Maverick

Pima is one of the most amazing aviation museums on the planet. I've been there a few times! Pima Air and Space Museum | Walk | Strava

Looks totally A.I. generated, it's really good but I highly doubt that's a real video. The airplane, wings, engines, flaps are totally clean and that's not how airplanes look. I might be wrong but I doubt it...

That's a fake...

Go time. AMFA-WJA NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE #13: UNION AUTHORIZES STRIKE BALLOT Apr 26, 2024 April 26, 2024 Participants for AMFA: Bret Oestreich – National President Will Abbott – Region II Director Ian Evershed – Airline Representative Simon Weizman – Member-at-Large Negotiator Lee Seham – Legal Counsel Peter Manikowski – Economist Participants for WestJet Airlines: Diederik Pen – President and COO, WestJet Group Gandeephan Ganeshalingam – Vice President Tech Ops Jason Begley – Director, Labour Relations Virginia Swindall – Senior Manager, Labour Relations Richard Tanner – Associate General Counsel Alex Hunt – Corporate Counsel – Labour Relations Alisha Visanji – Cost Controller John Romane – Person Responsible for Maintenance Darren Cook – Line Maintenance Manager UNION AUTHORIZES STRIKE BALLOT The AMFA-WestJet Negotiating Committee (the “Committee”) is providing this update to the Membership at WestJet, an Alberta Partnership (“WestJet”). This is the only officially authorized source of negotiating communications. WestJet and AMFA representatives met in Calgary, Alberta on April 23-26, 2024. On a parallel track, AMFA administrators were updating employee contacts and making arrangements with its balloting contractor to proceed with a strike vote if required. It is required. It is our intention to issue the strike ballot next week. A secret ballot vote will be conducted, and bargaining unit members will be allowed seven calendar days to submit their vote. In the coming weeks of negotiations, however, we are determined to make every reasonable effort to achieve contractual wages and work rules commensurate with your skills. The Company persists in its failure to submit written proposals throughout the week on significantly enhancing your wages, benefits, layoff/recall, and quality of life work rules. In that case, the Union will call a strike in conformance with the requirements of the Canada Labour Code. Please make sure you have registered on the AMFA National website with your personal email address to receive important future strike vote information. Stay engaged with your Union updates and officers and continue to watch what the Company does as opposed to what it says in written updates or video messages. Remain informed and continue to support the Negotiating Committee as that support increases the ability to bargain a collective agreement your hard work deserves. AMFA thanks the numerous members who came to observe negotiations. Your input is valued, and your presence has an impact. Your AMFA representatives will continue to provide regular updates throughout the negotiating process. Thank you for your continued support. Fraternally, AMFA-WestJet Negotiating Committee AMFA (amfanational.org)

Sunny Hostin is roasted by The View co-hosts after claiming that the solar eclipse and earthquake are linked to climate change | Daily Mail Online Wasn't the Donald...

It's good news indeed. I truly believe that WestJet was unprepared for how professional the AMFA team and the WestJet Engineers that are on the negotiating team were going to be in the negotiations. The Air Canada Maintenance Engineers have a great desire to leave the IAM&AW and I wish them well. We are living in different times now.

Airline CEOs Demand Meeting With Boeing Board Of Directors Without CEO David Calhoun BYANDREW CRIDER PUBLISHED 2 DAYS AGO It's unclear when the meeting will take place. Photo: Marco Menezes | Shutterstock SUMMARY Boeing's board to meet with airline CEOs without CEO Calhoun present amid industry concerns. US carriers like Southwest and United facing issues with Boeing aircraft, impacting operations. Boeing facing pressure from international customers like Copa Airlines seeking compensation. Boeing’s board of directors has apparently agreed to meet with major airline CEOs without the presence of its CEO, David Calhoun, as reported by Fox News and the Wall Street Journal earlier today. The meeting would be the latest confrontation between business executives and aviation industry leaders that Boeing has faced after the failure of a door plug on the now infamous January 5th Alaska Airlines 1282 flight. It’s unclear which airlines will be involved in the meeting. Boeing itself declined to comment. US Airlines represents some of the largest customers of Boeing aircraft, with American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines ranked as the top 3 largest airlines in the world for their fleet size. Months of pain for US carriers Beyond the big three American carriers, Southwest Airlines, which is the 4th biggest airline in the world by its fleet size, has adjusted its revenue projections and limited the growth of its flight schedule due to problems with the American plane manufacturer. United Airlines, for its part, has suffered a number of high-profile issues with some of its Boeing-manufactured aircraft. Where these maintenance issues have been normal for airline operations, coverage of these events has increased. The airline sighted delays with Boeing’s 737 MAX 10, and other problems with Boeing aircraft when the airline recently suspended pilot hiring. Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock The meeting could take place as early as next week. The meeting follows David Calhoun's visit to the US Capital to discuss privately with members of US Congress and their staff as an alternative to a formal meeting. Calhoun and leaders with Boeing had also met with leadership of the Federal Aviation Administration both at the regulator’s DC headquarters and at Boeing facilities in Seattle, Washington. All of these meetings took place as the plane maker drew increased government criticism, with the Chairwoman of the NTSB going to the press to say that Boeing was stonewalling its investigation of Alaska Airlines flight 1282. International problems Beyond the domestic troubles for the US plane manufacturer, it has also faced increased pressure from its International customers. Copa Airlines, the largest 737 MAX operator in Latin America, grounded 20% of its daily flight schedule while grounding the 737 MAX 9 aircraft type. The airline said it would seek compensation from Boeing to compensate for its losses. More recently, Ryanair's famously eccentric CEO said that he would like the airline to have a bigger number of Airbus aircraft. Ryanair, like Southwest and Copa Airlines, has maintained a 737-only fleet. Photo: Bradley Caslin | Shutterstock Boeing’s airline pressure isn't limited to the 737 MAX 9. The manufacturer has also faced delays around the certification of its 737 MAX 10 and is expecting increased delays on the certification of its delayed 777X program. These delays in certification are paired with increasingly poor deliveries, as the plane maker has increasingly slowed the production schedule, and regulators have suggested that it had sacrificed safety to accelerate in the first place. Tim Clark, the president of Emirates, a significant customer of the 777X, said that the widebody program could be delayed into 2026. While words from Tim Clark have always generated headlines in the airline industry, the 777X itself was delayed largely in 2022, when Boeing had halted production in response to the original 737 MAX 8 crisis. The aircraft was originally expected to be introduced in 2020. Airline CEOs Demand Meeting With Boeing Board Of Directors Without CEO David Calhoun (simpleflying.com)

It is for sure. It's a headscratcher for me how this panel could have come off? It doesn't look like it had been removed recently because the area and the panel would have been cleaned.

That panel is a fairing that covers the #4 flap track and transmission. It is not removed for any routine maintenance, It is only removed during heavy maintenance visits. It is a composite panel made from a honeycomb material and weighs maybe 5 lbs. There was no risk to the aircraft from this panel's departure.

WESTJET THREATENS TO CEASE MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS Mar 08, 2024 March 8, 2024 In a company-wide webinar held on March 5, WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech described negotiations with the carrier’s Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs) as “contentious” and denigrated the Union for seeking American standard terms and conditions of employment for its members. Von Hoensbroech then read from his teleprompter: “With regards to tech ops, there are various operating models in the airline industry. There are airlines that have the majority of their tech ops done in-house. There are airlines that actually have no in-house tech ops at all and outsource it all. So, there are various ways.” Von Hoensbroech then said that he was “optimistic” that WestJet would continue to perform its aircraft maintenance “in-house for the most part” … “But it also requires that the cost at which we operate is in line with the market because at the end of the day, we have to compete with other airlines and these other airlines are free to choose in the market as well with how they operate their tech ops.” “Perhaps von Hoensbroech felt he was being subtle,” commented AMFA Region II Director Will Abbott, “subtle like an anvil dropped on a man’s head.” “Von Hoensbroech’s comments were an unmistakable threat to outsource WestJet’s maintenance operations unless the AMEs moderate their demands. Such threats during the collective bargaining process are unlawful under the Canada Labour Code and we will be filing the appropriate charge with the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB).” “But it’s also bad business. No passenger wants to hear that an airline is getting out of the business of maintaining its own aircraft. When you buy a ticket, you expect your airline to deliver a qualified Pilot, a qualified Flight Attendant, and an aircraft maintained by qualified AMEs. A reputable airline cannot abdicate its responsibility to stand behind the airworthiness of planes.” Fraternally, Will Abbott Region II Director https://www.amfanational.org/?zone=/unionactive/view_article.cfm&HomeID=918334 Bad faith bargaining on WestJet's part.

I for one have absolutely zero interest in visiting Saudi Arabia...

All the indications are that WestJet was not expecting quality representation from AMFA. They were wrong.

I told myself I wouldn’t but here I am!

I'm being sarcastic. At the smaller bases that are all contract it's not even close to being what it was.

Yup. Ask WestJet