Airline Division News Items
FAA Reauthorization Bill Update
If the Senate fails to act on an FAA Reauthorization bill before the end of the month, another short-term reauthorization of the agency will be required. The House has already passed their bill, but floor time in the Senate is at a premium as lawmakers continue to grapple with healthcare legislation and climate change. The biggest stumbling block to passage in the Senate is the fact that the Senate Finance Committee has yet to write the tax provisions for the FAA reauthorization bill.
Continental Section 6 Negotiations Continue
Negotiations reconvened in HoustonTexas from August 31st thru September 2nd 2009. During this session several proposals were exchanged and reviewed which prompted lengthy discussions on each. The Union explained their position and need for amending current contract language for each article proposed and although no Tentative Agreements were met except for Section 13, Training, progress was made on all items discussed. Discussions resumed for three days in Houstonon the 8th, 9th and10th of September. Those non-economical articles that were discussed during the six days are as follows:
. Filling of Vacancies
. Hours of Service
. Leaves of Absence
. Field Trips
. Training
. Overtime
. General and Miscellaneous
The next negotiation session is scheduled for September 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, in Houston. Both sides are optimistic that the negotiations can be concluded soon.
NMB Reviewing Cape Air Decertification Vote
The National Mediation Board is reviewing the recent decertification vote at Cape Air because of possible interference in the vote by Cape Air management. Testimony was being taken today at the Washington offices of the NMB.
Tentative Agreement Reached With Amerijet
Amerijet pilots have been on strike for over two weeks. The Teamsters Negotiating Committee and Amerijet management resumed negotiations on Tuesday of this week with NMB mediation. A tentative agreement was reached and is being prepared for presentation to the membership for a vote. The vote could occur as soon as this weekend. In the meantime the strike will continue.
FAA Concluded Final Regional Meetings to Gather Input for a New Flight Time and Duty Time Rule and Other Safety Issues
Teamster safety representative, Russ Leighton of Teamsters Local 1224, led the labor team at the final Safety Forum on Airline Safety and Pilot Training held in Las Vegas on August 27th. The forum covered such topics as: Screening and Hiring, Training, Professional Development, Training Standards and Performance, Performance Monitoring, and Mentoring. The teams filed their reports with the FAA by the September 1st deadline set back in July, and the FAA is now working on a Draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for new Flight and Duty Time rules.
Week in Review News Items
September 11 Remembered
Vice President Joseph Biden has laid flowers in a reflecting pool at ground zero before a ceremony to mark the eighth anniversary of Sept. 11. Biden and his wife, Jill, arrived on the west side of the New York City site shortly before the ceremony at a nearby park. Seven years after Beverly Eckert walked through the halls of Congress to demand — and help win — an independent investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, her sisters are walking in her footsteps , demanding action on aviation safety in the wake of the Feb. 12 crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407.
Labor Developments
A bankruptcy judge has confirmed the plan of reorganization for Frontier Airlines, moving the Denver-based carrier a step closer to emerging from Chapter 11 protection. Frontier says it resolved the few objections to its reorganization plan before winning approval from the judge in New York on Thursday.
Regulatory & Safety
A lack of "professionalism" in the airline industry and an increase of pilots with little experience are contributing to a growing number of accidents, FAA chief Randy Babbitt said. Babbitt cited the February crash of a Pinnacle Airlines Corp. Colgan unit plane near Buffalo, N.Y., which killed 50 people, and a 2006 accident in Lexington involving Erlanger-based Comair with 49 fatalities as examples of inexperienced pilots who didn't follow basic operating standards.
Airline Industry Finances
Traffic volume on European carriers in July was still "depressed", the Association of European Airlines (AEA) said. Figures for the month were 2.3% below those for July 2008 which the AEA said were already down because of the recession. The major markets also posted larger deficits, with North America traffic down 4.3%, the Far East 3.9% and intra-Europe 3.4%. AEA, which represents the legacy carriers in Europe, said the overall figures had been mitigated by "some growth" in Middle East and Africa markets. International air travel, whacked by the economic downturn, is starting to stabilize but may not recover until 2011 as companies and passengers continue to scale back, executives at aviation giants Boeing Co. and Airbus SAS said Wednesday.
Passenger Rights Legislation
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. The Business Travel Coalition, a group that represents about 300 corporate travel departments, came out this week in support of such a law after having opposed congressional action.
Miscellaneous
You don't have to be interested in aircraft or flying to find a parable about corporate fantasies, outright lies, or the image spinning that can harm or destroy businesses by looking at the dismal saga of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner?Smith Travel Research is holding firm to its forecast of continued hotel occupancy, revenue and rate declines through 2010?The Senate on Wednesday passed the Travel Promotion Act in a 79-19 vote. The measure is designed to promote the U.S. as a travel destination to people in other countries and communicate information about U.S. security and entry procedures.