Flight Safety Information - June 2, 2026 No. 107 In This Issue : Incident: Skyhigh E190 near Santo Domingo on May 25th 2026, loss of cabin pressure : Incident: Cem DH8C at Johannesburg on Jun 1st 2026, unsafe gear : Cessna TU206G Turbo Stationair 6 - Fatal Accident (Colombia) : Two Taiwanese air force pilots die in trainer crash : The NTSB tries to keep cockpit audio recordings private. AI is making that harder : Delayed Again: Boeing 777X Certification Setback Puts 2027 Deliveries At Risk : Saudia To Receive 12 New Aircraft By Year-End : FAA Reviews NFTA Report on Pilot Training : Why The FAA's Pilot Retirement Age Rule Is Being Challenged Like Never Before : Delta Air Lines Issues Warning to Pilots in Leaked Memo : Traveler used AirTag to prove airline lied about lost luggage — and responses show it happens all the time : Graduate Research Request- A : Graduate Research Request - B : Calendar of Events Incident: Skyhigh E190 near Santo Domingo on May 25th 2026, loss of cabin pressure A Skyhigh Embraer ERJ-190, registration HI1074 performing flight DO-850 from Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) to Fort de France (Martinique), was climbing through FL280 out of Santo Domingo's runway 17 when the crew initiated an emergency descent due to the loss of cabin pressure. The aircraft descended to FL100 and returned to Santo Domingo for a safe landing on runway 17 about 40 minutes after departure. A replacement ERJ-190 registration P4-KCI reached Fort de France with a delay of about 3 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 5 days later. https://avherald.com/h?article=539f6d7a&opt=0 Incident: Cem DH8C at Johannesburg on Jun 1st 2026, unsafe gear A Cemair de Havilland Dash 8-300, registration ZS-DHA performing flight 5Z-611 from Margate to Johannesburg (South Africa), was on approach to Johannesburg's runway 21L when the crew initiated a go around due to an unsafe gear indication. The aircraft positioned for another approach and landed safely on runway 21L about 15 minutes after the go around. A passenger reported he heard several alarms from the cockpit, the aircraft went around, the crew indicated an unsafe gear and managed to get the gear down and locked via checklists. The aircraft landed safely and stopped on the runway, emergency services attended to the aircraft. The aircraft is still on the ground in Johannesburg about 6 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=539f6c0e&opt=0 Cessna TU206G Turbo Stationair 6 - Fatal Accident (Colombia) Date: Monday 1 June 2026 Time: c. 09:37 LT Type: Cessna TU206G Turbo Stationair 6 Owner/operator: Aerolíneas Llaneras - ARALL Registration: HK-2521 MSN: U20605674 Fatalities: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: El Cairo, near La Vanguardia Airport (VVC/SKVV), Villavicencio, Meta - Colombia Phase: Initial climb Nature: Passenger Departure airport: Villavicencio Airport (VVC/SKVV) Destination airport: SKNA Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: A Cessna TU206G Turbo Stationair 6 crashed in El Cairo, shortly after takoff from La Vanguardia Airport (VVC/SKVV), Villavicencio, Meta. The pilot and three passengers perished and two passengers were injured and the aircraft was written off. https://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/571573 Two Taiwanese air force pilots die in trainer crash Two Taiwanese air force pilots died on Tuesday when their propeller-driven T-34 training aircraft crashed in Kaohsiung City. The T-34 trainer crashed shortly after 8 am (midnight GMT) north of the Gangshan Air Force Base, the state-owned Central News Agency (CNA) reported. The two pilots, both with extensive experience in flying the T-34 trainer, were engaged in a training exercise on coping with engine malfunctions in flight when the accident took place, according to the Air Force Command of Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence. The air force has set up a task force to investigate the reasons for the crash, CNA reported. https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/two-taiwanese-air-force-pilots-074023302.html The NTSB tries to keep cockpit audio recordings private. AI is making that harder WASHINGTON — What began as an inquiry into a mysterious sound in the background of an airplane cockpit voice recording escalated into an unexpected challenge for the nation's top safety investigators. The National Transportation Safety Board temporarily pulled down public documents for thousands of investigations last week after the agency inadvertently allowed the reconstruction of audio recordings from the cockpit of UPS flight 2976, which crashed shortly after takeoff in Louisville, Ky. last year, killing 15 people, including all three pilots. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have made it easier to reconstruct audio from digital images that were published as part of the NTSB's investigation. And that's making it harder for the NTSB, which is forbidden by law from releasing those recordings, to stop them from being made public. As investigators at the NTSB listened back to the cockpit voice recording from the crash flight, they heard a "high pitch ringing sound" that began just after the plane rotated for takeoff. But they couldn't figure out what it was. "They're not just looking at the things that people are saying. They're looking at the other ambient sounds, right? Because that might give us some clues," explained Scott Manley, an engineer and YouTuber, in a video he posted last week. Manley noticed NTSB investigators had tried to identify the mysterious sound. In the process, they created what are called spectrograms — basically, visual representations of the frequencies in an audio recording — and made those images available to the public on the NTSB's website. Manley suspected it would be possible to reconstruct the audio of the original recordings from those spectrogram images. "I basically made a post on Twitter saying, I think the NTSB has accidentally released cockpit audio recordings for this particular thing," Manley said in the video. Some of Manley's social media followers took that as a challenge. This video, provided by the National Transportation Safety Board, shows the engine on the left wing detach from the UPS MD-11 jet on takeoff last year from the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. (Source: NTSB via Storyful) "I know nothing about audio, but I was able to figure it out pretty quickly," said John McElhone. He runs a small company that makes electrical turbines, where he often uses new AI tools to write computer code. McElhone said it did not take him very long to turn those spectrograms back into audio — about ten minutes, to be precise. "The AI is just using tools that already exist," he explained in an interview. "So I'm sure somebody could do this just by writing code by hand. But it would take much, much longer." McElhone did not post his audio reconstructions online. But other people did release theirs. The NTSB's response was dramatic and unprecedented. The agency temporarily pulled down the public docket from the UPS crash — and for all its other crash investigations — while it conducted a review. "The NTSB has longstanding procedures in place to protect cockpit voice recordings and other sensitive onboard audio and video materials obtained during investigations," NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said in a statement to NPR. "After becoming aware that artificial intelligence may allow approximations of cockpit audio to be digitally reconstructed from certain sound-spectrum imagery, the NTSB temporarily removed public access to its docket system while it reviewed investigative materials and evaluated additional safeguards," Knudson said. The NTSB has since restored access to most of its public dockets, including UPS flight 2976, Knudson said, but 41 dockets remain under review. In January, the NTSB offered reporters an inside look at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., including one of the soundproofed audition rooms where the NTSB analyzes the audio on cockpit voice recordings, and prepares the written transcripts it releases to the public. Fire and smoke mark where a UPS cargo plane crashed near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on November 04, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. Fire and smoke mark where a UPS cargo plane crashed near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on November 04, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. Stephen Cohen/Getty Images "The reason why we do it here specifically is we provide a really high level of protection to the actual audio," said Chris Babcock, an engineer at the NTSB. The origins of the law that prevents the NTSB from releasing CVR audio date back to the crash of Delta Air Lines flight 1141 in 1988. Shortly before takeoff, the flight crew was joking about the dating habits of the flight attendants, "so that we can get it on the recorder, you know, in case we crash." Moments later, the plane did in fact crash after the pilots failed to properly configure the wing flaps and slats for takeoff, according to the NTSB. The release of that cockpit audio was a major embarrassment for the pilots and the airline, leading Congress to pass a law prohibiting the release of cockpit recordings. For decades, the NTSB has prevented those audio recordings from leaking to the public — until now. "I didn't intend for this to be this kind of wild thing," said Manley. In an interview for this story, Manley said the NTSB should not have published those spectrogram images in the first place. But Manley conceded that he made a mistake, too. Short regional flights are the lifeblood of U.S aviation — but they were in decline even before jet fuel concerns struck. Here, a file photo shows a Delta Air Lines Connection regional jet operated by GoJet Airlines taking off from Logan International Airport in Boston. "The mistake was for me to idly speculate in public on something that could have serious legal consequences," Manley said. "In retrospect, yeah, if I'd really thought about it, I would have tried to do a bit more on it myself. Or I would have just notified the guys at the NTSB." Manley, who is a pilot himself, says he understands why the NTSB does not release recordings of the final moments before a crash. But in the case of UPS flight 2976, he says the reconstructed audio reveals that those pilots kept their cool as they responded to a catastrophic engine failure. "They sounded a lot calmer when I heard the audio when I read the transcripts. So it made them seem more professional," Manley said. Still, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy says the agency has good reasons for not releasing cockpit audio to the public. "Laws against releasing CVR audio exist to protect privacy, preserve the integrity of NTSB investigations, and out of respect for accident victims and their families during a time of tremendous loss," Homendy wrote on X. She called posts using the reconstructed audio "disgusting" and "manipulated," and she urged social media platforms to take them down. The NTSB held a two-day hearing on the UPS crash last week. Investigators still have not identified the source of the mysterious sound. https://www.npr.org/2026/05/30/nx-s1-5835242/ntsb-cockpit-audio-cvr-reconstruction Delayed Again: Boeing 777X Certification Setback Puts 2027 Deliveries At Risk Luke Diaz is a freelance military writer with experience with active duty experience in the US Navy as well as defense and industrial engineering. He is a former Naval Flight Officer who performed tactical air control on the carrier-based E-2 Hawkeye. The head of the Federal Aviation Administration has revealed that the regulator is not likely to certify the highly anticipated Boeing 777X widebody this year. The long-delayed program is approaching seven years overdue from its original launch date. Now deliveries in early 2027 appear to be at risk again. According to Aviation Week, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford commented last week during the CAPA airline leaders' summit that the 777X will be certified following the remaining two 737 MAX variants (the MAX 7 and MAX 10), which are expected to pass trials by the end of the year. The Wait Continues: Boeing's 777X Boeing had hoped to achieve FAA certification for the 777X in October 2026. No details were given as to why the timeline has once again slid to the right. On top of the 777X now being at least seven years late, 14 years will have passed since its official 2013 launch. Boeing has repeatedly emphasized that there are no new technical issues, but rather that delays in the certification process itself are responsible for the timeline slip. Launch customer Lufthansa anticipated its first deliveries in early 2027, but considering the new revelation, that may no longer be possible. In May 2026, the first production-standard 777-9 built for Lufthansa completed its landmark three-hour maiden flight in Everett, Washington. Unlike other testing platforms, this plane already has a fully outfitted Lufthansa cabin, with the new Allegris business class. It is currently undergoing real-world systems testing for galleys, in-flight entertainment, and Wi-Fi performance. Last Wednesday, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg painted a clearer and more positive outlook when he spoke at the Bernstein annual Strategic Decisions Conference in New York. Ortberg was quoted as saying the following by Aviation Week that: “You should expect that we will hopefully be done with our flight test program by the end of the year, with the exception of ETOPS... But we’re building the airplanes and getting ready to start the deliveries next year.” While there have been 30 aircraft constructed 'at risk,' it is expected that they will require significant rework to conform to the final certified configuration. The carriers waiting for deliveries have already indicated that they will not accept any of the modified airframes and are instead going to wait for new production planes. Borrowing heavily from the 787, the cabin features electronically dimmable windows that are 16% larger than the legacy 777, a lower cabin altitude for reduced jetlag, and a sculpted interior wall that carves out extra shoulder width. It utilizes many of the advanced technologies pioneered on the 787 Dreamliner and innovative new systems like its industry-first folding wingtips. It is also powered exclusively by the General Electric GE9X, which holds the record as the largest commercial jet engine in history. Boeing Already Built 20+ 777Xs — But They Can’t Fly Yet As the testing airframes were built over a timeframe stretching back to 2020, they must retroactively incorporate design updates mandated by the FAA. The exact nature of the updates varies by plane and is likely to include software and avionics updates, modifications to the fuselage and wing roots, thrust link assembly retrofits, and small changes to subsystems like wiring and pneumatic lines. Boeing 737 MAX 7 Certified By Summer & MAX 10 By Year-End, Says FAA Chief Boeing's CEO said the company is "pretty confident" both variants will be certified this year. The Boeing 737 MAX 7 and 10 are both on track for certification this year. The company is beginning to ramp up to the same production levels and financial stability it saw before the two 737 MAX disasters. Widebody planes like the 777X cost billions to develop but sell in relatively low volumes. Cash flow from the 737 single-aisle family acts as funding that keeps the 777X program alive. Stay Informed on the 777X: Subscribe to Our Newsletter Looking for clear context on the Boeing 777X delays and how they affect carriers, production and industry strategy? Subscribe to our newsletter for focused analysis and in-depth coverage of the 777X and wider aviation developments. Email Address The MAX 10 is the more popular variant thus far, with over 1,400 firm orders, while the MAX 7 has secured fewer than 300 orders. Without it, airlines fleeing to the Airbus A321neo would starve Boeing of market share. The MAX 7 is vital for loyal single-type fleet operators such as launch customer Southwest Airlines, which has placed hundreds of orders alone, making up around 90% of commitments for the smallest MAX variant. https://simpleflying.com/boeing-777x-certification-delay-2027-delivery-risk/ Saudia To Receive 12 New Aircraft By Year-End Saudia has announced plans to receive 12 new aircraft by the end of 2026, pushing its total fleet to 161 aircraft as the national carrier ramps up capacity to meet demand. The delivery schedule, revealed May 30, includes Airbus A321neos and follows Saudia’s recent milestone as the first airline in the Middle East and Africa to operate the A321XLR—Airbus’s newest extra-long-range, single-aisle aircraft. Saudia Group Director General Ibrahim Al-Omar described the expansion as part of a “disciplined approach” to building operational readiness for the airline’s next growth phase. “In a highly competitive aviation sector, modernizing and growing the fleet must be guided by clear market insight, network requirements, and alignment with national priorities under Saudi Vision 2030,” Al-Omar said. “This level of planning also extends to operational readiness, ensuring that each new aircraft entering service is supported by the required operational and maintenance capabilities.” The airline has been investing heavily in workforce development alongside its fleet buildup, graduating new cohorts of pilots, cabin crew, and maintenance specialists through training programs aligned with international aviation standards. “Preparing the workforce for fleet expansion is just as important as preparing the aircraft themselves,” Al-Omar said. Saudia’s expansion supports Saudi Arabia’s broader goal of attracting more than 150 million visitors annually by the end of the decade. https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airlines-lessors/saudia-receive-12-new-aircraft-year-end FAA Reviews NFTA Report on Pilot Training For more information about how Halldale can add value to your marketing and promotional campaigns or to discuss event exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities, contact our team to find out more FAA says “so much good” in NFTA report on modernizing pilot training Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau has described a new report by the National Flight Training Alliance (NFTA) as containing “so much good.” Speaking at the World Aviation Training Summit (WATS), Rocheleau said the FAA is carefully reviewing proposals “piece by piece” to determine what is practical now and what could shape future regulatory and training developments. He stressed that progress will depend on close collaboration between industry and regulators, underpinned by robust data and evidence to guide decision-making. As he noted, “we need these partnerships, to bring the data, to bring the evidence, so that we can make an important decision about how to move forward.” The 471-page report follows a year of meetings and industry discussions, and puts forward eight key recommendations that would change the way Part 141 flight schools operate. This includes centralizing FAA oversight, increasing the use of data, reducing the administration burden, and expanding the use of training technology such as flight simulation training devices and extended reality (XR) devices. A panel followed Rocheleau’s presentation including NFTA CEO Lee Collins. Speaking after the panel, Collins said the report has been presented to the FAA and lawmakers, with strong early support from across the sector. He called for broader public backing to encourage regulators and legislators to adopt the findings and enhance safety. “It's a generational effort, which is why we see it as so important,” he said. WATS, he added, plays an important role in bringing the global training community together to drive discussion and momentum. “There have been a lot of folks coming up wanting to talk about it,” he said. https://www.halldale.com/civil-aviation/faa-reviews-nfta-report-on-pilot-training Why The FAA's Pilot Retirement Age Rule Is Being Challenged Like Never Before Jack comes to Simple Flying with a lifelong interest in all things aviation. He holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Georiga Tech, and is a certified private and remote pilot. Beyond these experiences, Jack previously worked for a corporate flight department where he gained first-hand experience in the world of business aviation. Currently, Jack works in the professional services industry and continues to build his flight hours outside of work. The debate over the FAA’s mandatory pilot retirement age has returned to the center of the aviation industry, but this time with far greater political momentum and operational urgency than in previous decades. A growing coalition of lawmakers, regional airlines, and industry advocates is pushing to raise the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots to 67, arguing that the United States can no longer afford to lose thousands of experienced aviators each year amid a worsening pilot shortage. Airlines currently have to abide by a federal pilot retirement age of 65. At the heart of the dispute is the Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act, legislation that has now been introduced repeatedly in Congress and has advanced further than any previous effort to expand the retirement threshold. Supporters frame the proposal as a practical response to shrinking pilot availability, deteriorating regional air service, and mounting retirements among senior captains hired during the airline industry’s post-deregulation expansion. Opponents, led primarily by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), argue that the proposal creates serious operational complications, lacks sufficient scientific validation, and risks undermining internationally harmonized safety standards. The result is one of the most consequential aviation labor and safety debates in decades. The FAA’s mandatory airline pilot retirement age dates back to 1959, when the agency established the then-called “Age 60 Rule.” At the time, regulators cited concerns about age-related medical risks, particularly cardiovascular events and declining cognitive performance, during an era when aviation medicine and cockpit automation were far less advanced than they are today. The regulation applied specifically to pilots operating under Part 121 airline rules, covering scheduled commercial passenger airlines. It did not apply to corporate aviation, charter flying, private operations, or cargo carriers operating under different regulatory frameworks. For decades, the rule remained one of the most controversial employment mandates in aviation. Pilots challenged it repeatedly through lawsuits and lobbying campaigns, arguing that the age restriction was arbitrary and unsupported by evolving medical science. However, the FAA resisted modifying the rule for nearly half a century. That changed in 2007, when Congress passed the Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act, raising the retirement age from 60 to 65. The revision aligned the United States with standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO, which had adopted 65 as the upper limit for pilots engaged in multi-crew international operations. The law also imposed stricter medical oversight for pilots older than 60, including more frequent first-class medical certification requirements. Importantly, the 2007 increase followed years of scientific review, medical analysis, and international coordination. That historical process now forms a central part of the current argument against another increase. Critics note that no similarly extensive body of new research currently exists to justify moving beyond 65. Efforts to raise the retirement age beyond 65 have surfaced periodically since the 2007 revision, but none gained sustained traction until recently. The current campaign has become the most politically advanced challenge the rule has faced because it combines congressional leadership support, bipartisan House backing, and mounting industry pressure tied to pilot staffing shortages. The centerpiece of the effort is the Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act. The legislation would raise the mandatory retirement age for Part 121 airline pilots from 65 to 67 while maintaining existing medical certification and training requirements. Representative Troy Nehls of Texas, who chairs the House Aviation Subcommittee, has emerged as the proposal’s leading advocate. In May 2026, Nehls stated publicly that the legislation has support from both House and Senate Republican leadership, signaling a level of institutional backing not seen in earlier attempts. The legislation already demonstrated significant political strength during the FAA Reauthorization Act debate in 2024. The House approved language raising the retirement age by a decisive 351 to 69 vote before the Senate ultimately removed the provision from the final bill. Despite that setback, supporters immediately revived the effort in the 119th Congress through both House bill H.R. 5523 and Senate companion bill S. 4452. The repeated reintroduction matters because it demonstrates persistence from supporters who believe political conditions are shifting in their favor. Unlike earlier campaigns that remained largely symbolic, the current effort is tied directly to broader concerns about airline reliability, regional connectivity, and national transportation infrastructure. The Pilot Shortage In 2026: Is It Still Real, And What Is Actually Being Done About It? The relatively low mandatory retirement age for pilots means that thousands leave the role every year, and airlines are in a race to replace them. The strongest argument from supporters centers on the worsening pilot shortage facing the US airline industry. Airlines, particularly regional carriers, have struggled for years to recruit and retain enough qualified pilots to maintain schedules. The situation intensified after the pandemic recovery accelerated travel demand, while many pilots accepted early retirement packages during the downturn. Industry estimates cited by supporters project a shortage of roughly 24,000 pilots in 2026. Approximately 4,300 senior captains are expected to retire annually as the generation hired during the airline deregulation era reaches mandatory retirement age almost simultaneously. Regional airlines have been hit especially hard. The Regional Airline Association has testified before Congress that staffing shortages have forced airlines to reduce or eliminate service at 76% of US airports. More than 500 regional aircraft reportedly remain parked because carriers lack enough crews to operate them, while hundreds of communities have lost scheduled air service entirely. Supporters argue that extending pilot careers by just two additional years could provide immediate relief while the industry continues training new aviators. They also contend that experienced captains represent some of the safest and most operationally valuable personnel in the system. Retaining them longer could ease pressure on airline training pipelines and stabilize operations during a period of unusually high attrition. The demographic math behind the argument is difficult to ignore. Over the next 15 years, nearly half of the current airline pilot workforce is expected to reach mandatory retirement age. Proponents, therefore, frame the issue less as an employment dispute and more as a transportation system capacity problem with economic consequences for smaller communities. Despite the growing political momentum, opposition to raising the retirement age remains deeply entrenched among pilot unions, regulators, and portions of the international aviation community. Their objections focus primarily on international standards, operational disruption, and the absence of updated scientific evidence. The most significant obstacle is ICAO policy. Current ICAO standards prohibit pilots older than 65 from serving in international multi-crew airline operations. Since the United States participates in that international regulatory framework, any US pilot flying beyond age 65 would effectively be restricted to domestic routes only unless ICAO itself changes the standard. ALPA argues that such a split system would create major scheduling complications throughout the airline industry. Airlines would need to restructure pilot assignments, retrain crews for domestic fleets, and reshuffle seniority bidding systems. Senior pilots remaining beyond 65 could displace younger aviators from domestic routes while simultaneously becoming ineligible for many long-haul international operations. Critics warn that the resulting operational complexity could outweigh any staffing benefits gained from extending careers. Opponents also emphasize the lack of new scientific analysis supporting an increase beyond 65. Before Congress raised the retirement age in 2007, regulators and medical experts spent years studying aging, pilot performance, and operational safety. No comparable body of research currently exists regarding pilots between the ages of 65 and 67. ALPA maintains that the burden of proof should remain on those advocating change rather than on regulators defending the existing standard. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford has also urged caution. Rather than endorsing immediate legislative action, Bedford has asked Congress to allow time for a comprehensive scientific and safety review before altering the retirement threshold. That position reflects concern that Congress could effectively bypass the FAA’s traditional evidence-based regulatory process. Why ICAO Rejected IATA's Proposal To Raise Pilot Age Limits The proposal sought to extend the global age limit for multi-crew international operations from 65 to 67. The current retirement age battle differs from earlier efforts because multiple industry pressures are converging simultaneously. In previous years, proposals to raise the retirement age often appeared speculative or politically marginal. Today, the debate is tied directly to visible operational problems affecting passengers, airlines, and regional economies. Air service reductions at smaller airports have made the pilot shortage more tangible for lawmakers whose districts depend on regional connectivity. Delayed flights, canceled routes, and reduced schedules have transformed what was once an internal aviation labor issue into a broader transportation policy concern. https://simpleflying.com/why-faa-pilot-retirement-age-rule-challenged-never-before/ Delta Air Lines Issues Warning to Pilots in Leaked Memo Over the years, Delta Air Lines has emerged as one of the best and most consistent airlines in terms of customer satisfaction, but it sounds like that customer satisfaction is at risk in one of the airline's most important routes. This week, an internal memo warned pilots of plummeting customer satisfaction on one of its key routes and offered support and guidance to those pilots as the airline looks to boost customer satisfaction once again. According to the memo, the warning comes after Delta's Net Promoter Score (NPS), which measures customer satisfaction, has fallen significantly on the route. How Customer Satisfaction is Measured For decades, airlines have used NPS to measure customer satisfaction internally. If you’ve ever been asked how likely you are to recommend an airline on a scale of 1 to 10, then you have probably taken part in an NPS survey. Airlines do not typically publish this information publicly as it is sensitive commercial information, but it does allow the carriers to test the impact of changes and initiatives internally. "NPS has become increasingly important for the aviation industry as it allows airlines to quietly test whether customer investments are worth the money, or, conversely, whether they can make cutbacks without customers noticing in terms of satisfaction levels," Mateusz Maszczynski wrote for PYOK. Obviously, this metric can also inform an airline if there is a problem or if its performance is lagging behind other carriers, as seems to be the case with one of Delta's most important routes. Delta Issues Warning Last week, trusted aviation industry insider JonNYC shared a leaked memo on X in which Delta warned its pilots of falling customer satisfaction on its transcontinental service between New York JFK and Los Angeles. As the memo explained, this route is important to Delta not just in terms of the revenue it represents to the company, but also in terms of the visibility and the "high-profile" customers. "We’d like to take a moment to talk about JFK–LAX and LAX-JFK – two of the most important markets we serve and routes that consistently carry high expectations – from our customers, from Delta and from all of us who operate it. Together, JFK–LAX–JFK represents one of the top revenue markets in Delta’s system and stands as the largest domestic market in the U.S. by seat capacity," the leaked memo reads. "In addition, this route carries a high level of visibility, with a significant presence of high-profile customers, business travelers, and social media influencers. Customer experiences on these flights are often shared widely and in real time, further amplifying the impact of every interaction." The memo acknowledged that the route is more prone to delays than other routes, which could impact customer satisfaction, adding that these delays are often "not driven by pilot performance or flight deck decision making." Still, the airline warned that "the impact is real," adding that "because these are premium, high revenue markets, those gaps matter." "The best way our pilots can help is simple: Remain focused, as you always are, on Delta’s Impactful Behaviors – Greet Me, Recognize Me, Be Kind to Me and Inform Me – to ensure every customer interaction is kind, attentive, appreciative, and informative. In particular, it’s proven that our NPS scores improve significantly during a service disruption or delay when our pilots provide timely updates and engage positively with our customers," the memo said. If this is a route you fly regularly, it's worth noting that Delta has identified it as an area in need of improvement. https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/delta-air-lines-issues-warning-134011565.html Traveler used AirTag to prove airline lied about lost luggage — and responses show it happens all the time Have airlines joined the Mile Lie Club? A Delta passenger claimed she caught the airline in a lie thanks to an Apple AirTag, which showed that her bag was not where they said it was. While originally posted in January, her X post has resurfaced on Reddit, where it is currently going viral. “Airlines must *hate* air tags,” declared Ami Bruni in the X story, which boasts nearly 8 million views. “My bags were lost yesterday, and this is my third call with the airline where they try to blatantly lie about where my bag is — and I can just be like, ‘nope, that’s not true at all.'” “I am 100% convinced that if I were not tracking my bags, there would not be nearly the effort to locate them and get them delivered,” she added in a follow-up post. In another post, Bruni claimed the problem lies in the luggage delivery system, where airlines farm out lost baggage drop off to third-party couriers so they can, in her words, wash their hands of it. Her post prompted a flurry of stories from Redditors who also used AirTags to track down suitcases that were misplaced. One appalled flyer claimed that their $9,000 racing bike traveled 5,000 miles in the “opposite direction” from their destination, passing through four different airports before arriving in another country. Thankfully, they were able to monitor their bag’s every movement, and after demanding they “escalate,” the poster led them to its location “behind some boxes in a room that has no business storing passenger luggage.” “It was immediately couriered overnight directly to my hotel in Madrid, the next morning,” the Redditor recalled. “Will never fly without one,” said another while boasting about their accountability device. “The airline ‘lost’ my luggage after we landed. They wanted me to file a claim on a line that was about 10 people deep.” They added, “The tag told me it was on another belt across from where it was supposed to come out from.” A third relayed a similar experience where their toiletry kit showed up in several locations, and was only recovered after they provided the employees with the tracking info from inside their luggage. However, one alleged baggage handler said that most luggage mixups are due to human error and not because the airline is trying to deceive people. “I swear some people think there’s a secret underground cabal of airline workers out to inconvenience them,” they wrote. “We’re working off someone scanning the little barcode from your bag at different locations.” They added, “The idea that I would ‘blatantly lie’ to someone about something they can literally look up on their app, and then ‘hate’ that they made my job easier by placing a tag in their luggage is so obnoxious.” Meanwhile, others pointed out that airlines welcome AirTags as they make their job easier and that Delta allows passengers to integrate the tech into their luggage monitoring system for this purpose. https://www.yahoo.com/travel/advice/safety/articles/traveler-used-airtag-prove-airline-134011489.html Graduate Research Request - A Dear Pilots, My name is Giada Palusci, and I am a Master’s student in Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy. As part of my thesis, I am conducting research on Fatigue Risk Management, with a particular focus on the relationship between sleep, jet lag, and work rosters among commercial pilots. Aviation safety depends heavily on the human element, and direct insights from flight crews are essential to better understand current operational challenges. If you are a commercial pilot, I would be extremely grateful if you could spare a few minutes to complete this short, anonymous, and confidential survey. Survey Link: https://qualtricsxmbhmnrhr9l.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_esP9sU63Y7tM9LM Upon completion of the study, I will be happy to share the final results with Dr. Lewis and the broader aviation community. Thank you very much for your time and for your continued commitment to advancing aviation safety. Kind regards, Giada Palusci Graduate Research Request - B My name is Michail Karyotakis, Lt. Col. (P) HAF, Part-time PhD Student in Aerospace, School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing at the Cranfield University in the UK. Currently, I am working on the final stage of my Research project, which is focused on developing a Flexible and Dynamic Safety Management Framework for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations. I kindly invite you to participate in this survey validating or arguing against the findings of the respective research. Findings are illustrated in the form of questions. Everyone’s level and kind of experience is considered useful not to mention those with aviation and/or piloting background. By sharing your perspectives, you will contribute to developing effective and sustainable mechanism of safety risk management for Unmanned Aircraft Operations in the current aviation environment. Specifically, this Research is focused on: • Reviewing the existing Safety Management approaches for the UAS operations that are in the scope of the Research. • Introduce, test and validate the concept of Total System Safety Performance for UAS operations in the scope of this research. • Assessing Safety risks related to the operations of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Package Delivery. • Assessing the impact of Human Factors, Terrain management and different flight phases in UAS operations. • How could the current safety management framework for UAS operations be updated and streamlined according to the specific needs of every operator and the specificities of every UAS operation. Your participation in this survey is entirely voluntary, and it is estimated to take approximately 15 to 20 minutes of your time. This survey is undertaken as part of my research thesis submission and is not affiliated with any airline, training organisation, or any other. Participation in the survey is voluntary and anonymous (if desired by the participants, personal info may be shared). The survey will take about 15 minutes to be completed. Thank you in advance for your time and patience. Your participation is highly appreciated. Please click the link below to enter the survey: https://cranfielduniversity.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3fvlBSGnO7TxeJ0 Student email: michail.k.karyotakis@cranfield.ac.uk CALENDAR OF EVENTS .2026 FAA-EASA International Aviation Safety Conference — June 16-18, 2026, in Chantilly, Virginia, with the theme “Safety Together: Innovation, Integration and Trust.” https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/newsroom-and-events/events/2026-faa-easa-international-aviation-safety-conference . Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection, and Investigation Course 7 to 9 July 2026; Woburn MA 01801 USA : APSCON/APSCON Unmanned 2026 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL - July 13-17, 2026 . ICAO/EASA Third Global RSOO/RAIO Forum for Aviation Safety — September 29–30, 2026, in Georgetown, Guyana., https://www.icao.int/events : Aircraft Cabin Air International Conference - 22-23 September 2026 . IATA World Maintenance & Engineering Symposium (23-25 June, Madrid, Spain) . ISASI - BOSTON 2026 - September 28, 2026 – October 2, 2026 . 2026 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) Oct. 20-22, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV Curt Lewis