Buffalo, New York- May 10, 2010 – With President Obama set to visit Buffalo on Thursday, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ urged the President to weigh in on behalf of all passengers flying on regional airlines and push for the establishment of a true ‘One Level of Safety’ in the final version of the FAA Reauthorization bill. The plea comes as committee leadership in the House and Senate work towards merging the bills that each house has already passed.
“The tragedy of Flight 3407 has had a profound effect on so many families in our area, and has spurred our family group to make over twenty five trips to Washington and send thousands of letters and e-mails to prevent other families around the country from having to suffer through what we have,” stated John Kausner of Clarence Center, New York, who lost his twenty-four year old daughter Ellyce. “Next weekend would have been Elly’s graduation from law school, and I can’t think of anything better to commemorate that than for the President to come to our hometown and endorse the strongest possible safety measures in the final FAA bill.”
“There cannot be ‘One Level of Safety’ when regional airlines hire pilots with the bare minimum credentials and do not invest in the same safety programs as that of their major partners,” stated Karen Eckert of Williamsville, New York, who lost her sister and prominent 9/11 widow Beverly Eckert. “This bill gives us a chance to make sure that the passengers on regional airlines receive a stronger commitment to safety than what our loved ones received. In the aftermath of this tragedy, the President called Beverly an inspiration to him and so many others for her determined activism in the wake of 9/11, and hopefully he can honor her memory once again by reaching out to Chairmen Rockefeller and Oberstar on our behalf.”
The ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ are seeking higher minimum qualifications for the hiring of commercial pilots and mandatory safety management programs for regional airlines in the final bill being negotiated between the House and Senate.