Press Releases

Buffalo, New York- June 8, 2010 – As the Senate and House return from last week’s Memorial Day recess, members of the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ implored Senator Jay Rockefeller (WV), Chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Congressman James Oberstar (MN), Chairman of the House’s Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to guide the FAA Reauthorization Bill to a final resolution prior to July 3rd when the current extension expires. (more…)

Buffalo, New York- May 25, 2010 – As the Senate and the House continue to work towards a final FAA Reauthorization Bill, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ urged the general public, and specifically all elected officials and their staffers responsible for aviation issues, to tune into PBS Frontline’s ‘FLYING CHEAP’. The one-hour documentary, to be shown tonight, Tuesday, May 25th (check local listings for air time), takes an inside look at some of the less-than-desirable practices that are employed by the regional airline industry. (more…)

Buffalo, New York- May 13, 2010 – Ten members representing the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ met privately with President Obama as part of his trip to Buffalo today, asking for the President’s assistance in getting the FAA Reauthorization Bill passed by Congress. (more…)

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. (more…)

Buffalo, New York- April 28, 2010 – In response to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal detailing yet another delay in the FAA’s attempt to impose new flight and duty time regulations for pilots, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ lashed out at the White House Office of Management and Budget for its position that the safety benefits achieved by these new rules would not justify the cost incurred by the airlines in implementing them. (more…)

Buffalo, New York- April 20, 2010 – In an attempt to keep visibility on the ongoing negotiations between the Senate and House on the FAA Reauthorization Bill, members of the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ announced that they will attend Wednesday’s House Aviation Subcommittee hearing. The hearing, which will examine implementation of NextGen, will be held at 2 p.m. in Room 2167 Rayburn House Office Building. (more…)

Buffalo, New York- April 13, 2010 – As the House and Senate staffs get to work on resolving the differences in each body’s version of the FAA Reauthorization Bill through a pre-conference, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ issued a statement asking the committee and subcommittee leaders involved to set their personal agendas aside and be open to compromise in the interest of the crucial safety provisions included in the bill. (more…)

Buffalo, New York- March 9, 2010 – Buoyed by the prospect of the long-awaited FAA Reauthorization Act and its critical aviation safety reforms finally coming to the Senate floor, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ were dealt a setback at the hand of Senator Bob Corker (TN), who placed a hold on the bill.

In response to that action, the group released the following open letter to Senator Corker: (more…)

The ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ will hold a press conference to condemn Senator Bob Corker’s decision to place a hold on the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act on Wednesday, March 10th, at 10:30am, Room 301, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC. Originally traveling to Washington to witness the safety Read more…

Buffalo, New York- March 8, 2010 – As the Senate prepares to take the the FAA Reauthorization Bill to the floor and address many of the safety deficiencies at the regional airline level that were uncovered by the tragedy of Continental Flight 3407, the families of the victims urged the Senate leadership to not give the FAA carte blanche when it comes to revising the current shockingly low federal minimum standards. (more…)