US AIRLINES ARE opposing a US Federal Aviation Administration proposal to rank airlines by safety. The concept is favoured by consumer groups and by some US lawmakers, who say that the US Transportation Department should go beyond ranking airline on-time performance only.
The FAA is studying the issues involved and will not make any recommendations until later this year.
Such a ranking could include the number of accidents/incidents suffered, maintenance and security violations. Because data can be misinterpreted, creation of a safety ranking for airlines is fraught with political and practical complications.
The Air Transport Association, which represents major US air carriers, is discussing and reviewing the issue with its membership, but the Association says: "Historically, we have had real problems with this idea."
Source: Flight International
