Aviation

Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) said efforts to defund the National Labor Relations Board are an attack on workers’ rights.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a crash involving a Chevy Volt battery catching fire.

Virginia Gov., and Republican vice presidential possibility, Bob McDonnell is hosting a transportation conference.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport said American Airlines' bankruptcy filing did not affect business at the airline's hub.

Indianapolis International Airport is removing artwork to make way for an LED screen.

The chairman of the Senate's transportation panel, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), said Tuesday that he was disappointed by the news that American Airlines had filed for bankruptcy.

Texas-based AMR Corp., which oversees both American and American Eagle airlines, said it filed bankruptcy paperwork at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Rockefeller, who is chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said he was sad to see that happen.

“I was disappointed to learn that American Airlines filed for bankruptcy," Rockefeller said in a statement released by his office. "I know that Gerard Arpey, CEO of American Airlines, worked hard to avoid it. I commend him for trying to restructure the company in order to preserve his employees’ hard-earned pensions. 

One of the largest airlines in the country, American, filed for bankruptcy Tuesday morning, its parent company announced. 

A group of Republican lawmakers will be getting something other than thanks from a Washington union for their votes on a long-term funding bill for the Federal Aviation Administration. 

The Washington, D.C.-based Communication Workers Association (CWA) said Tuesday it was using the occasion of the one of the busiest travel days of the year Wednesday to contact voters in 19 congressional districts about the fighting this year over FAA funding.

The agency was shut down for nearly two weeks earlier this summer, and the CWA said it would contact 300,000 households and pass out fliers in airports to make that did not happen again when a short-term funding bill for the FAA runs out at the end of January.

"As millions of travelers gear up for the busiest travel days of the year for airports and the aviation industry, promised upgrades that could ease congestion and improve the travelers’ experience remain on hold due to an impasse over the long-term FAA Reauthorization bill," the CWA said in a statement announcing the campaign.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Airlines are spending almost $2 billion to upgrade their first classes.

New York City is implementing "Slow Zones" on some of its streets.

London Mayor Boris Johnson is calling for another airport to be built there.

Florida transportation officials are under fire for video of pedestrians being hit by cars.

A series of Twitter messages about a sale fare, as well as billboards and posters in Los Angeles, have cost Spirit Airlines $50,000 in fines.

The Department of Transportation announced Monday it was fining the low-fare airline for Twitter messages about a $9 one-way sale price that did not make users aware of the additional taxes and fees until users clicked on two additional links.

The agency also accused the airline of not identifying additional charges on billboards and posters in the Los Angeles area, using an asterisk that did not specify the amounts of the taxes and fees.

European countries have banned X-ray scanners at airport security checkpoints that are similar to the controversial machines that have been used in America by the Transportation Security Administration.

The European Union announced new rules for airport security measures this month, and chief among them was that scanners that use X-ray technology would not be allowed "in order not to risk jeopardising citizens' health and safety."

"Security scanners are not a panacea but they do offer a real possibility to reinforce passenger security," EU Transportation Commissioner Siim Kallas said in a statement.

Your morning transportation speed-read:    

The cost of holiday travel is on the rise.

A Greyhound bus driver abandoned her passengers in Missouri.

Enterprise Rent-a-Car is buying a pair of European car rental companies.

The "world's cheapest car" is getting a redesign.

More than a million more people are expected to travel this Thanksgiving than last year’s, according to a survey released this week by AAA. 

The auto club said 42.5 million citizens are expected to travel at least 50 miles from their homes during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The figure represents a 4 percent increase from the 40.9 million who made similar trips in 2010, the organization said. 

AAA attributed the increase to people choosing time with their family over their finances, despite the fragile economic climate. 

“This year, it is all about family, friends, food and giving thanks for our bounty and blessings,” AAA spokesman Mahlon Anderson said in a news release.