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Read other letters about this article
I work in airport operations and ARFF at Flagstaff Airport. Imagine my embarassment when I read that airline staff told passengers waiting to board that "...one of the engines might cut out." I think it goes without saying that no carrier would launch a flight if one of the engines was about to give up the ghost.
Flagstaff sits at 7000ft. above sea level and density altitude routinely reaches 10,000ft. in the summer. As such, air carrier flights are often weight restricted as Mr. Smith points out in the article. I think the counter staff may have misunderstood what (s)he was told by the pilots. Aircraft weight, in high density altitude conditions, would have to be reduced enough to allow the aircraft to proceed through takeoff and initial climb in the unlikely event one of the engines failed during this critical phase of flight. In previous articles, Mr. Smith has shown that complete failure of a turbine engine almost never happens, but for the airlines and the FAA it is better to err on the side of caution.
Please note that this is just my opinion, and that I am not writing on behalf of the airline or airport authority.
