Travel Safety Update - North America.

May 3, 2009

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood ordered a full departmental review of motorcoach safety. A Departmental Motorcoach Safety Action Plan will be created from the reviewOs findings. The plan will outline the additional steps needed to improve motorcoach safety for the millions of Americans who rely on these vehicles for safe transportation. OMotorcoaches have been a safe form of transportation in the United States for many years, but even a single crash or accident is unacceptableO said LaHood. OWe will continue our efforts to make them as safe as possible. As Secretary of Transportation, safety is my top priority.O www.dot.gov. May 1, 2009

Biden says pig flu flies; airlines, DoT say no. Stay ahead with the latest The airline industry and President Barack Obama's administration scrambled yesterday to allay public fears raised by Vice President Joe Biden's comments about a link between swine flu and commercial air travel on NBC's Today show. Speaking on the popular early morning news and talk program, Biden said, "I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now. It's not that it's going to Mexico, it's [that] you're in a confined aircraft; when one person sneezes it goes all the way through the aircraft. . .If you're out in the middle of a field and someone sneezes that's one thing. If you're in a closed aircraft. . .it's a different thing." Biden's remarks, which came after the World Health Organization elevated the risk of a worldwide swine flu pandemic, quickly were denounced by the US Air Transport Assn., which released a letter from President and CEO James May to the vice president expressing "extreme disappointment at your suggestion that people should avoid air travel. . .You should be aware that the airlines have been working daily with the cadre of government agencies responding to the outbreak and that we are taking all appropriate actions. . .While individuals who are feeling ill should remain home, no responsible officials or healthcare professionals have suggested that people avoid air travel." Later in the day, US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood began a speech to nearly 700 aviation professionals and government officials in Washington (see story below) by reassuring them that "flying is safe and flying is healthy and flying to Mexico is safe" and that "in our department, we're going to listen to the experts" regarding swine flu reported ATW. May 1, 2009

LaHood also said he believes there may be some movement on behalf of President Barack Obama's administration "to rally some dollars" from the Troubled Assets Relief Program to help to fund FAA's NextGen ATC modernization. DOT has asked fo $800 million to fund NextGen in the federal budget request for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. May 1, 2009

One of President Barack Obama's official planes flanked by an Air Force fighter jet flew low over the Statue of Liberty Monday for a photo opportunity that reminded startled New Yorkers of the September 11 attacks. The White House Military Office apologized for the mission, which infuriated New York City officials and prompted hundreds of financial professionals to flee their office buildings. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg criticized the federal government and his own administration for failing to warn the public, which was shocked by the image of a jumbo jet flanked by an F-16 flying near the World Trade Center site. New Yorkers remain sensitive to any incident evocative of the 2001 attacks, which involved hijacked airliners that destroyed the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. The US Air Force said the "aerial photo mission" involved an F-16 fighter jet escort and one of the Boeing 747s designated as Air Force One when the president is aboard, which he was not. Police and the Federal Aviation Administration said three aircraft were approved for the mission. Police said federal authorities told them not to disclose the information and to direct any inquiries to the FAA. Bloomberg blamed a breakdown in City Hall communications, saying he would have protested had he known in advance. Louis Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, said in a statement he approved the mission and took responsibility for the decision. Employees at the New York Mercantile Exchange, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and other institutions evacuated their buildings, and hundreds of others called the 911 emergency response line, City Councilman Daniel Garodnick wrote in a letter of complaint to the FAA. Dominick Caglioti, an independent commodities trader who works next to the site where the Twin Towers formerly stood, said, "We took it upon ourselves to leave the building. We asked police downstairs about it, and they said they didn't know anything. It could have caused some real panic." Apr 28, 2009

Air Canada

Air Canada and WestJet joined the airlines and tour operators suspending or altering travel to Mexico as the sun destination grapples with a swine flu outbreak possibly linked to more than 150 deaths. All travel from Canada to Mexico has been suspended by Air Transat, Nolitours, Transat Holidays, Sunquest Vacations and Sunwing Vacations. Air Transat said Tuesday all flights to Mexico with the airline and its partner tour companies have been cancelled until June 1. The company said a May 3 flight from Mexico to Canada will go ahead as planned, with more returning flights announced shortly "in order to bring home its customers, passengers and employees now in Mexico." Passengers have until Oct. 31, 2009 to use a flight credit for travel anywhere Air Transat flies, the airline said. Sunquest Vacations, operated by the Thomas Cook Group, also cancelled flights to Mexico until June 4. Customers with these bookings will receive a credit toward any flight or vacation with the tour operator to be used any time up to Oct. 31, 2009. May 1, 2009

American Airlines, Boeing

The US NTSB is asking the FAA to require Boeing to make changes to 757 and 767 procedures and training materials based on a 22 September incident involving multiple systems failures during a flight. Pilots of an American Airlines 757 enroute from Seattle to New York received a "standby power bus off" indication in the cockpit due to a failed electrical relay. Using the aircraft's quick reference handbook, written by American but based on Boeing procedures, the crew reconfigured several key functions of the aircraft to use battery power as recommended, but failed to set a switch that would have kept the battery charged as the procedure did not specify to do so. The resulting series of failures ultimately caused the pilots to experience aircraft control problems, and to exit the side of the runway onto the grass at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport after diverting and declaring an emergency. None of the 185 passengers and seven crew members were injured. The aircraft (N197AN) received minor damage to its landing gear. Apr 27, 2009

Asiana Airlines, Boeing, Seattle-Tacoma

A Seattle-Tacoma International Airport spokesman says a twin-engine Boeing 777 returned safely to the airport after the crew reported an engine malfunction. No injuries were reported. Airport spokesman Perry Cooper says Asiana Airlines Flight 271, headed to Seoul, turned around soon after takeoff Wednesday afternoon. He says the plane's crew reported an "engine out." Cooper says his initial report of an engine fire was incorrect. The spokesman adds that Port of Seattle fire crews have looked at the plane's left engine and found no signs of fire. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Mike Fergus confirms no one was injured and said there were no major delays for other flights. The plane dumped fuel over Puget Sound before landing without incident at about 3:30 p.m. and taxiing to a gate. Apr 29, 2009

Calspan

While researching the differences between how pilots react to upset conditions in an actual aircraft versus a ground-based simulator, officials at Calspan had an "ah-hah!" moment. The data showed that pilots in the aircraft tended to react too timidly to upsets, prolonging or exacerbating the event, while those in the simulator tended to over-react, exposing the aircraft to potentially destructive g-loads or stalls. James Priest, director of flight training for Calspan's flight research training centre, conceived an idea that later seemed an obvious solution - put a g-meter in the cockpit. The aid worked, helping pilots both in the aircraft and in the simulator to recover in a standardised fashion based on achieving a desired g-load (-0.5g for the nose-high recovery, for example) rather than reacting to the look or feel of the situation alone. Apr 27, 2009

Continental Airlines

Continental today announced significant, temporary reductions in capacity to Mexico, effective May 4, 2009, in response to lower demand. Initially, for the month of May, the company has reduced capacity to Mexico as measured by available seat miles (ASMs) by approximately 50 percent, compared to its original May 2009 flight schedule. Flight departures have been reduced by approximately 40 percent. These reductions constitute approximately 2.0 percent of ContinentalOs systemwide ASMs for May 2009 compared to its original May 2009 flight schedule. Reductions are being implemented by using smaller aircraft on flights to Mexico or by reducing the frequency of flights to any one destination. Prior to these reductions, Continental operated an average of 450 weekly flights to the country. May 1, 2009

Mexico

Countries are advising their citizens to avoid travelling to Mexico, the epicentre of the swine flu outbreak, but so far nations have generally refrained from taking similar action against Canada and the USA. Britain has issued a travel advisory telling its citizens to avoid all but essential travel to Mexico as has Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. The European Union health commissioner Androulla Vassiliou has advised that EU citizens postpone all nonessential travel to Mexico and parts of the USA. Canada and parts of the USA have confirmed cases of swine flu. Apr 27, 2009

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