In December 2022, Southwest Airlines faced a massive operational meltdown when over 16,700 flights were canceled following Winter Storm Elliott. Blame was primarily assigned to the failings of Southwest’s crew scheduling software, which was overwhelmed by the number of flight changes necessary. The aging program, named ‘SkySolver’, ended up havingContinue Reading
The 1970s saw the birth of thewidebody, a radical new aircraft design in which airliners featured two aisles to accommodate more seats per row. The first was the Boeing 747, an iconic double-decker that would go on to become one of the most successful twin-aisle planes of all time, andContinue Reading
It’s rare to find an aircraft so closely associated with a single airline as the Airbus A380 with Emirates. The carrier has 116 examples in its fleet, roughly 60% of the worldwide in-service A380 fleet, and it’s the only large operator of the A380. For most airlines, the A380 servesContinue Reading
In the late 2010s, the name Rolls-Royce was most closely associated with durability issues related to the Trent 1000 engines on the Boeing 787. These motors faced premature wear, leading to Trent 1000-equipped Dreamliners getting their ETOPS ratings downgraded while planes were grounded worldwide, and the Trent 1000 lost significantContinue Reading
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is one of the most striking airliners ever made. With its widebody configuration and distinctive trijet configuration, the MD-11 stands out from other airliners. Its design is even unique among other trijets. The MD-11 and its predecessor, the DC-10, were workhorses for large airlines, especially forContinue Reading