Aero-News: Quote of the Day

ANN's Quote of the Day usually derives from current news, though we reserve the right to pick quotes out of history that have a bearing on the day's events and issues.

Sometimes, you'll find them timely and in keeping with the content of the day's news... and sometimes, they'll just be thought-provoking.

Reader suggestions and comments are welcome... and if particularly intriguing, timely, or poignant, may themselves become future Quotes of the Day.

Let us hear from you, folks!

Aero-News Quote of the Day

"You've got hundreds of thousands of people inconvenienced, jobs being threatened, and it's got nothing to do with improving safety."

Source: Airline analyst Michael Boyd, commeting on the FAA's grounding of 300 American Airlines planes to inspect wiring bundles. Inspectors reportedly found bundles bound tighter than the required 1.25-inch spec -- about a one-inch clearance -- on several of American's MD-80s. That relatively minor difference has many questioning whether the FAA's strict response wasn't politically-minded posturing. In an interview Friday with Bloomberg, airline consultant Michael Boyd openly questioned the motives of the agency, and Acting Administrator Robert Sturgell -- saying the FAA was "playing politics," in order to "look like they're tough" in the face of congressional scrutiny.

FMI: www.aa.com, www.faa.gov