The U.S. Senate hearing on airline fees, a Boeing employee surveillance program, the judge rejects the 737 MAX plea deal, Airbus floats a cockpit idea for Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO), and a study will look at how high-G flying might affect Naval fighter pilots. Also, ticket sales for EAA Air Venture Oshkosh 2024 and FlightSimExpo, Brian’s 2024 travels, fly-by-wire airplanes and smuggling Cessnas into Russia.

Aviation News

US senators grill airline officials about fees for seats and checked bags

The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations held a hearing on December 4, 2024 about airline fees charged for baggage, seat selection, and other services. Executives representing American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, and Spirit Airlines testified. Testimony included:

Airline fees – Committee Chairman Sen. Richard Blumenthal consistently referred to these as “junk fees.” In opening remarks, airlines characterized fees as allowing the consumer to create and pay for the experience they want – unbundling.

“Bag bounty” programs – Sen. Hawley was quite antagonistic. Frontier removed their program September 30 that paid gate attendants for checking carry-on bags.

Pricing – The Senators wanted to know why personal information is collected before the ticket price is given and the use of dynamic pricing based on the personal data. They also (unsuccessfully) probed the airline executives for the cost of the services covered by fees, assuming that price is related to cost.

Family seating – Sen Hassan and others argued for fee-free family seating and sometimes confused a fee and the ability to accommodate.  See the DOT Airline Family Seating Dashboard.

Loyalty programs – Sen Marshall characterized credit card programs as being about “voodoo miles” and the revenue to the airlines as a “kickback.”

Competition – Spirit Airlines Matthew Kline was very critical of legacy airlines saying Spirit is at a competitive disadvantage over slots. Also that the majors paid pilots to retire during Covid, then poached Spirit pilots when demand returned.

Overall, there was bipartisan demand that the airlines change junk fee practices, and two people should not be charged different prices for the same service on the same flight. It was evident that AI was on the minds of all, with airlines starting to think about applications and Senators afraid of what the technology could do.

Speaking for their respective airlines were 

• Steve Johnson, vice chair and chief strategy officer, American Airlines; 
• Peter Carter, chief external affairs officer, Delta Air Lines; 
• Andrew Nocella, EVP and chief commercial officer, United Airlines; 
• Robert Schroeter, SVP, chief commercial officer, Frontier Airlines; 
• and Matthew Klein, EVP and chief commercial officer, Spirit Airlines

See also Airline executives blasted at Senate hearing over carrier fees

Video: Airline executives testify on junk fees before Senate committee

Boeing cancels its workplace surveillance program, will remove sensors

Boeing had started to install sensors “in ceiling tiles above workstations, conference rooms, and common areas.” The sensors included motion detectors, cameras, and light, heat, and noise detectors. Boeing the data on building use for “managing energy and space usage.” According to Boeing, the cameras could take only blurry photos and AI would analyze the occupancy of the space. Only aggregated data would be presented to management.

After details of the program appeared in the Seattle Times, Boeing employees reacted as expected. Within a day, a Boeing email stated the program “has been canceled, and we are removing the sensors that have been installed.” See Surveilling Employees Erodes Trust — and Puts Managers in a Bind

Judge tosses Boeing plea deal opposed by families of MAX crash victims

The U.S. Department of Justice brokered a plea agreement with Boeing over the fatal 737 MAX crashes under which Boeing would plead guilty to deceiving the FAA. However, a U.S. district judge has rejected the deal saying the agreement was “not in the public interest.”

The judge questioned the selection of the independent monitor by the Justice Department and not the court. In his opinion, the judge wrote “It is fair to say the government’s attempt to ensure compliance has failed. At this point, the public interest requires the court to step in. Marginalizing the court in the selection and monitoring of the independent monitor as the plea agreement does undermines public confidence in Boeing’s probation.”

Boeing and the DOJ now have 30 days to update the court on how they plan to proceed in the case.

See:

• US judge rejects Boeing plea deal in fatal 737 MAX crashes
• FAA administrator says Boeing still not producing MAX planes after strike
• Air Force awards Boeing $2.4 billion contract for KC-46 tankers

Airbus Wants a Radio Equipped Toilet in the Cockpit

The European Air Safety Agency (EASA) is evaluating how to safely implement Extended Minimum Crew Operations (or eMCO) with the regulatory processes expected to begin in 2025 and implementation by 2027. Under eMCO, Airbus is exploring ideas to reduce the number of pilots on ultra-long-haul flights, which might be three or four. Currently, two pilots remain on the flight deck at any one time while others can sleep in the crew rest compartment. With eMCO, only one pilot would be in the cockpit and the other would be sleeping. Pilot unions are not enthusiastic.

See eMCO-SiPO – Extended Minimum Crew Operations – Single Pilot Operations – Safety Risk Assessment Framework

The Extended Minimum Crew Operations – Single Pilot Operations (eMCO-SiPO) project is funded under the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2021-2022. The project focuses on two concepts of operations:

Extended Minimum-Crew Operations (eMCOs) where single-pilot operations are allowed during the cruise phase of the flight, with a level of safety equivalent to today’s two-pilot operations. Offering at least an equivalent overall level of safety through compensation means (e.g. ground assistance, advanced cockpit design with workload alleviation means etc.) eMCO is, in particular, relevant to large aeroplanes operated in CAT [commercial air transport] operations, for which no fewer than two flight crew members are currently required as per the Air Operations Regulation. 

Single-Pilot Operations (SiPOs), where, at a later stage, end-to-end single-pilot operations might be allowed, offering at least a level of safety equivalent to today’s two-pilot operations provided that compensation means are in place (e.g. ground assistance, advanced cockpit design with workload alleviation means, capability to cope with pilot incapacitation etc.). 

Top-Gun Navy Pilots Fly at the Extremes. Their Brains May Suffer

“Odin’s Eye” is a confidential Navy project looking at the possibility of warfighter brain injury. It was originally created to look for brain injuries in Navy SEALs, but is now expanded to include TOPGUN aviators who take frequent high-G flying flights in the F/A-18 Super Hornet. The project will look at about 1,500 data points on brain function for the TOPGUN pilots to understand the cumulative effect and identify any injured pilots.

Brian Coleman’s 2024 Passport

Brian recorded a year-end summary of his 2024 travels. [4:14]

Mentioned

Discount coupon for The Air Current. $15 for a three-month subscription. Use coupon code AGPOD. Offer good through December 31, 2024. Note: This offer is not sponsored.

Flighty flight tracking app. 

Avelo Starts Service to Portland, Maine

Registration for FlightSimExpo 2025 opens on December 14, 2024.  The 2025 Expo is June 27-29, 2024 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence RI. FlightSimExpo welcomes devs to register to sponsor, exhibit, and speak. Details at flightsimexpo.com/partner. Attendees can book discounted hotel rooms and airfare deals now. Details at flightsimexpo.com/travel.

Tickets are now on sale for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025, July 21-27.

Attempt to Smuggle Cessnas From U.S. Into Russia Ends in Arrest

DOJ press release: Russian National Arrested for Attempting to Illegally Export Aircraft to Russia by Transshipping Through Armenia

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Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, our Main(e) Man Micah, and David Vanderhoof.