As problems with the airlines continue, everyone seems to be asking, who’s to blame?

First Southwest was forced to ground planes following revelations the company had skipped mandatory inspections. Then it happened with American Airlines as well. The stream of forced groundings has left hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded and with few options.

Many are pointing the finger at the FAA for allowing airlines to police themselves. Southwest airlines flew 46 planes on more than 60,000 flights without performing FAA mandated inspections for fuselage cracks. At American, FAA orders to check wiring on MD-80s dating back to late 2006 went unheeded, forcing the grounding and cancellations of thousands of flights this month. Now Congress is asking why the FAA isn’t noticing that airlines are ignoring mandatory inspection orders.

About a decade ago, Congress allowed the FAA to begin letting airlines largely police themselves. The number of field inspectors was slashed, and now inspectors say they spend 70 of their time at their desks, instead of under or inside of airplanes. Worse, many complain the FAA’s relationship with airlines has grown too cozy.

Tom Brantly, President of Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, says that “inspectors are being forced to change inspection data in FAA databases, reprimanded or removed from oversight responsibility of a carrier and encouraged not to pursue enforcement actions.”

In 2005 the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General found that the FAA failed to complete 26% of their planned inspections. This current crisis is prodding many in Congress to rethink the entire system. Many feel the FAA is treating airlines as the customer rather than the flying public…the taxpayers who foot the bill.

Related
Behind Air Chaos, an F.A.A. Pendulum Swing (NYTimes)