-
Distracted flying? Pilots text controllers about flight conditions
TransportPilots and air-traffic controllers texting each other? OMG! Your airline flight is finally starting to communicate the way the rest of the world does. Controllers and pilots aren’t using their cellphones to text, even though many passengers now do using apps and in-flight Wi-Fi. Instead, planes with modern cockpit systems can log on to new [...]
-
Airline groups split on in-flight mobile use, not enough data on interference
TransportThe regional airliner was climbing past 9,000 feet when its compasses went haywire, leading pilots several miles off course until a flight attendant persuaded a passenger in row 9 to switch off an Apple Inc. iPhone. “The timing of the cellphone being turned off coincided with the moment where our heading problem was solved,” the [...]
-
The paperless cockpit is almost here: American replaces manuals with iPads
TransportThe long awaited, previously announced iPad Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) has finally been approved for most of our airplanes at the company. In fact, we’re [American Airlines] the first U.S. airline to receive FAA approval for the use of the iPad as a replacement for all of our paper Jeppesen approach plates. To get that [...]
-
American Airlines-US Airways merger: Activist lawyer led Horton to talks
TransportJack Butler, a 56-year-old bankruptcy lawyer who led the creditors’ committee, was instrumental in getting American Airlines’ parent AMR Corp. to the negotiating table with US Airways Group Inc. by prodding and coaxing Tom Horton, AMR’s chief executive, and his advisers. He also has pestered American’s unions and US Airways pilots and executives for over [...]
-
US Airways pilots overwhelmingly approve labor agreement for a merger
TransportAs AMR Corp.’s American Airlines and US Airways Group Inc. intensify their talks on a possible merger that could be announced in the coming days, US Airways pilots on Friday widely approved a provisional labor agreement that would help smooth the path toward a combination, their union said. The US Airline Pilots Association, which represents [...]
-
The airline pilot shortage in the U.S. will effect smaller markets most of all
TransportAirlines anticipate a pilot shortage in coming years that could cut into service of small-market airports like Waterloo. But it could boost business at flight schools, according to at least one aviation expert. Pilots in general aren’t young workers, according to Denny Kelly, a former pilot and now an aviation consultant with Kelly-James and Associates [...]
-
The airline industry is blocking the FAA’s attempt to implement new pilot laws
TransportFaced with substantial industry opposition, federal regulators are struggling to implement a sweeping aviation safety law enacted after the last fatal U.S. airline crash nearly four years ago, according to a report by a government watchdog. The Federal Aviation Administration is experiencing lengthy delays in putting in place rules required by the law to increase [...]
-
Alaska Airlines pilot who fainted had food poisoning or virus
TransportThe Alaska Airlines pilot who lost consciousness during a Seattle-bound flight Thursday night, prompting an emergency landing, was suffering from food poisoning or a stomach virus, an airline spokesman said Friday. The co-pilot of Flight 473 safely landed the jetliner in Portland, Ore., after declaring an emergency to get priority care for the pilot, spokesman [...]
-
EU pilots and cabin crew look for protection from fatigue and overwork
TransportPilot and cabin crew organizations are calling for better protection against in-flight fatigue in planned European Union legislation. Pilots and crew members on Tuesday staged demonstrations in several European airports and handed over petitions to authorities, saying that proposals to harmonize EU legislation would force them to fly excessive hours and threaten the safety of [...]
-
A brief history of drunk pilots: It’s refreshingly briefer than you think
TransportLast Friday, 48 year-old American Eagle (AAMRQ) pilot Kolbjorn Jarle Kristiansen was forced from the cockpit after airline employees detected booze on him at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Kristiansen subsequently failed a breathalyzer, was arrested, and currently awaits blood tests that will reveal how drunk he really was. He is suspended and faces an internal [...]
