Pilots claim flights don’t have enough fuel
Airline cost-cutting on fuel supplies could be creating a safety risk, some pilots claim. According to a report by MSNBC.com and NBC News, files on safety incidents kept by the Federal Aviation Administration show concern among pilots that airlines are compelling them to fly with too little fuel. From the report:
Continental Airlines, for example, issued two bulletins last year expressing concern over the number of refueling stops that some flights were making en route to Newark, N.J., one of which observed that “adding fuel indiscriminately without critical thinking ultimately reduces profit sharing and possibly pension funding.â€
According to FAA regulations, a plane must have enough fuel to reach its destination and then its most distant alternate airport based on conditions… plus a reserve of 45 minutes’ worth of fuel extra.
David A. Castelveter, vice president of the Air Transport Association, which represents the major airlines, disputed the notion that the fuel cutbacks put passengers at risk. “That’s an absurd allegation,†he said. “There are no shortcuts in the operation of the aircraft, and no carrier is going to compromise the safe operation of a flight.â€
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