FAA – News Stories About FAA - Page 12

Mar 21, 2008 6:23 AM CDT

United Grounds 7 Jumbos

FAA warned of flawed Korean inspections

(Newser) - United Airlines has grounded seven Boeing 747s to check the cockpit instruments that indicate altitude during flight. The decision was prompted by the discovery that equipment at a facility in South Korea where the instruments had been checked were improperly maintained, the Wall Street Journal reports. The FAA uncovered the...

Southwest Grounds 44 Planes

Mar 12, 2008 2:15 PM CDT

Southwest Grounds 44 Planes

Missed inspections for cracks drew fine from FAA—which didn't take immediate action

(Newser) - Southwest Airlines grounded 44 planes today after having admitted to flying aircraft that were past due for inspections for structural cracks, the AP reports. The FAA fined Southwest $10.2 million—the largest ever levied on an airline—but the agency itself is under fire for not grounding the jets...

Southwest Faces Record Fines

Mar 6, 2008 4:18 AM CST

Southwest Faces Record Fines

Airline found several cracks after skipping required safety checks

(Newser) - Southwest Airlines faces at least $3 million in fines sought by the FAA for failing to inspect 46 older Boeing 737-300 jets for structural flaws identified in a 2004 safety directive, reports the Wall Street Journal. The expected penalty would be the largest imposed on an airline in 20 years....

Family Blames Airline for Woman's Death

Feb 25, 2008 3:28 PM CST

Family Blames Airline for Woman's Death

American disputes cousin's account of in-flight incident

(Newser) - A woman who died en route from Haiti to New York received assistance from the flight crew and fellow passengers, American Airlines said today, disputing the victim's family's account of the incident. "Don't let me die," Carine Desir's cousin recalls her saying after a flight attendant refused to...

Airline Sleuths Dig Up Data to Save Lives

Jan 13, 2008 7:30 PM CST

Airline Sleuths Dig Up Data to Save Lives

Flight record scans reveal hidden risks, prevent crashes

(Newser) - Airlines and air safety investigators have a new way to snoop for clues that can help avoid future accidents, the Washington Post reports. While they once depended on crash remains for evidence, they have now gone digital, pursuing daily probes of thousands of computer records and pilots' reports to dig...

Dreamliner Vulnerable
to Hackers

Jan 5, 2008 9:30 PM CST

Dreamliner Vulnerable to Hackers

Boeing 787 links Internet users to navigation system, FAA warns

(Newser) - Boeing's 787 Dreamliner could be vulnerable to onboard hackers, an FAA report finds. Turns out service providing in-flight Internet access to passengers is linked to flight systems, including navigation and communication, Wired reports, introducing the prospect of cabin-based hacking. "This is serious," says one network security analyst.

Battery Ban Begins on Airlines

Dec 28, 2007 9:46 PM CST

Battery Ban Begins on Airlines

Most batteries in phones, laptops, will likely not violate rule

(Newser) - The Department of Transportation has banned certain kinds of lithium batteries from checked airline luggage, citing worries over short circuiting and fires. Lithium batteries installed inside of electronic devices will be permitted as carryon, but loose batteries, unless sealed inside a plastic bag, will no longer be permitted on board.

US Caps
JFK Flights to Ease Delays

UPDATED

Dec 19, 2007 4:59 PM CST

US Caps JFK Flights to Ease Delays

Move designed to keep airports elsewhere on time

(Newser) - Transportation officials today capped the number of flights per hour at New York's JFK airport in a bid to keep flight delays from cascading around the country, the New York Times reports. Starting in March, JFK will be allowed up to 83 flights an hour, down from about 100 at...

Pilots Can Now Fly Until Age 65

Dec 15, 2007 9:23 AM CST

Pilots Can Now Fly Until Age 65

New law raises mandatory retirement age from 60

(Newser) - US pilots can now fly until they're 65 instead of being of being forced to retire at age 60. A bill signed into law yesterday raises the mandatory retirement age to reflect the greater physical fitness of today's 60-year-olds, the Chicago Tribune reports. The new law puts an end to...

Report Warns of Runway Dangers at US Airports

Dec 5, 2007 8:32 PM CST

Report Warns of Runway Dangers at US Airports

Leadership void, bad equipment, overworked staff make tarmac treacherous

(Newser) - Lax federal oversight and overworked air-traffic controllers contribute to a "high risk" of a major runway collision at US airports, a new report warns. The GAO report cited 370 incidents on runways this year, near a dismal FAA record six years ago that set stricter oversight in motion, the...

Bush Outlines Plan to Combat Flight Delays

Nov 15, 2007 2:03 PM CST

Bush Outlines Plan to Combat Flight Delays

Military opens airspace to Thanksgiving commercial flights

(Newser) - The military will open some of its East Coast airspace to commercial traffic around Thanksgiving, President Bush announced today in a series of measures to cut down on air-travel delays, reports the Chicago Tribune's Swamp blog. “We can do better," Bush said in Washington. "We have an...

Air Traffic Control to Get a Makeover

Oct 25, 2007 11:10 AM CDT

Air Traffic Control to Get a Makeover

Crowded flight paths is forcing upgrade of old, slow tracking system

(Newser) - The FAA has unveiled a plan to relieve projected air traffic gridlock: a new tracking system called NextGen. The new system will take advantage of slicker GPS technology, which will gradually replace the current radar system, which is subject to delays in data and large margins of error that require...

Special Delivery: Bags Fall From Plane in Midair

Oct 22, 2007 4:35 PM CDT

Special Delivery: Bags Fall From Plane in Midair

(Newser) - A flight was forced to return to Chicago's Midway Airport yesterday morning after a cargo door opened and two pieces of luggage fell to the ground, the Chicago Tribune reports. Shortly after takeoff, sensors detected the open cargo door and a pressure problem in the cabin, an FAA spokeswoman said....

Flying SUX When You're in Hog Heaven

Oct 22, 2007 3:10 AM CDT

Flying SUX When You're in Hog Heaven

Iowa airport turns unfortunate FAA moniker into quirky ad campaign

(Newser) - Sioux City has protested in vain for years to the Federal Aviation Administration to change its airport's three-letter identifier: SUX. Then farm belt officials decided to wake up and fly right and capitalize on the unfortunate moniker. Now Sioux Gateway Airport has launched a publicity campaign featuring the slogan "...

Europe Likely to Get
Cell Phones on Flights

Oct 18, 2007 5:01 PM CDT

Europe Likely to Get Cell Phones on Flights

Regulator proposes allowing base stations in airplanes

(Newser) - European regulator Ofcom has proposed allowing cellphones in airplanes in EU airspace, making it more likely that Europeans will soon be able to chat in the air. Under the proposal, a mobile base station could be installed on planes, and the signal would be routed by satellite. The FAA ruled...

Turn Off the iPhone or
Go to Jail

Oct 12, 2007 7:33 AM CDT

Turn Off the iPhone or Go to Jail

Passenger detained for using phone in 'airplane mode'

(Newser) - An irate flight attendant attempted to have a passenger arrested for refusing to turn off an iPhone on a flight to Hawaii, even though it was reportedly in "airplane mode" and didn't violate any FAA rules. The mode turns off all cell, WiFi and Bluetooth signals, which could interfere...

Fatal Plane Crashes Fall 65%

Oct 1, 2007 10:38 AM CDT

Fatal Plane Crashes Fall 65%

Better equipment and focus on crash prevention makes air travel safer

(Newser) - The fatal domestic plane crash rate has fallen 65% in the last decade. It's not quite the 80% decrease over 10 years the government demanded in 1996 after two crashes killed 375 people, but it's a significant improvement, the Times reports. The decline rests on tighter air traffic control, better...

Prez Orders Action to
Reduce Flight Delays

Sep 28, 2007 8:28 AM CDT

Prez Orders Action to Reduce Flight Delays

Panel will produce plan to cut traffic at Kennedy Airport by end of year

(Newser) - After a summer of nightmarish ordeals for airline passengers, President Bush yesterday ordered his transportation secretary to sit down with the airlines and do something to reduce delays and improve treatment of travelers by next summer. “There’s a lot of anger amongst our citizens about the fact that,...

Antiquated FAA in a Tailspin

Sep 2, 2007 10:24 AM CDT

Antiquated FAA in a Tailspin

New system won't be ready until 2025

(Newser) - With canceled flights, hours on the tarmac, overbooking and a disturbing increase in near collisions, one might be better off traveling by pony than plane, reports Business Week, and the authority responsible seems least able to fix it. As FAA chief Marion Blakey steps down, she leaves an antiquated agency...

FAA Orders Inspections
of Boeing 737s

Aug 28, 2007 4:30 AM CDT

FAA Orders Inspections of Boeing 737s

Hundreds of jets to be checked for loose nut that caused China Airlines fire

(Newser) - The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to inspect hundreds of Boeing 737s after a loose bolt punctured a China Airlines jet last week, causing a fire that destroyed the aircraft. Southwest, Delta, Continental, AirTran, Alaska Air, ATA and Aloha Airlines have 24 days to check for loose nuts on...