Delta, United Keep Tokyo Flights as Lufthansa Stops
March 15 (Bloomberg) -- Bloomberg reporter Stuart Biggs speaks about Japan's nuclear crisis after Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s stricken nuclear power plant was today rocked by two further explosions and a fire as workers struggled to avert the risk of a meltdown. Biggs, traveling north of Tokyo, speaks with Erik Schatzker on Bloomberg Television's "InsideTrack." (Source: Bloomberg)
The largest U.S. airlines maintained service to Tokyo as Germany’s Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA) pulled out of the Japanese city because of the risk of radioactive fallout and aftershocks from last week’s earthquake.
The Federal Aviation Administration advised carriers today to reroute flights if needed to meet airspace restrictions around a stricken Japanese nuclear power plant. Delta Air Lines Inc., United and Continental began offering refunds on tickets for some Japan flights, while American waived change fees.
Japan likely restricted air space around the Fukushima Dai- Ichi power plant, about 135 miles (220 kilometers) north of Tokyo because of the uncertainty of radiation levels following a series of explosions, former airline pilots and safety consultants said. Jet engines take in outside air, compress it, heat and cool it and then pump the air into the aircraft cabin.
“So far, we’re looking at very, very low levels of radiation, but it’s still atmospheric,” said John Nance, a retired military and commercial pilot who is now an industry consultant in Seattle. “You want to stay the heck away from it so as not to have any potential exposure.”
Lufthansa moved Tokyo service to the southern Japanese cities of Nagoya and Osaka, and joined Air France-KLM (AF) and Austrian Airlines AG in stopping in Seoul for crew changes to keep workers from staying overnight in Japan. Major U.S. carriers haven’t made changes, spokesmen said.
‘Potentially Hazardous’
“We want to make sure U.S. carriers are aware of the restrictions and don’t fly into any situations that could be potentially hazardous,” said Diane Spitaliere, an FAA spokeswoman.
About 7 percent of Delta’s total capacity is generated in Japan, followed by 5 percent for the combined United Continental Holdings Inc. (UAL) and 3.5 percent for Fort Worth, Texas-based AMR Corp. (AMR)’s American Airlines, according to Gary Chase, a Barclay Capital analyst in New York.
American, United and Continental added more contingency fuel than normal to flights across the Pacific in case of unexpected diversions, spokesmen said. United and Continental have 183 weekly departures to Japan from the U.S. mainland and 1,000 employees in Japan, said Andrew Ferraro, a spokesman for the Chicago-based carrier.
Safety is ‘Paramount’
“The safety of our crews and passengers is paramount, and we are completely focused on avoiding the affected area,” Ferraro said of the restricted air space. “We are working closely with the Department of State, FAA and other government agencies on developments in Japan.”
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents workers at 21 airlines, has “significant concerns” about the safety of Japan flights, Corey Caldwell, a union spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. Government agencies and experts consulted by the union have advised that “at the moment, it is okay to fly to certain places in Japan.”
Radioactive particles won’t affect the operation of aircraft, and radiation carried on dust or dirt might be filtered out of air going into planes, said John Cox, president of Safety Operating Systems LLC and a former commercial pilot. Radiation in any water vapor should be removed by systems that make airplanes “one of the driest places on earth,” he said.
“Over the last 72 hours they have had some really bad scares and probably aren’t done yet with the amount of radiation that may or may not come from the reactors,” Cox said. “If you are going to be conservative, blocking off a big section of air space would be prudent.”
United Continental fell 38 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $23.61 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading, while Delta declined 28 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $10.69 and AMR slipped 4 cents, or less than 1 percent, to $6.52.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mary Schlangenstein in Dallas at maryc.s@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Ed Dufner at edufner@bloomberg.net
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