Northwest Airlines flouted federal safety orders, not punished

[n2doc]

July 23, 2010 (Reuters) — Northwest Airlines flouted federal safety orders in the past but the Federal Aviation Administration did not hold it accountable, a U.S. government report said.

A Northwest Airlines airplane departs Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix in this November 25, 2009 file photo. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

The report by the Transportation Department's inspector general's office followed allegations that FAA managers had colluded with the airlines they were charged with inspecting.

In 2008 FAA inspector Mark Lund charged that FAA inspectors who oversaw Northwest's safety requirements had allowed the airline to avoid civil penalties or legal action by accepting voluntary disclosures of non-compliance in contravention of FAA policy.

The report was made public on Thursday by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) which handles whistleblower complaints.

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http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre66m0zd-us-northwestairlines/

[dtexdem]

1. I have avoided Northwest for several years because of experiences with them.

It wasn't just old equipment and dirty planes. I was on a NW flight on its takeoff run in a snowstorm when two tires blew and knocked out an engine. The pilot got the plane stopped before the end of the runway, though slewed around sideways. It took NW forever to come out and get us off the plane, and they were totally disorganized about getting us hotel and meal vouchers (by the time I got into the airport hotel several hours later, the restaurant was closed). I suppose the near crash could have happened to any other airline; but having seen the old equipment on my other flights on the trip, I figured NW was at heightened risk of such failures. I haven't been on a NW plane since.

[Bluebear]

2. NW isn't the problem here, they don't even exist. What's with the FAA though?