Why Was The Japanese Coast Guard Plane On The Runway?

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Airlineratings.com is packed with information about air travel and answers questions that many of us may have thought of, but didn’t know who to ask. Well, now you do!

Airlineratings.com was developed to provide everyone in the world with a one-stop shop for everything related to airlines, formed by a team of aviation editors, who have forensically researched nearly every airline in the world.

Our rating system is rated from one to seven stars on safety – with seven being the highest ranking. Within each airline, you will find the country of origin, airline code, booking URL and seat map information. The rating system takes into account a number of different factors related to audits from aviation’s governing bodies, lead associations as well as the airline’s own safety data. Every airline has a safety rating breakdown so you can see exactly how they rate.

Over 230 of the airlines on the site that carry 99 per cent of the world’s passengers have a product rating. Given that low-cost, regional and full-service carriers are so different we have constructed a different rating system for each which can be found within each airline

Vietjet vs Vietnam Airlines

In this week’s long-haul, low-cost vs full-service airline comparison, we take a look at Vietjet and Vietnam Airlines on a return flight from Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh (SGN).

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In perhaps the toughest review yet, the winner of this comparison between the two Vietnamese airlines will come down to seat selection and baggage.

Our flight to Ho Chi Minh will be taking place on August 11th and returning on August 26^th, 2023. Both Vietjet and Vietnam Airlines operate direct flights on this route with an A330 and A350 respectively.

Our return flight with Vietjet came to $597 AUD which included seat selection, 40kg of checked baggage, a 10kg carry-on bag, meal, and drink. There is no in-flight entertainment, Wi-Fi or in-seat power and extra snacks and drinks need to be purchased.

Our flight with Vietnam Airlines came in at $666 AUD which included meals, snacks, unlimited drinks, in-flight entertainment through seat back screens, in-seat power, blankets and pillows plus 23kg of baggage and a 7kg carry-on bag.

However, and this is where it gets interesting, when we add extra baggage and seat selection to the Vietnam Airlines booking to match Vietjet and compare ‘like with like’ the price jumps up an extra $600 AUD to make the total cost $1523 AUD.

If we take the baggage and seat selection out of the equation, then Vietnam Airlines with its onboard comfort and in-flight entertainment would be a winner. When we add extra baggage and seat selection to match the Vietjet offering then Vietjet becomes the winner with a far cheaper cost.

So, who is the winner? For the first time, we do not have a clear winner. Put simply, if you’re travelling with just 23kg of baggage and don’t mind where you sit then Vietnam Airlines is our choice, however, if you want more luggage and to choose your seat then we would choose Vietjet.

If you missed last week’s long-haul comparison between British Airways and Play check it out here

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Play vs British Airways Long Haul

In this week’s long-haul, low-cost vs full-service airline comparison, we take a look at the ever-popular London to New York route. There are loads of full-service flight options for this route but we have opted to compare the UK’s legacy carrier, British Airways and the new Icelandic low-cost carrier, PLAY Airlines. For the first time yet in this series we had a very clear winner.

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Our return flight with PLAY came to $ 664 USD (£532) which includes an $80 USD allowance for meals, drinks and snacks on board, 20kg of checked luggage, carry-on baggage, seat selection and priority boarding. Amenity kits, blankets and pillows, in-flight entertainment, in-seat power and WiFi are not available.

Flights with Play departed and arrived at London Stansted and New York Stewart respectively. Each flight also stops over in Iceland for roughly 2 hours. The total flight time (including the stopover) from London to New York is 11h 15 and from New York to London 10h 20. New York Stewart is a small airport on the outskirts of New York and passengers need to allow approximately 90 minutes to get into New York Central (bus or train) and allow an additional $ 20-25 USD each way.

Our flight with British Airways came in cheaper at $605 USD (£485) which included meals, snacks, drinks, in-flight entertainment, amenities upon request, 23kg of baggage and a 7kg carry-on bag.

The flights with British Airways outbound departed from London Gatwick and arrived at JFK. Coming back they departed JFK and arrived at London Heathrow. Both flights are direct and fly into more ‘central’ airports.

On the topic of central airports, the centrality of these airports really depends on where you are going/living within each city. Where a city has multiple airports always factor the cost and time of getting to/from the airport into your final decision.

In terms of comfort, both airlines offer 30-31 inches of legroom and some seat recline. The aircraft operated on these flights are however very different with PLAY operating the single-aisle A321 and British Airways the far more comfortable twin-aisle Boeing 777.

In this week’s head-to-head we have a very clear winner in British Airways. British Airways offers not only a cheaper fare but far more comfort on board with included drinks, meals and in-flight entertainment. For the author flying into JFK rather than SWF is also a big factor in the decision and unless you are after a holiday in Iceland, a direct flight is usually preferable.

If you missed last week’s long-haul comparison between Scoot and Singapore Airlines check it out here

Are you enjoying our reviews so far? Are there any routes would you like us to evaluate? Place a comment below or get in touch via our social pages

Scoot vs Singapore Airlines

In this week’s long-haul, low-cost vs full-service airline comparison, we take a look at Scoot and Singapore Airlines on two different flights from Singapore to Europe. Why two different destinations?

Scoot is Singapore Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary and provides passengers with direct flights into Europe via Athens or Berlin. Singapore Airlines operates direct flights to numerous ports in Europe however excludes those operated by Scoot. For this comparison, we used the direct flight with Scoot into Athens and the Singapore Airlines direct flight into Rome.

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Our return flight with Scoot came to $1830 SGD with the inclusion of a meal, snack and drink on each segment, a standard window seat, 30kg of checked baggage and a 10kg carry-on bag. Amenity kits such as blankets and pillows are also available for purchase ($24 SGD) on board but given most passengers wouldn’t buy these, we left that off the price for this exercise. I also added an additional $40 SGD to each flight ($80 in total) for the purchase of in-seat power, additional drinks, meals and snacks over the 11-hour flight.

Our flight with Singapore Airlines came in at $2787 SGD which included meals, snacks, unlimited drinks, in-flight entertainment, amenity kits, blankets and pillow plus 30kg of baggage and a 7kg carry-on bag.

In terms of comfort, Scoot offers 30-31 inches of legroom and Singapore Airlines 32 inches. Both offer an 18-inch seat width and a 6-inch seat recline.

Having flown both airlines multiple times the author can vouch for the value Scoot provides and the excellence in dining, inflight entertainment and comfort you receive on Singapore Airlines. Anyone who’s flown Singapore Airlines long haul will know what I mean.

Even though Scoot has no in-flight entertainment, less legroom, a buy-on-board menu and comfort packs that need to be purchased, with a saving of $957 SGD this author would have to choose Scoot over Singapore Airlines. The Rome flight is longer than the Athens flight (60-90 minutes) so you would expect a higher fare however not that high!

If the budget allowed and you aren’t travelling with anyone under 12, I would recommend upgrading your flight to the Scoot In Silence cabin for an additional $200 SGD

If money was no object, it would be Singapore Airlines all the way but looking at the value proposition of getting from Singapore to Europe, Scoot would be the easy choice on this occasion.

If you missed last week’s long-haul comparison between WestJet and Air Canada check it out here

Are you enjoying our reviews so far? Are there any routes would you like us to evaluate? Place a comment below or get in touch via our social pages

WestJet or Air Canada?

This week we compare WestJet and Air Canada on a long-haul return flight from Calgary to London Heathrow. Considering the overall cost, comfort, aircraft and flight time we will see who offers the best value. This review will demonstrate why it is so important to check all prices on a route rather than simply assuming low cost is cheaper.

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Our economy flight to London will be taking place on September 11^th and returning on September 23^rd 2023. Both WestJet and Air Canada operate direct flights on this route with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Our return flight with Westjet came to $1557 CAD with the inclusion of meals, snacks and drinks, in-flight entertainment through seat back screens, in-seat power, a standard window seat, blankets and pillows, 23kg of checked baggage and a 7kg carry-on bag. Wifi Is also available for a fee.

Our flight with Air Canada came in cheaper at $1507 CAD which included meals, snacks, unlimited drinks, in-flight entertainment through seat back screens, in-seat power, a standard window seat, blankets and pillows plus 23kg of baggage and a 7kg carry-on bag. Wifi Is also available for a fee.

What was particularly interesting about this flight comparison was not only that Air Canada was cheaper than its low-cost competitor Westjet but that Westjet actually offered more legroom and seat width in economy. It is unusual to find the low-cost carrier offering more personal space than a full-service carrier.

So which one would we pick to fly? With both airlines offering almost identical onboard service, having similar departure and arrival times plus the same aircraft, the choice has to come down to price. For this reason, the author would choose Air Canada but I would encourage anyone doing this route to compare the prices for both airlines for your specific dates and take your pick from there as both offer comfort and value so you can’t lose.

If you missed last week’s long-haul comparison between Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines check it out here

Are you enjoying our reviews so far? Are there any routes would you like us to evaluate? Place a comment below or get in touch via our social pages

Jetstar vs Qantas: Who offers the best value long haul?

In this week’s long-haul, low-cost vs full-service airline comparison, we take a look at Jetstar vs Qantas on a flight from Sydney to Honolulu. Looking at cost, comfort, aircraft and flight time we will see who offers the best value.

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Our Jetstar vs Qantas fly-off to Honolulu will be taking place on August 28 to September 11^th, 2023. Both Jetstar and Qantas operate direct flights on this route with a 787 and A330 respectively.

Our return flight with Jetstar came to $1192 AUD with the inclusion of a meal, snack and four bottles of water on each segment, a standard window seat, access to the in-flight entertainment, 20kg of checked baggage and a 7kg carry-on bag. Amenity kits such as blankets and pillows are also available for $25 but given most passengers wouldn’t buy these, we left that off the price for this exercise.

Our flight with Qantas came in at $1494 which included meals, snacks, unlimited drinks, in-flight entertainment, amenities, 23kg of baggage and a 7kg carry-on bag.

In terms of comfort, the leg room is only one inch (or 2.5 cm) more on Qantas than Jetstar however the seat recline is roughly double. The actual seat width is virtually the same.

The Qantas A330 offers a comfortable 2-4-2 seating configuration across the plane where as the 787 is fitted out as 3-3-3.

Despite the layout of the A330 being one of my favourites, with a $302 AUD difference in the fare and a comparable level of comfort and flight time, in this example the author would opt to save that $302 for the destination and take Jetstar.

If you missed last week’s long-haul comparison between AirAsiaX and Malaysia Airlines check it out here

Are you enjoying our reviews so far? Are there any routes would you like us to evaluate? Place a comment below or get in touch via our social pages

REVIEW: Are low cost airlines really worth it for long haul flights?

In the year post COVID we have seen the demand for travel rise like never before. There’s friends and family to catch up with, bucket lists to tick off and savings to be spent. However, the rise in demand has also resulted in an expected but significant rise in the price of airfares, accommodation, and experiences.

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Travellers are looking for ways to cut costs where they can and one of these is to consider a low-cost airline for their long-haul travel. On the surface, the low-cost airline fare is attractive and affordable but what is the real cost of travelling long haul by the time you add food, water, bags and seats? Let’s not forget the comfort factor too – on a long-haul flight every extra inch of space makes a difference.

To answer this question, we are compiling a series of low cost vs full service airline comparisons on certain routes around the world. We will look at cost and comfort to determine if long haul low cost is really worth it.

Our first comparison looks at the total cost and on board experience flying low cost AirAsiaX or full service legacy carrier Malaysia Airlines. Our trip from Kuala Lumpur to Auckland will depart on August 28 and return on September 15^th 2023.

Our flight with AirAsiaX came to 3854 MYR ($1305 AUD) with the inclusion of a meal and one small bottle of water on each flight leg, a standard window seat, 20kg of checked baggage and a 7kg carry on bag. Admittedly you would likely need to spend at least another 120 MYR ($40 AUD) to purchase extra drinks and snacks, but for this exercise we left that out. This airline offers no in flight entertainment or seat back power to recharge your device.

Our flight with Malaysia Airlines came in at 5174 MYR ($1753) which included meals, snacks, unlimited drinks, in flight entertainment, amenities, 20kg baggage and a 7kg carry on bag.

With a 1320 MYR ($448 AUD) difference in the fares the question of ‘which is better’ really comes down to where the traveller places value.

For the author (who is admittedly a tired mother to two babies), the thought of a direct flight with a little extra seat width, more seat recline, unlimited beverages, meals and snacks, a seat back screen for in-flight entertainment and a cosy blanket and pillow makes the extra cost worthwhile.

However, when discussing this with my 18 year old niece, the value for her is placed on the saving she can make flying long haul, low cost. For her, she can easily go without the comforts and endure the longer flight time to have that extra money in her pocket to spend at the destination.

Lufthansa 747 In Rough Landing And Go-Around

A Lufthansa Boeing 747-8I has been videoed in a very rough landing and around at Los Angeles International Airport by Airline Videos Live.

The touch-down of the Lufthansa 747 was very heavy and the aircraft bounced back into the air before touching down again and then the pilots initiated a go-around.

Here is the video;

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Airlineratings.com is packed with information about air travel and answers questions that many of us may have thought of, but didn’t know who to ask. Well, now you do!

Airlineratings.com was developed to provide everyone in the world with a one-stop shop for everything related to airlines, formed by a team of aviation editors, who have forensically researched nearly every airline in the world.

Our rating system is rated from one to seven stars on safety – with seven being the highest ranking. Within each airline, you will find the country of origin, airline code, booking URL and seat map information.

The rating system takes into account a number of different factors related to audits from aviation’s governing bodies, lead associations as well as the airline’s own safety data. Every airline has a safety rating breakdown so you can see exactly how they rate.

Over 230 of the airlines on the site that carry 99 per cent of the world’s passengers have a product rating.

Given that low-cost, regional and full-service carriers are so different we have constructed a different rating system for each which can be found within each airline.

Airlineratings.com has information on over 30 types of aircraft from the latest Boeing 787 to the A380 and smaller jets.

Best of all, there are simple answers to many of the quirky questions including:

“What are all those noises after takeoff and before landing?”
“Why do you have to put the window shades up for landing and takeoff?”
“What is a winglet and what is it for?
“Why is it so costly to fly short distances?”
“How often is an aircraft maintained?
“How strong is a wing?”
“How do they test aircraft”
“How often do plane tyres need to be replaced?”

QANTAS ON TIME RELIABILITY ON THE UP

Qantas has reported its best on time performance since February 2023, with nearly 80% of flights departing as scheduled. This marks the 19th consecutive month Qantas has outperformed its main domestic competitor in terms of punctuality.

In March, Qantas (including QantasLink) achieved a 78.2% on-time departure rate, while its major domestic competitor reached 76.2%. Although pilot industrial action in Western Australia led to over 40% of flight cancellations, the rest of the network’s cancellation rate matched the industry average of 2.2%. Meanwhile, the competitor’s cancellation rate for the same period was 2.8%.

Additionally, Qantas recorded its lowest mishandled baggage rate in six years, demonstrating a commitment to improving customer experience. The airline carried over two million bags in March, and mishandled baggage incidents were almost 35% lower than the previous year.

Jetstar, a Qantas subsidiary, also saw improvements, with more than 80% of its domestic flights arriving on time in March, and cancellation rates decreasing to 1.5%.

Despite adverse weather conditions in Sydney, Qantas’s reliability in April remains steady, with on-time performance in the high 70% range.

Daniel Dihen, Head of Qantas Operations Centre, remarked on the positive results, attributing them to efforts made over the past six months to improve reliability. He noted that the airline’s on-time performance is approaching pre-COVID levels, emphasizing that the priority for everyone at Qantas is ensuring customers reach their destinations safely and on time.

What happened on this Lufthansa flight can’t happen again.

How would you feel if you hopped on to an 11.5-hour long-haul flight only to be sat next to a dog that you are highly allergic to? This exact scenario happened to Rosie and Steve Molinari on Lufthansa flight LH507 from Sao Paulo to Frankfurt and it’s only by sheer chance that it didn’t end in disaster.

At no stage during the booking, check-in, or boarding process was it made known to the passengers that there would be pets in the cabin or their whereabouts.

Worryingly it gets worse and could have ended in disaster if this didn’t happen…

According to Mr Molinari, the presence of the dog only became known to him when he asked the passenger next to him to move his large bag to the overhead lockers as it was too big and was encroaching on his foot space. The passenger replied that he could not do that because he had a dog in the bag!

If the dog’s bag had not been so big that it took up some of Mr Molinari’s foot space then he would have been unaware of it until in acute respiratory distress over the Atlantic Ocean in which case a medical emergency would have had to be declared.

As soon as the couple learned of the dog they brought the matter to the attention of the stewardess. The Molinari’s asked that they (or the dog and its owner) be moved to alternative seating. The stewardess’s initial response was patronising saying that as the flight was full nothing could be done, and then, “What do you want me to do about it – make an announcement and ask if someone will swap?” The Molinari’s responded with an appreciative “yes”, however, no announcement was ever made.

After some discussion, the stewardess offered to selectively ask other passengers nearby whether they would be willing to swap seats but to no avail. The Molinari’s shared with AirlineRatings that they did not witness the Stewardess asking other passengers and therefore were not surprised when told Mr Molinari had no choice but to separate from his wife and move to a windowless bulkhead seat with limited recline.

At no time was the dog owner inconvenienced, with the stewardess making it very clear that it was a problem for the Molinaris on the basis that the dog owner had paid for his dog and an aisle seat.

*Windowless seats with little recline are generally not sold to passengers*

When Mrs Molinari complained again she was advised that the next time they booked a flight to mention her husband is allergic to dogs. It’s worth noting that the booking system doesn’t allow for this type of notification, except for general allergies such as peanuts. In addition to this, the airline does not state on its booking site that pets are carried on board and therefore how would a passenger know to even raise the issue?

Mr Molinari spoke to two other single passengers immediately next to his new seating and enquired if either would swap seats with his wife so that they could be together. He also asked if the stewardess had already requested this of them. They said they were unaware of the situation and both happily offered to move.

Of the entire incident Mr Molinari said,

“The lack of concern by Lufthansa management and staff remains stunning. This airline has minimal concern for the onboard medical safety and well-being of its passengers. Presumably, this is about putting money ahead of passenger well-being. The passenger should be treated respectfully with due regard for their health and welfare. An airline with such disregard for its customers is not one we will be rushing to use again!”

The Molinaris have written letters of complaint to the airline and requested that the rules around animals in the main cabin be reviewed with their concerns regarding medical safety and passenger comfort in mind.

The Global Customer Relations Expert, Disability Claims at Lufthansa simply sent irrelevant and unhelpful internet links that effectively passed the buck back to the passenger. The replies to Molinari’s complaints are poorly written and dismissive of their concerns. Requests for compensation have been ignored. The Molinari’s shared these responses with AirlineRatings and they are quite simply, unacceptable.

We are very sorry to hear that you had health concerns during your flight to Frankfurt on March 16, regarding your asthma allergy and being seated next to a passenger with a dog. Due to a full flight, re-seating to another seat for both of you was unfortunately not possible.

To communicate with us your health concern, may we suggest to contact our medical operation centre for further information and guidance – https://www.lufthansa.com/gb/en/travelling-health

As Lufthansa allows passengers to travel with pets, like any other airline, we hope you understand that we cannot assume responsibility for this. Here we have a link for you to see Lufthansa animal policies – https://www.lufthansa.com/gb/en/reisen-mit-tieren#TravelOpportunities

We hope that you continue to put your trust in Lufthansa and we can welcome you on board again in the near future.

AirlineRatings has attempted to contact the Lufthansa Media Relations Office in the Americas and Europe for comment but with no response. We have also contacted their Social Media team but again, we received no reply.

This incident raises a whole host of questions and concerns and we ask our AirlineRatings community to share this story so it does not happen again.

All passengers have the right to know about pets on planes at the time of booking and if an airline chooses to carry pets then they must be in a set-aside section of the plane. If airlines are going to carry pets then there needs to be a place for passengers to highlight their allergy to pets during the booking process.

This story also raises the question about animal welfare, and how a dog can endure an 11.5-hour flight (plus boarding) without passing waste into its carrying bag, and making sounds/smells that are unacceptable to human passengers but that’s an issue for another day.

Rosie and Steve Molinari’s experience illustrates the risks when airlines fail to disclose the presence of pets on board. Despite requests to change seats, Lufthansa’s crew was dismissive and unhelpful, prioritizing the comfort of the dog owner. The incident raises concerns about airline transparency, the need for clear policies on pets, and better accommodation for passengers with allergies.

READ: Virgin Australia Allows pets on plane

Korean Air and WestJet expand codeshare agreement

On April 22, Korean Air and WestJet announced an expanded codeshare partnership that will offer more transpacific travel options for their customers. Starting May 17, Korean Air will begin selling tickets for WestJet’s new route between Seoul Incheon and Calgary. This new service will operate three times a week using Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

The Seoul Incheon – Calgary flights will connect Korean Air passengers to Calgary, a gateway to Canada’s Banff National Park, renowned for its stunning Lake Louise and scenic mountain trails.

“We are thrilled to expand our codeshare agreement with WestJet, allowing our valued customers access to a wider range of transpacific destinations,” said Tae Joon Kim, Senior Vice President and Head of International Affairs & Alliance at Korean Air. “The launch of WestJet’s Calgary – Seoul Incheon route will strengthen connections between Korea and Canada, providing seamless access to a broader selection of Asian and Canadian cities through our hubs at Incheon and Calgary.”

WestJet customers, in turn, will gain access to flights operated by Korean Air to six new destinations—Bangkok, Da Nang, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, and Singapore—via Korean Air’s hub at Incheon Airport.

“As we prepare for WestJet’s first flights between Calgary and Incheon, this codeshare expansion comes at the perfect time. We’re enhancing connectivity for our guests and WestJet Rewards members to more destinations in Asia through Korean Air’s global hub,” said Jeff Hagen, WestJet Vice-President of Commercial Development and Strategic Partnerships. “Our enduring partnership with Korean Air provides excellent opportunities for both leisure and business travelers to explore the Asian continent, while also offering new guests from Asia easy access to Canada through our Calgary hub.”

Since Korean Air and WestJet began their codeshare partnership in June 2012, it has continued to grow, initially covering Korean Air’s flights from Seoul Incheon to Vancouver and Toronto, and WestJet’s domestic routes within Canada. With this latest expansion, the codeshare network will grow to 36 routes, providing broader connectivity across both continents.

About Korean Air

Korean Air, serving global destinations for over 55 years, ranks among the world’s top 20 airlines, transporting more than 27 million passengers in 2019, pre-pandemic. With its main hub at Incheon International Airport (ICN), Korean Air operates in 110 cities across 39 countries on five continents with a modern fleet of 160 aircraft and more than 20,000 skilled employees.

The airline’s dedication to safety and exceptional customer service has garnered various accolades, including a 5-star rating from Skytrax, as well as Airline of the Year and Cargo Operator of the Year awards from Air Transport World.

Korean Air is a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance and has become one of the largest transpacific carriers through its joint venture with Delta Air Lines.

Critical Captain’s Flight Simulator Data Missing From MH370 Crash Reports

Read Mr Godfrey’s full report here.

It has been revealed that there is critical and damming evidence about the captain’s flight simulator program missing from MH370 crash reports.

In a major revelation MH370 expert Richard Godfrey has found that key data recovered by the FBI showed Captain Zaharie Shah was checking on his home flight simulation program how far the fuel load would take him into the Southern Indian Ocean.

This new revelation adds significant weight to the mounting evidence indicating that the captain was the perpetrator of the disappearance of MH370.

The time of the simulation – February 2, 2014 – was just before the captain was due to fly MH150 to Jeddah but he did not divert it into the Southern Indian Ocean. Read more on this aspect here.

Mr Godfrey said “The major question arising from the FBI data, in the possession of the ATSB (Australian Transport Safety Bureau), but missing from the Royal Malaysian Police report is why the RMP did not include all the data from the FBI? Did the RMP have the data and decide not to include in their internal report? I doubt it.”

“In an email to the Independent Group dated 5th October 2017, the ATSB admits that they have several pages more data from the FBI, which was recovered from the home flight simulator of Captain Zaharie Shah than is contained in the leaked Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) report. This was originally thought to just be header and footer data, that was not relevant to the investigation of the disappearance of MH370. It turns out that this original assessment was wrong,” said Mr Godfrey,

“The question is then, why was the data given to the ATSB, but not to the RMP?”

“The ATSB has not disclosed the complete FBI data in their possession and this should now be done to provide transparency in the investigation. This would also enable independent investigators to analyse the data from the home flight simulator of Captain Zaharie Shah.”

GET: Accurate MH370 Information From AirlineRatings.com Newsletter

Airlineratings.com is packed with information about air travel and answers questions that many of us may have thought of, but didn’t know who to ask. Well, now you do!

Airlineratings.com has information on over 30 types of aircraft from the latest Boeing 787 to the A380 and smaller jets.

Best of all, there are simple answers to many of the quirky questions including:

“What are all those noises after takeoff and before landing?”
“Why do you have to put the window shades up for landing and takeoff?”
“What is a winglet and what is it for?
“Why is it so costly to fly short distances?”
“How often is an aircraft maintained?
“How strong is a wing?”
“How do they test aircraft”
“How often do plane tyres need to be replaced?”

How Reliable Are Twin Otter Seaplanes in the Maldives?

How reliable are the Twin Otter seaplanes that operate across the Maldives which is made up of over 1190 tiny islets spread over an area equivalent to France?

This tiny county is one of the world’s luxurious tourism destinations that attracts about two million holidaymakers each year.

Among the four international airports in the country, there is only one that serves over 95% of the international arrivals and the rest usually caters for private jets and occasional charters. Resorts that are close to the main Velana International Airport usually offer speedboat transfer between the airport and the resort. For the rest of the islands, it is either domestic flight or seaplane, the latter is more common and popular among the tourists.

The Twin Otter originally came with a conventional undercarriage but was then fitted with pontoons to land and take off on water. Produced by De Havilland Canada, this is the most popular seaplane in the Maldives. In fact, this is the only model of seaplane used by 3 different companies in the country.

The first tourist resort in the Maldives was opened in 1972 at Vihamnaafushi island as Kurumba Village, today the resort is known as Kurumba Maldives.

To cater for the needs of growing tourism Hummingbird Island Helicopters was founded in 1989 with few helicopters, due to a lack of infrastructure and reliability issues most of the resorts still relied on traditional wooden boats that took several hours for the transfer. In 1991 Lars Erik Nielsen travelled to Kuredu Island Resort which took 7 hours for the journey and many tourists fell seasick. That was when Mr Nielsen felt the need for better transportation.

In 1993 the Maldivian Air Taxi was born with just two Twin Otter aircraft. Since it can land and take off at sea there was no need to develop infrastructure in resorts. Quickly the Twin Otter proved itself with high reliability and safety in different weather conditions. That led to tremendous growth of the seaplane market in the Maldives. Today, Trans Maldivian is the world’s largest seaplane operator, the company that began service in 1993 with few rented aircraft today operates 62 aircraft in its fleet and flies to 79 destinations.

Other competitors in the market include Island Aviation Services operating as Maldivian, and Manta Air. All the seaplane operators chose the reliability-tested Twin Otter.

For safety reasons, seaplanes in Maldives fly only in the daytime. Their operations start early morning at sunrise and end at sunset. Even though there are no fixed runways there are sea-based runways at different resorts. The resort operators and seaplane companies exchange information during the construction of villas, especially water villas, to leave enough space in the lagoon for seaplanes to land and take off during different seasons.

On some islands, it is the same sea runway that is used in all seasons. Resorts usually operate speedboats and wooden boats called Dhoni for various activities such as water sports or diving. The movement of boats is channelled away from the runway for seaplanes.

During the day there is good visibility for pilots to monitor conditions in the whole area. When seaplanes get chartered to unusual destinations the aircraft usually performs a few circles above the landing spot to ensure clearance.

Having two engines is double the safety and while a rare experience to have engine issues in the Twin Otter there have been the occasional case. A blogger writing to Maldives Resorts shared one such case in which the seaplane landed perfectly but had an engine issue at a resort in Meemu Atoll. An engine change was required and another aircraft delivered a spare engine, a portable crane and tools. Engineers had the engine changed within a few hours.

Trans Maldivian keeps spare engines available that save time and loss of revenue.

The regular Twin Otter can accommodate up to 16 passengers. Based on baggage weight there may be some empty seats in the aircraft. These seaplanes are not airconditioned but there are small fans behind the cockpit for cooling. Some of the aircraft have air inlets in windows and that helps passengers stay cool.

The VIP aircraft come with fewer seats that are bigger and more luxurious, and this aircraft has air conditioning as well. Most of the private charters for couples or small families usually take place with this aircraft. But, in peak periods the availability becomes tight and many guests have no choice except the regular seaplane.

All the seaplane operators in the Maldives have VIP aircraft. Resorts choose one company for an exclusive contract under which the seaplane operator commits to operate flights based on the demand, at fixed pricing. So, even if there is just one guest the seaplane operator must provide a transfer and the price cannot be increased. On the other hand, the resorts are restricted from doing business with other seaplane companies. In very rare cases if the TMA cannot provide VIP aircraft it may hire from other airlines and cater to the resort. Capacity issues usually affect only the VIP transfers. For regular operations the airlines estimate demand and keep enough aircraft, they only do contact based on available capacity.

MH370 Military Radar Claim Debunked

In a recent paper about MH370, written by Capt. Patrick Blelly, Jean-Luc Marchand and an anonymous source called [email protected], they claim that the Malaysian military radar data has been released by Geoscience Australia.

Mr Richard Godfrey, who developed the revolutionary WSPR tracking of MH370 to find a new location, contacted trise5631 and was shown how to download the data. He said that there are two files called RADAR_Polylines and RADAR_Points. How to download the files and an analysis of the data can be found in his paper here

When you download the files Mr Godfrey said that “it is clear from the descriptions, that the positions are “indicative only” and the layers are designed to support the generation of the story map application “The data behind the search for MH370” on the Geoscience website. The data files have been viewed over 145,000 times since their creation on 21st April 2017. The files have been updated in May and July 2017.”

Mr Godfrey said that “these are files supporting a Geoscience Australia website graphic and are not a Malaysian military radar official data release. The data is 7 years old and not a new disclosure. The data has been viewed over 145,000 times and is not a newly divulged secret.”

Read Mr Godfrey’s full report here;

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Airlineratings.com is packed with information about air travel and answers questions that many of us may have thought of, but didn’t know who to ask. Well, now you do!

Airlineratings.com has information on over 30 types of aircraft from the latest Boeing 787 to the A380 and smaller jets.

Best of all, there are simple answers to many of the quirky questions including:

“What are all those noises after takeoff and before landing?”
“Why do you have to put the window shades up for landing and takeoff?”
“What is a winglet and what is it for?
“Why is it so costly to fly short distances?”
“How often is an aircraft maintained?
“How strong is a wing?”
“How do they test aircraft”
“How often do plane tyres need to be replaced?”

Emirates Apologises For Severe Weather Disruption

Emirates President Sir Tim Clark has apologised to customers for the disruptions caused by the severe weather that battered Dubai last week.

The world’s biggest international airline operations were devastated by the storms with 400 flights cancelled and many more delayed.

The airline’s operations have now returned to normal but the disruptions to passengers journeys will take a little longer to smooth out.

The videos below show just some of the incredible scenes from the severe storms.

Amazing Dubai rain and floods#Dubai #DubaiFlooding #DubaiAirport #dubairain #Dubaifloods #dubaiflood #dubairains #disaster pic.twitter.com/BWPOzv32qx
— Alex Telman (@AlexTelman) April 20, 2024

#BREAKING:
Heavy rain floods Dubai Airport.#Dubai #DubaiAirport #DubaiRains pic.twitter.com/HkEbzFWcmV
— World Safety (@nickngei2) April 16, 2024

This is Sir Tim’s letter.

To all our valued customers,

This week has been one of the toughest for Emirates operationally, as record storms hit the United Arab Emirates.

I would like to offer our most sincere apologies to every customer who has had their travel plans disrupted during this time.

On Tuesday 16 April, the UAE experienced its highest rainfall in 75 years. Lashing storm winds and rain disrupted activity across the cities. Our 24/7 hub in Dubai remained open, with flight movements reduced for safety, but flooded roads impeded the ability of our customers, pilots, cabin crew, and airport employees to reach the airport, and also the movement of essential supplies like meals and other flight amenities.

We diverted dozens of flights to avoid the worst of the weather on Tuesday, and over the next 3 days we had to cancel nearly 400 flights and delay many more, as our hub operations remained challenged by staffing and supply shortages.

We were clear on our 2 priorities: Look after our customers who have been impacted by the disruption and get our operations back on schedule.

To free up resources and capacity to manage impacted customers as a priority, we had to suspend check-in for passengers departing Dubai, implement an embargo on ticket sales, and temporarily halt connecting passenger traffic from points across our network coming into Dubai.

We deployed additional resources to aid our airport and contact centre teams with rebooking and put on additional flights to destinations where we identified large numbers of displaced customers.

We sent over 100 employee volunteers to look after disrupted customers at Dubai Airport departures and in the transit area, prioritising medical cases, the elderly and other vulnerable travellers. To date, over 12,000 hotel rooms were secured to accommodate disrupted customers in Dubai, 250,000 meal vouchers have been issued, and more quantities of drinking water, blankets, and other amenities.

Behind the scenes, it was all hands-on deck for thousands more employees across the organisation to get our operations back on track.

As of this morning, Saturday 20 April, our regular flight schedules have been restored. Passengers previously stranded in the airport transit area have been rebooked and are enroute to their destinations. We have put together a taskforce to sort, reconcile, and deliver some 30,000 pieces of left-behind baggage to their owners.

It will take us some more days to clear the backlog of rebooked passengers and bags, and we ask for our customers’ patience and understanding.

We know our response has been far from perfect. We acknowledge and understand the frustration of our customers due to the congestion, lack of information, and confusion in the terminals. We acknowledge that the long queues and wait times have been unacceptable.

We take our commitment to our customers very seriously, and we have taken learnings from the last few days to make things right and improve our processes.

I’d like to also acknowledge and thank our teams across the airline, and our many suppliers and partners for their tireless efforts around the clock this week, despite the challenging conditions, to support customers, recover our network, and bring our operating schedule back to normal.

Finally, and once again, I want to offer, on behalf of myself, and all the teams across Emirates, our apologies to each and every customer affected by this disruption.

We will continue to work hard to live up to your expectations and to our Fly Better brand promise.”

GET: Accurate MH370 Information From AirlineRatings.com Newsletter

Airlineratings.com is packed with information about air travel and answers questions that many of us may have thought of, but didn’t know who to ask. Well, now you do!

Airlineratings.com has information on over 30 types of aircraft from the latest Boeing 787 to the A380 and smaller jets.

Best of all, there are simple answers to many of the quirky questions including:

“What are all those noises after takeoff and before landing?”
“Why do you have to put the window shades up for landing and takeoff?”
“What is a winglet and what is it for?
“Why is it so costly to fly short distances?”
“How often is an aircraft maintained?
“How strong is a wing?”
“How do they test aircraft”
“How often do plane tyres need to be replaced?”

Boeing Whistleblower Claims Refuted

AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas has cleared the air on claims by a Boeing engineer that its 787s might “fall out of the sky.”

Mr Thomas said that the claims by Sam Salehpour were “extraordinary” and in total contrast to the facts that show both the Boeing 787 and 777 are incredibly safe.

GET: Accurate MH370 Information From AirlineRatings.com Newsletter

Airlineratings.com is packed with information about air travel and answers questions that many of us may have thought of, but didn’t know who to ask. Well, now you do!

Airlineratings.com has information on over 30 types of aircraft from the latest Boeing 787 to the A380 and smaller jets.

Best of all, there are simple answers to many of the quirky questions including:

“What are all those noises after takeoff and before landing?”
“Why do you have to put the window shades up for landing and takeoff?”
“What is a winglet and what is it for?
“Why is it so costly to fly short distances?”
“How often is an aircraft maintained?
“How strong is a wing?”
“How do they test aircraft”
“How often do plane tyres need to be replaced?”

Was MH150 The Intended Target Not MH370?