Little Airlines Article Response

         The company La Compagnie fly all business class B757s between NYC and Paris for less than half the round trip price on a larger carrier. Being said they are not trying to be the most luxurious business class but they are all about being the best for the price.

Iceland based WOW Air uses narrow-body Airbus 320s and has launched a 4x a week service from Baltimore and Boston to Reykjavik for only $400. The article says using smaller jets means you need fewer passengers to fill them, so there’s less capacity risk; charging 400 bucks round-trip almost guarantees you’ll get all the passengers you need. This model though is $400 dollars for the seat, while there are extra fees for baggage, meals, seat location, and even printing boarding passes. This model is the opposite of Norwegian Air Shuttle, which we have already studied as a class. Norwegian is all about long-haul, low-cost.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/garywalther/2014/09/25/la-compagnie-the-upstart-business-class-only-airline-with-the-best-ny-paris-business-class-fare/

I think La Compagnie business model will be more successful because having those extra costs on top of ticket price I believe will deter many people from thr WOW Air model type. I find it appealing that La Compagnie doesn’t try to claim to be the best but the best for the price. They also don’t require an advanced purchase of tickets which means for people who last minute need to travel this is a huge perk, saving them thousands if they were to fly one of the main airliners.

Overall, these new airlines bring a lot of competition and new ways of operating to the industry. I think I will still take time for the populous to build trust with all the new company names and how they do things. If these companies can stay afloat it could greatly expand the airline industry and cause American companies to thoroughly look at how they operate.

Space Tourism

On 31 October, Virign Galactic SpaceShipTwo crashed due to the rudders unexpectedly moved into a feathered position too early. Below is a more detailed explanation.

http://www.space.com/27641-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-accident-investigation-infographic.html 

Virgin Galactic is the world's first commercial space line. 

     "The 2004 Ansari X Prize called for private sector innovations in the field of manned space exploration. Specifically, participants had to design and manufacture a privately funded vehicle that could deliver the weight of three people (including one actual person) to suborbital space. The vehicle had to be 80 percent reusable and fly twice within a two-­‐week period."

 -http://www.virgingalactic.com/uploads/141501863048197/original.pdf 

All regulations mandated by the FAA in regards to space tourism are about safety and the notification to passengers of the risk they are going to assume in participating. They also require flight testing of the vehicles. Specifics can be found in the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004.

I do believe space tourism will be available to the general public within the next 50 years. The expense and associated risks are what I think will limit the industry from growing rapidly, both technologically and in number of people taking part in space tourism.

 

Cargo Carriers Post Colgan 3407

          As a result of the Colgan Air flight 3407 accident the NTSB made many recommendations especially in regards to pilot training. One of the most prominent results is that pilots now must have 1500 hours before they are able to obtain an ATP certificate. Some other changes as a result of this accident include better training on how to prevent and recover from aerodynamic stalls including flight simulator training. Also, remedial training for pilot who demonstrates deficiencies in skills tests must be implemented.

   Recommendations from the final NTSB report from the accident include but are not limited to certain airspeed indicator systems being required to have yellow/amber cautionary band, those in commercial operations being required to install low airspeed alert systems, emphasis on leadership training, and address tailplane stall recovery.

       From USA TODAY, "The new rule requires that pilots get at least 10 hours of rest between shifts. Eight of those hours must involve uninterrupted sleep. In the past, pilots could spend those eight hours getting to and from the hotel, showering and eating. Pilots will be limited to flying eight or nine hours, depending on their start times. They must also have 30 consecutive hours of rest each week, a 25% increase over previous requirements."    

       

http://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/2010/AAR1001.pdf

http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2014/01/03/pilot-fatigue-mandatory-rest-new-faa-rules/4304417/

     Currently cargo carriers do not have a specific rest requirement for their pilots if they are flying eight or less hours in a 24-hour period. Flight time limitations for cargo flight crew members are based on scheduled flight time; though operational or maintenance issues can extend actual flight time to an unreasonable length. 

       Cargo carriers were most likely excluded from this rule unfortunately due to money. Another reason may have been the fact that cargo carriers purpose is not to carry passengers so therefore the general public is not as concerned with the safety of the cargo pilots and whether or not they are fatigued. 

       I do believe this rule should be applied to the cargo carriers because who is to say that their safety is not just as important as that of airline pilots, crew members, and passengers. This would not effect my career since the military has its own rules, regulations, and operating procedures.