Wed, Apr 01, 2015
‘Breathing Or Non’ Could Soon Be A Question For Passengers
ANN’s April 1 “April Fools” Special Edition
An internal memo from Spirit Airlines president and CEO Ben Baldanza obtained by ANN indicates that the carrier is considering airplanes with graduated cabin pressure zones, with fees scaled for the different cabin pressurizations.
“Everyone will be able to breathe,” the memo states, “though some will complete the entire flight wearing an oxygen mask. The back of the plane will be pressurized to about the altitude of base camp on Mt. Everest.” The base camp is at 17,700 feet.
Spirit has been in talks with both Boeing and Airbus to build special pressure bulkheads to separate the zones, according to the memo. “The bulkheads can be fabricated of lightweight composite materials that will not significantly affect the useful load of the airplanes. We think they can be retrofitted into existing airplanes.”
According to a draft fee schedule, the standard fare would be for the “Mt. Everest” section of the airplane, with those who wish to fly without an oxygen mask paying more for the privilege. An second cabin section would be pressurized to about 12,000 feet, “which may lead to some altitude sickness among passengers. Extra airsickness bags (for a modest fee) may be required in that section,” the memo states.
The Business Class section and the cockpit would be pressurized normally.
News of the plan has drawn fire from the Association of Flight Attendants - CWA. “This plan would make working conditions just deplorable,” said an AFA member not authorized to speak to the media. “Can you imagine having to work an entire flight with a portable oxygen system? We will fight this tooth and nail.”
The FAA has not commented on certification of airplanes with graduated pressurization, so “breathing or non” may not become a reality for some time.
More News
An Amazing Experience Awaits The Chosen Few... Oshkosh, to us, seems the perfect place to get started on watching aviation recover the past couple of years... and so ANN is putting>[...]
“NBAA has a tremendous responsibility to the business aviation industry, and we are constantly collaborating with them. Our flight departments, professionals and aircraft own>[...]
Dead Reckoning Dead reckoning, as applied to flying, is the navigation of an airplane solely by means of computations based on airspeed, course, heading, wind direction, and speed,>[...]
Aero Linx: Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST) We are a public–private initiative to enhance worldwide flight operations safety in all segments of the vertical flight indust>[...]
We're Everywhere... Thanks To You! Even with the vast resources and incredibly far-reaching scope of the Aero-News Network, every now and then a story that should be reported on sl>[...]