Travel Safety Alert - North America.

New York (AirGuide - Travel Safety Update North America) Jan 23, 2011

U.S. airlines record another year free of fatalities. For the third time in four years, U.S. commercial airlines have gone 12 months without a single death. For all of 2010, a year that saw more than 10 million flights and 700 million passengers, the National Transportation Safety Board recorded no major airline accidents. Safety improvements have gradually eliminated whole categories of crashes, says John Cox, a consultant who previously served as head of safety for a major pilots' union. Jan 21, 2011

Nationwide reports of lasers pointed at airplanes almost doubled from the previous year The FAA said that in 2010, nationwide reports of lasers pointed at airplanes almost doubled from the previous year to more than 2,800. This is the highest number of laser events recorded since the FAA began keeping track in 2005. Los Angeles International Airport recorded the highest number of laser events in the country for an individual airport in 2010, with 102 reports, and the greater Los Angeles area tallied nearly twice that number, with 201 reports. Chicago OOHare International Airport was a close second, with 98 reports, and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport tied for the third highest number of laser events for the year with 80 each. OThis is a serious safety issue,O said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. OLasers can distract and harm pilots who are working to get passengers safely to their destinations.O Nationwide, laser event reports have steadily increased since the FAA created a formal reporting system in 2005 to collect information from pilots. Reports rose from nearly 300 in 2005 to 1,527 in 2009 and 2,836 in 2010. Some cities and states have laws making it illegal to shine lasers at aircraft and, in many cases, people can face federal charges. The increase in reports is likely due to a number of factors, including the availability of inexpensive laser devices on the Internet; higher power levels that enable lasers to hit aircraft at higher altitudes; increased pilot reporting of laser strikes; and the introduction of green lasers, which are more easily seen than red lasers. For more information, visit www.faa.gov. Jan 19, 2011

FCC drops proposed ban on 121.5 MHz emergency locator transmitters.

The Federal Communications Commission halted plans to prohibit emergency locator transmitters on the 121.5 MHz frequency. The Federal Aviation Administration had requested the FCC review the prohibition. "This reversal is evidence that a coordinated effort from the aviation community can effect change and prevent a harmful proposal from becoming law," said the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Jan 19, 2011

Hotels must replace old baby cribs. The government recently announced that drop-side cribs, which have been deemed unsafe, will be banned at hotels and other businesses. It is the first update of crib safety standards in almost three decades. Foundations, which supplies cribs to Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton and other hotel brands, plans to have cribs that comply with the new standards in the second quarter. Jan 19, 2011

Engineers, safety experts divided over electronic devices on planes With more and more personal electronic devices finding their way onto commercial flights, some engineers see a growing chance of electromagnetic waves interfering with a plane's avionics. The FAA requires all such devices to be switched off below 10,000 feet, but some passengers admit they don't comply because they can't see the potential harm. Beyond the federal restriction, airlines have conducted their own tests to help set their policies for electronic devices, and additional restrictions are rare. Cellphone tests at American Airlines, for instance, "found no interaction with the aircraft instruments on any aircraft type" while on the ground, according to a company spokesman. Jan 18, 2011

Time for more congressional oversight of the FAA. With controversies swirling around the FAA on issues such as flight safety, NextGen and whistle-blower protections, Congress should demand answers before approving a long-term reauthorization for the agency, according to this editorial. "When a federal agency has chronic problems, the causes can often be traced to a long-term lack of effective congressional oversight," write the editors of the Washington Examiner, urging the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to call in FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt for "answers to several important questions that directly affect the safety of the flying public." Jan 17, 2011

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