Why airlines resist new rules Why has the FAA taken so long to address the fatigue issue?
A top reason, analysts say, is intransigence by airlines, who note that most of their rules are stricter than existing FAA guidelines and who question some of the research about fatigue and safety. “Those who are opposed to tightening up and raising the standards always say, ‘there’s not enough science,’ when what they really mean is that it’s going to raise costs,” says Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition in Radnor, Pa. “The Colgan crash has brought some much-needed light on this issue.” Speaking to the Air Line Pilots Association on Wednesday, FAA Administrator Babbitt said existing regulations, known as the flight time, duty time, and rest time rules, are from the “propeller era” and need to be updated. Doing that takes time, he said, in part because he wants the most difficult issues to be addressed. He said the committee working on proposed new rules, facing a Sept. 1 deadline, is asking hard questions such as: “Which pilot deals with more fatigue, the person
Related Questions
- Should the Commission address the issue of attorney-client privilege in the Release accompanying the Final Rules?
- Are current Government tactics to address the issue working? Can lessons be learnt from other European countries?
- Why airlines resist new rules Why has the FAA taken so long to address the fatigue issue?
