“Aviation” on The Daily Caller

The head of the Air Traffic Organization at the Federal Aviation Administration resigned Thursday morning amid recent reports of several controllers sleeping on the job. (more)

“Who’s Bogdan Dzakovic?” you may ask. “And why should I care whether he flies?” (more)

GENEVA — The World Trade Organization on Thursday partly upheld an EU complaint against US state support for Boeing, saying that billions of state aid for the aircraft maker amounted to illegal subsidies. (more)

On Thursday the Pentagon announced the winner of a $35 billion contract to build aerial refueling tankers for the Air Force. (more)

DUBLIN (AP) — Budget airline Ryanair announced an unexpected third-quarter net loss of euro10.3 million ($14 million) Monday and blamed snow-covered runways and air-traffic controller strikes for lost business. (more)

Yet again, those in power have misread and underestimated the will of the American people. Last November’s election results shattered the grinning assurances of politicians who supposed voters were unserious in their objections to government over-reach in matters of economics, regulation and health. Now, in the face of mounting protest against the excesses of TSA officers at America’s airports, those responsible for the policy of continued sexual violation of travelers maintain that they are winning the argument. They are wrong, and they will lose. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A passenger plane briefly lost radio contact with air traffic controllers when the pilot turned to the wrong frequency as he approached Washington, leading to the scrambling of fighter jets and the evacuation of the U.S. Capitol, federal officials said Saturday. (more)

We’re starting to get a handle on how much the ongoing Snowpocalypse will cost. (more)

On November 3rd, the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) failed in its bid to represent Delta Air Lines flight attendants after a heated, five-week-long campaign. In a 9,544 to 8,778 vote, Delta flight attendants reaffirmed their oft-expressed desire to remain a union-free shop. Game over, the matter settled, right? (more)

The young, male TSA officer walks slowly down the line of airline passengers waiting to clear security. He looks down at tickets, up at faces, then points to those whom he selects for additional screening. In a theoretically possible, albeit unlikely, random sample, when the officer reaches the end of the long queue, we find that every passenger he has chosen for further scrutiny is female. (more)

You may be paying more for airline baggage service, but—finally—you’re actually getting better service. (more)

The news media has focused a lot of attention on polls showing that most Americans will accept naked body scanners if it means they can fly more safely.  The problem with these polls is that they may be asking the wrong question.  A better question might be which full-body scanner technology would you prefer: one that creates a naked image of you, or one that creates an image of you fully clothed? (more)

It is no secret that unions reward longevity over performance, and protect employees from being disciplined for cause. Most collective bargaining agreements limit the ability for a hard worker to earn a raise or promotion unless they have reached a seniority based on time. The outcome of this paradigm is that workers are offered little incentive to achieve beyond the status quo. Bad employees are protected from dismissal while good employees are marginalized. (more)

Last Christmas, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to detonate plastic explosives on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, but was subdued thanks to the quick action of his fellow passengers. A shock to the American people — particularly given the otherwise peaceful holiday — the attempt has sparked an attention to airline security not seen since 9/11. (more)

With airport security insanity gracing the front pages of most news publications, Florida Republican Rep. John Mica is using the budding outrage at the federal Transportation Security Administration to remind airlines that they have the ability to forgo the government’s security system and instead use private contractors. (more)

On Oct. 29, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent was going about his business when a middle-aged Jewish man in spectacles walked through his checkpoint at Baltimore-Washington International airport. Unlike most passengers, the Atlantic’s Jeff Goldberg wasn’t in a hurry. In fact, he was a little hard to get rid of. He wanted to talk to the TSA agent and his colleagues about the new x-ray machines they were using to screen passengers, as well as the alternative: A physical search that requires agents to grope passengers’ thighs until they meet resistance. (more)

With the holiday travel season fast approaching, recent stepped-up security screening at the nation’s airports has provoked an outcry from passengers and airline pilots alike, with some of the latter group even threatening to boycott intrusive new checks during the Thanksgiving rush. (more)

SEATTLE (AP) — BOC Aviation has ordered eight Boeing 777-300ERs valued at $2.2 billion to be leased to Thai Airways International. (more)

Government currently owns most airports, controls security screenings, and manages air traffic control.  But did you know that it also controls who flies first class? (more)

I arrived at the Los Angeles Airport more than an hour early. I had made good time on the highway. I wasn’t checking any bags, so with my boarding pass in hand I proceeded to the gate. I was greeted with a security line that was almost an hour long. The line snaked around the terminal, out the door, and stretched down the sidewalk. At the front of the line sat a lone Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer studiously checking identification with a jeweler’s loupe, the small magnifying glass jewelers use to look for flaws in gemstones. (more)