unaligned

A bitter row between the German cabin crew union UFO and Lufthansa has seen around 180 flights cancelled from Monday to Wednesday this week, covering the busy New Year's period of travel. The affected flights are all at Germanwings. The total number of canceled flights is relatively small compared to the daily volume Lufthansa and its subsidiaries operate. But timing the strike to coincide with one of the busiest travel periods of the year is a reflection of just how strained relations have become between Lufthansa and the cabin crew union. That's not all. UFO says that it will extend the strike beyond Jan 1 if they don't see desired concessions from Lufthansa. "This is no way to resolve the conflict," a spokesman for the airline said. <br/>

Kazakh carrier Bek Air has disclosed details of the in-flight upset which affected the Fokker 100 which crashed on take-off from Almaty Dec 27. Bek Air states that the aircraft’s airframe and engine de-icing systems had been activated, and that the jet departed with zero flap extension. Bek Air said that the aircraft’s Rolls-Royce Tay engines and other systems were functioning normally with no anomalies evident. The carrier has not stated whether the aircraft underwent an external de-icing process before departure. As the aircraft lifted off, it immediately started oscillating, apparently initially to the left. While the inquiry has yet to reach any conclusions, similar oscillations on take-off have previously been recorded in Fokker 100s whose wing lift has been impaired by ice contamination. <br/>