There are many great aircraft that come and go from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) everyday. This video, made from our friend SpeedbirdHD, is a great combination of aircraft from an All Blacks 777 to a Lufthansa 747-8I.
Enjoy!
Richard Anderson, CEO of Delta Air Lines – Photo: Delta
Last month, I had the opportunity to participate in a small group interview of Richard Anderson, CEO of Delta Air Lines. Anderson is a long-time industry insider and the chief one of the largest airlines in the world. Domestically, Delta is often ranked by Fortune as one of the Top 50 most admired companies and is a long-standing member of the Fortune 500, presently occupying spot 51 by 2014 rankings.
When asked a rather mundane question about daily routine, Anderson responded with pure gold. Rather than provide a hurried, rehearsed, and insincere response that many would come to expect from a top-level executive, Anderson instead walked us through a typical day and highlighted what he referred to as his best practices.
Anderson’s relaxed and inviting demeanor is one that naturally commands attention. However, when he began reciting his secrets to success, those of us with backgrounds in business and leadership were captivated. When a Fortune 500 CEO takes their time to volunteer advice, those looking to further their own success and careers should take note.
Without further ado, Anderson’s Tips for Success…
Slow morning at Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC) in upstate New York – Photo: Steven Paduchak
Ever wonder what it’s like to be ’œthat guy?’ Specifically, when trying to get on a particular flight, standing up at the kiosk as the gate agent scans everyone’s boarding pass? Well people, I had the distinct opportunity to be ’œthat guy.’ Welcome to the world of flying via standby.
What is ’œstandby’ flying? Well, I’ll tell you. People who are on a standby list for a particular flight have the option to snag any available seats left over once the boarding process is complete. By ’œstandard passengers,’ I, of course, mean people who actually paid money (or miles) for their ticket. Flying standby is most commonly a result of a friend or relative working for that specific airline, or regional affiliate. My first week being a part of this kind of travel was entertaining, exciting, nerve-wrecking, aggravating, and unorthodox, to say the least. Here’s how it all got started.
The flight deck on the Air Koryo IL-62 – Photo: Bernie Leighton
Some people might think our own Bernie Leighton, AirlineReporter Managing Correspondent, is crazy. He has had the opportunity to fly around the world on some old and unique airplanes others might be afraid to step foot on. But Bernie throws caution to the wind and looks to fly on planes that make many AvGeeks jealous. The specialty aircraft he has flown and reported on, via AirlineReporter, include:
- Ilyushin IL-62
- Ilyushin IL-18
- Tupolev Tu-134
- Douglas DC-8
- Antonov AN-24B
- Convair 580 (twice)
- Douglas DC-10
- Antonov AN-12
- Ilyushin IL-76TD
- Ilyushin IL-76MD
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress
- Antonov AN-2
- Mil MI-2
- Antonov AN-26
Biman DC-10 ready for boarding – Photo: Bernie Leighton
And that is not to mention the ’œnormal’ airplanes he flies on too, like the 747, Q400 and G650. Since he has experienced so many different types of aircraft, I wanted to interview him and have him share his ideas. Here is our interview:
A Swiftair MD-83 similar to the aircraft that crashed in Mali today. Photo – Aero Icarus | Flickr CC
According to the French Ministry of Defense Air Algerie flight AH5017, operated by Swiftair has crashed in Mali.
The MD-83 was flying from Ougadougou, Burkina Faso to Algiers carrying 110 passengers and six crew. Air navigation services lost contact with the aircraft at 9:55pm ET. The last message received from the aircraft was a request to reroute around heavy rain storms at around 9:30pm ET.
The aircraft involved in the crash was one of two MD-83s that were on lease from Spanish charter-carrier Swiftair. The registration number was EC-LTV (c/n 53190 l/n 2148) and was built in June 1996. In August 2012 and then had some heavy maintenance at Porto Alegre, Brazil, before delivery to Swiftair in late 2012. During 2013 it was leased to the UN in the Horn of Africa (operated by Swiftair).
The passengers were comprised of 50 people from France, 24 from Burkina Faso, eight Lebanese, six Algerians, five Canadians, four Germans, two from Luxembourg; one from Mali, one Cameroonian, one Belgian, one Ukrainian, one Romanian, one Swiss, one Nigerian, and one Egyptian.
Per the Telegraph; French DGCA (Directorate General for Civil Aviation) inspected the plane a few days ago in Marseille and found no faults.
This is a developing story and will be updated with new information.