FAA gathers ideas, applicants
- By Greg Langlois
- Sep 21, 2001
The Federal Aviation Administration, citing a "considerable" call volume
from people with suggestions on how to improve air travel safety following
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, has established a special e-mail address
and Web submission form to handle suggestions.
The new e-mail address is 9-awa-tellfaa@faa.gov,
and the new Web page is located at www.faa.gov/apa/tellfaa/tellfaa.htm.
The page, set up Sept. 20, contains a form that enables visitors to submit
suggestions and categorize them under safety, airplane security and airport
security.
"We were really inundated with calls from the public," said FAA spokesperson
Tammy Jones. The agency welcomes citizens' tips, which have included information
on patented safety devices, but "we couldn't handle the volume of calls
coming in," Jones said.
The FAA also has established a special fax number, (202) 267-5091, and
phone number, (866) 289-9673, but the agency is urging the public to use
the Internet or fax options if possible.
The agency also has experienced overwhelming interest in its soon-to-be-expanded
Federal Air Marshal program. "We're getting a call a second from people
interested in that," Jones said.
Because of high volume, the employment page (jobs.faa.gov)
now has a separate link for Federal Air Marshal applicants. The FAA posted
the job notice Sept. 20.
Since the attacks, the FAA has maintained a stripped-down, text-only
home page (www.faa.gov), which it updates daily with
new information. For example, this morning it announced that limited general
aviation (noncommercial flying) using visual flight rules has been approved.
The home page also links to a special frequently asked questions page
and a listing of airports—domestic and international—that have met
the FAA's new beefed-up security measures.
"Since the Internet is so widely used now, it's a good tool to get information
out there quickly," Jones said.