here is a good followup article with local flavor: http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/blog/2013/04/hawaiian-airlines-virgin-america.html

(Written on 04/11/2013)(Permalink)

here is a good followup article with a local perspective: http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/blog/2013/04/hawaiian-airlines-virgin-america.html

(Written on 04/11/2013)(Permalink)

(Duplicate Squawk Submitted) NTSB: Medevac Pilot's Texting Factor in 2011 Fatal Crash WASHINGTON (AP) — Texting by the pilot of a medical helicopter contributed to a crash that killed four people, federal accident investigators declared Tuesday, and they approved a safety alert cautioning all pilots against using cellphones or other distracting devices during critical operations. It was the first fatal commercial aircraft accident investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board in which texting has been implicated. And it underscored the board's worries that distractions from electronic devices are a growing factor in incidents across all modes of transportation — planes, trains, cars, trucks and even ships. http://www.firehouse.com/news/10918010/ntsb-medevac-pilots-texting-factor-in-2011-fatal-crash

(Written on 04/11/2013)(Permalink)

for sure

(Written on 04/10/2013)(Permalink)

(Duplicate Squawk Submitted) Virgin America best U.S. airline, United worst: study Reuters) - Virgin America did the best job of flying customers last year while United Airlines was the worst, though passengers experienced overall better performance, a study showed. The performance of the 14 leading carriers in 2012 was about the same as the best year ever in 2011, according to the 23rd annual national Airline Quality Rating (AQR), which ranks airlines based on U.S. Department of Transportation figures. The industry improved in two of four areas: on-time performance and baggage handling. Involuntary denied boardings and customer complaint rated were higher, the study said. "Every time there are more planes in the sky and more people flying, airline performance suffers," said Dean Headley, associate professor of marketing at the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/08/us-usa-airlines-qualityreport-idUSBRE

(Written on 04/08/2013)(Permalink)

here is a track of the flight http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE272/history/20130405/1800Z/KPAE/KPAE

(Written on 04/05/2013)(Permalink)

here is the track of the flight http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE272/history/20130405/1800Z/KPAE/KPAE

(Written on 04/05/2013)(Permalink)

(Duplicate Squawk Submitted) Boeing has completed a 787 certification demonstration flight today EVERETT, Wash., April 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE:BA) completed a 787 certification demonstration flight today on line number 86, a Boeing-owned production airplane built for LOT Polish Airlines. Today's flight marks the final certification test for the new battery system, completing the testing required by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Today's flight departed from Paine Field in Everett, Wash. at 10:39 a.m. Pacific with a crew of 11 onboard, including two representatives from the FAA. The airplane flew for 1 hour and 49 minutes, landing back at Paine Field at 12:28 p.m. Pacific. The crew reported that the certification demonstration plan was straightforward and the flight was uneventful. The purpose of the flight was to demonstrate that the new battery system performs as intended during normal and non-normal flight conditions. http://boeing.me

(Written on 04/05/2013)(Permalink)

(Duplicate Squawk Submitted) Boeing: Dreamliner testing more than half done Boeing said it has finished more than half of the testing on its proposed battery fix for the 787, with the rest of the ground and flight tests coming in the next several days. The test results so far have been in line with the testing Boeing did when it was developing the fix, spokesman Marc Birtel said on Wednesday. PHOTOS: The world's Dreamliner fleet TODAY IN THE SKY: Add USA TODAY's airline blog to your favorites Smoldering batteries - including one fire on the ground - prompted air safety authorities to ground the world's 787s in mid-January. Boeing has developed what it believes is a permanent fix, including more heat insulation and a system for venting battery gases outside of the plane. http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2013/04/03/boeing-dreamliner-testing-more-than-half-done/2050261/

(Written on 04/04/2013)(Permalink)

here is a followup article that has a bunch of info in it... http://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2013/02/20/does-boeing-have-a-787-battery-fix/

(Written on 02/20/2013)(Permalink)