WASHINGTON — Pilots are complaining that their airline bosses, desperate to cut costs, are forcing them to fly uncomfortably low on fuel.
Safety for passengers and crews could be compromised, they say.
The situation got bad enough three years ago, even before the latest surge in fuel prices, that NASA sent a safety alert to federal aviation officials. No action.
Since then, pilots, flight dispatchers and others have continued to sound off with their own warnings, yet the Federal Aviation Administration says there is no reason to order airlines to back off their effort to keep fuel loads to a minimum.
“We can’t dabble in the business policies or the personnel policies of an airline,” said FAA spokesman Les Dorr. He said there was no indication safety rules were being violated.
The September 2005 safety alert was issued by NASA’s confidential Aviation Safety Reporting System, which allows air crews to report safety problems without fear their names will be disclosed.
“What we found was that because they carried less fuel on the airplane, they were getting into situations where they had to tell air traffic control, ‘I need to get on the ground,’ ” said Linda Connell, director of the NASA reporting system.
With fuel prices now their biggest cost, airlines are aggressively enforcing policies designed to reduce consumption.
In March, for example, an airline pilot told NASA he landed his regional jet with less fuel than required by FAA regulations. “Looking back,” he said, “I would have liked more gas yesterday.”
He also complained that his airline was “ranking” captains according to who landed with the least amount.
American Airlines said its fuel costs this year were expected to increase to $10 billion, a 52 percent jump from 2007. “The additional cost of carrying unnecessary fuel adversely affects American’s financial success,” the airline told dispatchers in a letter. American and US Airways blame the complaints on heated labor negotiations — both are in contract talks with the complaining unions.
“It’s not a safety issue; it’s a contract issue,” said John Hotard, an American spokesman.
Department of Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel recommended in April that the FAA take a nationwide look at airline fuel practices. Five months later, the agency is still developing a survey to send to its inspectors at each airline and has no schedule for sending it out.
