Aviation

House Democrats on Monday warned that passage of a long-term Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is in serious jeopardy this year because Republicans are insisting on a bill that cuts billions in FAA funding and includes language making it harder to form air and rail unions.

Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) issued this warning on the House floor in a brief debate over legislation to temporarily extend the FAA until June 30. That bill, H.R. 1893, passed the House by voice vote Monday afternoon and should be approved by the Senate this week.

The House is slated to vote on a stopgap funding measure Monday for the Federal Aviation Administration.

A volcanic eruption in Iceland is forcing President Obama to leave Ireland sooner than planned. 

Advisories about ash clouds in northern Europe have been issued; West Coast travelers could be delayed.

Airline passenger revenue spiked 12 percent in April compared to the same month last year even amid rising gas prices and a sluggish economy, the Air Transport Association of America (ATA) reported Friday.
 
The ATA – a trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines ­– reported that this was the 16th consecutive month that airlines increased revenue both from air travel and shipping, a statistic the group said is a good sign for the economy.
 
“Growth in air travel spending at the start of the second quarter bodes well for U.S. economic recovery,” ATA Vice President and Chief Economist John Heimlich said in a news release. “ATA forecasts 1.5 percent more passengers will fly during the summer months and is optimistic that strong international demand will help offset volatile fuel costs.”
 
According to ATA’s report, passengers are flying more, even as the average price per one mile of flight rose 9 percent for the month of April.
 
Other findings from the report show that a sample of U.S. airlines saw a 22 percent rise in mail and freight shipments in April of this year compared to last April, with 17 percent of the growth coming from domestic shipments, and 24 percent internationally.
 
The ATA also reported that domestic flight revenue rose 8.6 percent, trans-Atlantic revenue grew 27 percent, Latin American revenue saw a 24 percent spike, and trans-Pacific revenue rose 5.5 percent. The ATA attributed the small growth of trans-Pacific growth to the tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster in Japan.
 
The ATA’s findings are based on data from the following airlines: Alaska, American, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, United and US Airways, including data for Air Midwest, Air Wisconsin, Allegheny, American Eagle, Atlantic Coast, Atlantic Southeast, Chautauqua, Comair, Continental Express, Executive, Freedom, Horizon, Mesa, Mesaba, Piedmont, Pinnacle, PSA, Shuttle America, SkyWest and Trans States.

Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) has withdrawn an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration bill that riled families of victims of a recent plane crash and a famous pilot who averted one.

Families of victims of Continental Airlines flight 3407 and former U.S. Airways pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who landed a disabled jetliner safely on the Hudson River in New York City, strongly opposed an amendment by Shuster that would have added more analysis requirements before the FAA could issue new rules.

Shuster had argued the changes would improve the FAA's rulemaking process, but Sullenberger and the 3407 families said it would hold-up needed safety changes.

Friday, Shuster said he was withdrawing the amendment, in the interest of getting a longer-term FAA spending bill approved.

"The purpose of my amendment is to increase safety across the board and to improve the rule making process at the FAA," he said in a statement. "I am dedicated to ‘one level of safety’ and continue to strive to keep our transportation industry safe and economically viable.

Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell cited the NLRB decision on Boeing in calling the Obama administration "thuggish."

The pilot who landed a disabled jetliner safely on the Hudson River in New York City will be a contributor to CBS News, the network said Thursday.

Former U.S. Airways pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger has been hired as an aviation and safety expert for CBS. He will contribute to broadcasts "across the news division," CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager said.

"Sully is an American treasure and it is a real thrill to have him on our team at CBS News,” Fager said in a statement. “I am a huge fan of Sully’s. He is a remarkable person who has a great ability to turn his significant experience into useful insights. He will help our viewers better understand the stories involving safety and air travel that seem to pop up all of the time.”

Flight attendants and pilots said re-assigning flight numbers 93 and 175 a "terrible misstep" and "reprehensible."

The NLRB is suing Boeing, where Bill Daley had been on the board of directors, for allegedly breaking labor laws.