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1. HK airport service firm explores tie-up with SkyLogistics here
The operator of one of the busiest and best airports in the world is firmly discussing a tie-up with Philippine Airline (PAL)’s airport services provider.
Top executives of Jardine Airport Services Limited (JASL), the firm handling passengers, ramp, cargo and operations control at Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok International Airport (HKIA) visited Manila over the week-end for a series of talks with SkyLogistics Philippines, Inc.
JASL Managing Director Enoch Lam and two of his key lieutenants toured PAL’s hub at the NAIA Centennial Terminal 2 with the SkyLogistics team. They observed ramp operations, cargo and passenger handling and took note of how these can be improved based on their experience at HKIA.
“Jardine Airport Services is one of the world’s best airport service providers,” explained SkyGroup president, Rory Jon Q. Sepulveda, whose company took over as PAL’s service provider on the first day of this month (October 1, 2011).
SkyLogistics is keen in forging a partnership with JASL due to the latter’s solid reputation and technical expertise in ground handling operations, he confirmed.
“We’re honored that JASL took interest in our modest operations. We hope we could reach an agreement soon so that our customer, PAL and its millions of passengers, can benefit from their expertise.”
JASL executives ‘Lam, along with his general manager Dave Li and manpower planning manager Walter Yu, asked many questions during the brief tour, according to Sepulveda. They also made preliminary suggestions on how to make SkyGroup’s operations more efficient and cost-effective.
JASL played a key role in making HKIA the world's best airport based on Skytrax’s March 2011 survey of 11 million travellers, he pointed out.
Last year, the 13-year old HKIA was also recognized as the world's busiest airport by cargo traffic.
2. PAL: Unsafe flights claim part of ‘black propaganda’
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines reassured passengers on Sunday evening of the safety of its flights as it belied insinuations that overworked staff and untrained personnel are endangering its operations since it spun off three of its non-core businesses last Oct. 1.
In a note on its Facebook account, PAL dismissed as "black propaganda" allegations that it said came from some former PAL employees. It said it expects more black propaganda to come.
“We assure our passengers that all aircraft utilized in our flights are released only after thorough assessment and safety checks," PAL president and COO Jaime Bautista said in the Facebook note.
Over the weekend, Gerry Rivera, head of the PAL Employees Association (PALEA), called on the Tourism Congress for an investigation of passenger safety issues at PAL.
“We ask the Tourism Congress to take up the cudgels for the riding public by inquiring about safety and service concerns at PAL given that overworked and untrained replacement workers are now servicing passengers. If the Tourism Congress is anxious about the impact of the labor dispute on the influx of tourists, then it should also be worried about any possible accidents due to unsafe work practices by contractual workers," he said.
PALEA cited news reports that two Danish tourists backed out of a PAL flight to Cebu over safety concerns. It said the two reportedly questioned PAL’s replacement workers at the check-in counter including a supervisor about safety issues but were left unsatisfied with the answers.
PAL is working to normalize its operations after spinning off three non-core businesses, which its then ground crew union had claimed would render 2,600 workers jobless.
Over the weekend, it claimed it had normalized its international flights.
More "disinformation" expected
Bautista said they expect "disinformation" to escalate especially since some disgruntled employees are getting "desperate by the day."
“We hope our passengers will carefully discern fact from the fiction being peddled by those out to destroy the flag carrier’s good name and reputation," he said.
He cited as one example of "black propaganda" the allegations that "overworked" PAL staff and untrained personnel were compromising airline safety.
“Former PAL ground workers are so used to working less than their 7.5-hour daily shift for five days, such that they consider our volunteers’ eight-hour shifts, six days a week as ‘overwork,'" he said.
“Even claims that an airstep bumped and caused damage to one of PAL’s Airbus A340s is a fabrication concocted by (PAL Employees' Association president Gerry) Rivera and his cohorts. All our aircraft undergo regular checks and no such damage has been found by PAL’s Aircraft Engineering Department and Lufthansa Technik, PAL’s maintenance provider," he added.
Bautista reiterated that safety is the cornerstone of PAL’s operations, adding the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has a surveillance inspection team especially assigned to PAL.
He said all PAL aircraft are maintained by Lufthansa Technik Philippines and other reputable maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) companies abroad.
All safety regulations are likewise complied with particularly those enforced by CAAP, US Federal Aviation Administration and US Transport Security Administration, as well as regular safety checks under the stringent IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), he said.
PAL is the only IOSA-certified Philippine carrier, he added.
“Apart from strict security checks, PAL flights also undergo a final safety check by our highly-trained and experienced pilots. A PAL plane will not take off until pilots are fully satisfied with the aircraft's airworthiness and only after they have determined the safe load of passengers and cargo," he added.
Bautista said PAL’s current corps of admin volunteers, former union members who joined the service providers and new hires all underwent proper training and certification prior to handling official ground duties.
3. Philippines top court wants to review ruling on Philippine Airlines
The Supreme Court called for a review of its September ruling which imposed on the Philippine Airlines, the country's flag-carrier, to reinstate 1,400 flight attendants who were retrenched for holding a strike in 1998.
"The court en banc further resolved to recall the resolution dated September 7, issued by the (Supreme Court's) second division in the case. The court further resolved to re-raffle the case to a new member-in-charge," said the Supreme Court's ruling dated October 4, but was released only on Monday (October 10).
In response, leaders and members of the Flight Attendants' and Stewards' Association of the Philippines (FASAP) said the High Court's recent ruling was ‘seriously disturbing".
FASAP has been calling for the implementation of the Supreme Court's pro-FASAP rulings this year and in 2008.
The Supreme Court called for a review of its September ruling which imposed on the Philippine Airlines, the country's flag-carrier, to reinstate 1,400 flight attendants who were retrenched for holding a strike in 1998.
"The court en banc further resolved to recall the resolution dated September 7, issued by the (Supreme Court's) second division in the case. The court further resolved to re-raffle the case to a new member-in-charge," said the Supreme Court's ruling dated October 4, but was released only on Monday (October 10).
In response, leaders and members of the Flight Attendants' and Stewards' Association of the Philippines (FASAP) said the High Court's recent ruling was ‘seriously disturbing".
FASAP has been calling for the implementation of the Supreme Court's pro-FASAP rulings this year and in 2008.
Neha Jain
Aviation NEWS Reporter
1. HK airport service firm explores tie-up with SkyLogistics here
The operator of one of the busiest and best airports in the world is firmly discussing a tie-up with Philippine Airline (PAL)’s airport services provider.
Top executives of Jardine Airport Services Limited (JASL), the firm handling passengers, ramp, cargo and operations control at Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok International Airport (HKIA) visited Manila over the week-end for a series of talks with SkyLogistics Philippines, Inc.
JASL Managing Director Enoch Lam and two of his key lieutenants toured PAL’s hub at the NAIA Centennial Terminal 2 with the SkyLogistics team. They observed ramp operations, cargo and passenger handling and took note of how these can be improved based on their experience at HKIA.
“Jardine Airport Services is one of the world’s best airport service providers,” explained SkyGroup president, Rory Jon Q. Sepulveda, whose company took over as PAL’s service provider on the first day of this month (October 1, 2011).
SkyLogistics is keen in forging a partnership with JASL due to the latter’s solid reputation and technical expertise in ground handling operations, he confirmed.
“We’re honored that JASL took interest in our modest operations. We hope we could reach an agreement soon so that our customer, PAL and its millions of passengers, can benefit from their expertise.”
JASL executives ‘Lam, along with his general manager Dave Li and manpower planning manager Walter Yu, asked many questions during the brief tour, according to Sepulveda. They also made preliminary suggestions on how to make SkyGroup’s operations more efficient and cost-effective.
JASL played a key role in making HKIA the world's best airport based on Skytrax’s March 2011 survey of 11 million travellers, he pointed out.
Last year, the 13-year old HKIA was also recognized as the world's busiest airport by cargo traffic.
2. PAL: Unsafe flights claim part of ‘black propaganda’
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines reassured passengers on Sunday evening of the safety of its flights as it belied insinuations that overworked staff and untrained personnel are endangering its operations since it spun off three of its non-core businesses last Oct. 1.
In a note on its Facebook account, PAL dismissed as "black propaganda" allegations that it said came from some former PAL employees. It said it expects more black propaganda to come.
“We assure our passengers that all aircraft utilized in our flights are released only after thorough assessment and safety checks," PAL president and COO Jaime Bautista said in the Facebook note.
Over the weekend, Gerry Rivera, head of the PAL Employees Association (PALEA), called on the Tourism Congress for an investigation of passenger safety issues at PAL.
“We ask the Tourism Congress to take up the cudgels for the riding public by inquiring about safety and service concerns at PAL given that overworked and untrained replacement workers are now servicing passengers. If the Tourism Congress is anxious about the impact of the labor dispute on the influx of tourists, then it should also be worried about any possible accidents due to unsafe work practices by contractual workers," he said.
PALEA cited news reports that two Danish tourists backed out of a PAL flight to Cebu over safety concerns. It said the two reportedly questioned PAL’s replacement workers at the check-in counter including a supervisor about safety issues but were left unsatisfied with the answers.
PAL is working to normalize its operations after spinning off three non-core businesses, which its then ground crew union had claimed would render 2,600 workers jobless.
Over the weekend, it claimed it had normalized its international flights.
More "disinformation" expected
Bautista said they expect "disinformation" to escalate especially since some disgruntled employees are getting "desperate by the day."
“We hope our passengers will carefully discern fact from the fiction being peddled by those out to destroy the flag carrier’s good name and reputation," he said.
He cited as one example of "black propaganda" the allegations that "overworked" PAL staff and untrained personnel were compromising airline safety.
“Former PAL ground workers are so used to working less than their 7.5-hour daily shift for five days, such that they consider our volunteers’ eight-hour shifts, six days a week as ‘overwork,'" he said.
“Even claims that an airstep bumped and caused damage to one of PAL’s Airbus A340s is a fabrication concocted by (PAL Employees' Association president Gerry) Rivera and his cohorts. All our aircraft undergo regular checks and no such damage has been found by PAL’s Aircraft Engineering Department and Lufthansa Technik, PAL’s maintenance provider," he added.
Bautista reiterated that safety is the cornerstone of PAL’s operations, adding the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has a surveillance inspection team especially assigned to PAL.
He said all PAL aircraft are maintained by Lufthansa Technik Philippines and other reputable maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) companies abroad.
All safety regulations are likewise complied with particularly those enforced by CAAP, US Federal Aviation Administration and US Transport Security Administration, as well as regular safety checks under the stringent IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), he said.
PAL is the only IOSA-certified Philippine carrier, he added.
“Apart from strict security checks, PAL flights also undergo a final safety check by our highly-trained and experienced pilots. A PAL plane will not take off until pilots are fully satisfied with the aircraft's airworthiness and only after they have determined the safe load of passengers and cargo," he added.
Bautista said PAL’s current corps of admin volunteers, former union members who joined the service providers and new hires all underwent proper training and certification prior to handling official ground duties.
3. Philippines top court wants to review ruling on Philippine Airlines
The Supreme Court called for a review of its September ruling which imposed on the Philippine Airlines, the country's flag-carrier, to reinstate 1,400 flight attendants who were retrenched for holding a strike in 1998.
"The court en banc further resolved to recall the resolution dated September 7, issued by the (Supreme Court's) second division in the case. The court further resolved to re-raffle the case to a new member-in-charge," said the Supreme Court's ruling dated October 4, but was released only on Monday (October 10).
In response, leaders and members of the Flight Attendants' and Stewards' Association of the Philippines (FASAP) said the High Court's recent ruling was ‘seriously disturbing".
FASAP has been calling for the implementation of the Supreme Court's pro-FASAP rulings this year and in 2008.
The Supreme Court called for a review of its September ruling which imposed on the Philippine Airlines, the country's flag-carrier, to reinstate 1,400 flight attendants who were retrenched for holding a strike in 1998.
"The court en banc further resolved to recall the resolution dated September 7, issued by the (Supreme Court's) second division in the case. The court further resolved to re-raffle the case to a new member-in-charge," said the Supreme Court's ruling dated October 4, but was released only on Monday (October 10).
In response, leaders and members of the Flight Attendants' and Stewards' Association of the Philippines (FASAP) said the High Court's recent ruling was ‘seriously disturbing".
FASAP has been calling for the implementation of the Supreme Court's pro-FASAP rulings this year and in 2008.
PHILIPPINES AVIATION NEWS
Aviation NEWS ByNeha Jain
Aviation NEWS Reporter
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