You know, because of the (well-founded) fear of contracting COVID-19, planes around the world are flying without passengers. Needlessly spending millions of liters of fuel and polluting the atmosphere, etc. etc.
This, the news says, is because if they don't, airlines will lose assigned routes.
This is a difficult thing to accept. Is a temporary suspension of said regulation so complicated to implement?
It seems that there is not enough place in airports to park so many planes that are constantly in flight, in an established routine, that cannot be interrupted, and nobody could have foreseen the advance of COVID-19!
It seems logical, if we also think that the available parking spaces are already occupied by many 737 Max out of service.
Is that so?
Experience
This, the news says, is because if they don't, airlines will lose assigned routes.
This is a difficult thing to accept. Is a temporary suspension of said regulation so complicated to implement?
It seems that there is not enough place in airports to park so many planes that are constantly in flight, in an established routine, that cannot be interrupted, and nobody could have foreseen the advance of COVID-19!
It seems logical, if we also think that the available parking spaces are already occupied by many 737 Max out of service.
Is that so?
Experience
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The Europian Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on 10th March:
"...the commission will put forward very rapidly, legislation regarding the so-called airport slots. We want to make it easier for airlines to keep their airport slots, even if they do not operate flights in those slots because of the declining traffic."
"It will relieve the pressure on the aviation industry and in particular on smaller airline companies, but it will also decrease emissions by avoiding the so-called 'ghost flights'."
Source: Ghost flights: Why our skies are full of empty planes | CNN Travel
"...the commission will put forward very rapidly, legislation regarding the so-called airport slots. We want to make it easier for airlines to keep their airport slots, even if they do not operate flights in those slots because of the declining traffic."
"It will relieve the pressure on the aviation industry and in particular on smaller airline companies, but it will also decrease emissions by avoiding the so-called 'ghost flights'."
Source: Ghost flights: Why our skies are full of empty planes | CNN Travel
Hi Galu 🙂
Thanks for the link, it is very illuminating, even though I had to deduce a few paragraphs a bit.
Where GT should translate:
"that is why the assigned routes (segments) are gold powder"
translates:
"that is why slot machines are gold powder"
I have no doubt that Las Vegas casino think the latter !
😀
Thanks for the link, it is very illuminating, even though I had to deduce a few paragraphs a bit.
Where GT should translate:
"that is why the assigned routes (segments) are gold powder"
translates:
"that is why slot machines are gold powder"
I have no doubt that Las Vegas casino think the latter !
😀
Back on September 12, 2001, I was at the Vancouver airport, dealing with a roofing issue. I was elevated well above the airstrips and could not believe the number of full sized four engine aircraft spread out on the taxiways and other locations not normally associated with airplane berthing. I am guessing most airports would have plenty of room to temporarily house these aircraft even if it means a bit of a walk back to the terminal.
Many "ghost flights" were flown because of FAA rules that required an airline to fly all of the flights that they were assigned in several routes in and out of certain airports that are at capacity during the high travel times. These "slots" could be assigned to different carriers if an airline didn't fly them. Fines, and reassignment can be levied if the rules are broken.
These rules make sense ordinarily to prevent "squatting" on a route to drive the fare up. They do not make sense in this environment, and the FAA has suspended them for the immediate future in the US as well.
Where are all of the 737 MAX planes parked? I know all of those stored in Florida were flown out west somewhere last year right after the grounding order.
These rules make sense ordinarily to prevent "squatting" on a route to drive the fare up. They do not make sense in this environment, and the FAA has suspended them for the immediate future in the US as well.
Where are all of the 737 MAX planes parked? I know all of those stored in Florida were flown out west somewhere last year right after the grounding order.
Planes can park basically anywhere, provided they can land nearby (I.E. ideally empty lots near an airport). So I don't think it'll be too much of an issue.
80/20 slot rule.
If an airline does not fly at least 80% of its allocated slots within any 5 week period they lose the right to that slot.
Hence empty planes flying to and fro.
If an airline does not fly at least 80% of its allocated slots within any 5 week period they lose the right to that slot.
Hence empty planes flying to and fro.
There are several desert locations in the western U.S., including in the Mojave desert, that are used for parking idled/obsolete aircraft. Military has locations for such aircraft partly for treaty purposes. Boeing certainly has an issue with parked 737 Maxes. Moses Lake in Washington apparently has empty square miles of dry lakebed. Apparently Boeing can't just shut down production lines--massive ripple effect among suppliers.
Railroads have similar problems with specialty cars for various commodities when not in demand. A few short-line railroads exist mostly for the purpose of storing those cars by the mile, in locations that are not subject to city/regional taxes, nor vandal graffiti.
Railroads have similar problems with specialty cars for various commodities when not in demand. A few short-line railroads exist mostly for the purpose of storing those cars by the mile, in locations that are not subject to city/regional taxes, nor vandal graffiti.
Following the 9/11 incident, pollution was greatly reduced for that brief period of time during the no-fly mandate. Sorry, I don’t have that documentation currently.
There’s a considerable amount of effort involving parking multiple aircraft, and then bringing them back into service again afterwards.
There’s a considerable amount of effort involving parking multiple aircraft, and then bringing them back into service again afterwards.
How about parking unused planes down at gates 32-55 all the way at the end? Save some walking for those who are still flying. 😀
Last week I saw a report that air pollution in China has been greatly reduced -- this will change as they get back to work.
The area of the Twin Towers smoked for months afterward, it was very sobering to go over the Stickel Drawbridge from Newark to Harrison on US280 and see the smoke on the horizon.
Trained bats, of course!
Don't you know, "they" have secretly been breeding enormous bat colonies in dark caves, and now they've all been deliberately infected with Covid-19 and released to spread the pandemic.
The super-weapon? Giant flying-foxes (very large fruit-bats), carrying infected pangolins, to be dropped in populated areas. The cuteness of the pangolins will ensure that people will pet them, thereby transmitting the virus.
-Gnobuddy
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