Roundup: Bush to designate marine national monuments; airlines vs. FAA on crew rest; SS Catalina to be scrapped

How much rest should long-haul pilots be required to get, and what will that cost the already financially strapped airlines? These are questions you might ask when considering a lawsuit filed against the FAA by airlines. Keep reading for more. In other news, we say hello to new federal protections in the Pacific and bid adieu to a historic steamship.

Marine protection | Some 195,280 square miles of ecologically rich, biologically diverse Pacific Ocean waters will be designated as marine national monuments, the White House announced Monday. These areas will include waters surrounding Rose Atoll in American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. The move, being cheered by conservationists, will give Bush the distinction of having “protected more square miles of ocean than any person in history,” reported the Washington Post. Read the L.A. Times story,  “Bush to Create Three Marine Monuments.”

Airline news | Seven U.S. airlines have filed a suit against the FAA, aiming to stop new regulations addressing pilot fatigue. The rules would “require that pilots on the longest international flights get more rest before flying again. The extra rest would be required even when only 10 percent of flights on a particular route exceed 16 hours,” reported the Associated Press. The airlines contend the FAA has not proved how safety would be improved. In addition, airline officials say, the cost of implementing the new requirements would be substantial.

Farewell, good ship | From 1924 to 1975, the 302-foot SS Catalina ferried millions of passengers from Wilmington, in Los Angeles, to Avalon on Catalina Island. After her heyday, the massive ship got passed around from port to port and, in retirement, hasn’t aged so gracefully. Now, much to the dismay of preservationists, the Catalina is being demolished for scrap. Read “SS Catalina Is Seaworthy No More.”

- Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: Coral reef at Palmyra Atoll, south of the Hawaiian Islands. Credit: Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times]

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 8:57 am by Susan Derby and is filed under Airline travel, Catalina Island, Eco-Travel, Good Morning, Islands & Beaches, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.