US Airways pilots: We’re pressured to cut fuel

[brooklynite]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON - The pilots union for US Airways said Wednesday the airline is pressuring pilots to use less fuel than they feel is safe in order to save money.

US Airways Captain James Ray, a spokesman for the US Airline Pilots Association, which represents the airline's 5,200 pilots, said eight senior pilots and the union have filed complaints with the Federal Aviation Administration.

The union also paid for a full-page ad in Wednesday's USA Today addressed to "our valued passengers." The ad accuses the airline of "a program of intimidation to pressure your captain to reduce fuel loads."

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25710239/

---

I wrote a http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/30/161023/218/862/544268">Daily Kos blog about a similar incident my wife experience on Continental.

[Eurobabe]

1. My USAir plane last week was a shambles

the seat bottom was so indented from fat asses sitting on it, I wondered what else they were skimping on? re: maintenance of the plane?

[Kolesar]

6. Most of the time, the seats are crushed in my observation.

The airlines are trying to save money by not replacing the seats. Another reason not to fly.

[TommyO]

2. Complete and utter bullshit

The planes are still carrying enough fuel to meet the FAA's requirements for enough fuel for multiple diversions and an extra 45 minutes of flight time on top of that.

For a different take on this, see Patrick Smith's "Ask the Pilot" article on Salon:

http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2008/04/25/askthepilot274/

[rsmith6621]

3. Well

Many of us in the industry have chosen to ignore what our bosses want in regards of fuel savings....I still plan burn+45 reserve+alternate fuel and then I look at possible holding over the airport and then add at least a thousand pounds above that for flights I dispatch....frankly a diversion cost more than 1000 pounds of extra fuel.

We are ignoring them because they have failed to do anything until lately about the situations and this writing your congressman about speculators......the airlines are the biggest speculators....then the CEO want us to take pay cuts while they get to keep their BONUS CHECKS for doing a poor job.....



And that is all I have to say about that.

[TommyO]

9. I think you're doing the right thing

But to suggest that planes carrying the required fuel load is unsafe is fear-mongering. I don't like it when the administration does it, I don't like it when progressives do it.

[Narkos]

5. Thanks for the link.

[Grinchie]

4. What? They can't ground any more planes due to incorrect maintenance?

That was a pretty transparent ploy, and I am sure they thought they Big Banks would dump their positions in Oil Futures when the airlines started hurting.

Unfortunately for the Airlines, the big banks kept getting more free money from the Federal Reserve and just cornered the market for Oil Futures by exploiting the Enron Loophole.

Now the jig is up. It is pretty clear that the big banks now realize that their game has been exposed for what it is, and the backlash is starting to become uncomfortable for them.

So now they are dumping their Oil Future speculation in preparation for increased scrutiny from the Federal Government, which will expose the manipulation of the Oil market by the big banks in order to raise capitol.

Also, don't forget that the Enron Loophole is shutting down in September, so they have to make a pretty quick exit from the market.

There is lots of Oil, and if they go too far with this then people will finally invest in Hydrogen and be done with Oil once and for all.

I predict Oil will drop 40% in 6 months or sooner, unless Bush get Israel to attack Iran for him.

[Pastiche423]

8. "Enron Loophole is shutting down in September"

Do you have any info on this? I find nothing Googling.

TIA

[paparush]

7. Gods..don't tell me they are coasting the landings..