The US House of Representatives has just passed a $14.9 billion bill to finance Amtrak for the next five years. It also includes a provision for another $1.5 billion of federal money for the Washington, DC Metro.

Though President Bush says he won't sign the measure, the bill passed with a big enough majority that the House would likely override any veto. Jaunted frienemy Rep. James Oberstar helped craft the bill, along with longtime Amtrak critic Rep. John Mica, who's apparently finally sick of paying $4 a gallon for gas.

A similar bill has already passed the Senate, but the House version includes a requirement that the Department of Transportation seek proposals from private companies to build a high-speed rail line along the Eastern Seaboard.

That might be a nice change: A private company probably wouldn't announce plans to shut down this weekend only to reschedule those repairs for June 16-19.

Related Stories:
· Bipartisan Bill Funding Amtrak Passes in House [AP, via WP]
· Amtrak coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: william.ward]]]> pbb 2008-06-12T14:30:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/4/15/92247/2970

Before you start planning your next trip with what could be the country's largest carrier, better wait for the deal to be approved. But wait, didn't Delta and NWA already announce a merger? They did, but Northwest's pilots are resisting a deal.

You probably won't notice it on the new marketing website created for the airline, but a mention of the sticking point is there:

With respect to Northwest pilots, Delta has committed to use its best efforts to reach a combined Delta-Northwest pilot agreement, including resolution of pilot seniority integration, prior to the closing of the merger.

In other words: Hang on one sec, while we beat these folks into submission. And we can think of at least one other person who won't like this news: Rep. James Oberstar. The congressman from Minnesota declared his anti-merger stance the last time Delta and Northwest were flirting. Can't imagine he'll enjoy the idea this time around, especially since Delta headquarters will be in Atlanta not Minneapolis.

As for us? We'll be standing by to welcome our new global airline overlords until they can, you know, actually get some pilots on board.

Related Stories:
· NewGlobalAirline.com [Official Site]
· Airline Mergers coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Cubbie_n_Vegas]]]> pbb 2008-04-15T09:24:45-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/4/8/16451/09123

After last week's Congressional smackdown, all our planes are safe, right? Uh, how does "relatively" sound? And we thought James Oberstar, inset, would have this all handled by now!

Peter Greenberg just posted a recent back-and-forth he had with an FAA inspector in Chicago:

He said, "My assignment is to inspect all the planes flown by Mesa Airlines."

I said to him, "Well, don't you guys also inspect go! in Hawaii?"

He said "Yeah."

I said, "When was the last time you were in Hawaii?"

"Well, I haven't gotten around to it yet."

OMG, they finally stopped talking about FAA oversights and supposedly unsafe planes on Capitol Hill. Now the airline reps can skip out and enjoy the National Cherry Blossom Festival instead of the inside of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Leading the charge today was Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chair Rep. James Oberstar who thinks the airlines and the FAA have gotten a little too cozy. That's led to, he thinks,

The most egregious lapses of safety I've seen in 23 years.

FAA whistleblowers also spoke, saying Southwest Airlines neglected to remove from service planes that needed further safety inspections. The carrier's chairman, who was also in DC today, disagreed that his airline did anything wrong:

Regulatory non-compliance and being unsafe are two different things.

As always, we'll toss in our boilerplate footnote that commercial flight is one of the safest modes of transportation ever created.

Related Stories:
· Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Hearing on FAA Safety Oversight [Official Site]
· Inspectors for F.A.A. Say Violations Were Ignored [NYT]
· FAA Inspectors Testify on Safety Lapses at Southwest [WSJ]
· Southwest Could Face Another Big Fine over Inspections [DMN]

[Photo: ChicagoEye]]]> pbb 2008-04-03T16:40:48-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/4/2/171011/3002

It was just less than a month ago that CNN called out Southwest Airlines for irregular safety inspections on its 737s. Since then, Planegate has continued, and even spread to just about every other airline.

United is the latest carrier to have trouble, pulling its 777s from service for fire system checks today. Before that, it was Delta and American grounding MD-80s for wiring troubles. And how can we forget the US Airways plane that lost a piece of its wing on the way to Orlando. (It wasn't the same flight that featured a gun discharging in the cockpit.)

Well it's all just a warm up for tomorrow: Southwest CEO Gary Kelly is among the folks who'll be testifying in front of Congress about plane safety on Thursday. Tune in to watch Rep. James Oberstar chew everyone out!

Related Stories:
· Oberstar to Quiz FAA on Safety [Star Tribune]
· FAA Says 4 US Airlines Under Investigation [AP, via IHT]
· Airlines, FAA Under Fire on the Hill [WaPo]
· US Airlines Get a Safety Check [Wired]
· Planegate Continues as Southwest Grounds 38 Planes [Jaunted]

[Photo: issss]]]> pbb 2008-04-02T17:11:54-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/3/12/135123/516

Early this week Southwest Airlines went on a PR offensive to assure everyone that the carrier's 737s were--and are--safe. But since CEO Gary Kelly made the media rounds, Southwest has grounded 42 38 planes and place three employees on leave in connection with safety oversights.

Meanwhile, the FAA is looking to nail the carrier with a $10.2 million fine because Southwest didn't comply with so-called airworthiness directives. Two FAA employees that claim to have documents proving the airline messed up have been subpoenaed by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Committee chair (and Jaunted frienemy) Rep. James Oberstar has vowed to get to the bottom of this. He's scheduled a hearing for April 3.

Btw, 42 38 planes is almost 10 percent of the Southwest fleet. Better reconfirm those reservations!

Related Stories:
· Southwest Grounds Dozens of Jets After Safety Probe [DMN]
· Southwest Puts Three on Leave [CNN]
· Southwest Responds to Preliminary Findings [Official Site]
· CNN Says Southwest Flew Unsafe Planes [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-03-12T13:53:54-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/