Whether you’re a frequent flier or have only flown on a passenger aircraft once in your life, here are five things to know about passenger planes.
One United Airlines flight attendant truly took a walk on the wild side in honor of her 50th birthday, exiting the aircraft of a small private plane for a special wing-walking stunt as the aircraft soared high above the Pacific Northwest.
When planning celebrations for her recent milestone birthday, Frankfurt, Germany-based United staffer Sabrina Swenson knew she wanted to commemorate the occasion in an epic way, as per a blog post from the carrier. Intrigued for many years by the idea of “wing-walking” – an aerial stunt when one moves onto the wings of an airplane as it flies through the high skies – Swenson traveled to Sequim, Washington, to make her dreams come true.
“Upon reaching the appropriate altitude and slowing down to just above a stall speed, the pilot wagged the wings, letting me know it was time to get out. I looked back to see him giving me the thumbs up,” the fearless flight attendant wrote in the United blog post. (United Airlines)
After receiving proper training at the Mason Wing Walking Academy, USA Today reports, Swenson and a pilot took off in a Boeing-Stearman biplane, floating over the Olympic Peninsula and Strait of Juan de Fuca.
“Upon reaching the appropriate altitude and slowing down to just above a stall speed, the pilot wagged the wings, letting me know it was time to get out. I looked back to see him giving me the thumbs up,” the fearless flight attendant wrote in the United blog post. “With that encouragement, I left my seat and grabbed the two handholds above me, fighting the wind the entire time.”
“I carefully made my way up between the cables above me to the pole on top of the plane. I leaned against it and buckled into the four-point harness.” (United Airlines)
“I carefully made my way up between the cables above me to the pole on top of the plane. I leaned against it and buckled into the four-point harness. After giving the thumbs up, the pilot proceeded to do aerobatics, including loops, barrel rolls and hammerheads,” she continued.
Taking in the unbelievable scene, Swenson revealed that she “hung on to the pole for the first loop” but soon found the confidence to “[throw] caution to the wind and [hold] out both arms!”
Under supervision of the pilot, Swenson soon carefully made her way back to her seat, and buckled back in.
“You wouldn’t think wing walking is exhausting, but it is,” the birthday girl mused of her feat. (United Airlines)
“You wouldn’t think wing walking is exhausting, but it is,” the birthday girl mused of her feat. “People often ask if I was tethered to the plane. Yes, I was. I had a long cable attached to me and the strut of the plane at all times. However, it’s imperative that you take the training seriously and are careful while moving around in the air.”
“My time wing walking in beautiful Sequim will live on in my memory until my last day. You simply don’t forget one of the best days of your life!” she concluded online.
Reps for the carrier soon shared Swenson’s tale to Twitter, where the story has since won applause.
“She was born to fly!!! Congrats!!!!” one fan wrote.
“That’s actually pretty impressive….” another commenter agreed.
“Beats being stuck in the middle seat,” another quipped.
DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 9: Oscar Munoz, CEO of United Airlines speaks to flight attendants in a cut out cabin in the emergency procedure training room during their scheduled reoccurring training in the new $40-million flight training center in east Denver on October 9, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Joe Amon/The Denver Post via Getty Images)Getty
Chicago-based United Airlines is opening its seatback entertainment powered by DirecTV to all customers for free. Previously, the seatback-based satellite streaming service was offered to domestic business class customers for free while economy passengers had to swipe a credit card and pay a small fee to scroll through the spectrum of channels. As of January 30th, however, the service is now free for all passengers.
The updated service applies to all of the carrier’s 211 Boeing 737 fleet with seatback entertainment. All told, roughly 30,000 seats will be affected by the change.
United’s announcement comes in the midst of a transition at American and United to move away from integrated seatback entertainment screens and towards digital, streaming entertainment built for bring-your-own devices. As part of that move, carriers have been quick to offer digital solutions to passengers for free as a distraction from the physical changes happening in the cabin.
Last July, United confirmed to Runwaygirl Network that it was removing seatback screens from a selection of its 757 fleet. At the time, a spokeswoman told Runwaygirl that “as part of a retrofit program, we are updating some of our 757s, including adding our new first class narrowbody seats. During this process, we will be removing DirecTV from nine of our 757s, and will continue offering hundreds of hours of complimentary entertainment via personal device entertainment.” Other narrowbody aircraft that the company has ordered in the last year have been missing seatback screens.
Over at American, the transition has been more aggressive. Many aircraft are in the process of being retrofitted to phase out the seatback screens in favor of digital alternatives; other new aircraft orders are coming in without screens at all.
Unsurprisingly, American has also been aggressive in sharing news about its new streaming capabilities. Just this week, the carrier issued a release together with Apple to share that Wi-Fi (and Apple) users on the carrier could now access streaming music for free. And in September, American launched its own campaign around free television operating through Gogo’s satellite feed.
Though United’s situation is similar to American’s, it’s only complication has been its relationship with DirecTV, which runs the TV satellite service feeding part of its fleet. Last April, United announced that it would offer free streaming entertainment on top of the paid service offered by DirecTV. By now opening up the seatback screens to passengers, the carrier may be acknowledging that its era of satellite-powered seatback televisions is about to be over – and that for this last chapter, passengers can enjoy the ride.
Shares in the company rose 6.3% on Wednesday. Boeing’s bullish outlook reflects the continued growth of airlines, particularly in Asia, even as other sectors of the global economy show signs of strain. The World Bank this month cut its forecast for global growth in 2019, citing trade tensions and currency gyrations among other pressures. Slower economic growth, especially in China, is hurting some manufacturers and consumer-products companies.
Growth in air travel, by contrast, remains strong. World-wide passenger traffic increased 6.6% through November last year, Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg said Wednesday, more than double the rate at which the World Bank says the global economy expanded in 2018.
“We just see fundamental aerospace growth and air-traffic growth as a long-term, sustainable trend,” Mr. Muilenburg said Wednesday in a call with analysts and reporters.
Mr. Muilenburg said Boeing’s order volume could moderate this year, adding that the company expects customers in China to adjust the timing of some orders. “We continue to see strong demand in China overall,” he said.
Christian Scherer, chief salesman for Boeing rival
SE, said this month that demand from China and India had moderated slightly, but pressure to boost production of Airbus’s popular A320 single-aisle jet persisted.
Mr. Muilenburg also said Wednesday that Boeing could decide in 2020 to launch its first newly designed jetliner since the 787 Dreamliner, after a potential move this year to start formal talks with customers. A separate deal to take over the commercial-jet business of
is expected to close this year, pushing Boeing into the market for making regional jets.
Boeing’s fourth-quarter profit rose 3% to $3.4 billion, or $5.93 a share, from $3.3 billion, or $5.49 a share, a year earlier. Excluding pension costs, per-share earnings of $5.48 beat estimates of $4.58, according to FactSet. Revenue of $101 billion in all of 2018 was a record high.
Boeing’s estimate-beating earnings and optimistic 2019 outlook reflected higher volumes across its airliner, defense and services businesses. They also signal that the Chicago-based manufacturer is confident it can overcome supplier constraints that at times hobbled production in 2018.
Boeing executives said they were still playing catch-up on 737 production after those delays. To help speed up engine deliveries, the manufacturer is dispatching staff to CFM International—the engine-making joint venture of
—and some of its suppliers to help get back on schedule.
“We still have work to do inside our own factories and in our supply chain,” Mr. Muilenburg said.
Boeing plans to increase production of the Dreamliner as well as its workhorse narrow-body 737 airliners as it addresses the supply bottlenecks.
Boeing’s overall operating-profit margin hit 14.7% in the fourth quarter, up from 12% a year earlier, in line with the company’s targets. Operating-profit margin in the commercial airplane business jumped 4 percentage points to 15.6%. Boeing’s backlog stood at 5,900 airplanes valued at $412 billion.
Charges have weighed on the defense and space unit that generates about one-quarter of Boeing’s revenue as the company has invested to restore its growth potential, bidding aggressively to win three big Pentagon contests last year. Those contracts, its first victories since 2011, were to build refueling drones, trainer jets, and helicopters to protect nuclear bases.
The airport added it expected to the runway to be “open as normal” on Saturday morning but any concerned passengers should “check their flight status in advance” with their airline.
It said work was under way to recover those vehicles and clear the snow, with Hampshire Police co-ordinating traffic in single file through the clearance work. It warned that surrounding roads were also “treacherous”.
Flight disruption at airports in Cardiff and Bristol affected rugby fans heading to Paris ahead of Friday’s France v Wales Six Nations opener, with ex-Wales captain Sam Warburton among those caught up in the chaos.
On the trains, Transport for Wales said services were now running as normal after some disruption in the morning, while Great Western Railway – which earlier warned of disruption until 12:00 – said a near-normal service had resumed.
Media captionZSL Whipsnade Zoo animals explore snowy conditions
The match between Port Vale and Tranmere Rovers was the first of the weekend’s English League fixtures to be postponed because of a frozen pitch, while five Scottish League One and Two matches were also postponed.
Several of Saturday’s matches will be subject to pitch inspections in the morning but fans heading for matches can check for the latest updates on postponements on the BBC Sport website.
Ovidijus Zvaliauskas found the baby with his mother, who was walking her dog.
He told BBC News it was so cold the baby had frost on her head. “There’s no words for it. It’s terrible,” he said.
The newborn girl was taken to hospital and is said to be in a stable condition. Medical staff have been calling her Roman, as the play area she was found was situated just off Roman Road.
Image copyright Met Police
Image caption
The baby girl was discovered in a shopping bag next to a park bench
South-west England was worst affected on Thursday night, with snow depths of 12cm (5in) recorded in Bodmin, the Met Office said.
Parts of Cumbria saw 8cm of snow, while there was 7cm recorded in Inverness-shire and 5cm in Powys.
Image copyright PA
Image caption
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited the Bristol Old Vic theatre
Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption
Children in Poundbury. Dorchester took advantage of the snowfall
Image copyright Matt Argyle
Image caption
Drivers were stuck on the A30 in Cornwall overnight
Media captionThree easy tips for driving in the snow
This is the lowest in the UK since 2012 – when temperatures fell to -15.6C in Holbeach, Lincolnshire.
The cold start to the day saw hundreds of school closures in different parts of the UK. More than 500 schools were shut in Wales, with about 200 in Berkshire, 250 in Wiltshire and 300 in Buckinghamshire also closed.
What’s the forecast?
Media captionMore disruption is possible from ice but brighter weather is expected this weekend
BBC weather presenter Stav Danaos said travel disruption is likely throughout Friday night and into Saturday due to lying snow and ice.
It will remain cold on Saturday but wintry showers will become increasingly confined to the eastern coast of the UK, leaving some spells of sunshine.
What warnings are in place?
There are yellow warnings for snow and ice covering northern Scotland, most of Northern Ireland, the eastern coast of England and the west coast of Wales until 12:00 GMT on Saturday.
They warn of some snow showers, with heavier accumulations of up to 5cm possible in northern Scotland and up to 10cm over higher ground.
There is also a yellow warning for snow, covering parts of south-east England, between 16:00 GMT and midnight on Friday, with accumulations of 2-3cm likely and up to 7cm possible over higher ground.
A separate warning for ice is in place for southern England until 11:00 GMT on Saturday, as Friday’s snow gradually eases during the evening.
Yellow warnings are issued for low level impacts including some disruption to travel. People should check the latest forecast and check how they might be impacted.
Compare the temperature where you are with more than 50 cities around the world, including some of the hottest and coldest inhabited places. Enter your location or postcode in the search box to see your result.
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This temperature comparison tool uses three hourly forecast figures. For more detailed hourly UK forecasts go to BBC Weather.
Carbon emissions from air travel to Super Bowl LIII on February 3 will be offset to the tune of 18,000 metric tons, or the equivalent of more than 1,600 air miles for each of the 71,000 seats at Mercedes Benz Stadium. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is partnering with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and The Good Traveler on the initiative. It is the first time carbon emissions from the fans’ air travel to the big game will be offset.
Fan flights to the Super Bowl can account for over 80% of the direct emissions from the game, according to RMI. Carbon offsets are “verified to neutralize the impact of the use of fossil fuels, such as air travel or road travel, by keeping greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere at a project site,” the organization says, adding that offsets are the only option today for air travelers to mitigate the CO2 impact of their flights.
RMI manages The Good Traveler program, which is the only airport-founded and aviation-focused carbon offset program that gives airports, organizations, cities, and individuals the ability to mitigate the climate impact of travel. In 2018, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport joined the program’s airport advisory board; other participating organizations include Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Port of Seattle, The Port Authority of New York New Jersey, San Diego International Airport (the program’s founder) and San Francisco International Airport.
The aviation industry’s carbon emissions in the US grew by 3% last year and global aviation emissions have been growing at about 5% annually over the last four years, RMI says. Without intervention, aviation could comprise over 20% of the global carbon budget by mid-century.
For the foreseeable future, the aviation industry must rely on support from passengers, cities, and business to become sustainable through carbon offsets, RMI says. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport – the world’s busiest airport – says it has offset over 60,000 tons of emissions since 2017 in its ongoing goal to reduce its environmental impact.
Aviation is considered a “harder to abate” sector and, along with other hard-to-abate sectors including steel, cement, plastics, trucking and shipping, could account for 60%of energy emissions by mid-century, according to a recent report from the Energy Transitions Commission.
In other Super Bowl-related news this week, Enel Green Power customer Anheuser-Busch announced that it would supply Atlanta’s Super Bowl Host Committee with renewable energy attributes to power the equivalent of the city’s energy consumption for six days — including Super Bowl LIII.
Carbon emissions from air travel to Super Bowl LIII on February 3 will be offset to the tune of 18,000 metric tons, or the equivalent of more than 1,600 air miles for each of the 71,000 seats at Mercedes Benz Stadium. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is partnering with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and The Good Traveler on the initiative. It is the first time carbon emissions from the fans’ air travel to the big game will be offset.
Fan flights to the Super Bowl can account for over 80% of the direct emissions from the game, according to RMI. Carbon offsets are “verified to neutralize the impact of the use of fossil fuels, such as air travel or road travel, by keeping greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere at a project site,” the organization says, adding that offsets are the only option today for air travelers to mitigate the CO2 impact of their flights.
RMI manages The Good Traveler program, which is the only airport-founded and aviation-focused carbon offset program that gives airports, organizations, cities, and individuals the ability to mitigate the climate impact of travel. In 2018, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport joined the program’s airport advisory board; other participating organizations include Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Port of Seattle, The Port Authority of New York New Jersey, San Diego International Airport (the program’s founder) and San Francisco International Airport.
The aviation industry’s carbon emissions in the US grew by 3% last year and global aviation emissions have been growing at about 5% annually over the last four years, RMI says. Without intervention, aviation could comprise over 20% of the global carbon budget by mid-century.
For the foreseeable future, the aviation industry must rely on support from passengers, cities, and business to become sustainable through carbon offsets, RMI says. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport – the world’s busiest airport – says it has offset over 60,000 tons of emissions since 2017 in its ongoing goal to reduce its environmental impact.
Aviation is considered a “harder to abate” sector and, along with other hard-to-abate sectors including steel, cement, plastics, trucking and shipping, could account for 60%of energy emissions by mid-century, according to a recent report from the Energy Transitions Commission.
In other Super Bowl-related news this week, Enel Green Power customer Anheuser-Busch announced that it would supply Atlanta’s Super Bowl Host Committee with renewable energy attributes to power the equivalent of the city’s energy consumption for six days — including Super Bowl LIII.
As thousands of federal workers struggled without paychecks during last month’s record-long government shutdown, United Airlines donated $1 million to the Shutdown Response Fund, an organization that helped provide food to federal workers.
“On behalf of the United family, I would like to thank the countless federal employees who have made a large sacrifice to ensure our safety despite not being paid, and we hope this contribution provides them much-needed support,” said Oscar Munoz, chief executive officer of United Airlines.
The longest-ever government shutdown ended on last Friday when President Trump signed a bill to reopen the government for three weeks, giving 800,000 federal workers a chance to get paychecks that had been withheld since the shutdown started on Dec. 22, 2018.
Even with the government reopening last Friday, there is still a lingering impact for “many hardworking families,” Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot said in a statement.
“This donation will support Feeding America member food banks as they provide immediate and longer-term assistance to people impacted by the furlough as they get back on their feet in the coming months.”
United said that its aim in supporting Feeding America was to help support workers who work side-by-side with its team to get travelers to their destinations safely. It also helped Feeding America, which is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States, set up food distribution centers at seven of its hubs and New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The airline is distributing care packages to federal employees twice a week throughout February.
If you have to fly the friendly skies during the Super Bowl, you may be able to see it without being charged a fee. Buzz60’s Mercer Morrison has the story. Buzz60
Flight attendants are used to flying in airplanes, but not many have flown outside of them.
United Airlines flight attendant Sabrina Swenson did just that to celebrate her 50th birthday, according to a blog post she wrote for the airline’s website.
The Frankfurt, Germany-based attendant said she first took to the skies on the outside of an aircraft eight years ago, when the only wing-walking operation open to nonprofessionals was based in London. At that time, she was strapped into a standing position on top of a Boeing Stearman biplane before taking off.
More recently, she heard there was a place in Washington that allowed you to walk out onto the wing once you were already in the air.
“I knew I had to do it, and what better occasion than to celebrate my 50th birthday?” she wrote.
After training at the Mason Wing Walking Academy in Sequim (two hours outside of Seattle), Swenson and her pilot took off.
Once in the air, she started by enjoying the views — and then, it was go time.
“The Olympic Peninsula and the gorgeous Strait of Juan de Fuca, which separates Canada and the United States is stunning,” she wrote. “Upon reaching the appropriate altitude and slowing down to just above a stall speed, the pilot wagged the wings, letting me know it was time to get out.”
She continued, “I left my seat and grabbed the two hand holds above me, fighting the wind the entire time. I carefully made my way up between the cables above me to the pole on top of the plane. I leaned against it and buckled into the four-point harness.”
Flight Attendant Sabrina S. took her 50th birthday celebration outside. As in, outside the plane. On the wing. Yes, really.
Then, as if things weren’t scary enough, the pilot started to do aerobatics, including “loops, barrel rolls and hammerheads.”
“I hung on to the pole for the first loop, but after the first one was completed successfully, I threw caution to the wind and held out both arms!,” Swenson recalled.
So was she harnessed to the plane the entire time? Of course, she wrote.
“I had a long cable attached to me and the strut of the plane at all times,” she explained. “However, it’s imperative that you take the training seriously and are careful while moving around in the air.”
More: United Airlines’ LAX lounge just got a major upgrade
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United Airlines aircraft at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. (Getty photo)Getty
Pilots at United Airlines, who have been negotiating a new contract for nearly a year, say they have hit a snag regarding their scope clause, which determines how much flying can be outsourced.
“We started negotiations early and we were making good progress, but scope is a hold up,” union spokesman Greg Everhard, a Boeing 767 captain, said Friday.
The contract covering United’s 12,500 pilots became amendable Thursday. The carrier and the United chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association, which have enjoyed a positive relationship over the past few years, agreed to start negotiations early in March 2018.
However, “Despite efforts to reach a seamless agreement, critical items remain between us and a final deal,” three dozen union leaders including United ALPA President Todd Insler wrote Thursday in a letter to members. “We will not be rushed into an agreement that does not meet the needs of membership simply for the sake of expediency.”
The gap between the parties reflects disagreement on the carrier’s effort to alter the scope clause, the letter said. Currently, the carrier is limited to flying 255 aircraft with 70 to 76 seats, smaller jets flown by pilots who work not for United but for one of the eight regional airlines that contracts to fly shorter routes.
“For many months, United’s senior leadership has publicly expressed their desire to change our [contractual] regional jet scope limitations,” the letter said. “In response to this rhetoric, the United pilots have stated loud and clear we have no interest in allowing management to expand their reliance on an outdated and flawed strategy of outsourcing.
“There are several easy and practical solutions that ensure robust feed to our network,” the letter said. “These innovative concepts would redefine United Airlines and the industry in a positive, meaningful way.”
United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy declined Friday to provide details on scope negotiations. “We continue to work with ALPA on issues that are important to the company and important to our pilots,” she said. “We will leave those discussions at the table.”
The current United contract pilot includes rates for pilots who fly 90 seat aircraft. Those pilots are paid $91 an hour and can fly 1,000 hours a year. Similar compensation of $91,000 annually is attainable at regional carriers because the continuing pilot shortage has forced such carriers to raise hourly pay and to offer signing bonuses and retention bonuses.
In general, pilot contract rates are related to the number of seats on the aircraft the pilot flies, so an aircraft with 70 to 76 seats would have a lower pay rate than an aircraft with 90 seats.
United President Scott Kirby is at the center of the carrier’s effort to expand the scope clause. Speaking at an investor conference in March, Kirby said he is intent on “driving higher connectivity and revenue quality” by providing more capacity from cities such as Columbia Mo., and Rochester Minn. to United hubs. Such routes can only be efficiently served by 76-seat regional jets, he said.
Kirby said adding 76-seaters is a “win-win” because feeding the mainline creates better opportunities for mainline pilots, but he noted, “I get why our pilots are really nervous about this – if I were a pilot, I’d be really nervous about it.”
The remarks provoked a response from Insler, who wrote in a March letter to pilots that “Despite the public statements from the company about needing ‘scope relief,’ they have the ability to add 76-seat aircraft under current [contract] language,” Insler wrote. “No relief is needed.”
United “can add 76-seaters tomorrow with no restrictions if they are flown by mainline pilots,” he said. “We have done the math and know that mainline United pilots can deliver the current 76-seat product with better economics, improved reliability and with a superior customer experience for our passengers, just as we do on our current fleets.”
In 2014, during contract talks with pilots at American Airlines, where he previously worked, Kirby also sought scope concessions. The reaction from American pilots then was similar to the reaction from United pilots today.
“Scope is a religious issue to pilots,” said Dennis Tajer, spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association. “It’s so fundamental for our pilots that Mr. Kirby’s persistent scope concession requests almost undermined the trust and culture change he was trying to promote.”
Like United pilots, American pilots are also negotiating a new contract. But scope does not appear to be an issue. During American’s fourth quarter earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Derek Kerr was asked whether American Airlines Group will order more regional jets for the regional carriers it owns. Kerr said delivery of 15 regional jets in 2020 “will pretty close to max out our large RJ scope, so we don’t expect anymore.”
Last week, in a letter to APA members, President Don Carey said union priorities include improved scheduling, “contract repair, with a focus on items that were modified in bankruptcy,” and “industry-leading hourly pay rates and address gaps in compensation and benefits.”
During Question Period on Thursday, the Conservatives brought up a report by the National Airlines Council that said the carbon tax will make air travel more expensive for Canadians.
