fireman0174

Different airline but I've flown NRT-SIN and that is one tough leg. It's roughly a 7 hour segment and assuming DAL is no different than my ex-airline, it won't be with an augmented crew.

satchip

I've done Yokota to Singapore. What a beautiful city. Very ethnically diverse, too. Just don't spit gum on the sidewalk or you will get the cane!

We used to stop there for fruits and vegetables on the way to Diego Garcia. I think it was a quick turn too.

sailingfun

I was a baseball guy until I actually flew about a dozen baseball charters. Bigger bunch of idiots I have never seen in my life. Never watched another pro game and they wont get a dime of my money.

CVG767A

Some guys are getting pretty good layovers in Europe right now! I noticed that the crew that brought the plane into Prague on Friday are there for 120 hours and counting. Lucky dogs! 48 hours wasn't nearly enough--

I wonder if they've had to go to the airport, only to find that they've been canceled, or if it's been an uninterrupted layover. Any of you guys getting these good deals right now?

Check Essential

Just saw on the BBC website that the volcano is still emitting ash and the National Airspace guy said flight restrictions are now likely to continue through Monday.

forgot to bid

FOXNews.com - Airlines Conduct Test Flights in Europe as Ash Cloud Hovers
Apr 18, 2010 8:56 AM EDT


AMSTERDAM - KLM, the Dutch subsidiary of Air France, said Sunday it wants to resume passenger flights in Europe as soon as possible after it flew a plane through the cloud of volcanic ash covering much of the continent without suffering any damage.

KLM carried out the test flight above Dutch airspace Saturday. It said initial inspections afterward showed no damage or irregularities from the ash in the air that has led to a ban on air travel over much of Europe since Friday.

The airline says it now plans to return seven airplanes without passengers to Amsterdam from Duesseldorf Sunday.

"We hope to receive permission as soon as possible after that to start up our operation and to transport our passengers to their destinations," said Chief Executive Peter Hartman, who was aboard Saturday's flight.

Germany's Lufthansa flew 10 empty planes to Frankfurt from Munich at low altitude on Saturday under so-called visual flight rules, in which pilots don't have to rely on their instruments.

But the KLM flight, a Boeing 737, flew up to 41,000 feet (13,000 meters), the maximum altitude at which the aircraft is certified to fly.

"We observed no irregularities either during the flight or during the initial inspection on the ground," Hartman said in a statement.

The flight ban has caused massive delays to people and goods, and has left thousands of passengers stranded across the globe.

Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf quoted Hartman as having said at a news conference late Saturday that the airline has been "begging" the European air navigation safety agency Eurocontrol to consider lifting the ban, but the agency has so far refused to discuss the matter.

KLM spokeswoman Saskia Kranendonk said she could not confirm those remarks, but said the company does wish to resume flying passengers in most parts of Europe as soon as possible.

The Dutch Transport Ministry Sunday said national airspace will remain closed to passenger traffic until at least 2 p.m. local time, but confirmed it is allowing further test flights.

"The goal of these test flights is to make measurements in Dutch airspace about the possible consequences of the ash on the airplane parts, the ministry said in a statement.

Southern Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH'-plah-yer-kuh-duhl) volcano began erupting for the second time in a month on Wednesday, sending ash several miles (kilometers) into the air.

Winds have pushed the plume south and east across Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia and into the heart of Europe.

Scientists say volcano ash can be catastrophic to plane engines.

In 1989, a KLM Boeing 747 that flew through a volcanic ash cloud above Alaska temporarily lost all four motors. The motors restarted at a lower altitude and the plane eventually landed safely.

The volcanic eruption is ongoing and forecasters said light prevailing winds in Europe -- and large amounts of unmelted glacial ice above the volcano -- mean that the situation in the air is unlikely to change in the coming days.

forgot to bid

I don't think the guys in Prague are going to volunteer for test flights.

Cohiba

It is defined by the contract but DAL is looking to amend it. Much cheaper and they not as hard to schedule the SLI. $300 verse whatever the SLI costs. There are have been a lot of complaints about the DGS guys. They are either good or really bad. What I don't like is there is no mechanism to get rid of a bad one. Can't imagine relying on a 78 year old guy who hasn't flown in 20 years for an evaluation with the FAA watching.

CVG767A

No kidding!

If this goes on much longer, though, it's going to start hurting. It'll be interesting to see what comes of this KLM test flight if the ash doesn't dissipate soon--

CVG767A

I've had a pretty good experience with the DGS guys I've had for training.

The seniority list F/Os have been good, too. The seniority list Captains, though, were a mixed bag. Some were good, but far too many of them were camping out in the training department for the added pay and ability to be home every night.

I would think that these DGS guys would be retained or let go based upon feedback from line pilots (at least I hope it's working that way).