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☆ Buttigieg Teams Up With State Attorneys General to Investigate Airline Complaints
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Mark Walker | More About Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday announced a new partnership with more than a dozen state attorneys general to investigate consumer complaints against airlines. The partnership sets up a process for state attorney general’s offices to review complaints from travelers and then pass the baton to the federal Transportation Department, which could take enforcement action against airlines. “The support that’s being offered by state attorney general’s offices means that our capacity to protect airline passengers is expanding,” Mr. Buttigieg said at Denver International Airport, where he appeared with Colorado’s attorney general, Phil Weiser, a Democrat who is among those joining the partnership. The Transportation Department has issued more than $164 million in penalties against airlines during his tenure, according to the agency. Mr. Buttigieg has also pressed airlines to seat children with their parents for free and to improve the services they offer to travelers who experience lengthy delays or cancellations.

Persons: Pete Buttigieg, general’s, Mr, Buttigieg, Phil Weiser, Buttigieg’s Organizations: federal Transportation Department, Denver International Airport, Democrat, Transportation Department

☆ U.S. Finalizes Rule Requiring Two-Person Crews on Freight Trains
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Mark Walker | More About Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Federal regulations had not previously specified a minimum crew size, but the nation’s largest freight railroads typically have two workers on each train, an engineer and a conductor. The Federal Railroad Administration proposed requiring two-person crews in 2022, arguing that doing so would improve safety. The issue received further attention after a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed last year in East Palestine, Ohio, putting the issue of railroad safety in the spotlight. A bipartisan rail safety bill introduced in Congress in response to the derailment included a requirement for two-person crews, though the legislation has stalled. The Norfolk Southern train, which investigators believe derailed because of an overheated wheel bearing, had three crew members on board: an engineer, a conductor and a conductor trainee.

Organizations: Biden, Federal Railroad Administration, Norfolk, Norfolk Southern Locations: Norfolk Southern, East Palestine , Ohio

☆ F.B.I. Tells Passengers on Alaska Flight They May Have Been Crime Victims
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Mark Walker | More About Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Passengers aboard an Alaska Airlines plane that made an emergency landing after a fuselage panel blew off this year have started to receive letters from the F.B.I. identifying them as possible victims of a crime. The letters are a sign that a criminal investigation the Justice Department has opened into Boeing, the manufacturer of the 737 Max 9 jet, is ramping up. “As a victim specialist with the Seattle division, I’m contacting you because we have identified you as a possible victim of a crime,” reads the letter from the F.B.I.’s Seattle office, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. The letter says the incident is under criminal F.B.I.

Organizations: Alaska Airlines, Department, Boeing, Seattle, The New York Times, National Transportation Safety Locations: Alaska, ’, Seattle, Portland

☆ N.T.S.B. Says Boeing Has Not Provided Key Information in 737 Max Inquiry
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Mark Walker | More About Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board told a Senate committee on Wednesday that Boeing was dragging its feet in providing some information to the agency as it investigates what caused a door panel to come off an Alaska Airlines plane during a flight in January. Boeing has a team of 25 employees and a manager who handle doors at the Renton plant, Ms. Homendy told the Senate committee. The manager has been on medical leave, and the agency had been unable to interview that person, Ms. Homendy said. She added that Boeing had not provided the safety board with the names of the other 25 employees. Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Jennifer Homendy, Homendy, ” Organizations: National Transportation Safety Board, Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Senate Commerce Committee Locations: Alaska, Boeing’s, Renton, Wash

☆ F.A.A. Audit Finds Quality-Control Lapses at Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Mark Walker | More About Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday that a six-week audit of Boeing and one of it key suppliers, Spirit AeroSystems, found “multiple instances” in which the companies failed to comply with quality-control requirements. As part of the audit, which looked at production of the Boeing 737 Max, the F.A.A. said that it had “identified noncompliance issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control.” The regulator did not publicly release further details. initiated the audit after a door panel came off a 737 Max 9 jet while at about 16,000 feet in early January, raising new questions about quality-control practices at Boeing and Spirit, which makes the fuselage, or body, of the 737 Max. A spokesman for Spirit, Joe Buccino, said the company was reviewing the findings and was “in communication with Boeing and the F.A.A.

Persons: AeroSystems, Max, Joe Buccino, ” Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing, Max

☆ U.S. Proposes New Rules to Ease Flying for Travelers in Wheelchairs
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Mark Walker | More About Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration announced on Thursday that it was proposing new regulations for how airlines must treat passengers in wheelchairs, an effort aimed at improving air travel for people with disabilities. Under the proposed rule, damaging or delaying the return of a wheelchair would be an automatic violation of an existing federal law that bars airlines from discriminating against people with disabilities. The Transportation Department said that change would make it easier for the agency to penalize airlines for mishandling wheelchairs. The proposed regulations would also require more robust training for workers who physically assist disabled passengers or handle their wheelchairs. “This new rule would change the way airlines operate to ensure that travelers using wheelchairs can travel safely and with dignity.”

Persons: Pete Buttigieg, ” Organizations: Biden, Transportation Department

☆ F.A.A. Gives Boeing 90 Days to Develop Plan to Address Quality-Control Issues
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Mark Walker | More About Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday that it had asked Boeing to provide the agency with a “comprehensive action plan” to address quality-control issues within 90 days, the regulator’s latest push for safety improvements after a panel came off a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet in flight in early January. administrator, Mike Whitaker, made the request on Tuesday when he met with Boeing’s chief executive, Dave Calhoun, and other company officials for what the agency described as an “all-day safety discussion.”“Boeing must commit to real and profound improvements,” Mr. Whitaker said in a statement. “Making foundational change will require a sustained effort from Boeing’s leadership, and we are going to hold them accountable every step of the way, with mutually understood milestones and expectations.”Boeing did not immediately comment on Wednesday. The meeting, which took place at the F.A.A.’s headquarters in Washington, came two weeks after Mr. Whitaker toured Boeing’s 737 plant in Renton, Wash. During his visit, Mr. Whitaker spoke with Boeing engineers and mechanics to try to get a better sense of the safety culture at the factory. said after his visit that Mr. Whitaker planned to discuss what he saw during his visit when he met with Boeing executives in Washington.

Persons: Mike Whitaker, Dave Calhoun, ”, Mr, Whitaker Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing, Max, ” Boeing Locations: Washington, Boeing’s, Renton, Wash

☆ F.A.A. Tells Airlines to Check Panels on a Second Boeing Plane
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Mark Walker | More About Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Federal Aviation Administration recommended late Sunday night that airlines begin visual inspections of door plugs installed on Boeing 737-900ER planes, the second Boeing model to come under scrutiny this month. said the plane has the same door plug design as the 737 Max 9, which had 171 jets from its fleet grounded after a door panel was blown off one of the jets shortly after an Alaska Airlines flight left Portland, Ore., on Jan. 5., forcing an emergency landing. The door plugs are placed as a panel where an emergency door would otherwise be if a plane had more seats.

Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing, Alaska Airlines Locations: Portland

☆ F.A.A. Says Initial Round of 737 Max Inspections Has Been Finished
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Mark Walker | More About Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday that an initial round of inspections of 40 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes had been completed, but that those aircraft and scores of other Max 9 planes would remain grounded as the agency finalized an inspection process for them. announced that it was requiring the 40 inspections before it would approve new inspection and maintenance instructions developed by Boeing. The agency grounded 171 Max 9 planes this month after a door panel blew off an Alaska Airlines flight while it was ascending after taking off from Portland, Ore., forcing an emergency landing. said it would review the data from the 40 inspections, and that the 737 Max 9 planes with the door panels would remain grounded until the agency signed off on the instructions for airlines to inspect the planes. The door panels go where an emergency exit door would in a different configuration of the aircraft.

Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing, Max, Alaska Airlines Locations: Portland ,

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday that it was expanding its scrutiny of Boeing, increasing oversight of the company with an audit of production of the 737 Max 9, a week after a panel in the body of one of those planes was blown out during flight. Later Friday night, the F.A.A. The agency said it needed more information on the inspection process before it could approve Boeing’s guidance for distribution. The grounded planes, 171 in total in the United States, will be not be cleared to fly again until they are inspected, which could take several days, though possibly a lot longer, once the F.A.A. United Airlines is the biggest U.S. user of the plane, though the jet makes up just 8 percent of the larger company’s fleet.

Persons: Boeing’s, Max Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Airlines Locations: United States

☆ F.A.A. Investigating Whether Boeing 737 Max 9 Conformed to Approved Design
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Mark Walker | More About Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday that it had opened an investigation into whether Boeing failed to ensure that its 737 Max 9 plane was safe and manufactured to match the design approved by the agency. said the investigation stemmed from the loss of a fuselage panel of a Boeing 737 Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines shortly after it took off on Friday from Portland, Ore., leaving a hole in the side of the passenger cabin. said that after the Portland incident, it was notified of additional issues with other Max 9 planes. The new investigation is the latest setback for Boeing, which is one of just two suppliers of large planes for most airlines. The company has struggled to regain the public’s trust after two crashes of 737 Max 8 jetliners, in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019, killed a total of 346 people.

Persons: Max, jetliners Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing, Max, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines Locations: Portland ,, Portland, Alaska, United, United States, Indonesia, Ethiopia

☆ Staffing and Technology Woes Threaten Aviation Safety, Report Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Mark Walker | More About Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A group of outside experts appointed by the Federal Aviation Administration called on Wednesday for “urgent action” to address safety risks in the nation’s aviation system, highlighting issues like staffing shortages among air traffic controllers and outdated technology. announced the formation of the group, the National Airspace System Safety Review Team, in April after a string of close calls at airports across the country, and the panel released a 52-page report on Wednesday laying out its findings. to address the shortage of air traffic controllers and improve its aging technology, the report also recommended changes in how the agency is funded, such as more broadly shielding it from government shutdowns. “The current erosion in the margin of safety in the N.A.S. caused by the confluence of these challenges is rendering the current level of safety unsustainable,” the report said, referring to what is known as the National Airspace System.

Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, National

President Biden, perhaps Amtrak’s most famous advocate, announced $16.4 billion in funding for rail projects on Monday, exhibiting a business-as-usual approach as polls show him trailing former President Donald J. Trump one year before Election Day. Speaking at a maintenance warehouse where Amtrak trains are serviced in Bear, Del., Mr. Biden made no mention of the polling from The New York Times and Siena College polls. Instead, he offered familiar anecdotes about his days as a senator, when a conductor named Angelo would call him “Joey, baby!” and squeeze his cheeks as he made the 90-minute ride between Washington and his home in Wilmington, Del. Mr. Biden also promoted the $1 trillion infrastructure law he signed into law two years ago, which included $66 billion for investments in rail systems.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, Angelo, “ Joey Organizations: Amtrak, The New York Times, Siena College Locations: Bear, Washington, Wilmington, Del

☆ Senate Confirms Biden’s Nominee to Lead the F.A.A.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Mark Walker | More About Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Michael G. Whitaker, a former Obama administration official, to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, filling a key vacancy that had persisted for more than 18 months. His swift bipartisan confirmation underscored the desire of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to install a permanent administrator atop the nation’s aviation regulator. Mr. Whitaker now faces the challenge of stabilizing an agency that has been in turmoil and providing the flying public with the confidence that the country’s air travel system is safe and reliable. A system outage grounded flights nationwide in January, and a series of near collisions at airports around the country have raised fears about whether the air travel system is being stressed to the point of danger. has been without a permanent leader since Stephen Dickson, a former Delta Air Lines executive and an appointee of President Donald J. Trump, stepped down last year.

Persons: Michael G, Whitaker, Obama, Biden’s, Stephen Dickson, Donald J, Trump, Polly Trottenberg Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, Delta Air Lines

☆ U.S. Fines American Airlines $4.1 Million for Lengthy Tarmac Delays
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Mark Walker | More About Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The agency said the fine was the largest penalty it had ever doled out for tarmac delays. A majority of the delays occurred at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, the largest hub for American Airlines. Others took place at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, San Antonio International Airport and Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington. “This is the latest action in our continued drive to enforce the rights of airline passengers,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “Whether the issue is extreme tarmac delays or problems getting refunds, D.O.T.

Persons: Ronald Reagan, Pete Buttigieg, ” Organizations: Transportation Department, American Airlines, Dallas Fort Worth International, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, San Antonio International Airport, Ronald, Airport, ” Locations: Dallas, Houston, Washington, San Antonio

☆ Before Joining Federal Safety Program, Freight Railroads Push to Change It
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Mark Walker | More About Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After a freight train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in February, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg secured what seemed like a significant victory. Following years of resistance, the nation’s largest freight railroads agreed to participate in a federal safety program that allows employees to confidentially report safety issues. The railroads’ hesitation raises questions about whether a key step to improve rail safety that Mr. Buttigieg hailed in the wake of the East Palestine derailment will come to pass. And it illustrates the steep challenge looming over federal officials and lawmakers as they push for safety changes after the Ohio accident, sometimes against the wishes of the freight rail industry. In Congress, a rail safety bill with bipartisan support faces an uncertain fate.

Persons: Pete Buttigieg, Buttigieg, ” Mr, ” Locations: East Palestine , Ohio, East Palestine, Ohio

☆ U.S. Moves to Improve Airplane Bathrooms for People With Disabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Mark Walker | More About Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Transportation Department announced on Wednesday that it had finalized new regulations to require more commercial aircraft to have accessible bathrooms, a long-awaited step to address complaints from disabled travelers about the difficulties of flying. Under the regulations, new single-aisle planes with at least 125 seats will eventually be required to have at least one lavatory large enough for a disabled passenger and an attendant to enter and move around in. Twin-aisle planes are already required to have an accessible lavatory. “Traveling can be stressful enough without worrying about being able to access a restroom,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. In 2016, an advisory committee established by the department called for accessible bathrooms on new, larger single-aisle planes, and the department proposed new regulations last year to carry out that recommendation.

Persons: Pete Buttigieg, Obama Organizations: Transportation Department Locations: Twin

Freight trains frequently stop and block the roads of York, Ala., sometimes cutting off two neighborhoods for hours. Emergency services and health care workers can’t get in, and those trapped inside can’t get out. “It’s not fair.”Residents have voiced these complaints for years to Norfolk Southern, which owns the tracks, and to regulators and members of Congress. Freight trains frequently block roads nationwide, a phenomenon that local officials say has grown steadily worse in the last decade as railroads run longer trains and leave them parked on tracks at crossings. The blockages can turn school drop-offs into nightmares, starve local businesses of customers and prevent emergency services from reaching those in distress.

Persons: can’t, ”, Amanda Brassfield, Grant City, “ Organizations: Norfolk, Freight Locations: York, Ala, Grant, Norfolk Southern

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