Think a Hole In a Plane Is Scary? GOP's Plan to Gut Airline Regulation Is What's Frightening

[marmar]

AlterNet / By Sarah Seltzer

Think That Hole In the Southwest Plane Is Scary? The GOP's Plan to Gut Airline Regulation Is What's Truly Frightening
The drive for profit in airlines must be counteracted by strong safety measures and tough regulations. But if the House GOP has its way, the opposite will happen.

April 4, 2011 |


The airline industry has been in the news recently due to the Southwest Airlines flight that developed a gaping hole in the fuselage and had to make an emergency landing. This led not only to a number of traumatized passengers, but to the grounding of flights for inspections and the tying up of Southwest schedules throughout the country.

As Salon's resident aviation expert and "ask the pilot" columnist Patrick Smith notes, Southwest is a "short-haul" airline with quick turnarounds, which means its planes experience the pressurization cycle over and over again, leaving them more vulnerable to these kinds of cracks. And when safety regulations fail to curtail this drive to push machines and employees to the limit, lives can be lost. In 2009, the fatal crash of the Continental Airlines flight over Buffalo was attributed partly to exhausted pilots who had worked multiple flights in a row without much sleep. Clearly, for the sake of passengers, the drive for profit in airlines must to be counteracted by strong safety measures and tough regulations. But if the House GOP has its way, the opposite will happen.

While plenty of attention has been payed in recent days to the safety issues with Southwest's fleet, there's also a gaping hole in the GOP's concern for airline employees' rights--the people who keep us safe in the event of an emergency. Yes, there's a major fight brewing in congress over the Federal Aviation Association re-authorization bill. As the AP describes it, "The $59.7 billion Republican-drafted bill is a blueprint for Federal Aviation Administration programs for the next three and a half years." But the bill is attracting heat because its budget cuts are so drastic as to impact safety--and also roll back workers' rights. While the Senate's version of the bill is relatively standard, the House bill presents a raft of major issues for both passengers and workers, from poor safety regulations to anti-organizing clauses that would make it harder for employees to form unions and negotiate. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/story/150493/think_that_hole_in_the_southwest_plane_is_scary_the_gop%27s_plan_to_gut_airline_regulation_is_what%27s_truly_frightening_/

[liberal N proud]

1. Regulations cut into profits

Therefore they are not necessary according to GOP policies.

[bluethruandthru]

2. The "free market" will take care of any problems...we don't need regulations!

If enough planes crash, people will stop using that airline and everything will be good, right??? The Free Market solves everything! :sarcasm:

[donco]

3. When they do get inspected

i believe it is off-shored as well.

[JohnWxy]

4. Aw, you sound like you're against 'smaller' government!! Excellent post. recommended.

[louslobbs]

5. Just another of the many reasons to rid ourselves and our government of these extremist thugs

they are a danger to our very existence and they show it, with actions, every time they propose one of their psychotic policies to help further enrich their corporate friends, the Kochs and all of the other millionaire/billionaire purchasers of the American government, at the expense of the majority of We the People.
Lou