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    William J. McGee

    William J. McGee

  • What was MH17 doing overflying war zone?

    Dangerous skies can be found from Israel to Iraq, and from Nigeria to North Korea and the East China Sea, and aviation experts say the path that took Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and its 298 passengers over a war zone in eastern Ukraine was not unusual.

  • Wild-west charter airline market faces federal crackdown

    The search for the cheapest airfare has led some Americans to the charter flight market, where savings can be as much as 50 percent compared to some standard airline flights, but years of regulatory neglect have left pitfalls for travelers that the government now wants to address.

  • 8 lessons we need to learn from Malaysia Airlines tragedy

    Much went wrong during the investigation of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, and millions around the world watched each development. After the Boeing 777's disappearance, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, global media descended on Malaysia — and as with every airline tragedy, numerous false leads emerged, along with dissemination of misinformation and widespread myth-making.

  • Incidents of airliners hitting turbulence seem to be increasing, say experts

    Despite technological advances in detecting and avoiding turbulence, it remains a threat to anything that flies, including civil, military and commercial aircraft of any size, and some experts believe we’ll be encountering more such episodes, thanks to the effects of climate change.

  • U.S. airlines, unions say Norwegian Air plans to 'Walmart' the skies

    New low-cost airlines frequently start with a headlong race to bottom-line prices and no-frills service, but U.S. carriers and others are worried newcomer Norwegian Air has figured out a way to bypass regulations that rule the market and could even affect passenger safety.

  • FAA ruling on personal devices in flight leaves troubling safety questions

    The Federal Aviation Administration celebrated Halloween by whistling past the hobgoblins inside our iPads and Kindles, the ones that may inflict havoc on airline cockpits. In a victory for those who hate “please turn off” announcements, an FAA committee cleared the skies for Personal Electronic Devices from gate to gate.

  • Government shutdown leaves airlines in charge of the skies

    With virtually the entire Federal Aviation Administration safety inspection force on furlough, experts say airlines are policing their own operations now.