Some Ink for Some Efforts ...

Nov. 25, 2009
... and a comment. Notably, FAA is hosting its first International Runway Safety Conference December 1-3 in Washington, D.C. The agency is hosting the event along with the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and the MITRE Corporation. Some 500 folks representing some 15 countries will be on hand. Comments Melissa Sabatine, VP of regulatory affairs for AAAE, “Airport operators obviously are a very big part of runway safety, but runway safety is a team effort, from the research provided by MITRE to the manufacturers to the airlines to the folks in the tower. That’s why this summit is a particularly good opportunity for all the folks in the safety chain to get together. It’s going to cover all those aspects.” Topics on the agenda include human factors and best practices for ATC, airline crews, and airport operators. Says Sabatine, “One of the things especially for small airports is, how do we get more technology and surveillance – things like ASDEX – at more airports? This is going to be a great place to talk about it.” For information, contact www.aaae.org. -- Meanwhile, FAA’s office of airports is conducting its biennial Web-based customer satisfaction survey from January 1 to March 31, 2010.  Airport sponsors, consultants, and other interested parties are asked to register to receive a survey at: https://svy.cfigroup.com/cgi-bin/qwebcorporate.dll?idx=2MBZRS?. -- Finally … a not too long ago blog suggested that ATA and the major airlines needed to get a hold of the reins of the ‘passengers left on the ramp’ discussion, and lead it (rather than ignore it). Now, FAA is stepping in, basically telling the air carriers to pay attention. This week, the agency levied fines totaling $175,000 on Continental, ExpressJet, and Mesaba for the ridiculous forced layover on a ramp at the Rochester, MN on August 8. According to DOT, Continental Airlines and ExpressJet were assessed a total civil penalty of $100,000 for their roles in the incident on Continental Express Flight 2816. The Continental flight was operated by ExpressJet. Mesaba was assessed a civil penalty of $75,000. That airline provided ground handling for the flight. A federal investigation found that all three carriers violated a law that prohibits unfair and deceptive practices in air transportation. Regarding FAA’s action, it’s about time. Holding passengers captive on a ramp for hours should be unacceptable; instead, the airlines and the Air Transport Association prefer the head-in-the-sand approach and pretend it isn’t an issue. They should take the lead on this issue, and work with airport groups to come up with reasonable standards/policies on how to better deal such situations. Industry can solve this problem; relying on FAA to force a solution or rethink should be the backup plan. Thanks for reading/jfi.