Congress approves 15th extension of FAA bill, postponing FedEx-UPS dispute resolution

  Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:27:26 EDT

WASHINGTON, Jul 30, 2010 (The Commercial Appeal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --

As expected, Congress passed the 15th extension of a bill to reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration programs.

The House approved the extension late Thursday night; the Senate followed suit this morning.

The extension postpones final action on a controversial measure affecting Memphis-based FedEx Corp.

A House version of the FAA bill includes a change in labor law that would make it easier for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to organize some workers at FedEx Express. The change is supported by the Teamster and FedEx rival United Parcel Service; FedEx has vigorously opposed the change. That dispute has stalled final action on the FAA bill, resulting in repeated extensions.

Unlike previous extensions, however, the House-passed bill contains several new safety measures that were lobbied hard for by the families of victims of Colgan Air Flight 3407, which crashed near Buffalo, N.Y., last year.

Among changes is a requirement that airline transport pilots hold pilot certificates indicating a minimum of 1,500 hours, up from the current 250 hours. It mandates additional pilot training in adverse weather conditions, including icing, and implements National Transportation Safety Board recommendations to ensure that all pilots are trained on stall recovery and that airlines provide remedial training to pilots who need it.

The Flight 3407 families have argued that the victims were subject to lower safety standards for regional, feeder airlines like Colgan Air and lobbied Congress to require "one level of safety" for both major and regional airlines.

Similarly, it requires "truth in advertising" disclosing the air carrier that operates each leg of a proposed trip.