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IATA Press Release: Global Safety Information Exchange Launched

Montreal – The International Air Transport Association (IATA), along with three governmental aviation safety organizations, today signed an agreement to launch the Global Safety Information Exchange. Creating a comprehensive global information exchange to improve safety is the most ambitious private/public safety partnership in aviation history.

IATA, together with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the US Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Commission of the European Union (EC), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create the framework and path forward to launch the Global Safety Information Exchange. The MOU signing took place following the opening session of the ICAO Assembly and was signed by IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani, ICAO Secretary General Raymond Benjamin, US DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, and EU Vice President Siim Kallas.

“Air is the safest way to travel. We achieved this level of safety precisely because governments and industry have cooperated transparently to identify risks and implement solutions. Today’s agreement takes the long history of cooperation to a new level by tearing down silos around the data that we have and sharpening our focus on the greatest risks to aviation safety,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

“We have a long history of working together with governments using global standards to lower the accident rate. In 1945, there were 9 million passengers and 247 fatalities. In 2009, 2.3 billion people flew with 685 fatalities. Every fatality is a human tragedy and reminds us that we must do better. Today’s agreement signals a new era of multilateral cooperation between industry and government to make the skies safer,” said Bisignani.

The four organizations will start their cooperation by selecting the safety information each group currently collects, which would be the most relevant to the goal of improving safety by risk reduction. IATA will make the largest contribution of airline data by providing de-identified information from the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) program. This will include de-identified information from the 345 airlines that are on the IOSA registry (230 IATA members and 115 non-members). IOSA sets the standard of safety for airlines and aggregated IOSA audit information will complement audit information from the other partners in developing global safety priorities.

A steering group will be formed and will have representatives from each of the four organizations. ICAO will act as the coordinator of the information exchange.

The 2009 global accident rate, measured in hull losses per million flights of Western-built jet aircraft, was 0.71. Through the first six months of 2010, the accident rate was 0.64. Compared to 10 years ago, the accident rate has been cut 36% from the 1.11 rate recorded in 2000.

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    Washington Headquarters Press Release: Mexico

    For Immediate Release
    July 30, 2010
    Contact: Sasha Johnson or Laura Brown
    Phone: sasha.j.johnson@faa.gov or laura.j.brown@faa.gov

    FAA Finds Mexico Does Not Meet ICAO Safety Standards

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced that Mexico is not in compliance with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), following an assessment of the country’s civil aviation authority. As a result, the United States is downgrading Mexico from a Category 1 to Category 2 rating.

    As part of the FAA’s International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program, the agency assesses the civil aviation authorities of all countries with air carriers that operate or have applied to fly to the United States and makes that information available to the public. The assessments determine whether or not foreign civil aviation authorities are meeting ICAO safety standards, not FAA regulations. With the IASA Category 2 rating, Mexican air carriers cannot establish new service to the United States, although they are allowed to maintain existing service.

    While Mexico has been responsive to the FAA’s findings and has made significant improvements in recent months, it was unable to fully comply with all of the international safety standards. However, under the leadership of Director General Hector Gonzalez Weeks, Mexico continues to make progress. The FAA is committed to working closely with the Mexican government and providing technical assistance to help Mexico regain its Category 1 rating.

    A Category 1 rating means the country’s civil aviation authority complies with ICAO standards. A Category 2 rating means a country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with international standards, or that its civil aviation authority – equivalent to the FAA for aviation safety matters – is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping or inspection procedures.

    Countries with air carriers that fly to the United States must adhere to the safety standards of ICAO, the United Nations’ technical agency for aviation that establishes international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance.

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  • Nation’s Largest Travel Companies Call on Airlines to Disclose Fares/Fees in Current Systems, Protect Comparison Shopping

    More than 115 Founding Members of Open Allies for Airfare Transparency Include Largest U.S. Travel Sellers, Major Trade Organizations, Corporate Travel Departments from Companies Including Dell, Oracle, News Corp.

    WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2011 -USNewswire/ — More than 115 of the nation’s largest travel companies and organizations today launched Open Allies for Airfare Transparency, an industry-wide effort to urge major airlines to share all of their fare and ancillary fee information through the distribution systems they currently use and not to circumvent those systems through new, untested, and potentially costly “direct connect” approaches.
    Founding members of the Open Allies coalition include many of the nation’s largest travel agencies, travel management companies, corporate travel departments, online travel agencies, global distribution systems, and travel trade organizations. Among the founding members are:

    • Many of the nation’s largest travel sellers, including 20 of the 53 companies with annual sales of more than $100 million on Travel Weekly’s 2010 “Power List.”
    • Corporate travel departments for many of the world’s largest companies, including Oracle (#13 on the Corporate Travel 100 list compiled by Business Travel News), Dell (#35), News Corp. (#70), Logitech, Sapient, Sodexo, and Textron, among others.
    • Trade associations representing broad segments of the travel industry, including the American Society of Travel Agents, Business Travel Coalition, European Technology and Travel Services Association, Interactive Travel Services Association, and the Scottish Passenger Agents Association.

    Hidden fees and closed airline systems are forcing millions of consumers to ‘fly blind’ when making their travel arrangements,” said Andrew Weinstein, director of the Open Allies coalition. “When you can’t see the full price of tickets or compare them among airlines, you lose the greatest benefit of our modern travel system and the benefits of price competition among the airlines. Some airlines want to turn back the clock to the days of proprietary reservation systems, silos of closed data, and one-off displays without price comparisons. Consumers deserve the ability to compare prices across airlines, and Open Allies will work to ensure they continue to have it.”

    The coalition plans to work with stakeholders across the travel industry to advocate on behalf of price transparency and full access to airline pricing and fee information.

    “Untested, incomplete and costly direct connect systems are not a good idea,” said Kevin Mitchell, Chairman of the Business Travel Coalition. “Through Open Allies, travel industry organizations, individual distribution system participants and corporate travel managers are providing the leadership and analysis that indicates direct connect will not usher in better, cheaper, faster travel solutions, but rather will reduce price competition and reintroduce to the industry and consumers the inefficiencies and opaqueness of the 1970s air ticket purchasing environment.”
    As part of its educational efforts, Open Allies released the first in a series of “white papers” on the technological, financial, and policy issues involved. That analysis, “Customized Services and Comparison Shopping: Preserving Price Transparency in the Age of ‘Unbundled’ Airline Services,” is available on the Open Allies website.

    “Travel agents are the front-line advocates for travelers, and those agents – from mom-and-pop travel agencies to the largest travel companies in the world – are overwhelmingly opposed to hidden fares or any system that reduces price transparency,” said Paul Ruden, Senior Vice President of the American Society of Travel Agents. “Our members are some of the airlines’ closest partners. We hope the airlines reconsider the more fragmented direct connect approach and work with us to make all of their fares and fees available to all travelers through the systems the travelers themselves choose to use.”

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    Adoption of Security Roadmap Key Step In Countering Terrorism

    MONTRÉAL, 15 February 2011 – The adoption of a roadmap by 14 ICAO Member States to further protect global air transport from terrorist and other security threats was praised today by the Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization, Raymond Benjamin, at the conclusion of a two-day regional aviation security conference in New Delhi.

    Among the measures included in the roadmap are actions that States will take to strengthen security screening procedures by ensuring that professionals are appropriately trained and equipped. Air cargo security will be enhanced through working with Customs authorities on common goals. Capacity-building assistance to States in need in cooperation with ICAO, other States and the aviation industry is emphasized in the roadmap.

    The conference was the first in a series on implementing the ICAO Declaration on Aviation Security, unanimously adopted by the Organization’s Assembly last October to deal with known, new and emerging threats to civil aviation.

    “The challenge, OUR challenge, is to turn commitment into action. Terrorism is a global problem that requires global solutions,” Mr. Benjamin emphasized when urging participants to develop the roadmap during the opening of the conference.

    “This roadmap is a key step in addressing the security challenge and can serve as a model for other regional aviation security conferences, culminating in a global security conference planned for next year at ICAO Headquarters in Montréal,” Mr. Benjamin indicated.

    In support of the roadmap’s initiatives, Mr. Benjamin pointed to ICAO’s ongoing collaboration with the air transport industry on a security checkpoint of the future concept to improve the effectiveness of passenger and carry-on baggage screening at airports. ICAO is also working with the World Customs Organization to establish best practices for air cargo security.

    The Government of India, through the Minister of Civil Aviation, is to play a leading role in the implementation of the roadmap in the region through technical cooperation and other initiatives.
    Attachments
    EN.pdf

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    International Boundary and Water Commission Casualties found near Tex/Mex Border.

    Update

    Senator John Cornyn–on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee, former Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge– released a Statement regarding the International Boundary and Water Commission Plane Crash

    “Since the disappearance of this aircraft earlier in the week, all of us have been hoping and praying for a miracle. So it is with a profound sense of sadness to learn that the wreckage has been found, and that the lives of these four men have been lost. Commissioner Marin and Jake Brisbin Jr. were devoted public servants and proud Americans whose loss will be felt throughout the border region. Their hard work and commitment, along with that of Commissioner Herrera’s, reflected the spirit of goodwill and partnership that is shared by the United States and Mexico as we work together on our common goals. Their family and loved ones are in my prayers tonight as the entire border region remembers their lives and legacies, and mourns this tragic accident.”

    src=http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ForPress.NewsReleases&ContentRecord_id=75aeea20-802a-23ad-4b54-496c3c561d42

    What: Chartered Cessna 421
    Where: Border Patrol located the wreckage in a remote rugged section of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico, about 20 miles northwest of Presidio.
    When: The plane was reported missing after it did not land on time Monday in Presidio. It was found shortly after noon Wednesday
    Who: Found deceased: leaders of the U.S. and Mexican sections of the IBWC, Carlos Marin of El Paso and Arturo Herrera, of Ciudad Juarez, Mexicom, Jake Brisbin Jr., executive director of the Rio Grande Council of Government and pilot Matthew Peter Juneau
    Why: The group had traveled to inspect flooding conditions in Presidio and Ojinaga, an aerial view of the Luis Leon Reservoir. Cause of the crash is not known but the pilot had signalled a problem after taking off Monday from El Paso, Mexico.

    AP had inadvertently listed the passengers as deceased when the plane disappeared and optimistically attempted to retract the story, hoping the passengers would be found alive. Sadly, there were no survivors

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    Press Release – FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt Breaks Ground on Recovery Act Funded Oakland Control Tower

    For Immediate Release
    October 15, 2010

    OAKLAND, Calif. – Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Randy Babbitt helped break ground today for a new air traffic control tower at Oakland International Airport funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The Oakland International Airport ARRA grant, totaling $33.2 million, is the FAA’s largest, single Recovery Act award.

    “This Recovery Act project will make a difference for the Oakland area economy,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “People will be put to work building an environmentally friendly tower that will better serve the airport and the community.”

    The Recovery Act grant will pay for construction of the 236-foot-tall tower and a 13,000 square-foot base building, as well as some equipment for the facility.

    “This brand new, modernized tower will give air traffic controllers a better view of the airfield and help improve airport efficiency,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “The Recovery Act is allowing us to make needed investments at airports around the country.”

    Two air traffic control towers currently serve Oakland International Airport. A 158-foot-tall tower on the southern portion of the airfield was built in 1962 as a part of a terminal expansion project. In 1972, construction of a large hangar blocked some views from the south tower, requiring the Port of Oakland to build a second tower to handle traffic on the north runways.

    Replacing both towers with a single one will improve air traffic operations and reduce operating costs. The FAA expects to start using the new tower in 2013.

    The new tower will feature a number of environmental benefits, including a covered parking structure with solar panels on the roof of the base building, which will provide power for the tower and its electrical systems. The tower also will have a geothermal heating system and a rainwater storage system.

    In addition to the Oakland tower funding, the FAA provided a total of $37 million in Recovery Act grants to Bay Area airports.

    Oakland International Airport received a $14.9 million ARRA grant to rebuild a large apron area used by airlines and cargo carriers and to reconfigure a taxiway. By replacing old apron pavement, the project will improve efficiency and allow larger aircraft to use the taxiway.

    San Francisco International Airport received ARRA grants totaling $14.5 million to resurface two runways. The projects leveled out the runways, which tend to settle over time because of ground conditions. The new asphalt concrete resurface also will prevent unexpected runway shutdowns due to pavement breakdown, and will guard against crumbling pavement debris that can damage aircraft.

    In San Jose, a $5.2 million Recovery Act grant is funding the extension of a taxiway at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport. This project will improve safety by eliminating the need for private planes to cross a runway while taxiing to an engine run-up area.

    An additional $2.4 million in Recovery Act funds is modernizing and making safety upgrades at area facilities and airports.

    Nationwide, $1.3 billion in Recovery Act money has been made available for both airport improvement projects and air traffic control facility and system upgrades. These Recovery Act grants have been distributed to airports that serve commercial passengers, cargo and general aviation.

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  • Bald is Beautiful. Plus it Flies Faster.

    Air New Zealand is going to be paying $666 per head for fifty bald, frequent flying heads willing to temporarily tattoo speedy check-in promotions on their shaved heads. The concept is appropriately called “cranial billboard.

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