Delta cutting International flights 3%

[jonjuan]

I think they've got in the back of their mind the idea that retirement age might happen again. (Maybe even go away?) And that maybe we're close to a big change in the way we fly, like partially unmanned? Idk.

http://travel.iafrica.com/flights/991311.html

Age 67 announced yesterday in Japan due to lack of pilots.

Japan on Thursday raised the age limit for piloting a commercial plane to 67, the latest effort in Asia to get to grips with a drastic pilot shortage.

The move looks set to make pilots working for Japanese airlines among the oldest in the world.

Until now, pilots had to retire their wings at 65. Under Japan's new rules, pilots can carry on flying until their 68th birthday.

"We are aiming to ease a shortage while still ensuring safety," a transport ministry official told AFP.

Japan has 5 900 airline pilots, including 500 aged 60 or over, according to the ministry.

But surging demand from passengers, especially in the booming budget sector, has created a shortage that last year forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights.

Demographics are expected to exacerbate the problem in the 2030s, when a raft of Japan's captains - now in their 40s - hit retirement age.

"The training is so expensive and a lot of (airlines) are paying retirement to pilots as well. If you start flying at 30 years old, you only have them for 35 years," said Ronald Bishop, head of the aviation programme at Australia's Central Queensland University.

"All that money they spent making the pilots really safe and making sure they're up to speed and they get the proper training - extending it by a few years helps them get their money back."

Australian aviation expert Neil Hansford said globally there was a lack of skilled pilots and the use of older workers was "becoming pretty standardised, except for some of the unionised countries".

"Sixty-five is very common now," Hansford added.

Lack of aviation culture

Greg Waldron, the Asia managing editor of Singapore-based FlightGlobal, a specialist online news and information website, said the high cost of training to become a pilot put off many potential entrants.

"The industry is in a bit of tough patch now in terms of bringing in qualified, good individuals to become pilots," he said, adding that the shortage is particularly acute in the Asia-Pacific region.

 

[jonjuan]

I am having a hard time understanding why the ME carriers are such a threat to the U.S. carriers. Unless I am flying to the ME or perhaps India, flying on one of those carriers will take me a long way out of the way. It makes no sense to fly on a ME carrier from the States to Europe or to the Far East.

Even living in Europe now and regularly traveling to China, even if the costs are slightly less, I cannot justify the additional 6-10 hours it takes to stop in Doha, Dubai or Abu Dhabi. SAS, Lufthansa, KLM, Swiss and Finnair are all far more convenient for my travel to China than Qatar, Emirates and Etihad are.

Are there really that many people who are travelling just to those three cities in the ME, or are that many people really willing to travel 6-10 hours out of their way to save 50-200 dollars?

You do realize Emirates flies MXP-JFK, don't you?

 

[NEDude]

You do realize Emirates flies MXP-JFK, don't you?

How many other routes do they fly between Europe and North America? Honestly I am not okay with that route, Emirates is not a European airline, nor a North American airline. They have no business on that route. Overall how many Emirates routes do not touch Dubai?

I am not a fan of the ME airlines for a wide variety of reasons. I am just trying to understand how they have become such a big threat globally because having lived in both North America and in Europe, and regularly traveling to and from East Asia, I have never found the ME airlines to be all that advantageous for my travels simply due to how far out of the way they take you, and I am far more cost conscious than the average business traveler whose time is far more valuable than mine. About the only place I see them being advantageous to me would be if I were travelling from Europe to India, SE Asia or Australia. But like I said earlier, to China, Japan and South Korea, using the ME airlines adds between 6 and 16 hours (I said 10 earlier) of travel time from western Europe. Give me Lufthansa, SAS, KLM, Swiss or Finnair every time.

 

[BILL LUMBERG]

This is the new norm in America. It is a large part of why the middle class is in rapid decline. Historically business would reinvest profits to grow the company and reward the producers of the profit (the workers). Now in today's America, that money is instead being sent to senior management and investors in the form of increased dividends, stock buybacks, and other types of compensations or simply sat on as additional cash on hand. Meanwhile the average wage and benefits paid to the producers (the middle class) has basically stagnated over the last 20 years, and when compared with the continual creep of inflation, has actually caused most Americans to actually be earning less. This is another way to redistribute the wealth to a small minority at the top, but will eventually fail as eventually there will not be enough people making enough to keep the economy moving along. It has happened in other "empires" and is happening right now in America. At a minimum wages and benefits must keep up with inflation. If not there will be a collapse of the economy.

Well said...

 

[Flopgut]

How many other routes do they fly between Europe and North America? Honestly I am not okay with that route, Emirates is not a European airline, nor a North American airline. They have no business on that route.

Agreed. However this is what they feel they're entitled to. Simply because they have the strength to do it right now. U.S. airlines had the strength to do it a half century ago but abided by treaties. The ME3 want the treaties and funding disclosures removed now that they have momentum

The 3 U.S. airlines might actually be getting their poop together. DAL AMR pbly already do, UAL just made some serious $ and are anything but well run at the moment. The U.S. 3 are *earning* our $ and making the company work on its own. The ME 3 are propped up oasises not based in reality.

 

[Flopgut]

http://travel.iafrica.com/flights/991311.html

Age 67 announced yesterday in Japan due to lack of pilots.

Japan on Thursday raised the age limit for piloting a commercial plane to 67, the latest effort in Asia to get to grips with a drastic pilot shortage.

The move looks set to make pilots working for Japanese airlines among the oldest in the world.

Until now, pilots had to retire their wings at 65. Under Japan's new rules, pilots can carry on flying until their 68th birthday.

"We are aiming to ease a shortage while still ensuring safety," a transport ministry official told AFP.

Japan has 5 900 airline pilots, including 500 aged 60 or over, according to the ministry.

But surging demand from passengers, especially in the booming budget sector, has created a shortage that last year forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights.

Demographics are expected to exacerbate the problem in the 2030s, when a raft of Japan's captains - now in their 40s - hit retirement age.

"The training is so expensive and a lot of (airlines) are paying retirement to pilots as well. If you start flying at 30 years old, you only have them for 35 years," said Ronald Bishop, head of the aviation programme at Australia's Central Queensland University.

"All that money they spent making the pilots really safe and making sure they're up to speed and they get the proper training - extending it by a few years helps them get their money back."

Australian aviation expert Neil Hansford said globally there was a lack of skilled pilots and the use of older workers was "becoming pretty standardised, except for some of the unionised countries".

"Sixty-five is very common now," Hansford added.

Lack of aviation culture

Greg Waldron, the Asia managing editor of Singapore-based FlightGlobal, a specialist online news and information website, said the high cost of training to become a pilot put off many potential entrants.

"The industry is in a bit of tough patch now in terms of bringing in qualified, good individuals to become pilots," he said, adding that the shortage is particularly acute in the Asia-Pacific region.

Hiring post BKs and 911 happened somewhat routinely. But hiring after age 65 seems to be a different animal. From a HR standpoint age 65 was a nightmare. Even for mgts that value morale at zero, furloughing post age increase was uncomfortable. At least partially, the reluctance to hire seems tied to a wait and see approach (next safe to fall on their heads). And too, mgts do NOT want another workgroup like the FAs they have to deal with. Aged, lazy, angry employees that are difficult at best. Seems if it changes again that will break the back of this profession. I feel the stretch to advance the pilotless airliner won't seem as uncomfortable as it might if "pilot" was a thriving and healthy endeavor.

Age 65 pretty much poisoned the well. Even for the potential pilots who might have loved flying enough to do it for less money, the idea that seniority can be stolen by a bunch of neo-scab geriatrics was too bitter to swallow.

 

[General Lee]

I am having a hard time understanding why the ME carriers are such a threat to the U.S. carriers. Unless I am flying to the ME or perhaps India, flying on one of those carriers will take me a long way out of the way. It makes no sense to fly on a ME carrier from the States to Europe or to the Far East.

Even living in Europe now and regularly traveling to China, even if the costs are slightly less, I cannot justify the additional 6-10 hours it takes to stop in Doha, Dubai or Abu Dhabi. SAS, Lufthansa, KLM, Swiss and Finnair are all far more convenient for my travel to China than Qatar, Emirates and Etihad are.

Are there really that many people who are travelling just to those three cities in the ME, or are that many people really willing to travel 6-10 hours out of their way to save 50-200 dollars?

Have you seen how many planes they are getting? They don't want to stop with just ME hubs. They literally want to take over the World, on their Govt's dime. They try to buy into weaker EU airlines, hoping they can use bilaterals that weren't intended for them. And what do they call their "Govt aid?" They call it "equity." So funny. The WTO has specific rules, and so do bilaterals. I favor the Canada solution, give them 3 flights per week per airline. Face it, not many want to go to the Sandpit, and Canada has already figured that out. Air Canada hasn't added service to any of those cities, because nobody really wants to go there from Canada. It's the ME3 who want it all.


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[General Lee]

I am having a hard time understanding why the ME carriers are such a threat to the U.S. carriers. Unless I am flying to the ME or perhaps India, flying on one of those carriers will take me a long way out of the way. It makes no sense to fly on a ME carrier from the States to Europe or to the Far East.

Even living in Europe now and regularly traveling to China, even if the costs are slightly less, I cannot justify the additional 6-10 hours it takes to stop in Doha, Dubai or Abu Dhabi. SAS, Lufthansa, KLM, Swiss and Finnair are all far more convenient for my travel to China than Qatar, Emirates and Etihad are.

Are there really that many people who are travelling just to those three cities in the ME, or are that many people really willing to travel 6-10 hours out of their way to save 50-200 dollars?

Have you seen how many planes they are getting? They don't want to stop with just ME hubs. They literally want to take over the World, on their Govt's dime. They try to buy into weaker EU airlines, hoping they can use bilaterals that weren't intended for them. And what do they call their "Govt aid?" They call it "equity." So funny. The WTO has specific rules, and so do bilaterals. I favor the Canada solution, give them 3 flights per week per airline. Face it, not many want to go to the Sandpit, and Canada has already figured that out. Air Canada hasn't added service to any of those cities, because nobody really wants to go there from Canada. It's the ME3 who want it all.

I understand there are people who want better connections to India and Pakistan, and those hubs can offer it. But, those airlines don't need to take over everything in the process.


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[General Lee]

Sorry, these posts were supposed to be one.