TOLEDO, OH – Captain CJ Johnson, chairman of the Capital Cargo unit of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), which is one of the labor groups within Air Transport Service Group, Inc. (ATSG) released the following statement of support for crewmembers of Air Transport International (ATI). ATI crewmembers, represented by Local 747 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, recently approved a petition to ballot the ATI crewmembers for strike authorization. “With first hand knowledge and understanding of the difficult and painfully slow negotiations that the ATI crewmembers are confronting with their management, the crewmembers and leaders of the Capital Cargo Master Executive Council acknowledge and recognize the challenges facing our brothers and sisters at ATI. We champion the ATI crewmembers’ efforts and fight to receive a fair contract. Our support of solidarity is offered to them to resolve their labor issues in an expeditious manner. The crewmembers of Capital Cargo will not allow whipsawing our groups against each other as a method for management to build barriers between our crews.”

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Chicago, Ill., September 29, 2008 – Pilots for United Airlines (Nasdaq: UAUA) today demanded that the UAL Board of Directors cut the pay for its CEO, Glenn Tilton, as a reflection of concern and solidarity with passengers and employees who are being forced to tighten their belts. At $10.3 million a year, Tilton’s compensation package—including salary, stock grants, options, and other added extras—is the highest in the airline industry. The CEO of American Airlines is paid $4.6 million a year, the CEO of Southwest Airlines makes $1.3 million, and the CEO of JetBlue gets $514,000. United’s pilots believe that there is no justifiable reason for the worst airline executive to be compensated the most. United Airlines has lost more money this year than nearly all other U.S. competitors combined.

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WASHINGTON, DC, September 24, 2008 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today urged Congress to use the time provided by a new extension of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding to complete work on FAA reauthorization as soon as possible. “NBAA applauds Congress for the progress already made on FAA reauthorization, and this funding extension is important for allowing airport projects and other FAA programming to continue,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “At the same time, we think it’s also important for Congress to send to the President, as soon as possible, a completed reauthorization package that provides long-term stability and builds on the work already being done to modernize America’s aviation system.”

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WASHINGTON – Capt. John Prater, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, set the bar high for runway safety today, challenging both government and industry to establish a goal of zero serious runway incursions involving commercial airliners in his testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation. “Today, I pledge that ALPA will stay on guard until we reach that goal,” said Prater. “Because when it comes to runway safety, complacency is not an option.”

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INDIANAPOLIS – The ATA Airlines group of the Air Line Pilots Association has negotiated more than $2 million in cash payments to flight crewmembers of the former carrier, as well as a new jobs program aimed at putting former ATA pilots and flight engineers back to work at ATA’s sister airlines. The cash payments and preferential hiring program with World Airways and North American Airlines were announced as part of a bankruptcy settlement agreement ratified September 3 by ATA’s former employees, including four of ATA’s unions. The agreement will be incorporated as part of a bankruptcy plan of liquidation and is subject to Bankruptcy Court approval.

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EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wis. - (Sept. 24, 2008) - EAA and the Southeast Regional Fly-In (SERFI) have signed a new working agreement that brings higher visibility to the SERFI event and clearly defines EAA’s role in the popular fly-in. The agreement underscores the shared missions of SERFI, which is celebrating its 18th anniversary in 2008, and EAA, the 170,000-member international organization that is dedicated to the spirit of aviation. Under the agreement, EAA will provide extensive promotion and coverage of SERFI, and also serve as a major sponsor of aviation educational activities such as forums and workshops during the event, among other considerations.

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The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued a reminder to pilots and aircraft operators to ensure that their emergency locator transmitters (ELT) are operating on the new location frequency of 406MHz by February 2009. ELTs, also known as beacons, have been locating pilots in distress and directing search and rescue operations since their inception in the 1970s. However, from 1 February 2009 ELTs tuned only to the analogue frequencies of 121.5/243MHz will no longer be picked up by the international satellite system that guides search and rescue teams. Transmissions will only be recognised from digital beacons transmitting on 406MHz. The new frequency will transmit an encoded message that includes a unique identifier and may include location data if the unit is connected to a global positioning system (GNSS).

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EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wis. - (Sept. 17, 2008) - Just a few limited openings remain in EAA’s Fantasy Flight Camps, which offer adult aviation enthusiasts unmatched opportunities to discover more about and fly aboard unique airplanes in the EAA collection.

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Montreal, Canada – Europe believes that there is a historic opportunity to integrate and harmonise Europe’s SESAR (the Single European Sky ATM Research Programme) and the US’ NextGen. The call for a stronger cooperation came at the recent ICAO Forum held in Montreal from 8-10 September. The two programmes address the urgent need to modernise two of the world’s busiest air traffic control systems. The Forum agreed that it is crucial to initiate a process for sharing developments in the SESAR and NextGen systems, identifying both commonalities and differences between the systems and highlighting how the harmonisation and interoperability efforts will benefit the global community. This process should be opened to other countries and regions of the world. “SESAR is a truly new approach to ATM modernisation, providing guidance and leadership to all ATM-related activities in Europe with a view to achieving global interoperability.” “It will be developed within ICAO’s Operational Concept so that it becomes a true vector for global standardisation,” said Daniel Calleja, Director Air Transport of the European Commission at the Forum.

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The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has been called in to protect customers booked with Seguro Travel Limited after the company ceased trading today. Seguro Travel, also trading as Seguro Holidays and Kent Escapes, held ATOL licence 3251 and was based in Macclesfield. It operated air package holidays and flights out of Glasgow Prestwick and Kent airports to Spain, the Canary Islands and Portugal and sold mainly through travel agents. There are 2,500 holidaymakers currently abroad and approximately 18,000 customers with forward bookings who are yet to travel. The CAA, under its ATOL (Air Travel Organiser’s Licensing) scheme, is making arrangements for customers abroad to complete their holidays and return to the UK and to fully refund those with forward bookings.

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The punctuality of scheduled flights improved in the second quarter of 2008, compared with the same period in 2007, according to figures released today by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Scheduled Flights: During April to June 2008, the overall on-time performance (defined as early to 15 minutes late) of scheduled flights at the ten UK airports monitored increased by one percentage point to 69 per cent. Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and all regional airports monitored improved their scheduled punctuality performance in the second quarter of 2008 compared with 2007. At Newcastle, on-time performance increased by five percentage points to 79 per cent, and at Gatwick and Edinburgh by three percentage points to 68 and 75 per cent respectively. Overall, on-time performance of scheduled services at the regional airports monitored increased by two percentage points to 76 per cent.

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September 10, 2008 — 44 years is a long run for any event. The Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In, held for the first time in Urbana, Ohio, this year, is the elder statesman of regional aviation gatherings. The last two years at Marion and Mansfield, Ohio, have been problematic and MERFI welcomed the opportunity to relocate. This year’s event, held September 6-7 at Urbana’s Grimes Field (I74), drew respectable crowds and a smattering of exhibits, but also tapped the great strength of the central Ohio aviation establishment to feature an outstanding WWII aircraft restoration exhibit courtesy of the Shiffer Family Foundation. The Shiffers and an army of volunteers are in the process of painstakingly restoring a B-17 from the rivet lines up. In addition they showcased a beautifully restored B-25, a Navy SNJ (T-6), and an A-26 rescued from firefighting duties and ready for restoration.

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CAA International, a subsidiary of the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has been contracted by the Ministry of Defence Military Air Systems to provide surveillance of all organisations registered under the Design Approved Organisations Scheme (DAOS). Acting as the MoD’s agent, the CAA will undertake a programme of on-site surveillance visits to each organisation to review evidence of continuing design competence and capability as well as compliance with the relevant Defence Standards. Nicki James, Business Manger at CAA International, said: “As the UK’s specialist civil aviation regulator, the CAA has the breadth of specialist skills necessary to undertake reviews of the design, development, certification and quality management processes and procedures of the DAOS organisations.”

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Montreal - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) signed a three-party commitment to a Flight Efficiency Plan with EUROCONTROL, and CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation). The aim of the plan is to expedite efficiency improvements in European air traffic management to achieve annualised savings of 470,000 tonnes of fuel per year in a six-month work programme. This will save EUR390 million and reduce CO2 emissions by over 1.5 million tonnes. “The air transport industry is in a perfect storm of high fuel costs and falling demand. Airlines are expected to lose US$5.2 billion this year and another US$4.1 billion next. Saving fuel is critical to survival and to improving environmental performance,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today awarded a $437 million contract to Raytheon to support the agency in training air traffic controllers. “This is a performance-based contract that is designed to allow us to train controllers better, faster and cheaper,” said Robert A. Sturgell, the FAA’s acting administrator. “It holds Raytheon accountable for meeting our stringent training requirements and offers incentives for improving the quality of training while lowering the overall time and cost.” The 10-year award to Raytheon will replace separate contracts to support initial training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City and to support ongoing training in air traffic facilities nationwide. The consolidation into a single contract will give Raytheon the ability to support the entire lifecycle of controller training. This in turn will allow the FAA to provide more integrated training activities throughout a controller’s career.

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The Association of European Airlines (AEA), whose 35 member airlines includes the most important network airlines in Europe, urges the UK Government to reconsider the proposals from the UK Office of Communication to introduce Administrative Incentive Pricing for aeronautical spectrum used for navigation, communication, surveillance and Air Traffic Management systems. The proposed measures are expected to raise around 60m£ annually for the UK Treasury. Said AEA Secretary General Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus: “Administrative Incentive Pricing is a euphemism for a tax. The UK government evidently believes that in times of a downward economic cycle, fuel prices at unprecedented high levels and expected losses for international airlines in the years to come, the time is ripe for another tax. The opposite is true. After the notorious UK APD, yet again a tax, this levy will make aviation even more costly in the United Kingdom, thereby reducing even further the competitiveness of UK based airlines and British airports”.

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WASHINGTON – The head of the world’s largest pilots union called a DHL/United Parcel Service proposal to transfer all DHL flying from ASTAR and ABX to competitor UPS “One Bad Deal” for workers, air express competition, and the U.S. economy in testimony before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee today. “The proposal is bad for pilots, bad for ASTAR, bad for competition in the U.S. air express industry, bad for southwestern Ohio, bad for American workers, and bad for the U.S. economy,” said Capt. John Prater, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), after his testimony. “Congress must meticulously scrutinize this proposal and ensure that it is thoroughly reviewed by the antitrust authorities before it goes forward.

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HOUSTON, TEXAS—The union representing Continental Airlines pilots, Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l., today announced that its efforts, along with the participation of pilots who took part in the programs outlined in a negotiated agreement with Continental, were successful in saving the jobs of 326 Continental Airlines pilots who otherwise would have been furloughed. The announcement comes as Continental furloughs 148 pilots, beginning today. Captain Jay Pierce, chairman of the pilots’ union, said, “The pieces really came together for this effort. We were able to propose some very unique and forward thinking ideas to management that started the ball rolling. In a cooperative process, the union and Continental were able to reach agreement on ways to achieve reductions voluntarily rather than by the traditional cuts through furloughs. And of course, our pilots who chose to participate in the programs were the third key component. Putting it all together, I think it had benefit for Continental, but of greater concern, this helped our pilots and their families.”

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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) today announced that the agency has been unable to assess security measures at international airports in Venezuela that serve as the last point of departure for nonstop flights to the United States. Venezuela has refused multiple requests to allow for such assessments, which are required by U.S. law, and the agency is taking action to warn travelers of this security deficiency. Air carriers issuing tickets for travel between the United States and Venezuela are directed to notify ticket purchasers in writing of the situation. TSA also directed that this advisory be displayed prominently at all U.S. airports and published in the Federal Register, pursuant to Title 49 U.S.C., Section 114. The order is effective immediately.

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WASHINGTON, DC, September 8, 2008 – The Board of Directors of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has announced the recipients of the Association’s annual Meritorious Service to Aviation and John P. “Jack” Doswell Awards. Phil Boyer, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), will receive the 2008 NBAA Award for Meritorious Service to Aviation, and George Saling, former vice president of Aviation & Travel Services for Altria Corporate Services, Inc., will receive the 2008 NBAA John P. “Jack” Doswell Award. The Award for Meritorious Service to Aviation is NBAA’s most distinguished honor, and is presented annually to an individual who, by virtue of a lifetime of personal dedication, has made significant, identifiable contributions that have materially advanced aviation interests. The Doswell Award is granted for lifelong individual achievement on behalf and in support of the aims, goals and objectives of business aviation. “NBAA is proud to recognize these two outstanding members of the aviation community for their tireless leadership efforts and dedication to enhancing the industry,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors found an overall compliance rate of 98 percent in more than 5,600 audits of Airworthiness Directives (ADs) at U.S. air carriers, Acting Administrator Robert A. Sturgell announced today. In the remaining 2 percent of the audits, the carriers resolved the issues of noncompliance before the airplanes flew again. “This audit gives us confidence that, overall, the system is safe and in almost every instance the airlines are complying with our safety directives,” Sturgell said.

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DETROIT—After three months of continuous contract violations by Spirit Airlines management, the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), representing the more than 500 Spirit pilots, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan against the company. The suit seeks federal court relief against Spirit Airlines for its multiple violations of the Railway Labor Act, the law that governs labor relations in the airline industry. Specifically, the suit alleges that the company has engaged in a pattern of unlawful behavior by negotiating in bad faith with ALPA; unilaterally imposing a series of changes in rates of pay, rules, and working conditions through bad-faith application of the contract; attempting to coerce and intimidate pilots by undermining their union; and seeking to circumvent the collective bargaining process as a whole.

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With regard to the accident of a British Airways Boeing 777 at Heathrow Airport on 17 January 2008, the Agency welcomes the report of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) and its recommendations. EASA has worked closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the affected Type Certificate holders, Boeing and Rolls-Royce, in support of the AAIB investigation team. In consultation with the FAA, it has been agreed that interim measures in response to Safety Recommendation 2008-047 will be defined through mandatory aircraft level action for the B777 aircraft equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines.

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Palm Coast, Florida - (September 3, 2008) Commercial Airline Pilot Training (CAPT) Program announced today that it has received official notification from the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China granting approval for CAPT’s Cecil campus to train students to fly for airlines in China. After an inspection at the CAPT facility in Jacksonville, FL, the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) deemed the facilities, program, curriculum and safety records at the school worthy to be added to the short list of approved flight schools outside of China.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has named John Della Jacono as the federal security director for Kansas City International Airport, effective Sept. 1, 2008. Della Jacono joined TSA in January 2005 as deputy federal security director for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and later assumed duties as the acting federal security director in 2007. He was detailed to Kansas City in April 2008 as acting federal security director. “John came to TSA after a long and distinguished military career, where he demonstrated exemplary command, leadership and staff skills in the United States Army and Military Police Corps,” said Mo McGowan, TSA’s assistant administrator for Security Operations. “That career prepared him well for overseeing the TSA workforce and security operations as the deputy federal security director at Seattle, and we are very pleased that he has now accepted the position as the federal security director at Kansas City.”

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