Aug 1st, 2011 at 3:02PM: There was hope and outcry last week after news broke that as part of its partial shutdown, the FAA wouldn't be collecting the fees that it assesses against domestic airline tickets. Looking forward to a tax holiday, many travelers started searching for tickets only minutes after the tax break went into effect -- only to learn that airlines had raised their ticket prices to wipe out any savings -- ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
FAA posts
Breaking: Delta to refund taxes collected during FAA shutdown
Aug 1st, 2011 at 3:02PM: There was hope and outcry last week after news broke that as part of its partial shutdown, the FAA wouldn't be collecting the fees that it assesses against domestic airline tickets. Looking forward to a tax holiday, many travelers started searching for tickets only minutes after the tax break went into effect -- only to learn that airlines had raised their ticket prices to wipe out any savings -- ...American Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Las Vegas
May 6th, 2011 at 5:30PM: An American Airlines Boeing 757 was forced to make an emergency landing at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport earlier today after pilots detected smoke in the cockpit.
AA Flight 431 was traveling from Miami to San Francisco, and was over Utah, when the crew diverted from their course to make the landing. They touched down at 11:10 AM Pacific time and were met by emergency crews who ...FAA adds to night shift, hopes controllers stay awake
Apr 14th, 2011 at 11:00AM:
Last month, the only flight controller at Washington's Reagan National Airport (DCA) fell asleep during the overnight shift and two commercial jets landed on their own. The FAA responded by suspending the sleepy controller and ordering two controllers on duty during the overnight shift at Reagan National. Now, after other controllers were found sleeping on duty, the FAA will put an extra one on ...Cockpit Chronicles: Airline de-icing
Feb 23rd, 2011 at 9:00AM: Not only does the frosty precipitation add weight to an aircraft, but it also disrupts the flow of air over the wings and tail and can cause an accident if the circumstances are just right. The FAA and NASA have gone through great lengths to teach pilots about the adverse effects that snow and ice can have on an airplane.
But the most important lesson pilots learned from was from the infamous ...Rural flight funding could end under GOP reign: House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee criticizes subsidies
Feb 14th, 2011 at 12:30PM: A proposal discussing rural flight funding will be introduced today by House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica. It could end the $200 million federal program that subsidizes rural air service by 2013, coverage in Bloomberg states.
The proposal, part of a $59.7 billion package, is part of a funding plan for the Federal Aviation Administration. Republican lawmakers such as Mica ...US Airways increases baggage fees
Feb 10th, 2011 at 12:30PM: Here we go again. On the heels of greatly improved profits, US Airways has announced an increase of up to 80% on the charge for overweight bags.
In addition to the base price for checked bags of $25 for the first bag and $35 for the second, the additional fees for overweight bags are increasing. Overweight bags that weigh between 50 and 70 pounds will see the price increase from $50 to $90. ...Teen arrested for pointing laser at aircraft
Feb 9th, 2011 at 11:45AM: A 14- year old California teen was arrested today for pointing a laser pen at two aircraft as they approached Los Angeles International Airport.
The teen is accused of pointing a green laser pen at a police helicopter and an airplane the ground in South Los Angeles.
LaserPointerSafety.com warns "You should NEVER aim a laser pointer at an airplane or helicopter. It is unsafe, you may be ...Galley Gossip: Flight attendants, turbulence & scary flights
Nov 5th, 2010 at 9:30AM: One of the scariest flights I ever worked also happens to be one of the first flights I ever worked for an airline called Sun Jet International Airlines. I lasted three months before moving on. Sun Jet is no longer in business. I'm going to guess this had a lot to do with gimmicky $69 flights to cities like Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Newark, and Long Beach. While cheap tickets attract a lot of ...Passenger put on No Fly List for using iPad
Oct 27th, 2010 at 12:00PM: Think only suspected terrorists and hardened criminals end up on the government's infamous No Fly List? Well you best mind your manners on your next flight - in these days of heightened airline security, all it takes to end up in hot water is some seriously obnoxious passenger behavior and an iPad. According to a recent story on Jalopnik, an air traveler en route from Chicago to New York's ...Smelly radar facility causes delays at New York City airports
Oct 14th, 2010 at 12:00PM:
The New York City-area airport radar facility stinks. No, it really does (at least, it did last night). Stop thinking about delays on the tarmac and circling each of the three airports near or in the city. Instead, focus on your nose. The radar facility was evacuated briefly when the smell of gas was reported. Unsurprisingly, this caused flights to be delayed. According to the FAA, the evacuation ...Airlines had fewer runway close calls, down 50%
Oct 12th, 2010 at 3:00PM: The federal fiscal year just came to a close, and that means it's time for a look-back by government agencies. Well, the FAA has some good news for us: runway near-misses fell 50 percent, registering a second consecutive year of drops. There were six serious runway incursions in fiscal year 2010, the FAA says, down from 12 in fiscal year 2009.
This represents incredible progress from 2000, in ...FlightView for mobile devices tracks and maps your flights
Aug 5th, 2010 at 4:30PM:
Regular (and not-so-regular) travelers can stay one step ahead of the airline by keeping a close eye on their flight status. In most cases, airlines will wait as long as they can to alert you to any changes in your flight, which is where FlightView can help.
This app is available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, Palm Pre, Blackberry and Android devices. FlightView uses realtime FAA flight data ...Turbulence hurts: leading cause of in-flight injury
Jul 22nd, 2010 at 9:00AM: If you aren't splattered in a fatal crash, you're most likely to be injured by severe turbulence. Don't get shaken up by this, though, odds are the biggest risk you'll face is a middle seat sandwiched by garlic-eater and a heavy talker (choose which way you want to read that one). While you can't be saved from the people around you, you can protect our body from a bouncing plane: put on your ...Cracks on American Airlines Boeing 767 planes "cause for concern"
Jun 22nd, 2010 at 3:30PM: Experts from American Airlines, the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing are working overtime to inspect all Boeing 767 aircraft in the AA fleet.
The inspections were ordered after cracks were detected on a 767 which regulators say could have resulted in the loss of an engine.
During the past two weeks, inspectors found problems on three of the planes, promoting calls for "additional ...The best airline safety announcement videos
Apr 6th, 2010 at 2:30PM: Air travelers have all been there -- the plane is about to take off, but first we have to awkwardly look away or bury our noses in magazines to avoid paying attention to the safety announcements. They're the same every time, so we always know that the closest exit may be behind us. But a few savvy airlines have come up with better ways to grab passengers' attention. From stripping down to rapping, ...Marijuana declared legal over international waters [Update]
![Marijuana declared legal over international waters [Update]](http://www.blogcdn.com/www.gadling.com/media/2010/04/marijuana_thumbnail.jpg)
Apr 1st, 2010 at 2:30PM: Though cigarette smoking seems to be on the outs, marijuana smoking is becoming more and more widely accepted.
Yesterday, in an international symposium held by the FAA, a presentation was given encouraging airlines to consider purchasing stocks of marijuana for their overseas flights. Specialist Sanford Kronenbergerstein appeared outside the conference afterward to talk to the press.
"In ...Plane Answers: JFK kid controller incident and a smoking 757
Mar 3rd, 2010 at 12:00PM: Probably the most popular offering on LiveATC.net is the JFK ground and tower frequency. It's rather entertaining to listen to the Kennedy controllers who are often faced with the daunting task of moving so many airplanes from all corners of the world with a variety of accents.
So it's no surprise that when a JFK controller hosted a young visitor to the tower on February 17th, and even allowed ...Pilots forced to talk about work in the cockpit
Feb 25th, 2010 at 12:00PM: Big Brother may not be watching, but he'll be listening. A new recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board would involve the use of "black box" recordings to monitor the conversations that occur among pilots in the cockpit. This comes on the heels of several high-profile incidents in which pilots were distracted. According to a report by USA Today, this would be the first time that ...American Airlines is being watched by the FAA
Jan 3rd, 2010 at 1:00PM: Three strikes have led to increased federal attention for American Airlines. The last month hasn't been kind to the airline. In two instances, planes bumped wingtips with during landings in Charlotte, North Carolina and Austin, Texas and another overshot the runway in Jamaica. The FAA released a statement on Friday indicating that it would review these situations in case they're symptoms of a ...Northwest to disappear this year
Jan 1st, 2010 at 12:00PM: Remember Eastern? Pan Am? Well, the next one to join the list of airline has-beens will be Northwest.
Northwest Airlines may have made it to the beginning of 2010, but won't see another New Year's Eve. The carrier, which was acquired by Delta in October 2008, has received permission from the FAA to ditch the Northwest name and operate the whole deal as Delta. The cutover process for "legacy ...
