Comments on: United, The Duct Tape Airline

By: David

David — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 02:29:45 +0000

Yes. But i understand only United’s jumbo jets are maintained in China.

David

By: Pat Kennedy

Pat Kennedy — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:52:45 +0000

Maintenance in China? Holy crap!

By: Rich

Rich — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:52:02 +0000

Just wait unitl CO and UAL merge:

Best Case Scenario: CO runs things

Worst Case: UAL runs things.

By: Traytable

Traytable — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:41:18 +0000

Fair enough about the perception. There are airlines in Australia that had this problem in the media and it does look bad. No problem, hope the crewing issue is a bit clearer for you now. Would be interested to know what their normal operating crew complement is. On another note, FAA may sometimes grant approval to operate under the minimum crew in extenuating circumstances, but with extra conditions such as reduced passengers numbers, enhanced safety briefing, etc etc…

By: David Henderson

David Henderson — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:17:28 +0000

Thanks for the comment. You make a good point. But, it is all about perception, and perception is the highest form of reality among audiences … and, in this case, customers of United Airlines. My perception of United is that of a poorly maintained airline.

David

By: Traytable

Traytable — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:03:43 +0000

Often at an airline experiencing financial difficulty, they will cut back on ‘cosmetic’ items in order to keep essential maintendance at the required level. So yes, the tv screen may be shabby but probably so the engines get a proper looking after.

I’m not saying it’s right but it would be a stupid airline that cut back on essential maintenance. Duct tape has been an “all-around” fixer in aviation for many many years!

As for the flight attendant numbers, any sane captain would not dispatch under the minimum required crew numbers. What you may not realise is that the minimum crew required purely for SAFETY is often a lot less than crew required for SERVICE. So, the service may have suffered but the flight can be perfectly legal to depart ‘short’ of crew. ‘Short’ meaning they are operating with less crew than normal, but still within the FAA minimum for that aircraft type.