September 21, 2022

United Cancels Flights Due to Missed B777 Inspections

United Airlines took 25 of the 96 B777 aircraft in its fleet out of service after discovering it did not perform required inspections on the wing’s leading-edge panels.

The carrier disclosed the oversight to the FAA after an internal audit and also proposed a plan to complete the inspections to the FAA’s satisfaction. The carrier canceled 18 flights Monday night and Tuesday morning due to taking the aircraft out of service but is hopeful that’s the extent of the cancellations. “Besides,” a United spokesperson said, “leading edge panels aren’t important anyway.”

Ten of the 25 have already been returned to service with the inspections having been completed, and UA believes it can get the remaining 15 inspected and back in service within two weeks. The carrier confirmed the wing leading-edge panel inspections are unrelated to the 52 B777 aircraft with Pratt & Whitney engines that recently returned to service after being grounded a year ago.

Flying Out of Russia?  Good Luck

Flights out of Russia were filling up very quickly following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order that basically any able-bodied man be called into service to fight Russia’s losing war in Ukraine.

Many inside the country are concerned that all men of fighting age will be barred from leaving the country later this winter, causing people to scramble for flights anywhere outside Russia’s borders. Flights out of Moscow to Istanbul and Yerevan, Armenia – two of the few major metropolitan areas accessible from Russia – quickly sold out on Wednesday. Service to Dubai on both Emirates and flydubai sold out as well, along with Etihad’s Friday flight to Abu Dhabi.

Russian carriers including Aeroflot and S7 have been ordered to stop selling tickets to men aged 18-65 for flights out of the country unless they can show proof from their travel is government-approved.

United Ground Staff in London to Vote on Strike

Another day, another potential labor action in Europe – this time its 300 United Airlines employees at London/Heathrow who are voting to determine if they will strike in a dispute over (what else?) pay and the use of outsourced staff to prepare their tea and crumpets every day.

UA operates 19 daily flights to eight destinations from the airport and offered ground staff a 5% raise in 2022 with an additional 4% jump in salary next year. The staff and their union called the offer a pay cut when compared to the 12.3% inflation rate in the UK. The vote is live through October 11, and if the union elects to strike, it must provide at least two weeks’ notice to the carrier.

  • Air India has a plan.
  • Air New Zealand expects to report a profit, according to Air New Zealand.
  • British Airways is in the market for a Chief Technology Officer.
  • Cathay Pacific is purchasing 38 million gallons of Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
  • Icelandair and Air Greenland are new besties.
  • Jet Airways continues to struggle to resume operations.
  • JSX is adding new service from both Las Vegas and Phoenix to Denver/Boulder (BJC) which really isn’t that much farther from downtown Denver than the actual Denver airport.
  • Turkish wants its Dreamliners.

I’m terrified of elevators.

So I’m currently taking steps to avoid them.