Blog Archives




 

  • On the Good, the Bad, and the Hard To Believe …
    By John F. Infanger - Wednesday January 25, 2012
    Apparently, FAA/system reauthorization is about to happen, first on a short-term extension (Can you say 23rd extension?) and then on a longer term reauthorization, expected to occur in February, say optimists.   U.S. Rep. John Mica (R-FL), chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, says in a release, “With this extension in place, Congress can now bring to conclusion a long-overdue FAA bill. This should be a bipartisan, bicameral effort.  Improvements to our nation’s aviation infrastructure, modernization of our air traffic control system, and reform of FAA programs are almost five years overdue.  A long-term bill will set national aviation policy and have a major impact on jobs.”   Adds Aviation...

  • Experiencing the Gathering of Business Aviation in San Diego …
    By John F. Infanger - Wednesday January 18, 2012
    This year’s NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers conference has been an inspiration if for no other reason than this is definitely an industry segment which has taken on the attitude of moving beyond the economic downturn and White House bashing. This in the face of an Administration that appears determined to drop a user fee package upon it and raise the cost of operations, to little benefit other than more money for the Washington spending machine.   The 2012 National Business Aviation Association’s S&D meeting returned to its normal state of vibrancy, with a record number of 407 exhibitors and total attendance of more than 2,400, according to an association spokesperson. The record for the show is over 2,600, achieved in the...

  • I Am Now a Volunteer Member of NATA’s State Advocacy Network …
    By John F. Infanger - Wednesday January 11, 2012
    … and I look forward to seeing where this initiative goes, because the concept is a good one.   The National Air Transportation Association seeks to get members and other interested parties active in local issues impacting the industry – to bring together “members in every state who will serve as liaisons between member businesses, state legislatures, and the association.”   "General aviation businesses are confronted with issues that require prompt attention, including airport and land use, security, taxation, aircraft noise, and emissions," says NATA president Jim Coyne. "Identifying pertinent legislation and regulations ahead of their implementation in every state throughout this country is one of the greatest...

  • Looking in the Face of 2012 …
    By John F. Infanger - Wednesday January 4, 2012
    A wish for FAA reauthorization … can it really be this hard? Highways and other industries are likely asking the same question. Rep. John Mica (R-FL), who heads up things transportation in the U.S. House, is trying to make it happen. (He’s the guy who shut down the system, or funding, last summer. The gambit was to demonstrate to the populace a microcosm of the ridiculous things being held up in Washington -- which worked, because all of a sudden the country paid attention to matters aviation and realized that FAA funding isn’t only about safety, it’s also about infrastructure and jobs.)   A wish for a new FAA Administrator … probably won’t happen. Too political. We wanted a definitive term for an Administrator and got...

  • Paul Allen and Burt Rutan Begin a New Trek Toward Space …
    By John F. Infanger - Wednesday December 14, 2011
    … and one has to wonder if the move will serve as a major catalyst in the private sector’s bid to become a major factor in space travel, now that NASA is in the process of being reformulated.   Rutan, of course, gained fame in 1986 when the aircraft he designed, the Voyager, flew around the world without stopping or refueling, piloted by brother Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager. Burt also teamed with Microsoft co-founder Allen in 2004 to build and launch SpaceShip One, which became the first private sector-financed ship to reach the edge of space.   Allen, who announced he is committing some $200 million to the latest venture, is no stranger to aviation and has a major presence in the Northwest, notably at Boeing Field. I’ve also...

  • FAA and DOT Hold a Forum on Airline Diversions …
    By John F. Infanger - Wednesday December 7, 2011
    November 30 in Washington, attracted some 150 industry participants, including representatives from Airports Council International-North America, the American Association of Airport Executives, and the National Air Transportation Association.   The Diversion Forum came about following a late October snowstorm that pummeled the Northeast and saw an inordinate amount of airline diversions sent to Hartford’s Bradley International Airport (BDL), where passengers were left sitting on the airfield for as long as seven hours.   Not surprisingly, communication appears to be at the center of the issue. I spoke with ACI-NA vice president Deborah McElroy this week about the meeting and she relates that an association survey shows that some...

  • American Airlines Files for Bankruptcy Protection …
    By John F. Infanger - Wednesday November 30, 2011
    Not the unions, of course; but then, the cost structure related to them is billed as a primary issue. Then there’s the issue of the fleet – those MD-80s are a tribute to mechanical engineering and technology, but not to fuel usage. And there’s Wall Street, where shares of AMR dropped some 84 percent following the announcement, according to The Wall Street Journal .   What’s amazing to me is how numb we’ve become to a major company in a major part of our economic infrastructure going belly up. Eastern, Pan Am – now those were bankruptcies. American … except for the people at American, the attitude seems to be “Well, they’ll figure it out.”   I spoke with Joshua Schank of the Eno Transportation Foundation, a...

  • They Had a Little Snowstorm in the Northeast Recently …
    By John F. Infanger - Wednesday November 16, 2011
     … which led to a number of airliners sitting on the ramp at Hartford, to which flights had been diverted, for as many as seven hours. In response, U.S. DOT has announced that it will hold a forum on November 30 to explore ways to address future aircraft diversions.   Might have been a good idea to have held the forum before Congress mandated that airlines can’t hold passengers hostage on the airfield for extended periods of time. It’s hard to blame the airlines for what happened at Hartford – so it seems it would be hard to justify fining them.   That said, how do officials at Hartford’s Bradley International or at FAA explain allowing hundreds of passengers to be held captive in aluminum capsules for hours on end? A...

  • A Bite of Dinner, a Game of Golf …
    By John F. Infanger - Wednesday November 9, 2011
    … or perhaps an occasional tennis match might be the prescription for what ails Washington. And what ails Washington – number one – is an inability to get things done. It’s a government on pause, with a nasty dialog circling in the winds.   During an interview with Greg Principato, president of ACI-NA, at the group’s annual meeting in San Diego, I asked a question that I’ve asked in the past: How would you characterize the environment in Washington these days?” Greg knows the turf as well as anyone. And he also likes to be the optimist – the glass is always at worst half full.   In this instance, he discarded the rose-colored glasses for a bit. To wit …   “It’s horrible. At the risk of sounding like a...

  • Innovation in Airline/Airport Cooperation …
    By John F. Infanger - Wednesday November 2, 2011
    … is the subject of a keynote speech given this week in Marrakech, Morocco by Tony Tyler, director general and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) at the Airports Council International (ACI) World Annual General Assembly. Relates Tyler, “We need a common and forward-looking agenda that builds on past successes and puts innovation at the heart of our common issues. Airports and airlines share a common interest in making aviation safer, more secure, user-friendly, operationally efficient and environmentally responsible. Combined, these are our common license to grow.”   Tyler highlights six areas where airports and airlines can enhance cooperation to innovate and deliver value: safety, security, improving...

 

Events

More

supplements

  • AMT Tools & Equipment
    AMT Tools & Equipment

    AMT's Tools & Equipment (AMT T&E) supplement focuses on new equipment for the aircraft technician with articles on new technology or best practices concerning aviation maintenance.

  • 2012 Going Green Supplement
    2012 Going Green Supplement

    The Airport Business Going Green Supplement is a collection of products and solutions related to incorporating sustainability in areas of airport business operation and project development.

  • Airport & Airfield Operations
    Airport & Airfield Operations

    A joint publication of Airport Business and Ground Support Worldwide, the Airport & Airfield Operations Supplement includes company information and/or products.

  • Going Green - Sep 2011
    Going Green - Sep 2011

    This supplement is a vehicle to share your company's marketing message and present the products and services you offer that are environmentally friendly.

  • NBAA Supplement
    NBAA Supplement

    AMT's NBAA Maintenance Focus gives corporate aircraft maintenance professionals a maintenance-oriented preview of events at NBAA.

  • 1 of 5
  • 2 of 5
  • 3 of 5
  • 4 of 5
  • 5 of 5