Flying on empty

It may be no big thing to drive with the “empty” indicator flickering from your car’s dash, but the discomfort increases greatly when that flickering “E” could mean a 40,000-foot plunge. Although apparently not for the aviation industry decision-makers, who have been ordering pilots to take to the skies without the fuel reserves pilots rely on during unforeseen delays in landing.

According to aviation employees, the airlines have been dealing with their loss of obscenely huge profits by cutting back on unnecessary expenses, like extra fuel. The industry argues that it takes extra fuel to carry extra fuel, and that costs them money. For pilots circling the airport waiting for a landing strip, the people on board take precedent over shareholder happiness.

In 2005, calls to NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System, which allows aviation employees to file anonymous concerns, resulted in a warning being issued to the Federal Aviation Administration. Since then, complaints have grown with the costs of fuel. The FAA, who ignored the first warning, have now seen fit to at least acknowledge that the complaint has been made. However, they say it’s not their job to “dabble in the business policies” of an airline.

by SCOTT SAXON