Company Watch - Delta Air Lines.

For more company news, data and analysis, please go to: http://www.airguideonline.com/professional.htm Sep 4, 2006

Lone Lexington air traffic controller likely fatigued, NTSB says. Investigators examining Sunday's fatal crash of a Comair CRJ200 in Lexington, Ky., revealed yesterday that the lone air traffic controller on duty was operating on just 2 hr. of sleep and was completing the second of two 8-hr. shifts in a 24-hr. period. The aircraft took off from the wrong runway, which at 3,500 ft. was not long enough for it to get airborne, and 49 of 50 onboard were killed. US National Transportation Safety Board investigators are focusing their probe on why the two pilots and the controller failed to notice that the aircraft was not on the main 7,000-ft. commercial runway. NTSB Board Member Debbie Hersman said that only one controller, not the two required by FAA, was on duty at the time. The controller had completed an 8-hr. shift Saturday afternoon and had just 9 hr. off before returning at 11:30 p.m. Saturday, she said. She added that he turned his back to tend to "administrative duties" moments before the accident. The flight's copilot is the lone survivor and reportedly is on life support and unable to communicate. Recorded communication between the pilots and the controller indicate that all three mistakenly believed the plane was on the longer runway. Investigators are exploring whether recent taxiway repaving and darkened runway lights may have confused the pilots. Bankrupt Comair, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, is girding for lawsuits likely to be filed by victims' families. It is offering $25,000 to each to cover immediate expenses, but noted that "no monetary relief can overcome the grief of losing a loved one" and that acceptance of the money "in no way" waives families' legal rights to sue. Sep 1, 2006

Lights were off, taxiway repaved prior to fatal Comair crash. US National Transportation Safety Board investigators and Lexington Blue Grass Airport officials confirmed yesterday that alterations had been made to the taxiway that a Comair CRJ200 used before taking off from the incorrect runway Sunday morning and that the lights on that shorter runway were out of service at the time. The plane, bound for Atlanta, plowed through a barrier at the end of 3,500-ft. Runway 26, briefly became airborne, then crashed in a field and burst into flames, killing 49 of 50 people onboard. The aircraft would have needed a minimum of 5,000 ft. to take off safely, safety experts said. Repaving along the taxiway leading to both Runway 26 and 7,000-ft. Runway 22 resulted in changes in the route the aircraft took and was completed a week prior to the accident. Airport officials were not sure if the pilot of the doomed plane had been to the airport since the taxiway changes were made. Runway 26 is used primarily for general aviation and reportedly has signs and cracked concrete that differentiate it from 22. The taxiway crosses over the shorter runway to get to the main commercial runway. As part of its continuing investigation, NTSB will review the runway and taxiway markings. Board Member Deborah Hersman told reporters that CVR tapes were "consistent with normal operations" and that "air traffic control and the flight crew planned for a takeoff from Runway 22." It was the only runway mentioned in conversations between cockpit and tower, she noted. Comair operates as Delta Connection and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. Both are operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Aug 29, 2006

Comair CRJ200 used wrong runway, NTSB says. The pilots of the Comair CRJ200 that crashed into a field while taking off from Lexington, Ky., Blue Grass Airport early Sunday morning used the wrong runway, National Transportation Safety Board Member Deborah Hersman confirmed in an evening briefing. The aircraft apparently was cleared to depart from Runway 22, the main runway with a length of 7,003 ft. However, it lined up on the shorter general aviation runway, 26, which is 3,500 ft. in length, insufficient for the fully loaded jet to become airborne. The CRJ crashed through a perimeter fence and came to rest approximately 1 mi. beyond the runway, killing 49 of 50 people onboard. The first officer survived and remains in critical condition. The sun had yet to rise but conditions at the time of the accident were described as clear. When rescuers reached the crash site, the aircraft largely was intact but was in flames. The CVR and FDR have been recovered. Flight 5191 was bound for Atlanta. Comair operates as Delta Connection and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. Both are operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Aug 28, 2006

The crashed Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft, N431CA (tail no. 7472) was acquired from Bombardier in January 2001 and had a clean maintenance record, Comair CEO Don Bornhorst told reporters. It had 14,536 flight hr. and 12,048 cycles. "On behalf of everyone at Comair, I cannot adequately express to you our sadness about this accident and our deep concern for everyone involved," Bornhorst said. Aug 28, 2006

The Comair Bombardier CRJ200 crash is the worst US airline accident since the November 2001 crash of an American Airlines A300 that resulted in the deaths of 251 passengers, nine crewmembers and five people on the ground. It is Comair's second fatal accident. An Embraer Brasilia turboprop crashed on approach to Detroit Metro in January 1997, killing 26 passengers and three crew. Aug 28, 2006

Delta Air Lines is back in the black, reporting a July net profit of $69 million in a filing this week with the US Bankruptcy Court. It lost $41 million in the year-ago month. The result included $30 million in reorganization items, without which its monthly profit would have risen to $99 million. "July's results reflect the continued momentum of our restructuring," Executive VP and CFO Edward Bastian said. "In the coming months, the challenge will be to sustain this momentum as we move into a traditionally slower season for our industry." Mainline CASM in July rose 1% year-over-year to 9.9 cents but fell 6.4% to 6.6 cents excluding fuel. Sep 1, 2006

Delta Air Lines said it received US Dept. of Transportation permission to begin selling seats on its daily New York JFK-London Gatwick service scheduled to begin Nov. 15. Delta purchased the route authority from United Airlines last month. Final government approval is expected "within the next few weeks," DL said. It plans to add a second daily flight May 1. Aug 28, 2006