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Posts Tagged “
Faa
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The FAA cited three major airlines for safety violations. None of the breaches put people or passengers at risk, said the FAA. [Washington Post]
The FAA says the Southwest Airlines isn't going to be able to weasel its way out of paying that $10.2 million fine for missing aircraft inspections. [Bizjournals]
american airlines
American Airlines and the FAA are still arguing over the MD-80 debacle that affected 350,000 air travelers. Was it the FAA's fault for going back on a promise to give American more time? Or was the airline lazy? [WSJ]
emergencies
Passenger Cited For Refusing To Get Off His Cellphone On Southwest Flight
A gentlemen who ignored flight attendants requests that he get off his cellphone was met by police when the flight landed at Dallas' Love Field. Joe David Jones, 50, of Austin was ticketed for disorderly conduct, says the Associated Press. More »
airlines
With morale among overworked and poorly supported air-traffic controllers bottoming out, "a combination of fatigue and frustration is laying a dangerous groundwork," reports Time magazine. The spokesman for their union says, ""We're left trying to hold the system together like MacGyver — with duct tape and scissors and string." Time interviewed a controller to find out what's going on, and what the consequences could be if we (or the airline industry and the FAA) don't address the problems.
More »
Interview With An Air Traffic Controller
With morale among overworked and poorly supported air-traffic controllers bottoming out, "a combination of fatigue and frustration is laying a dangerous groundwork," reports Time magazine. The spokesman for their union says, ""We're left trying to hold the system together like MacGyver — with duct tape and scissors and string." Time interviewed a controller to find out what's going on, and what the consequences could be if we (or the airline industry and the FAA) don't address the problems.More »
travel
Midwest Airlines: The Milwaukee Brewers Are More Important Than You
Midwest Airlines flies the Milwaukee Brewers on their planes through a "charter service" says the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, but the Brewers weren't grounded like the over 100,000 other passengers who were booked on MD-80s. More »
airlines
Pilots Complain That Cash-Strapped Airlines Are Skimping On Fuel
What's the surest way to save money on rising fuel prices? Don't use it! MSNBC has gathered pilot complaints from a database NASA maintains for the FAA, and they show that airlines are challenging pilots' refueling decisions, urging them to carry only the minimum fuel required by FAA regulations in order to reduce the weight of the plane and improve mileage. Pilots, however, have the final say on the matter and some of them are upset that cost-cutting is a factor at all in such a crucial decision. One pilot wrote in his complaint, "It's almost like a contest to see how far we can spread this company thin, and when an accident happens, we'll start reintroducing the safety elements we once had."More »
shady
Continental Airlines Using "Fuel Emergencies" To Skip Ahead Of Other Airlines At Newark?
There's evidence that Continental Airlines might be engaged in some shady manipulation of air traffic controllers by creating "fuel emergencies" in order to skip ahead of other airlines and land quicker at Newark, says the Wall Street Journal. So-called "fuel emergencies" aren't as scary as they sound— planes that are getting close to the minimum amount of fuel required to remain in the air can call into the tower and get "expedited handling," and skip the line. There's no real danger to passengers. More »
lawsuits
Southwest Passengers Sue Over Missed Inspections
The AP is reporting that four Southwest passengers have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Southwest broke its contract with passengers by skipping important safety inspections... over a period of six years. More »
travel
These Headlines Are Getting Repetitive: AA Cancels 570 More Flights
American Airlines has canceled 570 more flights today, upping their total number of cancelled flights (this week) to A BAZILLIONTY. (Ok, 3,000.) More »
travel
American Cancels 933 More Flights, Raising Total To Over 2,500
The trouble continues at American Airlines! They've cancelled 933 more flights today. This raises the total number of flights canceled this week to 2,500, as the airline struggles to perform a backlog of neglected safety inspections on its MD-80 aircraft. More »
airlines
Delta Canceling 275 Flights Through Friday To Complete Wiring Inspections
It's official—Delta has said they're canceling a total of 275 flights, or about 3% of their worldwide schedule (we don't know what the US percentage is), to complete inspections of wiring in 117 planes. To check whether your flight is impacted, visit this page on Delta's site. More »
airlines
Delta Says It May Cancel More Flights Today Over Inspection Issues
Delta will announce sometime today whether or not it will ground more of its planes to perform additional inspections, reports CNN. Yesterday, while American Airlines was grounding 200 of its planes for safety inspections, Delta also canceled an unnamed number of flights. Both airlines' renewed focus on safety inspections comes after reports that Southwest Airlines was caught flying planes that hadn't met inspection guidelines.More »
FAA orders more inspections of potentially sketchy older "Boeing 737 jetliners after numerous reports of fuel leaks caused by a potentially faulty bolt," says the Associated Press. [AP]
grounded
Southwest Airlines Grounds 42 Planes, Suspends Workers
The FAA says that Southwest Airlines has grounded at least 42 planes for "possible structural damage," says the Dallas Morning News. The announcement comes after the FAA proposed record-breaking fines after an investigation uncovered that Southwest may have kept 46 planes flying even though they required safety inspections for fuselage damage. More »
taking it seriously
Southwest Airlines Takes Flying Unsafe Planes Seriously
WHO: Southwest AirlinesWHAT: FAA sought $10.2 million in civil damages from Southwest Airlines for neglecting to inspect the fuselages of 46 of its planes.
WHERE: Reader Ben K says: "I got the email below from Southwest regarding the recent news of the FAA fines, and immediately thought of your "taking it seriously" posts. The subject line of the message was actually 'Southwest Airlines: We take Safety Seriously'"
THE QUOTE:
Dear Rapid Rewards Member:More »
scandals
Did FAA Allow Southwest To Fly Unsafe Planes To Avoid Flight Disruptions?
Yesterday the FAA sought $10.2 million in civil damages from Southwest Airlines for neglecting to inspect the fuselages of 46 of its planes. In documents the FAA submitted to Congress, it alleges "the airline flew at least 117 of its planes in violation of mandatory safety checks" over a 30 month period. Southwest says its passengers were never in danger, and that it was an honest oversight that they caught on their own and revealed to the FAA—but (here's where it gets interesting) an FAA inspector has testified that Southwest continued to fly a plane after he discovered the failed inspections and notified them. Now the U.S. Department of Transportation and Congress are asking why the FAA didn't ground the planes as soon as they knew about the missed inspections, and a couple of FAA whistleblowers are leaking internal docs to the press. Only after the issue became public knowledge did the FAA seek civil damages.More »
