Questions tagged [airline-operations]
Refers to questions asking about airline practices, procedures, and processes both in the employment arena and in flight.
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Why do airlines follow these routes between Barcelona and Düsseldorf?
In the wake of GermanWings' terrible incident of flight 9525, I have noticed that the crash location is quite far from the shortest route connecting the two airports.
I then went on FlightRadar24's ...
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Why did this FedEx flight (FDX1311) take such an indirect route multiple times?
I was looking at flights from DEN -> MEM, and saw this extra-long route that FDX1311 took last night (9 Aug 2021)
Thinking they were probably just avoiding storms, I scrolled down and saw there ...
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Why do all commercial aircraft have carpets?
When flying I noticed that all the commercial aircraft I have been on use carpets as a floor covering. But why? If you fly in an older aircraft it looks worn out and it is susceptible to stains etc. ...
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Why are there no "sleeper" planes?
On a recent long-haul flight I sat by the windows and was dreaming away staring into infinity out of the window. Then a thought came up, in Asia sleeping busses are very common. This made me think, ...
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Could airliners use a steam or electric powered catapult for take-off?
This would have the obvious benefits:
Less runway needed to take-off
Fuel savings
Faster turn around times for airlines
Could this be implemented in busy airports?
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Why was my flight cancelled due to bad weather while other flights were not?
I'm stuck in Frankfurt. I missed my connection due to a delay. I was rebooked, but this new flight was also cancelled due to bad weather.
About 30 percent of all flights were cancelled today. ...
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Why do flight times differ between traveling East versus traveling West?
Why does it take longer to fly East to West than West to East?
Which factors affect this?
Does Earth's spinning affect the time difference? Maybe the air circulation?
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Are cargo holds pressurised these days?
This question is only regarding aircraft that seat more than about 100 people.
Are cargo holds pressurised these days, what is the situation?
Are only some pressurized, most, of every single one? ...
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What's the typical cost (and its breakdown) for a long-haul commercial flight?
I realised that this question is very broad, but I intend it as an example to illustrate the actual costs incurred by a typical long-haul commercial flight.
For the purpose of this question, I would ...
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Is the seat-belt sign activation when a pilot goes to the lavatory standard procedure?
Yesterday, I took an inter-European commercial flight with a popular budget airline. Before take-off, the captain announced that the First Officer would be taking the entire flight today.
During the ...
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How does an airliner deal with cabin altitude at an airport above 8000 ft?
There are a number of airports above 8000 ft altitude. FAR 25.841 states:
Pressurized cabins and compartments to be occupied must be equipped to provide a cabin pressure altitude of not more than ...
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Why are commercial airplanes painted at all?
While there was debate over why airplanes are painted white and a question about how much a new paint job costed, what hasn't been asked is why airplanes are painted at all.
I remember one airline ...
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What is common number of flight hours a year for an airline pilot?
Reading various reports including number of flight hours of the pilots I always wonder how it relates to years of service. In most professions, people work 40 hours a week, which gives around 1900 ...
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Why don't airliners use in-air refueling systems?
Right now if an airliner wants to fly a really long distance (eg., a Boeing 787 flying from Seattle to Tokyo), it has to load itself down with lots and lots of fuel, which in turn weighs thousands and ...
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Why would the cabin crew spray the cabin before landing?
Once when I was on a plane that was about to land, the cabin crew came around and they were spraying these small canisters. I've been on many flights but it was that particular flight where they did ...