Commercial Air Travel

AirportCommercial aviation in the United States and internationally is one of the most diverse and dynamic industries ever, having a widespread economic impact not only on tourism, but also on industries such as petroleum, manufacturing, shipping, food service, and millions of jobs in countless businesses, all of which have become dependent on commercial aviation.

This industry is also the one of the most scrutinized, investigated and monitored industries on earth. Government representatives, regulators, news reporters, disgruntled travelers, and even lawyers—all watch the airlines continuously. However, the combined efforts of industry and government have made commercial aviation the safest form of travel in the world.

Criminalization of Aviation: Does It Enhance Safety?

May 30, 2012

Now comes an announcement from Greece that a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer has received a ten-year prison sentence for allegedly not re-setting a cockpit switch on a Helios Airways 737-300 which crashed in 2005 after its oxygen supply ran out and the pilots and many passengers fell unconscious. The criminal sentence is made even more […]

Continue reading →

Big Jets Bring Big Runway Issues, Will FAA Make Matters Worse?

April 12, 2011

The FAA’s Annual Runway Safety Report 2009 states: The mission of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Runway Safety is “To improve runway safety in the United States (U.S.) by decreasing the number and severity of surface incidents and runway incursions.” In light of the recent runway incursion at John F. Kennedy International Airport on […]

Continue reading →

Southwest Airlines Structural Failure Points to Flaws In Commercial Aviation System

April 4, 2011

The key language in the flurry of posts surrounding the Southwest Airlines 737-300 fuselage fatigue on Saturday is what Mike Van de Ven, Southwest’s chief operating officer, said in a statement: “Prior to the event regarding Flight 812, we were in compliance with the FAA-mandated and Boeing-recommended structural inspection requirements for that aircraft. What we saw with […]

Continue reading →

WHAT TO DO AFTER A HARROWING AIRLINE EXPERIENCE

February 16, 2011

If you have flown commercially at all, you probably have had one of those commercial airline flights which caused you to wonder if you were going to get to the ground safely.  In fact, you might have been scared almost to death. It has happened to me.  I was on a regional propjet out of […]

Continue reading →

New Safety Regulations Aimed To Keep Sleepy Pilots Out Of The Cockpit, ATA Disagrees

February 14, 2011

According to Senator Charles Schumer of New York, the industry is trying to “water down” the August 2010 safety regulations he sponsored after 50 people lost their lives in the February 2009 crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407. The new regulations include more training for pilots, crew, flight attendants, engineers and dispatchers to be in […]

Continue reading →

Addressing Criminal Prosecutions In Aviation Disasters

January 21, 2011

In reference to our blog regarding criminalization of aviation accidents, posted here on December 10, 2010, I wanted to post the following book review that I just did on Flying in the Face of Criminalization. The review will be published in The Times of London Higher Education Magazine within the next month or so. The […]

Continue reading →

Concerns With Commercial Jet Engine Problems

December 27, 2010

Another problem with commercial transport jet engines:  this time the problem is with Boeing’s General Electric engines on its 777-200 jets.  After two engine incidents within a couple of weeks, the Angolan airline Linhas Aereas de Angola has decided to suspend all flights using its Boeing 777-200 engines.                                                         On December 6, the first incident occurred […]

Continue reading →

Criminalization of Aviation Accidents

December 10, 2010

The announcement by the court in France of criminal convictions for the United States’ Continental Air Lines and one of its mechanics in the aftermath of the Concorde crash on July 25, 2000 sent shivers down the spines of all who care about aviation safety.  As we discuss in this post, criminalizing non-intentional careless conduct—ordinary […]

Continue reading →

Latest Windshield Issue For Delta

November 19, 2010

At 34,000 feet in the air, the pilot came on over the public address system and calmly advised his passengers they had to make an emergency landing because the Boeing 737 had a  cracked windshield.  Delta Flight 1795 was headed for Southern California from Atlanta and diverted to the Dallas-Ft. Worth.  The plane landed in […]

Continue reading →

Concern Grows About Commercial Airline Travel Safety As My Travel Nears

November 15, 2010

In the aftermath of the commercial airline incidents in the last few weeks, my concern grows about these “mishaps”/ “incidents”/ “accidents” happening in commercial airline travel when lives are at stake.   Qantas Airline grounded all six of its A380 after an engine exploded shortly after takeoff from Singapore on its way to Sidney.  The chief […]

Continue reading →

← Previous Entries