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!
One person fainting on a plane is bad enough, but six? British Airways flight BA184 from Newark to London’s Heathrow airport has six passengers faint during flight. Once the Boeing 777 landed in Heathrow, the plane was boarded by emergency personal in protective gear. All the passengers were treated onboard, no one had to go to the hospital, nothing was found hazardous, and all 216 passengers that were allowed to continue with their travels.
At this point, investigators do not know the cause of the fainting. Food and gases have been ruled out. At this time police are saying the incident is not suspicious.
I don’t know what it is about this video, but I love watching it. It really makes me think harder about going out and getting my pilot’s license. The nice music doesn’t hurt either!
My uber professional attempt to carve the AirlineReporter.com logo into a pumpkin
I normally do the Livery of the Week on Saturdays, but couldn’t find a livery that worked for Halloween. But FlyingWithFish was more successful and found a perfect livery for Halloween. What I did do was carve my logo into a pumpkin about a week ago (I was bored and a face seemed too dull for me).
I am not the only one celebrating Halloween. Many airline employees did so as well. Probably the oddest is the CEO of Southwest dressing up as Dorothy from Wizard of Oz.
This Boeing 737-800 had the Hawaiian Lai on the tail, which didn't make too much sense flying to Alaska
My mother recently flew from Seattle, WA to Alaska and was excited to write about her travels, knowing her son runs an airline blog. I normally run a series “1st Person Perspective” where I will talk about my travels, but this will be the first “2nd Person Perspective.” My mother is a wonderful woman, who hates the travel process. We both thought it would be interesting to get the perspective of someone who hates the travel process, but loves to go new places. This is her story….
Even though I am an experienced, but reluctant traveler, I am not that knowledgeable about airlines. So this article is a simple personal account of my trip to Alaska and back.
It all began on August 23, my sister and I headed to SeaTac Airport which serves the Greater Seattle area and Puget Sound.
The new check-in system that Alaska Air has might look confusing and something out of the future, but it is efficient.
I have flown out of this airport many times, and since Alaska Airlines is headquartered there, they take up a large portion of the concourses.
Check in was very efficient. Lots of kiosks to get boarding passes and at least ten counters open to check and weigh baggage. The counters surround a central conveyor belt that seemed like a great idea to me.
After going through an uneventful security check we headed to our gate to board Flight 836 to Anchorage. It turned out our gate was in the North Satellite, which meant we had to take the underground train to get there. It took a bit longer, but we had given ourselves plenty of time.
While we were waiting to board, the woman at the counter announced that they were taking upgrades to First Class for $100; at first we were hesitant, but then decided we’d do it. It was a 3 1/2 hour flight and we were on vacation!
In First Class you see real food, that is actually good.
We were very excited, but trying not to show it, hoping the other first class passengers would think we belonged (who knows how many of them were using bonus miles or upgrades themselves).
I have flown first class before and it reminds me how coach used to be in the ’œolden’ days: larger leather seats and more legroom, attentive flight attendants, and real food on real china. We felt very privileged and a little decadent, especially when ordering a bloody Mary at 8:00 am and no little bottle! A real mixed drink! Plus you get to deplane early in First Class.
The flight left on time and our Boeing 737-800 cruised northward at 38,000 feet. We had a female pilot-or co-pilot-whoever sits on the right. We were offered a free DVD player and an exceptional breakfast (asparagus quiche, fresh fruit, and sausage).
It is Alaska's (the state, not the airline) 50th year of being a state.
Out the window, I could see Vancouver Island and the Canadian Rockies before it clouded over.
The flight time zoomed by and after a smooth landing, we were in Anchorage. The airport is very modern and filled with stuffed wildlife in glass cases. It is named after former Senator Ted Stevens who has since been indicted for corruption. But that’s a different blog story’¦
We only had to wait for our bags for about a minute-Alaska Airlines has a new policy that if you have to wait more than 25 minutes, they give you $25 dollars toward your next flight.
Fast forward through the wonders of Alaska’¦.
On the return flight from Anchorage to Seattle, my sister and I decided to ’œslum’ it and go coach. I did notice that Alaska attendants now call it the’ main’ cabin. We had aisle seats across from each other and no one was in either middle seat, so we were fairly comfortable in the narrower seats that were also leather. No fancy meal, but we could have purchased an Asian Chicken Wrap or Anytime Chicken Basket for $6. There were complimentary drinks including generic cola and a bag of ’œGourmet’ Party Mix. Not exactly as luxurious as our flight out, but the plane did get us there with a smooth ride and almost on time. We again landed at the North Satellite concourse, so our luggage actually beat us to the claim area.
Overall, both flights were uneventful-a definite plus for me.
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