When I pay 100% of the airfare, 100% of the plane is a minimum requirement.
–ET, commenting on the bizarre story of a SriLankan Airlines Airplane which announced it was taking off with a small section of its wingtip missing
When I pay 100% of the airfare, 100% of the plane is a minimum requirement.
–ET, commenting on the bizarre story of a SriLankan Airlines Airplane which announced it was taking off with a small section of its wingtip missing
Heh. Great line. But does that mean if I get a great fare on Expedia I have to fly on planes missing 40% of their parts?
Actually, all US airlines have something called a CDL, Configuration Deviation List, blessed by the FAA and the aircraft manufacturer. Foreign carriers have an equivalent. It allows for dispatch with a surprising number of things missing. Rivets, bolts, landing lights, static dissipaters, small panels and access doors, etc. There is an equivalent MEL, Minimum Equipment List, for things merely broken or non-functional. These are specific to the airline and airplane, down to the model and options, and also to the operating environment and location.
APB
Retired airline captain.
I had a friend once, flying from Fiji to Auckland ie the total trip over the Pacific Ocean without a landing strip in sight, where the captain announced that he would be flying on only three engines because the fourth had a fault, but that would require a number of passengers and their luggage to be offloaded to reduced the weight.
The airline offered prime hotel accommodation including meals and a cash incentive to volunteer. She did — but she was surprised how few people wanted an extra day in Fiji at a swish resort rather than flying for about 4 hours over water on a damaged plane.
APB, would a wing tip be on the CDL? This was a large Airbus. To the traveler, it looks like a pretty serious fault. It’s not?
During the 1990s you could get remarkably low fares on Aeroflot and its progeny as long as you weren’t fussy about having 100% of the airplane present.
It’s not critical. The winglet is largely there for efficiency, not for lift per se.
Thanks, C. Wingate. Interesting. Generally speaking, I take the advice of the pilots about air-worthiness. But I don’t know about SrlLanka Airlines. Air India, for instance — I not only wouldn’t take their advice, I won’t get on their planes. Did once, never again if I can help it.