Airport News - North America.Sep 17, 2007 Outgoing FAA Administrator Marion Blakey Marion Clifton Blakey (born March 26, 1948) was the 15th Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. She was the second woman to hold the position, serving as a successor to Jane Garvey, the first woman to hold the Administrator title. urged Congress to act quickly to pass legislation to overhaul the FAA financing system. "I believe Congress can act [on FAA reauthorization] this fall, and they should," Blakey said. Blakey warned against passing extensions in hopes that the controversies surrounding the bill would die down: "Congress needs to step up and make a decision here," said Blakey. The most contentious issues surrounding reauthorization--such as making general and corporate aviation pay a larger share--"are not going to get any easier by simply continuing to extend" the current authorization. Sep 14, 2007 The airlines are under fire, with government officials demanding that delays and congestion The condition of a network when there is not enough bandwidth to support the current traffic load. congestion - When the offered load of a data communication path exceeds the capacity. be addressed and threatening action if they are not. Aviation consultant Mike Boyd Mike Boyd is a Canadian police officer, who was sworn in as Toronto's interim Chief of Police from March 1, 2005. to April 6, 2005. His appointment followed the controversial tenure of Julian Fantino, whose term as police chief was marked by both a tough approach to crime and thinks the government is part of the problem: "Unfortunately, instead of the DOT investigating why the FAA has failed, they are investigating the airlines, which are just trying to meet the needs of the nation," Boyd said. "It is outrageous. This is a smokescreen of the worst kind." Sep 14, 2007 Blakey declined to detail specific changes airlines need to make or what actions the government would take, but appeared to favor some kind of schedule de-peaking as was done at Chicago O'Hare a few years ago. She also pointed to FAA's planned gradual changeover to a Next-Gen ATC ATC Air Traffic Control ATC Average Total Cost ATC Certified Athletic Trainer ATC At the Center (Hartford, Maine retreat center) ATC Applied Technology Council ATC All Things Considered system and encouraged carriers to make necessary upgrades. "Airlines and all the operators in our system are going to have to embrace the change involved," she said. "Regrettably, ours is a world in which we wait for the other guy to step up, and then maybe we will too. We need to stop the phenomenon in aviation of running to the back of the line." Sep 13, 2007 Effects of resignations at Calif. tower disputed. A spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) is a labor union in the United States. It is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, and is the exclusive bargaining representative for air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). says a record number of resignations at the air traffic control center in Fremont, Calif., could soon mean flight delays in the West Coast region. The FAA disagrees with that assessment. "We have a very large pool of candidates nationwide who want to become air traffic controllers," said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. "We're having absolutely no problem hiring replacement controllers." Sep 13, 2007 According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the FAA, about 25% of all flights nationwide are delayed, with busy airports seeing even higher percentages. The agency says that its antiquated radar-based air traffic control system is one of the primary causes of the delays. The FAA is seeking $15 billion to $22 billion by 2025 to build a satellite-based system that can better handle the traffic demand. Funding the new system is problematic, and the FAA has proposed an increase in fuel tax for general aviation aircraft, and for airlines to pay a 50-cent-per-mile user fee for using the airspace and $105 per landing at major airports. FlightTracker is a new service where passengers can share real-time information about flight status, delays, airport conditions, security delays and weather before leaving home. For more go to http://www.airguideonline.com/airline_tracker.htm Sep 12, 2007 Air marshals report steady rise in unruly passengers from 2004. Law enforcement officials are reporting a rise in incidents of rude and sometimes violent passenger behavior. "Abnormal, aberrant or abusive behavior abusive behavior Public health Any of various behaviors–aggressive, coercive or controlling, destructive, harassing, intimidating, isolating, threatening–which a batterer may use to control a domestic partner/victim. See Domestic violence. in the context of the air-travel experience" is back with a vengeance, says Andrew Thomas Several people share the name Andrew Thomas:
DHS DHS Department of Homeland Security (USA) DHS Department of Human Services DHS Department of Health Services DHS Demographic and Health Surveys DHS Dirhams (Morocco national currency) proposes new rule for private aircraft. A proposal from DHS would require the pilots of private aircraft flying into the U.S. to provide U.S. authorities with an electronic list of passenger names. The list would have to be sent one hour before departure. "This rule is designed to further protect the nation by improving our ability to identify threats on flights to and from the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. ," said Homeland Security Noun 1. Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Department of Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States Secretary Michael Chertoff. Sep 12, 2007 VLJs could lead to big changes in aviation. Very light jets are moving into American airspace as the preferred vehicle of air taxi air taxi n. A small aircraft that makes short local flights to areas not serviced by regular airlines. services. If they become as popular as traditional corporate jets, it's likely they'll add to the air congestion that's behind the delays travelers want to avoid. "The business aviation community is fond of telling people that they use only 4% of the capacity at the 25 major airports in the United States List of airports in the United States, grouped by state or territory and sorted by city. Due to the large number of airports in the United States, this page only lists public use airports providing scheduled passenger services with over 10,000 passenger boardings per year ," says John Meenan of the Air Transport Association, but he adds that corporate jets use a much larger proportion of air traffic control resources. "For instance, in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , they use 37% [of air traffic control operations,] while the commercial sector uses 40%," he says. The introduction of thousands of VLJs could eventually create aviation gridlock Gridlock A government, business or institution's inability to function at a normal level due either to complex or conflicting procedures within the administrative framework or to impending change in the business. . Sep 12, 2007 Americans stood in silence at the times of the Sept. 11 attacks on Sept. 11, while the man behind them, Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden: see bin Laden, Osama. , surfaced again to praise the suicide hijackers who killed nearly 3,000 people six years ago. New Yorkers observed moments of silence at the times the hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center and when each of the towers collapsed. Ceremonies were also held at the Pentagon and at a Pennsylvania field, where the third and fourth planes crashed. Sep 11, 2007 Aviation's success and growth vital to nation. The success and growth of American aviation is a key component of the economic success of the U.S. Whether they are moving passengers or cargo, planes need to move efficiently throughout the country. The air traffic control system is already overburdened, and experts agree the problem is getting worse. The solution lies in the conversion to a satellite-based ATC system. Sep 11, 2007 Businesses adopt "wait and see" stance on Registered Traveler The Registered Traveler Pilot Program is an airline passenger security assessment system that was tested in the United States air travel industry in 2005. It was used in several U.S. . Many corporate travel buyers are waiting for better service before investing in Registered Traveler benefits for their companies. Passengers say the service would be more attractive if they could keep their shoes on their feet and their laptops in their bags. Sep 11, 2007 Civil libertarians dissatisfied with DHS traveler rating changes. The Department of Homeland Security Noun 1. Department of Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States , despite strident protests by civil liberties groups, has made only modest changes to its system for rating the terrorist threat posed by individual travelers. Watchdog groups object to DHS maintaining a database containing every traveler it has evaluated. "The revisions are useful, but they don't go to the heart of the matter," said James Dempsey, policy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a civil liberties group. "Why should the government keep massive databases about people it has decided are innocent?" Sep 10, 2007 Congress must repair imbalance in ATC funding American travelers are heartily sick of the mess that our aviation system is in. Congestion is causing problems of historic proportions, and the solution is years away. Part of the problem lies with funding -- the FAA is laying the groundwork for a GPS-based control system, but it is expensive. The current funding system, which mostly relies on taxes paid by passengers on commercial flights, gives corporate fliers a nearly free ride. Services to private fliers account for 16% of air traffic control expenses, but those fliers pay for just 3% of the budget. The FAA wants to repair that inequity, and Congress should turn a deaf ear to the corporate lobbyists who complain. Sep 10, 2007 Ideas abound for how to fix the air traffic control mess. Experts are offering up lots of partial fixes for the current air traffic situation. The proposals include switching to a GPS-based traffic guidance system, hiring more air traffic controllers, redesigning congested con·gest·ed adj. Affected with or characterized by congestion. congested ENT adjective Referring to a boggy blood-filled tissue. See Nasal congestion. air space, expanding runways and privatizing air traffic control services. Some of the fixes are already being implemented -- the FAA is redesigning airspace and has awarded a contract for work to begin on a satellite-based air traffic control system. The Air Transport Association says some carriers are testing new navigational patterns that reduce time wasted circling airports. Sep 10, 2007 Passport processing time back to normal. The State Department said passport processing time is back to the usual six to eight weeks now that the agency has cleared a backlog caused by new border requirements. The department said the number of passports issued so far during fiscal year 2007, which ends Sept. 30, is 16 million. That's a huge increase over the 12.1 million processed during the same period in fiscal 2006. Sep 10, 2007 Continental Airlines, Cleveland Airport Continental Airlines will add two daily round-trip flights between its Cleveland hub and Green Bay next year. Continental, along with Mayor Frank G. Jackson For other persons of the same name, see Frank Jackson. Frank George Jackson (born October 4, 1946) is a politician of the Democratic Party. He was elected the 57th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio on November 8, 2005. and Governor Ted Strickland, announced a plan by Continental to grow its capacity at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Coordinates: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (IATA: CLE, ICAO: KCLE, FAA LID: CLE) is a public airport located nine miles (14 km) southwest of the central business district of Cleveland, a city in Cuyahoga by 40 percent over a two-year period. Sep 14, 2007 Dallas/Fort Worth International Dallas airport refunding fees to tenant airlines. Dallas/Fort Worth International will refund $23 million to its airline tenants because it has come in under budget for the year ending Sept. 30. Much of the money will likely go to American Airlines, the largest carrier at the facility. Sep 10, 2007 Lockheed Martin Lockheed passes key milestone for 2008 GPS demo SATNAV satnav Noun Motoring informal satellite navigation Lockheed Martin Space. Sep 10, 2007 Los Angeles International Efforts to ease LAX traffic frustrated by lack of real alternatives. California officials have expressed interest in reducing air traffic at Los Angeles International Airport “LAX” redirects here. For other uses, see LAX (disambiguation). “KLAX” redirects here. For other uses, see KLAX (disambiguation). Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX, ICAO: KLAX, FAA LID: LAX by spreading some of it to other airports in the region. Their efforts are frustrated by the fact that airports convenient to travelers are already operating at capacity, and most have limited room for growth. Sep 10, 2007 WheelTug, Boeing FAA approval sought for electric motors for moving aircraft on ground. WheelTug and Newport Aeronautical aer·o·nau·tic also aer·o·nau·ti·cal adj. Of or relating to aeronautics. aer  o·nau Development are expected to
announce their application to the FAA for approval to install
fuel-saving motors on Boeing 737s. WheelTug says the motor allows pilots
to push back from passenger terminals without the use of an external tug
and can power taxi at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour, eliminating the
use of jet engines for movement about the airport. Sep 10, 2007
ZZ Editorial eMail: edit@AirGuideOnline.com For Air Transport & Travel Business Experts contact our Director of Content Aram Gesar eMail: bizintel@AirGuideOnline.com For more global news, reviews, features and analysis, please subscribe to our Newsletters: http://www.airguideonline.com/order_formsubs.htm#news To Advertise: advert@AirGuideOnline.com AirGuideFlightTracker is a new real-time service that keeps travelers informed on flight and airport status, delays, security wait times via the Web. For more go to http://www.airguideonline.com/airline_tracker.htm Copyright [c] 2007 Pyramid Media Group / Air Travel Media. All rights reserved. |
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