In 2005 there were 283 US incidents in which pilots coming in for landings had lasers aimed at their eyes. By 2010 the number had risen to 2,836 incidents per year. By October of this year we had already had 2,795 reports, which means we're easily going to clear the 2010 figure.

Another six incidents were reported at LGA just last weekend. The laser strikes were done with the relatively new and significantly more powerful green-color lasers, which are extra-dangerous. The FAA, suffice it to say, has declared itself to be unamused.]]> Omri 2011-11-11T14:51:15-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/7/27/141551/638

On Monday we flagged for you the unofficial airfare tax holiday that the United States is currently "enjoying," courtesy of Washington DC being the most insanely dysfunctional place on the planet.

Without getting into too many details: House Republicans told Senate Democrats that they would only fund the FAA if three powerful Senate Democrats gave up on something called the Essential Air Service, which is a program that sends a bunch of money to (ironically) totally inessential rural airports in those Senators' states. Everyone from liberal journalists to travel bloggers agree that the subsidies are totally unjustifiable, so this was partly an attempt to embarrass the Democrats. The Republicans basically said "there's no way you guys are shameless enough to hold up FAA funding just to keep sending obviously wasteful pork to tiny airports in your states," to which the Democrats responded "actually, we're exactly that shameless." And that's why there are no airfare taxes right now, because FAA doesn't have enough money to collect money.

The sad thing is that we don't have the space to dwell on that insanity, because of course Spirit Airlines looked at both sides of the political aisle and said "you want to see shameless... we'll show you shameless." ]]> Omri 2011-07-27T15:31:40-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/7/25/75741/9845

The government’s general ineptitude might just be your ticket to cheaper airfare, but you’ve got to act quickly. Due to the budget battle over the FAA in Washington, DC it seems that certain airfare and travel taxes are now optional—and that means that you might be able to save a few bucks on your next airfare purchase.

The unofficial “sale” started over the weekend, but it seems a few airlines still might be passing along the savings. Initially there were several airlines where you could save a few bucks—including United and Delta—but at this point it looks like Alaska Airlines, Virgin America, and Frontier might be the only ones left. Other carriers—we’re looking at you American and US Airways—bumped their fares to make up the difference right from the beginning, so in reality they’re just charging for the tax as part of their fare and pocketing it. ]]> kjb 2011-07-25T08:39:33-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/5/18/182753/470

Uncle Sam is pretty good about ensuring that pilots have plenty of training before they’re allowed to fly us all around the globe. However, there’s really no such thing as too much training, so that’s why we’re glad the Federal Aviation Administration is thinking about adding even more tests, quizzes, and exams to the nation’s pilot training. It won’t just be for pilots either, as even the flight attendants are going to need to study hard to pass these new tougher tests.

Apparently the new changes are going to be the biggest update in like a couple of decades, as the FAA wants more flight crews to actually demonstrate their skills and abilities during potential issues and problems. That means a lot more time in the flight simulator for the pilots, as well as increased rides down the emergency exit slides for flight attendants. ]]> kjb 2011-05-19T09:20:32-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/2/8/8251/48638

For quite some time there’s been talk about the Federal Aviation Administration—or since we know them so wel,l the FAA—starting up some kind of newfangled fancy pants way to track planes in and around the country. Well it seems that they’re slowly moving forward with some of these satellite based tracking plans, and JetBlue is going to be one of the first airlines to help them out.

As many as 35 of their Airbus A320 aircraft will be getting the new technology at some point in 2012, and this will allow air traffic controllers to pretty much see where the planes are all the time and in real time. ]]> kjb 2011-02-08T11:22:15-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/12/5/20855/2234

Not too long ago the Federal Aviation Administration wasn’t totally cool with Mexico’s less than stringent stance on the country’s air travel safety. Spring Break was in jeopardy, as nervous parents might warn against flights aboard Mexicana or AeroMexico, but it appears that college kids are now ready to hit the beach without a care in the world...like usual.

US Aviation officials last week gave the all-clear to raise Mexico’s aviation safety rating back up to the top level, as things have improved south of the border. It sounds like whatever they weren’t doing before they’re doing now as the FAA feels Mexico is following all of the international air safety rules. ]]> kjb 2010-12-06T12:35:49-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/12/6/784/56039

It was nothing as dramatic as that airplane that split into three parts in Colombia, but a Delta flight decided to challenge a blizzard at MSP last Friday, and the blizzard kind of won. The pilots landed in the thick snow, they got a little disoriented while taxiing, and the airplane ended up skidding off the runway, lurching sideways, and getting stuck in the grass.

What might have been a pretty dramatic incident a few years years ago subsequently ended with the airplane being towed to the gate, and everybody disembarking with no injuries.

We mention these incidents both because they're airline news and because we never tire of reminding people how safe and routine flying has become. American civil aviation continues to post simply ungodly safety numbers, while internationally 2009 was the second safest year ever. ]]> Omri 2010-12-06T10:30:49-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/