American Gets Half of MD-80s Flying

But lowly passengers? No such luck

(NEWSER) - Well, Alec Baldwin will certainly not be happy to hear this: Starting Friday, if you're on an American Airlines flight, you may use your iPad during takeoff and landing ... as long as you're the pilot. The FAA issued the new rules yesterday, the New York Times reports. Of course, the iPads won't exactly be used to play Words With Friends ; they'll replace paper flight manuals. Passengers are still required to keep all electronic devices off until the plane gets to 10,000 feet. More»

FAA says it didn't correct faulty wiring

(NEWSER) - The FAA is apparently trying to prove it can't be bulled by the airlines. It plans to fine American Airlines $24.2 million—that's more than twice the size of the current record fine—over maintenance violations, reports USA Today . The agency alleges that American flew thousands of unsafe flights in 2008 until it fixed a wiring issue, a charge the airline denies. More»

Spate of incidents puts airline on the hot seat

(NEWSER) - The Federal Aviation Administration is stepping up its oversight of American Airlines, looking for a link amid a spate of recent rough landings. Three American jets have had problematic landings in recent weeks, the most dramatic being an incident in Jamaica on Dec. 23, in which a 737 skidded off the runway, cracking its fuselage and injuring dozens. The other two issues, in North Carolina and Texas, were less serious and involved M-80 jets. More»

System broke down in both Atlanta and Salt Lake City

(AP) - FAA officials say failed computers that delayed flights across the country are now working again. The air traffic controllers union says the computer failure involved both of the Federal Aviation Administration's computer centers in Salt Lake City and Atlanta, which handle flight plans for air traffic throughout the country. More»

(NEWSER) - American Airlines faces FAA fines of more than $7 million for a series of safety and maintenance violations and for deficiencies in its drug and alcohol testing, the Wall Street Journal reports. In proposing one of its biggest fines ever, the FAA accuses American of knowingly flying planes that needed safety repairs, including one MD-80 that flew several times in 2007 with a faulty autopilot. More»