Both planes shouldn’t be at Los Rodeos Airport. Their final destination was the Gran Canaria International Airpot, which has been closed after a terrorist bomb exploded in the terminal. After that incident, on March 27, 1977, the authorities decided to close to divert all the flights to the Tenerife North Airport. More than five large aircraft were diverted that day to the Tenerife North Airport, a regional an relatively small airport that could not easily accommodate such an amount of passengers.

Pan Am flight 1736 had taken off from the LA International Airport and it had a stop at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. 14 of the 380 passengers boarded from NY and the crew, consisting of 14 members, also changed here. The Boeing 747-121, with the N736PA registration, was the first 747 delivered to Pan Am.

KLM Flight 4805 was a charter flight for the Holland International Travel Group and it had taken off 4 hours before from the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The 747-260B Boeing, with the PH-BUF registration, had 235 passengers and 14 crew members. After landing at Tenerife, one local woman decided not to re-board the plane, leaving 234 passenger on board.

While both of the planes were at Los Rodeos Airport, the authorities reopened the Gran Canaria airport. The Pan Am was ready to take off, but due to the limited size of the airport, it did not manage to do this, since the KLM 747 decided to refuel. This was another decisive coincidence, since Pan Am had to wait for the KLM aircraft departure before taking off. The KLM captain decided to save time by fuelling at Tenerife, but all the new fuel added more weight, that slightly decreased the lift-off power and the accident escape ability.

When finished, the 747 KLM taxied to the runway, being aware that the Pan Am aircraft was back-taxiing behind them, on the same runway. Both of the planes had to back-taxi the whole runway, in order to make a 180 degree turn to put the aircraft in the take off position. During all this time the weather deteriorated and the low clouds limited the visibility to only 300 m (1,000 ft). The legal visibility range for a take off was 700 m (2,300 ft) back then.

The ATC instructed the Pan Am aricraft to back-taxi as well and eventually to exit the runway through the “third exit”. Based on the recordings, the Pan Am flight crew identified the first and the second exit but nobody knows if they have sighted the third one, since these taxiways were not clearly marked. Investigations conducted after the accident concluded that exiting through the third taxi-way would be practically impossible, due to the traffic congestion at the airport, that day.

The accident was caused by a communication misunderstanding. When lined up, the captain of the KLM aircraft spined-up the engines (advancing the throttles in order to check if the engines are operating properly) and the co-pilot, surprised, asked for the ATC clearance. The ATC gave a clearance that specified the route to be followed by the KLM plane after taking off. Still, there was no specific statement regarding the “take off clearance”. The captain started rolling for taking off, the co-pilot completed the read-back at the ATC by saying “we’re now at take off… we’re now, uh, taking off” (exact citation) and the Spanish controller replied “OK”, although this is a non-standard terminology.

Due to the fog, neither crew was able to see the other plane on the runway. Neither of the aircraft was seen from the control tower, as well. The Pan Am captain spotted the KLM’s taking off lights right when the 747 was approaching. The Pan Am applied full power and attempted a sharp left turn, but the KLM’s aircraft lower fuselage hit the upper right side of the Pan Am plane, at 140 knots (160 mph). The Pan Am was ripped apart and the KLM right engines crashed on the upper deck of the Pan Am. The KLM was briefly airborne, but then the captain lost control and crashed 150 m (500 ft) after the collision, sliding another 300 m on the runway.

234 passengers and 14 crew members in the KLM plane died and 326 passengers and 9 crew members from the Pan Am jet also were killed. The 56 passengers and 5 crew members of the Pan Am flight escaped by walking onto the left wing. The fire-fighters were initially unaware that there was another plane involved in the accident. Investigation that followed this tragedy concluded the fact that KLM’s captain was the main responsible for the accident, by deciding to take off without a clearance.

The authorities installed a ground radar at the Tenerife North Airport after the accident and in 1978, Tenerife’s second and larger airport was opened. The latter serves now as the main airport of the island, although the ex-Los Rodeos Airport is still functional, serving as a low-cost carrier destination. If you’re looking for cheap flights to Tenerife, it’s most likely to land at the Tenerife Nort Airport, but do not worry. The ATC new radars, the progress of the technology and the new rigorous training methods for the cockpit crews are now considerably improved, therefore the flight safety and respecting the ground procedure is not a question of option, but a “has to” for every aircraft. Studies revealed nowadays air travel is still the safest way to travel, the human errors are causing less fatal aircraft accidents than in the past and the number of air accidents is on a decreasing trend, both in America and Europe.

BA is taking three more Boeings 777 by early 2012, and the executives of the company are already proud to announce that the interior of the aircraft’s cabin has been completely modernised. The new in-flight entertainment system will also assure the customer satisfaction by providing 50% more choices on movies, television and music products, the representatives of BA say.

“It is the aircraft first to be fitted-out with our new ‘World Traveller’ and ‘World Traveller Plus’ cabins”, Willie Walsh, CEO of British Airways, says.

The 777 delivered to the UK carrier will also feature BA’s ‘First’ and ‘Club World’ interiors.

British Airways therefore becomes the third European carrier to operate 700-300ER, after Turkish Airlines and Air France-KLM. The twin-engine jet airliner is powered by a couple of General Electric 90-115B turbofans, currently the most powerful used engines in use. The range of this lovely aircraft is 7,930 nautical miles (14,690 km).

And here’s a “making of” video of the G-STBA:

Who says that this scene could not apply when washing an aircraft? Certainly not the Russians, an especially not the Russians from AviaNova, Moscow’s newest low-cost carrier. Here’s a commercial that stars some of the company’s actual flight attendants.

Enjoy it and if your planning a trip to Russia, keep an eye on those Russian stewardesses! You never know how they might surprise you.

In April, Lufthansa accused Emirates of trying to divert the airline traffic from the European country to the UAE. Lufthansa also suggested that offering more landing rights to the Emirates Airlines would mean a loss of German jobs to Dubai. Emirates argue that a bigger presence in Germany would imply more economic benefits for the country. Emirates is already supporting the German economy, since its recent order of Airbus 380 contributes directly and indirectly to tens of thousands of German workers.

Emirates accused Lufthansa of distributing the above-mentioned document not just to policy makers, but to media as well. As a reply, Dubai’s airline made its own anti-protectionist report, suggestively named: “Tearing Down the Other Wall”.

Is it already too much or the German restrictions imposed to an Arab airline might sound a bit too racist?

Source: The National.

Moreover, on the ground, four limousine buses of the same Korean Air will be skinned with different Starcraft II symbols, for the same period. Considering the fact that the planes will spend more time in the air than on the ground, this sounds like a better investment, doesn’t it?

“We’re pleased to be partnering with Korean Air, Korea’s leading airline, on this campaign. As we approach the global launch of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, this promotion represents a unique, large-scale opportunity to introduce the characters and style of the StarCraft universe to gamers throughout the world.”, says Paul Sams, COO at Blizzard Entertainment.

Here’s a making-of video for the newest livery in Korean Air’s fleet:

When and why did you start the @klmfan account?

I started the @klmfan account both out of interest in KLM as well as a social media experiment. It was first @KLM and grew rapidly. Since it was not an official KLM account I changed it into @klmfan to make sure people don’t mix it up with the thought that it could be an official account. It was really amazing to see how people shared their KLM experiences on Twitter. I started to follow those people and it was amazing how much tips, praises, complaints and flight lovers discussed their experiences REAL TIME. That’s anew one. I started the account in february 2009.

Has KLM ever contacted you in regard to the Twitter profile?

Yes, they contacted me and ever since then we have regular contact. They had some Twitter accounts back then, but none of them was really popular. Also they were not very interactive in their approach. Those twitter accounts were not really official as well. Since the rise of @klmfan they started to get more interest in Twitter and in social media in general I think. We had a few meetings and they guided me through the hangars in Schiphol. Also they asked me to live report on Twitter about the first partly biofuel flight with passengers. This was an amazing experience.

What was the nicest/weirdest KLM experience you came across?

The nicest KLM experience I had was the guided tour through the hangars of Schiphol Airport. The extreme beauty of these planes, the nice guide and the interesting stories about flying were just incredible. Also the livereport of the “biofuel flight” was amazing, because this was my first experience of realtime reporting about a subject that was hot news in the press. Also, when I was a little kid, my uncle (that works for KLM) took me to a flightsim and I was allowed to experience it for some time. Incredible. My weirdest experience was that @klmfan was picked up in quite some online press articles (also when it was still @klm). Also the subject of the disappearance of AF 447 caused a lot of buzz and interest in the KLM Twitter account.

How much time do you invest in your Twitter profile daily?

Depends, I have multiple Twitter accounts that I update daily. Next to @klmfan I have my personal account: @timvanwaard and an account for a globally known trancemusic site (my other big passion): @trancenu

What do you do when you’re not tweeting?

I work as a consultant for online communication, also do some content management and online projects. I also tend to make digital mixes of trancemusic and I spent time with my girlfriend.

How do you see KLM’s online presence right now?

The online channel is the most important channel for KLM right now is the internet. And by that I mean not only their website (which get’s regular criticism about not working properly), but also the other online (social media) channels. First off all you need a working website. Failure of systems is not tolerated anymore by customers. Second: they must expand their brand KLM globally online more. KLM is such a massive name with a great vibe around it. They started their Twitter account that’s gaining alot of new followers everyday, they started a Facebook page where you can make personalized luggage tags. That are some great initiatives, but it’s just a start. I see many opportunities for KLM to expand their social media activity and online presence. Still I sense a lot of fear for social media (like a lot of big companies) but they must try to turn it from a threat into an opportunity. The people I have contact with at KLM are doing some great stuff and I like their philosophy: if we do something, we do it good and we over think it.

What is your best/worst experience when flying?

I don’t like it when I have to take out my shoes before boarding as happened when I flew to Miami with British Airways. Also I wasn’t too fond of Iberia’s flight crew when I flew with them. My best experience must have been landing in Rovaniemi, Lapland. The whole airport and landing strip covered in snow. Pretty magical.

We hoped you enjoyed the interview. If you would like to find out more about Airline Post or get interviewed in our new series, please contact us!

Using the toilet on a Ryanair flight will cost you £1 or 1 Euro and you cannot protest before having to pay, since the toilets will be coin operated. Moreover, expect to stay in line before using the toilet, since the officials of Ryanair are also planning to cut to number of on board toilets to just… one. The new rate will be introduced in the fall.

Moreover, the company intends to raise the charge for checked in luggages from £15 to £20, during summer. “We are determined to incentivise passengers to travel light this summer by increasing our checked-in baggage fees for the months of July and August only”, spokesman Stephen McNamara says.

This is clearly a “family tax”, since they are the ones that need luggages. Just imagine going on vacation with a couple of young kids and just a handbag of spare clothes. Does not sound like such a good idea, does it? Therefore, if flying on a Ryanair plane this summer, with a noisy family in the cabin, make sure to ask them if they have a checked-in bag before complaining about the situation. Why? Because they might be the ones whom you owe those low ticket fares you took advantage of.

Kulula decided to paint a 737, so that everyone knows what’s beyond the fuselage. Enjoy the photos (click them for a readable image).

Source: Leeham News and Comment

The speculations about JAL’s trials have been very intense in the last months. Although some representatives of the Japanese Government say that the airline could recover in two years, although the analysts say that this seems like a very optimistic goal.

Japan Airlines stock price collapsed in the last days, losing more than 90 percent of its value. This morning, the shares of the company were trading at just $0,04 per share, a record low. JAL’s market value is now just $120 million, below the price of just one new Boeing 787 jet.

Once the proud of the country, Japan Airlines was set up in 1951 with a several leased aircraft and it grew into a corporate giant with almost 50,000 staff and a fleet of 280 planes. JAL continued to refuse to cut the costs and the investments ever since the first signs of Japan’s economic bubble collapse, in the early 1990s.

Flyglobespan was Scotland’s biggest airline, carrying more than 1.5mil passengers, on 12,000 flights in 2008. The main departures city were Edinburgh, Glasgow Prestwick and Aberdeen. The company had also several transatlantic flights from Gatwick and Blefast.

Yesterday’s announce stranded 4,500 passengers in Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Egypt, although the  PricewaterhouseCoopers administrators declared that all the booked passengers were contacted. The Civil Aviation Authority is running an operation for repatriating about 1,100 of the abandoned customers. If the rest of the people booked their flights on the Flyglobespan website or at the call center, they may qualify for a reduced fare back home.

“I urge all affected passengers to identify themselves as former Flyglobespan customers to alternative carriers in order to ensure they benefit from these special repatriation fares”, said the Transport minister, Paul Clark.

easyJet and Ryanair offered special “rescue” rates to the affected passengers, where the routes overlapped with those of Flyglobespan.  The 100,000 people that have travel plans booked should be protected under the credit card transaction or their personal travel insurance.

Flyglobespan went into administration after failed efforts of signing a financing deal with the Jersey-based Halycon Investments.