Congressman says FAA too cozy with airlines

Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman, had few kinds words for the Federal Aviation Administration in press conference late last week following the discovery that Southwest Airlines flew at least 117 aircraft that missed mandatory inspection deadlines. Said Oberstar, “Complacency has likely set in to the highest levels of FAA management. I think we have seen the pendulum swing away from vigorous enforcement of compliance toward a carrier-favorable, cozy relationship with the airlines.” An FAA spokesman defended the agency’s work in an interview with the Associated Press. “We believe the system we have now is working well, and that’s borne out by the extraordinary low accident rate,” said the spokesman, Les Dorr, “but as an organization we are always looking for ways that we can do things better.”

Tagged as: air travel, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, James Oberstar, Southwest Airlines