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On this week’s episode of AvTalk, US airspace held together—barely—with hastily announced cuts to flights at major airports going into effect and air traffic controller staffing triggers peaking on Sunday. We also discuss comments from President Trump (09:23-15:28) on controller staffing during the shutdown and what effect that sentiment might have on controllers in the future.
Updates on the crash of UPS 2976, including the latest updates from the NSTB and the FAA’s decision to ground the MD-11 fleet for inspections.
Australian investigators detail two flights that came extremely close to construction workers on the runway. And United files its response to a lawsuit from passengers who say they paid for a window seat, but all they got was a view of the aircraft sidewall. Listen to the discussion and let us know if you’re also “reasonable people.”
Helpful links for this week’s episode
- FAA requires flight cuts at 40 major airports
- Airline executives skeptical of flight cut justification
- UPS 2976 investigative updates
- FAA grounds MD-11s for inspections
- ATSB report (with video) on pair of close calls at Melbourne
Thank you for listening!
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26 Responses
If they are called window seat they should have a window! It is up to the airlines to find a name for seats in the window row that don’t have a windo.
Sidewall seat. Simple
Nice name
That would be a tidy name. Good call.
How about Wall Seat, or Non-window seat
I agree fully 👍
Totally agree!
They have! It’s going to be call a “sucka seat,” as in “you lose, sucka!”
My thoughts, exactly!!
It’s more of a column or line than a row ;-]
crap seat, who likes window seats without windows??
I agree, if they call it a window seat, it should have a window. I was having a major issues with Qantas on this one. They kept putting me in a windowless seat after I specifically told them I did not want to be put into one of these (Boeing 767 and 737). They stopped doing this when I actually got off the aircraft and refused to board until it was rectified. It was very quickly resolved with a re-allocated seat. It never happened again.
I knew what seats had no window, but the 767 in particular, varied in configuration. 737 are pretty constant and with Qantas, row 9 and 10F have no windows.
While making a seat selection, the choice most often does not include the words “window seat” . You simply point your mouse to a certain seat on the seat map and click on it in order to choose that particular seat. Does it state that a window is guaranteed to be in that spot? No, it does not. If it is important to the passenger to indeed have a window, they should first double-check the aircraft configuration to make sure there is not a bulkhead or wall there. Not all airplanes are built alike and some aircraft indeed do not have windows at every aisle. This can be done by visiting the websites such as SeatGuru or SeatMaps. These websites tell you what seats are next to windows, or if that aisle is “missing a window” or has “limited wing view”, or has a “misaligned window”. These websites can also tell you how much seat pitch (space) and recline (in inches) that particular seat has, and whether or not the seat is near a lavatory or galley. I find all of this kind of funny anyway, as most passengers close their window shades for the duration of the flight, so there may as well be a wall there!
Hi, windows that have no outside view should be called ( Closed Windows ), therefore, not a window seat.. Easy..
Hopefully all the windows are closed.
It’s a nonsense that United has a mortgage on the term “economy plus”! Why??
In my experience, most airlines call it “Premium Economy”, so I don’t see the logic in making up a new name that will only serve to confuse potential passengers!
I mean, we call first class as First Class, we call business class as Business Class, and we call economy as Economy. Will United start calling First Class as King Class, and Business Class as Wall Street Class? Good grief, a whole to-do about nothing ~ leave the English language alone, so we can all know what we mean!
You’ve never been to a meeting with the marketing department. 🙂
window seats should have a window cause its name is (WINDOW) seat
I am somebody who is mostly glued to the window during flights, so i pick my seats with an aligned window and when in doubt i check with seatmaps. Most airlines have a good layout of the cabin or their websites so you can make your choices easily and i have only been disappointed once in all of my years flying that they had “moved” the window slightly forward before i entered the plane……
In fact, the airlines still do not show on their websites which seats are windowless. In Europe, one of the few that does is Ryanair. The information is displayed during the selection of this specific seat. Also, to prevent such unpleasant moments, I use aerolopa.com. They have done a great job there.
Give £50:oo discount, then you will see a rush to purchase them!
Every other ticketed industry does this (theatre, concerts, football, etc.) where they clearly state “restricted view” on a particular seat in a stadium ! (far bigger than an aircraft), so you know what you are buying. It is not beyond the means of the airline to clearly state non window/ sidewall seat…. They already highlight emergency exit row seat, bassinet row seat, premium seats etc.!
YES
In the summaries in the email, it’s a shame you don’t put a timestamp on each story, so I could go to a story I’m interested in. I don’t want to listen to the whole thing, so I don’t listen to any of it.
I’ve often asked for a window seat specifically noting that I don’t want to be over the wing, and explaining that I do actually like to look out and look at the view. Flying is a technological marvel and shouldn’t be wasted looking at a TV screen in the back of the seat in front of you (except for international flights at night over an ocean).
Countless times in spite of this request, they will either put me over a wing, or in a wall seat. I think the airlines just don’t understand that some people actually do like watching the view. This is demonstrated when flight attendants force you to lower your window shade after take off. I’ve actually had a flight attendant lean over and close it even as I was looking out.
We’ve lost the magic of flight, which is such a shame.