FAA

Stories 221 - 240 | << Prev   Next >>

1,000 American Flights Now Grounded Amid Inspections

FAA concerns over wiring issues prompt second voluntary round of cancellations

(Newser) - American Airlines has now canceled more than 1,000 flights as it inspects wires in its 300 MD-80 aircraft, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Federal Aviation Administration raised concerns about recent inspections of the wiring, the same issue that grounded more than 400 flights last month. The process, which...

Passengers Air a Record Number of Complaints

Skies unfriendlier than ever

(Newser) - Airline passengers on domestic flights are unhappier than they've been in years, with consumer complaints up 60%, according to the annual Airline Quality Rating survey. Long delays, cancellations, overbooking, late arrivals, and lost baggage accounted for most of the complaints, which haven't been this bad since 2000, reports the AP....

FAA Too Cozy With Airlines, Whistle-Blowers Say

Lawmakers cite agency's 'complacency' in letting safety risks fly

(Newser) - An overly cozy relationship between airlines and the federal agency tasked with inspecting them has lawmakers worried in the wake of hearings yesterday on Capitol Hill, the Chicago Tribune reports. Federal Aviation Administration officials let serious safety issues fly, ignoring maintenance and inspection regulations, safety specialists, government overseers and whistle-blowers...

Southwest Tried to Cover Up Safety Issues: Inspectors

FAA too cozy with airlines, they say

(Newser) - Southwest Airlines tried to cover up maintenance problems, and the FAA almost let them, according to two inspectors who will testify before Congress today that the agency is too cozy with airlines. When the inspectors realized Southwest was flying dozens of jets without required inspections, their superiors did nothing, they...

Delta Latest to Cancel Flights
 Delta Latest to Cancel Flights 
Mar 27, 2008 9:52 AM CDT

Delta Latest to Cancel Flights

Following American's shutdown, voluntary inspections ground older planes

(Newser) - Delta Airlines canceled dozens of flights today and tomorrow after voluntarily grounding 133 of its older jets for inspections, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. As with American Airlines, Delta is checking wiring on some McDonnell-Douglas jets to ensure compliance with FAA directives. "It's an inconvenience," one traveler said,...

American Cancels 171 Flights to Inspect Boeing Jets

Dozens of planes grounded to check out wiring issue

(Newser) - American Airlines canceled 171 flights today, benching almost its entire fleet of Boeing MD-80 twinjet aircrafts, the Chicago Tribune reports. American said it was inspecting how a “certain bundle of wires” was attached to ensure it complied with an FAA directive. But American said the grounding was voluntary, not...

United Grounds 7 Jumbos
 United Grounds 7 Jumbos 
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
 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
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

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

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
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
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
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
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

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

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
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

(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

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 "...

Stories 221 - 240 | << Prev   Next >>