Aircraft Design Linked to Crash That Killed 265 People in New York
9 August, 2010: Federal officials say a plane crash that killed 265 people was caused in part by a rudder system design featured in various Airbus models..

What Are The World's Scariest Airports?
5 August, 2010: SmarterTravel.com takes a stab at that topic, singling out what it says are 10 of the 'world's scariest airports for take-off and landing.'..

FAA Defining Technical Requirements for ADS-B on Ground Vehicles
3 August, 2019: The Federal Aviation Administration is gearing up to define Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technical requirements for ground airport vehicles, according to a draft advisory..

Congress OKs Overhaul of Airline Pilot Rules
30 July, 2010: Congress on Friday approved far-reaching aviation safety legislation developed in response to a deadly commuter airline crash in western New York last year..

Was The Islamabad Crash Pilot Error?
29 July, 2010: A doctor buries his mistake. A pilot is buried with his..

Aerobahn Sensis Plane Locator to Go Online at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport
26 July, 2010: To cut down on delays and other irregular operations, the world's busiest airport will begin using a new surface management system next month..

Blown Tire Forces Emergency Landing at Hartsfield-Jackson
23 July, 2010: A Delta Air Lines flight to Portland, Ore. that blew a tire on take off has landed safely at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration..

Dreamliner Pilot Answers Questions
22 July, 2010: Richard Quest talks to Boeing Dreamliner test pilot Mike Carriker..

'Everything Was Flying' During Turbulence
21 July, 2010: A shaky coffee cup is as bumpy as flying gets for most travelers, but in-flight turbulence can sometimes turn into the most violent roller coaster ride anyone can imagine -- transforming a flight from routine to frightening in an instant..

Delta Air Lines Reports Best Quarterly Profit in 10 Years
20 July, 2010: Delta Air Lines reported its best profit in 10 years, kicking off a flurry of airline reports expected to show an industry on the rebound..

Boeing's New 787 Dreamliner
19 July, 2010 (VIDEO): CNN's Richard Quest gives us an up-close look at Boeing's new 787 airliner, the Dreamliner..

767 Woes Ground More Than 600 Delta Customers at JFK
14 July, 2010: Tuesday was a rough day for hundreds of Delta customers at New York's JFK International Airport. That's according to the New York Post, which reports more than 600 angry Delta Air Lines passengers were stranded at JFK Airport yesterday after three of its 767s developed mechanical problems in the space of six hours..

What Travel Slump? Airport Economic Impact Zooms
13 July, 2019: Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport generates about $32.6 billion in direct business revenue in metro Atlanta -- up nearly 40 percent over four years despite a drop in passenger volume last year, according to a new study it commissioned..

JFK Airport Works on Cutting Flight Delays
12 July, 2010: The new jet-queuing system at New York JFK, designed to cut down on long tarmac delays, has been extended.

Long Delays on Tarmacs Fall as Steep Fines for Airlines Kick In
9 July, 2010: Airlines are cutting down on lengthy tarmac delays in the face of steep fines for stranding passengers..

Solar-Powered Plane Completes 26-Hour Flight
8 July, 2010: A solar-powered aircraft, which a team hopes will one day circle the globe, completed a 26-hour test flight in Switzerland at 9 a.m. (3 a.m. ET) Thursday..

FAA Seeks Solutions to Improve Air Safety
7 July, 2010: After the recent rise in near-misses in the sky, the Federal Aviation Administration is kicking off an effort aimed at improving safety..

Is Inexperience of Air Traffic Controllers Causing Rise in Near Mid-Air Collisions?
6 July, 2010: Air traffic control is a high-stress job, and controllers are responsible for safeguarding thousands of lives every minute. But in the past few months, there has been a marked increase in the number of reported near-collisions in the skies over America, and some are questioning whether it should be blamed on the controllers..

Delays at Hartsfield-Jackson Ripple Around Country
5, July, 2010: When Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport sneezes, travelers around the country get delayed..

Trapped On The Tarmac? It Can Still Happen
2 July, 2010: We weren't supposed to see headlines like this anymore: 'Passengers held on hot plane for hours' -- not after a tarmac delay rule went into effect in April imposing stiff fines on airlines that kept fliers stuck in grounded aircraft for a long time..

Maggots On A Plane
1 July, 2010: A flight bound for North Carolina was forced to return to the gate in Atlanta after passengers noticed maggots falling from an overhead bin..

JFK Airport's Main Runway Set to Reopen Tuesday
29 June, 2010: The main runway at New York's John F. Kennedy International is reopening after four months of repairs..

FAA Calls for More Air Traffic Supervision at Long Beach
28 June, 2010: Airlines say cockpit collision warning systems are being triggered more often on Long Beach Airport flights and the Federal Aviation Administration wants upgrades requiring more air traffic supervision..

Boeing May Recommend More 767 Inspections
25 June, 2010: Boeing Co. said it is likely to recommend more inspections for some of its 767s after American Airlines found cracks where the engine attaches to the wing..

Feds Look Into Virgin Tarmac Delay
24 June, 2010: Federal transportation authorities are investigating possible fines against the airline..

Inspector General says FAA's NextGen Could Run Billions Over Budget
23 June, 2010: Federal Aviation Administration challenges in managing the air traffic control modernization effort known as NextGen means the $40 billion project could fall short of expectations and run billions over budget..

FAA, American Airlines Find Cracks Near Engines on Boeing 767s
22 June, 2010: The Federal Aviation Administration has advised American Airlines to re-inspect its Boeing 767 jets after cracks were detected on three planes. The cracks were discovered in the pylons that attach the engines to the wings. Fifty-four planes had been inspected by Monday..

Plane Strikes Another at R.I. Airport
21 June, 2010: A US Airways plane carrying 36 people struck an empty one on the ground at T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island, slightly damaging both aircraft but injuring no one, officials said Tuesday.

Door Ripped off 777 at Dallas/Fort Worth
17 June, 2010: The door was ripped off an American Airlines Boeing 777 at Dallas/Fort International Tuesday morning, according to several Texas media outlets. The aircraft had just arrived in Dallas from Sao Paulo and the crew was preparing to deplane after pulling up to the jetbridge at Gate D32..

Flight Attendant Helps Land Plane at Chicago O'Hare
16 June, 2010: Officials say a flight attendant who has a pilot's license helped land a plane at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport when a co-pilot became ill..

Delta Mechanic Killed at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport
15 June, 2010: Airport spokesman Pat Hogan says airport police received a call just after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday of a mechanic who had been injured in the gear doors of an aircraft parked at gate G14..

Spirit Air Cancels All Flights Through Wednesday
14 June, 2019: Spirit Airlines canceled all flights through Wednesday, as pilots remained on strike. The National Mediation Board set a meeting for today..

US Airways Squashes Merger Talk
11 June, 2010: The CEO of US Airways says his airline will turn a profit during this quarter and has no plans to look for a merger partner right now..

Unmanned Commercial Flights Could Become A Reality
10 June, 2010: The Federal Aviation Administration is looking to develop futuristic aircrafts that can fly on their own..

Emirates Stuns Rivals with A380 Order
8 June, 2010: Emirates airline announced Tuesday it has ordered another 32 A380 superjumbo jets from Airbus, giving the European planemaker a boost as it strives to make financial gains on its giant plane..

Is Luxury Air Travel a Thing of The Past?
7 June, 2010: That is the question asked by Reuters, which writes the 'economic downturn has clipped the wings of luxury air travel.' Even the high-yield first- and business-class seats -- seats that are among the airlines' biggest profit centers -- are returning less bang for their buck these days, according to Reuters..

Satellite-Guided Air Traffic Control by 2020
2 June, 2010: Satellite-guided air traffic control systems must be in place by 2020, according to a new Federal Aviation Administration final rule..

Transcript Reveals Last Moments of Doomed Flight
1 June, 2010: Pilots were warned of potential danger at least eight times in about 30 seconds before a Polish jet crashed in Russia in April, killing President Lech Kaczynski and about 100 others..

United, Continental CEOs Head to Washington, Pitch Merger to Congress
31 May, 2010: The CEOs of United and Continental were in Washington Thursday afternoon, where they did their best to convince a Congressional panel that a merger of the airlines would be good for the industry without hurting consumers' interests..

Continental Becomes World's First Airline to Announce Plans for Dreamliner
27 May, 2010: Continental becomes world's first airline to announce plans for Dreamliner jet..

Turbulence Over The Atlantic Injures 10 on United Airlines Flight
26 May, 2010: Authorities say 10 people suffered injuries, including broken bones, during severe turbulence on a flight from London to Los Angeles that was diverted to Montreal..

British Airways cabin Crew Begins 5-day Strike
24 May, 2010: Thousands of cabin crew members at British Airways begin a 5-day strike today. The walkout is a result of a growing feud between the airline and the Unite union..

158 Dead in Air India Crash, Search on For Missing Flight Data Recorder
23 May, 2010: Searchers on Sunday combed through the charred wreckage of the Air India plane that crashed in southern India, looking for the flight data recorder..

Second Thoughts About the Autopilot
21 May, 2010: Recent examples of inattentiveness by pilots are raising questions among federal safety official..

FAA Expedites Windshield Inspection Order After Cockpit Fire
21 May, 2010: The Federal Aviation Administration is expediting an order requiring airlines to inspect windshield heaters on Boeing jets following an incident Sunday in which a fire broke out in the cockpit of a United Airlines B-757, shattering the plane's windshield and forcing an emergency landing..

Boeing to Speed 737 Production to 34 Per Month
20 May, 2010: Boeing Co. says it will speed up production on its 737 in 2012, betting that demand by airlines will increase as the economy recovers..

Space Shuttle Atlantis Set for Final Liftoff
14 May, 2010: The Space Shuttle Atlantis is on schedule for a Friday afternoon liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA said..

Delta CEO: Size Isn't Everything
12 May, 2010: Delta Air Lines is strong enough, its people are smart enough, and, doggone it, it's okay if it loses the title of world's largest airline..

Volcanic Ash Delays, Reroutes Trans-Atlantic Flights
11 May, 2010: A plume of volcanic ash snaked its way through southern France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany Sunday, shutting down airports and disrupting flights across Europe..

Searchers Locate Zone of Air France Black Boxes
10 May, 2010: Investigators using new computer calculations believe they have narrowed their search for the flight recorders of Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean nearly a year ago, officials said Thursday..

Worker Dies After Airport Construction Site Accident
7 May, 2010: A contract worker has died after a construction site accident at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, a spokesman said..

Underwater Area Narrowed in Search for Air France Jet Wreckage
6 May, 2010: New computer programs have allowed officials to narrow the search area for an Air France airliner that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean last year, killing all 228 people on board, the French Defense Ministry said..

Security Lapses Let Bomb Suspect Board Plane
5 May, 2010: Investigators lost sight of Faisal Shahzad, the suspect in the Times Square bomb case, and the airline did not check a revised no-fly list..

Hartsfield-Jackson Still Plans for Growth Despite Slowdown
3 May, 2010: Atlanta airport officials are taking a new look at some old ideas for improvements to handle future growth. Among them: A sixth runway at Hartsfield-Jackson International or a second airport in the metro area..

NTSB: Pilot of Plane Had Mere Seconds to See Rising Helicopter
29 April, 2010: The pilot of a small plane that collided with a sightseeing helicopter over New York's Hudson River last summer had scant seconds to see the helicopter as it rose to his altitude, but the plane pilot apparently attempted evasive action immediately before the collision, NTSB documents released Wednesday show..

Would Fees End Out of Control Carry-ons
28 April, 2010: If George Clooney's character in Up in the Air had to fly Spirit Airlines, you have to wonder how the carry-on master would feel about having to pay a fee to bring his perfectly packed bag on board..

Suspect in Diverted Flight Used to Be in Air Force
27 April, 2010: A man detained after claiming he had explosives on a trans-Atlantic flight Tuesday served in the U.S. Air Force as an intelligence specialist for four years, Air Force officials said..

FAA Fines Chautauqua Air For Inspections Failures
27 April, 2010: Government accuses Chautauqua Air of not following safety orders to inspect planes..

FAA Wants No Pilot Distractions
26 April, 2010: Federal aviation regulators are prodding airlines today to take concrete steps that would ensure their pilots are not distracted by laptops, cellphones and extraneous conversations..

Airlines Lash Out Over Ash Cloud Compensation
22 April, 2010: Recriminations are emerging in the wake of the volcanic ash crisis with airlines expressing anger over passenger compensation rules and demanding financial help for losses caused by what they say was a needless ban on flights..

Rule Limits Time Passengers Can Be Trapped on The Tarmac
21 April, 2010: Starting April 29, a new rule requires airlines to let passengers off domestic flights when they've waited three hours without taking off..

Delta: Ash Cloud Won't Keep Us From Being Profitable
20 April, 2010: Delta Air Lines said Tuesday that ongoing travel disruptions to Europe caused by the volcanic cloud of ash shouldn't deter it from being profitable this quarter..

Volcano Ash Causes Europe Flight Disruptions to Worsen
15 April, 2010: Ash from an erupting volcano blanketed the ground in Iceland on Friday and left a widening trail of grounded aircraft across Europe, as thousands of planes stayed on the tarmac to avoid the hazardous cloud..

Polish Crash Cause Appears to be Case of Gotta-Get-There-Itis
13 April, 2010: Investigation into the plane crash that killed the president of Poland provides proof Russian Air Traffic Controllers advised pilots not to land in heavy fog..

Delta Flight Diverted After Crew Smells Smoky Odor in Cockpit
9 April, 2010: A Delta flight headed to Cancun was diverted to Tampa on Thursday after the crew smelled a smoky odor in the cockpit..

FAA Plans $380,000 Safety Fine Against Frontier Airlines
8 April, 2010: Federal regulators are proposing a $380,000 civil penalty against Frontier Airlines for using the wrong sign to guide passengers toward one of the emergency exits on its planes..

Security Alerts Divert More Flights in 2010
7 April, 2010: The number of flights forced to land prematurely because of security alerts doubled in the first three months of this year compared with the same period in 2009, federal figures show..

US Airways, United Shares Rise on Reports of Merger Talks
6 April, 2010: News that United Airlines and US Airways are in talks about combining was met with approval by shareholders and analysts Thursday..

Atlanta Airport Terminal Project to Add Construction Jobs
5 April, 2010: The Atlanta airport international terminal construction project will require roughly another 1,000 workers in the next year, nearly doubling the number of trade workers on site to about 2,100..

Passenger Forced to Land Plane Meets Air Traffic Controllers
31 March, 2010 (VIDEO): A passenger forced to land a plane after the pilot died reunites with his 'co-pilots.'..

Boeing Calls Key 787 Test Results Positive
30 March, 2010: Boeing says the results of a key airworthiness test for its long delayed 787 are positive, but it will be weeks before the aircraft maker can deem it a success..

Bill Advances Air Traffic Technology, Passengers' Rights
23 March, 2010: Passengers stuck on airplanes gain new rights and the nation's air traffic control system gains new technology under a $34.5 billion bill the Senate passed Monday night..

Boeing Speeds Up 777, 747 Production
22 March, 2010: Boeing will speed up production plans for its 777 and 747 models in anticipation of greater demand from commercial airlines in a couple of years..

NTSB: Wayward Northwest Pilots Awake But Distracted
19 March, 2010: The pilots of Northwest Flight 188 did not fall asleep when they overflew their destination by more than 100 miles in October, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday in a detailed report on the wayward flight..

FAA Defends Big Budget Hike For New Air Traffic Control System
18 March, 2010: Federal Aviation Administration officials faced tough questions from lawmakers on Thursday when they asked for a steep increase in the agency's budget to replace the nation's air traffic control system with more advanced technology, a project that has fallen behind schedule..

Delta Pilots in Overflight Event Allowed to Re-Apply for Licenses
17 March, 2010: The US FAA will allow the two pilots of a Northwest Airlines A320 that in October 2009 overflew their destination and ignored air traffic control calls..

Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Still Ranked as Busiest Airport
16 March, 2010: Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport remained the nation's busiest airport, followed by Chicago O'Hare and Dallas/Ft Worth..

Pilots Who Overshot Airport Reach Deal With FAA
15 March, 2010: Two Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot the Minneapolis airport have agreed not to fight the revocations of their licenses but could fly again..

Goose Strikes Force Planes to Return to Airports
12 March, 2010: Two jetliners crossed paths with flocks of Canada geese shortly after taking off from airports on consecutive days in New York and New Jersey, and the collisions with the large birds forced the pilots to make emergency landings..

Airlines Seek Exemption to Tarmac Delay Rule
10 March, 2010: A runway closure at John F. Kennedy International Airport has prompted JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines to ask for a temporary exemption at JFK to a rule designed to keep planeloads of passengers from getting stranded on the tarmac..

NTSB: Pilots Need Air-Hazard Skills
9 March, 2010: Accident investigators say new flight simulators could help correct the biggest killer in aviation: pilots who can't recover from out-of-control situations like the one that killed 50 people in a crash near Buffalo last year..

Security Tight at Hartsfield-Jackson Air Traffic Control Tower
5 March, 2010: Amid news that an air traffic controller in New York allowed his child to radio instructions to pilots, the Federal Aviation Administration says its tower at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was already under tight security restrictions and it is putting a moratorium on unofficial visits to towers around the country..

Miracle on the Hudson Pilot Retiring
4 March, 2010: Captain Chesley Sully Sullenberger, who piloted a US Airways flight during its emergency water landing on the Hudson River in January of last year, is retiring Wednesday..

Audio Indicates Kid Directed Planes at JFK Airport
3 March, 2010: A child apparently directed pilots last month from the air traffic control center at John F. Kennedy Airport, one of the nation's busiest airports, according to audio clips..

Hartsfield Airspace Plan Adjusted, More Changes Possible
2 March, 2010: The Federal Aviation Administration has adjusted its proposal for how planes come in and out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport..

JFK Runway Closure Expected to Increase Delays, Fares
1 March, 2010: The main runway at New York's John F. Kennedy International will be closed for four months starting March 1. Millions of travelers will experience delays, including some not flying anywhere near the Big Apple..

NTSB Asks to Monitor Pilots Talk in Cockpits
24 February, 2010: Government investigators are making an unprecedented push to use black box voice recordings to routinely monitor pilots' conversations and make sure cockpit crews are focusing on their jobs..

Aviation Safety Rate: One Accident For Every 1.4 Million Flights
23 February, 2010: Air travel has been getting increasingly frustrating, with fees, crowds and other hassles, but passengers may be glad to know that 2009 was a banner year for aviation safety..

Air Traffic Control Strike to Ground Hundreds of Paris Flights Tuesday
22 February, 2010: Hundreds of flights at Paris two main airports will be canceled Tuesday because of a strike by air traffic controllers, according to the French civil aviation authority..

Add Pilot to List of Jobs That Aren't So Great Now
18 February, 2010: The highs of the job are often offset by the mundane struggles many American workers face: pay cuts, pension worries, long hours and stress..

International Space Station Gets a Window to The World
17 February, 2010: The international space station now has a room with a view -- and oh, what a view it is..

Tarmac Rules Get Flights Dropped
16 February, 2010: The nations recent onslaught of flight cancellations is a harbinger of what passengers can expect from airlines looking to avoid new multimillion-dollar fines for leaving people stranded on grounded planes in bad weather, according to federal data..

Wednesday Flight Cancellations Near 5,000 in Biggest Travel Disruption Since 9/11
10 February, 2010: Blizzard warnings spanned the Mid-Atlantic on Wednesday as the second major snowstorm in less than a week hammered the region creating one of the biggest disruptions to travel since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks..

How Big is Too Big for Delta?
8 February, 2010: As Delta Air Lines settles into its new role as world's largest carrier, it is coming up against a critical question: How big is too big? In recent months, Delta has sought approval for deals with competitors that would expand its market presence in New York, Australia and in Japan — and in some cases run into significant opposition..

FAA Preps For Crowded Skies For SuperBowl Sunday
4 February, 2010: The FAA details special flight rules in place for air traffic during Sunday s Super Bowl in Florida..

Planes With Maintenance Problems Have Flown Anyway
3 February, 2010: Millions of travelers have been on at least 65,000 flights that shouldn't have taken off because planes weren't properly maintained..

Pilots at Fault in Continental Connection Crash
2 February, 2010: he pilot and first officer of doomed Continental Connection Flight 3407 clearly did not take actions -- even though they had time -- that could have prevented the plane crash, which killed 50 people, federal investigators said Tuesday at a final meeting on the cause of the crash..

Boeing Dreamliner Passes In-Flight Stall Tests
29 January, 2010: Boeing successfully completed stall tests for the 787 as part of the initial testing program for the aircraft, the company said Friday..

Delta Adding Miami Flights for Super Bowl
27 January, 2010: Delta Air Lines is adding flights to and from Indianapolis and New Orleans to help carry the crush of fans heading to Florida for the Feb. 7 Super Bowl..

Atlanta Airport Chief Will Step Down
26 January, 2010: The head of the world's busiest airport is leaving his post.

Ethiopian Plane Crashes off Beirut
25 January, 2010: An Ethiopian Airlines plane carrying 90 people caught fire and crashed into the sea minutes after taking off from Beirut early Monday, setting off a frantic search as passenger seats, baby sandals and other debris washed ashore..

Hudson River 'Miracle' Plane to be Auctioned Off
22 January, 2010: For sale: One severely water-damaged jet, hero not included..

U.S. Air Force Brings Order to Chaotic Air Traffic
19 January, 2010: When Air Force special operations controllers stepped off a transport plane Wednesday night at Haiti's main airport, they found chaos..

Boeing 787 Passes Initial Airworthiness Testing
18 January, 2010: Boeing Co. says it has completed initial airworthiness tests on its new 787 jetliner, which means the planes can now fly with flight test engineers in their cabins..

Travel Industry Reacts to Haiti Quake
16 January 2010: Many in the travel industry are pitching in to assist those affected by the Haiti earthquake. USA TODAY's travel communities round-up the latest news..

FAA Halts Air Traffic to Haiti
15 January, 2010: All civilian flights from the United States to Haiti were halted Thursday at the request of the Haitian government because there is no room at the earthquake damaged Port-au-Prince airport for more planes and no fuel to spare for departing aircraft..

Travel Industry Reacts to Haiti Quake, Relief Efforts
14 January, 2010: Many in the travel industry are pitching in to assist those affected by the Haiti earthquake..

Many Caribbean, Latin America Airports Lack Safety Zones
13 January, 2010: Many of the busiest airports in the Caribbean and Latin America lack basic safety features that could have prevented the recent crash of an American Airlines jet in Jamaica, according to pilots, aviation safety experts and public documents..

Bird-Plane Collisions May Pass 10,000 For First Time Ever
12 January, 2010: Reports of airplanes hitting birds and other wildlife have soared since a stricken US Airways jet landed last year in New York's Hudson River, and the government's tally for last year could reach or even exceed 10,000 for the first time..

JFK's Largest Runway to Close For 4 Months
11 January, 2010: The largest runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport will be shut down in March for renovations..

U.S. Airlines Set Record With 88.6% On-Time Rate in November
7 January, 2010: U.S. airlines set a record in November for the highest on-time arrival rate, according to monthly federal data released Thursday..

Roboplane Tech Can Deal With Air-Traffic Control Directly
6 January, 2010: Flying cars - or personal aircraft anyway - have moved a step nearer, as ongoing trials using robot aeroplanes and next-gen air traffic equipment in America are said to offer the option of reduced crews on commercial cargo flights..

2 Die as Small Cargo Jet Crashes Outside Chicago
5 January, 2010: The pilot and co-pilot of a small cargo jet were killed when their aircraft crashed short of the runway while landing at an airport in suburban Chicago, Illinois, local authorities said..

Power Restored at Washington's Reagan Airport, But Delays Persist
4 January, 2009: The power is out at Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C., bringing flights and security screening to a standstill..

FAA Watching American Airlines Closely After Botched Landings
2 January, 2010: The FAA said Friday it is heightening scrutiny of American Airlines after the carrier had three landings go wrong in December..

Top Aviation Stories of The Decade
31 December, 2009: What were the most important aviation stories of the past decade? Here are 10 stories from 2000-2009 that will likely leave a lasting impact..

Can a Solar-Powered Airplane be the Future of Aviation?
30 December, 2009: Earlier this month the Solar Impulse airplane made its maiden flight, staying aloft for a distance of a little over 1,000 feet..

New Call for Faster, More Thorough Airport Body Scans
29 December, 2009: Days after a Nigerian man allegedly tried to ignite plastic explosives on an airplane over Detroit, security companies say they have new body-scanning machines capable of screening passengers for such material..

Aviation Security Under Review After Attempted Attack
28 December, 2009: Investigators piecing together a brazen attempt to bring down a trans-Atlantic airliner said Sunday the suspect tucked a small bag holding his deadly concoction on his body..

Fireworks Set Off Aboard Airliner
25 December, 2009: A passenger ignited fireworks Friday at the end of a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan, a Delta Air Lines spokeswoman said..

Second Boeing 787 Dreamliner Takes Test Flight
24 December, 2009: Boeing's second 787 has flown for a little more than two hours..

Dozens Hurt as Plane Runs Off End of Runway at Jamaican Airport
23 December, 2009: Ninety-one people were taken to a hospital Tuesday evening after an American Airlines plane overran a runway near Kingston, Jamaica, during bad weather and crashed into a fence, officials said..

U.S. Imposes 3-Hour Limit on Tarmac Delays
21 December, 2009: Passenger-rights advocates won a major victory Monday when the Transportation Department announced a rule to let passengers stuck inside stranded planes disembark after three hours..

Errant Pilot Blown Away by Incident
18 December, 2009: The captain of a Northwest Airlines jet that failed to contact air-traffic controllers for more than an hour said later that he was blown away by the error..

NTSB Fills in Details on Errant Northwest Flight
17 December, 2009: Glitches in a system designed to alert the military about security breaches over the nation's skies added more confusion to the recent debacle in which a Northwest Airlines jet flew 150 miles past its destination, federal investigators reported..

Airlines Projected to Lose $5.6 Billion Next Year
16 December, 2009: Next year is going to be another tough one for the airline industry's bottom line..

Boeing Dreamliner Takes Flight !
15 December, 2009: Fighting its way through more than two years of delays, Boeing's latest aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner, took off on its maiden flight Tuesday in cloudy skies over Everett, Washington..

Boeing Dreamliner Wheels Leave Ground First Time
14 December, 2009 (VIDEO): Boeing completes high-speed taxi tests on the first 787 Dreamliner..

First Boeing 787 Flight Could Come Tuesday
11 December, 2009: Boeing Co. says the long-anticipated first flight of its new 787 jetliner could come as early as Tuesday..

Pilots Who Overshot Destination Blame Controllers
7 December, 2009: The Northwest Airlines pilots who flew their jet past their destination city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, on October 21 have blamed air traffic controllers for the snafu..

Airline Downsizing Shifts Passengers to Smaller Regional Jets
4 December, 2009: One aspect of airline capacity downsizing really hasn’t affected travel to and from McCarran International Airport — and hopefully that trend will continue.

FAA Seeking Bids For $7B Of NextGen Contracts
3 December, 2009: The Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday it is seeking bids from companies interested in competing in a record $7 billion of contracts for research, development and engineering support for NextGen, a modernized U.S. air-traffic-control system..

Gulfstream Calls First G650 Flight a Success
1 December, 2009 (VIDEO): Gulfstream's flagship G650 successfully completed its first flight Wednesday, despite a vibration that curtailed the flight. See video of the flight here..

Intersecting Runway Dangers at Newark Liberty International Airport
27 November, 2009: Federal investigators find potential danger at Newark Liberty International Airport..

Behind The Scenes at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport
25 November, 2009: CNNs Rob Marciano goes behind the scenes of the largest carrier at the nation's busiest airport..

First AirFrance A380 Leaves for JFK
24 November, 2009: The first Air France A380 superjumbo took off from Paris on Friday, bound for New York with 380 passengers..

Richard Quest Talks to Ethihad Pilots
20 November, 2009: Capt. Matthew Dowell, a pilot for Etihad, discusses what it is like to consider a cockpit your desk..

Flight Delays Ripple Across USA after FAA NADIN Computer Failure in Atlanta
19 November, 2009: The National Airspace Data Interchange Network, or NADIN a computer system in Atlanta, Georgia, that pilots use to file flight plans was not working properly Thursday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration said. FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said there are problems processing flight plans and that air traffic controllers are having to enter the plans manually. That means there are going to be some delays until the issue is resolved, she said..

Space Shuttle Atlantis Launches Toward ISS
16 November, 2009: Space shuttle Atlantis is rocketing toward the space station. Atlantis blasted off Monday afternoon, carrying six astronauts and a full load of spare parts to the International Space Station. The shuttle will reach the orbiting outpost Wednesday. The supply run should keep the space station humming for years to come. The crew will perform three spacewalks during the 11-day mission..

DOT to Create Panel to Fix Airline Industry
13 November, 2009: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday he will create a special panel to come up with a plan to restore health to the ailing airline industry, which is losing billions of dollars..

Pilot Charged After UK Airport Arrest
10 November, 2009: British police said they stopped a United Airlines pilot from flying while intoxicated earlier this week, pulling him from a Boeing 767 aircraft at London's Heathrow airport and charging him with being on duty while his blood-alcohol level was over the limit..

Cockpit Napping Endorsed
9 November, 2009 (VIDEO): An FAA-assembled panel is recommending the agency endorse controlled cockpit napping..

Airplane Part Falls Onto Front Lawn Near NYC
6 November, 2009: An airplane part fell from the sky and landed on the front lawn of a home on Long Island, New York. Authorities are looking into how it happened..

Lawmakers Seek Ban on Laptops in Cockpits
3 November, 2009: Lawmakers are moving to ban the use of computer laptops and other personal electronic devices in airline cockpits to prevent another incident like the Northwest Airlines plane that overshot Minneapolis by 150 miles..

2 Killed When Plane Crashes into Lawrenceville GA Home
30 October, 2009: Two people were killed Friday afternoon when a plane crashed into a Lawrenceville home, Gwinnett emergency official said..

Delta CEO: Clear Violation Involved in Wayward Flight
29 October, 2009: The chief executive of Delta Air Lines Inc said Thursday that the pilots of a Northwest Airlines flight who overflew their destination would be dealt with by the carrier, as the use of laptops in the cockpit was a clear violation of company rules..

Incident Highlights Outdated Air-Traffic System
28 October, 2009: The odyssey of an airliner that flew hundreds of miles while out of radio communication highlights the weaknesses of the nation's outdated air-traffic system, according to aviation experts and controllers..

FAA Revokes Liicenses of Pilots Who Missed Airport
27 October, 2009: The Federal Aviation Administration has revoked the licenses of the two Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot a Minnesota airport by 150 miles during a 78-minute period of radio silence last week..

Report: Stray Jet's Pilots Were on Laptops
26 October, 2009: The pilots of the commercial jetliner that last week overshot its destination by about 150 miles have said they were using their laptops and lost track of time and location, federal safety officials said Monday..

Northwest Airlines Crew Flies 150 Miles Past Airport
23 October, 2009: A Northwest Airlines flight from San Diego, California, overshot the Minneapolis, Minnesota, airport by about 150 miles Wednesday evening, and federal investigators are looking into whether the pilots had become distracted, as they claimed, or perhaps fell asleep..

Two Killed in Athens GA Plane Crash
22 October, 2009: Two people were killed late Thursday morning when a plane crashed shortly after takeoff from the Athens airport..

FAA Probes Plane's Landing on Atlanta Airport's Taxiway
22 October, 2009: The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how an international flight into Atlanta's major airport landed on a taxiway instead of a runway early Monday..

Delta Jet Lands On Taxiway At Hartsfield
21 October, 2009: A Delta Air Lines flight from South America, landing at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport early Monday morning ended up landing on a taxiway instead of a runway..

FAA Investigating Balloon Boy Incident
20 October, 2009: Last week's balloon boy incident is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration, an agency representative said Tuesday..

Airlines Discuss Shake-Up In Ownership Of UK Air Traffic Control
16 October, 2009: Airlines are discussing a shake-up in the ownership of UK's National Air Traffic Control Service..

Controllers: FAA's Computers Prone to Problems
14 October, 2009: A new computer system key to modernization of the nation's air traffic control system has run into problems, raising doubts about whether it can be operational 15 months from now when current computers must be replaced, union officials said Wednesday..

China Wants to Rival Boeing, Airbus With Its C919
13 October, 2009: China's C919 big plane project symbolizes the country's stepped-up efforts to get into the commercial passenger jet business in a big way and challenge U.S. plane-making giant Boeing and European rival Airbus, which dominate the global jetliner market..

Non-Radar Air Traffic System Debuts
12 October, 2009: Airline flights are being closely tracked and directed without radar for the first time in the nation's history as part of a new system monitoring the skies above the Colorado Rockies..

Cheaper Business Airfares Still a Tough Sell in Todays Economy
9 October, 2009: Trying to lure business travelers back into more expensive seats, airlines have slashed business-class fares to foreign cities..

Air Delays Are Worst at Some Big Business-Travel Destinations
8 October, 2009: Some of the nation's most important business centers have the worst flight delays, highlighting the need to ease congestion in the skies for the sake of the economy as well as the environment, says a report released Thursday..

Great Airline Sale of 2009 May Be Nearing an End
6 October, 2009: The great airline sale of 2009 may be ending..

Miracle on Hudson Pilot is Flying Again
1 October, 2009: Hero pilot Chesley Sully Sullenberger is back in the air..

Fly The Simulated Skies
30 September, 2009 (VIDEO): Not everybody thinks training air traffic controllers on simulators is a good idea..

Should Airlines Let Passengers Make Calls Via Wi-Fi?
28 September, 2009: Roger Flessing was on an American Airlines flight to Seattle recently when he began speaking with his son on his iPhone..

Air-Traffic Controllers Approve New FAA Labor Pact
25 September, 2009: Air-traffic controllers approved a new pact with the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday..

Subsidies For Small Airports Keep Flying, Despite Problems
23 September, 2009: Missouri's Joplin Regional Airport has so few passengers in its new, big terminal that frequent-flier George Chen says a novice golf hack can smack 10 drives and not come close to hitting a single person..

Passengers Rights Advocates Press For Tarmac Delay Limit
22 September, 2009: A former CEO of American Airlines on Tuesday backed imposition of a three-hour time limit on how long airlines can strand passengers on airport tarmacs, but he also warned of unintended consequences..

Two New Companies Let You Hop a Private Jet For Less
21 September, 2009: It may not seem like the best time to launch a company catering to the private business flier. But at least two new ventures are turning those challenges into selling points, offering services that allow you to fly private..

Feds Keep Little-Used Airports in Business
17 September, 2009: An obscure federal program raises billions of dollars a year through taxes on every airplane ticket sold in the USA taxes that can add up to 15% to the cost of a flight..

Global Airline Group Predicts $11B Industry Losses This Year
16 September, 2009: The International Air Transport Association released a revised global financial forecast Tuesday, predicting airline losses totaling $11 billion in 2009..

US Airways Splash-Landing Pilot Readies For Return to The Cockpit
14 September, 2009: Capt. Chesley Sully Sullenberger has been a high-profile figure since he successfully splash-landed a US Airways jet in the Hudson River after a birdstrike disabled both of the aircraft's engines..

Space Shuttle Discovery Lands in California
11 September, 2009: The space shuttle Discovery landed in California Friday evening after bad weather near Kennedy Space Center forced it to wave off a landing in Florida..

Fliers On Delayed Planes Get More Support
9 September, 2009: Airlines are losing another ally in their fight to stop Congress from passing a law that would allow passengers to get off planes delayed at least three hours on airport tarmacs..

FAA Orders Airbus Speed Sensors Replaced
4 September, 2009 U.S. operators of wide-body Airbus jets must replace most of their speed sensors after an investigation into the crash of an Air France jet in June found that the sensors can fail amid bad weather at high altitudes..

Yikes! Aeromexico to Allow Use of Cell Phones During Flights
4 September, 2009: Grupo Aeromexico SA, Mexico’s largest airline, said it will let passengers use cellular phones on board its planes, after the government lifted a ban on such calls during flights..

FAA Will Modify Airspace Rules Over Hudson River
3 September, 2009: The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it will change rules for the airspace over the Hudson River in New York City following last month's deadly midair crash of a small plane and a sightseeing helicopter..

NTSB Wants ATC Changes In Hudson Corridor
31 August, 2009: Safety board wants FAA to create new Special Flight Rules Area, adopt other changes to boost safety after midair..

NTSB Calls For New Air Traffic Rules Over Hudson River
28 August, 2009: The rules governing air traffic over New York's Hudson River need to be rewritten to prevent another mishap like this month's fatal collision of a small plane and a sightseeing helicopter, federal safety investigators said Thursday..

Boeing: Dreamliner Will Fly By End of 2009
27 August, 2009: Boeing said Thursday that its often-delayed 787 Dreamliner would take to the air for the first time before year's end and that the first delivery of planes to airlines would be late next year..

Fewer Delays as Air Travel Slides
24 August, 2009: A marked decrease in airline travel has made this summer the smoothest in years for fliers accustomed to lengthy delays and snarled traffic..

Random Dude With a Laptop Called Up to Cockpit to Help Pilots Plot a New Course
21 August, 2009: I've heard pilots ask if there's a doctor on board in the event of a medical emergency on an airplane, but to ask if there's a guy with a Wi-Fi-equipped laptop on board?

Transcript Shows Teterboro Airport Controller Joked About Cooking Cat Just Before Hudson Collision
20 August, 2009: Transcripts obtained by The Associated Press show an air traffic controller was joking on the telephone about barbecuing a dead cat moments before a small plane collided with a tour helicopter over the Hudson River..

Airport Observation Decks Are a Dying Breed
19 August, 2009: Instead of multiplying - so we can be reminded of the joys (yes, joys) of flying - airport observation decks have been going away..

NATCA No Longer Involved In Hudson River Midair Investigation
18 August, 2009: The NTSB late Monday removed the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) as a party to its investigation into the August 8 midair collision of two aircraft over the Hudson River that killed all 9 persons aboard..

NATCA Strongly Disputes NTSB Inference of Controller Responsibility in Hudson River Crash Sequence
17 August, 2009: Air traffic controllers today are strongly disputing misleading and - in one passage - outright false parts of Friday's NTSB Hudson River mid-air crash press release that mistakenly and unfairly assign responsibilities to a Teterboro, N.J., controller during the pre-crash sequence of events that simply did not exist..

FAA Suspends 2 Air Traffic Controllers Over Hudson Crash
14 August, 2009: The Federal Aviation Administration has suspended two air traffic controllers from New Jersey's Teterboro Airport over Saturday's collision of two aircraft over the Hudson that killed nine people, a spokeswoman said Thursday..

FAA, Air Traffic Controllers Agree on New Contract
13 August, 2009: Government air traffic controllers and the Obama administration have reached a tentative contract agreement that both sides said they hope will end years of severely strained relations..

Tarmac Ordeal Renews Push For Fliers Rights
11 August, 2009: The situation on board was horrendous: Babies were screaming, odor from a toilet filled the cramped plane and passengers couldn't escape..

N.Y. Collision Prompts Calls For Limits
10 August, 2009: Several New York-area politicians called for severe limits on flights over the Hudson River on Monday as efforts continued to retrieve the final two victims of a weekend midair collision that claimed the lives of nine people..

From Dreamliner to Lost Military Deals, Problems Nag Boeing
6 August, 2009: This was to be Boeing's summer of triumph. Dozens of its 787 Dreamliners were supposed to be in service around the world by now. Profits from launches of commercial satellites from a floating launch pad on the equator were supposed to be rolling in..

Harmless Turbulence Can be Dangerous, Deadly
5 August, 2009: It's a moment familiar to any regular air traveler..

NTSB Issues Final Report on Sleeping Pilots Case
4 August, 2009: The National Transportation Safety Board has confirmed an initial finding that the captain and first officer of a flight that overflew its destination in Hawaii inadvertently fell asleep while the plane was on autopilot..

Turbulence Injures 26, Flight Diverted to Miami
3 August, 2009: A Continental Airlines jet carrying 179 people from Brazil to Texas hit severe turbulence over the Atlantic early Monday, injuring at least 26 including four seriously and forcing an emergency landing in Miami, officials said..

Space Shuttle Endeavour Lands Safely
31 July, 2009: The crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour returned to earth on Friday morning after spending 16 days in space..

Blundering Private Pilot Gets Lost, Flies in Path of 747 Landing at JFK
30 July 2009: A private pilot at the helm of a small aircraft apparently came close to causing a disaster in the skies near New York on Saturday..

Astronauts Inspect Space Shuttle Ahead of Landing
29 July, 2009: Space shuttle Endeavour's astronauts uncovered no noticeable flaws in the thermal shielding of their ship Wednesday following an in-depth inspection with lasers and cameras..

ATP First in Gulf to Install ADS-B Air Traffic Control System
28 July, 2009: Gas Corporation announced today that the ATP Innovator is the first Gulf of Mexico offshore platform to install an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast System..

FAA Releases Air Traffic Control Tapes of Buffalo Plane Crash
24 July, 2009: We are learning more about the final moments of Continental Airlines flight 3407. Fifty people were killed when the commuter plane crashed in to a house in Clarence, near the Buffalo airport on February 12..

Delta Narrows Q2 Loss To $257 Million
22 July, 2009: Delta Air Lines Inc., the world's biggest airline operator, said Wednesday it narrowed its second-quarter net loss to $257 million..

Continental Plans Job Cuts; United To Cut Flights
21 July, 2009: The recession continues to take its toll on airlines. Continental (CAL) said Tuesday that it would slash 1,700 more jobs, and United said it would cut more flights in response to fewer travelers..

Space Shuttle Endeavor Docks With ISS
17 July, 2009: Shortly before 4 p.m. ET Friday, the seven crew members of the Space Shuttle Endeavour opened a hatch and entered the International Space Station, where they greeted the six crew members who were already there with hugs..

Airbags for Airliners: What Will They Cost You?
16 July, 2009: You may never need them at 35,000 feet, but you'll be glad they're around if you do. Defibrillators, medical kits and life vests are a few examples of the safety equipment the government requires airlines to put on passenger jets..

Controller Jobs Open to Public Through July 17
14 July, 2009: The public now has the opportunity to apply to become air traffic controllers. The FAA is accepting applications from the general public for trainee air traffic controller positions through July 17, 2009..

Hole Appears in 737-300 at 34,000 Feet
14 July, 2009: Inspectors have found nothing unusual in the rest of Southwest Airlines fleet of 737-300s after a football-sized hole in one of the jets forced an emergency landing, an airline spokeswoman said Tuesday..

Air France Crash Still a Mystery
13 July, 2009: There are a few clues about Air France Flight 447's final minutes, but investigators caution that they are far from determining the actual cause of the disaster or piecing together a detailed account of what went wrong..

Engine Problem: Northwest Flight Returns to San Francisco
9 July, 2009: San Francisco International Airport officials say a Northwest Airlines jet carrying 194 passengers suffered an engine problem after takeoff, forcing it to return to the airport.

The Flying Car is Doomed, Says The Economist
9 July, 2009: While we seem to be closer than ever to seeing a flying car in our lifetimes, The Economist seems to believe the flying car will die before it was ever really born, but not necessarily for reasons in the air..

Flight Traffic Declined in June, Airlines Expect Large Losses
8 July, 2009: Airline traffic fell again in June, providing another sign that most carriers are likely to report large financial losses for the second quarter..

Why ADS-B?
7 July, 2009: From the US Federal Aviation Administration's perspective, automatic dependent surveillance - broadcast is meant to reduce dependence on ground-based secondary surveillance radar systems by collecting GPS-derived position reports from ADS-B equipped aircraft at ground stations and sending the information (ADS-B out), to air traffic control facilities to be used for air traffic management..

Air France Crash Mystery Deepens
3 July, 2009: If there was ever any question over the importance of finding the black boxes from Air France flight 447 then there is certainly none now..

Air France Plane Did Not Break Up In Flight
2 July, 2009: The Air France plane that crashed a month ago off the coast of Brazil did not break up or become destroyed in flight, but bellyflopped intact into the Atlantic Ocean, the French air investigation agency announced Thursday..

Student ATC Twice Puts Planes on Runway Collision Course
1 July, 2009: A student controller was directing planes during two runway mishaps in the past month at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, apparently giving instructions that placed planes on possible collision courses, federal investigators say..

Yemenia Jet With 153 on Board Crashes; Child Rescued
30 June, 2009: A passenger jet carrying 153 people from Yemen crashed into the Indian Ocean in bad weather early Tuesday while trying to land at the island nation of Comoros. Search teams rescued a child from the sea, officials said, but there was no word on other survivors..

NTSB to Probe Problems on Other Airbus Flights
29 June, 2009: United States accident investigators are probing two recent failures of airspeed and altitude indications aboard Airbus A330s -- the same type of plane that crashed into the Atlantic nearly a month ago..

Time Running Out to Find Air France 447's Black Boxes
26 June, 2009: Investigators probing the deadly crash of Air France flight 447 over the Atlantic are running out of time to find the flight data recorders which could prove crucial to working out what caused the disaster..

FAA Panel to Develop Rules on Pilot Fatigue by September
26 June, 2009: Airlines, pilot unions and federal officials have until Sept. 1 to develop new rules to limit fatigue among pilots, the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday..

Think Flight Times Are Padded? They Are
24 June, 2009: As one airline operations manager said : The airlines are no more on-time than they used to be, but they're better at covering it up..

Boeing Again Delays 787 Test Flight
23 June, 2009: Shares of Boeing are down more than 6% Tuesday morning after the jet-maker said it will again delay the first test flight of the 787 Dreamliner due to a need to reinforce parts of the aircraft..

Pilot's Death Could Renew Debate Over Cockpit Age Limits
22 June, 2009: The death of the 60-year-old captain of a Continental Airlines jetliner as he flew 247 passengers across the Atlantic could spark a new debate over age limits in the cockpit.

Air France Probe Little Bit Closer To Answers, Investigator Says
17 June, 2009: Investigators are getting a little bit closer to determining what caused an Air France airliner to disappear into the Atlantic Ocean, but there are no answers yet, a French investigator said Wednesday..

FAA Pplans New Safety Rules For Regional Airlines
16 June, 2009: The nation's top aviation regulators demanded Monday that regional airlines take immediate steps to improve pilot training and safety in the wake of the accident in February that killed 50 people..

Endeavour Launch Now Set for Wednesday
15 June, 2009: NASA has rescheduled the launch of space shuttle Endeavour for 5:40 a.m. ET Wednesday, pushing back the planned launch of a separate lunar mission..

Air France Jet Possibly Disintegrated in Mid-Air
11 June, 2009: Air France Jet Possibly Disintegrated in Mid-Air, Two pieces of new evidence suggest that Air France Flight 447 broke up over a number of minutes, rather than in one catastrophic incident, before plunging into the Atlantic Ocean and killing all 228 people aboard..

American Flight to Test Fuel Saving by Using Direct GPS Route
10 June, 2009: The plane on the Thursday flight will take a direct route guided by Global Positioning System, or GPS, technology instead of staying within the usual jetliner paths across the Atlantic..

Passenger Recalls Escaping Plane When it Ditched in Hudson
9 June, 2009 (VIDEO): A passenger sitting at the rear of the US Airways flight forced to land in the Hudson River testified Tuesday he climbed over about a dozen rows of seats as he tried to escape through the front of the floating plane..

Pilots in Crashes Had Failed Multiple Tests
8 June, 2009: In nearly every serious regional airline accident during the past 10 years, at least one of the pilots had failed tests of his or her skills multiple times, according to an analysis of federal accident records..

Air France Jet Crash Debris Retrieved
4 June, 2009: The Brazilian navy began retrieving debris Thursday from an Air France passenger jet which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean with 228 people onboard as investigators continued to hunt for clues into the cause of the accident..

Brazil's Military Found Debris, Airplane Seat In Atlantic
2 June, 2009: An airplane seat, a life jacket, metallic debris and signs of fuel were found in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday by Brazilian military pilots searching for the missing Air France airliner..

Air France Flight Disappears Over Atlantic; 228 on Board
1 June, 2009: The disappearance of an Air France wide body carrying 228 people from Rio de Janiero to Paris on Sunday night could take weeks to solve because the plane is presumed to have gone down deep in the Atlantic Ocean..

Florida's Pilot Factory
28 May, 2009 (VIDEO): CNN's Allan Chernoff investigates the air school that trained pilots of three fatal crashes..

Regulation Needed to Cut Jet Fuel Consumption
27 May, 2009: If you're trying to cut your personal carbon footprint, one of the worst things you can do is board a fuel-guzzling jet. That's why the world needs airplane efficiency standards, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Scott Carson wrote in an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal..

FAAs Air Traffic Control Apps Highly Vulnerable
21 May, 2009: A government audit has found more than 3,800 vulnerabilities were reportedly found in the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) web-based air traffic control system applications..

Flight 1549 Passengers Face Emotional Reunion With Luggage
20 May, 2009: This month, passengers from US Airways ill-fated Flight 1549 are starting to get special deliveries: FedEx boxes containing dried and cleaned wallets, handbags, coats, cameras, jewelry, clothing, important papers, even toothbrushes..

Senator Calls For Safety Probe of Regional Airlines
19 May, 2009: The chairman of the Senate's aviation panel is asking a government watchdog to investigate safety enforcement at regional airlines..

Airline Industry Changes Raise Safety Issues
18 May, 2009: Revelations this week about pilot pay and working conditions at the regional airline involved in an air crash that killed 50 in upstate New York have raised broader concerns..

Fatigue Cited as Possible Factor in Plane Crash Near Buffalo
14 May, 2009: Fatigue affecting the flight crew may have contributed to a plane crash that killed 50 people in February near Buffalo, New York, according to testimony at an investigative hearing..

Baggage Container Sucked into Boeing 747 Engine at LAX
13 May, 2009: A metal baggage container was sucked into an engine of a Boeing 747 as it was leaving a terminal gate Monday at Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said. No one was injured..

Space Shuttle Suffered Minor Damage at Launch
12 May, 2009: A survey of space shuttle Atlantis outer body has revealed that four tiles on the right side have some dings in them, the flight director said Tuesday..

Shuttle Atlantis Launches for Hubble Repair Mission
11 May, 2009: Space Shuttle Atlantis has perfect liftoff for its mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope..

Boeing Jetliner Orders Tumble in April
8 May, 2009: Boeing Co. on Thursday reported a sharp drop in orders for its passenger and cargo jets in April, as the troubled global economy continued to hurt demand from airlines and cargo services..

Hackers Broke into FAA Air Traffic Control Systems
7 May, 2009: Breaches exposed sensitive employee data, forced the shutdown of part of a network, and could have allowed hackers to disrupt the agency's mission-support network, a government report says..

Airlines See Signs of Improvement in April
5 May, 2009: U.S. airlines, which saw much of their high-fare business traffic evaporate this winter, may finally be coming out of their tailspin..

DOT Secretary Hints at Federal Aid for Airlines
1 May, 2009: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday he thinks the Obama administration will seek financial aid for airlines to pay for equipment onboard planes that will be needed to move to a satellite-based air traffic control system..

Boeing 787 Advancing Toward Test Flight by July 1
30 April, 2009: The first Boeing 787 is in the final stages of production and should be ready as planned for the long-delayed first test flight before July 1, Boeing officials said Wednesday..

Concern About Air-Traffic Control Trainees Raised
27 April, 2009: The nation's busiest air-traffic control facility in Southern California relies heavily on inexperienced trainees, who are expected to make up more than 40% of controllers there this year, according to a report released Monday, the Associated Press writes. The Department of Transportation inspector general report expresses concern about staffing levels at the Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility near San Diego, as well as the Northern California Terminal Radar Approach Facility near Sacramento..

Inside New York's LaGuardia Control Tower
24 April, 2009: At any given moment, on any given morning, there are roughly 6,000 planes on their way to somewhere, from somewhere, over American airspace. Getting them safely down to the ground will depend upon the efforts of a small group of controllers who, nearly without fail, get the job done despite long hours, grim working conditions, and ancient technology. Jeanne Marie Laskas journeys to the tower at LaGuardia Airport in New York City to find out how it all happens..

Lightning Hits Hartsfield-Jackson Tower
23 April, 2009: Lightning struck the air traffic control tower at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Thursday night, temporarily taking out power at the airport, officials said. Federal Aviation Administration said spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the tower was struck around 8:45 p.m. FAA officials evacuated the 398-foot tower — the tallest in the nation — and FAA employees reported the smell of smoke. After officials checked to make certain all of the equipment was working, air traffic controllers returned and the tower was operational again by 9:10 p.m., Bergen said..

Feds to Release Data on Aircraft Bird Strikes
23 April, 2009: The federal government is reversing itself and plans to release data on the thousands of incidents in which aircraft hit birds, the Department of Transportation said Wednesday..

United Jet Leaving BWI for Denver Hit by Lightning
22 April, 2009: A United Airlines official says an airliner leaving BWI for Denver was hit by lightning as storms swept across the Washington area..

Airline Leaders Shift Focus on Air Traffic Control Replacement
21 April, 2009: Airlines missed out when President Obama's economic stimulus package sailed through Congress earlier this year without federal dollars to urgently replace the nation's antiquated air traffic control system that keeps planes from colliding..

Neighbors Fume Over LAX Plan to Redesign Runways
20 April, 2009: As a clash at Los Angeles International Airport over a runway redesign exemplifies, it's not always easy for airports to get approval for changes, even when they are intended as safety improvements..

Unintentional King Air Pilot: An Interview With Doug White
17 April, 2009: Doug White was having a tough week. He and his family were returning home to Monroe, La., from Marco Island, Fla., where they had just attended his brother's funeral. White, 56, a private pilot with about 230 hours flight time in single-engine Cessna 172s sat in the right seat of a chartered King Air 200 with his wife and two teenaged daughters in the passenger cabin..

American Airlines Loses Less Than Expected
16 April, 2009: American Airlines parent AMR Corp. says it lost $375 million in the first quarter as people flew less during the recession than they did a year ago, wiping out the benefit of cheaper fuel..

Inside the Next-Gen GPS-based Airplane Landing System
15 April, 2009: Inside the GPS-based landing system that's finally replacing the radar-based one that's been in use since the 1930s..

Passenger Landed Plane With Focused Fear
14 April, 2009: A man who landed a plane with the assistance of air traffic controllers after the pilot fell unconscious and died said Monday he was still in a daze of adrenaline..

Passenger Helps Land Turboprop Plane After Pilot Dies
13 April, 2009: It's a nightmarish scenario straight out of the movies: A passenger is forced to land a plane after its pilot becomes incapacitated..

Eclipse Future Could be Decided This Month
10 April, 2009: Owners of the 259 Eclipse Aviation Corp. jets now flying are getting a clearer picture of where the company’s bankruptcy proceedings are heading: Any new owner will offer maintenance and aircraft upgrades, but chances are slim that production will resume until the economy improves..

Miami Airport Phases in New Air-Traffic System
9 April, 2009: Miami International Airport is the first to house a new satellite-based air traffic control system..

Scramble to Add Air Traffic Controllers
7 April, 2009: Like many other air traffic controllers, Michael Pearson was hired by the Federal Aviation Administration in the early 1980s to help replace more than 10,000 striking air traffic controllers who were fired en masse by President Ronald Reagan..

Shrinking Airlines Park More Planes in the Desert
6 April, 2009: Old jets come here, empty engine pods shrink-wrapped in white, tall red tails fading to pink in the desert sun. More will come soon. Some will never fly again..

Delta's 747-400 Back in Atlanta
3 April, 2009: The Boeing 747 jumbo jet is back in Atlanta in Delta colors. The first Delta-branded 747 to fly out of Atlanta since 1977 departed Thursday from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, bound for Honolulu..

FAA OKs $1B in Aviation Stimulus Projects
2 April 2009: Scores of airport runway projects estimated at nearly $1 billion have received initial clearance by the Federal Aviation Administration so local officials can put their construction plans out to bid..

Delta Regional Carrier Grounds Jets For Inspections
1 April, 2009: Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a unit of SkyWest and one of nine regional carriers for Delta Air Lines, said Wednesday it has grounded 60 of its 112 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 jets after an internal audit raised safety concerns..

Pilots Union Getting a Taste of Its Own Medicine
30 March, 2009: The world's largest airline pilots union is getting a taste of its own medicine as workers in one in its divisions have filed a complaint of unfair labor practices against their bosses, the workers' union said Monday..

Shuttle Undocks From Space Station After 8 Days
26 March, 2009: After eight days together, space shuttle Discovery pulled away from the international space station Wednesday, ending a successful effort to boost electrical power and science research at the orbiting outpost..

Eurocontrol Unveils Its New Air Traffic Control System
24 March, 2009: Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the safety of air navigation, will unveil the new flight data processing system, which was recently awarded a prize at the ATC Global exhibition in Amsterdam..

Training Atlanta's Air Traffic Controllers
23 March, 2009: One job that's in big demand right now is air traffic controllers. It's a stressful job where one mistake could mean disaster, but an addition to Hartsfield Jackson is helping train all those new hires. There is a new tool designed to speed up the training for new hires and keep the skies safer..

17 Killed in Montana Plane Crash
22 March, 2009: A single-engine airplane crashed near Butte, Montana, on Sunday, killing at least 17 people, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said..

FAA Shifts Focus For Next Generation Air Traffic Control to Near-Term Possibilities
20 March, 2009: The Federal Aviation Administration still faces challenges in technology, organization, budget and manpower to field satellite-based air traffic control technology..

Solving the Air Traffic Controller Shortage
19 March, 2009: Air traffic controllers must retire at 56, but new research shows they can still do the job..

Discovery Docks at International Space Station
17 March, 2009: The space shuttle Discovery safely docked at the international space station on Tuesday, a welcome smooth maneuver during a mission that was delayed by a gas leak and threatened by hurtling chunks of space junk..

See the Space Shuttle Chase the Space Station From Your Backyard Tonight
16 March, 2009: As the Space Shuttle Discovery pursues the International Space Station, parts of North America and Europe will have a chance to see the double flyby Monday night..

Hartsfield-Jackson Ranks 25th In On-Time Arrivals
12 March, 2009: Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport fell to No. 25 in on-time arrival performance for January, down from No. 8 a year earlier, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines ranked sixth for on-time performance..

Space Shuttle Discovery Launch Cancelled
11 March, 2009: The planned Wednesday night launch of space shuttle Discovery has been cancelled due to an apparent leak in the giant external fuel tank, the Kennedy Space Center said..

Runway Safety Improvements Lag at Busy Airports
10 March, 2009: Six-year-old Joshua Woods was singing Christmas songs on Dec. 8, 2005, when a runaway plane at Chicago's Midway Airport crashed through a fence and collided with his family's car, killing the boy. The tragedy underscores what the government says is an urgent safety problem..

3 Bodies Recovered From NASCAR Race-bound Cessna 182
9 March, 2009: Carroll County authorities found the body of the pilot of a small airplane that crashed Sunday, killing three people on board..

AOPA Says Continue Partnership with ATC
6 March, 2009: Pilots and controllers need to work together to make the system safer—and to defeat user fees—AOPA President and CEO Craig Fuller said March 4 at the National Air Traffic Controllers Association conference in Las Vegas..

LAX Air Traffic Controllers Say A380 Wingspan Too Big
5 March, 2009: As issues continue to pile up for Qantas and its A380 fleet, it now appears that the air traffic controllers at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) have claimed that the wingspan of the superjumbo is too big..

Man Jumps Out of Taxiing Airliner at Dallas/Fort Worth
4 March, 2009: Authorities say a 26-year-old passenger ran to the front of a taxiing plane, opened a door and slid down to the tarmac before being detained..

Funds Approved For O'Hare Design
3 March, 2009: The city of Chicago announced that FAA has approved the use of PFCs to fund $182 million for airfield design and terminal planning activities for the O'Hare Modernization Program (OMP). Chicago Mayor Richard Daley noted that the OMP commissioned its first runway project, the Runway 10/28 extension, 56 days ahead of schedule and $33 million under budget. On Nov. 20, 2008, the OMP commissioned Runway 9L/27R, O'Hare's first new runway since 1971, and a new North air traffic control tower..

FAA Settles With Southwest Airlines for $7.5M
2 March, 2009: Southwest Airlines will pay a fine of $7.5 million for flying planes that had missed critical safety checks $2.7 million less than government regulators initially ordered..

Landings at LAX Safer, Quieter
27 February, 2009: Up to half the aircraft that land at Los Angeles International Airport each day now use an arrival technique that saves fuel and reduces noise and air pollution in neighborhoods along the eastern approaches to the nation's fourth-largest airport, the Federal Aviation Administration has announced..

Experts: Why Many Air Crashes are Survivable
26 February, 2009: The crash of a Turkish airliner in the Netherlands and the recent landing of a jet in the Hudson River in New York demonstrate how safe modern aircraft have become, according to safety experts..

Nine Killed as Turkish Plane Crashes Near Amsterdam Airport
25 February, 2009: A Turkish passenger jet crashed as it tried to land at Amsterdam's main airport Wednesday, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 50 -- 25 seriously -- Dutch airport authorities have said..

Controllers Blast FAA Plan to Shift Meteorologists
24 February, 2009: Air-traffic controllers say a proposal by the Federal Aviation Administration to take meteorologists out of a major control center near Atlanta will endanger airline passengers, an accusation flatly rejected by the FAA..

Airports Benefitting From Economic Stimulus
23 February, 2009: Akron-Canton Airport, one of the fastest-growing airports in the country, wants to redesign its entrance road to ease traffic and add a curbside lane for taxis and other shuttles..

Extending 27R = More Heavy Jets, More Noise
20 February, 2009: Inhuman is how longtime College Park resident Coco Bright described living in the shadow of the world's busiest airport. Other residents complained this week of constantly being awakened by the thundering noise of low-flying jets..

FAA, NTSB Feud Over Icing Safety For Turboprops
19 February, 2009: On Halloween 1994, an American Eagle flight en route to Chicago in freezing rain went into a high-speed dive and crashed near Roselawn, Ind., killing all 68 people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board blamed the crash in part on ice accumulated on the plane's wings and recommended in 1996 that testing requirements for flight certification of all turboprop planes be adjusted to include the specific kind of icing conditions in the Roselawn crash..

FAA to Airline Pilots: Turn Cell Phones Off
18 February, 2009: The US FAA has issued an alert to airlines following an inspector's report that a first officer's cell phone began ringing at a critical phase of a takeoff..

NTSB: Plane Rolled Violently Before Crash
16 February, 2009: A commuter airliner that crashed Thursday in upstate New York, killing 50 people, underwent violent pitching and rolling seconds before impact, with passengers experiencing twice the normal force of gravity, a federal investigator said Sunday..

Plane Crash Near Buffalo Kills 50
13 February, 2009: A Continental commuter plane coming in for a landing nose-dived into a house in suburban Buffalo, sparking a fiery explosion that killed all 49 people aboard and a person in the home..

Canada Geese Brought Flight 1549 Down, NTSB Says
12 February, 2009: Canada geese got into both engines of US Airways Flight 1549 and forced the plane to ditch into the Hudson River last month, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday..

FAA Computers Hacked, Employee Data At Risk
11 February, 2009: Two of the 48 files on the compromised server held the personal information of over 45,000 individuals, the agency said..

Flight 1549 Crew: Hudson Landing Still On Our Minds
10 February, 2009: Capt. Chesley Sully Sullenberger says he'll take to the skies again -- as soon as he can shake Flight 1549 out of his head..

Hero Pilot and Crew Get Keys to City
9 February, 2009: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has presented hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger and his crew with keys to the city..

Hudson Survivor: Hearing Pilot on Tape Stressful, Exhilarating
6 February, 2009: Four survivors of the US Airways Flight 1549 that went down in the Hudson River appeared on Larry King Live Thursday to discuss a recording of the pilot calmly telling an air traffic controller the plane would ditch..

USAirways 1549 FAA AUDIO TRANSCRIPT
5 February, 2009: Click here for the FAA audio trancripts of USA1549..

FAA Releases Transcript From Hudson River Landing
5 February, 2009: The Federal Aviation Administration released audio recordings this morning that reveal the communications between air traffic control and US Airways flight 1549 just before it splashed down into the Hudson River Jan. 15, 2009..

NASA Delays Shuttle Launch, Space Station's Relocation
4 January, 2009: A scheduled move of the International Space Station today has been delayed until March after a relocation in January went awry, the space agency said Tuesday. NASA also postponed a launch of space shuttle Discovery..

Hero Pilot: Splash Landing in Hudson 'Surreal'
3 February, 2009: In his first public comments about what it was like to safely land a passenger jet in the Hudson River, US Airways pilot Chesley Sully Sullenberger described the ordeal surreal..

Airbus A380 is a Mixed Blessing for LAX
29 January, 2009: Every time Qantas lands one of its giant Airbus A380s at LAX, parts of the nation's fourth-busiest airport come to a halt..

FAA Prepares For Super Bowl XLIII In Tampa
28 January, 2009: The Federal Aviation Administration says it is prepared to handle the large increase in private planes expected to fly in and out of the Tampa Bay area for the upcoming Super Bowl..

US Airways Passengers Get $5,000 Each; Is it Enough?
27 January, 2009: Many US Airways passengers who endured a crash landing in the Hudson River 12 days ago say they appreciate the $5,000 that the airline has offered but some say it's not enough..

Airports Testing Radar That Could Spot Birds
26 January, 2009: Federal aviation officials say a handful of U.S. airports will soon begin testing experimental radar systems designed to track flocks of birds.

FAA Says Atlanta Airport Nation's Busiest
24 January, 2009: The FAA says Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the nation's busiest airport for the fourth year in a row..

Flying Car Goes to Market
22 January, 2008: A Boston-area company plans to begin flight tests this year of a two-seater airplane that moonlights as a car..

US Airways Gives Each Flier on Ditched Jet $5,000
21 January, 2009: Passengers aboard the jet that made a dramatic splashdown in the Hudson River are being sent checks by US Airways..

Airlines Threaten to Shift Atlanta Flights in Dispute Over Airport Fees
20 January, 2009: Airlines that do business at the world's busiest airport are playing hardball in talks over new lease agreements, threatening to move some flights to other airports if they can't maintain competitive costs on fees they pay..

Recorders Recovered From Hudson in Excellent Condition
19 January Both the cockpit voice and flight data recorders were recovered in excellent condition from a crippled US Airways jetliner that landed safely on the Hudson River last week, a National Transportation Safety Board official said Sunday..

US Airways Flight Hit Birds at 3,000 Feet
18 January, 2009: US Airways flight 1549 was airborne less than 90 seconds when the aircraft apparently collided with a flock of birds, according to a review of Federal Aviation Administration tapes and transcripts..

Landing Hailed as 'Miracle on the Hudson,' Probe Begins, Pilot to be Interviewed Today
15 January, 2009: In what New York's governor called a miracle on the Hudson, a veteran pilot glided a US Airways jetliner with two dead engines onto the river's frigid surface so smoothly Thursday that all of the 150 passengers and five crewmembers escaped serious injury..

Pilot Praised for Masterful Landing
15 January, 2009: Passengers on the US Airways flight that crash-landed into the Hudson River Thursday afternoon praised the actions and courage of the pilot, a safety consultant with 40 years of experience in the aviation industry..

U.S. Airways A-320 Goes Down in Hudson River
15 January, 2009: A U.S. Airways plane has crashed into the Hudson River, sending passengers fleeing for safety in the frigid waters..

Gwinnett Flights to Hartsfield Set
14 January, 2009: Lawrenceville-based Wings Air said Monday that it will begin flights from Gwinnett County to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport beginning Feb. 1..

Warrant Issued for Missing Pilot
13 January, 2009: Indiana authorities filed felony charges and a court issued an arrest warrant for a financial manager who apparently tried to fake his death by crashing his airplane in a Florida swamp..

Airlines Go Two Years With No Fatalities
12 January, 2009: For the first time since the dawn of the jet age, two consecutive years have passed without a single airline passenger death on a U.S. carrier..

Boeing Falls Behind Airbus As Orders Drop 53%
9 January, 2009: Boeing took orders for 662 commercial planes last year, a 53% drop from 2007, handing the title of biggest-selling plane maker to arch-rival Airbus and signaling the end of an unprecedented three-year boom in jetliner sales..

Continental Pilot Says He Tried to Keep Jet On Runway
8 January, 2009: The pilot of an airliner destroyed after veering off a Denver runway last month told federal safety investigators he struggled to keep the aircraft on course during the attempted to takeoff..

No Obvious Culprit in Continental 737 Accident at Denver
7 January, 2009: New NSTB information on the runway excursion by a Continental 737-500 departing the Denver International Airport the night of 20 December reveals no obvious failure mechanism that would have caused aircraft to depart the left side of the runway..

UFOs Spotted Over New Jersey Towns
6 January, 2009: Strange, red, blinking lights could be seen across Morris County on Monday night, and officials thought they had figured out what caused them..

Airlines Sue FAA Over Crew Rest Rules
5 January, 2009: Several of the nation's largest airlines have joined in a lawsuit to block stronger federal rules on crew rest during the longest international flights..

Airlines Close The Books on Turbulent 2008
2 January, 2009: The meteoric rise and fall of the price of oil was the story for the airline industry for much of 2008, but as the year that brought big losses and hefty stock declines for many carriers drew to a close the erosion of demand for seats..

Airbus CEO Wins Champagne Bet After A380 Delivery
31 December, 2008: Dubai's Emirates airline received its fourth A380 superjumbo on Tuesday, winning a Champagne bet for the head of manufacturer Airbus as it reached a key 2008 target with two days to spare..

LaGuardia Trying to Reduce Delays
30 December, 2008: Federal aviation authorities have proposed lowering the cap on flights at New York LaGuardia from 75 to 71 per hour in an effort to reduce congestion..

Two Plane Incidents at Chicago's O'Hare Airport
25 December, 2008: A passenger jet preparing to take off from the airport skidded off the runway at Chicago, Illinois' O'Hare and another plane was forced to return there after engine problems were reported, officials said..

NTSB: Wheels, Brakes Didn't Cause Continental Accident
24 December, 2008: Early indications show no problems with the landing gear, tires or brakes on the Continental Airlines jet that veered off a runway at Denver International Airport in Colorado, despite earlier reports..

Denver Crash Baffles Aviation Experts
23 December, 2008: The co-pilot of the Continental Airlines jet that veered off a Denver runway Saturday has told investigators that the takeoff acceleration was normal until the plane made a sudden left turn, investigators said Monday..

Landing Gear, Wheels, Brakes Possible Cause of Denver Crash
22 December, 2008: A problem with the landing gear, tire or brakes may have caused a Continental Airlines jet to veer off a runway into a 40-foot-deep ravine during its take-off at Denver International Airport, a source told CNN Monday..

Passengers Escape Burning Jet in Denver
21 December, 2008: Firefighters said it was like something out of a movie passengers emerging from a smoke-filled ravine where the remains of a Boeing 737 lay in flames, its landing gear and left engine shorn off..

Hartsfield Traffic Will Remain Steady as Compared to Last Christmas
19 December, 2008: Holiday traffic at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport is expected to be about as busy as last year, but travelers may encounter smaller crowds at other airports around the country as airlines cut back flight schedules..

NASA Looks for Places to Display Retired Space Shuttles
18 December, 2008: If your organization has the right stuff, it could display one of the U.S. shuttles that NASA plans to retire from service in 2010..

Satellite Air Traffic Control to be Tested at Newark
17 December, 2008: At odds over how best to reduce flight delays, the Port Authority and FAA are laying down their swords long enough to sign an agreement to make Newark Liberty International Airport the nation's first major hub to test the next generation of satellite navigation technology designed to reduce air traffic congestion..

FAA Makes Special D.C. Flight Rules Permanent
16 December, 2008: Airspace restrictions and procedures implemented around Washington after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are now permanent..

Delta to Offer In-Flight Internet
15 December, 2008: Delta Air Lines will be the latest domestic airline to offer inflight Internet for passengers, launching paid WiFi service on Tuesday on its East Coast shuttle flights..

FAA Moves to Avoid Confusion During Delta-Northwest Integration
12 December, 2008: The FAA has issued new phraseology rules in an effort to avoid confusion over the identification of Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines aircraft..

Boeing Again Delays 787 Test Flight, Delivery
11 December, 2008: Boeing has further delayed the initial test flight and delivery of its highly anticipated 787 jetliner, citing the impact of a recent strike and production problems..

Pilots: Cockpit Recordings From Crashes Should Not Be 'Public Entertainment'
12 December, 2008: The main pilots federation called for a ban on the public release of cockpit voice recordings from deadly crashes, saying Wednesday the final moments of accident victims should not be used for public entertainment..

Controllers, FAA Say Serious Incidents Up at Atlanta Airport
9 December, 2008 (VIDEO): Air traffic controllers at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport said Friday that the numbers of errors and close calls in the sky above Atlanta has skyrocketed..

Military Jet Crashes in San Diego Neighborhood
8 December, 2008: A military jet crashed into a residential neighborhood in San Diego, California, on Monday as it tried to land at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar..

FAA Begins to Roll Out Next-Gen ATC
5 December, 2008: After years of development and testing, the Federal Aviation Administration announced on Monday that it plans to begin deploying a nationwide air traffic control system that tracks aircraft by satellite rather than radar..

In School With Air Traffic Controllers
4 December, 1998 (VIDEO): Packed air traffic control schools cause concern among some, but the FAA says the recruits are top notch..

Air Travel Demand Drops; Delta Trims Capacity for 2009
3 December, 2008: Air travel demand was far lower in November than expected enough to persuade Delta Air Lines to lock in 2009 capacity cuts of 6% to 8%..

New DFW Taxiways to Speed Ride Between Gate, Runway
1 December, 2008: Passengers landing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport have always had time to call ahead during the slow ride to the gate – which can take up to 20 minutes in the busiest times..

Space Shuttle Endeavour Lands in California
30 November, 2008: Dangerously high wind and a stormy sky prevented space shuttle Endeavour from returning to its home base in Florida on Sunday, and NASA ordered the astronauts to take a detour and land in sunny California..

Search Teams Hunt for Airbus Jet Crash Remains
28 November, 2008: Search and rescue teams worked through the night to find the remains of an Airbus jet that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea with seven people aboard, the jet's owner, Air New Zealand, said Friday..

FAA Gives Green Light to NextGen Satellite System
26 November, 2008: In a step that promises to greatly improve the efficiency of air transportation for millions of Americans, FAA Acting Administrator Robert A. Sturgell today gave the green light to nationwide deployment of a system that allows aircraft to be tracked by satellite rather than radar..

Fewer Delays Expected For Holiday Travel
25 November, 2008: Thanksgiving holiday fliers will face packed planes this week, but there's one piece of good news: Flight delays have fallen sharply this fall..

In-Flight Net Access Takes Off On Virgin America
24 November, 2008: Monday, Virgin America plans to become the latest airline to offer in-flight Wi-Fi Internet, a service with a problematic past that still promises far-ranging flexibility in entertainment.

New Runways Open at 3 of Nation's Busiest Airports
20 November, 2008: Brand new runways are opening at three major airports Thursday, giving the aviation community something to cheer about in a year of dismal economic and travel news..

Whistle-Blower ATC Files Claim Against FAA
18 November, 2008: An air traffic controller who told authorities that the Federal Aviation Administration covered up safety issues at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has filed a discrimination claim charging the agency with refusing to promote her because of her complaints..

New Runways For Chicago, D.C., & Seattle
17 November, 2008: Three airports will unveil new runways on Nov. 20. Seattle-Tacoma's 8,500-foot-long runway cost $1 billion to build and is designed to cut down on delays by allowing two streams of traffic to land in poor visibility conditions..

NASA Keeps Eye on Two Shuttle Issues
15 November, 2008: NASA said Saturday that the day-old mission of space shuttle Endeavour, which is carrying seven astronauts to the international space station, is going smoothly despite problems with a lost thermal blanket and a malfunctioning antenna..

Space Shuttle Endeavour Blasts Off to Space Station
14 November, 2008: Riding a brilliant ball of flaming liquid rocket fuel into the sky, the space shuttle Endeavour left Earth tonight, carrying seven astronauts on a 15-day mission to the international space station. While there, the astronauts will increase the station's living space with room for six instead of the current three..

Third Sea-Tac Runway About to Open
13 November, 2008: Sea-Tac International Airport's third runway opens to commercial service Nov. 20 at a time of economic upheaval and staggering losses for the airline industry..

Boeing, Air New Zealand Set Biofuel Test Flight
12 November, 2008: Air New Zealand and Boeing have set Dec. 3 as the date for a test flight powered partially by biofuel, the companies said..

Airlines Could Cut More Flights
11 November 2008: More cuts in airline schedules may await travelers after the holidays there are early signs that the usual after-Christmas falloff in travel could be deeper than airline managers had expected..

Shuttle Mission to Focus on Comfort in Space
10 November, 2008: The international space station is about to get all the comforts of a modern, high-end, green home: a fancy recycling water filter, a new fridge, extra bedrooms, workout equipment and the essential half-bath..

What Obama Might Do for Aviation
7 November, 2008: The aviation biz is on the edge of its narrow coach-class seats waiting to how president-elect Barak Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress address the laundry list of issues..

Newest Air Defense: Bird Dogs
6 November 2008 (VIDEO): Just in time for the fall migrations, Southwest Florida International Airport has unleashed its newest tool for keeping birds and aircraft apart. She's Sky, a 1-year-old border collie less than two months into her job of shooing birds off the airfield..

Boeing Delays First 787 Test Flight
5 November, 2008: Boeing Co. said Tuesday the first flight of its long-delayed 787 jetliner has been postponed until next year due to an eight-week strike by union workers..

DNA Links Bones to Fossett
4 November 2008: Authorities say they've positively identified some of Steve Fossett's remains: two large bones found a half-mile from where the adventurer's plane crashed in California's Sierra Nevada..

Delta Gets Its Chance to Dominate Aviation
3 November, 2008: Delta Air Lines executives long talked of being in the pilot's seat when the next big wave of consolidation swept the airline industry..

Delta Exec Takes Reins of Subsidiary
30 October 2008: Delta Air Lines' president and head of its new Northwest subsidiary, Ed Bastian, flew to Minneapolis on Thursday to meet with employees from Northwest, saying his first priority will be spending time with them now that the two carriers have merged..

Feds Give OK to Delta-Northwest Merger
29 October, 2008: The Justice Department on Wednesday approved a much-anticipated merger between Delta and Northwest, clearing the way for creation of the world's largest airline..

Jet Fuel's Down, But Surcharges Have Stuck
28 October, 2008: Despite lower jet-fuel prices, fuel surcharges on international tickets are much higher than a year ago, according to an analysis of airline fare data..

Want to Live Over Your Airplane?
27 October, 2008: Bob Banman has spent so much of his life at the little airport in this old farm town that calls itself the Citrus Capital of the World that he has decided to move in -- lock, stock and airplane..

NTSB Reviews Jet's Skid Landing at O'Hare
24 October, 2008: The pilots of an American Airlines flight carrying 185 passengers were forced to make an unusual emergency landing last month in Chicago with limited ability to control the jet after they lost electrical power, according to newly released information..

Human Error Stubborn Sag In Airline Safety
23 October, 2008: Pilots reported 55 cases in which they attempted to take off without properly extending the flaps, according to the data..

Fuel Costs Push United to $779 Million Loss
22 October, 2008: Citing nearly $1 billion in higher jet fuel costs, United Airlines Tuesday reported a third-quarter net loss of $779 million or $6.13 per share..

Fuel Costs Fall, But Air Fares Not Likely To Follow
21 October, 2008: The financial hit at the gas pump is a lot less painful since oil prices dropped dramatically but don't expect airfares to follow the same heading..

Check Out Your Future Check-In
20 October, 2008: Space travel, security threats and increasing passenger numbers are forcing major changes in the way airports are designed..

NTSB Urges Inspections After Aircraft Engines Found With Missing Parts
17 October, 2008: Federal safety officials have found several passenger aircraft engines with damaged and missing parts and urged the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday to order inspections of all similar engines..

Atlanta Airport Opens Bird Sanctuary
16 October, 2008: The world's busiest airport has taken time to transform a dried lake bed into a serene 56.5-acre sanctuary nestled 15 miles south of the bustle..

FAA Probes Rerouting Claim
15 October, 2008: Federal aviation officials are investigating whether air traffic controllers violated federal rules by rerouting four airliners to test the skills of a controller-trainee..

Best And Worst Times To Fly
14 October, 2008: Knowing which flights are likelier to arrive on time can help you plan, or at least let you know what you're in for..

Boeing Facing Triple Threat
13 October, 2008: In the face of a Machinists strike, the global economic crisis and tightening credit markets, Wall Street analysts are sounding the alarm about Boeing..

AP Says Airlines Could Save $10 Billion a Year With GPS
10 October, 2008: U.S. airlines could save $10 billion a year in fuel costs by 2025 if the FAA upgrades to a satellite-based air-traffic control system, The Associated Press reports..

New O'Hare Tower to Take Flight Next Month
8 October, 2008: Ever want a job with spectacular views for miles and miles around, plus a light enough workload to fully enjoy the scenery?..

Now That Oil Prices Are Down, Why Aren't Airfares?
7 October, 2008: Since oil prices have fallen off recently, why haven't airfares fallen too?..

Report Faults FAA Over Maintenance Outsourcing
6 October, 2008: Nine major U.S. airlines are farming out aircraft maintenance at twice the rate of four years ago and now hire outside contractors for more than 70% of major work, the government says..

The World's Scariest Runways
3 October, 2008: It's 10:45 a.m. on a cloudy day, and the crew of Druk Air flight KB205 is preparing to land at their home airport of Paro, Bhutan. Suddenly, ominous warnings start blaring, alerting them that their flight angle is all wrong and their rate of descent is far too fast. They fly a series of unconventional right-and-left banks through a narrow channel of hillsides before centering the swaying jet and putting it on the tarmac..

Remains Found in Fossett Plane Wreckage
2 October, 2008: A small amount of human remains has been found in the wreckage of the plane that adventurer Steve Fossett was flying when he disappeared last year, a National Transportation Safety Board official said Thursday..

Pilot's License Found in California May be Fossett's
1 October, 2008: A hiker in a rugged part of eastern California found a pilot's license and other items possibly belonging to Steve Fossett, the adventurer who vanished on a solo flight in a borrowed plane more than a year ago, authorities said Wednesday..

Hubble Glitch Will Delay Repair Mission Until 2009
30 September, 2008: NASA said Monday it is delaying its shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope until next year because of an unexpected breakdown of the telescope..

Airfares Aren't Taking Off Everywhere
29 September 2008: Air fares are up, right? The short answer is yes 22 fare increases this year. But fares in some cities are flat or even down, as fierce competition keeps airlines from charging as much as they would like..

Seattle's New Runway Tested
26 September, 2008: The first commercial-type aircraft tested Seattle-Tacoma International's third runway last week. An Alaska Airlines 737 performed several touch-and-go landings as part of the certification process for the new runway, which is scheduled to open Nov. 20..

FAA: Progress Being Made On Runway Safety
25 September, 2008: Under pressure to reduce close calls on airport runways, federal aviation officials say they are making progress..

NASA Pushes Hubble Repair Launch Back to Oct. 14
24 Spetember, 2008: NASA is delaying next month's shuttle launch to the Hubble Space Telescope because of problems stemming from Hurricane Ike and replacement parts for the observatory..

Plane Crashes After Takeoff From Atlanta's Peachtree Dekalb Airport
23 September, 2008: DeKalb County fire and rescue crews are on the scene of a plane crash into a yard in the northern part of the county this afternoon. Details were unavailable, but officials confirmed a plane went down in a front yard at about 2 p.m. today..

SC Jet Crash Cockpit Recorder Sounds Consistent With Tire Blow Out
22 September, 2008: Federal investigators have been able to listen to both the cockpit voice recorder and air traffic control's tape from Friday night's plane crash..

S.C. Learjet Plane Crash Kills 4
20 September, 2008: Officials say a Learjet has crashed while departing from a Columbia, S.C., airport, killing four people on board and injuring two others..

Credit Crunch Does in DayJet, Ceases Operations
19 September, 2008: DayJet, which flew 28 Eclipse 500 very-light jet aircraft for on-demand passenger service, said Friday it ceased operations and eliminated most jobs..

FAA Head Says Chicago Could Need New Airport
18 September, 2008: A new Chicago airport or a vast expansion of one of the city's existing airports will be necessary to keep pace with booming demand for air travel in the coming decades, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration said today..

FAA Rushed Approval of Eclipse Jet , Officials Say
17 September, 2008: Government regulators rushed to approve the design of a new small jet in 2006 despite widespread concerns about technology problems and compromised safety, according to testimony that was to be delivered before Congress on Wednesday..

Spain Crash Probe Says Wing Flaps Not Deployed On Takeoff
16 September, 2008: A passenger jet that crashed last month in Madrid did not have its wing flaps deployed during takeoff, and a cockpit warning system failed to alert pilots to the problem, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN on Tuesday..

Continental to Resume Houston Flights, Southwest Waits
15 September, 2008: Continental Airlines Inc. said Sunday it would resume flights in and out of Houston on Monday, but Southwest Airlines won't resume operations here until Tuesday..

Houston Airports Closing Friday Because of Ike
12 September, 2008: The approach of Hurricane Ike is prompting officials to close Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports on Friday..

Raytheon Wins $437M Air Traffic Control Training Contract
10 September, 2008: The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday awarded a 10-year, $437 million contract to aerospace and defense company Raytheon Company to support training of air traffic controllers..

Officials Find 17 New Cases Of Airlines Missing Safety Bar
9 September, 2008: Federal aviation regulators discovered 17 new cases of airlines failing to comply with critical safety mandates in a review prompted by revelations this year of widespread maintenance violations, officials said Friday..

No Sign of Talks in Boeing Strike
8 September, 2008: As a strike by 28,000 Machinists for The Boeing Co. headed into the work week, there were few signs that the two sides were ready to start talking again..

FAA Flight-Plan System Has Long History of Problems
7 September, 2008: FAA FlightPlan System Has Long History of Problems: Investigations reveal that the 20-year-old, mainframe-based IT system has crashed several times in the last nine years and that the FAA has been planning its replacement for at least four years..

FAA Investigating 11 Air Carriers On Safety Issues
5 September, 2008: Federal aviation officials say they are investigating 17 cases in which 11 air carriers did not comply with safety directives..

One Year Later, Teams Continue Search Efforts To Find Fossett
4 September, 2008: Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of famed aviator and adventurer Steve Fossett, and though official search efforts for the billionaire have ended, friends and admirers continue to scour the desolate Nevada landscape for some sign of what happened..

Airlines July On-Time Performance Improves
3 September 2008: Delta Air Lines regional subsidiary Comair had the worst on-time performance in July among airlines surveyed by the Transportation Department, according to government data released Wednesday..

FAA Outage Reveals Odd Computing Practices
2 September, 2008: When a computer glitch at a Federal Aviation Administration center caused widespread airline delays this week, it served as a reminder that the U.S. flight system is waiting for a modernizing overhaul..

As Summer Ends, Fliers Brace For Airline Changes
29 August, 2008: The grip U.S. airlines have on travelers wallets is about to get tighter as carriers go ahead with plans to trim their domestic schedules due to the high cost of fuel..

Spanair: Crashed Plane Had Earlier Problem
28 August, 2008: The Spanair plane that crashed last week in Madrid, killing 154 people, had landing gear trouble a month ago on a flight from Spain to Denmark and was forced to abandon a first attempt at takeoff, the company acknowledged Wednesday..

Air Traffic Back To Normal After Glitch
27 August, 2008: The Federal Aviation Administration center in Henry County oversees flight plans for the eastern half of the United States. So when the center experienced an unprecedented computer glitch Tuesday, the problems quickly hop-scotched across the country..

Atlanta Based FAA Flight Plan Computers Down
26 August, 2008: The Federal Aviation Administration says computer problems are causing delays for planes in the air and on the ground around the country this afternoon. Few details were immediately available, but reports indicate that a computer glitch has forced air traffic controllers to move planes one by one from their current locations..

Air Traffic Controllers to Benefit From New Training Simulators
25 August, 2008: Thousands of air traffic controllers in Oklahoma City will become the first in the country to train using new state-of-the-art simulators, beginning Sept. 2..

Kyrgyzstan Plane Crash Kills Dozens
24 August, 2008: An Iran-bound Boeing 737 with 90 people on board crashed Sunday near the airport in Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek, killing dozens of passengers, a government official said..

Skies Unkind To Flight Attendants
24 August, 2008: Flight attendants, whose work places them between the struggling airlines and an increasingly angry flying public, may just have the worst job around these days..

Spain Crash Latest Trouble For MD-80 Aircraft
21 August, 2008: The latest crash has raised more questions about the medium-range workhorse that is a staple of American, Delta and other airlines. An MD-80 and a similar twin-jet plane, the MD-84, crashed last year in Turkey and Thailand..

Most Feared Dead in Spain Runway Accident
20 August, 2008: Spain's Interior Ministry says 45 people are dead after an airliner bound for the Canary Islands swerved off the runway and caught fire during takeoff from the Madrid airport..

Jumbo Jets Become a Rare Treat
19 August, 2008: Soaring jet fuel bills are forcing more of the already endangered jumbo jets from U.S. domestic service..

Airlines Push For Homegrown Jet Fuel
18 August, 2008: With the price of oil still above $100 a barrel, everything from wood chips to chicken fat is being scrutinized as an alternative to traditional fuel..

American Airlines Fined $7.1 Million For Safety Violations
15 August, 2008: Federal regulators announced $7.1 million in fines against American Airlines on Thursday over maintenance issues and problems with its drug- and alcohol-testing programs..

TSA Screener Testing Labeled a Waste
14 August, 2008: A government program to find gaps in airport screening is a waste of money because it doesn't follow up on why screeners failed to spot guns, knives and bombs on undercover agents, the head of the House Homeland Security Committee says..

Delta, Northwest Pilots Approve Joint Labor Contract
13 August, 2008: Delta and Northwest pilots have approved Delta and Northwest pilots have approved a joint labor contract that will take effect when the two airlines' proposed merger closes..

Plan to Reroute NYC Air Traffic Challenged
12 August, 2008: Some of the nation's wealthiest neighborhoods are mounting a fierce legal challenge to block a government plan to untangle air traffic responsible for 75% of flight delays across the USA..

Private Planes on TSA's Radar
11 August, 2008: The Transportation Security Administration plans to regulate thousands of private planes now flying with no security rules..

Boeing Sees First 787 Cancellation, Lags Airbus
8 August, 2008: Boeing has announced the first cancellation of an order for its delayed 787 Dreamliner, signaling that airlines may be getting impatient for deliveries of the new, fuel efficient plane..

Air Traffic Controller 'Texts' Disabled Plane In
7 August, 2008: A quick thinking air traffic controller's texting saved an aircraft with five people on board which had lost all it's communications and electrical power..

Judge: FAA Owes Air Traffic Controllers Overtime Pay
6 August, 2008: A federal judge has ruled that the Federal Aviation Administration's personnel authorities do not allow the agency to compensate air traffic controllers who work overtime in credit hours and compensation time instead of paying them standard time-and-a-half rates, as required under the federal 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act..

Delta to Offer Wi-Fi On Mainline Domestic Fleet
5 August, 2008: Delta Air Lines said Tuesday it will offer broadband wireless Internet access on its entire domestic mainline fleet by the middle of next year..

Will Fares Go So High That Only The Rich Can Fly?
4 August, 2008: Deregulation of the airline industry 30 years ago made air travel affordable to most Americans..

Dubai's Emirates A380 Takes Off to New York
1 August, 2008: Emirates first A380 lifted off from Dubai this morning for New York JFK, where it is scheduled to land at 4:45 pm this afternoon..

1 Alive, 7 Dead, 2 Missing in Minnesota Business Jet Crash
31 July, 2008: At least one person survived a plane crash that killed at least seven Thursday in Owatonna, Minnesota..

Atlanta Once Again Tops List of the World's Busiest Airports
30 July, 2008: Nearly 4.8 billion passengers took to the air last year, with Atlanta's Hartsfield International atop the list of the world's busiest terminals, followed by Chicago's O'Hare and London's Heathrow..

Investigating Increase In Runway Incursions (VIDEO)
29 July, 2008 (VIDEO): An investigation has uncovered more troubling questions about your safety when you fly..

FAA Warned of Oxygen Tank Danger Pre-Qantas Problem
28 July, 2008: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines to inspect oxygen cylinders on their planes months before the dramatic mid-air emergency last week aboard a Qantas flight that investigators suspect was caused by an exploding tank..


Hole in Qantas Jet Forces Emergency Landing
25 July, 2008: A Qantas flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne made an emergency landing in the Philippines on Friday after a hole appeared in the fuselage and the cabin lost pressure suddenly..

FAA Seeks Industry Partners to Test Incursion Preventatives In The Cockpit
24 July, 2008: The US Federal Aviation Administration hopes to have electronic flight bags with moving map airport displays or aural ground..

FAA Recruiting Teenagers for ATC (VIDEO)
23 July, 2008, VIDEO: The race is on to find new air traffic controllers, so the FAA is recruiting teenagers..

Airlines May Pay Congestion Fees
21 July, 2008: Delta Air Lines Inc. and other carriers could be forced to pay extra to fly at peak times, and if so, that cost will likely be passed on to travelers..

Beijing: No Flights During Olympics Opening
18 July, 2008: Airlines are being told to stay away from Beijing's airport during the opening ceremony of the Olympics and further scrutiny is being applied to foreign entertainers in the latest security moves ahead of next month's games..

US Airways Pilots Pressured to Cut Fuel
17 July, 2008: The pilots union for US Airways said Wednesday the airline is pressuring pilots to use less fuel than they feel is safe in order to save money..

FAA to Require Fuel Tank Changes
16 July, 2008: The federal government today plans to require that the safety of thousands of airline jet fuel tanks be upgraded to prevent explosions like the one that downed TWA Flight 800 in 1996..

New York Air Traffic Controllers Say FAA Desperate For ATC
15 July, 2008: With numbers of flyers at an all-time high and many veteran controllers preparing to retire, the FAA is making its pitch for more air traffic controllers anywhere young people will listen.

FAA Announces Runway Safety Improvements
14 July, 2008: The Federal Aviation Administration announced measures Monday to improve runway safety, including the installation at major airports of lights that signal pilots when a runway is safe to enter..

Cutting The Cost of a $77,000 Fill-Up
11 July, 2008: As manager of flight operations efficiency, Scott Turner is the man American Airlines has tapped to make sure its fleet of 700 aircraft uses every drop of fuel as efficiently as possible..

How Air Traffic Control Helps Pilots Avoid Storms
10 July 2008: While you're buckled comfortably in your airplane seat, the public address system unexpectedly crackles to life. From the flight deck, passengers please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts. No great surprise, it's thunderstorm season..

FAA Orders New Round of Safety Inspections For MD-80 Aircraft
9 July, 2008: The Federal Aviation Administration is ordering U.S. airlines to conduct safety inspections to look for cracking on overwing frames on certain MD-80 series aircraft, a directive that could be a headache for an industry reeling from soaring fuel costs..

Feds Probe JFK Near-Miss Claim
8 July, 2008: Federal aviation officials were looking into a claim by air traffic controllers that two planes one departing for Chile and one landing from the Cayman Islands came within about 100 feet of a collision at New York's Kennedy airport over the weekend..

Expecting Delta Northwest Merger, Hartsfield Jackson Plans Expansion of Runway 27R / 9L
7 July, 2008: The Delta-Northwest merger hasn't been approved yet, but officials of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport are beginning to behave as if it's a done deal..

Controllers Worry Airport Go-Arounds Possible Safety Hazard
4 July, 2008: Air Traffic Controllers worry that without more safeguards, a deadly accident is going to happen..

American Airlines to Cut 7,000 Jobs, Eliminate Flights
3 July, 2008: American Airlines expects to cut nearly 7,000 employees by the end of the year, or about 8 percent of its worldwide work force, as it reduces flights and grounds aircraft because of high fuel costs, the airline told employees Wednesday..

Eclipse Says Throttle Problem is Fixed
2 July, 2008: In the wake of the June 5, 2008 incident during which a pilot of an Eclipse 500 experienced loss of throttle response during a windshear escape maneuver, Eclipse Aviation announced that it's working with Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) and FAA to develop and certify an upgrade to the FADEC software that will prevent recurrence of the engine control problem..

Feds Look Into Eclipse Jet Safety Complaint
1 July, 2008: Federal officials are investigating claims that regulators approved the design of a revolutionary new small jet in 2006 despite safety concerns raised by engineers and test pilots..

New Center Taxiway Completed At LAX
30 June, 2008: The Federal Aviation Administration and the City of Los Angeles marked the completion of a $333 million renovation of the south airfield at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at a ceremony held June 24. The renovation included the construction of a new center taxiway that runs between the airfield's two parallel runways..

Delta Pilot Chief Spells Out Deal With NWA Pilots
30 June, 2008: Delta and Northwest pilots have agreed to submit to binding arbitration to help them craft an integrated seniority list if the two sides cannot reach a deal on their own within a certain timeframe..

Sleeping Pilots Overshot Airport by 359 Miles
27 June, 2008: An Air India flight soared past its Mumbai destination on June 4 as its pilots dozed off in the cockpit, The Times of India reported Thursday..

Report: TSA Screeners Low Morale May Hurt Airport Security
27 June, 2008: Low morale among the nation's airport screeners may be compromising security and forcing screeners to quit their jobs..

American Airlines Service Cuts to Hit Several Major Airports
26 June, 2008: American Airlines will cut back flying later this year at many airports, including hubs in Dallas and Chicago, as it attempts to cope with record high fuel prices..

Air Traffic Controllers Union Rejects Final FAA Contract Offer
24 June, 2008: The Federal Aviation Administration's settlement offer, what the agency says is its last and final offer, is just another tactic to delay the only true resolution to the dispute between our organizations, a return to good faith negotiations..

United Flight Canceled After Upset Pilot Refuses to Fly
23 June, 2008: United canceled a flight from Salt Lake City Thursday afternoon after the pilot announced to passengers that he was too upset to fly, according to one passenger on board..

Passenger Group Sues to Stop Delta-Northwest Merger
18 June, 2008: A group of airline passengers sought to scuttle the proposed merger between Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp., alleging in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that the deal would result in an illegal monopoly..

DayJet, Embry-Riddle, FAA Team On NextGen
17 June, 2008: The partnership wants to develop procedures that could be used on a national scale to deploy NextGen..

NATCA's Forrey Says FAA Hiring Problems Outweigh Labor Dispute
16 June, 2008: Coming off the Tuesday report from DOT's inspector general, NATCA president Patrick Forrey had a Wednesday appointment to speak in Congress..

FAA Orders Immediate Inspection of Throttles on Eclipse Personal Jets
13 June, 2008: Federal regulators ordered immediate inspection of throttles on small personal jets manufactured by Eclipse Aviation Corp..

Attrition Rate of New Air-Traffic Controllers More Than Doubles
12 June, 2008: New air-traffic controllers are leaving at dramatically higher rates this year, raising concerns about the government's ability to deal with a surge of retirements, a government watchdog group told Congress Wednesday..

NTSB: Drowsy Pilots Show Need For Regulation Reforms
11 June, 2008: The NTSB voted to recommend that federal aviation regulators and airlines use fatigue studies to rewrite the rules for how long pilots can legally fly..

Passenger Plane Crashes in Sudan
10 June, 2008: A plane with about 200 people aboard crashed Tuesday while attempting to land at a Khartoum, Sudan, airport..

Emirates to Launch First Commercial A380 Service to America
9 June, 2008: Air travellers will be able to experience Emirates Airline’s state-of-the-art A380 aircraft for the first time on 1st August, when the airline launches its first A380 commercial service from Dubai to New York JFK..

New Air Lanes Over Ocean to Save Fuel
6 June, 2008: The Federal Aviation Administration is creating new East Coast routes from New York to the Caribbean over the ocean, effective today, to help airlines save fuel and reduce delays..

New Small Jets Spur Concerns
5 June, 2008: A new generation of small jets is raising safety concerns, according to air-traffic controllers and airline pilots..

United Cuts Will Lead to Higher Ticket Prices
4 June, 2008: United Airlines said Wednesday it will reduce its fleet by 100 planes by 2009 and will cut 1,400 to 1,600 jobs to stave off losses related to fuel costs..

For Aviation, A Turbulent Time
3 June, 2008: Amid the problems, we hunt for bright spots in the world of aviation. There aren't many..

Discovery Blasts Off for Space Station
31 May, 2008: Space shuttle Discovery and a crew of seven blasted off Saturday, carrying a giant Japanese lab addition to the international space station along with something more mundane: a toilet pump..

Phoenix Lander Set to Flex Robotic Arm
30 May, 3008: The Phoenix lander is getting ready to flex its muscles on Mars. The spacecraft successfully freed its 8-foot robotic arm from the restraints that kept it folded up and protected from vibrations during the launch and landing, scientists said Thursday..

Discovery Crew to Haul Massive Lab to Space Station
28 May, 2008: Japan is about to roll out the Lexus of space station labs, a whopper in size and sophistication..

Phoenix Probe Lands on Mars
26 May, 2008: A NASA probe landed on Mars north pole Sunday, NASA says. The Mars Phoenix Lander was wrapping up its 296-day, 422 million-mile journey Sunday, with about a 50-50 chance of a successful touchdown on the arctic plains of the Red Planet, NASA officials said..

NASA Preps For 7 Minutes of Terror on Mars
23 May, 2008: In the wake of the wildly successful Spirit and Opportunity rover missions, you would think NASA would approach the landing of the next Martian probe with high confidence..

Airlines Cut Use of Regional Jets as Fuel Costs Soar
22 May, 2008: Record jet-fuel prices are reversing one of the biggest trends in domestic air travel over the last 15 years, and that could leave some smaller cities with fewer daily flights or none at all..

American Airlines Reduces Capacity, Increases Aircraft Retirements
21 May, 2008: In announcing significant cutbacks and the airline's new $15 for a first checked-bag fee, American Airlines CEO Gerard Arpey gives an ominous assessment about industry's future in the face of record-high oil prices..

With Soaring Fuel Costs, Plane Safety Suffers
20 May, 2008: Victims of high fuel prices and a tough economy, airlines face serious issues in trying to maintain aging U.S. fleets. TODAY travel editor Peter Greenberg investigates aviation safety and why the system might be less secure than you think..

FAA Funding in Limbo
19 May, 2008: The US Senate fails to pass an overdue investment bill for the nation's air traffic system..

FAA Takes Over NextGen, Prioritizes Early Results
16 May, 2008: In a surprise move, the FAA announced late last week that it appointed ATO vice president of operations planning Vicki Cox to become senior vice president for NextGen and operations planning..

Atlanta Pushes Ahead With Registered Traveler Program
15 May, 2008: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, the world's busiest airport, said it will recommend New York-based Verified Identity Pass as the operator of its pilot registered traveler program..

U.S. Airlines Expect Fewer Fliers This Summer
14 May, 2008: With air fares up and the economy weak, fewer Americans are expected to fly this summer..

Man Says JetBlue Made Him Sit On Toilet
13 May, 2008: A New York City man is suing JetBlue Airways for more than $2 million because he says a pilot made him sit on the toilet for more than three hours..

Controllers Worry About Newark Airspace Redesign
12 May, 2008: A new takeoff pattern aimed at easing congestion at Newark Liberty International Airport has confused some pilots and led to several incidents in which planes turned in the wrong direction, according to the union that represents air traffic controllers..

DayJet Lays Off 100 Workers, Scales Back Expansion Plans
9 May, 2008: A small startup airline intended to shuttle busy business travelers between regional airports has scaled back its expansion plans and will lay off 100 workers..

Air Safety Bill Crashes as Parties Argue
7 May, 2008: Senate Democrats Tuesday shelved a bill to modernize the aging air traffic control system, improve safety inspections of commercial airlines and ensure passengers stranded on delayed flights get adequate food and water..

NATCA Calls FAAs View On Inspecting Equipment Hypocrisy
6 May, 2008: Following up on an Associated Press report this week -- which noted the FAA has shifted from precise monitoring of equipment used for air traffic control purposes, to a trend-based methodology -- the National Air Traffic Controllers Association slammed the agency for what the union terms its hypocrisy..

Planes Slow Down To Save Fuel
2 May, 2008: Drivers have long known that slowing down on the highway means getting more miles to the gallon. Now airlines are trying it, too -- adding a few minutes to flights to save millions on fuel..

Rising Costs Reshaping Air Travel
1 May, 2008: Record-high oil prices are threatening to ground millions of travelers who have grown accustomed to flying for fun and business during the past 30 years..

Airbus Begins Review of A380 Delivery Schedule
30 April, 2008: Airbus is conducting a major review of its delivery schedule for the A380 superjumbo, the company's chief executive said Tuesday, a plane that has been plagued by delays..

Senate Clears Procedural Step On FAA Authorization
29 April, 2008: The Senate on Monday agreed, 88-0, to limit debate on a four-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, moving closer to a vote on the bill that could take place by Thursday..

United, US Air in Advanced Combo Talks
28 April, 2008: United Airlines and US Airways are in very advanced talks with the expectation of announcing within two weeks that they are combining, a person close to the negotiations told The Associated Press on Monday..

FAA: Dallas Air Traffic Controllers Falsified Reports
25 April, 2008: Dallas air-traffic controllers hid dozens of safety errors that allowed planes to fly too close together, federal officials said Thursday..

NTSB: Cracked Wing Parts Found on US Airways Planes
24 April, 2008: Federal investigators found cracked wing fasteners on a US Airways plane that lost a wing panel over Maryland in March, according to the National Transportation Safety Board..

Delta, Northwest Report $10B Losses on Fuel, Market Value
23 April, 2008: Delta Air Lines, the nation's third-largest carrier, says its loss widened in the first quarter to a whopping $6.39 billion due to soaring fuel prices and the steep decline in the company's market value..

FAA Bill Could See Senate Vote Soon
22 April, 2008: Senate Democratic leaders are trying to bring the FAA reauthorization bill — long viewed as dead for this year — to a floor vote this week or next..

DOT Chief: Panel to Examine Aviation Safety
21 April, 2008: An outside team of aviation safety experts will review the government's oversight of the airline industry in the wake of the maintenance scandal that has rocked the aviation industry in recent weeks, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said Friday..

Delta Hires Power Brokers to Help Push Merger Deal
18 April, 2008: Delta Air Lines has put together a heavyweight team of lobbying and law firms to help clear the way for its proposed merger with Northwest..

Your Private Air Travel Options Are Growing
17 April, 2008: With the advent of very light jets (VLJs), people in the United States have more choice in terms of private air travel than ever before..

Delta-Northwest Merger Still Faces High Hurdles
16 April, 2008: To hear old buddies Richard Anderson and Doug Steenland talk, the proposed merger of Delta and Northwest airlines not only will sail through the usually tough antitrust review process, it'll usher in a new era of airline prosperity..

Long Expected Delta-Northwest Merger Announced
15 April, 2008: Delta Air Lines finally announced its long-rumored deal to acquire Northwest Airlines, a combination that will create the world's largest airline and could lead to a series of other deals to reshape the U.S. airline industry..

Delta, Northwest Boards Meet Tonight On Merger Deal
14 April, 2008: The boards of Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines are scheduled to meet Monday night to decide whether to approve a merger that would create the world's largest airline in terms of traffic, according to people familiar with the talks..

Unions Say FAA Radars Could Fail
11 April, 2008: NATCA and PASS said this week that the $2.4 billion FTI network which relays radar data and other information to air traffic control centers and other vital operational centers around the country is prone to failure..

Wire Harness Inspections Prompt Hundreds of Flight Cancellations
10 April, 2008: American Airlines canceled more than 900 flights Thursday as it continues to perform safety inspections on certain jets..

Not So Dreamy: Boeing Delays 787 Delivery
9 April, 2008: Boeing (BA) announced on Wednesday the third major delay on its 787 Dreamliner, citing slow progress on assembly and continuing problems with suppliers, putting the program about 15 months behind schedule..

Feds Announce New NYC Airspace Chief
8 April, 2008: A former Sept. 11 rebuilding official was tapped Tuesday to be the new air traffic czar over the overcrowded airspace around New York and New Jersey airports..

Delta and Northwest to Revive Merger Talks
7 April, 2008: Delta Air Lines has agreed to revive merger talks with Northwest Airlines despite the pilots of the two companies not having reached agreement on the transfer of seniority in a merger, a person briefed on the situation said Monday..

Third Airline Shuts Down This Week
5 April, 2008: Skybus Airlines announced Friday it is shutting down its passenger flights -- becoming the third airline this week to cease operations..

House Hears of Threats at FAA Hearing
4 April, 2008: In startling disclosures to Congress, federal inspectors overseeing Southwest Airlines say they were repeatedly thwarted by senior government officials from reporting critical problems that compromised the safety of passengers..

FAA Looks At Suspect Mechanics
3 April, 2008: The Federal Aviation Administration is struggling to resolve 75 of an initial 2,000 cases in which students are suspected of obtaining fraudulent aviation mechanic certificates that helped them secure potentially sensitive jobs throughout the..

Pilots: Cockpit Dangers Being Ignored
2 April, 2008: Regulators have largely ignored a series of dangerous incidents in which cockpit windshields in commercial airliners shattered in mid-flight, sometimes forcing emergency landings, according to an American Airlines pilots' group..

NTSB Probes Jet Brake Failures Tied to Crossed Wires
1 April, 2008: Two accidents with United Airlines have been linked to misconnected wiring, raising questions about maintenance at the nation's airlines..

Airlines Lighten Up to Cut Fuel Costs
31 March, 2008: Your ginger-ale doesn't come in a glass anymore on most US Airways flights. On Delta you'll find yourself in a thinner, lighter seat. If you fly JetBlue cross-country, you'll get a dainty bag of 100-calorie crisps in place of the original snack box..

Shuttle Endeavour Touches Down in Darkness
27 March 2008: The Space Shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven returned to Earth Wednesday, making a rare nighttime touchdown to wrap up a two-week adventure at the international space station..

3,000 Air Traffic Controllers Lacking Worldwide
26 March, 2008: The worldwide shortage of air traffic controllers, excessive use of overtime and the absence of just culture were among the pressing issues addressed by the more than 300 delegates at the 47th International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA) annual conference held in Arusha, Tanzania, between March 10-14..

FAA Sees Three ATC Outages In Two Days
25 March, 2008: FAA controllers had to contend with three serious ATC outages over the weekend of March 22, including two on the same day at some of the agency's largest ATC facilities, according to new information from the controllers union..

Boeing 787 May Face Additional Delays
24 March, 2008: Design changes to part of the wing of Boeing's new 787 jetliner might further delay its first flight, according to the head of an aircraft leasing company that has ordered 74 of the planes..

2 Dead In Floyd County Plane Crash
21 March, 2008: The Beechcraft BE76 Dutchess crashed just after takeoff from the Richard B. Russell Regional Airport in Rome..

Shorter Training Period For Air-Traffic Controllers Jeopardizes Passengers, Union Says
21, March, 2008: An effort to shave at least a year off the time it takes to train air-traffic controllers is jeopardizing the safety of the flying public and causing potentially deadly errors, the controllers union at a Chicago-area radar facility charged Wednesday..

Criticism of FAA Stacks Up
20 March, 2008: 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 air-traffic-control system..

NATCA Blames East Coast Delays On Staffing
19 March, 2008: What the National Air Traffic Controller's Association calls a 'worsening air traffic controller shortage' at one of the nation’s busiest radar control centers, Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZDC), forced the Federal Aviation Administration to delay flights headed to, from or above the nation’s capital region on several occasions Saturday..

Latest On Go! Pilots Who Might Have Fallen Asleep
18 March, 2008: Air traffic controllers tried to reach a go! Airline flight 11 times without a response, during a flight a month ago..

What Flies 700 mph & Costs $58M?
17 March, 2008: Gulfstream said its new G650 will be capable of flying nearly 700 mph, faster than a Boeing 747..

Orlando ATC Say They Are Tired
14 March, 2008: Orlando Air traffic controllers say they are overworked and underpaid..

Brits Arrest Man With Backpack on Heathrow Runway
13 March, 2008: A man was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport on Wednesday after getting onto the runway, police said..

Southwest Airlines Grounds More Than 40 Planes
12 March, 2008: Southwest Airlines says it grounded 41 planes last night in the wake of its recent admission that it had missed required inspections of some planes for structural cracks..

Endeavour On Way To International Space Station
11 March, 2008: Shuttle Endeavour and a crew of seven blasted into orbit Tuesday on what was to be the longest space station mission ever, a 16-day voyage to build a gangly robot and add a new room that will serve as a closet for a future lab..

Safety Probe Puts FAA in Hot Seat
10 March, 2008: The Federal Aviation Administration should clean house from top to bottom and has too cozy a relationship with the airlines, the head of a congressional committee investigating airline safety inspections said Friday..

Planes Avert Midair Collision Over Pennsylvania
7 March, 2008: Two airplanes with more than 100 passengers on board averted a collision in air east of Pittsburgh after an Ohio air traffic control trainee told a Delta Air Lines pilot to turn into the path of an oncoming plane, officials said..

Records: Southwest Airlines Flew Unsafe Planes
6 March, 2008: Discount air carrier Southwest Airlines flew thousands of passengers on aircraft that federal inspectors said were unsafe as recently as last March, according to detailed congressional documents obtained by CNN..

Report Critical of FAA Oversight of Airplane Parts
5 March, 2008: The Federal Aviation Administration lacks an adequate system for checking the quality of commercial airplane parts, creating a potential safety risk for airline passengers, according to a new oversight report..

Astronauts Eager For Marathon ISS Construction Flight
4 March, 2008: The seven-astronaut crew of NASA's shuttle Endeavour is gearing up for the longest construction mission ever aimed at the International Space Station (ISS)..

A320 Jet Scrapes Wing During Landing Attempt in Germany
3 March, 2008:(VIDEO) Battling blustery weather, a Lufthansa Airlines flight scraped its wing on the ground during a landing attempt in Hamburg, Germany, over the weekend..

Delta Takes Delivery of New Boeing 777
1 March, 2008: Delta Air Lines President Ed Bastian said the carrier may consider ordering more of the big Boeing 777s later this year such as the new one it picked up here Friday..

FAA Probing FedEx Planes' Near Miss
29 February, 2008: Two FedEx jets got too close to each other on takeoff from the Memphis airport last week because of confusion over flight numbers for the planes, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said Thursday..

Busy Airports Could Get Runway Warning System
28 February, 2008: Responding to escalating concerns about runway-collision hazards nationwide, federal aviation regulators are moving toward installing computer-controlled ground warning lights at nearly two dozen busy airports..

777's Power Loss Concerns Aviation Officials
27 February, 2008: Passenger planes aren't ever supposed to lose power in midair. That's been a foundation of design for decades yet a British Airways Boeing 777 did just that as it approached Heathrow Airport in London on Jan. 17..

Delta, Northwest Shares Fall Amid Merger Doubts
26 February, 2008: Delta Air Lines Inc and Northwest Airlines Corp shares fell on Monday partly on concerns their merger talks may fail on the inability of pilots to agree..

FAA Certifies 1,000th WAAS-Based Approach Procedure
25 February, 2008: AOPA says the FAA has implemented the 1,000th GPS-based instrument approach that uses WAAS (wide area augmentation system)..

Why Delta-Northwest Merger Won't Work
22 February, 2008: There was little doubt last summer when former Northwest Airlines executive Richard Anderson took the helm at Delta Air Lines that the carrier would gobble up a competitor..

FAA Wants To Know If Go! Pilots Fell Asleep
21 February, 2008: The Federal Aviation Administration has opened an investigation into whether two go! airlines pilots fell asleep during a flight from Honolulu to Hilo last Wednesday..

Shuttle Atlantis Safely Home Ahead of Satellite Shootdown
20 February, 2008: Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew returned to Earth on Wednesday, wrapping up a 5 million-mile journey highlighted by the successful delivery of a new European lab to the international space station..

Delta, Northwest Merger Looks Imminent
19 February, 2008: The boards of Delta and Northwest airlines could decide as soon as today whether to go forward with a merger, according to a report.

FAA Ramps Up Efforts To Hire Controllers
18 February, 2008: In what the agency termed an effort to streamline the application process for air traffic controllers, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Friday it has created consolidated screening and testing centers to provide one stop shopping for prospective new employees..

Lawmakers Warned Of Rising Incursion Rate
14 February, 2008: Witnesses testifying yesterday at a House aviation subcommittee hearing on runway safety stressed that although FAA has made great strides in addressing the issue, runway incursions continue to climb..

Ground Trouble: Runway Incursions Rise
13 February, 2008: Millions of passengers fly each year, expecting to reach their destinations safely. While virtually all flights do arrive unscathed, many passengers do not realize the danger they may be in before they even reach the sky..

Adam Aircraft Suspends Operations
12 February, 2008: The inability to raise $100 million to stay afloat has forced very light jet manufacturer Adam Aircraft to suspend operations at its Colorado facilities, the company announced late Monday..

Air Traffic Controller Strike Disrupts Paris Air Traffic
11 February, 2008: A strike by some French air traffic controllers disrupted air traffic in and out of Paris on Monday, the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) said..

Failed Landing Fear Prompts Emergency Landing at Atlanta's Peachtree Dekalb Airport
8 February, 2008: (VIDEO) A flight instructor and student land a plane with malfunctioning landing gear at an Atlanta, Georgia, airport..

Shuttle Atlantis En Route To Space Station
7 February, 2008: After two months of delay, shuttle Atlantis blasted off Thursday with Europe's gift to the international space station, a $2 billion science lab named Columbus that spent years waiting to set sail..

Weather Outlook for Atlantis Launch Worsens
6 February, 2008: Thursday's launch of the space shuttle Atlantis has a 70% chance of getting rained out, NASA mission managers said this morning..

2007 Airline Delays 2nd Worst Ever
5 February, 2008: A quarter of domestic flights failed to arrive on time in 2007 — the industry's second poorest performance on record — and analysts say it is likely to get worse..

Sky Harbor Busy as Super Bowl Fans Leave
4 February, 2008: A super travel crunch at Phoenix Sky Harbor today as Super Bowl Fans began heading home. At the Glendale Airport, a twin-engine corporate jet skidded off the runway when its landing gear collapsed while taxiing for take-off. Two people aboard escaped injury..

SuperBowlAirspace.com Gives Pilots, Aviation Buffs, Unique Access to Phoenix Skies
1 February, 2008: The Arizona skies will be full of private jets and commercial flights this weekend as spectators jet into Phoenix for Super Bowl XLII and the Phoenix-FBR Open Golf Tournament. SuperBowlAirspace.com gives travelers and the curious public an inside look at air traffic over Phoenix..

Private Jet Companies Score in Super Bowl
31 January, 2008: Super Bowl mania has spread to the nation's airspace: Private-jet companies are charging up to $70,000 for a flight in and out of the Phoenix area for Sunday's football spectacle..

U.S. Air Traffic Controller Force In Crisis
30 January, 2008: Higher-than-forecasted air traffic controller retirements and total controller attrition over the past few years have left the United States with the lowest number of fully trained and certified controllers since 1992, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association..

NATCA Says More Than Half of New Hires at Major Miami Radar Center Have Received No Training at All
29 January, 2008: Six out of every 10 new hires at Miami Center, South Florida's largest Federal Aviation Administration facility, are not receiving adequate preparation for their future air traffic controller jobs because of a worsening controller staffing crisis that has left the FAA without enough fully certified controllers to train them..

Southwest Flight Skids Off Taxiway in Spokane
28 January, 2008: A Southwest Airlines plane with 118 passengers on board skidded off a snow-covered taxiway Sunday afternoon after safely landing at Spokane International Airport, the airline said..

Computer Glitch Leads To Delays Along East Coast
25 January, 2008: Another computer problem has resulted in some tense moments in US skies and delays to dozens of flights on the ground. At least 265 flights along the East Coast were affected this week, after a computer glitch cut off communications at Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center..

DOT Chief Scolds Congress For Sitting On The Sidelines
24 January, 2008: Transportation Secretary Mary Peters blasted Congress for its inability to pass an aviation funding bill the Bush administration says will help ease airline delays..

Virgin Unveils Spaceship Model
23 January, 2008: Entrepreneur Richard Branson Wednesday unveiled a model of the spaceship he hopes will be the first to take paying passengers into space on a regular basis next year..

Delta Reports Narrower Q4 Loss on Higher Sales
22 January, 2008: Delta Air Lines, the nation's No. 3 carrier, reported Wednesday it was hampered by high fuel prices in the fourth quarter but was able to post a narrower loss on a solid increase in sales..

FAA Investigates Latest Close Call Near Newark
21 January, 2008: The FAA is investigating an alleged air traffic control error that put two planes landing at Newark Liberty International Airport closer than federal guidelines allow..

600 Feet Up, Jet's Engines Did Not Respond
18 January, 2008: Two engines on the British Airways plane which crash landed at Heathrow 'did not respond' to a demand for increased thrust about two miles from touchdown, an initial report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said Friday..

Delta Merger Likely to Get Government OK
17 January, 2008: If Delta Air Lines tries to merge with either Northwest or United airlines, it likely would win the approval of the Bush administration's pro-business Justice Department, consumer advocates and Wall Street analysts say..

British Airways 777 in Heathrow Accident
16 January, 2008: Witnesses have described how the pilot of a British Airways passenger jet that crash landed at London's Heathrow Airport on Thursday appeared to be struggling to bring the plane down safely as it came in low over surrounding houses..

More ATL Flights On Time
15 January, 2008: Hartsfield-Jackson International was one of only two large U.S. airports that improved in on-time performance last year, a new report says..

NASA Targets Shuttle Atlantis Launch for Feb. 7
14 January, 2008: NASA is targeting Feb. 7 for shuttle Atlantis' launch to the International Space Station to deliver the European Columbus module..

Jets Nearly Collide at Atlanta Airport
12 January, 2008: A Mexico-bound Delta Air Lines Boeing 757 came within a few seconds of colliding with a smaller commuter jet Friday in Atlanta as the smaller jet crossed a runway in front of the larger craft, which was going more than 100 mph on a takeoff roll..

Exodus of Air Traffic Controllers Suggests Skies Aren't Safe Anymore
11 January, 2008: Air traffic controllers today declared what they called a staffing emergency in major traffic hubs across the country — Atlanta, Chicago, New York and southern California..

Boeing 787 Dreamliner May Face Further Delays
10 January, 2008: Boeing Co faces a further three-week delay on its new 787 Dreamliner, a respected industry blog reported Wednesday, as the plane maker hustles to meet its end-March deadline for getting the plane in the air for the first time..

FAA Announces Pay Raises For Air Traffic Controllers
9 January, 2008: The Federal Aviation Administration told its employees yesterday that they would receive a 3.08 percent pay raise and a geographic-based increase that will average about 1 percent plus an additional raise based on individual job performance..

FAA Tries To Lure Union With New Pay Hike Offer
8 January, 2008: FAA is offering a new pay proposal to its controllers in an attempt to resolve a long-running contract dispute, but it appears unlikely that the controllers' union will accept the deal.

Air Traffic Controllers Still Demanding New Agreement With FAA
7 January, 2008: Attempts by acting FAA administrator Robert Sturgell to strike a new labor accord with the air traffic controllers union were not welcomed by the head of the organization..

For Third Year In a Row, Atlanta Airport is Nation's Busiest
3 January, 2008: For the third year in a row, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has retained its title as the nation's busiest airport in terms of flights, according to preliminary government data released Wednesday..

Redacted Air-Traffic Safety Survey Released
2 January, 2008: NASA yesterday released partial results of a massive air-safety survey of airline pilots who repeatedly complained about fatigue, problems with air-traffic controllers, airport security, and the layouts of runways and taxiways..

New Law Slows Pilots' Flight to Retirement
1 January, 2008: Kenny Rooke won't be retiring as soon as he thought —- and that's fine with him. Rooke, a pilot for Delta Air Lines, turns 60 on New Year's Day..

2 Close Calls in 2 Hrs. For O'Hare Jets
31 December, 2007: Controller errors at two Chicago area air traffic facilities led to a pair of mid-air close calls Thursday night, both involving passenger planes going to or from O'Hare Airport, authorities said Friday..

Weather Causing Delays at Hartsfield-Jackson
28 December, 2007: If you're flying out of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Friday afternoon, you might experience some significant delays..

Airlines Take Another Look at Inflight Internet
27 December, 2007: Airlines and service providers seeking to deliver high-speed Internet services to passengers say they've learned from Boeing Co.'s 2006 decision to pull the plug on its ambitions to outfit its planes with a similar service..

U.S. Airlines Spruce Up Their Luxury Offerings
26 December, 2007: Now that they're again earning profits after five yeas of industry losses, American, United, Delta, Northwest, Continental and US Airways are finally forging ahead with upgrades to take on foreign rivals..

American Father, Girl and Pilot Dead in Panama Crash
25 December, 2007: The bodies of two Americans and the Panamanian pilot of a plane that crashed over the weekend were found Tuesday in Panama's mountains, officials said. Officials said one girl survived..

Desperate for Pilots, Airlines Ease Standards
24 December, 2007: A worldwide shortage of pilots is putting less-experienced fliers at the controls of passenger jets and even forcing some airlines to cancel flights for a lack of crews..

Delta II With GPS Payload Successfully Launches
21 December, 2007: Air Force space technicians successfully launched a United Launch Alliance Delta II booster Dec. 21 carrying the fifth modernized NAVSTAR Global Positioning System satellite into space..

NATCA Says Controller Woes Will Affect Safety Under DOT Congestion Plan
20 December, 2007: Be prepared for trouble. That was the ominous message conveyed by Patrick Forrey, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, hours after the announcement of new procedures to be put in place by the government to combat flight delays and congestion along the East Coast of the United States..

Changes For Better On Horizon For Fliers In 2008
18 December, 2007: Luggage may be no lighter and the gate agent may be no less rude in the new year, but 2008 promises improvements on several fronts for air travelers..

Delta Spending $100 Million to Upgrade Airport's Luggage Labyrinth
17 December, 2007: Delta Air Lines is betting 5 miles of conveyors coupled with huge new baggage carousels at its Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport hub will help fliers retrieve their bags a lot faster..

Congress Votes to Extend Pilots Retirement Age to 65
13 December, 2007: The Senate was scheduled to consider a measure late Wednesday that could allow airline pilots to continue flying past age 60..

Boeing Says 787 Shouldn't Face Further Delays
12 December, 2007: Boeing Co. said Tuesday that its schedule for the 787 Dreamliner remains on track and it does not currently envision further delays in the much-ballyhooed airplane..

Near Collision Sunday Night at JFK
11 December, 2007: Two planes almost collided on Sunday at JFK Airport. Senator Charles Schumer said that an air traffic controller said, 'That was the closest I have ever seen two airplanes get together.'..

Fuel Sensor Grounds Shuttle Again
10 December, 2007: A technical problem that NASA engineers were sure they had solved has returned to delay a space shuttle mission for the sixth time in less than three years, just as the shuttle needs to finish its work before retiring in the fall of 2010..

Fuel Sensors Force NASA to Delay Launch Until Saturday
7 December, 2007: With less than a week of launch window left, NASA has decided to postpone the next attempted liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis to Saturday, after a recurrent fuel-sensor problem scrubbed Thursday's launch..

Cable Mishap Causes Communications Problems for Boston Air Traffic Controllers
6 December, 2007: Air traffic controllers had to switch to backup radio frequencies to contact planes approaching Logan International Airport for two hours today, after a technician cut the wrong communication cable, a Federal Aviation spokesman said..

Risk is High For Catastrophic Runway Crash, Report Warns
5 December, 2007: There is 'a high risk of a catastrophic runway collision occurring in the United States,' congressional investigators concluded Wednesday..

Airlines Cut U.S. Schedules Despite Strong Demand
5 December, 2007: Responding largely to high fuel costs, the USA's six big network airlines continue to trim their U.S. schedules despite strong travel demand..

Atlantis Prepared For Thursday Launch
4 December, 2007: Seven astronauts arrived for the start of countdown to Thursday's space shuttle launch as NASA wrapped up repairs on Atlantis' fuel tank..

Airport Delays Threaten NYC Economy
3 December, 2007: Increasing delays at New York area airports are giving air traveler's heartburn, and have even fueled the drive for an Airline Passengers Bill of Right, and they are also taking a financial toll on the city..

56 Feared Dead in Turkey Jet Crash
30 November, 2007: All 56 people onboard a Turkish plane that crashed in southern Turkey early Friday are believed to have been killed, according to the airline's chief executive officer..

United CEO: Support Building For Mergers
29 November, 2007: The head of United Airlines said Tuesday he no longer feels like a voice in the wilderness in arguing that airlines must consider consolidation to withstand competitive challenges, including rising fuel costs..

Aviation Workers Soon to Get More Criminal Checks
28 November, 2007: More than a million aviation workers including pilots, mechanics and flight attendants will begin undergoing more thorough background checks in January as the U.S. focuses on preventing insider terrorist attacks..

Airline, Feds Dispute Man's Claim of Near-Miss
27 November, 2007: A local man returning home from a Thanksgiving trip in Denver says his flight experienced a near-miss early Monday at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport..

Inside Delta's Flight Control Center (VIDEO)
26 November, 2006 (VIDEO): NBC's Tom Costello has a very detailed look at the nerve center in one of the busiest airports in America, Atlanta Hartsfield..

New York's Skies Fly Near Their Limit
23 November, 2007: It does not take an airline executive or federal aviation official to recognise that the skies above New York's three main airports are jammed with aircraft travelling to and from the US's biggest city..

Plane Delayed? Philadelphia's Airport Could Be To Blame
22 November, 2007: In a terrible year for flight delays nationwide, this city's outdated airport has become a hub of the East Coast maelstrom..

Experts Hope Extra Airspace Will Ease Travel Woes
21 November, 2007: Planes crisscrossing the East Coast will have access to military airspace Wednesday afternoon, a handy accommodation as fog and winter weather threaten to make one of the year's busiest travel days even more tedious..

Hedge Fund Pitches Delta Merger to Investors
20 November, 207: Hedge fund Pardus Capital Management LP, lobbying for a merger between Delta Air Lines Inc and UAL Corp, plans to pitch its proposal to other investors Friday..

Holiday Travel Off to a Rough Start
19 November, 2007: Bad weather and an airport technical problem stalled Thanksgiving holiday travel on Monday -- and conditions are likely to worsen as Turkey Day nears..

Indianapolis Center Controller Has Deal, Error Nearly Led to Jets Colliding
16 November, 2007: Two commercial airliners nearly collided over Indiana because of an air traffic controller's error, but a cockpit safety device in one jet helped avert a disaster, aviation officials said Thursday..

Unused Military Air Space to Become 'Express Lane'
15 November, 2007: Ahead of the holiday travel crunch, President Bush ordered steps Thursday to reduce air traffic congestion and long delays that have left passengers stranded..

Hedge Fund Proposes Delta to Buy United; Delta Open To Deals
15 Nnovember, 2007: Delta Air Lines said Wednesday it is open to a combination with another airline and was looking at deals even before one of its major shareholders wrote to push it to make a bid for United Airlines..

Airbus, Boeing Smash All Records For Plane Sales
14 November, 2007: Airbus and Boeing ensured 2007 smashes all records for plane sales as deals announced at the Dubai air show topped $82 billion on Monday, powered by demand from Gulf Arab states..

FAA May Say 'No' to Airlines Expanding at O'Hare
13 November, 2007: The Federal Aviation Administration said a cap on flights into O'Hare International Airport won't necessarily be lifted instantly next year when a new runway is scheduled to open..

NATCA Takes FAA To Task For 'Creative' Math
12 November, 2007: Not so fast. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said Wednesday the number of serious incidents of aircraft getting too close in the air rose sharply last month, exceeding the Federal Aviation Administration’s goal for the month by 36 percent despite the FAA's claims of a reduction in such incidents..

NTSB: Near-Collision Videos Show Runway Dangers
9 November, 2007: The National Transportation Safety Board has released dramatic animation of two runway near-collisions this year to illustrate what the agency says is the need for improvements in runway safety..

Discovery Lands Safely at Kennedy Space Center
7 November, 2007: Discovery's astronauts aimed for an early afternoon touchdown Wednesday to conclude a 15-day mission that saved a space station wing and allowed construction to continue at the orbiting outpost..

Who is to Blame For Chaos at Kennedy?
6 November, 2007: Who's to blame for the astounding delays at New York's busiest airport?

Executive Jet Crash Kills 8 in Brazil
5 November, 2007: An executive jet crashed in a heavily populated neighborhood of Sao Paulo on Sunday, killing at least eight people and turning homes into a pile of smoky rubble just months after the city was the site of Brazil's deadliest air disaster.

Pilots Reportedly Slept During Overnight Flight
2 November, 2007: Two commercial pilots allegedly fell asleep on a flight between Baltimore and Denver, with one pilot waking up to frantic calls from air traffic controllers warning them they were approaching the airport at twice the speed allowed..

Sex Ban on the Airbus A380
1 November, 2007: The A380 may have the world’s first airborne double bed, but it won’t be put to the obvious use if Singapore Airlines has its way: “If couples used our double beds to engage in inappropriate activity, we would politely ask them to desist,” said the company’s Stephen Forshaw..

NASA Wrestles Ripped Solar Panel
30 October, 2007: Spacewalking astronauts bolted a solar power tower to the international space station on Tuesday, completing an ambitious three-day moving process that ended with elation when the beam's giant solar panels began to unfurl..

As Skies Grow Crowded, FAA Preps Air Traffic Control 2.0
29 October, 2007: If you were one of the thousands of Americans stuck at an airport or stranded on a runway this past summer, you're probably not surprised that 2007 is shaping up as the worst year ever for flight delays, with nearly 30 percent of all flights arriving late between January and August..

FAA Expands Air Traffic Education Program
26 October, 2007: The number of prospective air traffic controllers is expected to increase significantly now that nine new colleges and universities have been selected by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to train students to be controllers.

Giant Plane Flies Into History
25 October (VIDEO): CNN's Richard Quest reports on the first public flight of the new, giant Airbus A380.

Acting FAA Chief Nominated for Administrator
24 October, 2007: A former Topgun Navy fighter pilot who went on to fly commercial jetliners is being nominated to run the Federal Aviation Administration for the next five years..

Shuttle Discovery Blasts Off to International Space Station
23 October, 2007: Seven astronauts blew kisses as they climbed into a fully fueled Discovery for liftoff Tuesday for a backbreakingly difficult space station construction mission, despite a gloomy forecast calling for rain right around launch time..

NASA Refuses to Disclose Air Safety Survey
22 October, 2007: Anxious to avoid upsetting air travelers, NASA is withholding results from an unprecedented national survey of pilots that found safety problems like near collisions and runway interference occur far more frequently than the government previously recognized..

Air Traffic Controllers Fly The Coop
21 October, 2007: Far more veteran air traffic controllers than the government expected have retired since the Bush administration imposed a contract on their union on Labor Day 2006, new data shows..

Man Builds $30,000 Jumbo Jet Simulator
19 October, 2007: John Davis spent eight years and building a Boeing flight simulator in a room in his house and now the hobby has turned into such a full-time..

Shuttle Discovery Cleared For Launch Despite Wing Shield Concerns
18 October, 2007: NASA's senior managers cleared space shuttle Discovery for liftoff Tuesday, overruling a safety group that called for further studies and wing repairs, if necessary, before next week's launch..

PASS President Warns Lawmakers of Dangers in FAA's ADS-B Contract
17 October, 2007: The Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS), AFL-CIO, the union that represents FAA technical employees who install, maintain, repair and certify radar, navigation and communication systems equipment, testified today before the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Aviation, to discuss its concerns regarding the FAA's Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) contract.

Delta CEO: Merger May Be in Company's Best Interest
16 October, 2007: The chief executive of Delta Air Lines said Tuesday a merger could be in the best interest of the nation's third-largest carrier, but he did not elaborate on any talks the company may be having..

Airbus Delivers First Superjumbo A380
15 October, 2007: Nearly two years late, Airbus finally delivered its first A380 superjumbo on Monday, a revolutionary behemoth that includes luxury suites equipped with comfy double beds..

Lawmakers Question FAA on Contract
12 October, 2007: Lawmakers on Wednesday questioned aviation regulators' ability to oversee a multibillion-dollar air traffic control system modernization following problems with a much smaller outsourcing deal with Lockheed Martin Corp..

Memphis Air Traffic Control Failure Examined
11 October, 2007: Ron Carpenter and his fellow air traffic controllers were busy keeping more than 200 airplanes on course over seven states when their communication system crashed..

Mold Sickens Atlanta Center ATC
10 October, 2007: The air-traffic controllers who manage one of the nation's busiest air spaces say their building just outside metro Atlanta is making them sick..

Hope Fades That Fossett Cheated Death
9 October, 2007: With winter closing in, efforts to find aviator Steve Fossett have dwindled -- along with hopes that his proven ability to cheat death enabled him to survive a plane crash in the rugged desert of northern Nevada..

AOPA Finds ADS-B Proposal Needs Work
8 October, 2007: AOPA has taken a first look at the FAA's complex new ADS-B proposal, and found plenty of technical and cost issues that will affect general aviation pilots.

On-Demand Airline DayJet Begins Service
5 October, 2007: DayJet officially launched Wednesday its on-demand business airline that uses very light jets to shuttle people to five of Florida's regional airports..

A380 Makes First U.S. Stop on Preparatory Tour
3 October, 2007: A test model of the world's largest passenger jet landed Tuesday at Bradley International Airport, the first of three stops this week to prepare the aircraft for U.S. service..

A319 Escapes Disaster After Landing With Brakes On
2 October, 2007: A British jetliner narrowly escaped disaster when the flustered pilot landed with the brakes ON..

Fatal Airplane Crashes Drop 65%
1 October, 2007: After two infamous crashes in 1996 that together killed 375 people, a White House commission told the airline industry and its regulators to reduce the domestic rate of fatal accidents 80 percent over 10 years..

Bush Seeks Changes to Cut U.S. Airline Delays
28 September, 2007: U.S. President George W. Bush directed deputies on Thursday to devise a plan to shorten airline delays, an initiative that could force carriers to change schedules and pay more to use crowded airports at the busiest times of the day..

Delta Scores Atlanta to Shanghai Route
27 September, 2007: While Delta Air Lines' clearance to begin flights between Atlanta and Shanghai, China, got lots of attention Tuesday, the airline is expected Wednesday to announce a bigger overseas expansion from its New York hub..

Radar Fails in Memphis; Hundreds of Flights Affected
26 September, 2007: Air traffic controllers were forced to use their personal cell phones to reroute hundreds of flights Tuesday after the Federal Aviation Administration's Memphis Center lost radar and telephone service for more than two hours, snarling air traffic in the middle of the nation..

Aviation Convention Flies Into Atlanta
25 September, 2007: The 8,000-member National Business Aviation Association kicks off its 60th annual meeting in Atlanta starting Tuesday. The event, runs through Thursday, is expected to attract 30,000 attendees..

Eclipse Aviation Turns To Automotive Industry For Inspiration
24 September, 2007: Nearly a year after winning FAA type certification, Eclipse Aviation CEO Vern Raburn casts blame in a lot of directions when asked why his company has been able to deliver barely 50 small jets-far short of the hundreds he had forecast..

NATCA Cheers House Approval Of FAA Reauthorization Bill
21 September, 2007: The nation's air traffic controller workforce rejoiced at the passage of the House FAA Reauthorization bill, which -- if passed into law -- would provide a glimmer of hope for controllers working under an FAA-imposed contract for over a year..

House Passes FAA Funding Bill
20 September, 2007: But a veto threat from the White House and a different approach from the Senate mean the agency's budget is still up in the air..

Fixing the Air Traffic Mess
19 September, 2007: This summer's record level of flight delays is just the beginning. As our skies become more crowded and airline passengers approach a billion a year, the nation's air traffic control system is close to maxing out its capacity..

New Air Traffic Tower Opens at Dulles
18 September, 2007: Though it has been operational since July, officials at Dulles Airport officially unveiled the brand-new air traffic control tower on Monday..

Mystery Deepens as Search for Millionaire Aviator Continues
17 September, 2007: With the Nevada-based search for missing aviator and adventurer Steve Fossett starting its third week, parallels are being drawn to the mystery of Amelia Earhart's disappearance over the Pacific Ocean 70 years ago..

Plane Crash in Thailand; 60 Reported Killed
16 September, 2007: A Thai airliner carrying 130 people crashed Sunday at the Phuket airport in southern Thailand shortly after landing, witnesses and officials said..

NTSB Wants Pilots To Get New ELTs ASAP
14 September, 2007: The National Transportation Safety Board recommended last week that pilots be required to equip their aircraft with a 406-MHz emergency locator transmitter (ELT). The recommendation comes as satellites will no longer monitor 121.5-MHz ELT signals after February 1, 2009..

It’s Bird Eat Bird in a Cluttered Sky
13 September, 2007: The summer travel season is building toward its Labor Day peak, and fliers are growing ever angrier about delays. Now, the beleaguered airline industry is trying to shift the blame onto an unlikely villain: corporate jets, which the airlines claim are literally crowding passenger planes out of the sky..

As Marion Blakey Gets Ready to Leave FAA..
12 September (editorial): .. the vultures are circling. An article in USA Today questions her decision to become president of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), suggesting a potential conflict of interest..

FAA Head: Airlines Need to Reduce Schedules to Cut Delays
11 September, 2007: Dogged by record flight delays, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday said airlines need to shrink their schedules or potentially face government action..

Pilots: Cockpits Remain Vulnerable to Terrorist Assault
10 September, 2007: If one hardened cockpit door is good, would two barriers be even better?..

Boeing Pushes Back First 787 Test Flight
7 September, 2007: Boeing said Wednesday that the first test flight of its new 787 Dreamliner would likely come in mid-November to mid-December, about three months later than originally planned..

FAA Moves to Trim Delays
6 September, 2007: Federal aviation officials took a major first step Thursday in easing a record logjam of delays in the nation's aviation system by approving a long-term plan that would shift aircraft routes around New York and Philadelphia..

For Airlines, Hands-On Air Traffic Control
5 September, 2007: At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta Air Lines said its jets take off an average of 10 minutes after pushing back from the gate — three minutes faster than in previous years..

Aviation Record-Holder Steve Fossett Missing
4 September, 2007: World aviation record-holder Steve Fossett is missing and a massive search is under way in western Nevada, a Nevada aviation spokeswoman said Tuesday..

Safety in the Skies Divides Air Traffic Controllers
3 September, 2007: The next time you board an airliner and buckle your seat belt, you are about to fly through a bitter labor dispute between some of the people most responsible for your safety in the skies..

Airbus A380 Scrapes Wingtip in Bangkok
1 September, 2007: An Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger jet, scraped the tip of a wing on a building at Bangkok's international airport Saturday as it was preparing for a demonstration flight, officials of the aircraft company and Thai Airways said..

ITT Chosen For Air Traffic System Overhaul
31 August, 2007: A team led by defense company ITT (ITT) on Thursday won a government contract worth up to $1.8 billion to build the first portion of a new satellite-based air traffic control system..

FAA Chief: Funding Delays Could Lead to Flight Chaos
30 August, 2007: For months, the nation's top airline regulator has been urging Congress to approve funding for a massive upgrade of the air transportation system..

Airport Radar Soon a Blip in History
29 August, 2007: ADS-B will create a nationwide system to replace radar with a far more accurate aircraft tracking system based on the Global Positioning System..

Two Jets Damaged After Bump at LAX
28 August, 2007: An Alaska Airlines jet bumped into another one Monday while pulling away from a gate at Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said..

FAA Testing Navigation System That May Reduce Flight Delays
27 August, 2007: On a flight out of a Philadelphia airstrip on Friday, the FAA showcased parts of a new navigational system to a group of reporters. The agency hopes it can eventually help reduce flight delays by allowing aircraft to fly closer together..

NATCA: Strain Showing At SoCal TRACON
24 August, 2007: The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) says there have been five operational errors in less than two weeks at the nation's busiest terminal radar control (TRACON) center in San Diego, and it blames a punishing work schedule and gross understaffing..

Virgin America Lifts Off in Rough Weather
23 August, 2007: Virgin America set off with its inaugural flight Wednesday, which could mark the beginning of stiffer price competition with major airlines..

Delta Lands New CEO
22 August, 2007: Delta Air Lines new top executive, Richard Anderson, landed at Atlanta airport Wednesday morning for a quick press conference in the south terminal next to a wall sign that read Welcome Aboard..

Space Shuttle Endeavour Home Safely
21 August, 2007: The space shuttle Endeavour came home a day early on Tuesday after NASA decided to cut short its mission in case Hurricane Dean shut down Johnson Space Center, which directs the shuttle's re-entry and landing..

Fixing the Air Traffic Mess
20 August, 2007: (Editorial from WSJ) This summer's record level of flight delays is just the beginning. As our skies become more crowded and airline passengers approach a billion a year, the nation's air traffic control system is close to maxing out its capacity..

Proof Mounts That Airlines Create Their Own Problems
17 August, 2007: It's the increasing number of airliners competing for runway space -- particularly regional jets -- that are a major cause of airline delays, according to several recent reports cited by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association..

Passenger Jets Come Close to Crashing on LAX Tarmac
16 August, 2007: Two commercial jets nearly collided on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport Thursday..

NATCA Gives Stamp of Approval to ASDE-X Rollout at Chicago and Charlotte
15 August,2007: The National Air Traffic Controllers Association is looking forward to the commissioning of two sites this month for the Airport Surface Detection Equipment – Model X (ASDE-X) system that is very effective in helping controllers prevent runway incursions. ASDE-X will upgrade the ground radar systems at Chicago O’Hare and Charlotte Douglas International Airport..

Comair Sues U.S. Government
14 August, 2007: Comair has named the federal government, Blue Grass Airport and an airport administrator in federal lawsuits that families of victims of a crash a year ago filed against the airline..

Fliers' Net-Surfing Days Inch Closer
13 August, 2007: For most of this decade, airlines have held out the prospect of making in-flight Internet connections routinely available. Now, a half-dozen technology companies are jockeying to offer in-flight broadband to scores of airlines..

FAA Deploys ASDE-X At O'Hare
10 August, 2007: FAA has begun operational use of the airport surveillance system known as ASDE-X at Chicago O'Hare Airport, answering calls by lawmakers to speed up deployment of the system at O'Hare to help reduce runway incursions..

FAA Official Marion Blakey Discusses Delays
9 August, 2007: U.S. airlines are suffering major delays across the country. Federal Aviation Administration official Marion Blakey talks to the NewsHour about what is causing the delays and how the government is handling the frustrating situation..

NASA Fuels Endeavour For Tonight's Launch
8 August, 2007: With good weather predicted for launch time, NASA started fueling space shuttle Endeavour on Wednesday in preparation for its evening liftoff..

FAA Gets Mixed Bag In PASS And NATCA Decisions
7 August, 2007: The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) handed a win and a loss to FAA in two decisions affecting major contract disputes with the agency's controllers and systems specialists unions..

Tarmac Delays Skyrocketed in June
6 August, 2007: The number of jetliners delayed on the tarmac for at least three hours skyrocketed during June as U.S. airline performance generally continued to hover at low levels, a U.S. Department of Transportation report out Monday shows..

FAA: US Airways Pilot Took Wrong Turn
3 August, 2007: A US Airways pilot is under investigation for veering his jet into the path of another airplane over the weekend, federal authorities said Thursday..

Two Planes Nearly Collide At Philly Airport
2 August, 2007: One jet was cleared for takeoff from the Philadelphia International Airport recently, but another pilot ignored instructions from the tower and taxied right in the jet's path, NBC 10 reports. Wednesday, August 1, 2007..

Black Box Reveals Brazilian Pilots' Terror
1 August, 2007: The pilots of doomed TAM Airlines Flight 3054 screamed slow down! and turn, turn, turn! seconds before their Airbus A320 skidded off the runway in Sao Paulo and slammed into a building last month, flight recorder transcripts revealed Wednesday..

Two Planes Collide at Heathrow Causing Millions of Pounds Of Damage
31 July, 2007: Two British Airways planes collided on the tarmac last Friday evening just yards from Terminal 4 when one reversed into the other causing millions of pounds of damage..

Lexington Crash Probe Raises Issue of Air Traffic Controller Staffing
30 July, 2007: Though the National Transportation Safety Board concluded at a meeting Thursday that pilot error was to blame for the crash of Comair Flight 5191 in Lexington, Ky., last August, some panel members raised questions about the role of air traffic controller staffing and scheduling..

Crashes at Air Shows Leave Two Pilots Dead
29 July, 2007: A biplane stunt pilot died after he crashed in front of thousands of spectators during a Dayton, Ohio, air show Saturday, a day after another pilot was killed during an air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin..

Pilot Killed in Collision at Oshkosh Air Show
28 July, 2007: Two single-engine war planes at an experimental air show collided while landing Friday, killing one of the pilots and injuring the other, officials said..

ADS-B Rollout Is on the Way
27 July, 2007: FAA officials showed a handful of aviation journalists a glimpse of the Next Generation Air Transportation System at EAA AirVenture on Thursday afternoon..

NTSB: Pilot Errors Caused Comair Crash
26 July, 2007: Members of the National Transportation Safety Board offered condolences Thursday to families who lost loved ones aboard Comair Flight 5191 last year, then described numerous errors the pilots made before the fatal flight..

Air Traffic Controllers Keep Flights Smooth at World's Biggest Fly-In
25 July, 2007: The task of bringing planes in and out of airports such as Wittman Regional Airport gets a bit more challenging at the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual fly-in, dubbed AirVenture, which officially opened Monday in Oshkosh, about 90 miles northwest of Milwaukee..

Air Traffic Controllers Argue Over Maintenance
24 July, 2007: Air traffic controllers say poor maintenance of their aging work places has hampered and harmed them and could endanger the flying public..

FAA: New Separation Standards More Realistic
23 July, 2007: The US Federal Aviation Administration says a new method for defining reportable operational errors by controllers who allow aircraft in the en-route and terminal area to breach separation minima is intended to be a logical improvement to what had been a subjective process..

One Thruster Turned Off in Brazil Crash
20 July, 2007: One of the two thrust reversers on an airliner carrying 186 people that crashed in a fireball was turned off when the plane landed, the jet's owner said, as officials tried to determine why it raced down a runway instead of slowing down..

Fatal Crash Prompts Calls for Closing Sao Paulo's Congonhas Airport
19 July, 2007: A TAM jet pulled out of an attempted landing Thursday at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport, and federal prosecutors sought a court order to shut down the entire airport -- Brazil's busiest -- until the investigation into this week's crash that killed at least 189 people was completed..

Death Toll 200 in Brazil Air Crash
18 July, 2007: Recovery workers picked through smoldering wreckage Wednesday, searching for victims of a fiery Brazilian plane crash that officials said left at least 200 people dead..

FAA Awards $132 Million Contract to Continue ATC Training in Oklahoma City
17 July, 2007: University of Oklahoma Outreach has received the largest contract in OU history in winning the Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Instructional Support services contract, providing for a base and four one-year options totaling $132 million..

Atlanta's New Runway Helps On-Time Statistics
16 July, 2007: Even though crowded skies are lengthening delays and shortening tempers on the ground, the situation is somewhat better in Atlanta..

Federal Report: FAA Covers Up Air Traffic Control Mistakes at DFW
13 July, 2007: A government investigator has accused the Federal Aviation Administration of covering up mistakes by air traffic controllers at one of the nation's busiest airports and sometimes shifting the blame to pilots..

2 Planes Nearly Collide at Florida Airport
12 July, 2007: Two planes today came within 100 feet of colliding at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after one missed its turn onto a taxiway and entered the runway where the other was about to land, federal authorities said..

Man Flies 193 Miles in Lawn Chair
11 July, 2007: Last weekend, Kent Couch settled down in his lawn chair with some snacks -- and a parachute..

Problems at JFK Ripple Through U.S. Aviation
10 July, 2007: JFK, one of the nation's most storied airports and the most popular for flights into and out of this country is choking on delays, creating a ripple effect throughout the U.S. aviation system..

Boeing Unveils 787 Dreamliner; Airbus Sends Congrats
9 July, 2007: Boeing raised the curtain on its first fully assembled 787 on Sunday to an audience of thousands who packed into its widebody assembly plant for the plane's extravagantly orchestrated premiere..

Some Say FAA Move Could Hide Midair Collision Risk
6 July, 2007: Federal aviation regulators have changed the way they track mistakes that bring planes too close together, a move that some safety experts say could hide risks of midair collisions..

Atlanta Airport Improves In On-Time Arrivals
5 July, 2007: More flights arrived on time at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport during the first five months of the year, thanks in part to clear skies and the new 2 billion fifth runway that became operational last May..

Laser Beam Targets Plane Landing at Logan Airport
4 July, 2007: The pilot of a plane approaching Logan International Airport reported being targeted by a green laser beam as his jetliner descended toward the airport last Saturday night..

Big Airlines Want FAA to Delay Private Jets in New York
3 July, 2007: The leading U.S. airlines urged the Federal Aviation Administration Monday to impose delays on flights by corporate and private jets to help relieve the congestion at New York airports over the Fourth of July holiday..

Air Traffic Controller Shortage in Atlanta
2 July, 2007: Atlanta's WSBTV reports on Atlanta's air traffic controller shortage (VIDEO)..

Bill Would Void Deal With FAA Controllers
29 June, 2007: A House panel voted yesterday to roll back a contract imposed by the government on the nation's air traffic controllers and to send both sides back to the bargaining table, setting up a potential showdown with the Bush administration..

Wing of United Flight Clips AA Jet at O'Hare
28 June, 2007: The wing of a departing jetliner struck the tail of another plane on a holding pad at O'Hare International Airport during a severe thunderstorm Wednesday, authorities said..

Pilot, 23, Ends Round-The-World Jaunt
27 June, 2007; A 23-year-old pilot in a single-engine plane finished his three-month trip Wednesday to become what he says is the youngest person to fly around the world alone..

Stuck on Tarmac? Congress May Help
26 June, 2007: As the busy summer travel season kicks into high gear and flights increase, so too could flight delays. Last week, numerous flights were delayed throughout the Northeast - with many planes stuck on the tarmac - because of thunderstorms and a Federal Aviation Administration computer glitch..

FAA Offers Recruiting Bonus for Experienced Controllers
25 June, 2007: The FAA is offering experienced air traffic controllers (military or civilian) a $20,000 signing bonus if they'll come back to the console for as little as two years..

NATCA Says Conditions In Atlanta TRACON Sliding From Bad To Worse
24 June, 2007: The Atlanta Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility is so short-staffed that Federal Aviation Administration management officials were forced to spend approximately $865,000 in overtime from October 2006 to March of this year to cover for staffing shortages, nearly seven times the amount of overtime spent in the same six-month period in 2005-06..

Space Shuttle Atlantis Lands in California
22 June, 2007: The space shuttle Atlantis and its seven astronauts returned to Earth safely Friday, ending a two-week mission to deliver an addition to the international space station and bring home a crew member from the outpost. Atlantis landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California because of bad weather in Florida..

NASA Hopes for Friday Shuttle Landing
21 June, 2007: NASA planned another attempt to return the space shuttle to Earth on Friday after bad weather in Florida on Thursday kept Atlantis' seven astronauts in space an extra 24 hours..

Atlanta Airport Runway Walk Delivers 'FOD' For Thought
20 June, 2007: More than 150 sleepy-eyed souls — stewardesses, pilots and safety workers — strolled side-by-side down a 9,000-foot-long runway at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport just after sunrise Wednesday..

Democrats May Try to Roll Back Disputed Air Traffic Controller Contract
19 June, 2007: House Democrats may propose rolling back the Federal Aviation Administration’s contract with air traffic controllers in a bill to be introduced this week..

Can Anyone End Epic Flight Delays at NYC Airports?
18 June, 2007: When it comes to getting people to places on time, no airports in the country have done a worse job this year than New York's. Between January and April, 38% of all flights at Newark Liberty, John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia were either late or cancelled..

Get the Flick: ADS-B-Cool
17 June, 2007: You may have noticed all the stories in the press for the last few days about our “outdated” air traffic control system. It’s “outdated” for a reason. But we’ll get to that in a minute. Let’s take a look at the stories themselves..

Flight Delays Tied to Old Computers
15 June, 2007: An antiquated flight-plan computer system overdue for replacement was largely to blame for long air-travel delays on the East Coast last week, critics say..

Atlanta Skies Are Safe, FAA Chief Says
14 June, 2007 The chief of the Federal Aviation Administration said Monday the skies around Atlanta are absolutely safe, despite claims from air-traffic controllers that too many overtime shifts are increasing controller fatigue..

U.S. Airlines Bide Their Time As Fleet Needs Grow
13 June, 2007: Freshly restructured and more-or-less on the mend, U.S. airlines are balancing their need for newer, more fuel-efficient planes with the need to place expensive orders at the optimal time..

Aviation Expert Blasts FAA
12 June, 2007: The FAA is investigating five near mid-air collisions in the New York area during May, and aviation expert Michael Boyd said on The Early Show that the FAA is far behind the times in both technology and senior management skills..

Atlanta Airport Gets $40 Million in Federal Grants
June 11, 2007: The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday announced more than 0 million in grants aimed at improving safety and capacity at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport..

FAA Flight Plan Computer Failure Snarls Flights
8 June, 2007: A computer failure in the nation's air-traffic control system caused untold flight delays Friday, the Federal Aviation Adminstration said..

Pilot Told Tower He Couldn't Control Jet
7 June, 2007: The pilot of the jet carrying a University of Michigan organ transplant team told officials moments before crashing near Milwaukee on Monday that the craft was not responding properly, federal investigators said.

Good Weather For Friday Shuttle Launch
6 June, 2007: NASA started the countdown toward the first space shuttle flight of the year as engineers had no major technical problems and the weather forecast looked favorable for a Friday launch..

A Summer Sequel That No One Wants to See
5 June, 2007: The air travel system is already a mess, and it’s only springtime..

NYC Airports Top Worst-Ever Flight Delays
4 June, 2007: Flights on U.S. airlines arrived late more often the first four months of this year than in any year since the government began tracking the numbers 12 years ago..

FAA Decides Weather Radios Are OK After All
1 June, 2007: Four months ago, weather radios were a distraction. Now, they're not. Federal Aviation Administration officials did an about-face this week, allowing once-banned weather radios back into air-traffic-control towers and radar rooms..

FAA Investigates Near-Miss On The Ground At LAX
31 May, 2007: The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating Thursday yet another near-collision on the ground at Los Angeles International Airport..

Midwest Airlines Tries to Elude AirTran
30 May, 2007: In another move to elude AirTran Airways' hostile takeover attempt, Midwest Airlines will add economy seats to its aircraft to boost revenue and profitability..

Boeing Spares No Detail Streamlining Innards of New 787
29 May, 2007: Boeing Co. has snagged hundreds of orders for its new 787 with a sales pitch that leans heavily on the light, sturdy carbon-fiber composites replacing most of the aluminum on the plane to make it guzzle less fuel and cost less to maintain..

What Can $1.3 Billion Buy?
25 May, 2007: A year ago, Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport proudly opened a new 9,000-foot runway, giving the airfield its fifth runway —- and a greater capacity to land and take off more planes per hour than any other airport in the country..

O’Hare Radar Glitch Forces Switch to Backup Radar System
24 May, 2007: A telephone line glitch left O’Hare International Airport without radar for a few moments Wednesday and forced controllers to use a backup system for about an hour and a half, the FAA and an air-traffic controller said..

FAA Says It Has Plan To Minimize Summer Storm Delays
23 May, 2007: With a record number of flights expected this summer, the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it would expand the use of an air traffic control strategy intended to minimize weather-related delays..

NATCA Gives Online Tips to Avoid Airport Delays
22 May, 2007: Air traffic controllers are unveiling two online resources for air travelers today in an effort to try and help them better navigate what is likely to be a very busy and delay-prone summer travel season..

Passenger Rights Bill Draws Concern
21 May, 2007: A Senate panel moved forward today to pass an airline passengers' bill of rights, but consumer groups remain wary that the bill's language may not be tough enough to help stranded fliers..

Airlines Have a Long, Hot Summer Ahead
18 May, 2007: When the summer travel stampede starts here after Memorial Day, US Airways' Ross Bonanno says, his airline will be ready..

Alternate New Orleans Airport Still Lacks Control Tower
17 May, 2007: The city's Lakefront Airport has long been the preferred airfield for business executives and celebrities because it avoids crowds of commercial passengers and offers easy access to downtown. But the airport has no active control tower..

FAA: U.S. Airports Must Expand to Meet Demand
16 May, 2007: A number of major U.S. cities must expand existing airports in the next two decades, build new ones or find other solutions to meet an increasing demand for air travel, according to a federal report released Tuesday..

Swiss Air Traffic Controllers on Trial For Crash
15 May, 2007: Swiss prosecutors begin criminal proceedings against eight employees of air traffic control firm Skyguide on Tuesday in connection with a 2002 mid-air collision that killed 71 passengers, most of them children..

FAA Probes New Close Call at LAX
14 May, 2007: A jumbo jet barreling down a runway at up to 100 mph at Los Angeles International Airport came as close as 50 feet to a turboprop on a nearby taxiway, officials said, in the latest such incident to point up safety concerns with the airfield's layout..

Tomorrow's Airliners Mainly Plastic
11 May, 2007: If you take a long international flight ten years from now, there's a good chance the airliner carrying you will be made as much out of plastic as metal..

Major Carriers Commit To RNP Upgrade Investment
10 May, 2007: Three U.S. airlines Southwest, American and Delta - recently decided to make major investments to retrofit their aircraft, so they can fly the very precise approach paths enabled by required navigation performance (RNP)..

Fumes Prompt Evacuation of Dulles Control Tower
9 May, 2007: Fumes from a work site forced air traffic controllers to evacuate their tower at Dulles Airport and shift to a backup facility Wednesday..

Who's Paying $200,000 For a Few Minutes in Space?
8 May, 2007: The next space race is on, and this time it's for the masses. Well, not exactly the masses. More like the actors, real estate magnates, hedge fund managers and well-off adventurers who can afford $200,000..

Atlanta Air Traffic Controllers Tie Safety to Workload
7 May, 2007: Some veteran air-traffic controllers in Atlanta say they are working too many overtime shifts as the result of chronic understaffing, which they contend endangers air safety..

FAA OK's Boston Logan Taxiway
4 May, 2007: The Federal Aviation Administration gave final approval yesterday to a controversial 9,300-foot taxiway in the middle of Logan International Airport's maze of runways, a project designed to reduce the danger of plane collisions, cut travel delays, and diminish ground noise..

Delta Air Lines New Stock Begins Trading
3 May, 2007: Shares of Delta Air Lines new stock (DAL) began trading Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange, opening short of the company's initial projection..

Summer Meltdown Ahead For Airlines?
2 May, 2007: Using fewer employees to handle more customers and flights has nudged carriers back into profitability. But when Mother Nature throws a curve, airline operations go haywire and can take days to recover..

Air Traffic Controllers: FAA Radio Ban Threatens Safety
1 May, 2007: An eight month-old Federal Aviation Administration ban on radios in air traffic control towers could put lives at risk when severe weather bears down on airports, a national labor union says..

Delta Air Lines Exits Bankruptcy
30 April, 2007: Delta Air Lines emerged from bankruptcy Monday, after completing a $3 billion restructuring over the past 19 months. This is a great day in Delta's history, Chief Executive Gerald Grinstein said in a statement..

Atlanta Airport Opens New 26R End-Around Taxiway
27 April, 2007: Starting Thursday, airlines using Hartsfield Jackson Airport could save $27 million yearly in operation and fuel costs, thanks to a new taxiway that's the first of its kind in America. The taxiway is called an end-around, and it's intended to keep flights on a tighter time schedule, actually cutting four to five minutes from each landing and departure..

Delta Air Lines to Exit Bankruptcy on April 30
26 April, 2007: A U.S. bankruptcy court Wednesday gave Delta Air Lines Inc. the go-ahead to exit Chapter 11 on April 30, ending a year and a half in bankruptcy..

FedEx: FAA Rule Would Delay Deliveries
25 April, 2007: FedEx says that the FAA's decision to end a controversial landing procedure at the cargo carrier's Memphis hub should be reversed because it could lead to serious delays in package deliveries across the nation..

Delta Expects to Soar After Exiting Chapter 11
24 April, 2007: As Delta Air Lines exits Chapter 11 bankruptcy next week, it leaves behind 19 months of tumult, including a hostile takeover attempt, a major strike threat, stratospheric fuel prices and deep cuts in jobs and paychecks..

FAA Has Some Unhappy Controllers
23 April, 2007: Trust is a big deal, as we all know. That's why the Federal Aviation Administration is conducting focus groups with employees across the country to find out why they have a problem with management..

Pilot Killed in S.C. Blue Angel Crash
21 April, 2007: A Navy Blue Angel jet crashed during an air show Saturday, plunging into a neighborhood of small homes and trailers and killing the pilot, the county coroner said..

Some Airlines Begin To Increase Staff Again
20 April, 2007: U.S. airline employment increased in February from a year earlier, the first monthly increase in more than two years and a sign that the industry may have reached its low point for staffing..

New Tower Opens At Heathrow
19 April, 2007: Heathrow bosses have warned there could be extra noise overnight as traffic controllers move into a new state-of-the-art facility this weekend. Staff will move to the £50 million facility at 2am on Saturday when the airport is at its quietest..

Charlotte Has Fastest-Growing Airport in USA
18 April, 2007: The growth of US Airways has helped make Charlotte-Douglas International Airport the fastest growing major airport in the nation, figures show..

FAA’s Air-Traffic Fee Proposal Sparks Resistance
17 April, 2007: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) erred when it made a controversial proposal to increase taxes on small aircraft to pay for a modernized air-traffic control system, a representative of the commercial airline industry told The Hill..

Ticket Taxes Fund Corporate Jets
16 April, 2007: The federal government has taken billions of dollars from the taxes and fees paid by airline passengers every time they fly and awarded it to small airports used mainly by private pilots and globe-trotting corporate executives..

U.S. Hopes for 'Open Skies' Deal with China by May
13 April, 2007: The United States is discussing a deal with China to liberalize air travel and hopes for a framework open skies agreement by May, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said Friday..

Controller's Bathroom Break Caused Flight Delays
12 April, 2007: An air traffic controller's bathroom break delayed the takeoff and landing of three planes last week at New Hampshire's largest airport..

NTSB: Air Traffic Controller Fatigue Contributed to 4 Mishaps
11 April, 2007: Fatigued air traffic controllers contributed to four aviation mishaps in recent years, and may have been a factor in last year's Comair crash that killed 49 people, according to federal accident investigators..

Comair Admits Pilots Partially Responsible For 5191 Accident
10 April, 2007: Comair officials have admitted two of their pilots were partially at fault for an August 27, 2006 crash that killed 49 of 50 people on board - but blame does not solely rest with those in the flight deck of the doomed CRJ100, the carrier insists..

ASDE-X Runway Safety System Has Gap
9 April, 2007: Restrictions on a $550 million system to prevent runway collisions are compromising safety by keeping the system from accurately tracking snowplows, firetrucks and other ground vehicles at most airports, according to government data..

FAA, Lockheed Martin Tout ATOP Implementation At Alaska ARTCC
6 April, 2007: Aircraft flying over the Arctic Ocean can now fly more direct routes, save fuel and achieve better on-time performance for passengers, thanks to the FAA’s final implementation of Advanced Technologies and Oceanic Procedures (ATOP) at the Alaska Air Route Traffic Control Center..

Space Tourist Gets Ready For Launch
5 April, 2007: What does a Microsoft billionaire do for fun? Charles Simonyi spends some of his fortune to rocket into space, where he'll blog, fight off nausea and use his technical skills to fix broken equipment. Simonyi blasts off Saturday in a Russian ship..

Air Traffic Control Crisis in Southern California
4 April, 2007: A worsening air traffic controller staffing crisis at major tower and radar control facilities in Southern California is shrinking the margin of safety to dangerously low levels due to tired controllers forced to work overtime and even six-day work weeks..

Rebuilt Runway Opens at LAX
3 April, 2007: A major runway at Los Angeles International Airport reopened Monday after eight months of construction aimed at improving safety at the world's fifth-busiest passenger airport..

Airline Performance Declines for Third Straight Year
2 April, 2007: The overall performance of U.S. airlines worsened in 2006, its third consecutive year of decline, according to the 17th annual Airline Quality Ratings released here today..

Boeing Plans to Introduce 787 on 7/8/07
30 March, 2007: Boeing plans to debut its much-anticipated 787 Dreamliner model on July 8 at an event at its assembly plant in Everett, Wash., the plane-maker said Wednesday..

PASS Testifies on Insufficient FAA Oversight of Outsourced Air Carrier Maintenance
29 March, 2007: Tom Brantley, national president of the Professional Airways Systems Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), testified today before the House Transportation and infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on Aviation, to address FAA oversight of outsourced air carrier maintenance..

Delta Expects 2007 Pretax Profit
28 March, 2007: Delta Air Lines, which plans to emerge from bankruptcy in late April, said Tuesday that it expected to swing to a profit this year on cost reductions and higher revenue..

Precision Runway Monitor Radar System In Use at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport
27 March, 2007: The Federal Aviation Administration is now using an advanced radar system to guide airplanes onto the five runways at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport..

Airlines Question Rules For Icy Takeoffs
26 March, 2007: The Federal Aviation Administration and the airlines have been at odds for two years about the protocols for taking off in storms that produce light ice pellets, a term for the stinging sleet that occurs when snow melts, then refreezes, as it falls..

A380 Fans Forecast Blue Skies, But Critics Predict Turbulence
23 March, 2007: Announced in 2000, Airbus' A380 was designed to satisfy airline demand for more passenger capacity on long-haul routes but come critics say the A380 already has one foot in the grave..

New Tracking System Warns Pilots of Danger
22 March, 2007: An airliner is preparing to land when a cockpit alarm warns pilots that another plane has rolled onto the runway. Two planes over the Pacific are on a conflicting path when the same device alerts pilots to the danger..

Report: Air-Traffic Shifts Understaffed
21 March, 2007: Air-traffic control towers at small and medium airports have been routinely understaffed with only one person on a shift, a violation of federal aviation rules, a government investigator said Tuesday..

A380s Touch Down On Two U.S. Runways
20 March, 2007: The latest jetliner to claim the title of world's biggest passenger aircraft completed its maiden voyage to the United States on Monday..

Hartsfield Jackson's Taxiway Victor, An End-Around to Efficiency
19 March, 2007: It looks like little more than a big U-turn. But officials say the groundbreaking three-quarter-mile strip of pavement will save passengers time when they fly into Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport..

Seven Dead in Russian Plane Crash
17 March, 2007: A Russian passenger jet slammed into Samara airport Saturday morning in a crash landing, killing at least seven people and wounding 51 others, Russia's Interfax news agency reported, citing an emergency ministry official..

FAA: Crowded Skies to Get More Crowded
16 March, 2007: Airline passengers can expect more delays as airplanes crowd the skies, the Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday..

NATCA Wants Weather Radios Back In Towers
15 March, 2007: The FAA should lift its ban on weather radios in air traffic control towers, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said on Tuesday..

Airlines Stretched So Thin That One Piece Out Of Place Throws Them Off
14 March, 2007: Charlie Miller could be a poster child for nightmarish air travel during the winter now drawing to a close..

Delta Jet Forced to Abort Takeoff
13 March, 2007: A Los Angeles-bound Boeing 767 had to abort a takeoff last week at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after an air-traffic controller mistakenly cleared the Delta flight and then cleared two airplanes to taxi across the path of the accelerating jet..

As FAA Seeks to Add Controllers, Union Pleads for Contract
12 March, 2007: As Federal Aviation Administration officials issued a new plan to hire more air traffic controllers, a labor representative told lawmakers Thursday that the agency won't be able to maintain adequate staffing levels unless it negotiates a new contract with controllers..

FAA to Hire 15,000 Air-Traffic Controllers in Next Decade
9 March, 2007: The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it plans to hire 15,000 air-traffic controllers during the next 10 years, as more controllers become eligible for retirement..

Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Tops O'Hare, Heathrow as World's Busiest Airport
8 March, 2007: Atlanta's Hartsfield International held its ranking as the world's busiest passenger airport in 2006, followed by Chicago's O'Hare and London's Heathrow, according to preliminary figures released this week..

115 Escape Indonesian Jet Crash; 21 Killed
7 March, 2007: A packed Indonesian jetliner crash-landed and erupted in flames on Wednesday, killing 21 people trapped inside the burning wreckage..

More Fliers Face Long Runway Waits
6 March, 2007: Long waits on the taxiway of two-plus hours by domestic airliners nearly doubled in January from a year earlier, federal data released Monday show..

Shuttle Back in Hangar For Repairs
5 March, 2007: Space shuttle Atlantis was moved from the launch pad back to a hangar so technicians can inspect damage caused by an hail storm and determine what kind of repairs should be made..

New $63M Control Tower to Land at LaGuardia
2 March, 2007: Groundbreaking ceremonies were held yesterday for a new, taller, larger $63 million air traffic control tower at LaGuardia Airport, the nation's 17th busiest..

Airbus Jumbo Jet to Make Debut Landings in NYC, L.A.
1 March, 2007: The U.S. debut of Airbus' new line of super jumbo A380 jets will include landings at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport..

Midwest CEO Slams AirTran as 'Inferior'
28 February, 2007: Midwest Air Group Inc.'s top executive told shareholders that Orlando Fla.-based AirTran Airways, whose parent company is attempting a hostile takeover, is an inferior airline that lacks a credible growth plan..

Hail Damages Space Shuttle Tank; NASA May Delay March Launch
27 February, 2007: Hail from a passing thunderstorm dinged a section of space shuttle Atlantis' external fuel tank, and NASA managers weren't sure Tuesday morning if the damage was severe enough to postpone next month's launch..

JFK Gridlock Started With Early Decision
26 February, 2007: The New York Post said the day before the big storm hit New York, FAA officials in Virginia decided that JFK should keep running at full capacity on Valentine's Day..

Comair Sues FAA in Deadly U.S. Plane Crash
23 February, 2007: Comair sued the Federal Aviation Administration saying the agency was negligent in having only one air traffic controller on duty last year when a plane took off from the wrong runway and crashed, killing 49 people..

Hard Landing Cracks 737's Fuselage
22 February, 2007: All seven Boeing 737-300 airplanes operated by Indonesian budget airline Adam Air have been grounded by the government after a plane buckled during a hard landing..

Congress Tries To Land On A Problem
21 February, 2007: Congress wants to mandate compensation for airline passengers who suffer delays. JetBlue's CEO says it would be heavy-handed and not meet the needs of customers, while one airline industry analysts says Congress doesn't have a clue because the government-run air traffic control system routinely causes lengthy delays..

Guidance Device Covered by Snow When Jet Slid Off Runway
20 February, 2007: A guidance device that helps pilots land was covered with snow and not functioning when a Delta Air Lines commuter plane ran off the end of a runway and pierced a fence, an airport official said..

Congress Drafts Bills on Passenger Rights
19 February, 2007: It's a question asked by thousands of desperate airline passengers every year who end up trapped onboard grounded planes for hours on end, waiting for a takeoff that sometimes never comes: Why can't the plane just return to an airport gate?..

Passengers Safe After Embraer 170 Slides Off Runway
18 February, 2007: A Embraer 170 passenger jet skidded off a runway and smashed through a fence while landing Sunday in windy and icy conditions at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport..

LAX Decries Airbus Plan Change for A380
16 February, 2007: Los Angeles officials lashed out Wednesday at Airbus, saying the European airplane maker reneged on a promise to bring its new A380 jetliner to Los Angeles International Airport on its first U.S. test flight..

AOPA Blasts FAA Funding Proposal
15 February, 2007: The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) today blasted the proposed FAA refinancing bill as a 'manufactured crisis based on flawed financial assumptions about the viability of the current funding system'..

Union: Stress at Hartsfield Caused Incident
14 February, 2007: A Florida-bound Delta Air Lines flight aborted a takeoff last month as it screamed down an Atlanta runway at 160 mph at the same moment incoming flights descended toward a dangerously close parallel runway..

Flying Creatures May Help Create Aviation of Future
13 February, 2007: As the nocturnal owl stalks its prey, a quirk on its wings enables a silent hunt. That lesson in aerodynamics provides a valuable guide for aviation experts who are crafting a new technology..

Delta Gets Court Permission to Buy $1 Billion Worth of Regional Jets
12 February, 2007: Delta Air Lines which is in the process of emerging from bankruptcy protection, has received court permission to buy 30 regional jets from Bombardier Aerospace valued at more than $1 billion..

U.S. Asks to Arm Pilots Abroad
9 February, 2007: For the first time, the U.S. government is asking foreign countries to allow pilots to carry guns in the cockpit when they fly overseas..

Power Outage Hits San Francisco Airport
8 February, 2007: San Francisco International Airport was hit with a power outage lasting about an hour late Wednesday afternoon..

Airports Not Thrilled With New DOT/FAA Budget
7 February, 2007: In response to the Administration’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 budget release, Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) has expressed serious concern that the Administration is once again recommending reduced funding for the nation’s airport security and capacity infrastructure..

Bush Proposal Shifts Aviation Ttaxes From Tickets
6 February, 2007: The Bush administration unveiled plans on Monday to increase taxes on business and private aircraft, a dramatic shift in how the government funds aviation that could reduce the portion that airline passengers pay..

Pilots Turning Scarce as Demand Takes Wing
5 February, 2007: For the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, all major U.S. airlines are hiring pilots or recalling those laid off during the industry's five-year downturn..

FAA Looks for Money for New Air-Traffic Control System
3 February, 2007: Federal aviation officials expect on Monday to begin introducing a proposal to finance a new air-traffic control system that they say will be needed to keep pace with increasing air travel over the next two decades..

AOPA Goes On The Offensive In User Fee Battle
2 February, 2007: Briefing reporters on what AOPA sees as the key items in the upcoming budget submission, Boyer (right) said the FAA is seeking a radical new user-fee based funding system, and dramatic tax increases for aviation users..

Delta Strategy Brings Victory
1 February, 2007: Delta Air Lines two-month effort to present a loud, united front against a hostile takeover bid paid off in victory Wednesday..

US Airways May Be Ready to Abandon Offer for Delta
31 January, 2007: Showing frustration with a lack of progress, US Airways CEO Douglas Parker said Tuesday his company will drop its hostile bid for Delta Air Lines on Thursday if bankruptcy creditors don't signal support for the $10 billion offer..

FAA Seeks to Raise Pilot Retirement Age
30 January, 2007: Airline pilots will be allowed to fly until they turn 65 instead of the current mandatory retirement age of 60 under a proposal to be announced Tuesday by Federal Aviation Administrator Marion Blakey..

Eclipse Aviation Boss Challenges Industry To Change
29 January, 2007: Vern Raburn hopes to stir up an industry that typically doesn't like to be nudged, let alone shaken. One of the first employees hired at Microsoft Corp. when the software heavyweight started in the 1970s, Raburn joined his old buddy, Bill Gates, in cultivating a revolution that changed the world's business tools..

Boeing Scraps Wireless System on The 787
26 January, 2007: Boeing has scrapped plans for a wireless entertainment system on its new 787 Dreamliner, about eight months before the plane's first scheduled flight..

British Airways Cancels Flights as Cabin Crew Strikes
25 January, 2007: British Airways said Thursday said that it is canceling all flights from London Heathrow airport for two days next week because of a strike by cabin crew..

The Future of Flight Could be a lot Less Bumpy
24 January, 2007: Jittery fliers can take heart. NASA is developing two new technologies to help pilots steer clear of erratic, gusty winds..

FAA, NATCA Not On Same Frequency Over Wx Radios
23 January, 2007: It turns out that NATCA and the FAA agree on something – commercial radios aren't allowed to be kept by controllers working in the tower..

Controlling The Airways
22 January, 2007: Lockheed Martin and Boeing have formed a strategic alliance to promote advancement of the future US air transportation system..

Air Traffic Controller Error Cited in Near Mid-Air Collision
19 January, 2007: Two passenger jets came dangerously close at 30,000 feet over Iowa Tuesday night, and air-traffic control serving O'Hare International Airport is under scrutiny, the FAA said..

FAA Reports Third Straight Annual Drop in Air Traffic Controller Staffing
18 January, 2007: Air traffic controller staffing levels have dropped for the third straight year, to a new low of 14,206, according to the most recent Federal Aviation Administration “Administrator’s Fact Book.”

Flying Their Own Planes Saves Time
17 January, 2006: Landscape architect Katie O'Reilly Rogers departs on business trips from her Santa Barbara, Calif., home without a worry about airport or airline snafus..

Flying the Crowded Skies: Challenges for Aviation
16 January, 2006: To keep passengers moving safely, the Federal Aviation Administration will need to replace a half-century of outmoded technology with a new air traffic control system..

'Exceptional Year' Predicted for Airlines
15 January, 2007: Airlines will look back on a solid 2006 as they start reporting year-end financial results this week, but investor attention will be riveted on their outlooks for 2007..

FAA Urges Need for Pilots in USA
12 January, 2007: The US Federal Aviation Administration has released final pilot statistics for 2006 showing a dip below 600,000..

Boeing Bounces Back Against Odds
11 January 2007: After years of ethics scandals and competitive setbacks, aerospace giant Boeing is on a winning streak. Neither its rivals nor its past sins seem to be slowing it down..

US Airways Ups Offer for Delta
10 January, 2007: US Airways raised its offer for Delta Air Lines by 20% to $10.2 billion on Wednesday, as it seeks to put pressure on the bankrupt carrier's creditors to agree to a deal that Delta's management opposes..

FAA Revamps Rules for Long-Range Flights
9 January, 2007: Federal aviation regulators will require jets that fly for hours over desolate oceans or polar regions where there are no airports to have a plan to take care of passengers and extinguish cargo fires in the event of an emergency..

Officials Hope to Ease LaGuardia Clogs
8 January, 2007: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey believes it may be possible to move an additional 8 million passengers a year out of LaGuardia Airport. Officials say the secret may be the use of bigger jets..

FAA: Atlanta Airport is Nation's Busiest
5 January, 2007: For the second year in a row, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has retained its title as the nation's busiest in terms of flights, according to government data released Thursday..

November Bad Month for Timely Travel
4 January, 2007: U.S. airlines reported the worst on-time performance for a November since 2000, a government report issued Wednesday shows. The airlines tracked by the U.S. government operated 76.5% of flights on time..

Indonesia Crash Brings Safety of Budget Airlines Into Question
3 January, 2007: The proliferation of budget airlines across Asia has made air travel affordable for millions, but this week's aircraft disaster in Indonesia has underlined the challenge for governments to ensure safety standards are met..

Travelers Could See Fewer Hassles in New Year
2 January, 2007: The new year won't bring fewer weather delays or less-crowded flights or shorter airport security lines. But many of the anticipated changes in travel this year may ease the burden of road warriors just a bit..

No Increase to Delta Offer
1 January, 2007: US Airways has no intention right now to increase its $8.4 billion offer for Delta Air Lines and it can't see itself backing out of its pursuit of Delta for any reason, Chief Executive Doug Parker said Thursday..

NATCA: FAA Endangered Personnel By Banning Radios
29 December, 2006: The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) is on the offensive again over work rules -- this time it's radios in the work place. In a release, the union claims the FAA’s September decision to ban weather radios, commercial radios and cell phones from its air traffic control facilities placed air traffic controllers in danger..

FAA Blocks Wireless Activity at Control Agencies - NATCA Not Happy About It
28 December, 2006: The FAA has signed a contract with a small business to install a wireless intrusion-detection system at air traffic control centers, FAA training centers and headquarters. See www.NATCA.org for NATCA's response..

Planes Bump In San Diego
27 December, 2006: Two Southwest Airlines jets simultaneously pulling out from their gates at San Diego International Airport bumped into each other's tails Tuesday, officials said..

Mostly Clear Skies Await Travelers
26 December, 2006: All was calm Christmas Day at Denver International Airport, where the effects of last week's paralyzing blizzard were fading into memory just in time for today's expected travel crush..

No Fed Oversight on Some Air Charters
25 December, 2006: Travelers who pay a premium for the convenience of charter air travel could unknowingly end up on a flights operated without direct federal oversight..

Denver Airport Reopens With a Long Backlog
24 December, 2006: Denver's airport was operating at close to capacity Saturday after being snowed in for two days, but for many travelers jammed in its terminals it was not expected to be enough to rescue their hopes of joining their families for Christmas..

Discovery Home for the Holidays
22 December: Not even a dreary forecast could keep the space shuttle Discovery from coming home for the holidays. The orbiter touched down at Florida's Kennedy Space Center at 5:32 p.m. ET Friday, completing a 12-day mission that included four spacewalks and installation of a 2-ton addition to the international space station..

No Departures at Denver Airport
21 December, 2006: Denver airport officials accommodated more than 1,000 stranded travelers the best they could providing several hundred cots and blankets, diapers and baby formula. Airport hotels were booked up, and the main road to downtown Denver was shut down..

Delta Shuns Bid, Prefers to Fly Solo
20 December,2006: Delta Air Lines on Tuesday flatly rejected an $8.5 billion merger offer from US Airways, saying Delta would be worth as much as $12 billion as an independent carrier..

FAA May Put Freeze on Hiring Controllers
19 December, 2006: The Federal Aviation Administration may freeze all hiring of air traffic controllers and technicians after March 31 despite understaffing in some facilities and an oncoming wave of retirements..

Fewer Air Traffic Controllers Could Lead to More Mistakes, Union Says
18 December, 2006: The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union that represents those who move tin, says some facilities are critically understaffed, causing delays and increasing the possibility of mistakes by tired controllers working 10-hour days..

O'Hare Radar Outage Causes Delays
15 December, 2006: This morning’s failure of the lone Airport Surveillance Radar-Model 9 (ASR-9) at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport has drastically slashed the airport’s arrival rate and greatly diminished the efficiency of some of the world’s busiest airspace..

Las Vegas Airport Crunch Could Slow Tourism
14 December, 2006: Heavy congestion at southern Nevada's largest airport could lead to a slowdown in the number of visitors filling Las Vegas Strip hotels as early as 2010, a report has found..

AirTran Making Hostile Bid for Midwest Air
13 December, 2006: AirTran Airways is expected today to announce a 88 million hostile takeover bid for Midwest Airlines in a move that would give it a second hub and broader national service..

A380 Airliner Declared Safe to Fly
12 December, 2006: The world's largest airliner, the Airbus A380 superjumbo, on Tuesday was declared safe to fly commercial services, capping six years of development marred by delays in deliveries to airlines..

LAX Radar Upgrades Delayed
11 December, 2006: Several radar upgrades that air traffic controllers say are essential to help identify potential collisions on the ground at Los Angeles International Airport are months behind schedule..

Discovery Lights Up Night Sky
9 December, 2006: The space shuttle Discovery rocketed into the darkness Saturday evening, the 117th shuttle flight and the first night launch in four years..

Clouds Postpone Launch of Discovery
8 December, 2006: Low clouds forced NASA to delay the launch of space shuttle Discovery Thursday night, and strong winds could delay another attempt for a day or two..

US Airways Committed to Delta Merger
7 December, 2006: US Airways Group Inc. is fully committed to its $8.7 billion proposed takeover airline of Delta Air Lines even if Delta executives aren't convinced of the deal's merits, US Airways President Scott Kirby said Wednesday..

Computer Woes Delays Flights
6 December, 2006: An underwater telecommunications cable failure at an air traffic control facility in San Juan disrupted the computer systems at the controllers' center in Miami for 55 minutes on Monday, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said..

Countdown to Shuttle Launch Starts With Good Weather
5 December, 2006: The countdown clock to the launch of Discovery ticked away Tuesday as a promising weather forecast gave NASA officials hope that the space shuttle would lift off on schedule Thursday night.

NATCA Claims 'Chronic Radio Frequency Problems' Decreasing Safety Margins At ZTL
5 November, 2006: According to a recent missive from NATCA, air traffic controllers at the Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZTL) are experiencing a worsening technical problem with the radio frequencies used to communicate with pilots in their airspace, creating a 'maddening challenge that is steadily becoming a safety issue.'..

Top 10 Reasons Why Airline Woes Aren't Over Yet
4 December, 2006: After two consecutive quarters where most network airlines returned to profitability, many believe the airline industry crisis is over..

Shuttle Cleared for Night Launch
1 December, 2006: Preparations are on schedule for NASA's first nighttime space shuttle launch in four years as the space agency readies Discovery for a mission to the international space station, managers said Wednesday..

Delta Recalling 200 Pilots
30 November, 2006: Delta Air Lines said Wednesday it expects to call 200 furloughed pilots back to work next year as it continues to ramp up its international flying and adds 13 jets..

Problems Not With Eclipse 500, But With Conformity Process
29 November, 2006: When the FAA issues a Production Certificate for an aircraft, the company must be able to ensure that every airplane that comes off the line conforms exactly to the type design that the FAA approved..

AOPA Says Audit Proves FAA Can't Run A Business
28 November, 2006: If the FAA is supposed to be run like a business, it still has a long ways to go. That's the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's take on the most recent audit of the agency's books by the Department of Transportation's inspector general (IG)..

Cessna Delivers First Citation Mustang
27 November, 2006: Cessna Aircraft Co. celebrated the first delivery in the very light jet category by handing over its first Citation Mustang to a Fresno, California customer..

DC-10 to Fly Off Into Sunset
24 November, 2006: Even good comeback stories eventually have an end. For the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, the story of its improbable return to public acceptance after a series of crashes and even a temporary grounding is nearing its conclusion..

Delta's Pilots Union Chief Criticizes US Airways' Offer
22 November, 2006: The head of Delta Air Lines' pilots union on Tuesday slammed the proposed $8 billion takeover of his employer by US Airways, saying it appears to lack any substantial benefit for Delta, its employees or customers..

A Peek Behind HondaJet’s Veil
21 November, 2006: HondaJet knows how to keep a secret. For the past six years, it developed, built and flew an aircraft at Piedmont Triad International Airport before anybody really knew what it did at the compound of bland white buildings here..

US Airways, Delta Deal Would Cut Options
20 November, 2006: Travelers in at least two dozen Eastern and Southeastern cities would see their air travel options significantly reduced by a merger between US Airways and Delta Air Lines..

FAA Dismisses Controllers' Claims
17 November, 2006: The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday dismissed concerns from air traffic controllers that staffing shortages and a regional center's nighttime closure played a role in two fatal plane crashes..

US Airways Faces Long Road in Delta Bid
16 November, 2006: US Airways' brash $8 billion bid to buy Delta Air Lines won a warm reception Wednesday on Wall Street, but the proposed deal has a long way to go to get done..

Runway Incidents Rise for 2nd Year
15 November, 2006: Dangerous near collisions on the nation's runways climbed for the second year in a row, prompting a renewed call by aviation accident investigators on Tuesday for new safety devices..

Comair Says FAA, Airport Liable
14 November, 2006: Comair says it's not wholly responsible for the crash of Flight 5191 and says it's not fair for the Northern Kentucky company to be held solely liable when others contributed to the crash..

A380 Starting Final Test Flights
13 November, 2006: An Airbus A380 is due to fly from France to Singapore in the first of four final test flights for the troubled plane..

Discovery Creeps to Launch Pad
10 November, 2006: Space shuttle Discovery was moved to the launch pad Thursday to await a launch that could be as early as December 6, an effort to avoid potential New Year's Eve computer glitches..

Exhausted Pilots Reveal Risky Nodding Off
9 November, 2006: As passengers rest in their airline seats, they may not be so at ease if they knew how likely it may be that their pilots are flying in an exhausted state of mind..

Two Planes Clip on O'Hare Taxiway
8 November, 2006: A United Airlines plane's wing clipped the tail of another jetliner Tuesday morning as they taxied toward takeoff at O'Hare International Airport, aviation officials said..

Atlanta Airport Runway 8R/26L Reopens
7 November, 2006: Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport reopened its oldest runway Monday, following a repaving project that put it out of service for two months and torpedoed on-time performance..

Half of U.S. Runways Lack Safety Zone
6 November, 2006: More than half of U.S. commercial airports don't have a 1,000-foot margin at the end of a runway, an overrun area the federal government says is needed as a safety zone, a new report says..

Landing Error Worries Experts
4 November, 2006: To an experienced pilot, Runway 29 at Newark Liberty International Airport is hard to miss. It is half a football field wide, and like all jet runways, is marked by white lights on each side and down its center line..

Discovery Prepped for December Launch
3 November, 2006: Space shuttle Discovery was hoisted by a crane and outfitted with its external fuel tank and twin booster rockets on Wednesday in preparation for another flight next month..

Legacy Airlines May Outfly Discount Rivals
2 November, 2006: As the airline industry finally starts to gain altitude, investors in the still-risky sector should be especially wary of the carriers that specialize in cheap seats..

Two Jets Clip Wings at Newark
1 November, 2006: A plane leaving a terminal at a major New York-area airport clipped wings with another plane being towed to a hangar for service on a taxiway Tuesday evening, the head of the air traffic controller's union said..

FAA Completes Conflict-Detection System
31 October, 2006: The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday said it finished deploying an aircraft conflict-detection tool used by air traffic controllers at all 20 FAA Air Route Traffic Control Centers nationwide..

Nigeria Pilot Reportedly Ignored Advice
30 October, 2006: A plane crash that killed 96 people in Nigeria might have been averted if the pilot had heeded advice from air traffic controllers to wait for a lightning storm to clear before taking off, the aviation minister said Monday..

Next Space Tourist to Launch in March
27 October, 2006: The billionaire software engineer set to become the next space tourist said he's been interested in space since his boyhood in the Soviet Union..

FAA Hires Back PATCO Controllers
26 October, 2006: They were told they would never work in their chosen field again, but hundreds of air traffic controllers, fired by President Ronald Reagan 25 years ago, are quietly being rehired..

The Future of Flight
25 October, 2006: If there's a spaceflight in your future - whether it's a quick suborbital spin, a hypersonic rocket jaunt across the Pacific or a visit to a private-sector space station - chances are the Federal Aviation Administration is going to play a role..

Hartsfield Airside Supervisors Ensure Runway Safety
24 October, 2006: When the midnight moon rises and the airplanes rest their wings, the runways at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport belong to Tom Reinhardt..

Technology Helps Create Quiet Landing
23 October, 2006: Imagine a 400,000-pound, wide-bodied Boeing 777 gliding over the Peninsula into San Francisco International Airport. On a recent overnight flight from Honolulu, United Airlines Flight 76 did just that, sailing overhead from the coast to the Dumbarton Bridge at idle thrust using mostly gravity, not mechanical brakes, to cut speed for landing..

Hartsfield Runway Repaving Makes This Fall a Season of Flight Delays
22 October, 2006: Those dreaded delays are again plaguing flights to and from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport..

Microsoft's Flight Simulator X Soars to Stores
20 October, 2006: Bored with slashing orcs, carjacking vehicles or rotating puzzle pieces? Climb into a different interactive entertainment experience with Flight Simulator X, the latest in the best-selling, 25-year-old franchise..

Trouble In The Air
19 October, 2006: Reagan's mass firing of air traffic controllers made American skies much less safe in the 1980s. Is Bush's flight plan the same?

American to Get Airline Profit Party Started
18 October, 2006: The USA's airlines are about to do something they haven't done in six years: report profits for a second-consecutive quarter..

Comair Sues FAA, Lexington Airport
17 October, 2006: Comair sued Blue Grass Airport in Lexington and the federal government, saying they must share responsibility for the August crash of a regional jet that killed 49 people..

More Tourists Weigh Zero Gravity Flights
16 October, 2006: Zero gravity, once an exclusive playground for astronauts and select scientists, is no longer out of reach to everyday people..

FAA Reviews Long-Criticized Manhattan Flight Path
13 October, 2006: Federal officials on Friday were winding down their onsite investigation of the crash of New York Yankees pitcher Corey Lidle's plane into a skyscraper and said they were reviewing rules that allow small aircraft to fly in Manhattan's crowded airspace..

A Corridor in the Sky That Recreational Pilots Fear
12 October, 2006: The northern end of the airspace over the East River is a treacherous, narrow corridor often filled with helicopters..

Aircraft Crashes Into New York Building
11 October, 2006: Police say an aircraft has crashed into a building on Manhattan's Upper East Side at 72nd Street and York Avenue..

DFW Airport to Build New Runways
11 October, 2006: Construction is about to begin on perimeter runways at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, which officials say will improve safety and allow more flights to take off and land during the busiest times of the day..

Delta Gets On Board With Lie-Flat Seats
10 October, 2006: Delta will put lie-flat seats in its business class in 2008, joining other larger carriers that have recently introduced the service to target well-heeled customers..

Pension Loss Jolts Ex-Delta Pilots
9 October, 2006: Jim Cochran expected bad news when he got the big white envelope from Delta Air Lines. What he found inside was worse..

Flight Engineers Head For Oblivion As New Technology Reduces Air Crew Size
8 October 2006: Flight engineer Mitch Richardson shines a flashlight into the cavernous black wheel well of a UPS jet that was built before he was born..

FAA May Release Lexington Tower Tapes Next Week
6 October, 2006: The final conversation between the pilots of Comair Flight 5191 and the lone air traffic controller on duty at Blue Grass Airport may be made public as early as next week..

Atlanta Airport Promises to Quiet Down
5 October, 2006: In an unusual move, the head of the world's busiest airport has apologized to its neighbors for rattling their homes with more aircraft noise the past two months..

Airbus to Reduce Costs, Streamline
4 September, 2006: Losing ground quickly to rival Boeing, European plane builder Airbus on Tuesday announced a companywide initiative to cut costs and streamline itself..

Delta Pilot Has Better Way to Teach
3 October, 2006: After two decades as a military pilot and airline flight instructor, Shawn Raker has helped found a start-up flight training firm he says has developed a quicker and better way to teach new pilots to fly jets..

FAA Awards Raytheon Radar Contract
2 October, 2006: The US Federal Aviation Administration has awarded Raytheon a contract with an estimated potential value of $185m for Long Range Radar Service Life Extension program..

Search Planes Find Wreckage of Brazilian Airliner
30 September, 2006: Search planes scouring the dense Amazon rainforest in Brazil have found the wreckage of the Boeing 737-800 airliner that disappeared with at least 145 people on board, a Gol Airlines spokesman said Saturday..

FAA Approves Plan To Build New Improved Control Tower At LaGuardia
29 September, 2006: A new state-of-the art control tower is in the future for LaGuardia Airport..

Lockheed Martin to Support Government Plan for Unmanned Aircraft
28 September, 2006: The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday selected Lockheed Martin to support the development of a road map for introducing unmanned aircraft systems into the National Airspace System..

Fliers Allowed Liquids, But Some Get Frustration
27 September, 2006: Travelers went to airports Tuesday with the right to carry liquids and toiletries on planes again, but they also found occasional long lines and strict security rules that made some wonder if their toothpaste was worth the trouble..

Comair Survivor Has No Memory of Crash
26 September, 2006: Doctors have amputated the left leg of a co-pilot whose plane crashed on takeoff after turning onto the wrong runway, and he does not remember the accident that killed 49 people, his family said Monday..

Boeing May Take Shot at Embraer and Bombardier
25 September, 2006: Boeing Co. may build a smaller, 80 to 100 seat single aisle plane, a strategy that would put the company in direct competition with regional jet makers Bombardier Empresa Brasileira..

Space Tourist Enjoying Her Stay
23 September, 2006: The first female space tourist is enjoying her stay on the international space station (ISS) and is passing her time by taking photos of the view, a German astronaut told a news conference in a live link-up on Friday.

Why Do Air Traffic Control Towers Have Slanted Windows?
22 September 2006: Something different today in the news.. Large airports are slightly different all over the world, but one constant is the ubiquitous air traffic control tower, which always has windows that slope toward the tower at the base..

Atlantis Glides to a Safe Landing
21 September, 2006: Space shuttle Atlantis and its six astronauts glided to a safe landing in darkness early Thursday, ending a mission to the international space station whose smooth success was briefly upstaged by the high drama caused by mysterious floating debris..

Atlantis Cleared for Landing, Despite Crew Reports of More Debris
20 September, 2006: Overnight inspections of Atlantis today turned up no sign of damage to the space shuttle's critical heat shield despite crew reports that they spotted three new pieces of debris floating outside the craft..

Riding High on Private Jets
19 September, 2006: The private business-jet industry is flourishing as never before. Of the 14,000 business jets worldwide, about 10,000 operate in the United States, said Ed Bolen, the president of the National Business Aviation Association..

Kentucky Plane Crash at Center of Labor Dispute
18 September, 2006: In the aftermath of the crash of Comair Flight 5191, Lexington has become ground zero in the 25-year-old labor strife engulfing the air traffic controllers union and the Federal Aviation Administration..

Shuttle Atlantis Astronauts Leave Space Station After 3 Arduous Spacewalks
17 September, 2006: With hugs, handshakes and the traditional ringing of a bell, residents of the international space station bade farewell early Sunday to the crew of the Atlantis, who leave the station much different from how they found it six days ago..

Citation Mustang Earns FAA Type Certification
15 September, 2006: The Cessna Citation Mustang received type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration late Friday afternoon. It is the first jet to earn type certification meeting the criteria for a category the industry refers to as Very Light Jet..

Airbus A380 May Face New Delays
14 September, 2006: Airbus may have to announce more delays to production of its A380 superjumbo, the boss of BAE Systems says..

Kentucky Controllers had Worries Before Deadly Crash
13 September, 2006: Months before the Comair jet crash that killed 49 people, air traffic controllers at the Lexington airport wrote to federal officials complaining about a hostile working environment in the tower and short-staffing on the overnight shift, according..

Atlanta Airport's 8R/26L to be Closed 2 Months for Repairs
12 September, 2006: Repairs to one of the old runways at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport have brought back some of the flight delays that were supposed to be cured by the opening in May of the 28 billion fifth runway..

'Busy day' as Atlantis Docks to Space Station
11 September, 2006: The astronauts of space shuttle Atlantis will try Monday to cram in several days of work needed to build the International Space Station..

Space Shuttle Atlantis Safely Back in Space, Launches on the Fifth Try
9 September, 2006: Space shuttle Atlantis blasted off on a mission to resume construction of the international space station Saturday..

Atlantis Launch Scrubbed as Fuel Gauge Issues Persist
8 September, 2006: The planned launch of space shuttle Atlantis today was thrown into doubt early this morning by a balky gauge in the spacecraft's fuel tank, a problem that has bedeviled the shuttle program for several years..

FAA Reminds Flight Crews to Know Runways
7 September, 2006: In the wake of the crash of Comair Flight 5191 in Lexington, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a safety alert reminding flight crews of the procedures for taxiing and making sure they are on the right runway..

Lone Kentucky Crash Survivor Awakens
6 September, 2006: The sole survivor of a plane crash that killed 49 people near Lexington last week asked family members from his hospital bed, 'Why did God do this to me?' but he has not mentioned the crash, a close family friend said Wednesday..

Delta Gets Court Nod to End Pilot Pension Plan
6 September, 2006: A U.S. bankruptcy court Tuesday allowed Delta Air Lines to terminate its pilot defined benefit pension plan, clearing a major hurdle in its restructuring plans..

Airport Work Creates Unexpected Dangers
5 September, 2006: Construction projects can surprise pilots, sometimes resulting in fatalities. The accident in Lexington, Ky., that killed 49 people is an example of how runway work can create deadly problems..

FAA Forces Imposed Work Rules on Air Traffic Controllers
4 September, 2006: The Federal Aviation Administration plans to celebrate Labor Day weekend by unilaterally imposing work rules and conditions on its air traffic controller workforce in a brazen, arrogant trampling of the collective bargaining process that promises to have negative impacts on the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System..

Jet Crash Spotlights Controllers' Shifts
4 September, 2006: Democratic lawmakers are demanding an investigation into the practice of allowing air-traffic controllers to work two shifts in 24 hours, a practice denounced by sleep experts..

Controllers Say Staff Shortages are Everywhere
1 September, 2006: Air traffic controllers say they have to keep track of more airplanes with fewer people as the Federal Aviation Administration tries to control costs for operating air traffic control facilities..

Jetliner Evacuated After Fire in Wheel Well
31 August, 2006: All 118 passengers and crew were evacuated safely Thursday when a fire broke out in the left wheel well of US Airways Flight 431, officials said..

NTSB: Lexington Controller Had Only 2 Hours of Sleep
31 August, 2006: The lone air-traffic controller on duty at the time of a jet crash Sunday morning in Lexington, Kentucky, was working on only two hours of sleep, a National Transportation Safety Board spokeswoman said Wednesday..

Air Traffic Controller 'Not a Smoking Gun'
30 August, 2006: Details of the crash of Comair Flight 5191 are rapidly emerging.  Among the latest, news that only one air traffic controller was on duty at the Kentucky airport.  How significant is that information, and what role do air traffic controllers play in these cases?

Only One Controller On Duty During Crash
30 August, 2006: The lone air traffic controller on duty the morning Comair Flight 5181 crashed cleared the jet for takeoff, then turned his back to do some administrative duties as the aircraft veered down the wrong runway, a federal investigator said Tuesday..

Taxiing Can Be Riskiest Part of a Flight
29 August, 2006: Taxiing across an airport might seem like the most benign part of flying, but it can actually be one of the trickiest and most dangerous, according to pilots and aviation experts..

NTSB: Crashed Jet Used Shorter Runway
28 August, 2006: A CRJ100 commuter jet mistakenly trying to take off on a runway that was too short crashed into a field Sunday and burst into flames, killing 49 people and leaving the lone survivor a co-pilot in critical condition, federal investigators said..

Delta Commuter Flight Crashes Killing 49; Wrong Runway a Possibility
27 August, 2006: A Delta commuter flight carrying 50 people crashed Sunday morning near Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, airport and airline officials said..

Next Shuttle Flight Devoted to Construction
25 August, 2006: Every homeowner knows renovations take twice as long and cost twice as much as planned. As NASA aims to complete the International Space Station, officials hope that axiom won't apply to the work on their house in the sky..

O'Hare Receives Grant for Runway Improvements
24 August, 2006: Federal Aviation Administration chief Marion Blakey announced a $10.6 million grant to improve a runway at O'Hare International Airport on Wednesday, part of the agency's efforts to build buffer zones that can slow down planes that overrun..

Fasten Your Seatbelts and No Mobiles Please
23 August, 2006: Overhead no smoking signs will be replaced by no mobiles messages on some planes next year when technology is introduced to make it safe for passengers to use mobile phones mid-flight..

Runway Resurfacing Could Cause Weekend Delays at Logan
22 August, 2006: Logan International Airport plans to close one of its four main jet runways for resurfacing on weekends through October, which could mean delays for travelers..

L.A. Focuses on Traffic Control Problems
21 August, 2006: Air traffic control officials are looking into problems that have cropped up four times at Los Angeles area airports in the last month, holding up some flights..

Boeing to End In-Flight Internet Service
18 August, 2006: Boeing said Thursday it can't find a buyer for its unit that sells high-speed broadband service to airlines, and will shut it down by the end of the year..

No 'Silver Bullet' For Improving Air Security
16 August, 2006: Machines that check carry-on bags for explosives and devices that look for bombs under people's clothing have already been produced, but it is likely to be years before a method of detecting liquid explosives is in widespread use at U.S. airports..

4th Glitch in a Month Has LAX Blaming FAA
15 August, 2006: Top Los Angeles International Airport officials Monday publicly questioned whether the Federal Aviation Administration was adequately maintaining its air traffic control equipment after a key landing system malfunctioned, the fourth mishap in less than a month..

TSA Tweaks List of Banned Items
14 August, 2006: Three days after banning fliers from carrying liquids, gels and lotions past security checkpoints and onto airplanes, the Transportation Security Administration announced Sunday several changes that would allow passengers to board with small doses of liquid medications..

Fliers Likely to Face More Chaos
11 August, 2006: Air travelers in the USA face chaos and disruption for the foreseeable future in the wake of an alleged plot to blow up several U.S.-bound aircraft over the Atlantic..

Security Increases at U.S. Airports
10 August, 2006: Passengers in the United States coped with heightened security and flight cancellations at airports Thursday after authorities in London uncovered a terror plot aimed at airlines traveling from Britain to the U.S..

Boeing Rolls Out First 737-900ER to Enthusiastic Reviews
9 August, 2006: Indonesian dancers flanked the first 737-900ER outside the final assembly plant in Renton this morning, as Boeing showed off its continued investment in the 737 single-aisle jet..

LAX Malfunctions Raise Safety Questions
8 August, 2006: An ILS system that guides arriving planes onto a runway at Los Angeles International Airport failed, marking the second serious problem to disable the world's fifth-busiest airport in the past three weeks, officials said..

ILS Failure Disrupts Flights At LAX
7 August, 2006: The instrument landing system at Los Angeles International Airport failed Monday, cutting in half the number of landings, a spokesman for the air traffic controller's union said..

Northwest, Delta Pension Plans Saved
7 August, 2006: Delta and Northwest airlines will see the biggest immediate impact of the Pension Protection Act..

Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson's Old Air Traffic Control Tower Demolished
5 August, 2006: The old air traffic control tower at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is history after being demolished Saturday morning..

Atlanta Unveils Quicker Baggage Scanning System
4 August, 2006: Checking baggage at Atlanta's airport should start getting easier as a new security system is phased in..

25 Years Ago Today: Strike Leaves Legacy for American Workers
3 August, 2006: The air traffic controller's strike 25 years ago left many of the strikers jobless and unable to return to the FAA after President Reagan banned them..

Bill Forces FAA to Renegotiate with Air Traffic Controllers Union
2 August, 2006: Frustrated air traffic controllers - thousands of whom may retire because of a contract stalemate - would get the chance to renegotiate a contract with the Federal Aviation Administration under legislation now in the Senate..

Pat Forrey Elected as New President of NATCA
1 August, 2006: Pat Forrey, an 18-year veteran air traffic controller at Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center and a two-term vice president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association’s Great Lakes Region, has won election as NATCA president, defeating two-term incumbent John Carr, it was announced today by the union’s election committee..

Life Aboard a 15-hour Flight to India
31 July, 2006: The fliers on American Airlines' new USA-to-India flight from Chicago know they are facing a long haul the longest that American offers worldwide and they're steeling themselves for it..

Senate Committee Blasts FAA for Inaction on Controller Staffing
28 July, 2006: The Senate Transportation Appropriations Committee, in its fiscal year 2007 bill language, has blasted the Federal Aviation Administration for failing to deliver an updated air traffic controller workforce plan and is proposing a $100,000-per-day cut to the FAA operations account for every day the report misses an annual March 1 deadline, beginning next year..

Honda's Microjet Ready for Takeoff
26 July, 2006: Honda Motor announced plans Tuesday to start accepting sales orders this fall for the small jet it debuted last year. The company also said it has formed a business alliance with Piper Aircraft..

United Flight Nearly Hits Cargo Plane
25 July, 2006: A passenger jet taking off at O'Hare International Airport came within 300 feet of a cargo plane that had just landed..

FAA Makes Progress on Satellite Communications
21 July, 2006: The Federal Aviation Administration has made headway on a satellite communications network that is part of a major FAA telecommunications overhaul, according to contractors..

California Air Traffic Center Outage Investigated
20 July, 2006: Thousands of travelers across the western United States and Canada were stalled by an 80-minute power outage at a major air traffic control center that directs flights through Southern California..

Massive Failure at LA ARTCC Puts Controllers in Dark
19 July, 2006: A massive power and communications failure late Tuesday at the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center left scrambling air traffic controllers to deal with a nightmare scenario..

Airbus Announces New Jet to Rival Boeing Dreamliner
18 July, 2006: Struggling Airbus, the European airplane builder, unveiled a new family of wide-body passenger jets Monday to compete against the USA's Boeing..

Boeing Says Plastic 737s Not Far Off
17 July, 2006: Forget big metal birds of steel, the aircraft of the future will be constructed out of plastic..

Controllers Launch Online Tool for Air Travelers
17 July, 2006: Want to know the 10 worst times of the day to fly? Want to know which local airport is more likely to have delays? Did you book the flight that is delayed 100 percent of the time for an average of two hours?

Planes Sill Fying with Same Problem as TWA 800
14 July, 2006: Ten years after the explosion of TWA Flight 800, the very problem that led to the disaster still has not been fully fixed..

Boeing Sees Fuel Costs Driving Demand for More Aircraft Through 2025
13 July, 2006: Boeing has upped its 20-year forecast of world jet transport demand in its latest Current Market Outlook, released yesterday..

Airlines May See First Profitable Quarter Since 2000
12 July, 2006: U.S. airlines are poised to report their first profitable quarter since 2000 thanks to strong travel demand, cost-cutting and disciplined management of capacity..

O'Hare Passes Atlanta as Busiest Airport
6 July, 2006: O'Hare International Airport was the nation's busiest airport in terms of air traffic during the first half of 2006, surpassing Atlanta's, according to government statistics released Monday..

Future of Air Traffic is in Orbit
3 July, 2006: The future of air traffic control is satellite technology, not radar, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s plan for a next-generation air transportation system..

Airways in USA are the Safest Ever
1 July, 2006: Several close calls in recent years show the potential for danger on flights remain, but the risk of dying in a plane crash has dropped sharply with recent technical innovations..

JetBlue, Continental Top Satisfaction Survey, Delta Second
30 June, 2006: Despite their emphasis on low cost structures, discount carriers continue to outpace bigger airlines in customer satisfaction, according to a new J.D. Power survey..

The Collision That Changed How We Fly
29 June, 2006: High above the Grand Canyon, the planes were on a collision course. United Airlines Flight 718 and TWA Flight 2 had departed Los Angeles just three minutes apart and taken slightly different routes eastward..

Wi-Fi Falls from the Sky
28 June, 2006: Some have called the ability to surf the Internet on a wireless network while trapped inside a airplane for hours at a time the holy grail for business travelers. Boeing, the company behind the Connexion service that provides just that on several foreign carriers, is calling it something else..

US FAA Approves ADS-B
27 June, 2006: Nationwide deployment of automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) as the first step towards the US next-generation air transport system has been approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration’s Joint Resources Council..

US Lawmaker Wants Limits on A380 Airport Upgrades
26 June, 2006: A senior Republican lawmaker influential on transportation matters said on Friday he wants Congress to prohibit U.S. airports from spending federal funds on upgrades to accommodate the European-made superjumbo Airbus A380..

Boeing Considers Lengthening 747
23 June, 2006: Boeing is studying the possibility of lengthening its 747-8 Intercontinental passenger aircraft in response to requests from some airlines for additional capacity. Interest is coming primarily from Asian carriers that are also evaluating the Airbus A380, which nominally seats 555 passengers in three classes, compared with 450 for the 747-8I, say industry sources..

Nearing Midway, Pilots Worried About Landing
22 June, 2006: The pilots of the Southwest Airlines jet that skidded off a snowy Chicago runway and killed a boy last December worried that it wasn't safe to land and thought about diverting to another city, a transcript of the cockpit voice recorder shows..

Keeping Runways Safe With New Air Traffic Technology
21 June, 2006: (VIDEO) Air travel is on the rise in the U.S., with the Federal Aviation Administration reporting a record 739 million passengers last year alone. As that number continues to grow, Congress is urging the FAA to increase funding for runway safety programs. One of the newest systems is receiving rave reviews throughout the aviation industry..

Frustratingly, Small Airports Get Screeners as Big Terminals Suffer
19 June, 2006: Last year, passengers at Kahului Airport in Maui, Hawaii, breezed through some of the fastest security lines in the nation. On the other end of the country, Orlando travelers stood in lines that exceeded federal waiting-time goals every day..

Jet Engine Blows Up at LAX
14 June, 2006: Safety officials are investigating why one of the two engines on the American Airlines plane blew apart during a test run at LAX last month, sending pieces into the fuselage and the other engine, punching holes into the wings and scattering pieces..

FAA Telecom Outage Reported at New Atlanta Tower
14 June, 2006: A telecommunications system at the new Atlanta air traffic control tower went down for four-and-a-half hours on the morning of June 9 and caused three flight delays, according to officials at the Federal Aviation Administration’s employee union, Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS)..

The In-Flight Wireless Wrangle
13 June, 2006: Carriers and service providers are laying the groundwork for mobile access on planes. But they've got a lot of hurdles to overcome..

Atlanta Tower Air Traffic Controllers Have Eyes on All 4,700 Acres of Airport
12 June, 2006: Spanning 4,700 acres, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is larger than some countries. From a new tower, a 398 foot tall vantage point, air traffic controllers at the massive hub are now able to see what is happening on every inch of each of the airport’s five runways..

Boeing Near Decision on 787 Dreamliner Production Capacity
8 June, 2006: Boeing could make an announcement as early as this summer on whether it will double production capacity of its fast-selling 787 Dreamliner, a senior executive at the plane maker said on Wednesday..

FAA Imposes Pact On Air Controllers, Move Comes Two Months After Contract Talks Stalled; House May Intervene
6 June, 2006: The FAA will impose its own contract on the nation's air traffic controllers, two months after negotiations on a new contract broke down. The House is considering a proposal aimed at prodding the two sides back to the bargaining table..

Delta Wins Pay Benefit Concessions From Pilots
1 June, 2006: Delta Air Lines, the nation's third-largest carrier, cleared a hurdle Wednesday when its pilots approved an agreement with the company that calls for $280 million in annual concessions..

New Atlanta Air Traffic Control Tower Is Equipped with the FAA's Most Modern and Cost-Effective Telecom Services
30 May, 2006: Harris Corporation today announced that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport's new 398-foot air traffic control (ATC) tower represents the most recent milestone in the continuing rollout of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI) program..


Fifth Runway Opens, But Use Will be Gradual
28 May, 2006: Airliners touched down at the Atlanta airport's fifth runway Saturday — the first day of regular operations for the .28 billion hunk of concrete designed to ease delays at the world's busiest passenger hub..

American CEO: Demand Remains Strong as Planes Fill Up
25 May, 2006: Air travelers in the United States face crowded planes and rising fares this year, but those conditions have not dampened ticket demand, the American Airlines CEO Gerard Arpey said Wednesday..

Running out of Runways - Will Atlanta Need Another Airport?
24 May, 2006: When officials toasted the completion of the Atlanta airport's new fifth runway on May 16, they toasted the end of an era in Atlanta history. The fifth runway is most likely the airport's last..

A More Comfortable Boeing Plane
23 May, 2006: The Boeing 787 Dreamliner will take flight next year, offering passengers significant improvements in airplane comfort, including bigger windows, roomier storage bins and better in-flight air quality..

In Imaginary Skies, Would-be Controllers Guide Pretend Pilots
19 May, 2006: The skies above Southern California were busy on a recent Monday evening as Markian Olesijuk deftly coordinated the departures and arrivals of more than a dozen airplanes at Los Angeles International Airport..


Atlanta Airport's 5th Runway Ready at Last
17 May, 2006: Minutes before a Delta Air Lines 767 christened Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport's fifth runway with its first set of skid marks, Delta CEO Gerald Grinstein commandeered the plane's public-address system..

Atlanta's New Runway 10/28 A Chance to Help Unclog Atlanta
16 May, 2006: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta airport will open a fifth runway next week, easing congestion and reducing delays at the USA's busiest airport..

Atlanta's New 5th Runway 10/28 Set for Officials' Celebration
16 May, 2006: They're calling it The Most Important Runway in America. Federal, state and local officials gather Tuesday on the new fifth runway at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to celebrate the massive project's completion..

New System Could Reduce Flight Delays During Storms
15 May, 2006: Air travelers could face fewer flight delays during stormy weather this summer because of a new system for routing flights, federal aviation regulators say..

Two Killed in Small Plane Crash
12 May, 2006: Forsyth County authorities have identified the two men who died in a small plane crash Friday. A spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff's Department identifies the victims as Lee Zimmerman of Roswell, who piloted the plane, and his passenger, David McAdoo of Talking Rock..

Thunderstorms Could Delay Air Travel
12 May, 2006: The number of airline flight delays in April was 31% higher than the same month last year, thanks mostly to a thunderstorm pattern that could mean trouble ahead for summer travelers, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday..

Air Traffic Controllers Fear Mass Exodus With Contract
11 May, 2006: Air traffic controllers at Detroit Metro Airport lobbied passengers for support Monday as a deadline looms for a new cost-cutting contract with the Federal Aviation Administration..

Atlanta Tower & Ground Air Traffic Controllers Enjoy Their New View
9 May, 2006: The commanding view from the new air traffic control tower at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport takes in just about every inch of the world's busiest airport, as well as the city's distant skyline..

New Atlanta Control Tower Opens Setting Records
8 May, 2006: After a decade of planning and construction, the nation's tallest air traffic control tower is finally up and running at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport..

Eclipse Jet Nears FAA Certification
4 May, 2006: The very light jets being built by Eclipse Aviation Corp. might be significantly quieter than the majority of piston aircraft flying in and out of today's airports, suggests a prepared statement issued on Tuesday by the firm..

Tracking System to Better Pinpoint Planes' Locations
3 May, 2006: The government is endorsing a new concept for the future of guiding planes that will eventually replace radar in tracking jets over the USA. Known as ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast), the system works by providing vastly improved..

FAA Issues Revised Autopilot Standards
2 May, 2006: Reacting to a pair of landmark NTSB recommendations addressing potential safety vulnerabilities in autopilots, the FAA this month is amending airworthiness standards for automatic flight control systems in transport-category airplanes..

NATCA Turns On Charm, Turns Up Heat On FAA
1 May, 2006: National Air Traffic Controllers Association President John Carr has offered to meet personally with FAA Administrator Marion Blakey to try to achieve a negotiated settlement in the current contract impasse. Last week, Blakey rejected the union's call for a return to the bargaining table, saying the two sides are too far apart on money issues..

FAA, Controllers Turn to Congress to Resolve Pay Dispute
28 April, 2006: It’s been 25 years since President Reagan fired more than 11,000 air traffic controllers who staged an illegal strike. Those hired to replace them are now embroiled in a bitter contract dispute with the Federal Aviation Administration..

What Brings Personal Jets to the Masses? Lots of Computing
27 April, 2006: Ed Iacobucci is a one-time IBM tech whiz and founder of software maker Citrix Systems. Over the past four years, he and his team have built a breakthrough computer system for solving highly complex optimization problems..

Runway Safety: Pilots Seeing Red
24 April, 2006: After a year of tests at one of the nation's busiest airports, Federal Aviation Administration officials are optimistic that a runway status light system can be approved for use at airports around the country to curb near-collisions of airplanes..

Computer Glitch Led to Atlanta Airport Scare
21 April, 2006: A bomb scare that led authorities to evacuate security checkpoints at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Wednesday was the result of a software malfunction, Transportation Security Administration Director Kip Hawley said..

NATCA Accepts FAA's Public Offer to Return to Bargaining Table
20 April, 2006: National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President John Carr announced today that NATCA is accepting the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) public offer to return to the contract bargaining table..

Suspicious Device Found at Atlanta Airport
19 April, 2006: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport officials said the main security checkpoint of the airport was closed Wednesday afternoon because a suspicious device was detected in a screening machine..

Private Jet Owners in a Fight with Commercial Airliners Over Taxes
19 April, 2006: Financially strapped commercial airlines want corporate jet owners to pay more of the cost of maintaining the nation's air traffic control system - a potential change that some fear could cause business aviation to crash and burn..

Captain Meryl Getline: 'Strangle my WHAT?' ATCMonitor.com in Today's Column
18 April, 2006: Pilot Meryl Getline explains the history and usage of the term squawk, from World War II battlefields to modern aircraft cockpits, with a reference to ATCMonitor.com..

Telecom Modernization Takes Time
17 April, 2006: A massive effort to replace communications and data lines that stitch together the air traffic control system is (surprise, surprise) behind schedule and not achieving its financial goals..

Delta, Pilots Reach Tentative Deal
14 April, 2006: Delta Air Lines and its pilots union reached a tentative agreement Friday on pay and benefit cuts that could avert a strike at the nation's third largest carrier and ease uncertainty among travelers over the busy Easter weekend..

History in Atlanta Skies Today: Northeast Arrival Gets Split
13 April, 2006: The FAA has split Atlanta's legacy northeast Macey/Womac arrival into the FLCON, WHINZ, & PECHY arrivals to facilitate Atlanta's new rwy 10/28, and to relieve MACEY/WOMAC congestion. Updated PDFs are online at http://atcmonitor.com/atlcharts.html..

Capacity Crunch in Summer Skies
12 April, 2006: A reduction in U.S. airlines' available seats coupled with a strong economy promises to pack planes this summer, making flights dismal for passengers but lucrative for an industry struggling to offset surging fuel costs..

Delta Stays Quietly Hopeful
11 April, 2006: Barring a last-minute agreement between Delta Air Lines and its 6,000 pilots, the nation's third-largest airline could be grounded as early as next Tuesday..

$1B Runway Opens, Not Needed
10 April, 2006: Airport and city officials will gather Thursday to open Lambert Airport's new runway, a 9,000-foot-long ribbon of concrete that cost $1.1 billion to build and was the most expensive improvement project in St. Louis history..

Professional Airways Systems Specialists Accuses FAA of Misinformation Campaign
7 April, 2006: The Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS) has reacted to the FAA's unwarranted filing of an unfair labor practice charge against the union in connection with negotiations over a new contract for employees in the Air Traffic Organization (ATO) technical operations bargaining unit. The union characterized the FAA's action as a misguided attempt to undermine the contract ratification process, which is central to the PASS's commitment to union democracy..

Air Traffic Controllers Contract Talks Break Down
6 April, 2006: Contract talks between the Federal Aviation Administration and the air traffic controllers union collapsed Wednesday. The FAA declared the negotiations at an impasse, which allows the agency to turn the dispute over to Congress..

Delta Pilots Authorize Strike
5 April, 2006: Pilots at Delta Air Lines voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike against the nation's No. 2 airline, the union announced Tuesday, though no date was set for a walkout..

British Air Traffic Controller's 'tea break' Stops Plane Landing
4 April, 2006: Stunned holiday-makers flying back to Britain from Tenerife said they were told by the captain they could not land because an air traffic controller was on a tea break..

FAA, Air Traffic Controller Contract Talks Break Down
1 April, 2006: Contract talks between the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association broke down Friday as the FAA rejected an offer that would have saved taxpayers $1.4 billion..

Light Jets Promise Air Revolution
31 March, 2006: Once reserved for the seriously rich or the seriously rock 'n' roll, private jets will soon be within easier reach, thanks to a new breed of low-cost lightweight planes that are expected to revolutionize the corporate aviation sector..

FAA Investigating Third Close Call on O'Hare Runways
30 March, 2006: Federal officials are investigating a possible safety breach involving two commercial planes at O'Hare International Airport, the third investigation of an apparent close call on the airfield's runways in less than a week..

On-Time Arrival for ATL's Fifth Runway
29 March, 2006: Hip-deep in a pizza-sized hole, electrician Ken Hunter crimps some of the hundreds of miles of wiring that soon will illuminate the 28 billion fifth runway at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport..

Airbus Evacuation Drill Causes 33 Injuries
28 March, 2006: Thirty-three people suffered minor injuries Sunday during a crucial evacuation drill for the new Airbus A380 superjumbo jet. Aviation authorities mandate specific evacuation times for jet models, and the drill was a critical test for the jet..

Persistent Radar Woes at Denver TRACON Jeopardize Safety
27 March, 2006: While the Federal Aviation Administration snubs the Denver Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility by denying it a modernized radar display system, the antiquated system in use continues to experience frequent reliability problems, including a failure recently that resulted in a close call in the skies above Denver that jeopardized safety..

FAA to Probe O'Hare Runway Safety
27 March, 2006: Two federal agencies plan to investigate how commercial planes nearly collided twice in two days on runways at O'Hare International Airport..

A380 Facing Key Evacuation Drill
24 March, 2006: Airbus will carry out its first mock evacuation of the A380 on Sunday, in a crucial step to securing its airworthiness..

Delta Pilots Union Remains Firm
23 March, 2006: The head of the pilots union at embattled Delta Air Lines affirmed Wednesday the union's promise to strike if pay cuts are imposed on the 6,000 pilots while urging the two sides to reach agreement..

FAA Uses Humorous Names for Empty Points in Sky
22 March, 2006: To arrive in Nashville, it takes PICKN and GRNIN and often a pass through HEHAW. It's the same for guitar players, and pilots..

FAA to Move Boise TRACON to SLC
21 March, 2006: The Federal Aviation Administration's proposal to move an air traffic control system from Boise to Salt Lake City to save money is like 'cutting off a plane's wings to save weight,' Boise Mayor Dave Bieter says..

New Jet Breed Positioned to Get Off the Ground
20 March, 2006: Small-business owner Bill Frick bought his first airplane in the early 1980s, preferring to fly on his own to visit customers in La Crosse, Wis., and Fort Wayne, Ind., cities that were not well served by major airlines..

Pirate Radio Interferes With Miami Pilots
19 March, 2006: Airline pilots departing from Miami International Airport are getting an earful of something unexpected: Hip-hop tunes from a pirate radio station that sometimes interfere with their communications with the control tower..

Fosset Claims Another Flight Record
18 March, 2006: Adventurer Steve Fossett said Friday that he had broken the record for flying farther than anyone departing and landing at the same spot, traveling more than 25,000 miles (40,225 kilometers) in three days..

Delta CFO Says Airline Won't Negotiate Pilot Pay Cut
17 March, 2006: Delta Air Lines won't lower the amount of concessions it is seeking from its pilots any further, but would be willing to discuss concerns pilots have about the possible termination of their defined benefit pension plan..

FAA Does Nothing as Little Rock Radar Feed Crashes Nightly, Says PASS
16 March, 2006: The Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS) today expressed serious concern about the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) indifference toward fixing a problem caused by a private contractor that has resulted in nightly disruptions of information fed into Little Rock National Airport coming from its long-range radars..

One Really Long Runway for Rent
15 March, 2006: For rent.. 15,000-foot runway. Aircraft hangar included. Affordable. Historic. Scenic Florida location..

Fossett to Attempt Closed-Circuit Flight Record
14 March, 2006: Aviator Steve Fossett is off on another bid for a world-record flight. The millionaire aviator took off from Salina Municipal Airport at 6:40 a.m. Tuesday in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, hoping to break the closed-circuit distance record for a flight that begins and ends at the same location..

Delta's Pilot Dispute Goes to Arbitrators Today
13 March, 2006: Delta Air Lines will set a bankruptcy precedent Monday as a bitter dispute with its pilots goes to a panel of arbitrators instead of to a judge..

FAA Urged to Restructure Airplane Fees
10 March, 2006: The trade group representing the nation's largest commercial airlines yesterday argued that companies operating business jets should pay an additional $1 billion to fund the nation's air transportation system..

FAA Administrator Marion Blakely Attacks Her Own Workforce on Capital Hill
9 March, 2006: FAA Administrator Marion Blakey once again made it clear yesterday that she is more focused on attacking her own employees than addressing the serious challenges facing America's air traffic system..

Flights Delayed at New York Airports by Radar Software Failure
8 March, 2006: Flights were delayed in the New York area for up to two hours because of a computer glitch in the air traffic control center, the government said yesterday..

Radar Outage Delays O'Hare Flights
7 March, 2006: Flights bound for O'Hare Airport were delayed Monday afternoon after a telephone line used by air-traffic controllers was cut during routine maintenance, the Federal Aviation Administration said..

Eclipse Aviation Begins Manufacturing Jet Plane for First Customer
6 March, 2006: With its first customer on hand to start an automated welder that quietly hummed as it built a cockpit side panel, Eclipse Aviation began producing its first customer jet plane this week..

FAA Plan Calls for ILS Phaseout Starting in 2015
3 March, 2006: Released last month, the 2005 Federal Radionavigation Plan (FRP)–a joint production of the DOT, DOD and the Department of Homeland Security–provides a useful guide to what air navigation will be like between now and 2020..

Atlanta Airport Gets $26 Million to Build Taxiway
2 March, 2006: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has received $26 million over five years to build a new taxiway intended to reduce flight delays, federal officials said Tuesday..

Study: Cellphones Can Impact Cockpit Devices
1 March, 2006: Talking on cellphones or using laptops on an airplane could disrupt cockpit operations, especially GPS devices that are increasingly being used to help land planes safely, according to a new study..

FAA and Air Traffic Controllers Agree on Mediation
28 February, 2006: Federal mediators will be at the bargaining table next month for the next round of contentious negotiations between the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association..

Unusual Head Winds Prolong Flights
27 February, 2006: Unusually strong February winds at high altitudes have led to longer flight times, unscheduled pit stops and higher costs for U.S. airlines..

Airports Play the Name Game
24 February, 2006: Small airports across the USA have been renaming themselves to boost visibility and gain an edge on competitors. Take Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, N.Y., which is named after a local family. In May, it will become New York Hudson Valley..

NATCA: FAA Reducing Hiring
23 February, 2006: The air traffic controllers union says the Federal Aviation Administration will hire far fewer controllers this year than its target number, a move the union says could affect passenger safety..

Three Planes Avoid Runway Crash in L.A.
22 February, 2006: Two planes came within a few hundred feet of each other last week when a controller at Los Angeles International Airport mistakenly cleared three planes for the same runway, officials said..

Cramming More Seats into Dreamliner
21 February, 2006: Airlines are choosing to cram more seats into Boeing's hot-selling new 787 Dreamliner than the company expected, giving the plane a potentially decisive advantage over its Airbus rival..

What Part Of 'Don't Aim At Planes' Don't You Understand?
20 February, 2006: Lasers are in the news again -- alas, not because of some scientific development, but instead because at least 16 pilots landing their planes at Detroit Metro Airport in a single night report having been flashed by potentially blinding, focused beams of light..

Delta Pilots Picket Over Pay Cuts
17 February, 2006: More than two dozen Delta Air Lines Inc. pilots held signs Friday berating management for asking pilots to take deep concessions while trying to get court approval for a hefty severance plan for officers..

Pushing Boundaries While Pushing Tin
16 February, 2006: The world