MD11 problems continue, multiple delays again
Apr 14, 2007, 7:14 am
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,953
KL651/652 was cancelled because of A332 cockpit crew shortages. The same day also KL455/AUH was cancelled for the same reason. Today's KL657/EWR is cancelled because of MD11 problems.
Apr 15, 2007, 1:08 pm
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,953
Another day, another batch of MD11 problems:
KL681/682 YVR cancelled today
KL589/590 ACC 3 hours behind schedule
KL567 JRO DAR 2 hours behind schedule
and meanwhile with the A332 fleet:
KL621/622 ATL cancelled because of cockpit crew shortage
KL681/682 YVR cancelled today
KL589/590 ACC 3 hours behind schedule
KL567 JRO DAR 2 hours behind schedule
and meanwhile with the A332 fleet:
KL621/622 ATL cancelled because of cockpit crew shortage
Apr 17, 2007, 2:00 am
#19
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: UK
Programs: FB PE, BA Au
Posts: 141
OK, so they're unreliable; but still the best WBC
But they've got better seats & cabin layout in WBC than the 777, the alternative usually offered on the routes I fly
Rows 1&2 are, in my opinion, the best seats in the fleet.
As long as the problems do not threaten my safety, I still prefer this nice old plane to the others.
Rows 1&2 are, in my opinion, the best seats in the fleet.
As long as the problems do not threaten my safety, I still prefer this nice old plane to the others.
Apr 17, 2007, 3:46 am
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,953
But they've got better seats & cabin layout in WBC than the 777, the alternative usually offered on the routes I fly
Rows 1&2 are, in my opinion, the best seats in the fleet.
As long as the problems do not threaten my safety, I still prefer this nice old plane to the others.
Rows 1&2 are, in my opinion, the best seats in the fleet.
As long as the problems do not threaten my safety, I still prefer this nice old plane to the others.
Monday was a slow day for MD11 operational issues with just a 4-hour delay on the KL873/874 HYD rotation.
I really wonder how much longer KLM is going to put up with these constant delays and whether contigency plans for the early retirement of the MD11 fleet are currently being looked at.
Apr 18, 2007, 2:56 am
#22
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: MEL
Programs: DL, QF, QR Gold, MR Lifetime Gold
Posts: 7,003
Personally, I also think it has to do with the airline's image as well. After flying on a nice new plane you walk away thinking "this airline is cool".
After flying on a 767 or an MD11... "shmeh" 
Apr 20, 2007, 2:08 am
#23
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: HEL, Finland
Programs: AY Plat, SK Silver, FB Gold
Posts: 604
AY flyes 7 MD-11 (one of them is the first commercial MD-11 plane) and has occasional problems with them, especially because their turnaround times can be very tight sometimes affecting many flights.
Apr 20, 2007, 2:28 am
#24
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: London, England.
Programs: BA
Posts: 8,476
MD-11 suffers from the following :
1. There are very few left in passenger service in Europe, this means that there is not much of a spares holding readily available and more parts have to be shipped over as required from Los Angeles than you get with other types. Finnair are the only other European passenger operator, and theirs start to be retired next year.
2. The manufacturer is out of business. Sure, McDonnell Douglas got "taken over" by Boeing, but the manufacturing plant, design office, and all the product support you get from there has all gone; only a minimum set of support personnel remain in Los Angeles. Parts that prove to be unreliable long-term, as happens with aircraft, no longer get improvements designed.
3. The MD-11 was always unreliable from the beginning, part of the reason why so many other airlines dumped it so soon. There's been no other widebody disappeared from passenger service so quickly. This was all down to the latter days at McDD when the MD-11 was being developed, with Harry Stonecipher in charge of the company, when every step was done on the cheap. The same problem afflicted the MD-90 narrowbody aircraft; a number of those have been scrapped after less than 10 years service.
1. There are very few left in passenger service in Europe, this means that there is not much of a spares holding readily available and more parts have to be shipped over as required from Los Angeles than you get with other types. Finnair are the only other European passenger operator, and theirs start to be retired next year.
2. The manufacturer is out of business. Sure, McDonnell Douglas got "taken over" by Boeing, but the manufacturing plant, design office, and all the product support you get from there has all gone; only a minimum set of support personnel remain in Los Angeles. Parts that prove to be unreliable long-term, as happens with aircraft, no longer get improvements designed.
3. The MD-11 was always unreliable from the beginning, part of the reason why so many other airlines dumped it so soon. There's been no other widebody disappeared from passenger service so quickly. This was all down to the latter days at McDD when the MD-11 was being developed, with Harry Stonecipher in charge of the company, when every step was done on the cheap. The same problem afflicted the MD-90 narrowbody aircraft; a number of those have been scrapped after less than 10 years service.
Apr 20, 2007, 4:43 am
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,953
Things just took a turn for the worse. KLM has leased a B767 to operate the AMS YUL flight for the next two days because no MD11 aircraft are available for that flight. The aircraft will operate in a one class layout. I can imagine that those passengers looking forward to a nice row 1-2 experience in the MD11 will not be overjoyed...
Apr 20, 2007, 9:55 am
#26
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: UK
Programs: FB PE, BA Au
Posts: 141
Things just took a turn for the worse. KLM has leased a B767 to operate the AMS YUL flight for the next two days because no MD11 aircraft are available for that flight. The aircraft will operate in a one class layout. I can imagine that those passengers looking forward to a nice row 1-2 experience in the MD11 will not be overjoyed...
Apr 22, 2007, 11:44 am
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,953
Here we go again, KL681/YVR has been delayed for 7.5 hours because of technical issues with the MD11. The aircraft will now leave AMS at 11pm instead of 3.30pm. The return flight KL682 will leave YVR at 01.15am tomorrow morning instead of 6.55pm tonight.
Apr 22, 2007, 12:45 pm
#28
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 14,352
Will be intersting to see how all this affects KL's punctuality.
The figures for 2006 :
On-time departures : 75.5%, rank 3rd (out of 28 AEA airlines).
On-time arrivals : 79.8%, rank 1st.
Flight regularity : 99.7%, rank 5th.
(Off topic : in the missing luggage league, KL came a dismal 20th. What else is new?)
Johan
The figures for 2006 :
On-time departures : 75.5%, rank 3rd (out of 28 AEA airlines).
On-time arrivals : 79.8%, rank 1st.
Flight regularity : 99.7%, rank 5th.
(Off topic : in the missing luggage league, KL came a dismal 20th. What else is new?)
Johan
Apr 23, 2007, 5:02 am
#30
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 511