Travel Safety Update.

Mar 12, 2007

FAA to hire 15,000 controllers over next decade The FAA will address the expected increase in air traffic and retirements by hiring 15,000 more air traffic controllers over the next decade. The FAA says it has improved its training and ramped up recruitment efforts. "We have enough controllers in the pipeline," an FAA official said Wednesday. "Our goal is to have the right people in the right places at the right time." However, under the new guidelines, the number of controllers at some airports would decrease. Mar 8, 2007

Quake Rattles Sumatra. As many as 70 people have died and several hundred more have been injured in an earthquake that hit 35 miles north-northeast of city of Padang in Sumatra, Indonesia. The first temblor, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, struck just before 10:50 a.m., local time, on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was followed by an aftershock two hours later, according to UNICEF, which is among the entities responding. UNICEF says it has received reports of many schools, buildings and roads being damaged, as well as electricity being out. Mar 6, 2007

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) introduced passenger rights legislation in the US House of Representatives last week that would require airlines to allow passengers to leave aircraft if a ground delay lasts longer than 3 hr. "We must find a way for airlines to conduct business without holding passengers on planes for hours on end," he said. His bill makes exceptions only when pilots "reasonably determine" the flight is within 30 min. of taking off, but after two such determinations without departing the passengers must be allowed to leave. The pilots also would have the flexibility to keep passengers aboard if "permitting a passenger to deplane would jeopardize passenger safety or security." While onboard, passengers must receive "adequate food, safe drinking water, sanitary facilities, air ventilation and a reasonable temperature." The bill also requires airlines to "frequently update passengers at the airport and aboard aircraft on the cause and timing of delays" and to reveal a flight's ontime record when selling tickets. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has said she will introduce similar legislation in the Senate . The Coalition for Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights, which has lobbied Congress on the issue, said the proposed bill "will give passengers a legal voice when confronted with the horrific ordeal" of being stuck on a grounded aircraft. Mar 5, 2007

Union, FAA dispute staffing, but airlines maintain strong safety record: The union representing air traffic controllers says U.S. airport towers and radar facilities are not properly staffed. FAA officials disagree and say many facilities are adequately staffed or even overstaffed. Meanwhile, accidents involving commercial airlines remain very rare. The industry's safety record is as safe as it has ever been, an Air Transport Association spokesman notes. Mar 5, 2007

Garuda, Boeing

Indonesian safety standards questioned following Garuda crash that kills 22 Indonesia's air safety record was under intense scrutiny yesterday following a second fatal 737-400 accident in 10 weeks, this one involving a Garuda Indonesia aircraft that skidded off a runway upon landing in Yogyakarta and caught fire in an adjacent rice field, killing 21 of 133 passengers and one of seven crewmembers. Mar 8, 2007

Garuda Indonesia, Boeing

Garuda Plane's Front Exit Didn't Open The main front left exit of the Garuda Indonesia plane that crashed this week failed to open after landing, preventing some of the passengers from escaping, a leading crash investigator said on Friday. Mar 9, 2007

Garuda Indonesia, Boeing

Garuda Indonesia 737-400 en route from Jakarta caught fire upon landing in Yogyakarta late yesterday. A local official told Reuters that "it happened when it overshot beyond the runway and burst into flames." There reportedly were 133 passengers and seven crew onboard. Indonesian Transport Minister Hatta Rajasa told local television that 76 people were rescued, according to Bloomberg News. Witnesses reported fatalities. An airport official told local radio that he "saw many bodies, dozens of bodies badly burnt near the exit," according to Fox News in Australia. Indonesia still is dealing with the aftermath of January's crash of an Adam Air 737-400 that killed 102 and was considering banning all aircraft older than 10 years. No further information on the aircraft involved yesteday was available and Garuda's website was not functioning. Mar 7, 2007

Gulf Air, Boeing

Gulf Air grounded its nine 767-300ERs Friday after detecting traces of corrosion on one plane during a routine maintenance check. The airline said there was no immediate risk to the aircraft but that it opted to order a thorough check of the entire -300ER fleet. It expects significant delays as it repositions aircraft throughout its network but said the 767s should return to service within days. Mar 5, 2007

JetBlue Airways, Embraers

JetBlue sidelines Embraers to fix software glitch Software problems will force JetBlue Airways to briefly sideline its new 100-seat, E-190 Embraer aircraft. The company does not expect the repairs to affect operations. "We have seen a pattern of software issues with the plane, and we're taking proactive steps to deal with the matter," a JetBlue spokesman said. Mar 7, 2007

Pakistan International Airlines 

The European Union on Monday banned most of Pakistan International Airlines' (PIA) fleet from flying to the 27-nation bloc, and lifted restrictions on two other carriers that had previously been on the EU's "blacklist". Mar 5, 2007 03/12/2007

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Mar 5, 2007