Everyone agrees that training standards for pilots in the United States need to be improved. But few people can agree on how.
The conversation over increased pilot training gained steam after Continental Connection Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo, N.Y. in Feburary 2009. That flight was operated by regional airline Colgan Air.
A report released by the National Transportation Safety Board following the crash showed that the pilots of that flight were fatigued and may have been under-trained.
Pilot Fatigue
The Federal Aviation Administration released a new proposal to update pilot fatigue regulations in November of this year.
That proposal–which sought to strike a balance in competing interests–was hounded by both sides of the deal.
Airlines said the restrictions were too strict and unions said airlines retained too much control over pilot scheduling.
Flight Hours
Others disagree over the number of flight training hours that should be required before commercial airline pilots take to the skies.
Currently, pilots are required to have 250 hours of experience. New proposals call for pilots to have at least 1,500 hours of experience.
Regional Airlines
In the meantime, family members of passengers aboard Flight 3407 are urging air passengers to investigate who, exactly, is flying their aircraft.
The group of family members is calling attention to the fact that regional airlines–who operate flights on behalf of major airlines but typically have pilots with less experience and pay their employees less–fly more than half of all U.S. flights.
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Indian government officials say they will file a formal diplomatic complaint with the United States after one of its ambassadors was subjected to extra security screening at a Mississippi airport.
Ambassador Shankar
Meera Shankar, Indian ambassador to the U.S. was traveling home from a visit to Mississippi State University when she was selected for extra screening at the Jackson-Evers International Airport.
Reports say Shankar was selected for additional screening because she was wearing a sari–a traditional Indian robe draped across the body.
“This passenger was screened in accordance with TSA security procedures,” TSA spokesman Jon Allen said Tuesday in an e-mail to USAToday.
The uproar has caused Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to voice concern.
Clinton told reporters Thursday, “We will be looking into it and trying to determine both what happened and what we could do to prevent such incidents in the future,” according to an article published by AFP.
A US Airways flight was diverted yesterday after a passenger was bitten by a dog.
USAToday reports that a passenger and flight attendant were bitten by a dog after it got loose on the aircraft.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the four-legged offender is a 12-pound Manchester terrier named Mandy. It’s owner–an unidentified 89-year-old woman–allegedly let the dog out of its cage after the dog’s sedatives began to wear off.
Flight 522 was en route from Newark to Phoenix and was diverted to Pittsburgh.
Both injured passengers were treated by paramedics and reboarded flights later that day.
Dr. Betty Morgan has just one more class with the students on her Winter Term study abroad trip to study the European Union before they leave for the holiday break. Just more than a week after Christmas, Morgan will meet up with her students again at JFK International Airport to board a plane and fly to Brussels, Belgium to begin their trip.
One thing on Dr. Morgan’s mind is making sure her students pack light. The trip includes six cities in five countries and spans more than three week.
Sub-Zero-G
Dr. Morgan says packing light is important since most European airlines–like Air Baltic, the airline Morgan and her class will use to get between countries–have weight limits that are more strict that airlines in the U.S.
But packing light involves more than just deciding to leave that pair of heavy boots at home. It’s also choosing a suitcase that doesn’t weigh you down before you’ve even put anything it in.
To avoid that problem, Dr. Morgan suggests the Landor & Hawa Sub-Zero-G suitcase.
Listen to Dr. Morgan talk to her class about the suitcase and the importance of light weight luggage below:
A Delta Airlines flight turned into a strip show last week when a passenger took off her clothes during the plane’s arrival.
Delta Flight 6562 was in route from Chicago to New York’s Kennedy Airport last Saturday night, an article from the Associated Press says.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the passenger–a female in her early 20s–was emotionally disturbed and began to undress.
Flight attendants reportedly covered the naked woman with a blanket as she screamed, “No! No! No!,” David Holland, who was on the flight, said.
The woman was held by flight attendants for the reminder of the flight.
Police escorted her off the plane once it was on the ground and other passengers had left.
Luxury airline OpenSkies is thanking pop icon Beyonce Knowles as a reason
Courtesy: beyonceonline.com
for its success. OpenSkies Chief Executive Officer Dale Moss discussed the topic recently with Bloomberg News.
Knowles–and other influential figures like Spanish soccer teams and French diplomats–have used the airline to ferry around their entourage, team and delegations on trips around the world.
OpenSkies is a subsidiary of British Airways and operates all-business class flights from New York and Washington, D.C. to Paris.
The Bloomberg article says that the airline hopes to increase its passenger 
volume–already at 80% on its current flights–by selling seats through a codeshare agreement with partners American Airlines and Spain-based Iberia Airlines.
ABC News reports that Delta Airlines is looking to hire 1,000 flight attendants to fill their cabins as the airline expands its routes to include more international flights.
The company’s call for applicants brought 100 times more people than jobs, according to the ABC News report.
With such stiff competition, Delta hiring managers say they are being selective as they look for applicants who have customer-oriented personalities. And with the new international routes, speaking a foreign language helps, too.
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A report released by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation today says an Air India Express flight did a nosedive in mid-air because a young co-pilot adjusted his seat.
This picture of a Boeing 737 is similar to the plane involved in the incident
The Air India Express Boeing 737 was headed to Pune, India from Dubai when the pilot left the cockpit for a routine bathroom break, a The Wall Street Journal says. With the pilot gone and the plane on autopilot, the co-pilot– who was not strapped into his harness– went to adjust his seat and accidentally hit a control that sent the plane spiraling downward.
The plan descended at a 25 degree angle. “To put that in perspective,” ABC News writes, “Todd Curtis, director of the Airsafe.com Foundation, told ABC News that the Space Shuttle glides in at the very steep 20-degree angle.”
The report says that the co-pilot then panicked, was unable to override the autopilot program and struggled until the pilot was able to re-enter the cockpit using a secret code to open the door.
Total, the plane lost 7,000 feet in altitude, the report concludes.
American Airlines is offering passengers an extra way to stay merry this holiday season. Starting December 1, passengers can purchase cocktails, wine and beer for a discounted price of $5.00 on flights that depart between 5 p.m. and 5:59 p.m. Drinks are usually $7.00 for liquor and wine and $6.00 for beer, according to the airline’s in-flight beverage page.
The company told ABC7 News in Chicago that, “it wants to show customers it appreciates their business by spreading the holiday cheer.”
American’s move comes as USAToday reports the greater ease with which air
Courtesy: Freedigitalphotos.net
travelers are getting access to alcohol. The article reports that some airports are allowing alcohol sales earlier and airlines are promoting the sale of in-flight alcoholic beverages as a way to bring in more revenue.
Frank Larkinmakin, spokesman for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, says alcohol’s increased availability is concerning. “Making liquor more available to passengers certainly has the potential to create problems for airline workers, both in the terminals and on the aircraft,” he said.
Up in the Air 