Fly Damnit

Airlines going bankrupt!

Dusk — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:44:16 +0000

In an open letter to the general public yesterday, MAS managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Idris Jala said it has no choice but to pass on the cost of fuel to consumers.

Jet fuel price has increased by 80 per cent since last year from an average of US$90 (RM293) per barrel to US$166 (RM541) per barrel.

On the carrier’s part, over the last three years, fuel costs as a proportion of its total operating expenses have about doubled from 15-20 per cent to 30-40 per cent.

“Over the last six months, 24 airlines have gone bankrupt. Many airlines around the world have also declared massive losses in the first three months of 2008.

“Put bluntly, if these adjustments don’t take place - and quickly - the airline industry will collapse and have a ripple effect throughout the entire world economy,” he said.

“Airlines cannot continue to subsidise passengers anymore,” he added.

Idris warned that the landscape is changing where “the number of carriers become fewer and competition fizzles out in favour of consolidation”.

This means greater demand for remaining seats, which translates into higher ticket prices.

Source: NST

MAS new planes

Real figure of the airlines that went bankrupt might be over 40+. Talking about airlines going bankrupt, many airlines canceled their purchase of the Boeing 737-800 NG and the Airbus a380. That means MAS can get their plane early right? Yes.

But MAS wont. They will not take the plane any earlier. They will proceed as scheduled. The first batch of leased 737-800 will be operational by March 2009. The ones owned by MAS will probably arrive end of 2010

Light aircraft crashes into Ipoh housing area

Dusk — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:37:41 +0000

Light aircraft crashes into Ipoh housing area, trainee pilot and instructor injured
BERNAMA

IPOH, THURS:

A two-seater Eagle 150B light aircraft crashed into the compound of a house in Taman Cempaka here today, badly injuring a trainee pilot and his flight instructor.
Trainee pilot Ahmad Tarmezee Ahmad Lotpi, 23, and flight instructor Mohamad Faizal Kamaruddin, 37, have been admitted to the Ipoh Hospital following the accident at about 1.30 pm.

The aircraft crashed onto a spot between a wall of the house and the concrete perimeter wall.

House owner Indran Sagaran, 37, said the plane narrowly missed crashing onto his house where his two children and their aunt were at that tim

Source: The Star

Quote from forum member “mus_smart”

The student there now finishes single engine flying hours faster than expected.. Well let say all the eagle is grounded, there are still the tobago and the new cirrus.. But do you think that all the eagle will be grounded? There are 10 eagle..- 1 = 9.. I remind u that all of the aircraft in IT&S are under constant maintainance..If DCA inspectors found problems on the other 9 eagle too, do u think they will find the problem on all the eagles? you will only have delays when trying to finish ur twin engine flying hours.. Cause IT&S only have 2 piper seneca

Quote from forum member “flyboy743″

Guyz,

Lets pray ‘mamak’ can recover soon and back flying. Eagle fleet leased from CTRM and the maintenance is under them. I believe it is sub contracted to Executive Jets Maintenance org. Few months back Eagle crash in Kluang Air Base. Capt Rais was flying it. Both inst and student safe with minor cuts over body. Again today the Eagle crash in Ipoh. No casualty but inst quiet serious. Student have only broken jaw only and some minor cuts.

Crash 1 happen during take off in Kluang and engine lost power during climb upwind. Instructor lower attitude and maneuvered the aircraft and put it in confined area without damaging any house in that taman. Aircraft was maneuvered as such impact more towards to instructor.

Crash 2 in ipoh was during EFATO drill. Inst called for Fans Stop and then no call out for climbing away. I believe during climb out, engine surged and then quite. Instructor aimed to that conner lot house and put the aircraft nicely in that confined area without damaging the house. Again instructor absorb the crash impact and safe the student life.

Both crash have similarity like, eagle aircraft, hit tree before crash in confined area without hitting or damaging any of the houses in the taman and both crash have student walk away alive and instructor absorb the impact.

Me with little experience, I can say that the instructor’s action have saved more live and also reduce the damages on the ground. Instructors action also have saved the students life.

Mamak … i salute you beb.

Quote from forum member “flyboy743″

5s factors to be consider for selection of suitable off airport landing site are:

Shape, Size, Slope, Surface, Surroundings

determine shape of selected area for force landing so that you can position your self.
determine size of selected area so that you can be prepare
choose upslope if possible and avoid downslope
to determine surface condition, soft, hard, bushy or clear land
surroundings - populated, thick jungle and so on.

let say along Kuah town to airport. Its east of airfield. along the road leading to pdg mat sirat, left side of road towards coast is the most suitable place to force land. Right of road not so suitable coz its rubber plantation. After the hill east of airfield, you may force land anywhere you one coz its paddy field.

West of airfield, if you are operating between burau bay to airfield, just land along the cost line. Even you may force land on pady field.

Datai andaman, just land on golf course or even beach side.

North –mmmm its kilim and swampy. try glide to tj rhu beach and land there.

The discussion for this can be seen here:
http://forum.flydamnit.com/index.php?topic=1658

Quick Updates for July 2008

Dusk — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:28:14 +0000

UPDATE 1
First of all congratulations for those who got a chance to go for the Malaysia Airlines’ Psychomotor test. I saw alot of people waiting at MAS Complex A. The lady incharge said this will continue until September 2008. Good luck to all who is attending the test. And for those who did not make it, u can always try next time. For psychomotor tips click here
About MAS Psychomotor Test
http://forum.flydamnit.com/index.php?topic=32

UPDATE 2

Two of the Boeing 747-400s (9M-MPB and 9M-MPD) that were painted in Hibiscus is no more? I will conform this later.

UPDATE 3

Fire Fly’s AATR 72 picture is out (..for quite some time). This pic is taken by Yvan Panas and was posted by our forum member here.
http://forum.flydamnit.com/index.php?topic=1623.0

Where will the b737 go?

Dusk — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 04:57:57 +0000

So Malaysia Airlines ordered new NGs to replace the old 737. Where will the old aircraft go? Who will buy the old ones? Can they sell it?

First of all, the 737s are owned by PMB (Penerbangan Malaysia bhd). They have been planning on selling the aircraft last year.

30 April 2007

SALE OF 18 (EIGHTEEN) B737-400

Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad (PMB) is offering for sale to interested buyers 2 (two) lots of B737-400 aircraft, each lot comprising 9 (nine) aircraft.

Tender has been closed.

http://www.pmb.com.my/news/?nav=news&pg=21.

And now they are selling another 17 aircraft here

22 May 2008

SALE OF 17 (SEVENTEEN) B737-400 Aircraft

Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad (PMB) is offering for sale to interested buyers 1 (one) lot of B737-400 aircraft, comprising 17 (seventeen) aircraft.

The closing date for submission of bids :

2nd June 2008 by 5.00 p.m. Malaysian Time (+8 GMT).

http://www.pmb.com.my/news/?nav=news&pg=23.

What is left now? (b737-400)
17 b737-400
http://www.pmb.com.my/portfolio/?nav=b737-400

New seats for the b737 (MAS)

Dusk — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 04:26:11 +0000

MAS’s new Economy seat color. It looks funny.

Here is the business/first class.

I wont comment on this..Like it or not leave your comments below.

DIAMOND-40 EMERGENCY LANDING!

Dusk — Sun, 25 May 2008 16:50:15 +0000

with pictures

A member of this forum reported this. Taken from this link
http://forum.flydamnit.com/?topic=1555

Light aircraft makes emergency landing on padi field
BERNAMA
PASIR MAS, Sun.:25 MAY 08

A light aircraft made an emergency landing on a padi field in Kubang Telaga in Kampung Baru, Tok Uban, about 30km from here, today.
The Diamond 40 plane piloted by a trainee pliot Shareez Khan Sulaiman from the Kota Baru-based Asia-Pacific Flight Training Club made the emergency landing at about 9.30am.

Kelantan police chief SAC II Amir Hamzah Ibrahim said a police team was rushed to the site upon receiving a distress call.

The pilot who escaped unhurt was rushed to the Pasir Mas Hospital for examination,? he told Bernama when contacted.

Bernama learnt that the pilot decided to land the plane after hearing a minor explosion believed to be from the engine.
Asia Pacific Flight Training Club general manager Khalid Ali said Shareez Khan was flying solo in the area when the incident happened.

He said Shareez Khan contacted the club to inform about the incident.

Fuel Price Crisis

Dusk — Sat, 24 May 2008 17:15:19 +0000

As we all know, the crude oil price now are at the record high. The oil price are still increasing as you are reading this article. Today its more then twice the price it was a year ago. Malaysian car drivers aren’t really affected by this because the fuel are still being subsidized by the government. Above is the latest fuel price updated hourly by oil-pirce.net. How does this affect the aviation industry? Does it even affect us?

The answer is YES.

Aviation fuel is generally 15-30% more expansive then the crude oil prices. Most airlines around the world are affected by this. According to IATA (International Air Transport Association) from
http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/economics/fuel_monitor/price_development.htm
the price of aviation fuel is 163.9USD/barrel.

April 10: HONG KONG - Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, a long-distance budget carrier that tried to offer premium service and spacious seats at low prices, suddenly went into liquidation Wednesday and canceled all flights, the fourth budget carrier to halt operations in the past week and a half.

April 11: NEW YORK - Frontier Airlines, the latest airline to file for bankruptcy, was pushed over the brink by a problem that could spread to other carriers: credit card troubles.

Aprill 11: ATA Airlines, Skybus Airlines and Aloha Airlines all have filed for bankruptcy in recent weeks.

Aviation fuel price per barrel conpared to crude oil price

Some terms from wikipedia:

Aviation fuel is a specialized type of petroleum-based fuel used to power aircraft. It is generally of a higher quality than fuels used in less critical applications such as heating or road transport, and often contains additives to reduce the risk of icing or explosion due to high temperatures, amongst other properties.

Most aviation fuels available for aircraft are kinds of petroleum spirit used in engines with spark plugs i.e. piston engines and Wankel rotaries or fuel for jet turbine engines which is also used in diesel aircraft engines. Alcohol, alcohol mixtures and other alternative fuels may be used experimentally but are not generally available.

Avgas is sold in much lower volumes, but to many more individual aircraft, whereas Jet fuel is sold in high volumes to large aircraft operated typically by airlines, military and large corporate aircraft.

Jet fuel is a clear to straw colored fuel, based on either an unleaded paraffin oil (Jet A-1), or a naphtha-kerosene blend (Jet B). It is similar to diesel fuel, and can be used in either compression ignition engines or turbine engines.

Possible solutions?

1. Revise ticket price:
American airlines revised their ticket price and charge their passenger extra for weight, luggage etc. Travelers pay from $10 to $60 more for round-trip domestic tickets on United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, the higher charge applying to trips of more than 1,500 miles and the lower charge for trips less than 800 miles.

2. Revise flight plan, taxi fuel and flying techniques:
This is what MAS is trying to do, revising the taxi fuel, better flight plan, and changing alternate. Some airlines in Europe are trying new shorter airways to cut the fuel cost.

3. Create awareness:
MAS has this Fuel Conservation Briefing to create awareness.

4. Taxi with 1 engine?
Coming up on flydamnit’s next post !

Some Quotes:
“Frankly, we do not believe that the US airline industry can withstand $100+/barrel oil prices without major structural change,” analysts at Merrill Lynch Airline Research said.

“Unless fuel prices rapidly retreat, it stands to reason that additional carrier bankruptcies cannot be ruled out,” - JP Morgan Securities report.

Fuel costs are the biggest catalyst in the latest flurry of consolidations in the US airlines industry, analysts say, and may bring about more trouble as with the exception of a few, none of the airlines has prepared for today’s cost environment. - platts.com

[Order Here]Flydamnit T-shirt

Dusk — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:38:09 +0000

Date postponed until 5th of June

This t-shirt will be supplied by our forum member “bravekorea” and the design is by “janggoat“. Ill copy and paste what he wrote from the forum here.

Quote from bravekorea:

The shirt is made of CVC Materials (Polyester + Cotton).
The method is called silk printing. It’s a common printing method used.

From the picture you might be look white colour’s design is bigger than black.
Actually the real printing size is same. Just different in colour.

Price : RM23
Size Available : XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL(extra RM3)
Colour Available : White and Black Base

(Optional) Name at right hand sleeves +RM3 Maximum 8 alphabets
(Look from top the name is at left hand side, but when you wearing the shirt it is on right hand side)

This chest measurement is for both side… if for 1 side only please divide it by 2… example : for S is 38/2 = 19″ width

If order not more than 150pcs, all XXS and XS will change to S…

To order, please copy and paste the form below along with details and send a PM for me.
Please don’t post it here for privacy and safety purposes.

Read his post at the forum. Here is the link:
http://forum.flydamnit.com/index.php?topic=1434.0 .

MAS ZERO Fair (RM0)

Dusk — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:15:18 +0000

Everday Low Fares

http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/ELFZERO/fares.htm

KUALA LUMPUR: Travel to any domestic destination for zero fare on Malaysia Airlines – that’s the new product to be launched today.

These tickets can only be obtained through the MAS website www.malaysiaairlines.com. However, passengers must make bookings within the next 14 days and pay the airport tax and surcharges.

MAS managing director/chief executive officer Datuk Seri Idris Jala said the airline has set aside one million tickets for this offer, which is valid for travel between June 10 and Dec 14.

It is understood that MAS will soon announce its campaign for its Asean routes.

“It could be zero fares or minimum charges but they will be lower than those offered by our competitors at present,” he said.

For the domestic offer, the total charge for travel between the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak is RM122.40.

For domestic travel without crossing the South China Sea, the charge will be RM81.45.

Previously, the cheapest one-way fare between KL International Airport and Kota Kinabalu – the furthest possible domestic route – cost RM529. A normal ticket for a trip from KLIA to Penang costs RM229 one-way.

MAS’ subsidiary Firefly is also offering zero fares for its destinations on its turboprop aircraft.

Idris said MAS had set aside 30% of each flight for “these special Everyday Low Fares” offer.

However, he said that tickets purchased were not refundable and the travel dates could not be changed.

“What we are offering gives everyone a win-win situation. It helps us to meet our business objectives and it provides our customers with an excellent deal.

“You get to enjoy the best of both worlds – really low prices plus our five-star services – our food and beverages, entertainment, luggage allowances and other benefits that come with travelling with MAS,” Idris said.

The zero fare product is part of a business transformation plan that Idris launched last year after MAS managed to record its best-ever profit of RM851.42mil, compared with losses of RM136.43mil in 2006.

Source : TheStar by WONG SAI WAN

MAS profits via new scheme

PETALING JAYA: By offering limited zero-fare seats for domestic flights, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is actually making money for seats that would have otherwise been unsold.

MAS managing director/chief executive officer Datuk Seri Idris Jala said that on average, domestic MAS flights were only 70% full.

“So the remaining 30% we would not have been sold anyway. By offering zero-fare for these seats, it’s actually giving us some incremental revenue through the YSQ charges (fuel surcharge, administrative fee and airport tax).

“It’s profitable in the sense that rather than letting them go empty, we have some revenue for it. But if we were to sell the entire plane seats at that rate, then of course we rugi (suffer losses),” he told the press after launching the zero fare for domestic destinations here yesterday.

It was reported yesterday that such tickets could only be obtained through the MAS website www.malaysiaairlines.com and passengers had to make bookings at least a month before the travel period.

For domestic offer, the total charge for travel between the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak is RM122.40.

For domestic travel without crossing the South China Sea, the charge will be RM81.45.

He added that this would only be implemented on lean flights and not for peak-period flights.

“It’s part of managing the inventory. If you give an open period, it’s not the best practice for managing it.

“We’re starting with zero fare in controlled seats, but if there is over-subscription, then we will put in a nominal fare. We will take stock of this, and then examine it on a flight-by-flight basis, then we will open the inventory for subsequent bookings in future.”

He said the cost for running their latest product was “very negligible”, as it only involved serving food, drinks and fuel cost for carrying additional passengers.

MAS has 1.3 million zero-fare seats up for grabs from now until the end of the year, but the booking period is only until May 19.

Asked if MAS would honour the bookings made even if fuel prices shot up, Jala replied: “Whatever we sell the passengers, we’ll honour.”

Asked if this was a measure taken to compete with low-cost carrier, AirAsia, he said:

“AirAsia has always said that they have created new demands from low fares and I entirely agree with them.

“When we come out to do this, we are also creating new demand.”

Plans to extend such fares for the Asean routes will be announced later this month, but Jala said there was currently no need to include long-haul flights as “loads to Australia, New Zealand and Europe were very good”.

Source: TheStar
To comment/argue/debate, visit the forum here:
http://forum.flydamnit.com/?topic=1471

Flydamnit Forum Error Fixed/Flydamnit T-Shirt delay

Dusk — Fri, 02 May 2008 04:12:25 +0000

Sorry guys for the error on the forum last week. I was on a 4 days trip and i did not realize the forum had some error.

FIXED!]

For the Flydamnit thsirt thing visit this link

[Order Here]Flydamnit T-shirt
http://forum.flydamnit.com/index.php?topic=1434.0

Sorry bravekorea for all the trouble caused. If theres anything i can help just give me a PM

-Dusk