Aviation News

A new Singapore airline has ditched the traditional in-flight entertainment system in favour of Apple iPads because they are lighter which means their flights consume less fuel. Photograph by: Luke MacGregor , Reuters

SINGAPORE – Singapore’s new long-haul budget airline Scoot has taken off for the first time, using a novel way of saving fuel – by replacing its in-built TVs with iPads.

The airline set off on its maiden voyage to Sydney from the city-state late Monday as part of its parent Singapore Airlines (SIA) bid to tap Asia’s growing demand for no-frills travel while battling surging fuel costs.

Business class passengers were handed iPads pre-loaded with movies, TV shows and games, while those in economy were given the option of paying Sg$22 ($17) to use the tablet computers.

“One of the reasons for using iPads for in-flight entertainment is that they are lighter than the traditional in-flight entertainment systems and hence saves on fuel,” a spokesperson told AFP.

Fuel is one of the biggest expenses for the airline industry and carriers including SIA and Dubai’s Emirates have blamed rising oil prices as a major factor for slumping profits.

SIA launched Scoot in November 2011 as a budget alternative to regular airlines offering fares that would be up to 40 percent cheaper.

A day after the maiden flight Scoot said it would expand its network, with two new daily flights to Tokyo and Taipei, which are scheduled to start from the third quarter.

It has a fleet of four Boeing B777-200 aircraft and currently offers flights from Singapore to Australia’s Gold Coast, Sydney, Bangkok and China’s Tianjin city.

For more interesting articles to help you improve your Aviation English please visit http://aviationenglish.com and LIKE our Facebook Page.

China Airline

CHINA – Chinese airlines are on a recruitment drive for foreign flight attendants as the country’s aviation industry continues to enjoy healthy growth.

All the major airlines contacted by China Daily have confirmed growing numbers of foreign crew, as they expand their traffic across the country and internationally, and the trend to have a more international feel and look to the Chinese airline cabin is expected to continue.

Officials report that with a growing number of foreign passengers booking to travel on Chinese airlines, the number of international attendants will have to grow too, as many foreigners prefer being served by foreign attendants, very often from their own country.

Air China, for example, currently employs the highest number of foreign attendants at around 40, with an expected 50 more South Korean staff waiting for work permits, before coming to China for three months of pre-job training.

China Southern Airlines also said that flight attendants from India and Central Asia have been employed, with more to come, as well as others from Australia, France and the Netherlands.

And China Eastern Airlines said it has a target of more than 100 foreign flight attendants, after 20 experienced hands were taken on board from Germany and France already this year.

Shen Xiaosheng, China Eastern’s deputy director of publicity, said that “many more foreign staff will be joining” it in future, insisting that the addition of more foreign faces has actually contributed to the carrier’s growing international and domestic traffic.

A spokesman for Hainan Airlines, meanwhile, explained what is the common practice among other airlines too, that foreign flight attendants normally work on the routes between China and their own countries, improving basic communications but also proving invaluable if problems arise during flights.

Hyoen Seok, a 30-year-old South Korean male flight attendant working with Hainan, said it was a busy job, and that many of his compatriots prefer being serviced by attendants their own country, although some Chinese flight attendants on his airline also speak foreign languages.

“I understand more about South Korean passengers’ needs,” added Hyoen Seok, who works alongside 28 flight attendants at Hainan from other countries including Russia, Germany and Italy.

Across the industry, figures show that Chinese airlines are flying more foreign passengers as they expand their international reach.

Air China, for instance, carried 7,121,880 international passengers last year, a 2.55 per cent increase on 2010, according to the company’s financial report. The carrier also added eight international and inter-regional routes in 2011, up from five in 2010.

China Southern Airlines also added three new international routes in its summer-autumn flight plan (March to October), a 27.2 per cent growth in international transport compared to the same period in 2011.

Globally, the international aviation market has slowed compared to the Chinese market in recent years, as Western economies continue to struggle, and this is starting to have a knock-on effect on China’s airline industry too.

Major Chinese airlines’ financial reports show that international routes contributed less to their total income last year than in 2010. But despite the overall industry slowdown, Chinese carriers are still looking forward to expansion internationally, said Li Lei, an aviation analyst at CITIC Securities Co Ltd.

He added that the current international slowdown in traffic and passengers is being viewed as an opportunity for Chinese airlines, as launching foreign routes is considered cheaper than before.

On the flipside, Li Xiaojin, a professor at Civil Aviation University of China in Tianjin, said that as well as growing their international business, Chinese carriers also need to keep a close eye on the growing competition at home from the country’s newly-established high-speed train network.

“More market potential is definitely on international routes,” he added.

Experts point out that employing more foreign flight attendants can actually save costs for Chinese airlines. Although foreign flight attendants’ salaries can be a little higher than their Chinese counterparts, the turnover of foreign flight attendants is lower, meaning a saving in recruitment and training costs for airlines, added Li Xiaojin.

For foreign recruits, working for a Chinese employer is proving a valuable and rewarding experience.

South Korean attendant Hyoen Seok said that after fours years with Hainan Airlines he is happy and plans to stay longer as other opportunities within the company open up.

Five South Korean flight attendants at Air China were promoted to be pursers this year, including Min Seon-ah, who has worked for the airline since 2004.

“The company gives me opportunities, which makes me continue to work here for a long term,” said the South Korean woman, who can speak fluent Chinese.

Like her, Hyoen plans to stay a while longer with his Chinese employer, Hainan.

“I’ll maybe turn to other positions,” he said.

For more interesting articles to help you improve your Aviation English please visit http://aviationenglish.com and LIKE our Facebook Page.

Etihad Airways

ETIHAD has signalled its intentions to boost its stake in Virgin Australia to at least 10 per cent after confirming it had taken a cornerstone holding in Australia’s second-largest airline.

First-class passenger Grant Cardone used his iPad to film a bird strike that disabled an engine on Delta Flight 1063 on takeoff from JFK in New York on April 19. The video later aired on CNN.

The following week, the FAA sent Cardone a warning letter (in lieu of a fine) informing him that he had violated Regulation 14 CFR 121 308(a), which requires that electronic devices be turned off at critical times in flight.

Cardone frequently lets his iPhone, iPad and laptop go into sleep mode during takeoffs and landings rather than turning them off. He said: “If electronics are dangerous, the FAA has the obligation to ban or confiscate (them) prior to boarding.”

But the FAA, a Boeing Co. engineer and several airline spokesmen say limiting the use of portable electronic devices is based on safety concerns.

“There are unknowns about the radio signals the devices give off,” said FAA spokeswoman Brie Sachse by email. “Even PEDs that do not intentionally transmit signals can emit unintentional radio energy. … This energy may affect aircraft safety because the signals can occur at the same frequencies used by the plane’s highly sensitive communications, navigation, flight control and electronic equipment.”

Boeing engineer David P. Carson, who co-chaired a Federal Advisory Committee to develop technical guidance for the FAA on the safe use of portable electronic devices on airborne aircraft, says: “For example, clock circuitry in laptops, motor controllers in CD players, etc. have some level of electromagnetic radiation with the potential to interfere with sensitive aircraft systems. Cellphones add ‘intentional RF emissions’ meaning they intentionally transmit radio frequency electromagnetic radiation as part of how they function.”

One problem the FAA faces in updating its portable electronic devices policies is that testing is the responsibility of each airline. And in the current fiscal climate, it’s hard to imagine any airline voluntarily burning fuel to fly an empty plane filled with powered-on iPods, Androids, Kindles, etc. to prove portable electronic devices are harmless.

For more interesting articles to help you improve your Aviation English please visit http://aviationenglish.com and LIKE our  Facebook Page.