Is It Safe To Fly Domestic U.S. Airlines While Bush Is Still In The White House?

Airline safety officials being sworn in a few months ago, prior to testifying before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on FAA safety oversight

This morning Blue Texan at Firedoglake alerted us to another aspect of the GOP's war on federal regulatory agencies via a very frightening story in the Statesman.

Pilots are complaining that their airline bosses, desperate to cut costs, are forcing them to fly uncomfortably low on fuel.

Safety for passengers and crews could be compromised, they say.

The situation got bad enough three years ago, even before the latest surge in fuel prices, that NASA sent a safety alert to federal aviation officials.

There has been no action.

This year the Air Transport Industry "donated" $347,658 to McCain, more money than to any other member of Congress; in fact, more money than to any politician in America. They love that deregulation and they know exactly who will let them get away with murder. Over at my travel blog I've been talking about how the airlines are trying to save money by charging for everything short of the toilets. But saving money by scrimping on fuel-- against the advice of professional pilots seems to be nothing short of criminal. Do we have to wait for a crash before doing something? Two crashes? Ten? If the Bush Regime has accomplished one goal-- aside from vengefully devastating Iraqi society and enriching their campaign contributors-- it is the destruction of the federal regulatory system that protects consumers and workers from the excesses of predatory capitalism gone mad. This is another one for the off the table impeachment trials Pelosi has made sure would never take place.

... [P]ilots, flight dispatchers and others have continued to sound off with their own warnings, yet the Federal Aviation Administration says there is no reason to order airlines to back off their effort to keep fuel loads to a minimum.

"We can't dabble in the business policies or the personnel policies of an airline," said FAA spokesman Les Dorr. He said there was no indication safety regulations were being violated.

The September 2005 safety alert was issued by NASA's confidential Aviation Safety Reporting System, which allows air crews to report safety problems without fear their names will be disclosed.

"What we found was that because they carried less fuel on the airplane, they were getting into situations where they had to tell air traffic control, 'I need to get on the ground,' " said Linda Connell, director of the NASA reporting system.

With fuel prices now their biggest cost, airlines are aggressively enforcing new policies designed to reduce consumption.

In March, for example, an airline pilot told NASA he landed his regional jet with less fuel than required by FAA regulations. "Looking back," he said, "I would have liked more gas yesterday." He also complained that his airline was "ranking" captains according to who landed with the least amount.

...Labor unions at two major airlines — American Airlines and US Airways — have filed complaints with the FAA, saying the airlines are pressuring members not to request spare fuel for flights.

American notified dispatchers on July 7 that their records on fuel approved for flights would be monitored, and dispatchers not abiding by company guidelines could ultimately be fired.

...Former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jim Hall said the situation merits an industrywide investigation by [Department of Transportation Inspector General Calvin] Scovel.

"It's a safety-of-flight issue, and it needs to be treated as such," said Hall, now a transportation safety consultant. "If dispatchers and pilots are saying the airlines are pressuring them, and it's having a chilling effect on the decisions they make every day in regard to the fuel loads, and it looks like it's eroding the authority of the pilot in command, then that issue needs the attention of the government regulators who are there to oversee the system."

And while Bush-- or any Republican-- is in the White House, don't just think everything will be fine because you can take a bus. This is a complex society. Sensible regulation is the only way we can all live together in any kind of harmony. And that doesn't mean closing the barnyard door after the cow gets out.