Aviation

After ending air traffic controller furloughs that caused flight delays, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering other ways to cut its budget, including a plan to phrase out some of the people who monitor weather in flight towers. 

The plan, which was scheduled to begin this month, has raised questions about flight safety.

The FAA proposal, which has been pushed back now until at least September, calls for eliminating positions at 140 airports where it contracts with private companies to monitor weather developments that could impact flights.
 
The agency says it began considering eliminating the contracted weather observers before the sequester was implemented.

However, the FAA said it could save money by relying on air traffic controllers to monitor the weather as they are watching flights.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

A majority of people have no opinion about the sequester despite the flight delays that were attributed to it last week, according to a new poll.

Gallup surveyed 1,025 people on April 29-30 and found 52 percent did not know enough about the spending cuts under the sequester to offer an opinion.

Thirty percent of people in the poll said the sequester was a good thing, while 17 percent said it was a bad thing. 

Congress passed the measure last week, but it was delayed in getting to the president because of a typo.

Southwest Airlines is being fined $150,000 for its delayed and poor responses to consumer complaints.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) levied the penalty against the airline for its failure to respond to complaints made between June 2011 and January 2012, including multiple grievances about service to passengers with disabilities. The department claims that the company's responses were late and inadequate to the consumers' problems.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday that he was "not sure" when President Obama will sign the bill passed by Congress last week to end air traffic controller furloughs.

The measure to allow the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to move money around in its budget to eliminate the furloughs was hurriedly passed by Congress last week as airlines and passengers complained about mounting flight delays.

The FAA stopped the furloughs after both chambers of Congress approved the measure, but Carney said Wednesday that the White House did not have a time frame for when Obama would sign the bill into law.

"I'm not sure," Carney said when he was asked about the FAA bill signing during the White House press briefing on Wednesday.

"I believe it may be here or on its way," Carney continued. "And he'll sign it soon. As with all bill signings, we'll put out a statement when he has signed it." 

Your morning transportation speed-read:

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) is responding to criticism from comedian Jon Stewart over his response to furloughs for air traffic controllers that delayed flights last week. 

Stewart lampooned Rogers on his "Daily Show" during a segment about the bill that was passed by Congress last week to give budget flexibility to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to end the air towers furloughs.

Stewart showed a clip of Rogers asking FAA Administrator Michael Huerta "how come you didn't tell us about this beforehand?" in regard to the flight delays, followed by clips of Obama administration officials and media personalities warning about the possibility of airplane backups.

A spokesman for Rogers told The Hill on Thursday that "obviously Chairman Rogers was aware of the FAA warnings regarding sequester."

Air Force Two is stuck in Arizona after damage was discovered during a post-flight inspection.

A bipartisan group of members from Pennsylvania and New York have proposed legislation that would require all airlines to install a secondary cockpit, which would help prevent hijackings like those seen in the 9/11 attacks.

Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) said the reinforced doors now used on planes help deter hijackings, but said even these must be opened during flights.