Design Studio17 May 2012 09:32:08 CDTNACA Air Currentshttp://multibriefs.com/briefs/NACA/NACA.xmlenThe body scanners widely used for airport screening have raised concerns about privacy, health risks and long lines at security checkpoints. But now, a more fundamental issue is getting attention from lawmakers: Whether these scanners are effective at detecting explosives that could bring down a plane. At a Congressional hearing recently investigating how the Transportation Security Administration acquires and deploys security equipment, members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee sharply criticized the agency for spending hundreds of millions of dollars on technology that they said had not been properly tested.17 May 2012 09:32:08 CDThttp://multibriefs.com/ViewLink.php?i=4fb3aaacdc4d01Cathay Pacific Airways said it would cut operating costs to combat a "challenging" business environment as the carrier issued a profit warning for its first half 2012 results. The Hong Kong-based carrier, which incorporates Dragonair and Cathay Pacific, the latter the world's largest international freight airline last year measured in freight ton kilometers, said high fuel prices and poor cargo returns had compounded price pressure on its passenger business.17 May 2012 09:32:08 CDThttp://multibriefs.com/ViewLink.php?i=4fb3abb6a4bde2A new $200 million cargo facility on former military land at O'Hare International Airport is expected to open. Aeroterm, which was chosen as developer for the project in 2009 under then-Mayor Richard Daley, plans an 820,000-square-foot facility with an aircraft ramp that can accommodate planes including Boeing's 747-800 series. The company will cover $130 million of the $200 million cost, with $62 million coming from airport funds. Daley acquired the onetime military land in 1996. The cargo facility will take up 65 acres.17 May 2012 09:32:08 CDThttp://multibriefs.com/ViewLink.php?i=4fb3ab55dd5b83Austrian charter company GlobeAir is to take delivery of its eleventh Cessna Citation Mustang, making it the largest operator of the type in the world. The company has 29 percent of the entry-level jet segment market share in Europe, and is aiming to push that figure up to 55 percent over the next two years.17 May 2012 09:32:08 CDThttp://multibriefs.com/ViewLink.php?i=4fb3aafa850c64Delta Air Lines Inc. reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with its pilots union seven months before the existing accord comes up for amendment, in an industry where negotiations often drag on for years. Leaders of the Air Line Pilots Association's Delta chapter and its panel that negotiated the contract are meeting in Atlanta to discuss the terms, Tim O'Malley, chairman of the union's executive committee, told members in a letter.17 May 2012 09:32:08 CDThttp://multibriefs.com/ViewLink.php?i=4fb3a5cfa6be15Anyone doubting the staying power of turboprop aircraft in the regional airline sector probably should have visited Toulouse, France, to see ATR delivering the 1,000th example of its twin turboprop series. Spanish carrier Air Nostrum received its latest ATR 72-600 in a ceremony presided over by the heads of ATR's shareholders: EADS outgoing CEO Louis Gallois and Giuseppe Orsi, chairman and CEO of Italy's Finmeccanica.17 May 2012 09:32:08 CDThttp://multibriefs.com/ViewLink.php?i=4fb3a57d87b626According to Federal Aviation Administration whistle-blowers, air traffic controllers in the New York area have slept on the job, left shifts early and used personal electronic gadgets while working in the control room. Emergency service helicopters have been inadequately equipped with night-vision systems, potentially interfering with pilots' ability to read instruments. Unauthorized aircraft have entered U.S. airspace near Puerto Rico. Inconsistent runway rules at the Detroit airport have caused planes to come too close together during takeoff and landing. Planes have flown with electrical wiring and fuel tank systems that violate FAA airworthiness directives.17 May 2012 09:32:08 CDThttp://multibriefs.com/ViewLink.php?i=4fb3ac9f4e7537United Airlines racked up far more consumer complaints than any other U.S. airline — and ranked among the bottom in on-time performance — in March, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's monthly Air Travel Consumer Report. Recently United switched to Continental Airlines' reservation system, as well as a single frequent-flier program and website. The massive changeover, conducted in the wee hours, initially resulted in widespread flight delays. Some glitches persisted for weeks, leading to jammed phone lines and hours-long wait times.17 May 2012 09:32:08 CDThttp://multibriefs.com/ViewLink.php?i=4fb3a63171f2a8If you flew AirTran Airways out of Gerald R. Ford International Airport earlier this year, chances are you took off faster than most. The low-cost carrier boasted the best on-time departure rate at Ford Airport in the first quarter of 2012. Some 93.7 percent of its 428 flights between January and March took off on time, according to federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics. That rate bested the likes of Ford Airport's other main carriers, such as United Air Lines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines' affiliate American Eagle, according to BTS data.17 May 2012 09:32:08 CDThttp://multibriefs.com/ViewLink.php?i=4fb3a5052f3899