February 12, 2010 - Aviation and Airport Development Updates
February 12, 2010 - A summary review of Aviation and Airport Development related news and information that was made public during the past ten days. These were all first posted, in abbreviated form, on http://twitter.com/smtaber. Trisha Ton-Nu also contributed to this post. If you would like to receive this update in an e-mail delivered to your inbox every week, please send an e-mail to subscribe@calairlaw.com with the word “subscribe” in the subject line.
Families of Those Lost in Crash of Flight 3407 Angry With FAA. --- Scott Brown, WGRZ, February 6, 2010
The families of the victims of Flight 3407 are increasingly frustrated and angry with the Federal Aviation Administration, critical of what they see as the agency’s inaction. They are pushing for first officers on regional airlines to have the same flying experience as the pilot’s, but Randy Babbitt, FAA Administrator, said while numbers might be important, the FAA needs to take “a hard look” at all of the elements of training a pilot has been exposed to. The families are now shifting their focus to Congress, where the House has already passed a flight safety bill and the Senate has a similar bill.
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No Way to Run Airlines: FAA Has Done Nothing About Roots of Buffalo Crash. --- New York Daily News, February 8, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration has done little about the safety lapses that were partially responsible for last year’s crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York. Despite repeated pressure from the National Transportation Safety Board, which made recommendations “time after time,” the FAA ignored them and has a reputation of long and ineffectively attempting to cajole the airlines into reforming themselves.
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Pilots Risk All for Low Hours, Low Pay. --- Miles O’Brien, Marketplace, February 9, 2010
Regional airlines like Colgan have been involved in every one of the last six fatal commercial airline crashes in the U.S. Safety sometimes takes a bottom line at these airlines because they are often paid by the majors on the number of flights they complete, and not the number of passengers they carry. Pilots, too, are only paid for the hours they fly though they may be on duty for many more; as a result they are underpaid and overworked. The current pay scheme could and seems to have undermined safety, though the Regional Airlines Association president insisted profit never trumps safety.
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FAA May Consolidate Northern Ohio Air Traffic Controllers for Efficiency’s Sake. --- Associated Press, February 5, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing to consolidate air traffic control operations for Akron, Mansfield, Toledo, and Youngstown airports at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Ohio. The agency said no decision has been made and the upgraded Cleveland facility will not be ready before 2015, but that the proposal is considered an efficiency move. The controllers union opposes the move, asserting that emergency flights would be denied contact with controllers who know the local terrain.
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Airport Meeting Yields Ideas, No Decisions. --- Brad Dicken, The Chronicle-Telegram, February 5, 2010
Lorain County, Ohio officials had a private meeting with pilots, condominium owners, and others with a vested interest in Lorain County Regional Airport, but no decision was reached on whether the airport will not be closed. County commissioners intended to close the airport January 15 but faced opposition from airport users and the Federal Aviation Administration, which warned the county it could face a federal lawsuit to keep the airport open. The county is examining ways to increase traffic and thereby revenue at the airport, and how to get federal stimulus money to improve the airport.
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Airport Asks for FAA Help to Keep Wanderers Off of Taxiway. --- Andrew Travers, Aspen Daily News, February 8, 2010
Airport officials for Sardy Field in Colorado have requested the Federal Aviation Administration visit the airport and observe the number of people walking into an area where planes taxi to and from the runway in the section reserved for private jets. The phenomenon is potentially dangerous and the airport is hoping the FAA can assist in brainstorming a way to stop it. Airport director Jim Elwood pointed out that none of these incidents have interfered with flight traffic or put anyone in danger, but said the airport just wants to ensure it is operating at “the highest standard of safety.”
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Agencies to Fault American on Maintenance. --- Andy Pasztor, The Wall Street Journal, February 9, 2010
The Department of Transportation’s inspector general will soon release a report outlining apparent failures by AMR Corp. to identify and promptly resolve aircraft maintenance problems in 2008. American Airlines will be under sharp criticism from the DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration, which both accuse it of serious maintenance lapses.
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Southwest Airlines Facing FAA Safety Investigation. --- Dave Michaels, The Dallas Morning News, February 9, 2010
In the third such investigation in two years the Federal Aviation Administration is examining violations of safety directives by Southwest Airlines. FAA inspectors believe Southwest and a Seattle-area repair station failed to follow federally approved procedures when they carried out repair work on sections of the fuselage. The FAA could levy a fine in the tens of millions of dollars because 44 planes flew more than 100,000 flights while out of compliance. The agency has also become stricter in regards to federal airworthiness regulations after a 2008 congressional investigation found some FAA officials in North Texas became too “cozy” with carriers like Southwest.
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American Airlines, Southwest, FAA Under Fire. --- Gary Stoller, USA Today, February 10, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating both American Airlines and Southwest Airlines over aircraft maintenance problems. The investigations may result in the biggest fines in aviation history and could approach the $10.2 million fine the agency proposed against Southwest two years ago. The FAA itself is under scrutiny as the Transportation Department’s inspector general will soon release an audit criticizing the FAA for its lax maintenance oversight of American.
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Report: American Airlines May Face Eight-Figure Fine. --- Triangle Business Journal, February 10, 2010
Though sources told the Associated Press that the Federal Aviation Administration could hit American Airlines with a fine similar to the $10.2 million penalty assessed against Southwest Airlines in 2008, an FAA spokesman said the investigation was not finished and that it was too early to speculate on the amount. The investigation was launched in 2008 after safety concerns were raised about nearly 300 of the carrier’s MD-80 aircraft: improper bundling of wires in the wheel well posed a fire hazard. The problem has been fixed but the probe uncovered other possible irregularities and violations in American’s maintenance operations.
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DOT Temporarily Grants Delta/US Airways Slot Waiver. --- Department of Transportation, February 9, 2010
The Department of Transportation has tentatively decided to grant the waiver requested by Delta Airlines and US Airways to proceed with their proposed slot swap transaction at Reagan Washington National Airport and New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The airlines are required to sell some of their slot interests to carriers with no or limited service at the two airports, to lessen the harm to consumers that might otherwise result from the two airlines’ increased dominance there.
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Delta, US Airways May Call Off Slot Swap. --- Andrew Compart, Aviation Week, February 11, 2010
Delta and US Airways said they will cancel their slot swap deal at Washington National and New York LaGuardia airports if the Federal Aviation Administration does not change the conditions it wants to attach to approval of the transaction. The carriers believe that the requirement to sell some of their slot interests to carriers with no service or limited service at the two airports would negatively impact consumers and the economic benefits created by the swap. The FAA’s decision is not final and interested parties have 30 days to comment on the tentative decision before it is made final or finalized with changes.
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FCC Joins Search for Solution to Airport’s ILS Woes. --- Walt Nett, Avalanche-Journal, February 10, 2010
The Federal Communications Commission has joined the Federal Aviation Administration in searching for the causes of interference that have plagued the instrument landing system at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport in Texas for more than a week. An FAA check airplane flew several approaches and gave the system a clean bill of health on Tuesday, February 9, but pilots later began reporting sporadic interference with the signal.
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Time for the City to Privatize Midway Airport. --- Jerry Roper, Chicago Tribune, February 10, 2010
Mayor Richard Daley should affirm his commitment to privatization of Midway Airport in Chicago, Illinois, an initiative that could provide money for infrastructure improvements and shore up public pensions. Midway has become a phenomenal success story under the mayor’s leadership, but it must be privatized for the city to tap into its value. Economic conditions are significantly better than they were two years ago when a similar plan to privatize the airport fell through, and the mayor will hopefully relaunch the long-term lease of Midway soon.
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Modifications Could Affect Local Airport., --- Crystal Tatum, Newton Citizen, February 10, 2010
A Federal Aviation Administration proposal to expand airspace for Class B commercial aircraft at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia could affect aviators at nearby Covington Municipal Airport and city and county residents. The proposed changes come in response to air traffic controllers’ having difficulty spotting aircraft in the current airspace. The modifications would mean more noise and more traffic congestion as all the larger aviation will be flying closer to the ground and pushing general aviation below them.
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Smaller Jets Gain Bigger Role at O’Hare. --- Chicago Tribune, February 11, 2010
Smaller jets are taking on a larger role at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, with United and American Airlines, the airport’s two major tenants, scheduling two regional jet flights for every one flown on larger jets. The airlines are making the changes because the regional jets are cheaper to fly and they are increasingly deployed for travel to big cities such as Boston, New York, and Miami, but passengers are not thrilled as the regional jets are less comfortable. Aviation consultants say airlines’ increased reliance on regional jets is a trend that is not likely to abate in the future.
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FAA Safety Reforms Finally Going to Senate. --- Jerry Zremski, The Buffalo News, February 11, 2010
A week of the U.S. Senate floor time will be scheduled in March for the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, including its safety provisions. Several of the provisions address concerns that the National Transportation Safety Board listed last week as part of its investigation into the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York, last year. The bill would raise pilot-training standards and set requirements for the airlines’ remedial training programs, as well as mandate other increased safety initiatives. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid finally made the commitment to move the FAA bill up by six months because the Senate has passed its version of health care reform, which had kept it occupied for months, and because the latest in a series of short-term extensions of the FAA bill is set to expire March 31.
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Airport to Conduct Study on Wildlife Hazards for Planes. --- Eve Byron, Independent Record, February 12, 2010
Helena Regional Airport in Montana is undertaking a wildlife hazard assessment over concerns about the potential of a devastating collision between birds and airplanes. The one-year study, paid for with $125,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration, will look at birds, deer, elk, and other wildlife that could cause problems at the 13,050-acre airport. A qualified airport wildlife biologist will be hired to complete the study and that person will also look at wildlife habitats in and around the airport, and may be able to make suggestions, like changing flight patterns if birds are a problem.
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