Flight Safety Information March 9, 2016 - No. 048 In This Issue PROS 2016 TRAINING Cargo aircraft crashes over Bay killing one in Bangladesh Heavy Rains Close Abu Dhabi Airport, Emirates Schools Allegiant Air facing new scrutiny over safety Alaska Airlines cited for unsafe working conditions CAAN trashes $4.2m air safety enhancement report (NEPAL) EU seeks new aviation safety agreements with China, Japan UN aviation agency unveils new rules to prevent future aircraft disappearances UPS pilots file lawsuit demanding same amount of rest time as commercial pilots Jet makes emergency landing in Kansas after alarm sounds Happy International Women's Day! India To Induct Female Fighter Pilots Radar glitch requires F-35 fighter jet pilots to turn it off and on again JetBlue will train novices to be jet pilots American Airlines pilots: We are tired of apologizing for our embarrassing company The 5 best airlines in the world, and none of them are based in the U.S. Aviation Research Request Cargo aircraft crashes over Bay killing one in Bangladesh Pilot messaged one of the two engines of the plane went out of order before the crash Dhaka: A cargo aircraft on Wednesday crashed into the Bay of Bengal near the sea resort town of Cox's Bazar killing at least one of its crew while officials said the pilot and the co-pilot remained missing. Civil aviation officials at the beach town airport told newsmen the aircraft, carrying shrimp fry to western Jessore district, crashed into the sea around half a kilometre off the shoreline soon after it took off at 9.40am. "Before the crash the pilot sent us a message saying one of the two engines of the plane went out of order ... we prepared the airport for its emergency landing but the aircraft could not make its way back here," the beach town airport's manager Sadhan Kumar told newsman. An official of the private True Aviation cargo service which hired the aircraft for shrimp fry transportation said flight engineer of the aircraft Kulisn Andriy was declared dead by doctors while flight navigator Vlodymyr Kultanov was being treated at the Cox's Bazar sadar Hospital with critical wounds. He added that all the four on-board were Ukrainians while fishermen near the shoreline rescued the two to the facility. "But pilot Murad Gafarov and co-pilot Ivan Patrov are still missing ... we don't know if they are still inside the aircraft or could make their way out of it," official of the aviation service Hashmat Jahan told journalists at the scene. TV footages showed navy and coastguard ships joined the fishing boats in carrying out a search campaign in the vicinity of the accident scene, just a kilometre off the shoreline. http://gulfnews.com/news/asia/bangladesh/cargo-aircraft-crashes-over-bay-killing-one-in-bangladesh- 1.1687079 ******************* Status: Date: Wednesday 9 March 2016 Time: ca 09:05 Type: Antonov 26B Operator: True Aviation Registration: registration unknown C/n / msn: First flight: 1984 Crew: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 4 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 4 Airplane damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: off Cox's Bazar Airport (CXB) ( Bangladesh) Phase: Initial climb (ICL) Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Cox's Bazar Airport (CXB/VGCB), Bangladesh Destination airport: Jessore Airport (JSR/VGJR), Bangladesh Narrative: An Antonov 26 cargo plane, operated by True Aviation, crashed into the Bay of Bengal shortly after takeoff from Cox's Bazar Airport (CXB), Bangladesh. One of the pilots, a Ukrainian national, died in the crash and another pilot was critically injured. Two other crew members are still missing. The aircraft was carrying a cargo of shrimp to Jessore, Bangladesh. True Aviation is known to operate two An-26 aircraft, S2-AGA and S2-AGZ. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20160309-0 Back to Top Heavy Rains Close Abu Dhabi Airport, Emirates Schools Heavy rains have closed Abu Dhabi's international airport and shut schools in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi International Airport, home to Etihad airline, announced the flight suspension Wednesday on Twitter "due to severe weather conditions." Dubai International Airport, home to the long-haul carrier Emirates, saw some flights delayed. The state-owned The National newspaper of Abu Dhabi also said local schools had been closed, while others in Dubai planned to close early. The United Arab Emirates' National Center for Meteorology and Seismology had warned that heavy rains were possible today. Heavy rains are uncommon in the desert nation. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/heavy-rains-close-abu-dhabi-airport-emirates-schools-37511753 Back to Top Allegiant Air facing new scrutiny over safety A new scathing report on the safety of Allegiant Airlines is expected from the Teamsters Aviation Mechanics Monday. It comes right after an Allegiant plane's takeoff was aborted in Fort Wayne, Indiana Saturday because of smoke in the cabin. That plane was headed to St. Pete-Clearwater Airport. "I was toward the back on the right side and heard a big pop and thought it sounded like a tire popping. They immediately slowed down, turned, and let us know it was something inside the engine that we could actually see right outside our window. There was something that had fallen off one of the right engines. I'm just glad we were here and not up in the air," a passenger on that plane said. Less than a month ago, a flight that took off from St. Pete-Clearwater had to make an emergency landing in Alabama because of an electrical odor in the cabin. And back in January, the company's chief operating officer stepped down. All that is on the heels of a year's worth of safety concerns. One former mechanic telling ABC Action News in December that all those issues are why he resigned. "Typically i was observing that they just did not know what they were doing, but went ahead and dispatched the plane," said Greg Marino. Despite those complaints, and the report expected Monday, Allegiant insists the pilots union is making false accusations in the middle of contract negotiations and that its planes are safe. The airline released the following statement: "The Teamsters Aviation Mechanics Coalition has never inspected a single Allegiant aircraft and has no firsthand knowledge of our operation. The Teamsters currently represent our pilots and have a history of manipulating the media to attempt to exert pressure on contract negotiations. It is irresponsible and reckless for the Teamsters to make unfounded claims regarding safety to the the public in order to circumvent mediated negotiations. Allegiant is a safe airline, and our robust maintenance program goes above and beyond manufacturer and FAA recommendations and guidelines. To insinuate otherwise as a means of gaining leverage at the bargaining table is irresponsible. Furthermore, it is demeaning to the vast network of aviation professionals at Allegiant for whom the safety of our passengers and crew is their life's work. " http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/allegiant-air-facing-new-scrutiny-over-safety Back to Top Alaska Airlines cited for unsafe working conditions The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries recently issued citations to Alaska Airlines and its ground handling contractor, Menzies Aviation, for health and safety violations. Alaska was fined $7,000; Menzies was fined $62,000. Both have filed appeals disputing the violations. "We're supposed to have safety as our No. 1 priority," said Ailene Lagat, who worked for Menzies from last summer until January. She said failing equipment and workers getting injured was typical. After Menzies workers filed complaints last summer, L&I launched an investigation in August. Inspectors found that "Alaska Airlines did not provide safety devices, safeguards, work practices, processes and the means to make the workplace safe from hazards that were causing, or likely to cause, serious physical harm to Menzies ramp agent employees who handle cargo and passenger baggage for Alaska Airlines at Sea-Tac Airport, Seattle, Washington." The state found that "Menzies employees have approximately a four times higher injury rate than other employees in their risk class." Violations, according to the state's citations sent to Menzies, included some vehicles that did not have functioning back-up lights, horns, or hand brakes. The state also said that Menzies did not examine trucks 62 times before daily use, and in some cases, it did not have guards or guard rails on equipment. Socrates Bravo, a Menzies employee, said at a press conference Monday afternoon that fixes take too long, especially with Alaska's 20 minute guarantee to get passengers their bags. "We won't tell our management (about the problems, because) if we do, we don't have equipment to get our work done," he said. A spokeswoman with Alaska Airlines released a statement that said in part, "We are focused on ensuring a safe work environment even as we deliver important customer benefits such as a baggage service guarantee...Alaska Airlines' top priority is the safety of its customers, employees and vendors." In the citations, the state suggested providing enough staff so workers can get help with heavy bags, in addition to redesigning conveyer systems and staying on top of repairs. They're fixes passenger Dave Huber can agree with. "Machinery should be safe out there," he said. "If they hit a plane or hit another person, it's dangerous to the public." On Monday afternoon, Menzies Aviation also sent a statement, saying in part, "Many of the citations relate to airport infrastructure issues. Fully mitigating these issues would require a massive reconfiguration of the airport itself, and changes to baggage systems and ground handling equipment used not just at Sea-Tac, but throughout the U.S. aviation industry." http://www.kiro7.com/news/li-cites-alaska-airlines-for-unsafe-working-conditions/149315730 Back to Top CAAN trashes $4.2m air safety enhancement report (NEPAL) The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, which claims it intends to comply with the stipulations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, has apparently trashed ICAO's consultancy report produced to select suitable technology to enhance air safety. INECO, a consultancy firm under the controversial Air Transport Capacity Enhancement Project, had drafted the report after spending $4.2 million. According to project officials, INECO was contracted without competitive bidding in 2010 for consultancy to recommend suitable technology for induction of suitable systems one for the surveillance of airspace and another for enabling instrument based landing that is still lacking, primarily due to terrain characteristics along the approach path to Tribhuvan International Airport from south. The deficient report, according to a high-level official, was neither accepted nor rejected by the CAAN Board and contrary to standard procurement norms, full payment to the tune of several million rupees was released to the ICAO without any qualms. The payment was released in haste to iron out possible kinks in relations with ICAO to ensure a smooth visit of the high-level CAAN delegation to Montreal under former director general TR Manandhar, a high level official at CAAN said. Subsequently, ignoring the ICAO study, CAAN sought Japanese assistance under Japan International Cooperation Agency for radar equipment - one for installation on the top of Mt Bhattedanda, south of Kathmandu, where flight PK 268 crashed in 1992, killing 167. The terrain around Bhattedanda is the prime obstacle that prevents a three-degree flight path angle approach slope necessary for an instrument landing system approach to TIA that could make the flight to Kathmandu less notorious, a senior Nepal Airlines captain explained. ILS approaches, the world over, are considered pilot-friendly, as the automation on board allows the aircraft to accurately follow the ILS electronic guidance to touchdown. Geography poses no obstacle for commercial aviation, as construction of Kansai and Chek Lap Kok (Hong Kong) Airports after reclaiming large swathes of land from the sea clearly show. There is no reason why CAAN couldn't have eventually paved the way for precision instrument landings at TIA - by gradually chipping away the rogue terrain obstacles persistently over a few years, the senior captain added. By installing an ill-advised expensive piece of Japanese grant aid at Bhattedanda, the possibility of this happening has therefore been delayed by at least two decades. The Bhattedanda radar could have been thoughtfully located elsewhere, as Nepal is blessed with high terrain, another pilot said. This naturally raises questions on the competence of Japanese expertise deployed in Nepal for extended periods of time. The JICA volunteers are retired employees from Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau. Research into the recruitment practices at JCAB has yielded interesting insights where it drafts high school graduates and trains them at an aviation trade school for civil aviation. Training of its air traffic controllers, as well as electronic maintenance personnel, is directed towards operating and maintaining air traffic control equipment things the highly disciplined Japanese do with aplomb, a CAAN director explained. According to him, qualified Japanese engineers are almost never deputed in Nepal, for they cost too much and their specialised expertise is set aside for research and development in the industry. But how qualified electronics engineers at higher levels in CAAN get carried away by the half-baked analysis of the not-so-highly qualified Japanese hands begs answer, perhaps the lure of a study visit to Japan, a CAAN engineer said. Interestingly, for the Japanese grant ATC and radar equipment, CAAN has deliberately turned a Nelson's eye towards meeting the published safety requirements but the ANS safety inspectors did not wish to speak on the issue to this daily. http://thehimalayantimes.com/business/caan-trashes-4-2m-air-safety-enhancement-report/ Back to Top EU seeks new aviation safety agreements with China, Japan The European Union (EU) was to open negotiations with China and Japan in view of concluding Bilateral Air Safety Agreements (BASA), according to the press release of the European Commission on Tuesday. The Council authorized on Monday the European Commission to do so, said the press release. The EU has already successfully concluded bilateral aviation safety agreements with the U.S., Brazil and Canada. European Commissioner for transport Violeta Bulc would travel to China and Japan to discuss inter alia the BASAs this year. Bilateral aviation safety agreements (BASA) are signed between the EU and third countries in order to enable cooperation in the aviation safety domain, including certification, testing and maintenance of aeronautical components, air operations, flight crew licensing, air traffic management and airports. Such agreements enhance air safety worldwide and contribute to the global competitiveness of the European aviation industry by cutting red-tape and facilitating exports, said the press release. http://www.ecns.cn/2016/03-09/202151.shtml Back to Top UN aviation agency unveils new rules to prevent future aircraft disappearances New rules have been made public on the anniversary of the loss of MH370 that are intended to prevent any future aircraft disappearances from happening. The ICAO Council adopted new rules to prevent the loss of aircraft that run into distress in very remote locations. These new rules will be amendments to Annex 6 of the Chicago Convention covering the operation of aircraft. There are three primary new rules and they will take effect between now and 2021. The rules include a requirement for aircraft to carry autonomous distress tracking devices that are capable of sending autonomous transmit location information at least once per minute in a distress circumstance. Another new provision has a requirement for aircraft to be equipped with means to have flight recorder data recovered and made available in a timely manner. The new rules also outline an increase in the duration of the cockpit recorder voice recordings to 25 hours to cover all phases of flight for all types of operations. "These developments are consistent with the findings and recommendations of the multidisciplinary Ad-Hoc Working Group ICAO formed after Malaysia Airlines MH370 went missing in May 2014," commented Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, ICAO Council President. "They directly support the concept of operations for the Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS) which was proposed by ICAO at that time, and will now greatly contribute to aviation's ability to ensure that similar disappearances never occur again." The new rules covering the one-minute distress tracking and extended flight data recordings are performance-based. This allows the aircraft operators to consider all available and emerging technologies to meet the criteria. The provisions are meant to ensure that in the case of an aircraft accident, the crash site will be known immediately to within six nautical miles. SOURCE: ICAO http://www.slashgear.com/un-aviation-agency-unveils-new-rules-to-prevent-future-aircraft- disappearances-09430792/ Back to Top UPS pilots file lawsuit demanding same amount of rest time as commercial pilots LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- UPS pilots are fighting to get the same amount of rest time between flights as commercial pilots. The Independent Pilots Association made arguments in its lawsuit challenging an FAA decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals today. The FAA excluded all cargo pilots from a regulation creating stricter rules for the amount of rest between flights. The IPA wants the court to order the FAA to include cargo operations in the regulation. Pilot fatigue was listed as a contributing factor in a UPS plane crash in Alabama in 2013. http://www.wdrb.com/story/31406909/ups-pilots-file-lawsuit-demanding-same-amount-of-rest-time-as- commercial-pilots Back to Top Jet makes emergency landing in Kansas after alarm sounds WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - An American Eagle regional jet carrying 55 people makes an emergency landing in Kansas after a smoke alarm for the jet's baggage compartment is activated. The Wichita Eagle reports the Embraer ERJ 145 landed safely at Wichita Eisenhower National Airport around 7 a.m. Monday. Airport officials say no indications of smoke or fire were found. A Wichita Airport Authority spokeswoman says the jet was flying from Grand Island, Nebraska, to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport when the alarm sounded. http://ksnt.com/2016/03/08/jet-makes-emergency-landing-in-kansas-after-alarm-sounds/ Back to Top Happy International Women's Day! India To Induct Female Fighter Pilots Indian Air Force jet fighter aircrafts fly over an airbase in 2014. Starting this summer, female fighter jet pilots will be allowed in the Air Force. Marking International Women's Day, India's Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha has announced that the Air Force will induct its first female fighter pilots this summer. "As of now, three women trainees have volunteered to join the fighter stream. They are under the second phase of their training," Raha said, according to The Times of India. He said they will enter the force "once they complete their training and are at par with their male colleagues," with the induction ceremony scheduled for June 18. In India, women "currently comprise just 2.5 percent of the armed forces, working mostly in non-combat roles," according to the BBC. In the nation's Air Force, women have been flying helicopters and transport planes since 1991, Raha said. The BBC adds: "In 2014, Mr. Raha had expressed reservations about inducting women fighter pilots, saying that 'women by nature are not physically suited for flying fighter planes for long hours, especially when they are pregnant or have other health problems.' "But in October, he changed his stance, saying the air force was planning to induct women fighter pilots 'to meet the aspirations of young women of India.' " The U.S. Air Force has allowed female fighter pilots since the early 1990s. In 2013, NPR's Rachel Martin spoke with Col. Jeannie Leavitt, the Air Force's first female fighter pilot, about gender in the Air Force. "Being the first female fighter pilot, there was a lot of attention and the attention wasn't what I wanted," she said. "I just wanted to fly fighters. But it was a significant change in policy and it was something very new and different. ... It was hard to blend in and be part of the squadron when there were media requests and interviews and such." Leavitt, who also became the first female fighter wing commander, served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Of actually flying a fighter jet, she described it as a "pretty incredible feeling." "They are very powerful aircraft, as you can imagine, highly maneuverable and very lethal," she said. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/03/08/469698227/happy-international-womens-day-india- to-induct-female-fighter-pilots Back to Top Radar glitch requires F-35 fighter jet pilots to turn it off and on again Troubled warplane that has yet to see any cyber security testing hit with yet another bug affecting flight performance requiring software update The F-35 Lightning II has been hit by yet another software bug, this time affecting the radar systems. Photograph: Aflo/Rex The much maligned F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has yet another problem with its software: the radar stops working requiring the pilot to turn it off and on again. The Lockheed Martin plane, which has been in development since 2001 and is the most software-driven warplane ever built, has experienced several failures and setbacks that have seen its cost balloon and its delivery delayed. Each jet is now expected to cost about £100m. From structural problems that made it vulnerable to lightning strikes - ironic given it's called the Lightning II - to weight issues, bugs within its software and its complete lack of cyber security testing, the plane has caused concern among the UK, US and other buyers. And now a glitch with the radar, which appeared late last year, could potentially hinder its performance against less developed fighter jets. US air force major general Harrigian told analyst firm IHS Jane's: "What would happen is they'd get a signal that says either a radar degrade or a radar fail - something that would force us to restart the radar. "Lockheed Martin discovered the root cause, and now they're in the process of making sure they take that solution and run it through the [software testing] lab." "The next software version is block 4. It won't be available until 2020. So there'll be nothing but fixing bugs in the original software between 2013 and 2020." While flight performance is one concern being addressed by software updates, the mostly software-driven plane also has yet to be tested for resistance to hacking, something that could be a real possibility with cyber warfare an increasing threat across the world. Joiner said: "The only system that has done cyber security, vulnerability and penetration testing is the logistics software. So ordering spares. And it didn't go very well." Previous issues with the F-35 and its three variants have seen it grounded by the USAF over concerns with the engine after a fire, which also prevented the jet from participating in the naming ceremony of the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier that is expected to take a full complement of 36 F-35s coming into service in 2018. http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/08/radar-glitch-requires-f-35-fighter-jet-pilots-to- turn-it-off-and-on-again Back to Top JetBlue will train novices to be jet pilots A JetBlue logo is displayed on the side of a jet as it taxis at Boston's Logan International Airport. JetBlue Airways is taking applications for 24 slots in a new program to train novice pilots to fly a passenger jet. DALLAS - JetBlue Airways is taking applications for 24 slots in a new program to train novice pilots to fly a passenger jet. The airline said Monday that the program - the first of its kind at a large U.S. airline - will cost about $125,000 and take four years to complete. Graduates could wind up flying 100-seat passenger jets. Warren Christie, JetBlue's senior vice president of safety and training, say the program won't replace the airline's traditional pipelines for pilots, many of whom come from smaller airlines. JetBlue hired more than 300 pilots last year, and a group of 30 new hires just started training last week, he said. Applicants will be judged with tests measuring hand-eye coordination, multitasking, critical thinking and other skills. Those who survive the first cut will be interviewed. There also will be a "personality assessment," but not psychological screening, Christie said. The debate over psychological screening has increased since a Germanwings pilot intentionally crashed a plane last year in France, killing 150 people. JetBlue expects the first group of six prospects to begin training in late summer at the airline's training center in Florida. JetBlue hired CAE, a maker of flight simulators, to provide the training. CAE has run similar programs for EasyJet and Ryanair in Europe and several airlines in Asia. Christie believes the program will open the profession to more people. The trainees will meet all federal requirements before carrying passengers, he said. "They will absolutely be as qualified as any other pilot that is operating a JetBlue aircraft," he said. Taking a page from programs in Europe, the students will start training with other crew members in a cockpit or simulator much earlier than usual, according to JetBlue and CAE. Currently, some new U.S. pilots learn by dusting crops or toting advertising banners - experience that may bear little resemblance to working in an airliner cockpit. The applicants will pay for their own training, and the cost is not much different from the amount that many aspiring pilots now spend to accumulate the 1,500 flight hours necessary for an airline pilot's license. Christie said the students will be able to defray some of their costs by earning a salary as a CAE instructor for part of their training period. CAE described the salary as "competitive" without providing specifics. Nick Leontidis, president of CAE's training business, said students who struggle will be flagged for remedial training and, failing that, expulsion. But washout rates in similar programs at other airlines have been "extremely low," he said. "We believe this is going to be an important part of how airlines are going to create pilots in the future," Leontidis said. The pilots' union at JetBlue pilots opposes the plan. Jim Bigham, chairman of the union's council, said JetBlue should instead hire pilots with experience at regional airlines who currently get passed over. Bigham said he is not against training newcomers to the field, "but when they come out, I want them to go gain some real-world airline experience prior to becoming an apprentice at JetBlue." http://rutlandherald.com/article/20160309/BUSINESS03/160309483/0/NEWS03 Back to Top American Airlines pilots: We are tired of apologizing for our embarrassing company American Airlines had a banner year in 2015, reporting a stellar $6.3 billion in profit. During the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline's last investor call, CEO Doug Parker praised his company for successfully emerging from its merger with US Airways. But now it looks like the newly merged airline is not without its share of growing pains. The Allied Pilots Association (APA), the union representing American Airlines' pilots, published a scathing letter last week blasting the airline for its "toxic" labor relations and declining product quality. "The pilots of American Airlines will not remain silent as we witness the rebirth of the toxic culture we fought so hard to eradicate," the union wrote. In the letter, the union accused American Airlines management of engaging in "old school, rules-based management" as well as "cut-throat and heartless operating methods." Further, the APA offered complaints about crew scheduling that's in violation of its labor agreement and incorrectly calculated pay for pilots. That's in addition to American Airlines' product, which the union claims is so "embarrassing" that the pilots are "tired of apologizing to passengers." But the airline doesn't believe that things are as desperate and difficult as the union claims. And it should be noted that the APA's national elections are slated to kick off later this month. "We are working hard with everyone to make sure that American Airlines is a fantastic place to work," airline spokesman Casey Norton told Business Insider. "A culture change is on its way." "The only way we can serve our customers better is by serving our employees better," Norton added. In addition, Norton told Business Insider that most of the HR and scheduling issues will be ameliorated by the company's new consolidated flight-operations system, which will come online later this year. According to the airline, it has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to streamline American's HR system, including its crew scheduling and benefits system. Last year, American and the APA agreed to a five-year deal that gave the airline's pilots a 23% raise in the first year and 3% raises each subsequent year. In the letter, the APA goes on to praise rival Delta Air Lines for its solid labor relations. But the vast majority of the Atlanta-based carriers' employees are not unionized. Delta's pilots have asked for a 40% raise over the next three years after rejecting the airline's proposal for a 22% raise last summer. Finding consistency in service and product offering after a merger is a difficult task to achieve. Five years after United and Continental's merger, the resulting United Airlines still struggles with product integration. Premerger American and US Airways were very different airlines functioning under different competitive pressures. American's traditional in-flight product tended to be of a high caliber simply because of the highly competitive hubs it had to operate from, such as New York, London, and Los Angeles. Conversely, US Airways found a way to become incredibly successful by operating hubs out of smaller, less competitive markets, such as Phoenix, Charlotte, and Philadelphia - so much so that its management team was able to take over the much larger American Airlines. Since the smaller markets afforded less competition, US Airways didn't have to operate with American levels of scrutiny upon its in-flight product. That's certainly created complications for the merged airline. According to Norton, American has invested $3 billion on customer improvements, such as ungraded lounges and in-flight product. Crews on all American flights now work from the same operations manual and should provide the same food and service regardless of which airline once operated the route. Also, American is in the middle of one of the largest fleet-renewal projects in airline history, and is expecting to take delivery of more than 100 new jets this year. By year's end, the average age of American's fleet should dip below the 10-year mark, which is significantly younger than United's and Delta's fleets. http://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-pilots-embarrassing-apologize-2016-3 Back to Top The 5 best airlines in the world, and none of them are based in the U.S. Worlds Best Airlines Ranked Qatar Airways We Americans pride ourselves at being the best in a lot of different things, but for some reason our airlines keep letting us down. America's airlines rank persistently low in terms of customer satisfaction, but that's not always true of airlines in other countries. In fact, looking at AirHelp's most recent rankings of the best airlines in the world, it seems that the United States doesn't even have a single airline ranked in the top 10. So what is the best airline in the world? According to AirHelp, it's Qatar Airways. This shouldn't be surprising: Last year we took a look at some pictures of the interior of a Qatar Airways plane and it really does look like the height of luxury. Here, for example, is a photo of a Qatar Airways first-class cabin: Just look at the legroom! At any rate, here are AirHelp's five best airlines in the world. No. 1: Qatar Airways As mentioned earlier, this airline scores the best in the world in BestAir's overall Quality index that the website says "factors in hundreds of metrics and details to give us a measure of an airline's quality, both on the ground and in the air." Even though there are better airlines out there for on-time performance and claims processing, Qatar Airways' amenities can't be beat. No. 2: KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines As you can see in the photo above, KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines doesn't mess around when it comes to offering a lot of space for business class flights. This Dutch airline rated even more highly than Qatar Airways in terms of on-time performance and claims processing. No. 3: Air Baltic Corporation Would you believe that the No. 3 airline in the world hails from Latvia? Although Air Baltic doesn't boast the same level of luxury interiors as other airlines we've looked at, it more than makes up for it with an on-time performance rating that is No. 1 in the world. No. 4: Air France Vive la France! France's premiere airline offers some incredible amenities, as you can see in the photo above of its La Première suite. In addition to being a classy, comfortable way to fly, Air France also does well in the bread-and-butter metrics of on-time performance and claims processing. No. 5: Lufthansa German Airlines Now that is a comfy looking first-class cabin. Like Air France, Lufthansa German Airlines is a solid overall performer that blends good amenities with strong overall service. So where do America's airlines rank on AirHelp's list? Delta Air Lines is the No. 1 ranked American airline and it's ranked only No. 15 in the entire world. United Airlines, meanwhile, comes in at No. 20 while American Airlines follows right behind it at No. 21. In other words, it looks like we have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to delivering a first-rate flying experience. http://bgr.com/2016/03/08/worlds-best-airlines-ranked-qatar-airways/ Back to Top Aviation Research Request I am Mohamed Hassan Elmugamer Taha, having many years of experience in aviation safety. I would like to request your participation in my Survey Questionnaire (Linke Attached) regarding the imposing of ban on re-registration of aging aircraft for commercial/ public transport category as part of my degree in: MSc Aviation Safety BY Emirates Aviation University Dubai UAE. Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L5SCDF6 Once again thank you for your kind assistance. Mohamed Hassan Elmagamer Taha Msc Aviation Safety Emirates Aviation University Curt Lewis