Lanny Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 (edited) The below message just came (on 03 February 2017) in an email from the ACS (American Citizen Services) in the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia. In the unlikely event that any of you were considering flying on Insel Air, please do not do that. Security Message for U.S. Citizens: Insel Air February 2, 2017 This message is to inform U.S. citizens that U.S. Consulate General Curaçao has temporarily prohibited U.S. Consulate Curacao personnel from flying on Insel Air. The Consulate adopted this policy following an internal review of safety-related considerations. You are receiving this message because Insel Air also flies to Colombia. On December 27, 2016, an Insel Air flight bound for Curaçao was forced to land in Colombia due to an inability to pressurize the cabin. On January 13, 2017, an Insel Air flight bound for Miami lost cabin pressure and was forced to make an emergency landing. The Consulate understands that, in the last six months, four other Insel Air flights have returned to Curaçao after takeoff due to pressurization or electrical problems. Other safety considerations have led Aruban and Curaçao authorities to ground a number of aircraft for further inspection. This policy applies only to the official travel of U.S. Consulate Curacao personnel and will be reevaluated as Insel Air’s safety condition improves. Edited February 3, 2017 by Lanny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 It's thoughtful of you to share this. Thx! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 Thanks for the warning. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLittleBears Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 Gracias Lanny! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted February 3, 2017 Author Share Posted February 3, 2017 (edited) Follow-on: In less than 2 weeks, I will have lived here for 22 years. In 22 years, I have NEVER seen a warning like that before... I'd never heard of that airline before and if I were going where they fly, I would avoid them like the plague. Insel Air is probably a tiny airline (I am assuming), with older aircraft, and less than stellar maintenance. Older aircraft are fine, if properly maintained. ETA: If a very large airline reported those incidents (that information is publicly available on the web) it would not be a problem. Things happen. Aircraft lose pressurization. Aircraft lose an engine. Aircraft blow tires. Etc. For an airline with hundreds or thousands of flights each day, there will be a few incidents. But my guess is that Insel Air only has a handful of aircraft. I'm guessing, because I have not looked them up. Edited February 3, 2017 by Lanny 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 I've never heard of them, but I'll keep it in mind... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 Goodness! That's not a good track record, is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 Yikes! Thank you for sharing! You're always so thoughtful with PSAs :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 When I was a youngster, many of the airlines that flew in Latin American went by their acronyms for names, usually the first letters of their full legal names. (LANSA, TACA) We flew several that were excellent in Venezuela and Central America. One was so lousy that people coined a ditty from its acronym : Stay At Home, Stay Alive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted February 4, 2017 Author Share Posted February 4, 2017 (edited) When I was a youngster, many of the airlines that flew in Latin American went by their acronyms for names, usually the first letters of their full legal names. (LANSA, TACA) We flew several that were excellent in Venezuela and Central America. One was so lousy that people coined a ditty from its acronym : Stay At Home, Stay Alive. I hope someone in the F.A.A. in DC saw that memo from the U.S. Consulate in Curacao, and that the F.A.A. will change Curacao to Category 2. That would get their attention. I'm also hoping the F.A.A. will change Bolivia to Category 2, after the unbelievable operation of the LaMia charter company in Bolivia (there was an unbelievable accident of a LaMia charter flight, here in Colombia, on November 28th). Although I've flown on 2 Venezuelan airlines (in 1991), I would not want to do that today, because of the currency issues, which probably prevent them from buying/importing spare parts for their aircraft. Yes, frequently the names are short versions of their full legal names, which nobody knows. Avianca, our largest airline, is short for something that few people outside of the company know. I saw that full name today, when I looked at the status of the 2 flights my Stepson took this morning. I prefer Avianca, among other reasons, because their fleet is very young and their aircraft are registered in the USA. LAN Colombia is very good. COPA, the Panamanian carrier, previously affiliated with Continental, is very good. There are many excellent airlines. Edited February 4, 2017 by Lanny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xahm Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 When I was in Russia,I was advised to avoid flying. If I has to fly, though, and a Russian would be flying the plane, I should make sure it was Assn old Soviet plane. Since that's what all the pilots learned on, there were much fewer accidents with the old junkers than on fancy new plans from the west. I don't know if that was literally true, but the number of plane crashes while I was there was disturbing. (I did fly twice on a Russian airline and survived) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 Thanks for posting 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLittleBears Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 (edited) When I was a youngster, many of the airlines that flew in Latin American went by their acronyms for names, usually the first letters of their full legal names. (LANSA, TACA) We flew several that were excellent in Venezuela and Central America. One was so lousy that people coined a ditty from its acronym : Stay At Home, Stay Alive. Yes. I remember TACA being referred to as-Take a chance airline! :laugh: Edited February 4, 2017 by MyLittleBears 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.