"We do not agree with the FAA's [latest] findings and characterizations of American's action in these cases," the airline said in a statement. "We believe the proposed penalties are excessive."

The FAA defended the fine in a statement of its own:
"The FAA believes the large total amount of the fine for these violations is appropriate because American Airlines was aware that appropriate repairs were needed, and instead deferred maintenance."

As for the drug testing issue, the FAA wants to fine AA $1.7 million for warning its employees ahead of time when they were scheduled to be tested. The tests are supposed to be unannounced.

The FAA proposed $7.1 million in fines against American for violations that included:

•$4.4 million for improperly deferring maintenance in December

•$1.7 million for problems with its drug- and alcohol-testing program

•$1 million for operating planes without properly inspecting the emergency- path lighting system

American Airlines faces $7.1M in fines for safety violations [Dallas Morning News]
(Photo: Joshua Davis jdavis.info )

Apparently, airlines can be fined up to $25,000 if passengers don't get off the phone, and passengers themselves can be fined as well. The passenger could not be reached for comment by the AP, but a business associate said that Mr. Jones' father was having a heart attack and and he was on the phone with the hospital.

"He expresses regret for the inconvenience that it caused the airline and its passengers, but he felt compelled because of the life and death nature of it to make that call," Clayton said in a story for Monday's online edition of the Austin American-Statesman.

Southwest passenger cited for refusing to get off cell phone [Houston Chronicle]
(Photo: Zonaphoto)

What are the inherent difficulties in pulling together that process?
 
One of our Achilles heels is a very antiquated communications system. We use 1950s technology to communicate in a 2010 environment. The frustrating thing is, there are incredible technologies available for communicating — via data-link or digital voice radio systems — and I've seen people die because we haven't implemented those technologies.

The airline flies the baseball team on the planes through a charter service. But Midwest voluntarily grounded its fleet of 13 MD-80s last week in response to the FAA's grounding of American Airlines flights on MD-80s after problems showed up in inspections.

But the Brewers made it to New York last Thursday because Midwest used one of its Boeing 717s instead. Those planes normally fly commercial routes but one was used to take the Brewers to play against the Mets.

Spokesman Michael Brophy says the Brewers took only one trip on the plane.

The (momentarily division leading) Chicago Cubs would never do this. They would volunteer to ride cursed goats all the way from Chicago to NYC. Both ways. Up hill. Except for Lou Piniella, who would instead propel himself to the Big Apple with the power of his screaming. Not really.

Midwest Airlines flies Brewers to New York while other passengers wait [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]
(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

Continental Airlines, for example, issued two bulletins last year expressing concern over the number of refueling stops that some flights were making en route to Newark, N.J., one of which observed that "adding fuel indiscriminately without critical thinking ultimately reduces profit sharing and possibly pension funding."

The reports do not represent a valid statistical sample, for example, because they are voluntary and by definition incomplete. And they are redacted to conceal the identities of the pilots, making it impossible to verify individual statements. But NASA, which maintains the Aviation Safety and Reporting System, says it considers the database a reliable and conservative snapshot of events.

Following local news reports late last year that some airliners were arriving at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey with dangerously little fuel left in their tanks, Laura Brown, a spokeswoman for the FAA, said: "We don't have any indication right now that airlines are flying planes with less than the required amount of fuel."
 
But Schricker said, "Management is juggling, and what they do by doing that is they decrease the margin of safety."
 
As a result, said Russ Miller, an air traffic controller at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, aircraft now often sound minimum-fuel alerts while they are in holding patterns.

"The Transportation Department's inspector general released a document Wednesday showing that the number of such events involving Continental planes jumped from 19 in 2005 to 42 in 2006 to 96 in 2007," the paper said.

Internal Continental memos show that management was encouraging pilots to skip refueling stops:

None of the flights examined in the report landed with less than the minimum quantity of reserve fuel mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration. But the report cites two internal Continental memos, in February and October of last year, urging pilots to reduce refueling stops when possible.

In a statement stressing that "safety is our top priority," Continental said it "doesn't cut corners on ensuring aircraft have enough fuel. We put on ample fuel at the start of each flight, and there is a significant reserve."

By declaring a fuel emergency or telling controllers they have "minimum fuel" aboard, pilots get expedited handling from traffic controllers. The FAA is working to clarify when pilots should resort to those phrases.

As early as August 2006, according to the report, there were suspicions in a local FAA office that Continental pilots were using fuel issues as a "flight-planning tool" to avoid going to an alternate airport. Continental has about 70% of the traffic at the Newark airport, and it accounted for 65% of the overall fuel events last year.

Even if such incidents pose no direct safety threat to passengers, the report concludes, they create "a burden on the air traffic system and an extra distraction for controllers" in a busy region.

Continental's Low-Fuel Claims Rise [WSJ]
(Photo:Meghann Marco)

The lawsuit is seeking class action status, and will include passengers who traveled on Southwest's planes from 2002 until this month— though presumably one would have to have flown on an MD-80?

Lew Garrison, a Birmingham lawyer who represents the passengers, said Tuesday the class could include hundreds of thousands of people who traveled on Southwest planes from January 2002 through last month.

Garrison, in a telephone interview, said the lawsuit primarily seeks reimbursement for tickets for those flights on the grounds that the Dallas-based airline did not comply with government regulations and did not honor its contract with its customers.

American Airlines says the "disruptions" will continue at least through tomorrow, and American's CEO says he's taking "personal responsibility" for the mess.

"I run the company," Mr. Arpey told reporters at an afternoon news conference, "so if there's any blame to be had, it is my fault, and I take full responsibility for this."

We hope that tactic works out better for Mr. Arpey than it did for David Neeleman of JetBlue.

Meanwhile, Flickr Pool member kevinq2000 sent in the above shot of unused American MD-80s being stored on a runway.

American Airlines Cancels Another 570 Flights [NY1]
American Airlines CEO takes blame for maintenance errors, disrupted flights [Dallas Morning News]
(Photo:kevinq2000)

American says:

Customers who were scheduled on a flight that was cancelled may request a full refund or may apply the value of their ticket towards future travel on American Airlines. Additionally, customers scheduled to travel on any MD-80 flight from April 8 - 11, even if their flight has not been cancelled, may rebook without a change fee to any AA flight with availability in the same cabin as long as their travel begins by April 17 if:

If you are traveling to, from or through cities served by MD-80 aircraft from April 8-11, 2008, and your ticket was issued no later than April 8, 2008. You may change your reservation to begin travel as late as April 17, 2008.

One ticketed change is allowed, and no change fee will apply.

Aircraft Inspections Affect Some AA Travel [AA]

"We expect this voluntary review, which is taking place on Delta's 117 MD-88 aircraft, to result in approximately 275 cancellations through early Friday, impacting about 3 percent of Delta's worldwide flight schedule. Based on the aggressive and proactive re-inspection schedule, Delta expects inspections to be complete on approximately 70 percent of its MD-88 fleet by early evening, with normal operations planned by early Friday."

"Delta, American cancel flights for safety inspections" [East Bay Business Times]
(Photo: Cubbie_n_Vegas)

Delta (DAL, Fortune 500) is inspecting the wiring of 117 MD-88 and 16 MD-90 aircraft. The airline says the checks are voluntary and are expected to be completed by week's end. American Airlines, meanwhile, is examining wiring secured to the MD-80 aircraft.

The airline has also placed 3 employees on administrative leave.

Southwest Airlines grounds dozens of jets after safety probe [Dallas Morning News]
(Photo:Paxson Holley)

Dear Rapid Rewards Member:

Southwest Airlines: We take Safety Seriously

You may have heard that Southwest Airlines was fined by the FAA regarding recent aircraft inspections. First and foremost, we want to assure you this was never and is not a safety of flight issue.
From our inception, Southwest Airlines has maintained a rigorous Culture of Safety—and has maintained that same dedication for more than 37 years...

(Photo:ZonaPhoto)

The [whistleblower] inspectors say FAA managers knew about the lapse in safety at Southwest, but decided to allow the airline to conduct the safety checks on a slower schedule because taking "aircraft out of service would have disrupted Southwest Airlines' flight schedule."

According to statements made by one of the FAA inspectors seeking whistle-blower status, a manager at the FAA "permitted the operation of these unsafe aircraft in a matter that would provide relief" to the airline, even though customers were on board.

Laura Brown, an FAA spokeswoman, told CNN that the administration has taken action and that a supervisor who was in charge of overseeing Southwest is "no longer in a supervisory position."

"The FAA penalty is related to one of many routine and redundant inspections on our aircraft fleet involving an extremely small area in one of the many overlapping inspections. These inspections were designed to detect early signs of skin cracking," the airline said in a statement Thursday evening.

"Southwest Airlines discovered the missed inspection area, disclosed it to the FAA, and promptly reinspected all potentially affected aircraft in March 2007. The FAA approved our actions and considered the matter closed as of April 2007."

(Thanks to Tzepish!)

"Records: Southwest Airlines flew 'unsafe' planes " [CNN]
(Photo: Boeing Photo)

The report cited four engine failures in 2003 — three on the ground, one in flight — that were traced to "unapproved design changes made by a . . . supplier" of speed sensors on engine fuel pumps. It did not cite any more recent incidents, nor did it specify the degree to which continuing problems with parts threaten to cause similar failures.

During a visit to one parts supplier, the inspector general's office observed an employee who "used a piece of paper, scotch-taped to the work surface, as a measuring device for a length of wire on an oil and fuel pressure transmitter."

Among its recommendations, the report said that the FAA needs to require manufacturers to make more on-site visits. The FAA also needs to improve its own inspections, the report said.

FAA Criticized In Report on Airplane Parts [Washington Post]
(Photo: Charliux)

The inspectors are the on-the-ground cops who ensure that engines fire up properly, that the wing flaps function, and that all of the other complex machinery in an aircraft is in good working order. They have broad discretion to halt and delay flights—power that often rankles the thinly stretched, financially strapped carriers. When an inspector launches a formal investigation into an apparent safety violation at a passenger airline, something that happened more than 200 times last year, it often triggers costly repairs. And when the bill exceeds $50,000, the FAA must issue a press release alerting the world to the problem.

The airlines sometimes fight back. Executives meet constantly with local FAA officials on a wide variety of issues and occasionally lodge informal complaints against tough inspectors. From time to time, the carriers bring their concerns directly to the agency's top official: the FAA administrator. "If the airline feels uncomfortable, management will call the FAA administrator," says Linda Goodrich, a former inspector who is now vice-president of the Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS) union, which represents inspectors and played no role in Lund's dispute with the agency. "The FAA administrator will immediately demand to know what we are doing to them. You can imagine an inspector trying to do his work when his local management is so fearful of the airline."

Several safety inspectors told BusinessWeek that they had also experienced or witnessed retaliation. (Most of the safety inspectors interviewed by BusinessWeek did not want to be identified by name in this article for that reason.)

On Aug. 21 Lund worked late into the night drafting a nine-page memo that described his observations of 10 separate maintenance mistakes. Besides advocating a cutback in Northwest's flight schedule, he proposed upgrading its mechanic-training program and increasing FAA surveillance of the carrier. The next day, Lund says, his direct supervisor got a call from a higher-level manager ordering Lund to be barred from inspecting Northwest planes. Then the carrier fired off the letter of complaint against Lund, according to the IG report. It said Northwest "would no longer permit [Lund] to have unescorted access to Northwest facilities." In response, the FAA decided to stop him from conducting on-site inspections altogether

Airline Safety: A Whistleblower's Tale [BusinessWeek]
(Photo:ZonaPhoto)

"I wanted to have little things that were shooting the plane down, but my girlfriend thought I would get arrested, so I settled for the picture that's up there," Hall said. We applaud Mr. Hall's creative solution to getting his voice heard.

Fed up with jet noise, couple raise the roof [Philly.com] (Thanks to Rachel!)

Most people think that the airlines should just stop scheduling every single morning flight to depart at 9:00 a.m.

From the New York Times:

The United States transportation secretary will announce on Wednesday that her department has negotiated an agreement with the airlines to ease congestion at Kennedy International Airport next summer by shifting some flights to less busy times, according to government officials and industry executives.

As a result, the department will not, at least for now, order a reduction in the number of flights per hour at Kennedy, they said.

Also, the department will not immediately issue rules to carry out a more controversial tactic — auctioning off landing slots — to reduce the number of flights to Kennedy, people involved in the discussions said.

UPDATE: The Times was wrong, they will be putting a cap on the number of flights per hour at JFK.

For Now, U.S. Won't Cap Flights Per Hour at J.F.K. [NYT]
(Photo:bribriTO)

The discrepancy is raising a few eyebrows over at FlightStory. One passenger writes:

It was not during takeoff. There was alot of damage. There was no vibration. It doesnt say anything about an uncontained explosion at 25,000ft. I was sitting on that engine watching it happen with my own two eyes. The fan blades shot out towards the plane leaving holes on the engine cowlings and a huge hole on th other side.There was no vibration, but a huge explosion. That report is false and they should really clean it up! The blades could have easily penatrated the fusalage causing a crash, or went through and killed a passenger.

We all thought we were going to die! We said our goodbyes. There was an explosion and holes in the right engine with something sharp still sticking out of the engine. The plane started shaking so bad. The flight attendant was crying and one was getting oxygen because she was hyperventilating. They were able to turn the flight around and land with no incident but not before the longest 20 minutes back to the ground and the plane being surrounded by firetrucks. A big chunk of the engine flew off and luckily it went away from the aircraft because if it came toward us, we wouldn't be here. The chunk was on the outer side of the engine not seen from our view but could be seen while walking off the aircraft. There were smaller holes though in our view of the top of the engine. I saw the pilots taking photos when we made it to the ground so hopefully the FAA will do the right thing and investigate how this could happen.

Follow-up - Southwest Engine Failure [FlightStory]

The move is an attempt by the airlines to address both the incredibly high rate of delays (up to 28% this year) and the deep customer dissatisfaction (up to 1893% this year), before the feds step in with legislation or congestion pricing. They're expected to produce an official draft of their congestion-reduction plan this December, and Congress says they'll be checking in every three months to monitor progress—which we think means one more time before summer comes around?

"Smoother Skies Ahead for Frustrated Travelers" [Kiplinger's]
(Photo: Getty)

And that's what reader Casey tried to do. Unfortunately, it seems that the flight attendants had never heard of "airplane mode," and called the police when Casey refused to stop watching I Know What You Did Last Summer.

I am an iPhone owner, and this is my story. I recently was traveling to Hawaii on ATA airlines and took my iPhone along for the trip. During the first 2 hours of my 5 hour flight I was listening to music using the ipod function of my iPhone.

The iPhone was sitting on my tray table in front of my seat, in plain sight. Then I decided to watch a movie. So I fired up the classic "I know what you did last summer", a movie I had never seen before. About 1 and a half hours into this cinematic masterpiece I had a flight attendant try to get my attention.

I paused the movie just as Jennifer love Hewitt was screaming something about "please stop killing my friends" or "what do you want from me", honestly I am not sure what she was saying because I paused the movie and looked to see what the flight attendant wanted. He said something to the effect of "you can't use a cell phone in flight". OK, that makes sense, so I assured him that I had the phone in airplane mode and that all cell, wifi and bluetooth was off.

He again said "you have to stop using it" and walked on... Now I know something about flying and the rules, and I am pretty sure I can use the MP3 part of a cell phone if it is in airplane mode, above 10,000 feet. So, I continued to watch, needing to find out who the killer with the hook was and why they were messing with J Love.

About 10 minutes later, the same guy comes back and waves his hand in front of my face, I pause the movie again, and look over at him. He says that I am not allowed to use a cell phone in flight and I am breaking FAA rules. Again I tell him I have the phone in airplane mode, and would be more than happy to show that to him. He didn't want to see it and said I am breaking FAA rules.

"OK, maybe I am wrong ?" I think to myself.

So I ask what rule I am breaking. He tells me I am talking on my cell phone. I again explain I am not using the cell part and it is disabled. I go on to further explain that I have been on other airlines that have specific written rules that say cell phones in airplane mode are OK above 10,00 feet, so how could it be a FAA rule. And if it is, what rule ? He has no answer for that, but to now yells at me "You have to do anything I say, I am going to have you arrested"....

ANYTHING ? Wow...I didn't know they had that power in the air?

So now the head flight attendant comes over and tell me the same thing about FAA rules, and I explain again to her the same stuff, and asked her again "What rule am I breaking?" She runs off and comes back with a slip of paper that has about 4 or 5 FAA rules that the flight attendant is supposed to check off and sign and give to you as a written warning. She has crossed all of them out and written "Talking on cell phone"...I tell her again "I am not talking on my cell, the cell part is off, and this is a device that has many functions that maybe you are not aware of and the offending functions are disabled."

She goes on to tell me that I am breaking FAA rules. I say "WHAT RULE ?"

Oh, while this is going on the first flight attendant guy is behind her yelling at me about that he wants me arrested.

Then she runs off and comes back with a HUGE book of FAA rules. Finally, I will get to see the rule about no phones in airplane mode (even though I know it doesn't exist) She drops it in my lap, open to a page that says "Things not allowed in flight: Talking on cell phones, Playing online cell phone games... Things allowed over 10,00 feet: MP3 Players...etc.."

So I say "what does that show? I am not talking on my phone"

She grabs the book and runs off in a huff. And again the guy yells at me "I have called the police, you are going to jail"...

So we start our decent and I turn my iPhone off, because I follow REAL FAA rules. We land and there are police waiting for me, the flight attendant that started this whole thing makes me walk to the front of the plane while everyone else has to stay in their seats and I stand there for 10 minutes. I kind of feel like I am standing in front of class as punishment because I was disruptive, not that this has ever happened to me in school, ok maybe it has.

Then the police take me off the flight and to a waiting area. I explain everything that happened, they go and talk to the male flight attendant. I see him waving his arms and looking very angry and animated. Why is he so hell bent on getting me in trouble ? So then the police come back over to me and explain that he said this particular plane is not shielded for ANY electronic equipment at all, so even a phone in airplane mode could cause problems.

OK, so why didn't he tell me that at all in flight, all he said was i was breaking FAA rules, and also why was everyone else allowed to use their laptops, mp3 players, etc ?? The police officer looked confused, and said he would be right back. He talked to the guy again and then came back and said that the airplane is not shielded for ONLY phones in airplane mode.

Come on, really ? he has changed his story 3 times, and all he said in flight was FAA this and FAA that, nothing about this specific plane. The police sorta laughed and said wait one second, they went and talked to him, he got really upset and left. Then they came back to me and said I was free to go.

I have never been harassed by someone so much as that flight attendant. He was very rude to me the whole flight, lied about FAA rules, and changed his story to police 3 times. I took a Southwest flight later in the week, they have it clearly written in the inflight magazine that airplane mode is fine over 10,000 feet.

So, if you have an iPhone, ATA airlines does not want your business. I was harassed, embarrassed, and delayed for no reason, other than I own an iPhone, the ATA flight crew has no idea about what are real FAA rules, and they like to just make up whatever they want to scare you into obeying them, because you "have to do anything" they say...

Casey

It seems that ATA owes Casey a big apology.

(Photo:Drewski2112)

According to acting FAA Administrator Bobby Sturgell the issue was a "BellSouth/AT&T problem."

From the AP:

"The service disruption was a result of equipment failure ... (and) the company is conducting a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause," according to a statement from AT&T that said no additional information was available. AT&T, which is based in San Antonio, acquired BellSouth Corp. last year.

The outage shut down all air traffic within 250 miles of Memphis because the air traffic control center could not fully communicate with flights passing through its airspace.

National Air Traffic Controllers union spokesman Doug Church on Tuesday called the outage a major safety problem and said controllers had to use their personal cell phones to talk to other air traffic control centers.

FAA Says Memphis Outage Caused by AT&T [AP]
(Photo:Wikipedia)

Ballard said he needs a Canadian license to land a job with Air India that would help offset the pension he lost during United's bankruptcy. While India allows pilots to fly until age 65, authorities there are balking at certifying U.S.-licensed pilots who are no longer eligible to fly for their home airlines.

"It's so frustrating that you almost have to laugh," said Ballard, who retired Sept. 1 and is among thousands of pilots whose careers are in limbo as legislation that would raise the retirement age moves through Congress. The FAA, which also has authority to change the regulation, has yet to propose new retirement rules, much less implement them. That process could take two years.

...David Aldrich, 55, an American Airlines captain, advocates keeping the current rules. "How many guys who want to stay [on the job] are on to their third wife with a 7-year-old at home, and 'Oops, I got to 60'? That's your problem, not the traveling public's," said Aldrich

U.S. pilots landing in age limbo [Chicago Tribune]
(Photo:MalcolmAlmeida)

NPR: I know the stats say that about 1/3 of all flights are late. Why hasn't the FAA been able to do anything about this?

Blakey: The FAA does not control all of that. The question of delays go to several different categories and I think we have to give a healthy dollop of responsibility in each category. One: Mother Nature. This summer we have had the worst thunderstorm season we have had in recent memory.

In addition to that, passenger traffic is back. Everyone wants to fly. That means the airlines are scheduling a lot of flights, and they're all full. So, when one is delayed you don't have the back up that you can put people on because the next one is full.

NPR: I understand that, but why not place a limit on the number of take-offs and landings at airports during peak hours?

Blakey: You know as a country, a long time ago, we decide against a heavy regulatory policy in terms of putting caps on numbers of flights and having a regulatory approach, and the result of that was low-fare carriers, a lot of flights, a boom in aviation...

If it's necessary,from time to time, at a few airports, the government has stepped in. It may have to happen again at a few airports, but it is ultimately not the best solution.

NPR: In your final speech, you warned that airlines have to sort of "self regulate" on this issue or there will be more limits on take-offs and landings.

Blakey: What I said was that the airlines need to voluntarily look at their schedules more carefully as to whether or not, at some airports which are our most congested, their schedules are comparable with reality.

When you see over and over that you're running at only 60-70% on-time, that tells all of us something, and I think they can do a number of things to de-peak their schedules.

The real solution in the long run is a new air transportation system that is satellite based, automated, a new air traffic control system. Because the way we're operating right now keeps aircraft very far apart in terms of separation, with very mechanical standards, using very old technology. 1960s technology! Radar goes back to World War II.

Marion Blakey leaves her job as FAA administrator to lobby for the Aerospace Industry Association. She says it is not a conflict of interest.

FAA Administrator Steps Down After Rough Year [NPR]

This sexy graph, referenced by departing FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey (her next job is as CEO of an aerospace lobbying group) in her July 12, 2007 testimony before the Senate Committee on Finance, on Financing the Next Generation Air Transportation System, shows how an airline's b767 pays $3,600 in taxes, while a corporate Gulfrstream pays $300. Both cost the FAA the same amount.

To be fair, though, the B767 has the benefit of being able to levy taxes from all of its passengers, while the Gulfstream only has personal golden caviar spigots at each seat, and pillows stuffed with the hair of 30,000 Vestal Virgins.

Statement of Marion C. Blakey, Administrator [FAA via Washington Post]

A video was released yesterday of the 26-year-old's arrest and imprisonment for boozing it up. About 16 seconds in she flips out when they try to remove her pinned-on wings.

When asked if she feels like harming herself, Mills replies, "Pretty much." She also tells her jailers, "You guys are so dumb, all I did was get drunk."

Later, she crawls on the floor of her jail cell and peers out the window like a forlorn kitty (This version has clearer audio).

She allegedly stank of whiskey and told the captain, "You're dead," as she was taken from the plane.

Mills pleaded not guilty to terroristic threatening and public alcohol intoxication.

She might get away with the last one, as she only blew a .03 on the breathalyser, less than the .08 legal driving limit, and the .04 FAA flying limit.

Drunk stewardess arrest and crawling on cell floor tape released [LiveLeak] (Thanks to clokeisgod!)
PREVIOUSLY: Delta Flight Attendant Comes To Work Drunk

"We have no rules regarding restrooms," U.S. Department of Transportation spokesman Bill Mosley said, suggesting that the Environmental Protection Agency be asked.

The EPA does set water-quality standards for aircraft, spokesman Dale Kemery said. He promised to investigate whether the agency has any further involvement. Soon he called back. "We don't do toilets," he said, and suggested contacting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Not us, said FAA spokeswoman Alison Duquette, who said that if there were a rule, it would be an EPA rule.

When a plane takes off without a working restroom [Seattle Times]
(Photo:daquella manera)

So what can you do? NBC finds some expert to give you advice, but let's face it: You can't really do anything. Airlines are flying too many flights, and they're flying them 90% full.

No room for error in a system where error is inevitable. Oh well, the bottled-water-and-cold-sandwiches-in-airports industry is probably booming.

NBC

"Air travelers should be seriously concerned about their safety," said Phil Barbarello of the air-traffic controllers union, who wants more controllers hired. "The margin of safety is as low as I have ever seen, and I've been with the agency [FAA] for 23 years." Hey, that's comforting. The FAA denies there is a staffing problem.

Among the near collisions were a Chicago-bound American Eagle flight came within 200 feet of a helicopter at Kennedy airport, and on May 21st, the following weird encounter.... From the NYPost:

Continental Airlines Flight 466, a Boeing 757, was at 6,000 feet heading into Newark Airport when it had a close encounter with an unidentified aircraft.

The jet's Terminal Collision Avoidance System sounded the alarm, and the pilots "took evasive action and descended," according to an airport source.

"Our pilots receive extensive training to immediately respond to this type of event. The TCAS system did exactly what is was designed to do," said Continental spokeswoman Julie King, who confirmed the near-miss.

FAA spokesman Laura Brown acknowledged there have been more delays nationwide and in New York, but said increased flights, not a lack of flight controllers, were to blame.

"The number of air traffic controllers - and I can't stress this enough - has nothing to do with delays," Brown said. "We have a certain number of runways and airports to handle the traffic, and the system is stretched to capacity."

Time sure doesn't fly - Schumer [Daily News]
(Photo: JohnKit)

This is a shot from a live map of all the planes in the sky right now. Click it for the map. Somewhere underneath the pile of white dots is America. The goal is to keep the dots from touching one another.

(Thanks to BNatural!)

Upon take-off, United Airlines Flight 1015 found itself scraping belly against back of a cargo plane landing on the same track. The passenger flight, carrying 125 people, missed the cargo plane by only about 300 vertical feet, which the Federal Aviation Administration assures us is "way, way too close."

Unbelievably, this is the fifth near-miss incident of mid-flight collisions predicated by daydreaming air traffic controllers this year alone. The most serious was a danger level C near-miss, with A being a hair's breadth from a full on kablooie, we assume. Last year, there were seven, one of which was an A level threat.

As usual, the threat of terrorism is made to seem completely impotent by our own casual incompetency.

Traffic controller blamed for near miss at O'Hare [Chicago Sun Times]