TCX124 - Thomas Cook flight
 

Hi,
Could I use some of your expertise around the serial numbers of planes that flew to specific destinations on the same weekend?

I was due to fly to Las Vegas on 10th November 2012, but was involved in a 32 hour delay. I was told that our plane was given to a flight that had a problem which should have travelled to Cuba on the 9th of Nov'. This plane is what caused our delay and was subsequently fixed, but then went to Goa in the morning on the 11th Nov'. We eventually flew at 15:00 on the 11th Nov'.

Is there some way of finding out what the specific plane serial numbers are that went to each of these destinations? :D

Hi Rusky i was on this flight to have you had any joy with tc ?

Some of our expertise to try and claim via EU261, you mean. A ruling that is going to cost our industry unneeded costs in an already stretched industry. Believe it or not, airlines don't delay aircraft intentionally!

There could be many reasons why your aircraft was delayed for that period of time. Not all are the airline's responsibility. If downroute, a catering truck crashes into an engine and damages the engine beyond limits, that could cripple the aircraft indefinitely. Should the catering company or the airline pay up?

I apologise for sounding like a broken record, but airframe S/Ns make absolutely no difference to delay or no delay. A common perception amongst the great unwashed is that, the older the airframe, the more susceptable the aircraft is to unscheduled maintenance. Simply not the case. A320/1 MSN1 or MSN5000 could be as airworthy as each other, if the airline looks after the airframe and stringently follows procedures as set down by its own AMP, EASA and Airbus/Boeing. The oldest A300 aircraft for example still in revenue service is 36.3 years old (source: Airfleets), albeit converted to a freighter.

Airframes will be checked on a regular basis. Heavy maintenance on 5Y, 6Y, 10Y, 12Y, 15Y, 20Y, 25Y as well as a 1C check every 15 months approximately. Not many components will be the same at return/retirement than they are at delivery. Lifed components are replaced on a regular basis.

There are places you can find out which aircraft flew a particular route on a particular day, but its not me who's going to tell you!

I agree. These threads crop up with monotonous regularity.

I don't understand how the way an airline (re-)schedules its aircraft is somehow relevant to whether a claim for compensation is valid or not. A flight either departs on time or it doesn't.

Perhaps if airlines complied with their legal obligations instead of continually claiming "exceptional circumstances" then this board wouldn't be irritated by people trying to prove the airlines to be liars.

I've stated many times I don't believe 261 to be fair on the airlines but it is the law and must be complied with until a court decides otherwise.

I think you mean 'extraordinary circumstances'. No provision for 'exceptional circumstances' in EU261, stupid ruling that it is!