Pilots Say They Are Forced To Fly On Low Fuel

No Indication Of Safety Violations, FAA Says POSTED: 9:20 am PDT August 8, 2008 UPDATED: 9:43 am PDT August 8, 2008 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 said 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... [read full story]