Licenses Issued to Airlines With No Aircraft Think ARGUS PROS Photographer visits historic Alaska airplane crash sites with a 'Happy End' World's latest mega-airport finally opens to passengers How airlines are nickel and diming their way to record revenue Small plane crashes at big airport; no one notices (CNN) -- Authorities struggled to explain how a small plane crashed at an international airport, erupted in fire, but evidently went unnoticed for hours. The incident occurred early Tuesday in Nashville. But exactly what time remains a mystery. The single-engine Cessna registered to the Windsor Flying Club in Ontario, Canada, evidently crashed sometime after 3 a.m. local time, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. But it wasn't noticed until well after sunrise when another plane taxiing for take-off saw an engine cover on the edge of runway 2C -- the middle of three parallel runways. Controllers contacted airport personnel, who found the fire-scarred wreckage. The plane's sole occupant was dead, officials said. The airport's control tower is staffed 24 hours a day, the Federal Aviation Administration told CNN. But it was not immediately clear how many controllers were in the tower during the overnight shift. An FAA spokesman said there was low visibility overnight and fog. Another FAA spokesman said it was not known whether the plane had been in contact with controllers, or if it had made a distress call. The agency declined to answer questions, saying the matter was under investigation. Airport spokeswoman Shannon Sumrall referred all questions to the NTSB. The board spokesman, Peter Knudson, said the aircraft suffered a post-crash fire and the cause of the crash is under investigation. The name of the victim was not released. http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/29/us/plane-crash-mystery/ Back to Top Another Near Plane Crash in Abuja Another air disaster was averted at the Nnamdi Azikwe Airport, Abuja on yesterday, 29 October, as a Med- View Airlines aircraft coming in from Lagos suddenly took to the air again at the point of landing in Abuja. The pilot told the passengers that he took to the air again to avoid a collision with another aircraft on the tarmac. The airline Flight VL2104 took off from the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos at noon and was scheduled to land in Abuja at about 1.05pm. The pilot had already announced final descent into Abuja and asked all passengers and cabin crew to fasten their seat belts but the pilot suddenly took off to the air again with barely 30 seconds to touch ground. The plane had 150 passengers on board. After about three minutes of gaining altitude, the pilot announced that he decided to take off again to avoid colliding with an aircraft that was on ground. He said that after he had been granted clearance to land, it was later discovered that the other aircraft was not fast enough, hence his decision to take off. The aircraft hovered for another 20 minutes in the air before finally landing at about 1.30pm. While the drama lasted, the passengers were panic-stricken, especially when the plane entered into turbulent weather on air. A PUNCH correspondent said that among the passengers were five different complete families. One of the passengers, a nursing mother, who was breastfeeding her son at the time the pilot took off again reportedly withdrew the breast from the boy's mouth and started praying profusely while the baby's cry rented the air. When the plane finally landed, the passengers struggled to disembark. "Are you still sitting down? Let me rush down in case it will suddenly take off again," a middle-aged man was heard teasing one of his co-passengers. The incident came less than a month after an Embraer aircraft operated by Associated Airlines with registration number SCD 361, conveying the corpse of a former Governor of Ondo State, Chief Olusegun Agagu, from Lagos to Akure for burial, crashed on October 3 shortly after take-off at Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos. http://www.360nobs.com/2013/10/another-near-plane-crash-in-abuja/ Back to Top Bushfires aftermath: water-bombing plane's crash site reached at last Crash investigators have reached the wreckage of a water-bombing aircraft in south-eastern New South Wales, six days after its pilot died while fighting bushfires. Seven other models of the same fixed-wing aircraft were grounded on Wednesday by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority as a precaution. David Black, 43, died when his Dromader aircraft crashed in Budawang national park, 40 kilometres west of Ulladulla, about 10am on Thursday. A witness saw one of the plane's wings fall off before the aircraft plummeted. Fire risks and rough terrain meant investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau found it difficult to reach the crash site but on Wednesday a team of four got there. "Rural fire service teams had completed clearing a helicopter landing site nearby. However, the site has not been accessible until today due to ongoing high winds," a bureau spokesman said. On the same day a Casa spokesman, Peter Gibson, announced that seven Dromaders had been grounded. "It's a precaution to make sure there aren't any problems with the wings or other structures on the aircraft," he said. The aircraft were used for crop dusting in NSW and Queensland, Gibson said, and could be contracted for water bombing. In April the bureau released a report after investigations into three fatal incidents involving Dromader aircraft. On each occasion the aircraft were carrying increased weight and the bureau found associated safety risks, despite approval being granted for operation at takeoff weights of more than 4200kg. The report outlined operating limitations under higher loads and recommended increased awareness among pilots. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/30/water-bombing-plane-crash-site-reached-at-last Back to Top JetBlue Defers Embraer Jets as Airbus Order Has Priority JetBlue (JBLU) Airways Corp. delayed delivery of some Embraer SA (EMBR3) jets, the smallest in its fleet, and ordered 35 Airbus SAS aircraft valued at $4 billion as the carrier focuses on larger, more-efficient planes. The 24 Embraer E190 planes will arrive from 2020 to 2022 instead of 2014 to 2018, JetBlue said today in a statement. The Airbus order is for 20 of the upgraded A321neo model with new engines and 15 of the current version of that jet. Chief Executive Officer Dave Barger's E190 pullback extends a move away from the Embraer plane, with New York-based JetBlue now planning to cap the fleet at 60 after once placing orders for 100 with options for 100 more. JetBlue is working to trim expenses by adding the single-aisle Airbus planes, which consume less fuel and carry more people than the E190s. "The shift to larger aircraft is a trend we are seeing in the industry as airlines seek to reduce unit costs by shifting to more aircraft with more seats," Helane Becker, a Cowen & Co. analyst in New York, said in a note to investors. She rates JetBlue market perform. The E190s carry about 100 passengers, while JetBlue puts 190 people in the A321, Airbus's biggest narrow- body model. The order changes will reduce capital expenditures by $200 million over the next three years, the airline said. JetBlue fell 3.9 percent to $7.24 at the close in New York, the biggest daily drop since May 1. The stock has advanced 26 percent this year. Embraer, based in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, slid 6.5 percent to 16.65 reais in Sao Paulo, the most since July 11, 2012. 'Generally Positive' The fleet changes are "generally positive," Savanthi Syth, a Raymond James Financial Inc. analyst in St. Petersburg, Florida, said in an interview. The shares probably fell on unhappiness that JetBlue has failed to meet a company target of boosting return on invested capital by an average 1 percentage point a year, she said. Syth rates JetBlue market perform. JetBlue's adjustments are "natural fleet management based on market opportunities and the company's business plan," Embraer said in an e-mailed statement. "It's important to emphasize that there has been no order cancellation but a restructuring of deliveries overtime." Embraer, which said the plane will continue to be an important part of JetBlue's business model, had delivered 482 E190s as of Sept. 30, with 78 on backlog. Recent Successes "They've had a lot of successes over the past year or so in terms of other U.S. campaigns," Peter Skibitski, a Drexel Hamilton LLC analyst in Atlanta, said of Embraer in an interview. "I don't think this JetBlue deferral decision is going to have a meaningful impact." He rates Embraer buy. JetBlue said paring its Embraer fleet would occur "in the near term" to help cut spending and better match available seats with demand. In 2005, JetBlue was the initial customer for the E190. The deferrals involve $1.11 billion of jets, based on catalog prices. Buyers typically get a discount to list prices. "While the E190 is critical to our continued success in Boston and San Juan, we are now at a point where our network growth calls for larger gauge aircraft," Barger said in the statement. The carrier now has 190 planes, made up of 130 Airbus A320s, one A321 and 59 E190s. The fleet changes will "significantly change our cost dynamics over the long run," the CEO told analysts on a conference call. Cancellations, Delays Today was the fourth time that JetBlue had canceled or delayed E190 orders since 2006. The airline recently had complained about higher-than-expected maintenance costs on the E190 engines, which are made by a unit of General Electric Co. (GE) The airline said after an earlier delay that the jets weren't as profitable as it had expected in some markets. "The core reason behind the deferrals is the network needed only about 60" 100-seat planes, Chief Financial Officer Mark Powers said in an interview. "There's always a place for a good 100-seater in our fleet." JetBlue also converted orders for 18 A320s to A321s, a step expected to cut fuel consumption per seat by as much as 15 percent, according to the statement. The changes let JetBlue add 15 incremental A321s to its fleet by 2017, with the 20 new A321neo arrivals starting in 2018. JetBlue announced a $2.5 billion order for 40 neo aircraft from Toulouse, France-based Airbus in June 2011, and said then it wouldn't add more than 75 E190s to its fleet as it focused on longer-range flying with the larger jets. The airline also reported today that third-quarter net income rose 58 percent to $71 million, or 21 cents a share, from $45 million, or 14 cents, a year earlier. The average of 14 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg was 22 cents. Sales rose 10 percent to $1.44 billion, meeting estimates. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-29/jetblue-to-defer-24-embraer-aircraft-to-cut-near-term- spending.html Back to Top Crash investigator urges stall training for pilots WASHINGTON - A federal crash investigator urged a conference of aviation safety officials Tuesday to better train pilots to avoid stubborn problems such as stalls. Earl Weener, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, recalled four separate fatal crashes over the past two decades that he said involved stalls, with pilots basically pulling the plane's nose up too much until the aircraft fell to the ground. "The question in my mind is why did the crew continue to pull back on the elevator all the way to the ground," Weener told about 300 people attending the Flight Safety Foundation's International Aviation Safety Summit, rather than leveling off to regain power and speed. Lack of training is feared to be one culprit. Weener's comments came as the Federal Aviation Administration is finishing a new rule to require more pilot training to avoid stalls. The rule, which grew out of the Colgan Air 3407 crash in February 2009, was supposed to be completed this month, but was delayed by the government shutdown. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told reporters Thursday that he was working to complete the rule "very quickly." The crashes Weener cited were Colgan, Air France 447 in June 2009, Pinnacle Airlines 3701 in October 2004 and USAir 427 in September 1994. In the Air France and Pinnacle crashes, the planes plummeted several minutes from tens of thousands of feet in the middle of flights, rather than near the landing. A NASA study of voluntary reporting by pilots found stalls 28% of the time while cruising at high altitude, Weener said. And an airline database study by the International Air Transport Association found 27% of stalls occurred while cruising, he said. But a survey found only 26% of airlines trained for high-altitude stalls - even though 71% of stalls occur when the autopilot is typically engaged, Weener said. "Maybe these crews were startled by the autopilot disconnecting and handing them an airplane" out of kilter and going slow, Weener said. He noted that a pilot must recover from a stall to get a private license, but only recover from nearly stalling to get a commercial pilot's certificate. He also said there was room for improvement in commercial simulator training to recover from stalls. "At the board, we have come to realize we need continued emphasis on stall prevention and recovery," Weener said. "And stall training should be more than just an approach to stall, but should include fully developed stall." http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2013/10/29/airline-crash-stall-training-ntsb-weener/3297391/ Back to Top Ryanair pilots push for talks with O'Leary A group that claims to represent more than half of Ryanair pilots is pressurising Michael O'Leary to engage in talks on issues ranging from contracts to annual leave. Ryanair Pilot Group (RPG), at its first press conference yesterday, called for a common basic contract for all pilots at the airline . Other concerns include the annual leave system, base transfers and reinstatement of colleagues disciplined because of the request for representation, according to a document provided by the group. "We will be very happy to agree a mutually convenient time and location to open discussions on behalf of the majority of pilots flying for Ryanair," Evert van Zwol, RPG's interim council chairman, said in a letter to Mr O'Leary. According to the group, the CEO said he'll agree to meet representatives if members exceeded 1,601 staff. Mr O'Leary had dismissed the RPG, noting that its interim council includes members who do not work for Ryanair. Mr van Zwol is a pilot with KLM. DOCUMENTARY Ryanair pilots work 36 hours to 42 hours each week. Trainee first officers are also required to pay €28,500 up front for training when they join the airline, according to the organisation. Also present at yesterday's press conference was former Ryanair pilot John Goss. He was fired by Ryanair in August after he appeared in a Channel 4 'Dispatches' documentary that questioned the airline's safety and fuel policy. He's being sued by the carrier, as is Channel 4 and the programme maker. The Irish Aviation Authority slammed the Channel 4 documentary as a "misguided attack" based on "false and misleading information". http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/ryanair-pilots-push-for-talks-with-oleary-29709349.html Back to Top Virgin America Turns Pre-Flight Safety Videos into Entertainment As more brands get into the entertainment business by producing their own films, TV shows and web series, Virgin America is showing that even the mundane safety video some airlines show on their planes can be fun to watch. Virgin Produced, Richard Branson's entertainment arm, turned to "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" and "Step It Up" franchise director Jon Chu to produce a short, entitled "VX Safety Dance," that stars dancers, singers and choreographers from "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance." The dance moves were choreographed by Jamal Sims and Christopher Scott. The short is being touted by the airline as the first domestic safety video set entirely to music and performed in dance. Virgin America Safety Video Trailer #VXsafetydance In addition to airing the video on its flights in November, Virgin America has also released it on Google Play, YouTube and on digital billboards across Times Square including the American Eagle billboard. The airline already had been having fun with safety videos through a snarky animated short it's been airing since 2007. It's become a cult favorite for passengers, the airline said, and because of that will still feature it on its Red-branded inflight entertainment system. "We knew how much our guests loved the fun and irreverence of our current video, but after six years we wanted to give them something unexpected, a fresh take on what a safety video could be and even a chance to be a part of it, literally" said Jesse McMillin, creative director at Virgin America. Virgin America is now auditioning dancers to appear in follow up safety videos. http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/virgin-america-jon-chu-safet-dance-1200775515/ Back to Top Honeybees Could Help Scientists Build A Better Aircraft Honeybees are inspiring scientists at Australia's Vision Centre to help build a robot aircraft. Bees are able to land anywhere with amazing precision and grace, and this skill could soon be included in future aircraft. Scientists found that honeybees are able to control their flight speed in time for a perfect touchdown without needing to know how fast they are flying or how far away the destination is. Professor Mandyam Srinivasan of The Vision Centre (VC) and The University of Queensland Brain Research Institute said the discovery could lead to cheaper, lighter robot aircraft that only need a video camera to land safely on surfaces of any orientation. "Orchestrating a safe landing is one of the greatest challenges for flying animals and airborne vehicles," Professor Srinivasan, an author of a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said in a press release. "To achieve a smooth landing, it's essential to slow down in time for the speed to be close to zero at the time of touchdown." Humans use stereovision to help discern distances between objects. We are able to do this because we have two eyes with enough separation to enable us to capture different views of an object. Insects are unable to use stereovision because they have close-set eyes. "So in order to land on the ground, they use their eyes to sense the speed of the image of the ground beneath them. By keeping the speed of this image constant, they slow down automatically as they approach the ground, stopping just in time for touchdown," he said in the release. "However, in the natural world, bees would only occasionally land on flat, horizontal surfaces. So it's important to know how they land on rough terrain, ridges, vertical surfaces or flowers with the same delicacy and grace." Researchers trained honeybees to land on discs that were placed vertically, and filmed them using high speed video cameras. The discs carried spiral patterns that could be rotated at various speeds by a motor, helping the team to see how a honeybee uses its speed to make a perfect landing. "When we spun the spiral to make it appear to expand, the bees 'hit the brakes' because they thought they were approaching the board much faster than they really were," Srinivasan said. "When we spun the spiral the other way to make it appear to contract, the bees sped up, sometimes crashing into the disc. This shows that landing bees keep track of how rapidly the image 'zooms in', and they adjust their flight speed to keep this 'zooming rate' constant." The team developed a mathematical model for guiding landings based on the bees' landing strategy. Srinivasan said this visually guided technique does not require knowledge about the distance to the surface or the speed at which the surface is approached. "The problem with current robot aircraft technology is they need to use radars or sonar or laser beams to work out how far the surface is. Not only is the equipment expensive and cumbersome, using active radiation can also give the aircraft away," he said. "On the other hand, this vision-based system only requires a simple video camera that can be found in smartphones. The camera, by 'seeing' how rapidly the image expands, allows the aircraft to land smoothly and undetected on a wide range of surfaces with the precision of a honeybee." http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1112988096/honeybees-robot-drone-aircraft-stereovision- 102913/ Back to Top Nigeria: Licenses Issued to Airlines With No Aircraft The Senate Committee on Aviation investigating the rot in the aviation sector yesterday said it has found out that licenses are issued to airlines that own no aircraft. Committee chairman Senator Hope Uzodinma (PDP, Imo) said at the resumed hearing yesterday that investigations have revealed that the affected airlines, which he did not mention, are yet to commence operations because they do not own any aircraft six months after obtaining operation licenses. Uzodinma described as reckless a situation where Air Operations Certificates (AOCs) were issued to non- existent aircrafts without recourse to, and observance for prescribed and laid down regulations saying: "The issue of AOC is a serious matter, since after Demuren, the NCAA has issued twice the number of certificates. When it comes to the issue of safety, standards and regulations, we cannot compromise." Former acting Director Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Mr. Joyce Nkemakolam said no Nigerian airport is fully certified airworthy. Nkemakolam who is also the director of Aerodrome Services, at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), informed the senators that no airport has attained full airworthy certification. When asked by committee chair, Senator Hope Uzodinma (PDP, Imo), to mention which Nigerian airports have been certified airworthy, Mr. Nkemakolam said: "Distinguished chairman, no airport in Nigeria has been fully certified." The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has not yet certified any of the 22 airports in the country because the airports have been unable to meet the requirements on the regulator's checklist particularly in the area of security and safety in the last 20 years. The NCAA Act, 2006 had empowered the agency to certify airports in line with international regulations. For his part, the Director General of NCAA, Capt. Fola Akikuotu, told the panel that based on the extant laws, the agency is not barred from registering old aircraft since the law does not stop them from giving operating licenses to aircraft that are above 43 years. The senators had earlier discovered that a 43-year aircraft belonging to Westlink airlines has been licenced to fly in Nigeria. "In this time and age where aircraft are with high technology, you are approving AOC for an aircraft which is 43 years old. It is an insult to fly Nigerians in an aircraft that is 43 years old. It doesn't make sense. You have a right to say that anybody who has an aircraft older than 12 years should not come to your office," Senator Mohamned Ali Ndume (PDP, Borno) said. The probe was instituted on October 8, following the crash of the Associated Airline plane in Lagos which killed 15 people. The hearing continues next Monday. http://allafrica.com/stories/201310290847.html Back to Top Back to Top Photographer visits historic Alaska airplane crash sites with a 'Happy End' Photographer Dietmar Eckell received attention earlier this year when he launched a phenomenally successful Indiegogo campaign to fund publication of his coffee table book "Happy End." Looking to raise $4,000, he eventually got more than $57,000 in donations. While many news sites found his photographs of aircraft wrecks to be captivating, few noted that several of the pictures were taken in Alaska. Eckell learned about the specific accidents profiled in his book through the website of the international Flight Safety Foundation. This is how he also verified that there were no fatalities suffered in any of the crashes, which is why he ultimately titled the book "Happy End." The database provided him with information about the aircraft type, location and the specific circumstances of the accident. For example, the Interior Airways Fairchild C-82A, which he photographed in the Interior Alaska village of Beaver, crashed in 1965 after the pilot neglected to use carburetor de-icing and both engines failed. Over a three-year period beginning in 2010, Eckell visited Alaska and Canada, finding the planes he had read about. There are four Alaska aircraft in "Happy End," from Beaver, Allakaket, Venetie and Fort Yukon. Eckell also visited Adak hoping to obtain transportation out to Atka to photograph a B-24 that crashed 70 years ago, but was unable to do so. He plans to return to that site in the future. His success was dependent upon the assistance of local pilots who brought him out to the sites at minimal charge. This was especially true in Fairbanks, where one commuter/air taxi owner was especially helpful. As Eckell explained in an email from his native Germany: I have been to Alaska twice and met very cool pilots like Art Warbelow and was always impressed how supportive they were to 'strangers' who just walked up to them with questions or emailed them with requests. My normal 'procedure' for getting to the wreck up north was that I found them on the Internet, once in the area go to the local airport and ask pilots if they know the exact location. If there was no pilot around, I asked in town to get in contact with the pilots....Great people up north. Once I know the exact location, I try to hike there to get pictures from the ground. A pilot recommended by Warbelow flew Eckell over Fort Yukon, where he was able to obtain an aerial photograph of his target -- the only crash he has not yet visited on the ground. "Art was busy, (moose season,)" explained Eckell, "... but invited me to dinner at his house with other pilots to share some locations/stories. Great guy!" In Allakaket, Venetie and Beaver, locals took him out to the wrecks. In Beaver, he hired two local kids on a four-wheeler to act as guides. The photographer looks forward to returning to Alaska to add to his series. "I still have a few more wrecks (with happy endings) in Alaska that I would like to add to the series," he explains. "If one of your readers is up for an adventure and has a plane, please get in contact with me (I pay for gas and the beers after the mission is completed)." To read more about Eckell or see his work (both aviation and otherwise), visit his website. "Happy End," which includes photos from Papua New Guinea, Africa and Canada can be purchased directly from Deitmar Eckell. All details about shipping, etc. are found on his indiegogo website. http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20131029/photographer-visits-historic-alaska-airplane-crash-sites- happy-end Back to Top World's latest mega-airport finally opens to passengers (CNN) -- Dubai's aviation industry achieved its biggest milestone to date on Sunday, when the emirate's new airport welcomed the arrival of its first commercial flight. Located in Jebel Ali and part of Dubai World Central, an "aviation city" that the government launched as a free economic zone, Al Maktoum International Airport is expected to become the world's largest airport upon completion. Like the emirate's main airport, Dubai International Airport (located 50 kilometers to the north), Al Maktoum International Airport is owned by the government of Dubai and operated by Dubai Airports Company. Although full commercial passenger services were originally scheduled for 2017, the mega project was delayed for years due to the regional financial crisis, and faces a new tentative completion date of 2027. Various reports estimate the total cost of the project at 120 billion dirhams ($32.67 billion). The airport has been open for cargo flights since 2010. Opening ceremony Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air was the first airline to be welcomed at the new passenger terminal, and was greeted with a customary festive water salute. Al Maktoum International Airport's two other launch carriers are Kuwait-based low-cost carrier Jazeera Airways and Bahrain's full-service Gulf Air, which also made its inaugural flight to the new airport on Sunday. The UAE's state-owned carrier Emirates is expected to operate entirely out of the new hub by the time of completion. In the works Gulf News has reported that more airlines are close to signing deals to use the new airport, with the Dubai Airports CEO hinting at more announcements to come. Currently operating just one main runway, Al Maktoum will ultimately operate five runways with an annual capacity of 160 million passengers and 12 million tons of cargo. To put those numbers into perspective, the world's current busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, serviced approximately 95 million passengers in 2012. Dubai International Airport handled 57.7 million. http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/28/travel/dubai-new-airport/ Back to Top How airlines are nickel and diming their way to record revenue Customers might not like them, but airlines sure do. Airlines are on track to collect a record $42.6 billion in ancillary revenue, according to a new study. That's a 17.9 percent increase compared to last year, according to carTrawler and IdeaWorks, which track ancillary fees for airlines around the world. "On one level, I'm surprised by how quickly it (ancillary revenue) is growing," said Jay Sorensen, president of IdeaWorks. "I am not surprised because there is an obvious financial need on behalf of the airline industry." In recent years, carriers around the world, especially in the U.S. and Europe, have added or raised fees for everything from checking bags to printing out boarding passes. It has added to the bottom line of nearly every airline in the world. "These fees have become, for many airlines, the difference between a profit and a loss, and that is not lost on airline executives all over the world," said Sorensen. "That is why I think we are going to see more and more activity in this direction." Here is the breakdown of ancillary revenue using data from IdeaWorks and carTrawler for the last three years and this year's forecast: * 2010: $22.6 billion * 2011: $32.5 billion * 2012: $36.1 billion * 2013 (est): $42.6 billion Airlines receive 60 percent of ancillary revenue from frequent-flier programs, 25 percent from baggage fees, 10 percent from onboard/seating services fees and 5 percent of fees from travel services, according to the study. Frequent-flier miles, credit cards climbing For years, airlines have realized the value of co-branded credit cards that allow them to further profit. In the last two or three years, airlines have expanded these credit-card and frequent-flier programs. Increasingly, airlines are selling additional miles to retailers, banks and other businesses, which use these frequent flier miles to attract customers. Sorensen says it's all about locking in customers. "(Airlines) want to push the credit card, because they generate revenue whenever someone uses the credit card, but also, the more engaged the customer becomes in the credit-card relationship, the more loyal they become to a particular airline brand," he said. Baggage fees now account for 25 percent of the ancillary revenue generated by airlines, up 5 percentage points from last year. Sorensen sees them growing outside the U.S. and thinks they will become "more prevalent" globally. Fees Greatest in North America North American airlines, which have been among the most aggressive adding fees, are well ahead of their counterparts around the world when it comes to collecting ancillary revenue. This year, carriers in North America are expected to bring in $17.2 billion, easily ahead of European airlines who are projected to collect $12.6 billion, according to the study. Recently, the big push among airlines has been allowing customers to board early or pick their seat for a small fee. This is the type of à la carte fee airlines are pursuing because it gives customers the choice of paying up or simply ignoring the option. As for those flying who don't like the growth in airline fees or feel they are being nickel and dimed, Sorensen says little is likely to change. "The majority of the consumers do everything they can to avoid these fees, they take carry-ons, they don't eat anything on the airplane, so for the majority of the consumers these fees are almost they don't apply," said Sorensen. "For the consumers that are willing to pay more for comfort and convenience the answer is no, we have not reached a breaking point yet." http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/how-airlines-are-nickel-diming-their-way-record-revenue-8C11488196 Curt Lewis