Power Flight Aviation

BA says too early to start again Libya flights

admin — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:41:35 +0000

British Airways (BA) said it is still reviewing the security risks of flying to Libya’s capital Tripoli and will not restart operations before the NATO no fly zone is lifted.

The British flag carrier said it plans to start a review of the security risks of flying to the capital, Tripoli, but has no date to restart flights.

“We will be looking at chances to restart our operations when the no fly zone, which presently bars commercial operations and only allows limited charter flights for specific intention, is lifted,” BA’s international risk advisor William Sandover told Reuters.

The detail of this assess will get underway once the security situation on the ground and in the air becomes clearer.

IAG owned BA suspended its daily flight to Tripoli from London’s Heathrow airport in February. In June BA said it hoped to restart its Libyan services at the end of October but this at the moment looks doubtful.

“We have not set a date to restart flights,” said Sandover.

Some of British Airway’s competitors are taking a less cautious approach and Libya’s interim transport minister said this week that various international carriers have decided to start flights yet again.

Turkish Airlines is the lone carrier to have resume flights to Libya since rebel fighters captured Tripoli in August. A Turkish Airlines passenger service landed in Tripoli’s Mitiga airport from Istanbul previous this month.

In March the U.N. Security Council approved a resolution on imposing a no fly zone in Libya to protect civilians from air attacks by fighters loyal to fallen leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The no-fly zone, extended for a further 90 days in late September, blocked all international commercial flights to and from the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

A U.N. Security resolution on Sept. 16 relieved some permit on Libya but kept the no fly zone in place, despite calls from South Africa and Russia for it to be lifted.

Source: Airline News

US Airways, Unions Bring Jobs Back To U.S.

admin — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:37:26 +0000

As part of a union deal, US Airways is now hiring 400 customer service agent workers total in Phoenix, Reno, and Winston-Salem to replace positions formerly held in the Philippines. The deal came about as part of negotiations between unions brought together under the 2005 US Airways and America West Airlines merger. US Airways handles roughly 18 million customer service calls each year, and the airline’s new hires will bring its U.S.-based customer service workforce to about 1,900. Hiring has already started.

The airline announced the plan to move the jobs in April and began hiring on November 1. In a statement, the airline touted the move as “a testament to the positive relationship” it has with the union. US Airways still operates a customer service call center in England to field calls inbound from outside the U.S.. Concurrent with the jobs deal, US Airways also launched an interactive voice response system, which suggests that you will be talking to a machine before talking to any new hires. The unions are touting the new hires as the combined result of solidarity and working with a successful airline.

Source: AVweb

Flight Training Reform Is Happening

admin — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:21:30 +0000

The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators has heard back from government and industry stakeholders on progress toward flight training reform and its encouraged by the early results. SAFE, which held a two-day forum in Atlanta last May to set goals for changing the way pilots learn to fly, sent delegates away with homework to do after establishing six basic benchmarks for improvement. In its Oct. 31 report (PDF), it heard from nine companies and organizations. “SAFE is encouraged by the comments received [and] the related training reforms that are currently underway,” the interim report says.

There have been some concrete steps taken toward flight training reform, including the FAA’s creation of the knowledge test aviation rulemaking committee, the formation of a CFI accreditation committee by university flight programs and AOPA’s student retention program. But SAFE is urging anyone involved in flight training to keep the momentum going. “Engaged stakeholders are encouraged to press on with their initiatives,” the report says. “Stakeholders who have thus far chosen not to participate in the reform process are urged to commit to this effort in a meaningful way.

Source: AVweb