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Simple Flying Aviation News Podcast
#283: TSA Officers Quit, Lufthansa's Comments On The Boeing 777x & More
00:29:20
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- [00:05]
A
Hello, my name is Tom Boone and I'm Channing Reid. Welcome to a brand new episode of the Simple Flying Podcast where we'll give you the lowdown on the latest news from the world of commercial aviation. Here's what we have for you this week.
- [00:21]
B
Coming up today, airports and passengers are fed up over long TSA wait times as the Department of Homeland Security's shutdown continues. I'll tell you just how many TSA officers have have resigned. Then Tom will explore the timeline of when the Boeing 777X will be delivered to its first operator.
- [00:40]
A
Channing will cover American Airlines latest effort to boost its experiences with brand new airport lounge while I go behind the scenes at how one company is turning aircraft aluminum into aviation history.
- [00:52]
B
And finally, I'll explore how Delta Tech Ops is expanding its maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities.
- [00:59]
A
So now you know what's in store. Let's get on with the show. And Channing, what's going on with TSA wait times? All I remember is that I was always in the TSA pre Q, so I don't like a long wait time at security, I'll tell you that.
- [01:11]
B
Yeah, I don't like a long wait time either. And unfortunately that's what a lot of passengers are dealing with at several airports across the US and it has some worried about missing their flights. But without many solutions, some airports are basically telling travelers to figure it out. It comes as unscheduled absences among airport security officers have more than doubled during the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown. According to CBS news, more than 300 employees have vacated the agency since the start of the shutdown. Call out rates have climbed into double digit percentages at some airports, including half the officers at Houston Hobby Airport, which of course has strained screening operations and contributed to longer security lines. Some passengers have reported waiting in checkpoint queues for as long as four hours. TSA statistics show that the nationwide callout rate has risen to an average of 6% during the shutdown. That's compared with about 2%, which was before government funding lapsed. Between February 14th and March 9th, as many as 305 TSA employees chose to resign from their jobs, representing a major hit to the agency because it can reportedly take months to replace officers because of of the four to six months of training required before employees are able to work independently at airport checkpoints. Now, as the complications continue, DHS officials worry that the longer the shutdown lasts, the greater the risk that more TSA employees will leave, which will of course worsen staffing shortages beyond the immediate crisis. Officials believe that repeated shutdowns that interrupt pay continue to make the job less attractive and undermine recruitment and retention efforts by the federal government over the long term. Now, TSA Administrator John Pistol told CBS News that, quote, it's a huge morale hit for the agency. He also noted that the TSA lost nearly 1,100 security officers who resigned during last year's shutdown because they simply needed income and they weren't being paid. On Monday, the White House blamed Democrats for causing the shutdown. In a statement, it said Democrats negotiated a bipartisan full year DHS funding bill, then walked away from the table, forcing these essential workers to serve without pay yet again. Now, a DHS spokesperson said that TSA employees were being forced to work without pay, quote, for the third time in nearly six months, adding, quote, the longer this shutdown drags on, the more financial hardship our patriotic officers and their families face, leading to more staffing issues and longer wait times for travelers. Now, TSA officers are also approaching a key financial milestone in the standoff, which is receiving their, or I guess not receiving their first full missed paycheck. That's expected on Friday. So just one day from today. And that of course raises concerns that more employees could call out if the shutdown drags on. So we are seeing again a repeat of what happened just a few months ago and it's been very unfortunate. It's also unfortunate to see the divide in terms of our administration blaming the Democrats on saying that this is an issue when it requires work on both sides. So we will have to see how things go on in the next couple of days. To your point, Tom, Precheck is a wonderful benefit. When a few weeks ago it was reported that the Trump administration shut down, or I should say the Department of Homeland security shut down TSA PreCheck, I was actually flying out that day and thankfully, I think because of the uproar from a lot of people about Precheck, they decided to go away with that and opened up the pre checkpoint and queues again. I think mainly because that is a paid service, so people are paying for that. A lot of people were upset about that. Global Entry, on the other hand, just reopened after being closed for a few weeks. There is a little bit of relief there. But again, for the most part, a lot of airports dealing with long security lines as officers are just saying, I'm done, I'm not coming into work and y' all are going to have to deal with it. So a fluid situation and hopefully they will be able to get funding soon so that we don't have these long lines. I've heard that some airports are recommending to passengers to get to the airport as much as six hours before their flight, which is crazy. Normally for a domestic flight it's two hours before. An international flight is three hours before. So now we're looking at double that time you need to get to the airport. That is quite absurd in my opinion. So hopefully we will see things get better, of course, as the spring break travel demand is about to be upon us.
- [06:37]
A
Well, I'm touching wood right now while I say this, but in Europe so far this year, I've really had no problems at all with security. I think the longest I've had to wait is like three or four minutes before I got to the front of the queue. I think I've actually waited longer when my bag has lost the toss up of is it going to go straight ahead or be pulled to the side and swabbed. So touch wood. It's at least not everywhere right now.
- [07:03]
B
Yeah, right. It seems like it's major airports in the US But I'm sure that some airports, smaller airports in the US that's not much of a concern either.
- [07:13]
A
Well, talking about the US let's talk about the Boeing 777X. Because after years of delays, broken timelines, and some very frustrated airline executives, there's a genuine note of optimism worth discussing. And interestingly, it's coming from one of the people who's been most vocal about their frustration. Now, that person is Carsten Schwoor, who's the CEO of Lufthansa. And he's historically not held back when it comes to Boeing's inability to deliver the 777X on time. In past, in fact, he's even described the situation as extremely annoying and said that it's costing Lufthansa a lot of money. So when Spauce stands up at his own annual press conference in Frankfurt and says he's confident the first 7779 will arrive in Q1 2020, I think that carries some weight. So speaking in response to a question from me at the annual conference, Spoel said that after conversations with Boeing, he's optimistic that the Q1 2027 target will hold and that the aircraft will be in service for Lufthansa summer schedule in 2027. He even quipped that he's flying to Seattle next week to check that the jets are actually still there. I mean, for a CEO who's been burned by this program repeatedly, that's a meaningful shift in tone. To understand why this matters so much for Lufthansa specifically, you have to look at what the 777X is actually replacing. Lufthansa is one of the last major carriers still flying the Boeing 747. But it's not just the newer Dash 8 as the flagship long haul aircraft, it's also flying a lot of the classic 747 1400s. These are four engine jets, they're increasingly expensive to operate, and some of the 747 to 4 hundreds are approaching three decades in service. The 7779 is the aircraft that allows Lufthansa to retire those frames and move to a high capacity twin, with Boeing claiming around a 15% fuel efficiency improvement over the jets it replaces. For a carrier that prides itself on operating one of the most modern and fuel efficient fleets in Europe, waiting for the 777X has been a real strategic constraint. Lufthansa has 20 firm orders for the 777X Dash 9 passenger variant plus 777 8F freighters for Lufthansa cargo, and the airline has long been positioned as the program's launch customer. Now, as long term readers and listeners will be aware, the title was briefly contested by Qatar Airways, whose then CEO Akbar Al Bakr once told me that he would be the first to get one of these planes. But it seems that Lufthansa has held its position and per Boeing, it will indeed be first. Now, there is one wrinkle worth knowing about, and I think we've talked about it on the podcast before, but I'll go over it again for new listeners or anyone who might not be aware the first 777X is off the production line won't actually be the first that will be delivered. Boeing has confirmed that some of the earliest built airframes that have been sitting around for years will need modifications to bring them up to current certification standards before they can be handed over. So the jet being delivered first will actually be newer production aircraft that already meet the certification spec, while the older frames are being reworked and fed in over time. It's an unusual situation. You know, aircraft have technically had a first flight age of 0, but have been physically sitting in a factory for over five years now. There's also a minor cabin complication. Lufthansa signature Allegris business class product has faced its own certification challenges on the 787 and this adds complexity to the broader 777x interior sign off process. But Boeing's acknowledged it publicly and it's not a deal breaker, but it's just another variable in a program that has more variables than anyone would possibly like. But for now, I would say the mood is cautiously positive. Boeing's been conducting test flights on Production Standard 777X jets and has reportedly used a Lufthansa bound aircraft to support CAA certification work. The certification finish line feels closer than it has at any point previously. And with Spohr personally making the trip to Seattle to assess progress, it's clear Lufthansa is watching this very closely. Now, if Q1 2027 holds, the 777X will be around seven years late compared to its original delivery promise. But I think at this point, everyone in the industry just wants to see it in the air with passengers on board. And it looks like at that moment it might genuinely be approaching.
- [11:43]
B
Yeah, this is exciting news. I remember we were, I was researching this for one of the articles that several articles we have on the triple 7X on simple flying.com and we explored, you know, why, essentially why Lufthansa needs or hasn't needed passenger triple sevens up until now. You know, they, they operate, I think, the 777 freighter, but in terms of passenger versions of the aircraft, they haven't really needed it. Because you're right, the 747, the A340.
- [12:16]
A
This is the really fascinating thing because I didn't touch on it so much here, but Lufthansa is expecting to retire, I think five or six different aircraft types over the next two years, including the 747, 400, but also the 330, 300, the 340, 300, the 340, 600, and also its fleet of CRJs. There's going to be a lot of scrap airplanes sitting around soon.
- [12:47]
B
Yeah, for sure. But nonetheless, it is exciting to see the 777X. And it kind of reminds me of the 737 Max as well. Southwest, for example, has been. They're just waiting patiently for the max 7.
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A
I forgot about that.
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B
Yeah, and a lot of them have been built, but it's like when they get delivered, will those aircraft, the first that were built, be delivered? Probably not very similar to the situation with the 777X. So we'll have to watch that closely. But exciting news. Some other exciting news to report on. American Airlines has unveiled that it will build its first ever lounge with an outdoor terrace. As the legacy carrier is continuing its investment in premium customer experiences, it plans to open a new Expanded Admirals Club Lounge at none other than Austin Bergstrom International Airport. Now, the airline says the new lounge will span more than 12,000 square feet on the west side of the terminal, doubling its current footprint at the airport. Passengers will enjoy expansive views of downtown Austin and the airfield, creating a uniquely local and elevated atmosphere for customers. Now, the outdoor terrace will be a standout feature, which is a part of its broader effort to reimagine the Admirals Club experience with locally inspired touches and enhanced service. Now, that lounge will also feature different zones tailored to traveler needs, such as areas to relax, dine, work, and recharge. Heather Garboden, American's chief customer officer, said, quote, as we elevate our presence in Austin, we're excited to bring a new level of comfort and hospitality to our customers. This new Admiral's Club Lounge will reflect the vibrant spirit of Austin while offering the thoughtful design and premium amenities our travelers expect. Now, construction will begin this year, and the current lounge will remain open for customers during construction. American currently offers nearly 50 daily flights to 11 destinations from Austin, giving Central Texas travelers easy access to more than 350 destinations around the world. And the thing about Austin is, I mean, the airport itself, it is expanding immensely, and they are kind of working around the clock to try to get the airport up to accommodate the demand that it's seeing right now. It's got basically one terminal with a lot of gates. They've kind of added gates, squeezed as many gates as they could, but there are plans to build a midfield terminal which will, of course, add a lot more gates. But. But I always like to think of Austin right now as just a very. Everyone's trying to get to Austin, and so they're just trying to keep up with that demand, which is great. One of the things that I will say, I think it's interesting that American is kind of focused on expanding in Austin. We've reported on how that used to be. I think it was the second largest operator behind Southwest Airlines. And then Delta has kind of come in and as American canceled some routes specifically, specifically, I think they had some Intratexas routes that were canceled. And then as well as some really oddball routes which I thought were interesting. It competed with Southwest, such as Austin to Orange County, California. That route was discontinued, I believe, last year or the year before that. So there definitely is a lot of competition in Austin. And I think that it's great, amid all of the space constraints, I guess, that they have there, that American was able to find space to expand their Admirals Club. So I will say this. I've never been to an Admirals Club Lounge. I would love to go. I have access to the Centurion Lounge, so most of the time when I'm flying I utilize those lounges. But I would love to experience an Admiral's Lounge one day and just to see what it's like. And I'm sure an outdoor terrace is lovely anywhere at any airport. So that'll be definitely something that passengers will take advantage of and appreciate in the new space there.
- [17:15]
A
Yeah, I was in an Admiral's Club lounge last in 2017, I want to say, so maybe changed a lot. I was in the weird little mini terminal that they have that you have to take the bus to at lax.
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B
Oh yes, the regional terminal.
- [17:34]
A
That's the one. Yep.
- [17:35]
B
Yeah, it's kind of. I mean, you get some scenic views of the airfields, but the terminal is pretty small once you get in there.
- [17:43]
A
Definitely, definitely. Well, on my last segment I said that Lufthansa is going to have a lot of scrap airplanes sitting around sometime soon perhaps. And that is a little segue into what I want to talk about next. And it's a story that sits a bit outside our usual territory. But I think it's interesting because it's about what happens to aircraft after they stop flying and. And it's perhaps more involved than you might expect. So when a plane reaches the end of its operational life, there are a few paths that it can take. It might sit in a boneyard for years, slowly baking in the desert sun. The metal might get melted down and turned into Coca Cola cans or other Coke brands do exist. Or increasingly parts of it might end up on someone's keyring. And that last option is the business of Aviation Tag, which is a Cologne based company that spent the past decade turning retired aircraft fuselage into small collectible luggage tags. I recently got a tour of their workshop from founder Tobias Richter and the process is genuinely fascinating. So I wanted to take a little bit of time to talk about it here. It starts with sourcing the aircraft itself, which is actually more complicated than you might think. Aviation Tag won't take any retired plane. It's got to have an appeal factor. The aircraft needs a story. So a run at the mill, a 320 from a low cost carrier is much less appealing than say an Etihad A380 or the Iron Maiden Boeing 747 that was famously flown by Bruce Dickinson. These high profile jets drive demand. Once a suitable aircraft has been identified, aviation tech negotiates with the owner or the dismantling company for sections of the fuselage. Sometimes those sections are shipped directly to Cologne. Other times the aviation team flies out to boneyards in Spain or France to cut the panels themselves on site. And when the fuselage sections arrive at the workshop, they're about as far from a finished product as you can imagine. They come in with the structural frame still attached and need to be broken down in stages. First, rectangular sections of the outer skin are cut from between the frame supports. Then those sections are cut again down to the size of an individual tag. At this point, the tags go into a laser engraving machine, which burns through the paint to reveal the metal beneath, etching the outline of the aircraft, the airline details, and a unique serial number onto each one. Now, it's interesting because apparently the engraving stage is the trickiest part of the whole process. And the A380 in particular throws up a specific challenge in that sections of the aircraft are made from a material called glair or glass fiber reinforced aluminium laminate. Try saying that 10 times quickly. And that comes in varying fixed, depending on which part of the aircraft it's from. So too much laser power and you burn through too deep, but too little and the engraving doesn't show up properly. And getting the settings right for each batch takes real calibration. Typical, a 380 tag takes around six hours of laser time across two separate runs. And only 80 tags fit into the machine at once. So the maths quickly becomes quite eye opening. The Lufthansa A380 edition, for example, ran to 22,000 tags. And that's 275 separate batches. And at six hours per batch, you're looking at over 1650 hours of engraving time. In total, that's nearly 69 days of continuous laser work for one edition alone across multiple machines running simultaneously. Now, after engraving, each tag is hand sanded and polished before being mounted on a cardboard backing and packaged for shipping. The company sends out thousands of orders a month with a one working day turnaround. And in 2025 they shipped to a 111 different countries. Now, I think it's fascinating that this April aviation tag is already marking 10 years since the launch of the company. And the first addition that they made was actually a four seater Piper PA28 that the company bought outright. Since then, the company's produced tags from 140 different aircraft from that tiny Piper all the way up to the A380. And every addition, regardless of the run size, they hold back the tag numbered 0001. Now, I saw this go straight onto the wall in the Cologne office, and it's fascinating to look at all of them next to each other. But Richter told me that the company's biggest problem right now is actually that it is running out of wall space for these tags to go on the wall. Now, it is a niche business, but it's a genuinely clever one. Taking something that would otherwise be waste and turning it into something collectors around the world will pay to own. The first generation of Super Jumbos continues to retire. There's no shortage of raw material.
- [22:30]
B
Yeah, I think this is so cool that I actually have a keychain. I guess very similar. I think it's a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737300 or 500 of the classic series, one of the two. And first of all, I didn't realize how much goes into this, but my keychain, it's cut into an airplane like a figure of an airplane, but it is of the fuselage. And so I just think it's so cool. Especially if you're a huge aviation geek and you want a piece of history going around with you everywhere. Aviation tag is probably the best thing that you can. Best gift that you can get for that matter. And I would love to have more. I only have one, so I might have to look at aviation tag myself, see what I can get.
- [23:26]
A
Yeah, I might have recently been in the shop next to the Lufthansa headquarters and walked out with a piece of Etihad A380. Thankfully, my wife isn't here while I record this.
- [23:39]
B
Right. There you go. Yeah, you got to do something just, just to commemorate that and just knowing how amazing aircraft are. Speaking of how amazing aircraft are, one of the things that make aircraft so amazing are their engines. And Delta Tech Ops, the largest maintenance, repair and operations provider in North America, is expanding even further. On Wednesday, the provider announced that it will become its first and only in North America to Support both the CFM Leap 1A and CFM Leap 1B engines. Its addition of full overhaul capability for CFM Leap 1A engines will further strengthen Delta's Tech Ops position as a global leader in next generation engine maintenance for the world's most advanced narrow body fleets. And some of you might be asking, well, why is this important? Well, specifically, Delta doesn't necessarily operate any aircraft right now that have the CFM Leap 1A or Leap 1B B engines. But this is represents an investment in the future of Delta. And then of course, just so many other airlines that operate this engine. Delta Tech Ops is one of a few select CFM Premier MRO providers for the Leap engine family, which says it's a distinction that reflects CFM's confidence in the provider's technical depth and consistent performance. In a statement, Elaine Bellemare, who is the Executive Vice President of International and newly appointed Chairman of Delta Tech Ops, said quote, With Leap Engines now representing a significant and fast growing share of the global narrowbody fleet, adding full capability on both 1a and 1b models Positions Delta Tech Ops squarely at the center of where the market is headed. Bellamy also said that this milestone strengthens Delta Tech Ops global relevance and positions us as a trusted operator backed MRO partner in a market that will define commercial for decades. Now CFM Leap Engines power the Airbus A320neo family and serves as the exclusive power plant for the Boeing 737 Max series for which Delta has ordered 100 Max 10 aircraft with deliveries set to begin once the model receives certification. Globally, the Leap line continues to expand its Footprint, now exceeding 95 million flight hours, 41 million cycles and supporting more than 150 customers. As of February of this year, cumulative deliveries of installed and and spare Leap engines have surpassed 8,000. Delta tech ops Chief Commercial Officer Mark Meredith said, quote, Delta technicians are the best in the business. The unmatched care they show for our airplanes is exactly what our customers can expect, which is quality and performance operators that need to keep aircraft flying. So as I mentioned, Delta does not operate does not have any aircraft that currently operate the CFM Leap engines. Yes they operate the A321neo. However those aircraft are powered by Pratt and Whitney engines. So again it's very interesting to see how the strategy with this. But again Delta Tech Ops doesn't just work on Delta planes, they work on planes from other airlines as well. But it is again worth noting that the CFM Leap 1B is the exclusive power plant for the Boeing 737 Max and Delta has has 100 orders for the Max 10. So once they get those aircraft in the fleet then they'll be able to support those planes probably a lot more efficiently compared to other airlines that have to seek MRO providers elsewhere. But yeah, nonetheless very interesting to see how TechOps is moving forward in the future. I remember early on in my simplifying career I think I reported on a Hawaiian airline, Boeing 767 being served by Delta Tech Ops and at first it was kind of like wait a minute, this is Delta Airlines. Why is Delta working on Hawaiian? But in some cases this is an example of how airlines come together and when things need to be done and get serviced and maintenance or whatever it is, then they will step in and do that. So great news there and it is exciting to see. Hopefully the max 10 will be certified this year or next year. But it is kind of a similar situation with the 777X. We'll have to wait and see what happens.
- [28:40]
A
Definitely. We love to wait and see what happens on this podcast though, don't we?
- [28:44]
B
We sure do. Absolutely. And so that is going to do it for today's podcast. We hope you enjoyed it and we welcome any feedback that you might have@editorialimpleflying.com and our listener listeners. They're going to have to wait and see what we talk about next week.
- [29:01]
A
But for more great content in the meantime, you can visit our website@simpleflying.com or find us on social media. Simply search for Simple Flying.
- [29:09]
B
And if you enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a rating on your favorite podcast player. Thanks for listening.
- [29:14]
A
Bye.