This summer, anyone wanting to experience Airbus’ mega jumbo, the A380, won’t have to travel Dubai, Singapore or Sydney to try it out. Air France plans to fly the doubledecker at least three times a week between Paris CDG and Heathrow, starting on 12th June until the end of August. The reason given is crew training – make of that what you will.
Posts Tagged ‘Air France’
Airbus A380 Sampler
Thursday, May 13th, 2010Air France Again
Saturday, January 30th, 2010A few days ago, the pilot of an Air France 777 had to abort take-off at the last moment from Lagos because of a lack of power. Fortunately, the aircraft was able to stop in time and passengers disembarked without using the chutes. There was no great mystery about what had caused the problem – it seems both pilots simply forgot to arm the auto-thrust selector. Boeing have accepted that their instructions might need improving because there have been seven other reported incidents of this happening. Nonetheless, forgetting a fairly obvious part of the pre-departure procedure is, to say the least, unfortunate. Nor is this the first time it has happened with Air France – a 747 crew made the same mistake with an aircraft in Tahiti.
To its credit, Air France has already accepted that its safety record is not as good as it should be and has employed Delta to perform a full audit on the airline. Of course, the actual record of an airline only shows incidents where aircraft have been badly damaged or people injured. Incidents such as the two above, lurk under the statistics and often go unreported – even though they could very nearly have been very serious accidents.
The Air France pilots’ union was furious with the company last year when they suggested that the pilots should pay more attention to in-house operational instructions. This incident is yet further indication that the airline might have a point.
It is time that Air France buried the “Air Chance” nick-name and it seems that the pilots might have to climb off their collective high horse if the airline’s reputation is to be improved.
Air France Gets Tough With Pilots
Monday, October 26th, 2009Immediately after the Rio crash, we pointed out that Air France already had a rather poor safety record and would need to work hard to convince the world that its safety standards were comparable with the best airlines.
The airline has actually done quite a good job in very difficult circumstances because it is likely the cause of the accident will never be known. Amidst all the conflicting rumours, the airline has done its best to display an open and reasonable attitude to the investigation. Those who study disaster management techniques have even suggested that Air France’s handling of the situation has been “exemplary”.
From the day the flight from Rio disappeared into the Atlantic, the airline has been bombarded with criticism from its own pilots. Initially, it tried to rise above this and pointed out possible malfunctioning speed sensors could not, by themselves, have caused the crash. Further testing seems to have proved their point and they have now decided to come out fighting. Last week they sent a memo to all their pilots which was leaked (presumably by Air France themselves) to the press.
“Enough scandals and false debates about flight safety…it suffices simply to follow our existing procedures” is the gist of the memo. It then goes on to list examples of standard safety procedures which have been ignored by pilots.
It has taken Air France longer than normal to shed the feel of a state-run company. There is a culture amongst some of the pilots that they are rather above the company and in their jobs for life. Pilots at every airline are monitored and will be grounded or dismissed if they fail to follow the precise rules set out. Maybe some Air France pilots feel rather too protected and become over-confident about their flying skills.
The memo has produced howls of protest from Air France pilots and their union and a threat of a strike. It is hard to see the public having much sympathy with them if they go on strike because they are being told to follow safety rules.
A serious accident should be an opportunity for a company to examine itself from top to bottom. It is good that the current management feels brave enough to take on the pilots.
Not Such a Fun Day for Air France/KLM
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009When it first opened, London City Airport was not welcomed by local residents who feared the noise and pollution the new airport would bring. Whilst it took a long time for the airport to become a success, locals quite quickly realised that the airport did not cause too much noise but brought much-needed employment to this rather poor area of East London. The airport also went to extraordinary lengths to communicate with the local community. One of its most successful initiatives has been the annual Airport Fun Day.
London City closes every Saturday lunchtime and does not open again until midday on Sunday so the airport has the perfect opportunity to open itself up to locals and give them a taste of the aviation world. This year’s event was held on Saturday 4th July and was attended by 28,000 people. As well as giving people a good time, the event also raises a significant sum for local charities.
The event is sponsored by by the main companies working at the airport including British Airways, Lufthansa, Swiss, Aer Arann, Travelex, Airbus, Air BP as well as many other companies who have some involvement such as the Docklands Light Railway, the London Evening Standard, Barclays Bank and Linklaters.
This year, British Airways provided a mobile simulator and also allowed visitors into the cabins and flight deck of two of their Regional Jets (it is very rare for airlines to do this). Other sponsors provided bungee jumping, giant trampolines, a sports track, games with a de-icer and a mobile light railway and many other activities.
As usual, the event was a huge success, both in raising money for charity as well as doing an important job in building bridges between the airport and the local residents. In other words, an event where everyone gains.
Air France/KLM are the largest airline at London City (following the integration of VLM with CityJet). What was their involvement in this?
Nothing. They neither took part, nor contributed.
We do not want this blog to be banned for strong language so we will just say that this looks “rather mean”.
Charity begins at home – maybe something you should consider when wondering whether to fly Air France/KLM.
Air France Crash
Monday, June 8th, 2009It is very difficult for newspapers to write anything sensible in the hours immediately after such a crash. There is virtually nothing to say – other than the fact that an aircraft has disappeared crossing the Atlantic. However, most newspapers and television stations commented on the fact that Air France is one of the world’s top airlines and has an “excellent safety record”.
Well, maybe that last bit should be questioned a little.
The crash of the Air France Concorde was blamed on debris on the runway at Charles de Gaulle but Air France had not made some modifications to their Concordes that British Airways had done. Had the same incident happened to a BA Concorde on take-off, it would probably have survived.
An Air France Airbus crash-landed at Toronto and this down to pilot error. The aircraft was a write-off but all the passengers escaped unhurt before the aircraft exploded, partly due to exemplary evacuation procedures by the cabin crew.
More recently, as readers of Inside Traveller know, one of Air France’s regional subsidiaries crashed a commuter jet because the pilot had not de-iced the aircraft. Following other similar incidents to the same type of aircraft, operators had been warned to de-ice this model in specific circumstances but this instruction did not appear to have been passed down to Air France pilots. Fortunately, none of the passengers were killed (though a passing motorist was) – otherwise, Air France would have had some serious explaining to do.
Unfortunately, air crash investigations in France are in the hands of the government and are open to accusations of bias. The French are very proud of their national institutions and unwilling to bring them into public disrepute. The report into the Concorde accident is a case in point because – at the very least – serious questions should have been asked about Air France’s failure to make the same modifications as BA.
The report into the latest accident will pose a serious problem. Air France is a French company but Airbus is also partially owned by the French state. It is possible that one or the other could face some criticism. For once, it is vital that the French put jingoism aside and produce a report that is comprehensive and will be respected by all parties. Airbus will be particularly anxious for this because their worldwide credibility is at stake. If airlines and the manufacturer have to make a few amendments to the way they fly the A 330′s, that is fine. Aircraft types can survive one crash and remain popular with airlines and the public – providing it is known that everyone has learned from the crash.
It is very early to draw conclusions as to what happened but one or two points of interest are emerging. Airbus sent out a service bulletin in late 2007 advising the replacement of some probes. Air France did not fit these. Airbus have also reminded all airlines of the minimum speed requirements as laid down in their manuals.
The report into the Concorde accident made France rather a laughing-stock in some quarters. They must not make the same mistake with this report.
Is First Class dead?
Thursday, May 28th, 2009Not according to an informative article in the New York Times earlier this week. Despite well publicised plans by British Airways, Qantas and others to reduce first-class capacity on a number of routes, other airlines, such as Lufthansa and Air France-KLM, are opening new airport lounges exclusively devoted to first-class passengers in both Europe and the United States. And the imminent arrival of their first A380 superjumbos is likely to lead to more opportunities for first-class indulgence.
The bottom line: first-class remains a powerful marketing asset and keeps top customers loyal, so is likely to remain a feature of airline travel beyond the current downturn.
