Qantas’s new safety video celebrating Australia

Friendly Australians and stunning destinations are the stars of a new Qantas safety video that showcases Australia as an amazing place to visit.

Due to screen on hundreds of Qantas flights a day to a global audience of almost 30 million people a year, the short video features Australians from all walks of life talking passengers through the on-board safety instructions against the backdrop of locations across the country.

Watch video here.

The scenarios featured in the video include:
An oxygen mask demonstration at the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart;

A life-jacket demonstration at Bondi Icebergs;

A brace position demonstration during a yoga class on Hamilton Island;

Counting rows to the exit on a Yarra Valley winery; and

An emergency slide demonstration at Josephine Falls in Queensland, among others.

The video will be introduced across Qantas’ domestic and international fleet from February, as well as featuring on the airline’s online channels. While the video is first and foremost a safety communication, it will also form the basis of a new tourism campaign.

Qantas and Tourism Australia will work together over the next 12 months to promote the locations featured and maximise the benefits for local tourism operators. In particular, Tourism Australia will lend its social media marketing power, helping the video reach millions of people globally.

The campaign comes at a time when tourism is growing at the fastest rate since the Sydney Olympics, setting new records for visitor numbers and spending, with huge potential growth to come.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the video was a unique platform to promote the local tourism industry and capture the confident-but-relaxed Aussie personality that visitors tend to fall in love with.

“We’ve experimented with different settings for our safety videos over the years, but this time we saw an opportunity to celebrate Australia itself,” Mr Joyce said.

“The result is something that we believe is really special and powerful, but warm, funny and down to earth at the same time, because it’s about everyday Australians.

“We’re confident that it’s going to grab people’s attention and get them focused on the safety information that every Qantas customer needs to know.

“It’s a video that people can really connect with, and there’s an opportunity to expand its reach by sharing it online and through social media – giving it a dual purpose as promotion for Australian tourism,” added Mr Joyce.

“Qantas has always been the biggest private sector supporter of Australian tourism and we’re delighted to be working with Tourism Australia on the social media campaign that goes with the new video.

“With the headwind of a lower dollar we have the potential to create a new tourism boom in this country. I’m proud that Qantas is leading the way, not just through our global marketing efforts but by adding flights and seats and expanding our partnerships with the world’s biggest airlines.”

Qantas’ contribution to tourism promotion includes marketing partnerships worth more than $80 million with state and territory marketing agencies and extensive direct Qantas advertising and owned media activity across its global network. A recent Deloitte Access Economics report found that, in 2014/15 the Qantas Group facilitated $9.5 billion in tourism expenditure in Australia, or one in every nine dollars spent, supporting 105,000 jobs across the country.

Full list of locations featured in the video:

Alice Springs, NT
Bondi Baths, NSW
Canberra, ACT
Cradle Mountain, TAS
Deep Well Station, NT
Exmouth, WA
Fremantle, WA
Hamilton Island, QLD
Hobart, TAS (MONA)
Josephine Falls, QLD
Lake Lefroy, WA
Melbourne, VIC
Purnong, SA
Stanwell Park NSW
Tooborac, VIC
Yarra Valley, VIC
Whitsundays, QLD

Maintaining TWA’s Jetliners

Mike Machat

We recently featured an ad for Boeing’s 707 “Intercontinental” painted by legendary American artist, Bob McCall. The next one in his series depicted TWA’s vast maintenance base in Kansas City. Impressive back in the day, but totally different than the way airliners are maintained, repaired, and overhauled today.

In this ad published in 1961, the reassuring point was made to the traveling public that airliners receive top-notch attention in general, but TWA’s airliners receive the best maintenance possible on a regular basis. Ad copy states: “Each jet is stripped down, X-rayed, tested, and tuned by hundreds of technicians using the world’s most advanced facilities and equipment.”

Furthermore, “Latest technical improvements…are built into each jet so that when the overhaul is completed, the aircraft is better than new.” But here’s the clincher: “Wherever you fly TWA, nationwide or worldwide, you know Trans World Airlines maintains your jet this meticulous U. S. way.” So what’s wrong with this statement today?

Well, for one thing, “The Airline of the Stars” no longer exists. Once owned by billionaire industrialist Howard Hughes, TWA was the only U. S. flag carrier besides Pan American to serve major international destinations. Unlike Pan Am, however, TWA had a domestic U.S. route network to feed its major international hubs. TWA ceased operations in 2001, having been taken over by American Airlines, which just last year merged with USAirways. Such is the airline game.

But what about those “vast U.S. overhaul bases?” Some still exist while others have gone by the wayside. Today, many U.S. airlines now contract-out for these imperative services literally all over the world. According to a recent forecast in Aviation Week & Space Technology Magazine, nearly 15,000 commercial airliners are maintained worldwide with only one-quarter of them now being serviced in the United States.

Incidentally, although the new “world globes” logo is shown at the bottom of this ad, all the jetliners in the illustration have the original Raymond-Lowey-designed “red arrowhead” color scheme with “bare-letter” TWA tail insignia, introduced in 1959. This offers a good example of just how fast things were changing during the early years of the commercial Jet Age.

MH370: Searchers correct the record

Geoffrey Thomas

Searchers for MH370 said yesterday that some recent media coverage of the multinational effort to find the Boeing 777 which disappeared on March 8, 2014 contained “significant inaccuracies and misunderstandings” which have been repeated by numerous outlets.

In a frank assessment the Australian Transport Safety Bureau took to task Captain Byron Bailey who has authored a report which has been quoted from by various media outlets.

It refutes suggestions by Captain Bailey that the ATSB rejects any possibility that MH370’s disappearance was the result of a person taking control of the aircraft.

“For the purposes of its search, the ATSB has not needed to determine – and has made no claims – about what might have caused the disappearance of the aircraft,” the statement said.

The ATSB added that “for search purposes, the relevant facts and analysis most closely match a scenario in which there was no pilot intervening in the latter stages of the flight.”

Mr Bailey also suggests that the ATSB has ignored information coming from sources that should be considered expert, such as Captain Simon Hardy a British Airways Boeing 777 captain.

Quite the contrary says the ATSB which has met with the British Airways captain and has been searching in and around the area identified by him.

AirlineRatings.com has covered Captain Hardy’s work as part of its coverage of the search for MH370.

Are serachers about to find MH370?

Only human input

We have published the ATSB’s full statement here:

Inaccuracies in reporting on the search for MH370
18 January 2016

An article, The Case for Pilot Hijack by Byron Bailey, appearing in the 9-10 January 2016 edition of The Weekend Australian, contained significant inaccuracies and misunderstandings about the ATSB’s role in the search for MH370. Many of those inaccuracies were repeated in subsequent items both in The Australian and other media outlets. It is important that the ATSB corrects the record.

It is the responsibility of the Government of Malaysia, as the state of registration of the aircraft, to establish why MH370 disappeared and it has established an Annex 13 Investigation to undertake this activity. All enquiries in regard to the investigation should be directed to [email protected].

Australia was asked by Malaysia to assist in the search effort for missing flight MH370. The ATSB’s role is to lead the current underwater search operations for the missing aircraft. The ATSB continues to coordinate the Search Strategy Working Group and their collective work has led to the definition of the search area. This international team has expertise in satellite communications, aircraft systems, data modelling and accident investigation. It includes specialists from (and who draw on the broader expertise of) the following organisations:

Air Accidents Investigation Branch (UK)
Boeing (USA)
Defence Science and Technology Organisation (Australia)
Department of Civil Aviation (Malaysia)
Inmarsat (UK)
National Transportation Safety Board (USA)
Thales (UK)

Mr Bailey’s article claims that the ATSB rejects any possibility that MH370’s disappearance was the result of a person taking control of the aircraft. For the purposes of its search, the ATSB has not needed to determine – and has made no claims – about what might have caused the disappearance of the aircraft. For search purposes, the relevant facts and analysis most closely match a scenario in which there was no pilot intervening in the latter stages of the flight. We have never stated that hypoxia (or any other factor) was the cause of this circumstance.

Mr Bailey suggests that the ATSB has ignored information coming from sources that should be considered expert, such as Captain Simon Hardy. The ATSB carefully considers and assesses all credible work performed by external individuals and groups in relation to the MH370 search area, including that of Captain Hardy. The ATSB has been in telephone and email contact with Captain Hardy, and have met with him in our offices. Captain Hardy’s proposed location for the aircraft has been part of our search area since August 2014.

Mr Bailey’s article notes that the aircraft ‘avoided Thai military radar, then turned, after circling Zaharie’s home island of Penang.’ While the aircraft passed by Penang, the radar data shows that the aircraft certainly did not circle the island. The ATSB had to consider this issue, because the aircraft’s fuel consumption was an important issue in determining the search area.

Mr Bailey also asserts that “(a)nalysis of Malaysian military radar revealed the aircraft had climbed to 45,000ft as it tracked across northern Malaysia.”

The Malaysian military radar did record values from 5,000 to 50,000 ft. These were subsequently found to be inaccurate and so were disregarded by the search strategy team. The speed throughout that section of the flight was consistent with maintaining approximately FL 300 (or 30,000 ft). At the known weight of the aircraft, flight at 45,000ft would not have been possible at the aircraft speed reflected in the radar data.

Mr Bailey describes his experiences in a B777 simulator to put the ATSB’s assumptions about the end of the aircraft’s flight to the test. He states “The results revealed the ATSB’s theories are completely wrong. It claimed that most of the analysis from an estimated flame-out involved the aircraft making a left turn. But when we flamed out an engine at 37,000ft to simulate fuel starvation of the first engine, the autopilots remained on the commanded track.”

The ATSB’s report MH370 – Definition of Underwater Search Areas (published 26 June 2014 and updated 18 August 2014) states on page 33: “In the case of MH370 it is likely that one engine has flamed-out followed, within minutes, by the other engine.” On page 13 of the report, MH370 – Definition of Underwater Search Area Update, we state that: “The aircraft behaviour after the engine flame-out(s) was tested in the Boeing engineering simulator. In each test case, the aircraft began turning to the left and remained in a banked turn.” This is a reference to the behaviour of the aircraft after both engines had flamed out, which is an important question for the search.

Mr Bailey goes on to say: "Last month’s ATSB report had me deeply troubled. It bases search area calculations of projected flight paths on a grossly incorrect assumptions. A B777 cannot fly level at 37,000ft on one engine after a flame-out because of fuel starvation.”

The report in question actually agrees with Mr Bailey on this point. On page 11 of the report, we state:

“Based on the individual engine efficiencies the right engine would have flamed-out prior to the left engine. From this point the aircraft was operating on a single-engine and could not maintain any altitude above 29,000 feet.”

Mr Bailey also commented on the discovery of the flaperon on Reunion Island:

“When the flaperon was analysed by Boeing, the manufacturer said, along with US aviation safety consultant John Cox, that it had been broken off in a lowered position, consistent with the theory MH370 had made a controlled ditching into the sea. The ATSB initially said damage to the flaperon still supported the flame-out theory but showed the aircraft glided uncontrolled to a soft landing on the sea (hence no debris). Really?”

The ATSB has not made this statement. The analysis of the flaperon is the responsibility of the French judicial authorities who have it in their custody. No conclusion has yet been reached about the likely position of the flaperon immediately before it separated from the aircraft. To our knowledge, Boeing have not made any statements regarding the flaperon.

The ATSB has neither the authority under international agreements nor the need for the purposes of its search to make statements about why the aircraft disappeared. The successful completion of our search, based on sound analysis of confirmed data and using the best people, equipment and techniques, is still the best chance of arriving at an answer to the mystery of MH370’s disappearance.

Who are the world’s safest airlines for 2016?

Christine Forbes Smith

AirlineRatings.com, the world’s only safety and product rating website, which was launched in June 2013, has announced its top twenty safest airlines and top ten safest low cost airlines for 2016 from the 407 it monitors.

Top of the list for the third year is Australia’s Qantas, which has a fatality free record in the jet era – an extraordinary record. Making up the remainder of the top twenty in alphabetical order are: Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, All Nippon Airlines, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Hawaiian Airlines, Japan Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airline System, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia.

AirlineRatings.com’s rating system takes into account a range of factors related to audits from aviation’s governing bodies and lead associations as well as government audits and the airline’s fatality record. AirlineRating.com’s editorial team, one of the world’s most awarded and experienced, also examined each airline’s operational history, incident records and operational excellence to arrive at its top twenty safest airlines.

Read: HOW DO WE SAFETY RATE EACH AIRLINE?

The AirlineRatings.com top twenty have always been at the forefront of safety innovation and launching of new aircraft and these airlines have become a byword for excellence. Responding to public interest, the AirlineRatings.com editors also identified their top ten safest low cost airlines.

They are in alphabetical order: Aer Lingus, Flybe, HK Express, Jetblue, Jetstar Australia, Thomas Cook, TUI Fly, Virgin America, Volaris and Westjet.

Unlike a number of low cost carriers, these airlines have all passed the stringent International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and have excellent safety records.

You know the safest – but which airlines offer you the best experience on board?

Of the 407 airlines surveyed, 148 have the top seven-star safety ranking but almost 50 have just three stars or less. There are 10 airlines with only one star and these airlines are from Indonesia, Nepal and Surinam.

In selecting Qantas as the world’s safest airline AirlineRatings.com editors noted that over its 95-year history the world’s oldest continuously operating airline has amassed an extraordinary record of firsts in operations and safety and is now accepted as the industry’s most experienced carrier.

The Australian airline has been a leader in: the development of the Future Air Navigation System; the Flight Data Recorder to monitor plane and later crew performance; automatic landings using Global Navigation Satellite System as well as precision approaches around mountains in cloud using RNP. Qantas was the lead airline with real time monitoring of its engines across its fleet using satellite communications, which has enabled the airline to detect problems before they become a major safety issue.

World's scariest landing

Last year was a disturbing year for airline safety with some tragic and bizarre accidents such as the high profile GermanWings and Metrojet disasters. However according to Aviation-Safety.net data, the 16 accidents in 2015 with 560 fatalities were below the 10-year average of 31 accidents and 714 fatalities. Last year was also a significant improvement over 2014 when there were 21 fatal accidents with 986 fatalities.

Balancing these numbers the world’s airlines carried a record 3.6 billion passengers on 34 million flights in 2015.

Flashback 50 years and there were a staggering 87 crashes killing 1,597 when airlines carried only 141 million passengers – 5 per cent of today’s number.

WHAT DID WE DO BEFORE IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT TO PASS THE TIME?

Images; Vortexaviationphotography.com , Qantas and Airbus

Interiors of the future!

Airline Ratings

Boeing one of the industry’s leaders in LED mood lighting for aircraft interiors is set to take the art to another level.

Now in its sights are light projections onto ceiling, walls and bulkheads.

A Boeing spokesperson told Runway Girl Network that “the ceiling projections might be scenes from nature, chosen to enhance mood or for their calming effect, so a sky with stars and constellations at night, or sunny blue skies during the day.

See video below

“Passenger information could be projected onto walls and bulkheads, while airlines might display information about a destination to inspire passengers for their onward journey,” the spokesman said.

Motivation for the project has come from Boeing’s airline customers and their passengers says RGN. “Customers tell us they want to add the ‘wow’ factor to future cabins, as well as distinguishing their cabins from airlines flying the same airplane model. Passengers tell us that cabins feel more open and less constricted with these types of options installed,” says Boeing.

Boeing’s impressive concept video shows dramatic possibilities, but the aircraft manufacturer emphasizes that these are early days.

“We’re working with suppliers, testing the latest in projection technology to support these concepts. They’re being tested in physical mock-ups to determine the optimal position for projection and to lessen interference by passengers or crew.

Boeing’s has had tremendous success with mood lighting on its 787 and Boeing 737 Sky Interior which transforms the cabin visually into a “much wider” space.

TWA’s StarStream Boeing 707

Mike Machat

Boeing’s incomparable 707-300-series “Intercontinental” was the world’s first jet airliner to connect all seven continents with luxury airline service. Introduced by Pan American World Airways in 1959, the Intercontinental revolutionized air travel by effortlessly carrying 150 passengers for distances of up to 4,000 miles. Improved fan-jet engines made the 707 Intercontinental a superstar jetliner, giving Boeing a leg-up on rival Douglas for the very first time.

The second U.S. flag airline to fly the 707-300 was TWA, which hatched a brilliant marketing scheme calling their prized new 707-331B fanjets the “StarStream” Intercontinental. Taking a cue from their former flagship, the elegant piston-powered Lockheed 1649 “Jetstream” Constellation, TWA brought glamour to world air travel in ways no other airline could. For instance, the first inflight feature movies were introduced aboard TWA 707s.

Powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3 turbofan engines producing 18,000 pounds of thrust each, TWA’s StarStream measured 153 feet long with a wingspan of 146 feet. Its graceful swept tail fin was as high as a four-story building. Although the big jet weighed 335,000 pounds at takeoff, it used less runway than its predecessor, the turbojet-powered Boeing 707-131. It was as fast as an early-generation jet fighter, and cruised at 600 mph.

Flying westbound from Europe to New York non-stop now became routine, eliminating time-consuming fuel stops at Shannon, Ireland or Gander, Newfoundland. Moreover, passengers from the U.S. west coast cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco were now able to enjoy luxury non-stop service to Europe and beyond. By 1969, TWA’s StarStream 707s were carrying nearly 200,000 passengers across the North Atlantic every month!

In the ad pictured here, legendary illustrator Bob McCall renders the StarStream in his inimitable style. Using a dramatic combination of vivid cool and warm colors, McCall’s 707 blasts into the sunset with its gleaming metal skin all aglow. His technique was highly suggestive of every minute detail of the jetliner, but upon closer examination, those structural features are only loosely suggested. Such was McCall’s brilliance as an aviation artist.

Air France fake bomb scare!

Airline Ratings

Four people have been arrested after a 'fake bomb' made from cardboard with a small timer sparked a scare on an Air France flight, forcing its pilots to make an emergency landing in Kenya.

The four suspects were arrested were on board the Boeing 777 which was carrying 459 passengers and 14 crew members from Mauritius to Paris, CNN has reported.

Apparently passengers alerted cabin crew to the fake bomb inside a toilet.

"After analysis it has been indicated that (the bomb scare) was a false alarm," Air France chief executive Frederic Gagey told a press conference in Paris.

He said that it appeared that the bomb scare was a "bad joke".

The 777 landed at Moi International airport in the Kenyan coastal city Mombasa.

Gagey said there had been three bomb scares on Air France planes in the United States in the past 15 days.

Etihad deploys 787s to Perth

Geoffrey Thomas

Etihad Airways, will operate its luxurious 299-seat Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the Perth – Abu Dhabi route from June next year increasing capacity by 14 per cent.

The state-of-the-art aircraft that features the airline’s latest award winning cabin interior will replace the Airbus A330-200.

The first 787 flight from Abu Dhabi to Perth will be on 1 June and the return Perth to Abu Dhabi flight will be on 2 June.

Etihad reivents travel

Etihad safety and product rating

James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said in a statement: “Since our first Dreamliner entered commercial service in February, we have enjoyed excellent feedback from our guests – particularly about our ground-breaking cabin interiors and service innovations which have set a new benchmark for comfort and style.

“The decision to offer this same industry-leading experience on the Perth route reflects the success of the Western Australian market and our enduring commitment to serve Australia with the pride of our fleet,” said Mr Hogan.

“We’re confident Western Australians will enjoy the cutting-edge design, comfort and personal space of our Dreamliners complemented by the warmth of our on-board hospitality and superior food and beverage offering.”

The 787 is fitted with 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats.

With a further 66 Boeing 787s due to be delivered over the next few years, the aircraft will become the mainstay of Etihad Airways’ long-haul fleet.

Airport of the Future?

Mike Machat

In our last column, we talked about the magnificent Convair 990, world’s fastest jetliner until the Concorde SST. This 1959 ad shows the 990’s smaller sibling, the Convair 880, a sleek four-engine jet airliner originally called the “Golden Arrow” flying over New York’s Idlewild Airport, better known today as JFK.

Named for the 880-foot distance the jet travelled every second at cruise speed, the Convair 880 was perhaps the most elegant jetliner ever designed. Carrying 84 passengers with five-abreast seating in Coach, the 880 became the third U.S. commercial jet to enter service when it flew from Atlanta to New York for Delta Air Lines in May 1960. TWA didn’t introduce 880s on their medium-range routes until one year later due to legal complications with airline owner and business mogul, Howard Hughes.

Delta referred to their 880 as “The Aristocrat of the Jets,” and like the aircraft shown in Convair house colors in this ad, Delta’s 880s were painted all-white. As one might imagine, although the jets looked quite striking in their distinctive pure-white color schemes, they became a nightmare for maintenance personnel attempting to keep them clean – especially in winter. Bare metal wings, fuselage undersides, and aft engine nacelles eventually replaced the original all-white paint scheme.

As the smallest first-generation jetliner, the 880 measured 129 feet from nose-to-tail with a wingspan of 120 feet, compared to the Douglas DC-8’s 151-foot length and 142-foot span. With its 610-mph cruising speed, the 880 was also the fastest new jetliner in the air, although that performance came with notably high fuel consumption (and noise levels). Powered by four General Electric CJ-805 turbojets producing 11,200 lbs. of thrust each, the 880 had a range of 2,600 miles.

In the above ad for the Convair Division of parent company General Dynamics, we see the prototype 880 flying over the new International Arrivals Building and control tower at Idlewild (in fictitious afterburner apparently), with two more 880s in Convair markings at the east and west gates. Note the glaring absence of any other company’s products on the ramp! The subtle runway pattern seen in the background is fictitious as well, giving the illusion of myriad taxiways at the bustling airport.

Embellished by typically futuristic Art Deco fountains in the center of a large reflecting pool, Idlewild’s architecture represented the very latest in cosmopolitan airport design, despite the fact that passengers still walked out to their jet and climbed boarding stairs, all the while exposed to the weather.

Mobile telescoping ‘Jetways’ to protect passengers from hot or cold temperatures as well as jet blast were still years away at this point, despite the ad’s headline touting “Dramatic Designs – Years ahead for years to come.”