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  • Senate passes FAA reauthorization bill ahead of deadline

    Senate passes FAA reauthorization bill ahead of deadline

    The Senate has passed a $105 billion bill designed to improve air safety and customer service for air travelers, a day before the law governing the Federal Aviation Administration expires.

    The bipartisan bill, which comes after a series of close calls between planes at the nation’s airports, would boost the number of air traffic controllers, improve safety standards and make it easier for customers to get refunds after flights are delayed or canceled.

    It passed the Senate 88-4. The legislation now goes to the House, which is out of session until next week. The Senate also passed a one-week extension that would give the House time to pass the bill while ensuring the FAA isn’t forced to furlough around 3,600 employees.

    The bill stalled for several days this week after senators from Virginia and Maryland objected to a provision that would allow an additional 10 flights a day to and from the heavily trafficked Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Other senators have tried to add unrelated provisions, as well, seeing it as a prime chance to enact their legislative priorities.

    But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called a vote Thursday evening after it became clear that senators would not be able to agree on amendments to the bill before it expired. After the bill passed, leaders in both parties worked out how to pass an extension and ensure the law does not expire Friday. The House passed a one-week extension earlier this week.

    Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
    A JetBlue Airlines Airbus A320 jet flies past the U.S. Capitol dome as it comes in for a landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on May 7, 2024. 

    Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images


    The FAA has been under scrutiny since it approved Boeing jets that were involved in two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019. The Senate legislation would govern FAA operations for the next five years and put several new safety standards in place.

    What is in the bill

    The bill would increase the number of air traffic controllers and require the FAA to use new technology designed to prevent collisions between planes on runways. It would require new airline planes to have cockpit voice recorders capable of saving 25 hours of audio, up from the current two hours, to help investigators.

    It would also try to improve customer service for flyers by requiring airlines to pay a refund to customers for flight delays — three hours for a domestic flight and six for an international one. Lawmakers tweaked the bill this week to make it even easier for customers to receive refunds, revising language that would have put most of the onus on the customer to request them. The change put the Senate bill more in line with new regulations issued by President Biden’s administration last week.

    In addition, the bill would prohibit airlines from charging extra for families to sit together and triple the maximum fines for airlines that violate consumer laws. And it would require the Transportation Department to create a “dashboard” so consumers can compare seat sizes on different airlines.

    The FAA had said that if the law expired Friday, the 3,600 employees would be furloughed without a guarantee of back pay starting at midnight. The agency would also be unable to collect daily airport fees that help pay for operations, and ongoing airport improvements would come to a halt.

    No one in “safety critical” positions — like air traffic controllers — would be affected if the deadline is missed, the FAA said, and the safety of the flying public would not be at risk.

    Still, failure to pass the popular bipartisan bill by May 10 marked the latest setback after months of delays on the measure, and another example of Congress struggling to pass major legislation, even when it has broad support.

    Opening the Senate on Thursday, Schumer urged senators to come to an agreement soon.

    “Absolutely nobody should want us to slip past the deadline because that would needlessly increase risks for so many travelers and so many federal workers,” he said.

    What led to its delayed Senate passage

    Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, had pushed for a vote on their amendment to block the additional long-haul flights at Virginia’s Reagan National. They say the airport is restricted in size and too busy already, pointing to a close call there between two planes earlier in April that they said is a “flashing red warning light.”

    Several Western lawmakers have argued for more flights at the airport, saying it is unfair to consumers that there is a restriction on long-haul flights. The provision’s chief proponent is Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, who has argued that San Antonio should have a direct flight from the airport. Cruz blocked a vote on Kaine and Warner’s amendment when Schumer tried to bring it up shortly before final passage.

    Airlines are also split on the idea of additional flights at Reagan National. Delta Airlines has argued for more flights, while United Airlines, with a major operation at farther-out Dulles Airport, has lobbied against the increase.

    The House last year passed its own version of the FAA legislation without additional Reagan National flights after intense, last-minute lobbying from the Virginia delegation — a bipartisan vote on an amendment to the FAA bill that saw members aligning not by party but geographic location.

    Lawmakers use the airport frequently as it’s the closest Washington airport to the Capitol, and Congress has long tried to have a say in which routes have service there.

    “Some of our colleagues were too afraid to let the experts make the call,” Kaine and Warner said in a statement Thursday evening. “They didn’t want to show the American people that they care more about a few lawmakers’ desire for direct flights than they care about the safety and convenience of the traveling public. That is shameful and an embarrassment.”

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  • Senators want limits on the government’s use of facial recognition technology for airport screening

    Senators want limits on the government’s use of facial recognition technology for airport screening

    WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of senators is pushing for restrictions on the use of facial recognition technology by the Transportation Security Administration, saying they are concerned about travelers’ privacy and civil liberties.

    In a letter on Thursday, the group of 14 lawmakers called on Senate leaders to use the upcoming reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration as a vehicle to limit TSA’s use of the technology so Congress can put in place some oversight.

    “This technology poses significant threats to our privacy and civil liberties, and Congress should prohibit TSA’s development and deployment of facial recognition tools until rigorous congressional oversight occurs,” the senators wrote.

    The effort was being led by Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., John Kennedy, R-La., and Roger Marshall, R-Kan.

    The FAA reauthorization is one of the last must-pass bills of this Congress. The agency regulates airlines and aircraft manufacturers and manages the nation’s airspace.

    TSA, which is part of the Homeland Security Department, has been rolling out the facial recognition technology at select airports in a pilot project. Travelers put their driver’s license into a slot that reads the card or they place their passport photo against a card reader. Then they look at a camera on a screen about the size of an iPad that captures their image and compares it to their ID. The technology is checking to make sure that travelers at the airport match the ID they present and that the identification is real. A TSA officer signs off on the screening.

    The agency says the system improves accuracy of identity verification without slowing passenger speeds at checkpoints.

    Passengers can opt out, although David Pekoske, the TSA administrator, said last year that eventually biometrics would be required because they are more effective and efficient. He gave no timeline.

    Critics have raised questions about how the data is collected, who has access to it, and what happens if there is a hack. Privacy advocates are concerned about possible bias in the algorithms and say it is not clear enough to passengers that they do not have to submit to facial recognition.

    “It is clear that we are at a critical juncture,” the senators wrote. “The scope of the government’s use of facial recognition on Americans will expand exponentially under TSA’s plans with little to no public discourse or congressional oversight.”

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  • Can a 911 drone stop your bleeding? It’ll fly to Florida emergencies for DIY rescues

    Can a 911 drone stop your bleeding? It’ll fly to Florida emergencies for DIY rescues

    A Florida county will be one of the first in the nation to dispatch a drone that responds to 911 calls.

    On Wednesday, Manatee County was set to launch a new pilot program that uses a drone to deliver a defibrillator,a tourniquet, or naloxone — an opioid-overdose antidote — to emergency scenes. The program is meant to reduce response times for life-threatening situations.

    The government program, which has been cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration, is a partnership with Tampa General Hospital and Archer First Response Systems.

    “This is an amazing opportunity to be on the cutting edge of technology in emergency response,” Commissioner Mike Rahn said. “We are excited that this first-of-its-kind program is taking flight first here in Manatee County.”

    The county, which will pay $1 a month for the program, will house the drone at the EMS Lakewood Ranch Station, 10311 Malachite Drive. The county expects the drone to deliver medical supplies in about one minute and 45 seconds to two minutes and 10 seconds.

    A 911 dispatcher will send the drone to a caller and walk them through how to use the defibrillator, the tourniquet or the overdose treatment.

    New 911 drone program in Manatee County

    “Unmanned aircraft provide a unique utility in their ability to fly quickly and directly to the scene of an emergency and pose exceptional promise to decrease response times, save lives and improve outcomes,” ArcherFRS founder and CEO Gordon Folkes said.

    The caller can expect the medical supplies to come with instructions. The defibrillator, which will work on both children and adults, features a video screen that shows how to remove the pads and apply them to a victim. It also has a Spanish mode for callers who do not speak English.

    An ambulance with EMS first responders will still respond to the scene, but the drone should allow treatment to begin sooner, officials say.

    “We’re grateful to our partners in Manatee County, and we’re excited to see this vision come to life,” TGH president and CEO John Couris said. “With the ability to measure the impact of this program on the community, we can determine how the technology can be used in more scalable, reproducible ways for the broader benefit of our state.”

    Over the next year, the county, TGH and ArcherFRS will evaluate the program’s effectiveness to determine how it can be used to serve more residents across the state.

    The county will use the drone from sunup to sundown Monday through Friday in a 3.5-square-mile area. The county, which may receive FAA approval to expand the program as early as August, later plans to use the drone 24/7 in a 35-square-mile area.

    Residents who want to learn more about the program can visit www.MyManatee.org/drone.

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  • Engine cover of Southwest Airlines plane comes off during takeoff

    Engine cover of Southwest Airlines plane comes off during takeoff

    The Federal Aviation Administration on Sunday said it will launch an investigation after the engine cowling of a Southwest Airlines plane fell off during takeoff in Denver and struck the wing flap. The cowling is the protective cover over the plane’s engine.

    The engine cowling hanging from the wing of a Southwest Airlines flight (Cooper Glass)
    The engine cowling hanging from the wing of a Southwest Airlines flight (Cooper Glass)

    Southwest Airlines Flight 3695 returned safely to Denver International Airport around 8:15 a.m. local time on Sunday after the pilot reported the incident, the FAA said. The plane was headed to William P. Hobby Airport in Houston.

    In a statement, Southwest Airlines said it is working to get customers on their way to Houston on another aircraft after Flight 3695 landed safely in Denver and that its maintenance teams are reviewing the aircraft.

    This is the second incident in recent days involving a reported malfunctioning of equipment on a Southwest Airlines flight. The FAA is investigating a reported engine fire before takeoff at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport on Thursday.

    This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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  • United Airlines flight diverted after toilet overflows into cabin

    United Airlines flight diverted after toilet overflows into cabin

    A United Flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to San Francisco was diverted on Friday after a toilet overflowed into the cabin, the airline confirmed.

    The Boeing 777 turned back to Frankfurt about two hours into the flight over the North Sea. The airline attributed the delay in a statement to The Hill to a “maintenance issue with one of the aircraft’s lavatories.”

    United said passengers were provided hotel accommodations in Frankfurt and flown to San Francisco on Saturday.

    The incident is the latest to hit Boeing, with the company still reeling after a door plug explosion in January led to a federal investigation into quality control and concerns over safety with its aircraft.

    It also follows a series of safety incident with United flights, after two bird strikes by aircraft last week, causing diversions and delays but no injuries. Another United flight left seven people injured due to turbulence last week.

    The company announced last week that the Federal Aviation Administration will be taking increased oversight over the airline due to the issues.

    United also asked certain pilots to take unpaid leave due to overstaffing on Monday, citing delays in aircraft deliveries from Boeing caused by the mass safety inspections.

    Boeing declined to comment.

    For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

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  • Experts say travelers should feel safe flying

    Experts say travelers should feel safe flying

    “We don’t have to worry that there’s something systemically wrong with aviation,” Clint Balog, an associate professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University told USA TODAY.

    It’s been a year of heightened tension around air travel. A series of high-profile incidents has spotlighted safety at airlines and manufacturers, leading many travelers to wonder if flying is still the safest way to get around.

    “We’re in a period the last couple months where there are more incidents happening, and because more incidents are happening, we’re now paying more attention to it,” Balog said. “We’re in a timeframe where we have a cluster of these incidents.”

    Laura Einsetler, a captain at a major U.S. airline and author of the Captain Laura blog, said that people are also more aware of aviation incidents than they were in the past.

    “One aspect is that now with social media and the internet, we’re seeing every single thing that we can possibly see that’s happening around the world. The perception is that more things are happening when at the same time, 2023 was actually the safest year in our industry of all time,” she said.

    Boeing, the vaunted airplane manufacturer, has been front and center in the current wave of incidents. An explosive decompression on an Alaska Airlines flight in January brought renewed attention to its already muddied 737 Max program. Before the pandemic, two 737 Max jets crashed abroad, killing 346 people. Those early disasters cast a shadow over the latest iteration of the jet that Boeing was still trying to get out from under. The Alaska Airlines incident only narrowly avoided deaths or significant injuries, according to experts.

    Cruising Altitude: I’ve covered Boeing’s 737 MAX for years. Here’s a quick rundown of the issues.

    In response to that incident, the Federal Aviation Administration opened an audit of Boeing’s manufacturing processes and found the company’s safety culture lacking.

    Even so, Balog said flyers should still feel safe on Boeing planes.

    “I would happily fly any Boeing aircraft, including the 737 Max. It’s a great aircraft,” he said. “No organization is flawless, and when errors occur in aviation … it’s not surprising they happen in groups like this. These instances are rarely spaced out evenly.”

    Einsetler, too, said passengers shouldn’t worry too much about taking to the skies.

    “When you see pilots who are putting our lives on the line every day to keep everyone safe, then you can be assured that if we feel very safe and comfortable to be at the tip of the spear, to be at the front of the flight deck operating the aircraft for you, then you should feel confident that we will keep you safe,” she said.

    Boeing is hardly the only aviation company that’s been in the spotlight recently.

    United Airlines’ CEO Scott Kirby sent a letter to its customers on Monday responding to a series of issues that have put the airline in the headlines. In just the last two months, United planes have experienced issues including a stuck rudder pedal on landing, an engine fire and a wheel falling off a departing jet.

    Kirby’s letter insisted that the incidents were all unrelated, and that United is renewing its focus on safety.

    Balog said Kirby is right to assert that the incidents are one-offs.

    “Fundamentally what they all have in relation is these are human factors issues, these are human error issues,” he said. “It’s not related to an aircraft, it’s related to the humans who are performing these functions. A tire falling off a Boeing 777 on takeoff is a human factors issue, it’s a maintenance issue.”

    Balog said a series of incidents like what has happened at United recently can point to an organizational issue, but that it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s some inherent danger in the way United runs its operation.

    Ultimately, he said, the issues currently getting attention in aviation come down to human mistakes, but those are easy enough to address and correct.

    “There are going to be problems because you’ve got humans involved in these incidents and humans involved in this operation of flying the general public around. To feel safe you have to look at the overall picture,” Balog said. “No human endeavor is entirely safe. You’d be hard pressed to find any operation that is safer than commercial aviation in the world today.”

    Einsetler also said that the aviation workforce has more new employees than it has in a while, so there may be some re-growing or training pains in the current period as newer hires get up to speed.

    A Boeing 737 MAX 8 for United Airlines parked at Renton Municipal Airport adjacent to Boeing's factory in Renton, Washington, on Jan. 25, 2024.
    A Boeing 737 MAX 8 for United Airlines parked at Renton Municipal Airport adjacent to Boeing’s factory in Renton, Washington, on Jan. 25, 2024.

    What do the recent incidents mean for travelers?

    While Boeing has been especially in the spotlight with recent aviation incidents, both Balog and Einsetler said passengers need to understand that each incident is largely distinct.

    “In most of these cases they are unrelated events. As an industry we take note, understand and learn from so that it doesn’t happen again,” Einsetler said.

    Passengers may wonder if problems at Boeing or some maintenance issue is the root cause of a particular incident, but Balog said that’s the wrong question to ask.

    “As far as the passengers understanding what the root causes are, they really can’t,” he said. That’s why regulators conduct months-long investigations into aviation incidents, to really dig down and analyze all the factors that contributed.

    “I don’t think there’s anything particularly organizationally wrong at Boeing. It’s not surprising that a predominance of these issues would be on Boeing aircraft,” Balog said. “There are simply more Boeing aircraft out there.”

    Who is responsible for investigating aviation incidents?

    In general, the National Transportation Safety Board has jurisdiction over accident and incident investigations, and the Federal Aviation Administration, as the industry regulator, also has a role to play, including designing and enforcing new rules based on the NTSB’s findings. Industry stakeholders like airplane and parts manufacturers and airlines may participate in investigations based on the specifics of each incident.

    How many issues has Boeing had this year

    The Alaska Airlines door plug incident was the main focus of Boeing’s problems, and while Boeing aircraft have been involved in some other high-profile incidents, including a LATAM 787 that took a dive, possibly because of an unexpected cockpit seat movement, the manufacturer has not been directly implicated.

    ▶ JANUARY 2024: A mid-air cabin blowout compels Alaska Air to perform an emergency landing of its recently acquired 737 MAX 9 aircraft, prompting the FAA to ground 171 of these jets and initiate an investigation. The FAA also bars Boeing from increasing MAX output, but lifts the grounding of MAX-9s once inspections were completed.

    ▶ FEBRUARY 2024: The NTSB published its preliminary report on the Alaska Air incident involving a Boeing 737 MAX jet. According to the investigation, the door panel that flew off the jet mid-flight appeared to be missing four key bolts.

    ▶ MARCH 2024: The FAA’s 737 MAX production audit found multiple instances where Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements.

    Contributing: Reuters

    Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com

    This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What’s going on at Boeing? A look at the current issues.

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