AvTalk Episode 204: Two tail strikes and an all stop

On this week’s episode of AvTalk, we discuss Alaska Airlines’ response to two tail strikes in Seattle within minutes of each other, debate the wisdom of Air New Zealand’s turn back to Auckland last week, and find that missing curfew isn’t just a problem for teenagers.

Alaska Airlines tail strikes halt airline operations

On 26 January, two Alaska Airlines 737s suffered tail strikes on departure within just a few minutes of each other. According to reporting by The Seattle Times, that raised alarms for Bret Peyton, Alaska’s on-duty director of operations, who ordered all Alaska flights not yet airborne to remain on the ground until the cause of the incidents was known. The problem? A bug in the take off performance software. See the data here.

New Zealand

Jason makes the case that Air New Zealand should have handled the closure of JFK’s Terminal 1 differently. Ian thinks the airline made the right call. What do you think?

Russian airlines want to extend maintenance intervals

Faced with continuing sanctions that make getting spare parts for Airbus and Boeing jets impossible, Russian airlines are asking regulators to allow for extended maintenance intervals as well as approval for alternative methods of compliance with airworthiness directives.

AF-KLM says flying around Russia is a wash

In its earnings call this week, Air France-KLM said that flying around Russia hasn’t impacted the cost of those flights because they no longer have to pay “astronomical” Russian overflight fees.

Volaris hoping for Mexican FAA upgrade

Volaris is hoping that the FAA will finally return Mexico to FAA category 1 within six months. This would allow the airline (and other Mexican airlines) to offer new and expanded routes in the US.

The New York Times discovers SAFs

The New York Times comes late to the party with an article exploring Sustainable Aviation Fuels, but what really stands out are some of the quotes in the article.

You miss curfew, you get grounded

A Japan Airlines flight found out the hard way what happens when you miss curfew in Fukuoka. The flight had to return to Tokyo, but not before stopping in Osaka for fuel and a crew change.

Qantas unveils Project Sunrise premium cabins

Qantas unveiled their First and Business class cabins for the Project Sunrise flights on the A350-1000 this week. And first impressions are… okay.

What we got wrong last time

Listener feedback on previous stories and Jason makes an apology for mixing up his props.

Thank you for listening!

Thank you so much for listening to AvTalk! Like the podcast? Have suggestions for future shows? Let us know by leaving a review on iTunes. Reviews on iTunes not only help us make a better show, they help more people find the podcast! Want to send us additional feedback, just email us. And tell that friend who asked you for a podcast recommendation that AvTalk is the one they want to listen to next.

Click here for a transcript of this episode.

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