Bending Reality Magazine July 2014 | Page 24

Andrew is a great writer and has a very good column here at Bending Reality. Everyone has Things I Hate, and it is good to openly voice them. I am responding to one of his hates, airline delays.

I am an Aviation professional of 29 years, 25 years commercial aviation and 4 years military with the United States Air Force. I currently work as an aircraft engine mechanic, specifically, Auxiliary Power Units (APU). They are small gas turbine engines that are used to keep the lights on and air conditioning running while the aircraft is being loaded and unloaded. It, also, starts the main engines.

Flying in commercial airlines is one of the safest modes of transportation. For instance, in 2012, there were 27 accidents involving US carriers, none were fatal, that was out of 17,449,000 Flight Hours, 9,269,200 flights. (Ref https://www.ntsb.gov/data/aviation_stats.html) You have a better chance of being struck by lightning than to be involved in an airline disaster. It is very safe.

I used to fly a lot between Austin, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona while I was in my military service. Phoenix is my home. I used to fly Southwest Airlines, mostly as their rates were the cheapest around. I had many flights that had less than 30 people on board of an aircraft capable of seating 120. At that time, I thought it was a waste, but fuel costs were low as were wages. This was during the mid-late 80’s. There were at least 5 daily flights between Austin and Phoenix at that time.

Many things have happened since then. Fuel costs have risen, the cost of living has risen, causing wages to go up, hence, cost of goods and services to also rise. In the 80’s, I could get a round trip ticket, 2 weeks in advance for $59 directly through Southwest. Today the same ticket would cost $400 or more!!

A lot of the reasons that airlines have reduced, or even cancelled routes, have to do with the “Almighty Dollar”. Two main factors; Fuel and Maintenance costs. I will go into those separately.

FUEL

Currently, the cost of 1 gallon of Jet-A fuel costs an average of $5.50 per gallon. I will show you what it costs, just in fuel, to fly 4 of the most popular planes; Boeing’s 737, 777, 747, and Airbus’ A320.

·737: Fuel Capacity = 6,875 gallons, Cost to fill = $37,812.50, cost per passenger (@ 162 people) = $233.41

·777: Fuel Capacity = 31,000 Gallons, Cost to fill = $170,500, cost per passenger (@ 305 people) = $559.01

·747: Fuel Capacity = 63,705 Gallons, Cost to fill = $350,377.50, cost per passenger (@ 416 people) = $842.25

·A320: Fuel Capacity = 6,400 Gallons, Cost to fill = $35,200, cost per passenger( @ 150 people) = $234.66

Just based on fuel costs, it is at the airline’s advantage to make sure the aircraft is fully loaded, with passengers and cargo. Long gone are the days of a half empty aircraft taking off.

MAINTENANCE

Maintenance is a very large cost driver. I work on what is considered an appliance, not a powerplant. Though it functions like a powerplant. The costs of refurbishing these “appliances” can range from $100,000 to $800,000, depending on the model of the engine. Just imagine of what it costs for the entire airplane. A major inspection, known as a D Check, where the entire aircraft is stripped down bare to inspect every area, costs anywhere from $1.7 mil to $2.9 mil, without engine and landing gear overhaul. Add another $2.5 mil to $4 mil to include those. There are daily inspections that are performed, oil added, hydraulic fluid added, tires changed, routine servicing, the list goes on.

These items explain why there are fewer flights, in most cases, but the main reasons. The United States is the only country in the world that does not financially back the national airlines. So, the US airlines are operated on a for profit basis. They are publically traded corporations who need to show profit for their stock holders.

DELAYS

Ah, a passenger’s worst nightmare, their flight delayed. Many things can happen that will delay a flight. Mother Nature being the biggest culprit. In the many years that I have traveled around the world, I have experienced only one delay. That was in March of 2008 when I was going from Phoenix to Bangkok, for the first time of 3 trips. My flight from Phoenix to Los Angeles (LAX) was delayed for 2 hours because the airplane I was to fly in was struck by lightning in Cleveland and the aircraft had to be changed. Airplanes are struck by lightning in flight quite frequently and is not major harm as the aircraft does not provide the ground for the energy to exit. It simply passes harmlessly through. When struck on the ground, serious damage can be done.

I took the delay as, oh well, it happens. And proceeded to have a couple more drinks at the terminal bar HA!

On that trip, my only inconvenience was that when I arrived at LAX and was very hungry, all the terminal shops had closed, so I had to wait for my connecting flight to get a bite to eat.

On another note, some of the best airlines to fly with that have very good to excellent service, both domestic and international (based on my experience):

·Southwest Airlines

·US Air

·American Airlines

·Cathay Pacific Airways

·Thai Airways

Ones to avoid (again, personal experience):

·United Airlines

·Continental Airlines

·China Airlines

·Delta Airlines

I hope this has given you a better understanding of the aviation industry. It is a professionally run industry with people who care a great deal about safety for others.

Airlines and Reasons for Delays