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…
safety
The Crocs Fad Is Over?! Profits Down, Will Close 1 Factory
By 4.18.08
Like Zubaz pants before them, Crocs seem to be well on their way to assuming their rightful place of honor in the bad fad hall of fame as the company slashed its sales forecast and announced that it would be closing a plant in Quebec due to decreased traffic in its US stores.
US Airways Pilot Who Fired Gun In Cockpit Will Himself Be Fired
By 4.18.08
The US Airways pilot who accidentally fired his weapon in the cockpit of a plane will be fired, says CNN. The pilot, Capt. James Langenhahn, 55, was not available for comment. He told investigators that he was stowing his weapon in preparation to land when the gun went off. The bullet pierced the jet’s fuselage but did not hit any crucial wiring or instrumentation, according to the TSA.
17th Fatality Sets Colorado Ski Slope Death Record
By 4.16.08
Safety is important, people. This year’s skiing season is going out on a sombre note as a new record was set for the most skiing or snowboarding deaths on Colorado ski slopes in a single season.
Canada May Become First Country To Classify BPA Toxic
By 4.16.08
Canada is about to become the first country to declare bisphenol-a (BPA)—used in baby bottles, drink containers, and as a liner in cans—a toxic chemical, reports the New York Times. An anonymous source has said that the work by Canada’s chemical review program to list BPA as a toxic chemical “was complete and was recently endorsed by a panel of outside scientists.” The announcement is expected any time between today and the end of May.
Southwest Passengers Sue Over Missed Inspections
By 4.16.08
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.
These Headlines Are Getting Repetitive: AA Cancels 570 More Flights
By 4.11.08
American Airlines has canceled 570 more flights today, upping their total number of cancelled flights (this week) to A BAZILLIONTY. (Ok, 3,000.)
American Cancels 933 More Flights, Raising Total To Over 2,500
By 4.10.08
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.
By 4.9.08
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Delta has canceled a few flights on MD-80 aircraft. [Fox Business News]
Drugs In The Water No Big Deal, Says NYC Official
By 4.8.08
In regards to a headline grabbing AP investigation that found the drinking water of major cities contained trace amounts of an array of pharmacopoeia, the deputy commissioner of New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection, “A person would have to drink one million glasses of water to get the dose of even one over-the-counter ibuprofen tablet or the caffeine in one cup of coffee…Even at eight glasses of water per day, this would take the average person over 300 years to consume.” So for those of you hoping to replace your medicine cabinet just by draining the Brita, sorry Charlie. However, there are no studies on the long-term effects to human of small exposure to a vast array of drugs, although, the Times notes, they have been shown to cause mutations in fish.
FAA Says Southwest Tried To Hide Safety Problems
By 4.3.08 — Updated: 10.25.12
There’s a congressional hearing going on right now over the unsafe Southwest Airlines planes. It seems like the FAA’s Southwest Airlines operation was a smörgåsbord of delicious corruption that put many lives (and careers) at risk by becoming too cozy with the airline it was supposed to regulate.
United Airlines Cancels 31 Flights
By 4.2.08
United Airlines canceled 31 flights today to test the fire suppression system. It’s just the latest in a series of self-imposed groundings and butteningups by airlines hoping to avoid the negative PR Southwest experienced when a CNN investigation three weeks ago revealed the airline flew over 100 plans with thousands of passengers while skipping required safety inspections.
Buick Doesn't Tell Dealerships About Fire Hazard
By 4.2.08
There are efficient ways to initiate a recall and issue safety notices, and then there’s the Buick way. After determining a potential fire hazard in the certain Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick Regals, Buick sent out safety notices in advance of a probable recall to its customers. It alerted them of the hazard, and recommend they have a mechanic investigate any suspicious burning smells. What they neglected, however, was to inform their dealerships of the hazard. Reader Tculkin, who had already complained of burning smells to another mechanic, followed the advice in his safety notice and immediately called his local dealership. The dealership had no idea what he was talking about. Literally, they didn’t get the memo. Details, inside…
Delta Canceling 275 Flights Through Friday To Complete Wiring Inspections
By 3.27.08
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.
Delta Says It May Cancel More Flights Today Over Inspection Issues
By 3.27.08
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.
By 3.26.08
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American Airlines canceled 200 flights today for safety inspections. Concerns arose over how a particular bundle of wires was attached to MD-80 airplanes. This is different from the bolt safety issue affecting Boeing 737s. [CNNMoney]
By 3.25.08
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We hear a lot of horror stories about bad satellite TV installers, but they do serve an important function in the world. If one had been available to this gentlemen he might not have shot his wife. [KSDK]
Get Info On BPA-Free Baby Products Via Text Messaging
By 3.21.08
If you’ve got a baby and you’re concerned about buying unlabeled products that contain Bisphenol A or BPA—which some studies have indicated may lead to adverse health effects in humans—the website Z Recommends has just launched a free text messaging service that lets you query their database of companies while you’re standing in the store. They’ve also got a printable wallet-card you can carry with you, which serves as both a cheat-sheet for the text service and a quick reference source for major companies.
