tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61110622150433470212008-07-16T23:09:02.403-05:00Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-57766992350441197042008-04-11T18:44:00.003-05:002008-04-11T18:50:58.126-05:00

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-228091204392635732008-04-07T19:54:00.008-05:002008-04-07T20:33:40.362-05:00

Following last week's House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing in which two whistle blowers came forward to tell of FAA-Southwest Airlines coziness impeding airline safety compliance oversight, the Senate is convening its own hearing this week: Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Subcommittee Aviation Safety Oversight Hearing: Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-90528590298751337272008-04-07T17:08:00.005-05:002008-04-07T20:32:44.699-05:00

This morning NPR's ever-informative Diane Rehm Show devoted a full hour to the issue of recent problems besetting the FAA. Very informative program, and well worth taking the time for a listen. [Real Audio :: Windows Media] Details: The Federal Aviation Administration comes under scrutiny as former inspectors raise concerns about how the agency conducts safety inspections of the airlines. A

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-92129358265088033812008-04-05T23:34:00.014-05:002008-04-06T03:46:39.328-05:00

A breathtaking week for the airline industry as Skybus Airlines ceases its operations, the week's third carrier -- alongside Aloha and ATA -- to fold in the face of soaring fuel costs and a tanking U.S. economy. A fourth carrier, Champion Air, will shut down as of May 31. The latest shuttering has created turmoil at airports dealing with stranded passengers. It's also left cities like Columbus

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-68064774623545758452008-04-04T17:19:00.006-05:002008-04-07T20:31:20.361-05:00

Related Posts Second Congressional Hearing on FAA Set for Senate on Thursday Diane Rehm Show Explores FAA and Airline Safety Inspections House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Gears Up for Important Thursday Hearing FAA, Airlines Under the Gun

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-23393060933651204722008-04-04T09:37:00.009-05:002008-04-06T03:42:01.315-05:00

More bad news arrives with the folding of ATA, the second airline in a week to abruptly cancel all flights and cease operations. Dawn Gilbertson and Toby Phillips for the Arizona Republic: ATA Airlines, which offered daily nonstop service between Phoenix and Hawaii, suddenly shut down overnight after filing for bankruptcy. The last flight to operate was a Honolulu-to-Phoenix red eye due into Sky

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-32633839715544713612008-04-02T15:39:00.012-05:002008-04-07T20:29:39.137-05:00

Tomorrow the full House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will be called to order by Chairman Jim Oberstar. In the wake of today's United Airlines 777 fleet grounding (after the airline found that checks to its fire-suppression system were not completed as required), the Critical Lapses in FAA Safety Oversight of Airlines: Abuses of Regulatory "Partnership Programs" hearing couldn't

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-36893443587923401992008-03-31T17:13:00.015-05:002008-03-31T22:46:41.821-05:00

Back in my flight attendant days, I generally bid to work the first class cabin. Not only were there fewer seats giving you fewer mouths to feed and water in that section of the plane, you got to make the safety announcements. While some of my peers didn't really care for that part of the job, I actually loved it. I didn't have to be in the aisle doing the safety demo, and more than

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-81614456330407441192008-03-31T16:34:00.014-05:002008-04-06T03:49:09.027-05:00

Another airline falls. Carl Gutierrez in Forbes: High fuel prices and intense competition has led the airline industry to push for consolidation. Unfortunately Hawaii's Aloha Airlines wasn't able to hold on long enough. On Sunday, the Honolulu-based airline said it would halt all passenger service after Monday, effectively bringing a close to a business that's been running since 1946. "We

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-41553273382721470522008-03-31T15:10:00.017-05:002008-03-31T16:10:44.225-05:00

From the International Brotherhood of Teamsters: United Airlines mechanics overwhelmingly chose the Teamsters Union as their collective bargaining representative by a vote of 4,113-2,631, the National Mediation Board announced Monday. The 9,300 active and furloughed mechanics who comprise the bargaining unit will become Teamsters as soon as the NMB vote is certified. The board is expected to

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-7812064540040068432008-03-30T12:29:00.013-05:002008-03-31T17:08:58.138-05:00

From CNN: The first plane has landed under the "Open Skies" agreement [pdf] between the United States and Europe, heralding what many hope will be a new era in air travel. The Continental Airways flight from Newark to Heathrow touched down under rainy London skies at dawn on Sunday morning. Jeff Smisek, president of Continental, was onboard the flight. He told CNN that Heathrow landing rights

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-82342397776314430232008-03-28T23:18:00.000-05:002008-03-30T13:52:42.701-05:00

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-37214657948340060932008-03-28T21:57:00.010-05:002008-03-31T16:11:47.212-05:00

On Tuesday, Anderson Cooper 360 covered the issue of the declining number of armed guards devoted to securing the U.S. skies. The investigation was conducted by Drew Griffin, who filed this report: From CNN: Of the 28,000 commercial airline flights that take to the skies on an average day in the United States, fewer than 1 percent are protected by on-board, armed federal air marshals, a

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-65206680963153947602008-03-21T22:35:00.023-05:002008-04-07T20:27:57.581-05:00

Reporters Christopher Conkey and Andy Pasztor over at the Wall Street Journal set the scene as we take the pulse of today's FAA and the airline industry it's charged with overseeing: As it addresses concerns over airline inspections, the Federal Aviation Administration faces pressure from Congress and industry to change how it ensures the safety of air travel and how it overhauls the aging

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-13969315274023616032008-03-21T14:32:00.021-05:002008-03-22T00:08:25.931-05:00

American Airlines flight attendant note by Damien Stark. I recently came across the photo above left near Ground Zero for one of the crew members lost that day. The text of the note: Thank you, Karen Martin, for picking up my trip. I will never forget you and what you did to save my life. I pray you are in peace in the big arms of Jesus and I look forward to when I can thank you personally.

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-85843307662056816682008-03-21T13:37:00.003-05:002008-04-02T17:17:04.744-05:00

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-6307985753938782412008-03-17T13:59:00.031-05:002008-03-31T17:08:05.892-05:00

For an industry with razor-thin margins, rising fuel costs can and do further pressurize current airline-labor negotiations. Labor took large wage and benefit cuts during the state-of-emergency days following 9/11; many labor groups undoubtedly feel they deserve richer contracts this time around to make up for those difficult, but necessary, "pull together for the team" losses. But air

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-57904767068701283352008-03-15T11:38:00.007-05:002008-03-31T16:13:55.820-05:00

As a nontraditional student attending NIU as a journalism major, I began writing for the Northern Star last year. My first column ran on September 21, 2007 and reflected on the still-raw residual fear some have held onto in the wake of the September 11 attacks. The inspiration for the piece was an incident that had taken place only weeks earlier on board an American Airlines flight taxing out to

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111062215043347021.post-76231438424633411042008-03-14T18:32:00.009-05:002008-03-31T16:16:59.288-05:00

Welcome to my new research project, Airline 911: The Business and Psychology of Aviation, Labor, and Travel in Times of Change. Why this blog? Let me explain what I aim to do with this space in the days and weeks ahead. While Airline Biz Blog, Airline World, and The Airline Blog offer great coverage of industry news from a variety of angles, and while there are flight attendant (the always top

Ilona Meagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11867386558261264623noreply@blogger.com