Another excellent benefit of Big Oil’s record profits.
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.
Since then, pilots, 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.
WTF? I know the Bush administration is fundamentally allergic to regulation of any kind, but the reason the FAA exists is to dabble in the business policies of the airlines. Here’s what they say they do.
We issue and enforce regulations and minimum standards covering manufacturing, operating, and maintaining aircraft. We certify airmen and airports that serve air carriers.
That would seem to cover "dabbling" Les.
Asshole.
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Enforce regulations….those two words don’t exist in Bushcospeak.
Oh, BT, I didn’t need to hear this. My 14 year old son is flying next week to visit is sister in DC. His first flight. And, solo. I’ll try not to worry about the plane running out of fuel. My worry list needs to get shorter.
Nice post, BT! It sounds like they could use a little Accountability Now!
For those who may have missed it, here’s what I’m talking about:
More here on Accountability Now from Jane, with embedded links to Glenn Greenwald and others.
The tally right now: 2278 donors have given $150,985 in just over 24 hours. Wow!
It’s not too late for people to add some more to the pot, to keep the pressure on the folks in DC.
Mornin’ BT and LS.
And I just booked my flight from Seattle to San Diego for next month. Sigh. You’d think someone would listen to the _pilots_ for Pete’s sake! The airline bean-counters must be using the health insurance bean-counters’ playbook…
FunnyD
Howdy BT!
Mornin’.
This is the sort of practice Republicans perfected under the Reagan administration. Define under-fueling planes as a business or personnel policy when clearly it is an operational safety issue.
Hi Funny!!
I wish I could find a dossier on this braindead Les Dorr.
It is all about shrinking the government and flushing it down the drain. The pukes believe everything should be private enterprise. The pressure needs to be on the Airline companies, since the government won’t act. Boycott the airlines whenever possible and pressure their CEOs and stockholders…remember the stockholders fly on the major airlines, so they are endangered; whereas, the CEO’s usually fly in private planes.
BT, the FAA has a duel purpose, IIRC. It exists to promote commerce and to ensure safety simultaneously. That has long been a criticism of the FAA and one of the underlying reasons for its reputation as the “tombstone agency”.
Is it the intention of airline management to cut cost by carrying a lighter load resulting in higher fuel efficiency? Just trying to understand their motivation.
shorter bushco: profits first. americans last.
*sigh*
That’s what I can make out. I was actually flying the day that US Airways pilots ran that ad about being pressured to cut down on fuel.
I’m okay with the airlines taking away my in-flight snacks and movies but one thing I’d rather not have them skimp on is fuel.
“We can’t dabble in the business policies or the personnel policies of an airline,” said FAA spokesman Les Dorr.
A number of years ago, when Eli Lilly pulled all natural insulins from the U.S. market, users (who Lilly acknowledged existed) who could not use genetically-engineered insulin, ask the FDA for help. “We cannot force a corporation to produce a product . . . or to continue producing a needed product . . . even if patients’ lives are at risk. That’s a business decision, and FDA cannot force action.”
As you say, private enterprise rules. Consumers, should they unfortunately die, are merely replaced by more consumers.
This is a part of my big disappointment in the Obama campaign, While health care is a very important issue it is something that will emerge from congress. Meanwhile, all of the federal agencies come under the perview of the president. For the past 7 1/2 yrs corporations have been the customers, fuck the people. EPA was told all of its announcements would have to go thru the WH and things went down hill from there. EPA’s function has been to do battle w/ states attempts to clean the environment, FDA, Labor dept, FAA, Treasury all have run amuck in their capitulation to the corporations. This includes what has happened to the economy. It all comes together in the focus of this govt. Corporate greed.
Crashing one passenger jet would tend to offset a lot of fuel savings.
Good Morning Blue Texan – wow, horrifying
equally scary, I spent the morning scouring news sites and didn’t see a single mention of it
and lets hear it for Pilots – yay ! think of all the people who have kept their yaps shut for the last 8 years only to come out with some ex post facto news – these guys and gals are protesting in real time and risking a very rewarding career in doing so
Shorting the airlines might be a good idea because the next crash will be blamed on fuel now nomatter what the airlines claim and the market will sell.
And that is exactly why FAA is nicknamed the tombstone agency. It has earned its reputation by acting only after death and disaster.
Indeed.
and let’s not forget the $45B we gave them as bailout in 9/01
During 2002, I had to do a “weekly commute” from Springfield, IL via St Louis (I drove the 100 miles) then on to Albany, NY. I did a lot of it on US Airways and on the outbound Sunday, we were usually on the Embrauer Regional Jets (50 passenger, 1 flight attendant, pilot/co-pilot). We invariably got into a holding pattern and had to circle for some period of time.
The outer range of those planes are roughly 1k miles and the flying distance St Louis to Philly was just over 850 miles or so. I can’t imagine how they could skimp much on fuel for those type jets when they are already pushing the outer edges of flight safety.
Yes you can dabble in the business policies of an airline you are the government if its not safe your job is to say no.
“Good morning folks, this is your captain speaking. We will be landing here shortly, just as soon as all of the other circling planes with even less fuel left than us have set down.”
“Don’t worry about a thing – and thank you for flying Penny-Pinching Tight-Ass Air – a division of Incompetent Republicans, Inc.”
Blue Texan August 9th, 2008 at 9:20 am
9
In response to ratfood @ 7 (show text)
I wish I could find a dossier on this braindead Les Dorr.
_____________
Try the Arabian Horse Association …..
And only then if they are unable to redirect the blame.
Given the ratio of successful flights to crashes, a cost/benefit analysis would likely assure airline management that they can afford to lose one once in awhile and still come out ahead.
Conveniently for airlines, the pilot is on the hook for choosing to take off with a knowingly unsafe aircraft. Such as one with too little fuel for the known load and flight path, and anticipated weather and air traffic control delays at the points of departure and arrival.
It also puts the burden on an already archaic and overburdened air traffic control system, which will have to deal with more urgent demands for take-off and landing.
It puts the burden on airport managers facing more urgent demands for gates at terminals, or on passengers suffering longer delays as the aircraft is allowed to land, but has no gate to go to for them to disembark. It increases the work for passengers, airport staff and equipment as gates are shuffled, and baggage has to go farther to reunite with its owners.
Pretty much a classic tangled web of interconnected consequences resulting from selfish, but narrowly rational individual “choices”. The very outcome that collective choices — action through binding government or association rules — are designed to improve.
CheneyBush are in thrall to their no-tax, no-government action that limits individual choice (or, inconsistently, that prevents government from subsidizing selected, helpful corporations). Heads I Win, Tails You Lose. A game most of us learned not to play when we stopped playing with baseball cards.
My boyfriend has already heard about a Delta flight that needed an emergency landing because they were running out of fuel at least an hour before their actual destination.
It seems that there were very strong headwinds which sucked up the fuel and because they were running on the edge, they hit that edge. It was someone from one of his TeeVee crews who told this story….
Question:
Why is Lufthansa and Aegean Air making 13-17% profit so far this year?
[while they have some of the best customer service]
back in March, Southwest got a record FAA fine for failure to inspect, however,
.
NYT
will be calling the good congressman Monday morning.
Are their fuel costs less because of the weak dollar?
A recent flight my boyfriend had was delayed for 4 hrs or so because the pilot refused to fly the plane, he overheard the heated discussion where the pilot flat refused, said it was unsafe. It seems that this was the second pilot the airlines had tried to pawn off to the pilot….. which had refused that same plane for another flight……
Everyone know that almost ALL airline maintenance is being done in Singapore which is outside ANY oversight and regulations which would be in place IF the plane was repaired stateside…
Fewer overweight Americans dragging them down.
According to the financial article I read, they were paying quite a bit more fuel, they are paying it in euros in Europe. One BIG thing is they don’t pay for health insurance as their employees are covered by their UNIVERSAL health care plan provided by their government….
Between all this and them searching your laptop, more reason to stay home or drive.
Yes, but more than pretzels on board for dinner.
It seems that there were very strong headwinds which sucked up the fuel and because they were running on the edge, they hit that edge. It was someone from one of his TeeVee crews who told this story….
“Good morning again folks, this is your captain speaking. Due to some unexpected headwinds and a couple of lard-asses seated in Coach who lied about their weight in pre-flight screening, we will be touching down shortly on a freeway realtively close to your originally chosen destination.”
We apologize for the inconvenience, but want you all to be aware that when we took off, we were well within the “Give or Take About a Hundred Miles” standard propounded by the FAA.”
“Please remember to tip your cab drivers, who should be arriving within the next hour or two, and will provide the final leg of your travel with Penny Pinching Tight Ass Airlines.”
You are correct in part on responsibility. The dispatcher and co-pilot are also responsible for proper fuel on board. FAA minimums require enough fuel to destination, plus fuel to alternate if required, including climb and approach, plus 45 minute reserve plus any known or anticipated delays. No professional pilot is going to bust these minimums, no matter what upper management wants. I suspect something else is behind these reports, such as unions preparing for a strike.
the problem a lot of us can’t do that…… if I am not working from home…. my commute is via an airline to where my clients are……. Elmore has the same issue…… his commute is to where ever the next Monday Night Football game is…….. A lot of business works that way…….. When I was working with a client in NY, I would see the same folks flying back and forth doing the same as I was…….
My question is why do Americans settle for so little?
I really like the “give or take” bit. very funny.
Granted, our pretzels are terrible but the portions are so generous.
But, but, but….Bushco has kept us safe from a bunch of major airline crashes since they’ve been occupying the WH…what’s the problem?
Oh yeah……except those four that crashed on 9/11…
Oh yeah..and they had plenty of fuel…so what’s the problem?
John McCain isn’t in the cockpit.
Let’s see; Driving versus flying comparison (too bad Amtrak isn’t readily available):
Flying:
Requires to be at airport roughly 1 1/2 to 2 hours prior to actual departure time.
Time and hassle to get to the airport including parking.
Security hassles and foul-ups
Paying extra for any checked bags
Actual flight time cooped up in the plane, probably in coach.
Having to pay extra for an aisle seat.
Rental car or cabs at destination.
All of which means if the flight is less than 500 miles, you’re probably better off driving it and making better time at less cost.
Distance of 500 to 1,000 miles is probably a coin flip as to which is more cost effective.
we’re lazy
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
further in the article you have 2 major airlines using ‘pending labor issues’ as cover for their murderously shortsighted ‘policies’
full disclosure: was flight attendant for 8+ years – resigned when Reagan busted PATCO
you forgot the security boob grope
Didn’t one of the airlines say the other day that they were considering charging passengers by their weight?
I think I read that.
Georgia has declared a state of war and has imposed martial law.
The Russians allege ethnic cleansing and targeting of civilians.
Here’s the pro-Russia perspective from Pravda.
Pravda also places the US at the forefront of the provocation.
-G
Also Kommander Noodlenuts has reminded us that Georgia is “sovereign”.
Or the cavity search. I can’t help that I walk funny, I have bad feet.
Fortunately for me (and the potential groper), I’ve not had that problem.
But it all falls under the umbrella description that I call “the aggravation factor.”
THe thought has crossed my mind that insurance is responsible for much of the loss of accountability by business. If a plane were to go down who would shell out the dollars for the victims of incompetence. Then if rates go up in the future oh well tell the workers and pilots we can’t afford their demands
When two pilots back-to-back refuse to fly the same plane, it’s an airline problem, not a pilot or aircraft problem. The pilots ought to be commended, even though their choice was Doing Their Job 101, like not taking off with too little fuel, malfunctioning instruments or a flat tire.
Sadly, airlines have an incentive to punish them for making management’s job harder, ie, for putting back on management the risks it tried to externalize by foisting them onto its crews and passengers. At least many pilots, unlike the vast majority of employees in America, still have a functioning union to help them respond to any attempted retaliation. Something to think about when it comes time to pull that lever or press that screen in the election booth.
Or the cavity search. I can’t help that I walk funny, I have bad feet.
I usually don’t walk funny until *after* the cavity search….
The last few days have seen the dollar go from about 1.56 per 1 euro to 1.50 per 1 euro this weekend, about 4% (3.8%) drop so increasing purchasing power to buy a barrel of oil. The Central Bank kept interest rate steady this week for the Eurozone (4.25%) (compare to 2% US rate and 5% UK rate, IIRC). Eurozone inflation is estimated 4% and expected to fall to 2% over the coming year (you and I cannot legally smoke what these accountants do). Most of the difference in the cost of petrol(gas) has to do with heavy governmental taxes on fuel, this is historical, the raw price for oil is about the same. Nothing has been noted why the adjustment for the dollar has happened.
My brother once pointed that out to me too.
OT-But everyone here will be interested:
From Political Wire:
http://politicalwire.com/
Goody!! Bring on the “flushing the toilet” ads…*G*
***spit***
Is your concern flying with too little fuel, or its disclosure in anticipation of difficult management-labor negotiations? Other posts here suggest pilots do indeed choose to fly without the required minimum fuel. The pressure to cave can be fearsome. And like the lottery, everyone hopes (or fears), but remains convinced it will never happen to them. Management has been known to take short cuts even with space shuttles, no?
Hi all… okay, from an airline pilot. The reality is that we have been more fuel-conscious these days because of the price of a gallon of gas. There are two rules that come into play with this discussion, one that specifically deals with fuel on board and the other that deals with the responsibility of the Pilot-in-Command (Captain).
First, F.A.R. (Federal Aviation Regulation) Part 121.645;
Sec. 121.646
(a) Any flag operation within the 48 contiguous United States and the District of Columbia may use the fuel requirements of Sec. 121.639.
(b) For any certificate holder conducting flag or supplemental operations outside the 48 contiguous United States and the District of Columbia, unless authorized by the Administrator in the operations specifications, no person may release for flight or takeoff a turbine-engine powered airplane (other than a turbo-propeller powered airplane) unless, considering wind and other weather conditions expected, it has enough fuel–
(1) To fly to and land at the airport to which it is released;
(2) After that, to fly for a period of 10 percent of the total time required to fly from the airport of departure to, and land at, the airport to which it was released;
(3) After that, to fly to and land at the most distant alternate airport specified in the flight release, if an alternate is required; and
(4) After that, to fly for 30 minutes at holding speed at 1,500 feet above the alternate airport (or the destination airport if no alternate is required) under standard temperature conditions.
(c) No person may release a turbine-engine powered airplane (other than a turbo-propeller airplane) to an airport for which an alternate is not specified under Sec. 121.621(a)(2) or Sec. 121.623(b) unless it has enough fuel, considering wind and other weather conditions expected, to fly to that airport and thereafter to fly for at least two hours at normal cruising fuel consumption.
What all that means is that the aircraft can’t be released for the flight unless it has adequate fuel on the flight release and in the tanks. Now, the matter of “in the tanks” becomes problemmatic when sitting on a pad at a busy airport like JFK for an hour or more. We regularly do this, and have to shut down both engines and leave our auxiliary power unit running to provide electric power and air conditioning (or heat as the case may be).
On our dispatch release is a “minimum fuel” number in 1,000s of pounds, and we are not allowed to take the runway with the intention of taking-off, if that number is one pound below the specified number. It’s a practice that would get me and the other pilot fired, no questions asked. Which brings me to the what the Captain has responsibility for: Everything.
Management can bitch and moan all they want about fuel costs, but the Captain has his license (and mine) and hence livelihood on the line for every flight he conducts, and I have yet to meet one who will allow a pencil-pushing bean-counter to put his livelihoood in jeopardy, not to mention the safety of the passengers.
Weather delays/issues are also a problem in fuel management, but one that we keep an eye on, and will not ask for a decision from our dispatch, but rather ask an opinion for an alternate, and then tell them what we are going to do if they don’t come up with the same solution we have (happened two weeks ago for me).
The FAA is famous for saying that they don’t involve themselves in “business practices” which they don’t. Fuel managment and fueling are considered such by them until there is an accident, and fuel is the contributive factor, then they’re all about hanging the pilot closest to the accident scene as soon as possible, and that’s their idea of enforcement.
“We’re from the FAA, and here to help” is the worst joke in the airline/aviation industry.
Since 9/11 I have virtually given up flying commercially. I live in CO MY son and his family in FL.; My daughter and her family in OK
How would the Repubs feel about this? And the real fundies might get a tad upset since Joe is not of their faith. Could be fun though.
I think before Joe could could be eligible for VP he’d have to be surgically removed from McCain’s posterior.
On my last two flights out of Phoenix….. one where they forgot to schedule a co-pilot….. we boarded and sat for at least an hour WITHOUT any air….. it was 116 outside and over that inside….. crying babies ….. It was ME saying that unless someone puts on the air, I would need emergency transport to the ER for my asthma…..
their line was they were saving fuel/energy…
My SIL is a programmer at FAA on the weather switch. One of his concerns has been about the outsourcing.
Dream V.P. Debate – Howard Dean vs. Joe Lieberman…
I think Lieberman is universally unpopular. His raison d’etre is to provide cover for McCain’s false claim of being bipartisan.
Who were you on, Katy? Some older aircraft (50 seat regional jets for instance) have crappy air systems… and that does happen. The Captain should have returned to the gate, if he didn’t then I apologize for the rude asshat. If we get an ATC delay of more than an hour, we’ll opt to not board or deplane if possible, since it’s very uncomfortable for the passengers and crew to be in that situation. Gate agents hate us, but sometimes that’s the price we pay for being a passenger-oriented crew.
Are you one of those whiny Americans
yay JoFish !
had no idea you were a pilot. yours and your colleague’s integrity is the only reason I don’t go completely bonkers when loved ones fly
firedogs, if you looked back at some of the more horrific aviation tragedies, you will find it was pilots and pilot unions driving the what can we learn from this bus
hope to have a chance one day to buy you adult beverages and swap stories :D
We were at the gate…. it was clown airlines or know as US Air….. we boarded on time…. did not push away…. they announced the co-pilot failed to show up. There was a guy who was flying (in uniform) with family starting their vacation who they tried to get into the 2nd seat BUT it seems he was beyond his hours and we sat there waiting and waiting…… It was a A320… when we hit the 45-50 minute mark when several people were having respiratory problems did they turn on the air AND it was up to comfortable temp within minutes…
To any legal people…… when I am on a flight …. and have to PAY for drinks…… is this not the same as being a prisoner and being denied food and water because I don’t have any money on me?
katymine, they say you’ll have to pay even for water now too
Like I said, I spent most of 2002 commuting weekly. Flying on Sunday afternoons, we were invariably late arriving in Philadelphia, even if we’d left on time from St Louis. there were a couple of others who flew the same flight each weekend with me and it was a standing joke.
Then the terminal in Philly for the Regional jets was separate from the other terminals, requiring a shuttle bus.
It worked out that approximately 3/4 of the time, we were late and half of those times, late enough to miss connecting flights, which meant I was then forced to kill a couple of hours in Philly Airport until the last flight of the evening into Albany.
I finally switched from US Scareways to Northworst when US Scareways compounded the Sunday problem by switching all their flights from Philly and Pittsbrugh into St Louis to the RJs. The Sunday RJ travel had been barely tolerable because of the full size jets on Friday. As a status level flier, I was usually able to get into first class on Friday and get a choice of snacks beyond a single bag of pretzels.
But the RJs had no first class and the same problems in reverse. What I could dela with on Sunday starting the week was intolerable on Friday. So I wrote Northwest a letter, explaining the situation and asked for status on Northworst. They gave me Gold level (I had been Platinum at US Scareways), so was still able to get into first class on Fridays. It just changed from flying through Philly and Pittsburgh to Albany and return to flying through Detroit.
Of course, it also seemed that I was often picked out of line for extra inspection, no matter which airline I was flying on Fridays. The TSA folks would start their random count and for two months solid, I was one of thsoe on the number for extra screening at the gate. It got to be a joke since it happened so frequently, they recognized me after the first couple of times such that they’d look up, see me,and shake thier heads at the stupidity of it all.
I thought it was a wart they removed from John McCan’t……oh, nevermind
dakine it was the mustache ya know!
Didn’t Terribly Wobbly Airways hub out of SL.?
Did all that inspection crap make you feel safer?
That happened to me once at Shannon. Never will use a US carrier again. They can take their WOT and stick it up GWB’s where the son don’t shine.
Snarkassandra recently had her first solo flight (and 2nd flight altogether). She arrived in Texas but her luggage got caught up in the Amer Airlines fiasco in New York last week. It finally arrived 19 hours after she did.
You’ve read Jo Fish @ 64 who summed it up much better than I (and I quoted FAR 91 requirements, not 121 as I should have). Upper management at the airlines look at bottom line, such as South West choosing to smooze with FAA to subvert required maintenance and truly putting profit before passengers and safety. This is a larger story of Corporations putting stockholder (themselves) return above customers, only with potentially deadly consequences. This is, after all, the age of corporate renaissance and neo-liberal capitalism. Viva laissez-faire, not!
You knew it was comin’. At least the official rumour. What more could we ask for? The coattail effect could be huge.
But that’s just it, they weren’t even looking at my face until after they had “selected” me through whatever random number check-off they were using that day.
I can still spit at them cyberspacially, can’t I?
This was after TWA had been bought out by American.
As far as the inspections, that was mostly when I was flying out of Albany, NY on Friday afternoons. And no, it didn’t really make me feel safer. It just was what it was which is why the inspectors were laughing about the absurdity after they’d pulled me out of line every Friday for two months.
Absorootrie.
It was probably a coded number on your ticket. What has the number on the no-fly list(?) grown to – over a million suspects, that is one in 300 chance you’re on it. ; (
Until the TSA gets around to implementing the system called “CrewPASS” which is based on our background checks to get us through security relatively effortlessly, we still have to do the same TSA crap as everyone else. ALPA, the pilot union has pushed for CrewPASS on the basis of “trusted in the airplane, but not at security”.
I’m sure that the fact that we have crash-axes (large hatchets) in the cockpit probably makes the TSA-noids go bonkers, but it’s required safety equipment. We have yet to figure out why they don’t seem to think that we can operate our aircraft safely with out their help.
TSA = Thousands Standing (Sitting) Around
No, I may be on the list by now but at the time, I was able to do early check-in and print my boarding pass before I left the office in the morning for the airport.
No, I would just watch the TSA folks start at the front of the line and start counting and every four or five or six or tenth person (depending on the number for the day) would be pulled from the boarding line for the extra screening. Like I say, they wouldn’t even be looking at us, just pointing and counting then when they reached the count person they’d look up and see it was me and shake their heads again.
Better to happen at home instead of on the other end, I guess. She was fine on the flight by herself? ‘Course she’s older than my son. Just say something that will allay an fears that I might develop between now and then, please?
When I took the kids up to NY, I came back by myself. Had my assorted back machines (with electrodes and wires) in my carry-on, along with the prescriptions. Lots of medications, and prescriptions. Sitting in a rented wheelchair I brought with me from Texas. But …. for the first time in a long time, my ice packs were in velcro belts and not in lunchboxes. soft, flexible icepacks. And I was told I could not bring them aboard without a prescription.
Digging through my backpack, I found a 2-week-old hospital discharge paper that told me to ice the muscles (in addition to other stuff). So they let me take the icepacks on board.
She was great. Had her ipod and a book or two. Didn’t have to change planes though she did have a stop en route. But she did call both me and her brother before signing the paper that she was willing to fly on a different plane than her duffel. To her, it was a better choice than going back to my parents overnight.
Blue America upstairs with Steven Porter, Independent.
Ot but well worth your reading Time:
The Justice Department’s Truthiness Problem
By Scott Horton
Scott points the finger of justice or lack thereof squarely at the White House and pointedly at Karl Rove “The Puppet Master”
It’s a lot easier to have your bag getting to destination a few hours late when the destination is home than it is having it lost/delayed at the start of a trip.
Having had both situations a few times.
oh absolutely!
Playing how much fuel is in the tank… is just bizarre on so many levels. I ran out of gas about seven miles from home the other day. Thank doG I was in a pickup (my small plane was in the shop /s) because it would have been hell trying to land where no flat straight roads exist.
These people aren’t just mean spirited and inept, they are the threat within.
About the dollar, this at The Timesonline.co.uk
You made me smile. Thank you.
any time
I’ve been retired from the FAA for 11/2 years. I didn’t work in Flight Standards, which is the branch which enforces the FAA Regulations both with general aviation and air carriers. Fuel requirements for air carrier operations have always been precisely specified in the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR’s). As I recalled, it involved sufficient fuel to fly something like one hour after flying to the destination airport and then to the second alternate airport.
The people who enforce the regulations on a day-to-day basis are career civil servants, not political appointees. Knowing the criticality of fuel, it is very hard for me to believe that anyone would be so foolhardy as to state a policy that the FAA was not going to monitor airline compliance with minimum fuel requirements. If a single aircraft came close to having insufficient fuel, it would be precisely traceable to the person who caused it.
The Guardian has some pictures of the Russian bombing of Gori Georgia
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worl…..=336376775
Hey, you guys are missing a stellar live chat with Dr. Steven Porter… one of the GOOD GUYS.
Thanks. It sounded bizarre to me, too.