Bharat Rakshak

Acharya wrote:Is the new terminal on the other side. I have not seen this

Singha wrote:segregated level of arrival and departure (with pedestrian bridges and ramps from other areas to safety bypass these) are a feature of most civilized airports. bangkok , singapore, mangalore now, even the old mumbai...all except the clowns who designed the BIAL frontal area.

manish wrote:

Singha wrote:segregated level of arrival and departure (with pedestrian bridges and ramps from other areas to safety bypass these) are a feature of most civilized airports. bangkok , singapore, mangalore now, even the old mumbai...all except the clowns who designed the BIAL frontal area.

And to think that BIAL was designed by the TFTA Swiss. IXE, OTOH is an all AAI show!

Nihat wrote:With GVK taking over ops. at BIAL , things are looking up. The first phase of terminal expansion is expected to start in Late september, this would entail expansion of the existing terminal on both sides and adding another 70% to the terminal size.

Plus a new terminal is expected to come up with a 15 million capacity expanding to 36 million gradually, this would happen in the next 4-6 years as a part of Phase II of BIAL development.

DGCA set to restrict aircraft passenger load
Aug 05th, 2010 - Age Correspondent | New Delhi

The DGCA may soon levy restrictions on the passenger load carried in certain types of aircraft landing at some of the 11 critical airports in the country in case corrective measures recommended by the DGCA are not carried out either by the airport operators or concerned state governments.

In the wake of the Mangalore air-crash in May this year, special DGCA audit inspection teams have completed inspection of eight of the 11 critical airports in the country. The 11 critical airports are Leh, Kullu, Shimla, Port Blair, Agartala, Lengpui, Calicut, Mangalore, Jammu, Patna, Latur.
Sources said that the DGCA was seriously considering imposing restrictions on passenger loads at aircraft landing, for instance, at Patna airport which is one of the critical airports. “Certain tree-tops are obstructing the landing approach of aircraft at Patna.

Dileep wrote:Cochin Int'l is leading the way in making an "Aerotropolis"

An airport will come up in Bellary, one of Karanataka's most backward districts but in the news over illegal iron ore mining, at a cost of Rs.320 crore.

The greenfield airport will be built by Chennai-based infrastructure developer MARG Ltd on the outskirts of Bellary, about 320 km from here, under a build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis.

As per the agreement signed here Friday by the state-run Infrastructure Development Department with the developer, MARG will operate and maintain the airport for 30 years and then it will be transferred to the state thereafter.

'The airport will be built in 24 months after the foundation is laid August 20 at Bellary. The runway length will initially be suitable for landing ATR turbo-prop aircraft and will be extended subsequently for jets,' MARG chairman and managing director G.R.K. Reddy told reporters here.

Flight attendant charged with opening emergency evacuation chute
From Susan Candiotti, Laura Batchelor and Jesse Solomon, CNN


New York (CNN) -- ..

Steven Slater was arrested at his home and charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and criminal trespass, said Helen Peterson at the Queens District Attorney's Office.

The incident took place just after the Jet Blue flight landed when ...and the conversation escalated.

"I know the facts that have been related to me -- the plane was taxiing in, some passenger got up to take their bag down, the steward -- flight attendant -- approached, told him to not do that," said Kelly. "He called him an expletive and apparently hit him or pushed him in some way. The story got on the radio based on a statement that 'I've been doing this for twenty years and I'm out of here.'"

"It's a strange way to quit, let's put it that way," he said. "I don't think he'll be able to come back."
...

The identity of the passenger involved in the altercation has not been confirmed.
..
NNN adds: there is no truth to the rumor that this is a senior visiting Indian Go-Getter CEO, Frequent Flyer on Jet Airways and Indian Airlines

As a rule, passengers are required to stay in their seats with their seatbelts fastened until the pilot has reached the gate and gives the all clear sign.

Peterson said the second degree criminal mischief and first degree reckless endangerment charges are felonies that could land Slater in jail for up to seven years. The criminal trespass charge and two other lesser mischief and endangerment charges are misdemeanors.


Find this article at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/08/0 ... tml?hpt=T2

That, Mr. Prime Minister, is the Indian Ambassador to the United States!

Bail set as cursing, beer-grabbing flight attendant grabs spotlight
By Doug Gross, CNN


New York (CNN) -- A flight attendant whose profanity-laced tirade has turned him into a folk hero of sorts was released on bail Tuesday night from a Bronx detention center.

Bail of $2,500 was posted for Steven Slater, of Queens, New York, after being charged Tuesday morning. Authorities say he grabbed some beer and triggered an inflatable emergency chute for a dramatic exit from a plane at a JFK Airport terminal in New York.

..
Slater said as he left the facility that he appreciated the groundswell of support that has grown since the Monday incident, but declined to comment further.

..
JetBlue is investigating the incident and has removed Slater from duty. The company would not say whether or not he is on paid leave.

The incident took place after the JetBlue flight landed. A passenger stood to remove a bag from the overhead bin while the plane was still taxiing, a law enforcement source said.

The source said a flight attendant exchanged words with the passenger, and the conversation escalated....

Oh yes ... it escalated.

"To the passenger who just called me a mother f***** f*** you. I've been in this business 28 years and I've had it," he said over the plane's public address system, according to passenger Phil Catelinet's blog.

Kelly said the passenger also apparently pushed or hit Slater during the altercation.

When the plane stopped at the gate, Slater reportedly grabbed beer from a beverage cart before deploying the emergency slide and using it to leave the plane.

...

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Slater's actions could have had deadly consequences.

"The emergency chute deploys at 3,000 pounds per square inch within seconds and could easily injure or kill ground crews or others on the tarmac who are unaware the chute has been activated," Brown said.

{ So would dropping a 45-lb monster carryon on your child's neck because some ******** couldn't keep his ass strapped down for another 2 minutes}

Slater smiled Tuesday as he entered a Queens courtroom for his arraignment. He was ordered held on $2,500 bail and not to have contact with two specific JetBlue employees.

..a written statement from him was read to the court. "For those of you who had dignity and respect for the last 20 years, it's been a great ride," the statement said.
.............

By Tuesday, Slater's name was all over the place, often winning shows of support.

On Facebook, a celebrity fan page for Slater already had nearly 8,000 members Tuesday morning. A thousand more people had joined a group called "Free Steven Slater," and fledgling groups included "I hate the mother f***** who called Steven Slater a mother f*****" and "I want Steven Slater to be my flight attendant."

"Steven Slater is a bit like John Henry, who became a folk hero years after hammering his way through a railway tunnel faster than a machine," columnist Joanna Molloy wrote in the New York Daily News. "There'll probably be a song about him online today."

He also was getting some sympathy from his colleagues, even if they weren't necessarily endorsing the chute popping and slide to the tarmac.

"I have to admit that if a passenger had hit me with luggage I would have liked an apology, too, though I don't think I would have demanded one," Heather Poole, a flight attendant and blogger, wrote Tuesday on the travel blog Gadling.

"That said, if that same passenger had told me to F-Off! I, too, might have been tempted to pick up the PA and direct the same obscenity to the dude with the potty mouth over the intercom system for all to hear," she wrote. "But never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought to pop a slide and make a run for it. Probably because I'd have no idea which way to go!"

Catelinet, the blogging passenger, told CNN's "American Morning" that Slater looked cool after his unorthodox deplaning -- during which he had the presence of mind to toss his carry-on luggage down the chute before he slid away.

"He had flung his tie off ... he said, 'I quit my job. I'm done with this.' And he was happy. It wasn't like he was mad. He seemed relieved and excited that this career was, you know, taking a new turn," Catelinet said.

CNN's Susan Candiotti, Laura Batchelor, Jesse Solomon and The CNN Wire contributed to this report.

New Delhi, Aug 10 (PTI) More than two months after the Mangalore air crash, new procedures have been put in place for co-pilots to take charge of the aircraft as a "last ditch" effort if the captain has been incapacitated in-flight.This follows reports that during the May 22 crash, which claimed 158 lives, the co-pilot had served several warnings to the commander that the approach of the aircraft was not correct and a go-around was necessary.Under the new procedures finalised by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the co-pilot or the 'pilot non-flying' (PNF), would shout a warning to the commander -- 'Approach Not Stabilised' -- if the former finds that the aircraft is not geared for a stable approach towards the runway.In case the commander or 'pilot flying' (PF) does not respond due to likely incapacitation and the situation continues to deteriorate, the PNF would again warn -- 'Go Around Captain'.If there is still no response from the commander on the second warning, the co-pilot would shout 'My Controls, Captain', alert the air traffic control saying 'Go Around' and immediately initiate necessary steps to do so.The DGCA, however, made it clear that these actions would have to be initiated when the aircraft is at a minimum of 500 feet from the ground and the entire procedure has to be completed above 200 feet height."It is to be remembered that this is the last ditch effort to remain in the envelop of flight safety and, therefore, the pilot flying (PF) shall ensure that the flight conduct is such that the above steps are not warranted," the new procedure said.

OPED | Friday, August 13, 2010

More pains, more gains

Arindam Chaudhuri

Following the flash floods in Leh, some airline companies began overcharging stranded tourists, capitalising on their plight. While such bizarre behaviour is driven by a short-sighted policy of profiteering at the cost of long-term strategy, it is also a source of embarrassment to a nation that is now a global service power

When over 3,200 tourists were left stranded in Leh after a major cloudburst, a few private airline companies were planning to capitalise on the opportunity! Taking advantage of the situation, these airlines not only jacked up their fares for almost all flights flying out of Leh, but also viewed this crisis as an opportunity to squeeze the maximum from the already troubled tourists. What can be more shameful for a country that boasts about its service sector and weaves dreams around it? Airline companies knew it very well that there was no way out for these stranded people other than to accept their offer if they wanted to escape the deadly fury of nature. The flash floods had already killed around 150 people and over 500 had gone missing. Leave aside providing medical aid and discounted tickets (for those who couldn’t afford them), these airlines adopted a reverse method and demanded a higher fare holding the tourists to ransom!

Going by media reports, two specific airlines jacked up their fares exorbitantly and charged stranded passengers anything between `30,000-35,000 for a one-way flight out of Leh, which is a staggering ten times higher than what the fares are in normal conditions. And mind you, this was despite the warnings issued by the Directorate General Civil Aviation. And again, this was just not an aberration. Airline companies are habituated to such shameless moves whenever they find an opportunity. Be it strikes, natural calamities or some crisis, they blatantly jack up their ticket fares in order to make quick bucks.

Sachin wrote:^^^^
Guess too much privatisation is also "injurious to health" . Hope, the DGCA pulls up these two air lines and take them to task.

chetak wrote:I am sure that you have heard of the statement "hand in glove", saar. Things are like this onlee.

Experience does not keep you from repeating mistakes, but it might keep you from enjoying making them

hey, buddy, you want out of here this minute, jumping the line in front of this family of 6 with their ailing, hungry children and injured mother, you fork over the Standard Coach Fare. Or get on roller skates and enjoy the trip downhill.

enqyoob wrote:This is the "200-year experience of Wild West" that I cited b4 someone sneered. As the old saying goes:

Experience does not keep you from repeating mistakes, but it might keep you from enjoying making them

The only antidote to these sorts of predatory practices is competition. But it' not so simple.

Let's stand back and consider this hyped-up report sanely.

So some airlines charged $750 for a 1-way trip OUT of a disaster-struck airfield at above 14000 feet, where most of their employees had probably lost family members, and getting food, fuel and communications was extremely difficult. Basically, ticket prices for 1-way trips are usually quite close to those for round-trips, because that's how airlines operate, you can't expect to get exactly 50% cost for a 1-way trip, even on autorickshaws out of remote areas, hey?

The claim is that this was upto 10 times the cheapest fare. I have to ask how any airline can afford to run a safe operation, charging only $75 for operations out of Leh at any time, let alone during monsoon season. These are not large airplanes, or long routes, so that price would not even cover the fuel cost (how much does it cost to transport jet fuel to Leh I wonder)

So the "usual" fare is a cut-throat cut-rate, probably subsidized through some inventive collaboration with hotels, brothels, pakis, pickpockets etc.

Now for the costs during an emergency. Don't you think that airplanes, and flight slots into and out of Leh, are at a premium these days, with the extreme emergency airlift in progress? Half the airport staff are probably out, some may be dead or injured. They probably want to airlift their own family members out of there on priority basis. Surely the surviving staff are working 19 hours a day trying to keep the emergency operations moving.

If the airline is any good, they are paying these heroic people 2x or 3x salaries, and trying to come up with cash to help them take care of their near and dear ones in hospital, pay for the airlift of their relatives, etc. etc. Where does this cash come from?

And in the middle of that, some fat-cat journos want the same cut-rate airfare to lift their asses out of there at their convenience? Is this reasonable from the airline's pov?
******************************************

So, my guess is that the airline says,

hey, buddy, you want out of here this minute, jumping the line in front of this family of 6 with their ailing, hungry children and injured mother, you fork over the Standard Coach Fare. Or get on roller skates and enjoy the trip downhill.

After all they probably don't pay that out of their pocket, but from some fat-cat expense account.

If you don't want to pay that, well, go back to the hotel like we told you in the first place, pay Rs. 1000 a night for the next 10 days, and we'll get you a seat at the cut rate of Rs. 15,000, and you'll wind up still ahead.

What is wrong with that?
*******************************************

As for "US solutions", in this case there aren't any. Presumably, whoever wrote this report could not go fly another airline because there weren't any, and if there were, they would charge the same. As an example, say you were stuck in Snowmass, CO and there's a 100-year blizzard in progress, but you ABSOLUTELY INSIST on getting back to your Manhattan office RIGHT AWAY. You can go hire an idiot to fly you on a private plane, if you pay, say, $10,000 on top of the usual $200 to get from Snowmass to Denver. And you may very well end up like Sen. Ted Stevens did.

enqyoob wrote:
The claim is that this was upto 10 times the cheapest fare. I have to ask how any airline can afford to run a safe operation, charging only $75 for operations out of Leh at any time, let alone during monsoon season. These are not large airplanes, or long routes, so that price would not even cover the fuel cost (how much does it cost to transport jet fuel to Leh I wonder)

Now for the costs during an emergency. Don't you think that airplanes, and flight slots into and out of Leh, are at a premium these days, with the extreme emergency airlift in progress? Half the airport staff are probably out, some may be dead or injured. They probably want to airlift their own family members out of there on priority basis. Surely the surviving staff are working 19 hours a day trying to keep the emergency operations moving.

If the airline is any good, they are paying these heroic people 2x or 3x salaries, and trying to come up with cash to help them take care of their near and dear ones in hospital, pay for the airlift of their relatives, etc. etc. Where does this cash come from?

Around a billion dollars’ worth of new private aircraft are expected to land here over the next one year — 157 of them at last count, according to the ministry of civil aviation data.

When inducted, these planes will catapult this country to fourth position in the world market for corporate jets, according to industry estimates. India is currently the 18th largest base for corporate jets, with 111 registered mini planes.

''Control!'' This was the last word the Mangalore Air Traffic Control (Mangalore Tower) heard from the cockpit of the ill-fated Dubai-Mangalore Air India Express flight IX-812 on the morning of May 22, 2010.
...
...
The panic word came at exactly 6.05.21 am, according to the transcript of the communication between the Mangalore ATC and the pilot for 33 minutes preceding the fatal crash. Seconds before this, the co-pilot had advised the Captain thus: “Go around Captain.” The ATC heard these words from the cockpit at 6.04.38 am–45 seconds before the last word (“Control”) was heard. Probably, the co-pilot was asking his captain to abort landing. But it was too late.
...
...

Transcript of Cockpit Conversation:

This is the conversation between Air India flight IX 812 and Mangalore Tower at the airport before the crash.

Time- (to- from) - text

05:54:51-IX 812 to Mangalore Tower- Good morning
05:54: 59- Mangalore Tower to IX812- Good morning, report established 10 DME arc runway 24
05:55:00- IX 812 to Mangalore Tower-- Call you established 12 DME Arc runway 24
05:55:04- MT to IX 812- 10DME arc
05:55:08- IX 812 to Mangalore Tower-10DME arc
05:57:44- Established on 10DME arc Runway 24
05: 57:52--IX 812 to Mangalore Tower- Report established on ILS
06:04:15 Mangalore Tower to IX812------Confirm established
06: 04:17 IX 812 to Mangalore Tower-----Affirmative
06:04:19 Mangalore Tower to IX812-----Wind calm, runway 24, clear to land
06:04:22 --IX 812 to Mangalore Tower-Clear to land
06:04:38( IX 812) - ------Go around captain (Probably from cockpit)
06:05:04--Mangalore Tower to IX812 ------Back track runway 24, vacate via Delta
06:05:21(IX812) Control (Panicky voice from cockpit)
06:09:29 Mangalore tower to IX812-----Express India 812, Mangalore control correction Express India Mangalore Tower
06:09:39 Mangalore tower to IX812---- Express India 812, Mangalore Tower
Though the crash of Air India Express IX 812 was reported as having occurred at 06.02 am, the conversation between Mangalore Airport tower and from cockpit of IX812 reveals that co-pilot of the aircraft suggested the captain to ‘go around’ at 06:04:33 am (IST). The voice is believed to be of the co-pilot, suggesting that the pilot go around despite landing.

The captain contacted Mangalore Tower at 05:54: 51 and the conversation was on till 06:09:39 after which there was no reply from the aircraft.

Flight IX 812 had contacted Mangalore Control at 05:32:48 am and had a conversation till 05:54:47 am, and later came under Mangalore Tower.

Nihat wrote:Bangalores terminal enhancement plans unveiled today

the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) plans to visit the proposed project site and hold interaction with the villagers, representatives of the government and the state-run City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco).

EAC, which held meeting with Cidco on August 20, is expected to visit in the second or third week of September. EAC is likely to submit its report by end of September.

The official said that Cidco, which is a nodal agency for the proposed new airport, has clarified its stand on environmental issues with regard to diversion and training of Gadhi and Ulwe rivers, replantation of mangroves on 350 hectares in Dahanu taluka or Thane district and blasting of hill 80 meters above sea level.

In the strictest action ever to curb drunk flying in India, pilots reporting to work tipsy will soon stand to lose their flying licence — hence their jobs. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has finalized new rules under which a pilot caught tipsy for the first time will have his or her flying licence suspended for three months. And if caught again, the pilot's licence will be permanently cancelled — which means the pilot can fly afterwards only as a passenger but never inside the cockpit of an Indian carrier.

06:04:22 --IX 812 to Mangalore Tower-Clear to land
06:04:38( IX 812) - ------Go around captain (Probably from cockpit)
06:05:04--Mangalore Tower to IX812 ------Back track runway 24, vacate via Delta
06:05:21(IX812) Control (Panicky voice from cockpit)

enqyoob wrote: Did the captain suffer heart failure on final approach, I wonder.

enqyoob wrote:My observation (very recent) is that there is a shocking deterioration in the quality of training and experience of the staff of Kingfisher airlines. I know they are way overextended in credit etc, but looks like the good ppl have left. The ground staff are utterly clueless, and the "Airport Manager" of Kingfisher at COK is a lazy pompous idiot, looks like an Air India alumnus. Dubai counter staff are Pakis.

Fire alarm in Jet flight: 15 injured

IANS | Mumbai Saturday, August 28, 2010

At least 15 passengers were injured during an emergency evacuation of a Jet Airways flight on which there was a fire alarm Friday night, officials said.

The Jet Airways Mumbai-Chennai flight 9W-2302 was scheduled for departure around 9 p.m. when there was a fire indicator from one of its engines,

The flight commander aborted plans and declared a precautionary emergency following the fire alarm from the left engine of the aircraft.

The incident occurred when the flight was on the taxiway prior to take-off, and emergency evacuation of the 130 passengers on board was effected, said the official.

During the emergency evacuation exercise using chutes for sliding down, at least 13 passengers sustained minor injuries, while two sustained fractures, airport officials said.

Hitesh wrote:For such an advanced aircraft, the pilots seat are crappy and not really designed for long term comfort. How can they recline and move their legs to improve their blood flow and allow themselves to remain alert?

And also how can the pilots see the runway when they try to land? They have zero visibility of the runway.