I remember when flying wide bodies was a common thing to do. Catch a DC-10 or even Boeing 747 from one coast to another. Today, you are more likely to be on a Boeing 757 or Boeing 737. In 1974, TWA was proud of their Lockheed L1011 service to the East, where you got extra cushioning and even a steak meal in coach.
Ah, the good ‘ol days when you could get a steak in coach. Of course remember, you can fly today from coast to cost for a little over $100 one way. I think I can handle the peanuts for that cost!
Every week I try to show a different airline livery. I have always been facinated with airline liveries. This week I came across what I think is the ugliest one I have seen so far. It just doesn’t make any sense. You have this silver body, with white tale, and a big white stripe running down the middle?
What makes this better? They have rotating images on their website and on shows a Boeing 747-400 with a different (and better) Albanian Airlines livery, but it is obviously photo shopped. (although maybe they will get one soon? Their website says, “we are in the process of adding our fleet by B747, 757, 767.”)
They only have four aircraft, one MD-82 (pictured) and three BAe 146’s. The BAe’s have a different livery (the best of the three in my opinion) than the MD-82 or the photo shopped Boeing 747, which makes me think the MD-82 is sporting a livery of the previous airline they bought the jet from and they slapped their logo on it.
I can understand saving a few bucks, but it doesn’t help them create a recognizable brand and would make me think twice about flying. However, they were using just TU-134s only eight years ago and I much rather fly on an ugly livery’d MD-82 than a pretty and matching TU-134.
Ryanair has over 200 Boeing 737-800’s, which allows them to save on maintenance, training, parts, etc. However, this also lessens their ability to negotiate effectively if Boeing knows Ryanair is not likely to start buying other aircraft types.
Ryanair is one of Europe’s biggest airlines and they feel they can keep growing. They are so confident about their ability to grow, they are looking to purchase another 200 airplanes and they say Boeing is not working hard enough to make a good deal.
“We see no point in continuing to grow rapidly in a declining yield environment, where our main aircraft partner is unwilling to play its part in our cost reduction programme,” Michael O’Leary, the famous CEO for Ryanair, said about the situation.
O’Leary says they have cash on hand and if Boeing doesn’t want it, they will just pay their stockholders in dividends instead (why not put the money to providing some actual customer service? Nah’¦).
This seems it might just be O’Leary doing what he does, trying to squeeze every last dime out of Boeing. I find it hard to believe that Ryanair would move to having two aircraft types or willing to shell out the money to convert their entire fleet into one. My bet is either they really don’t want to buy 200 planes or if they do, they will all be Boeing 737’s.
Take a look at the winglet and tail. This is a new Boeing 737-800 for Ryanair.
Ryanair has over 200 Boeing 737-800’s, which allows them to save on maintenance, training, parts, etc. However, this also lessens their ability to negotiate effectively if Boeing knows Ryanair is not likely to buy other aircraft types.
The airline is one of Europe’s biggest and they feel they can easily keep growing. They are so confident about their ability to grow, they are looking to purchase another 200 airplanes, but they say Boeing is not working hard enough to make a deal.
“We see no point in continuing to grow rapidly in a declining yield environment, where our main aircraft partner is unwilling to play its part in our cost reduction programme,” Michael O’Leary, the famous CEO for Ryanair, said about the situation.
O’Leary says they have cash on hand and if Boeing doesn’t want it, they will just pay their stockholders in dividends instead (why not put the money to providing some actual customer service? Nah’¦).
This seems it might just be O’Leary doing what he does, trying to squeeze every last dime out of Boeing. I find it hard to believe that Ryanair would move to having two aircraft types or willing to shell out the money to convert their entire fleet into one. My bet is either they really don’t want to buy 200 planes or if they do, they will all be Boeing 737’s.
Branson greeting you to calm your fears. From Virgin Atlantic's website
Are you afraid of flying? For $4.99 you can download an iPhone app that has a 98% success rate with calming people’s fears. According to a Boeing survey, one of every three Americans is either anxious or afraid to fly.
The iPhone app starts out with an introduction from Richard Branson, president of Virgin Atlantic, trying to calm people’s fears of flying. Then users can learn about the flying process, what to expect, a frequently asked questions section, and even a “Fear Attack” button in case you need quick breathing exercises to calm your nerves.
“Our first iPhone app will bring the benefits of our successful Flying Without Fear course to millions of people around the world who are now using mobile technology to make their lives better,” Branson said.
And don’t take my word for it! Whoopi Goldberg stated, “I was a sceptic. I hadn’t flown in 13 years but after doing their program, I understood that while my fear was real, there were many things I didn’t know or had misinformation about, which they were able to clear up. So what happened? The program works. I now fly. It’s that simple.” And you know if Whoopi can do it, so can you!
Even if you don’t fear flying, you get 2,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles when joining the program, which might be worth the $5 all on its own!
It has been hard to think about this with an outside perspective. I grew up in the Seattle area; I remember as a child driving by the large hangars in Everett, hoping they would be open so I could sneak a peek at what they were building. I recently bought a house and was delighted to find out it was on one of the flight paths for the airport where Boeing builds the 747, 777, and 787. Recently I was lucky enough to catch a Dreamlifter flying overhead, which others might find as a negative, but as an aviation nerd, I love it!
Due to my attachment to Boeing as a local company, my initial reaction to Boeing choosing South Carolina for their 2nd assembly line for the Boeing 787 was shock. How could they? Of course, many on the local media felt the same and you could see the anger and disappointment. There was a lot of blame. Some said it was the union. Others said that local government wasn’t doing enough. Others said the move of Boeing’s headquarters to Chicago should have been the warning sign.
But after taking some time and reading a lot about their decision, I have to say I understand it. I realize why Boeing made this decision and it is not just one factor. Here are the reasons I feel it might have been a wise choice:
* Cost of living: The Seattle area is well known for having a high cost of living. We have a lot of big companies housed here: Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon, and Starbucks, just to name a few. Along with these big names come big paychecks. For Boeing to keep qualified workers in the Seattle area, they have to pay them higher wages. Charleston doesn’t have the high cost of living that Seattle does.
Wing of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner
* Less environmental concerns: Seattle would like to say it’s a green, environmentally friendly city. Even though no city would want to admit they aren’t, Charleston and South Carolina don’t have the environmental restrictions that Seattle and Washington state have.
* No union labor force: Boeing workers in the Seattle area have grown large unions. These unions have helped many workers get the rights and pay they have today, but unions can take a big chunk out of Boeing’s bottom line. The unions have gone on strike multiple times in the Seattle area, causing billions in loses. By using a non-unionized workforce in Charleston, Boeing doesn’t have to worry about their workers going on strike.
* Moving global: Boeing has created a global supply chain that makes needing all production in the same place obsolete. Of course some can argue this new global supply chain has caused some of the delays for the 787 Dreamliner, but it is most likely the future model of airplane construction.
* Defense contracts: Boeing doesn’t just build commercial airliners. They have multi-billion dollar defense contracts. To help them keep these contracts, they need to spread jobs and production across the US as much as possible.
This doesn’t seem like a quick decision on Boeing’s part. With plans to start construction next month and planes to be completed by 2012, one can only assume that they had their mind made up for quite some time. Most who work on the current 787 line in Everett feel cheated. However, this might be a great opportunity to show they are the best and they are worth the extra money. Boeing will soon be looking at building a replacement for the Boeing 737 and 777 and the union and workers have the opprotunity to show that Everett is the right place for Boeing to build. I believe that is true and I hope Boeing will be able to see this in the future.
Although I like to think of Boeing as this place that creates wonderful flying machines, they are a business and need to do what is best for their future. I hope that Boeing can see that no one other than the Boeing workers in the Seattle area can build a better plane!
