Safety Compliance Issues in the Media
|
Michael Massoni
Vice President &
National Safety &
Security Coordinator |
On Tuesday, word of a new safety compliance investigation of Southwest Airlines was confirmed by sources at the FAA. These allegations are still being sorted and defined at this time, but center around maintenance that was performed at Aviation Technical Services (ATS), a maintenance contractor in Everett Washington just outside of Seattle.
The allegations surround work that was performed in 2008 during required repetitive maintenance on classic Boeing 737s (-300/-500 series) that are in use at Southwest. It has been reported that during the repetitive maintenance, ATS was responsible for the replacement of skin panels, and was unable to complete the work as prescribed by the FAA. ATS and Southwest developed a workaround solution, but allegedly failed to inform the FAA to obtain the required clearance for the change in the mandated procedure.
To be clear, TWU Local 556 takes the safety of our Members and the flying public very seriously, and is always concerned when allegations of this type are brought forward against our Company. We are committed to providing our workforce with the complete details of this investigation as they become available, as well as any further information we may receive concerning these allegations.
Again, make no mistake, your safety is our number one priority, and we will remain engaged throughout this investigation. If you have additional concerns, please feel free to contact me at: vicepresident-safety@twu556.org
Weather Problems Continue
Several cities continue to be affected by winter storms:
BWI and IAD: Closures extended from 1400 today through noon Thursday.
The BWI Crew Base will be operating a reduced schedule as follows:
Tuesday, February 9: closing at 1800 local (weather permitting)
Wednesday, February 10: No Staff
Thursday, February 11: 0800 – 1900 local
MDW, MKE, PHL, LGA, and ISP: Operations suspended through 1000 Wednesday.
The MDW Crew Base will be operating a reduced schedule as follows:
Tuesday, February 9: closing at 1700
Wednesday, February 10: Opening at 0900
BOS, BDL, and PVD: Operational cancellations expected between 1000-through 1900 Wednesday.
Those of you who were scheduled to originate, transit, or terminate in these stations, please note that it may be up to 24 hours before all reschedules are completed. Most reschedules due to cancellations for today have been worked into your schedules.
To reduce hold time, you have the option to check CWA to self notify any changes that are made to your schedules. Scheduling hopes to have all schedules modified by noon Wednesday.
If you are a commuter and are having difficulty getting to your base, be sure to speak to a Crew Scheduler for other assignment options.
So that Scheduling can focus on the present operation, please hold unrelated phone calls for a later date. Thank you for your continued patience as we work through these challenges.
FAA Fatigue Countermeasure Training
The FAA is developing a fatigue countermeasure training program that incorporates their findings from the recent Flight Attendant fatigue field study. In other industries, fatigue countermeasure training has resulted in substantial benefits to both employees and their employing organizations. As such, they would like to evaluate the benefits the training might have for the aviation industry, and Flight Attendants in particular.
At this time, the FAA needs volunteers to take part in this initial Flight Attendant fatigue countermeasures training, and we are encouraging our Members to volunteer to participate. Click here to continue. |
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