Airline crews may be more likely to get skin cancer

New York: Pilots and flight attendants may be at an increased risk of developing the most deadly form of skin cancer, suggests a new analysis.

While the study cannot pinpoint why flight crews are at higher risk, the researchers suggest it could be the result of greater exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which causes damage to the DNA in skin cells, at high altitudes.

“This is very worrisome and awareness needs to increase and protective measurements must be undertaken,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Martina Sanlorenzo from the University of California, San Francisco.

Govt move to set 35-year age limit for Air India crew to face legal test

Mumbai: The civil aviation ministry's move to cap the upper age limit for Air India cabin crew at 35 years is impractical and fraught with legal complications, airline's crew and lawyers representing them have said.
This is because about 70% of the permanent cabin crew are over 35 years. Also the airline will have to serve a legal notice before making any change in service conditions, they added.
Two weeks ago civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju gave a 26-point agenda to the airline to boost its performance in wake of competition. One of them is keeping age limit of cabin crew young to improve service standards and reduce delays. The minister suggested older crew members could be given ground duties.

AI crew management software crashes, 28 flights delayed

Air India's crew management software, that auto rosters crew assignments, crashed on Sunday night, leading to an ever-cascading delay in operations. Around 28 flights, headed towards various destinations in the US and Europe, were delayed as the airline staff tried hard to restart it.

The software, also known as ARMS, uses algorithms to decide duties of the crew -- based on user-defined rules, policies, parameters and constraints.

A senior Air India official said, "The scheduling system collapsed leading to utter chaos as there were no record of which of the crew were to operate on which flight."

Civil Aviation Ministry wants younger cabin crew for Air India

New Delhi: The Civil Aviation Ministry has issued a series of instructions to Air India, including redeployment of its "surplus" staff, to tighten its belts to face heightened competition, particularly from the proposed Tata-SIA backed Vistara airline.

In order to turn it into a 'lean and mean' airline to face growing competition from domestic and global carriers, the Ministry wants the national carrier to reduce flight delays, official sources said, adding that the airline should submit monthly reports of all delayed flights with reasons to the office of Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju.

Lack of Delhi-based crew for Dreamliners cost Air India Rs 17 crore

New Delhi: CAG today rapped Air India for spending over Rs 17 crore on allowances and hotel expenses for pilots and cabin crew from Mumbai to operate Dreamliner planes though most of the flights originated from Delhi.

The government audit body said the national carrier had "failed to increase the proportion of crew stationed in Delhi during 2011-12 and 2012-13 even as the proportion of flights from Delhi increased significantly, leading to additional deadhead expenditure of Rs 17.17 crore in positioning Mumbai-based crew in Delhi."

In a report tabled in Parliament today, the Comptroller and Auditor General also said that the seats on which the cabin crew travelled "were not available for passengers, resulting in lower revenue generation particularly for a busy route like Mumbai-Delhi-Mumbai".

Air India sacks 47 cabin crew members on grounds of absenteeism

New Delhi: Taking a tough stance to ensure discipline, Air India has sacked 47 members of its cabin crew and issued show-cause notices to 20 more on grounds of absenteeism.

While all of those sacked are stationed in Mumbai, 17 of those issued the notices for not showing up for three months without any intimation also belong to the western metropolis and the rest from Delhi, senior airline officials said.

However, those issued show-cause notices could re-join duty by June 30 after fulfilling necessary requirements and getting certified for sickness, if any, from Air India doctors, the officials said, adding that such disciplinary action taken on a regular basis has now become a deterrent for a total cabin crew strength of about 3,500.

New SpiceJet livery pays tribute to cabin crew

SpiceJet has taken delivery of a new Boeing 737 aircraft, which has been painted with a special livery dedicated to the airline’s cabin crew.

The single-aisle jet, named ‘Red Chilli’, took off for the first time on Tuesday on a flight from Delhi to Mumbai, with the four flight attendants whose photos adorn the sides of the aircraft also serving passengers.  The airline’s slogan, “With All Our Heart”, has been printed on the side of the aircraft.

“All of us in the SpiceJet family are proud of our newest aircraft that has been specially painted to celebrate the spirit and dedication of every single person in SpiceJet,” said Sanjiv Kapoor, the airline’s chief operating officer.
Read news in full 05/06/14 Travel Daily Media

Air India breached security norms, AI cabin crew association says

Mumbai: National carrier Air India (AI) violated airport security norms for close to a month as about 280 of its cabin crew illegally entered Indian airports using passenger boarding cards instead of the mandatory Airport Entry Pass (AEP) meant for personnel in the airport terminal building or in the airside area.