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Plane Answers: Fuel dumping and free travel for airline employees
Welcome to Gadling's feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away!Arjav asks:
Hi Kent,
Recently I was flying on a Emirates flight from JFK to DXB and I looked out the window and saw this pipe that looks almost like a muffler. Then on my 2nd half of the trip I saw it again on another aircraft. I have never seen this on any plane before. Both planes were made by Airbus: A380 and A330.
So is this only found on Airbus planes or is something only found on Emirates aircraft and what is it for?
Congratulations on your A380 flight. I'd love to have experienced that.
What you saw on both airplanes is, for the most part, unique to widebody Airbus and Boeing airplanes. At the end of one of the flap track fairings on the wing is a fuel dump nozzle. In the event of an emergency, we can elect to dump fuel at a very fast rate, which allows us to climb better if we had an engine failure or to land at less than our maximum landing weight should the emergency require an immediate return.
This fuel dumping has been in the news lately, in fact. An Asiana Airlines flight had to dump fuel from an altitude of 3,000 feet over Puget Sound. The Washington Department of Ecology was rumored to be considering a fine against Asiana, but just a few days later said that it didn't make sense to second-guess the pilot's actions in an emergency.
Fifteen years ago I had to dump fuel in a 727 after an engine failure immediately after takeoff in Indianapolis. The climb rate of the fully loaded cargo jet with one engine inoperative wasn't impressive and the procedure called for dumping fuel immediately. We were so busy with the emergency checklists that little consideration was given to the environmental impacts when we had to dump fuel.
The dumped fuel tends to evaporate on the way down to the ground, but it's certainly worth giving the emergency situation and the location some thought before automatically pressing the dump valves.
Jackie asks:
Since I started traveling more frequently, I have been eager to rack up miles and elite status with airlines. I have always wanted to know the perks of airline workers, especially pilots and flights attendants. Do you plus family get to fly for free? Is it in economy or business/first class?
AIrline employees can travel for a reduced rate, sometimes even free domestically on their own airline. The catch is that these free or reduced rate flights are on a standby basis, subject to the occasional bumping from oversold flights. First class flights domestically and coach flights internationally aren't free at my airline, and occasionally a full fare domestic ticket can be a more attractive option.
Employees are sometimes offered 'buddy passes' to share with friends and extended family, but those often come at a cost equivalent of a discounted ticket and are also subject to space availability.
Since you're on a quest to rack up airline miles, I have to suggest the website Flyertalk.com as the ultimate place to learn from the experts who discuss 'mileage runs' and other techniques to rack up miles.
If mileage runs are too much hassle, you can always find an airline employee to marry. "Marry me, fly free!" is how I convinced my wife to take the plunge.
Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and maybe he'll use it for next Monday's Plane Answers. Check out his other blog, Cockpit Chronicles and travel along with him at work.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
nzm May 11th 2009 6:09PM
The Emirates plane recently involved in the scary accident at Melbourne's Tullamarine dumped fuel into Port Phillip Bay before returning to land at the airport.
I haven't seen one article addressing the possible damage that this could cause in Port Phillip Bay, yet last year the Melbourne papers were full of protests against the dredge that was working in the bay performing channel deepening and widening!
The report for that EK accident gives me goosebumps when I see the images:
http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2009/AAIR/aair200901310.aspx
A lot of lucky people.
nzm May 11th 2009 6:14PM
Sorry - wrong link to images.
Try this:
http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2009/AAIR/pdf/AO2009012_Prelim.pdf
Paul May 11th 2009 9:29PM
At the airline I work for, standby travel is no picnic with these capacity cuts. Almost every flight is oversold. I can get out or ORD to anywhere in the world. However, getting home is another ballgame.. ALWAYS have a plan B, that includes possibly having to buy a last minute full fare ticket.
Arrey May 12th 2009 12:29AM
Gotta love non-revving!! I went to L.A. and flew right back to ATL just to get on a triple 7. Worth every minute.
Edita May 12th 2009 1:54AM
O.K. Arrey - let us have lunch in New York and dinner in San Francisco and back home in the Midwest by midnight -without spending air fare money.
You are right...very few people can say that. Airline employees do not get paid a lot but the flight perks are great. One of the reasons why I hang on to my airline job is due to the Parents' Pass benefits--while still employed. Now that we have merged with another airline - we are adopting their Parents' Pass benefits which is available even when you retire. Looking forward to this integration and the great perks it offers. The present Buddy Pass from my airline employer is available only when you are employed. - and you have to fly with your "buddies" - except for a few situations. With the new merged company, Buddy Passes are available even when we retire. Two great perks from this "new" airline.
Flight benefits are great also if you have a lot of kids. Imagine flying with your kids to anywhere in the world - when they are young. By the time they reach 18, they'd be more knowledgeable about the different culture and people.
Pat May 31st 2009 5:33PM
Dear Kent, I read with interest your defense of the Colgan pilots. I give Anesthesia so I know how one small problem can lead to a domino effect and my only Co-pilot is God. They say that giving anesthesia and flying are similar because it is hours of boredom separated by seconds of sheer panic! The only good thing is that we do not go down physically with the ship but it takes a terrible mental toll.
Kent Wien May 31st 2009 5:34PM
Thanks Pat.
Now I'm just slightly more nervous the next time I get knocked out at a hospital! Thanks for the insight.
Neil Jul 13th 2009 6:44AM
Hi Kent,
your posts are fantastic! I spend most of my free time just reading your posts, great fun! I guess I'm what you can call an "airline brat" both of my parents have worked for the airlines since before I was born (I'm 30 now) I grew up nonreving so I know the wonderful "highs" of getting that plush business class seat and the "lows" of getting the middle seat in the last row in coach (usually between the 2 guys with some exotic form of the flu :)) I can say without a doubt being able to fly anywhere in the world at a moments notice (provided you clear the list) is a huge perk, and its a perk that is well deserved by the employees! But as of lately the whole system has been nerve racking, worse than I can ever remember, Im sure this has something to do with reduced service into some markets. I'm very lucky as the airline my mom retired from still gives me nondependant passes which reduces the fair substancially on a recient trip from Seoul to Madrid the full fair business ticket was almost $20,000 (not a typo) I paid around $400 for the same seat! As for buddy passes we always joke only give them to people who you dont want as buddies anymore, with the pass priority they get it is sure to be a nerve racking experience and they probably won't talk to you after their trip! :) sorry for the long post hope the info I put in here was enjoyable at least.