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.

Ford Recall Expanded-Third time in two weeks
Ford is expanding its recall of the popular Escape SUV. 485,000 units from 2001 through 2004 must be inspected for defective cruise – control cables that sometimes unexpectedly cause the throttle to stick open. Interestingly, Ford built a similar vehicle for Mazda, called the Tribute. The Tribute has