Travel Safety Update - North America.

Apr 14, 2008

Unions representing air traffic controllers and air safety specialists say a new, $2.4 billion telecom system built to feed radar data to the nation's air traffic control towers is unreliable and makes flying less safe. The new system, called the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI) network, relays radar data and other information to air traffic control centers and other vital operational centers around the country. It was formally launched this week by the Federal Aviation Administration and is now in use at more than 3,800 FAA facilities. But union officials say the system was built on the cheap, lacks sufficient backup systems and is unreliable. Apr 10, 2008

Weather remains obstacle to lengthy flight delays, ATA testifies James May, president and CEO of the Air Transport Association, testified yesterday at a hearing on delays and customer service that weather is the cause of most lengthy flight delays. He explained that airlines don't like delays any more than customers do, and said the industry is working to solve the problems. A report by the DOT inspector general predicted that airlines will experience significant flight delays at major airports in New York, Chicago and Minneapolis this summer. Yesterday, DOT Inspector General Calvin Scovel noted that many initiatives aimed at reducing congestion and delays will not be in place this summer. Apr 10, 2008

Persistent maintenance oversight problems remain inside the FAA, despite the reassignment of a top regional flight regulator, the Dallas Morning News editorial board writes. The board notes that lawmakers should consider giving oversight to another organization. "A revamped National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates all civil aviation accidents in the United States, is one possibility," the board writes. Apr 9, 2008

Some lawmakers say FAA presented misleading testimony. Three House lawmakers said the FAA presented "inaccurate and misleading" information about airline maintenance. They also questioned inconsistencies in testimony during hearings held last week about a customer service initiative established in 2004. Apr 9, 2008

Airline passengers are less willing to fly, have skipped recent flights and plan to avoid air travel in the future, a new survey of travel professionals by the Business Travel Coalition (BTC) reveals. The BTC survey on aircraft maintenance, outsourcing and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight, underlines a deepening concern over the safety of U.S. airlines. The BTC says the survey shows concern regarding passenger safety and homeland security is driving a strong desire for additional maintenance-related consumer information to assist passengers in choosing an airline on which to travel. BTC said there is also strong support for an independent top-to-bottom review of FAA policy as well as worry that the environment is a victim of certain outsourcing practices. The BTC survey was conducted online from April 1-3 with 223 completing the survey. Respondents were asked to consider the survey from an individual passenger perspective. Ninety-four (94) percent of participants are very concerned or somewhat concerned about the overall aircraft maintenance and FAA oversight situation. Forty (40) percent are less willing to fly due to current aircraft maintenance issues. Thirteen (13) percent have skipped recent flights due to maintenance concerns. Twenty-five (25) percent indicate they are very likely or fairly likely to skip future flights, according to the BTC survey. Complete survey findings can be found at http://businesstravelcoalition.com/campaigns/outsourcing/maintenance_survey.doc Apr 8, 2008

The pilot of a freighter that caused a huge oil spill in the San Francisco Bay was confused about where he was headed and immediately regretted setting off that foggy morning, according to transcripts released Tuesday. The first day of the hearing focused on procedures at the port and onboard ship that morning where Cota, a pilot who boarded locally, was working with a Chinese-speaking crew and a master who'd never been in the San Francisco-Oakland port. The captain and three crew members also refused to testify, though Cota is the only person charged in the accident. Transcripts of the voyage data recorder show the pilot and crew struggling in English and Chinese to read navigational devices amid anxiety about thick fog. Apr 8, 2008

FAA proposes rules to cut risk of ice in engines. The FAA on Monday is expected to announce new flight procedures to prevent ice from forming in jet engines, a problem that can cause engines to shut down. Investigators say internal ice has caused 14 dual-engine shutdowns since 2002. Apr 7, 2008

Grounding planes, even for a few hours, is costly because they don't generate any passenger revenue when airlines need paying customers more than ever. Allegations of lax safety inspections led to congressional hearings last week and calls for stricter compliance. Analysts said U.S. airlines had already squeezed as much cost out of their operations as possible since the 2001 terrorist attacks led to an air travel slump. More than 20 U.S. airlines filed for Bankruptcy Court protection from 2001 to 2006, including four of the six largest network carriers. United, during its bankruptcy reorganization, slashed $7 billion in annual expenses and grounded 100 planes. The Chicago-based airline emerged from bankruptcy in 2006. Apr 7, 2008

Whistleblower first warned about maintenance problems in 2003. Last week, Bobby Boutris testified before Congress about a breakdown in the FAA's regulatory oversight of Southwest Airlines. Boutris works out of an FAA office in Irving, Texas, and first warned the FAA about problems with Southwest Airline's system for tracking compliance with FAA directives in 2003. Apr 7, 2008

Alaska Airlines, Boeing

Alaska Airlines has determined that eight of its nine Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) MD-80s are in compliance with a Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directive related to wire bundling in the aircrafts' wheel wells. Inspections conducted by Alaska Airlines and the FAA during the past two days have focused on detailed, technical specifications and not safety-of-flight issues. Seven of the aircraft have returned to service after the airline adjusted the spacing of wire bundle ties and taping, and repositioned wire bundle clamps to precisely comply with the FAA's directive. Work continues on the eighth aircraft. The airline's remaining MD-80 is undergoing maintenance unrelated to the wire bundling issue. Other airlines, including Midwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines, canceled some flights for re-inspections. For more information, visit www.alaskaair.com Apr 11, 2008

American Airlines

Canceled flights for failed safety inspections have reduced air travel to a crawl for many passengers, but it is only the latest bad news in a series of woes for an already battered industry. American Airlines canceled 900 more flights - 40% of its schedule -Thursday because the airline twice failed to meet an air-worthiness directive by the Federal Aviation Administration. That brings the total number of inspection-related cancellations for U.S. carriers to more than 3,100 in the past three weeks - with the potential of cancellations continuing into the summer, leading to multi-million dollar daily losses, according to industry analysts. But grounded passengers are not the only thing hammering airlines recently. Rising fuel costs, long delays and public relations gaffes have also beaten up the industry. Apr 10, 2008

American Airlines

FAA plans to expand scrutiny of aircraft maintenance. Cancellations at American Airlines suggest that the FAA is taking steps to make sure airlines strictly comply with safety regulations. Critics note that the FAA does not allow inspectors to conduct surprise inspections based on their own instincts, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial board says travelers will remain vulnerable to canceled flights until the process is improved. Apr 10, 2008

American Airlines, Boeing

American Airlines said as of Wednesday afternoon 179 Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) MD-80 aircraft were completely inspected, 60 of the 179 MD-80is were returned to service, 119 of the 179 MD-80is were still undergoing work and 121 MD-80's remain to be inspected. These inspections were conducted to ensure compliance with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directive related to the bundling of wires in the wheel well of the MD-80 aircraft, American said. Apr 11, 2008

American Airlines, Boeing

American conducts additional inspections, cancels hundreds of flights American Airlines on Tuesday conducted additional inspections on its Boeing MD-80 jetliners after the FAA raised concerns about wiring work performed on the jets two weeks ago. The Associated Press reports that the inspections forced American to cancel 500 flights on Tuesday, or almost 25% of its mainline schedule, as well as another 850 flights on Wednesday. The airline noted that the inspections are not related to the safety of flying. Apr 9, 2008

Atlas Air, Boeing