The Federal Aviation Administration seeks multimillion-dollar fines against United Airlines and US Airways for safety violations, including flying a plane after mechanics stuffed shop towels into an engine. The agency moves for a $5.4 million fine against US Airways, which is a dominant player in the Buffalo and Western New York market, for operating eight planes on a total of 1,647 flights from October 2008 to January 2009 in violation of safety directives or the company’s own maintenance rules. More can be found on AOLNews.

FAA Criticized for Colgan Crash Response
The Buffalo News reported today that “Government inspectors harshly criticized the Federal Aviation Administration for its response to the Colgan Air crash in Clarence a year ago, saying the agency’s effort to get airlines to voluntarily fix safety problems had not addressed the problems the accident raised.” It