AircraftOwner Online

When new federal aviation cargo screening rules go into effect next August, the resulting chaos could ground thousands of tons of cargo (see our Dec. 2 post). Both the feds and the aviation industry are worried that there won't be enough trained screeners or certified screening facilities to handle the job. An expansion of the current law that requires the individual screening of passenger suitcases, the new regulations will exact the same screening standards for each and every parcel shipped on cargo or passenger airplanes. With 500,000 boxes flying the friendly U.S. skies each and every day, the potential for chaos is obvious.

Unless some smart Congressman gets on the ball soon, the new regs will mean that goods now typically shipped in huge lots on shrink-wrapped pallets will have to be broken down into individual packages for screening, then reassembled. Fortunately, the law allows certified facilities to scan cargo packages offsite, as long as secure delivery can be provided to the airplane. But pallets will still have to be broken down for individual scanning and goods transported to and from the scanner. Sounds like a lot of tedious, back-breaking work - unless you employergonomically-designed tugs like DJ Products CartCaddys.

Made by Lindbergh Aircraft Tug Co.'s parent company ;DJ Products, CartCaddys move cargo boxes the same way Lindy's Aircraft Tugs move airplanes - quickly and easily. Compact design and a unique 180-degree pivoting capability allow powered CartCaddys to maneuver in tight spaces. Ergonomic design means that like Lindy's aircraft tractors, DJ Products' electric carts and tugs take the burden off workers. With screeners handling thousands of packages a day, protecting their health and safety from potentially disabling musculoskeletal injury will be a major concern.

"Recession Is Over" headlines blared last week. After analyzing key economic data for August, the nation's top economists assigned the most severe recession since the Great Depression to history. A 12.8% annual increase in the index of leading indicators over the past three months led economic analysts to proclaim that the "contraction" has ended. For the first time in 19 months manufacturing indicators rose, led by a surge of new orders. August also saw a slowdown in the job-loss rate, although unemployment continued to rise in about half of the country's major metropolitan areas.

However, pronouncements of the recession's end were quickly tempered by cautionary statements that recovery will take time, possibly years. And don't expect things to return to the way they were. The depth of the recession and the unsustainability of the inflated economy that preceded it are forcing America to recalibrate. No one's sure what the new "normal" will look like, but changes are coming.

So what does this mean for the aviation industry? With money tight, savings decimated and jobs on the line, Americans have been traveling less. In August, American Airlines reported an 8.1% decrease in traffic, and United's traffic was down 5.8%. As demand has declined, major carriers have reduced seat capacity. In August, American’s capacity dropped 9.4%; United’s fell 8.9%. International carriers which draw from a greater passenger pool have experienced less loss. Continental Airlines reported a 3.9% decline in August traffic resulting in a 6% reduction in seat capacity.

On the plus side, offering passengers fewer flight choices has increased load factors, or number of filled seats per plane, allowing major carriers to operate more efficiently. American's load factor rose from 83.5% to 84.7%, and United's load factor increased from 84.3% to 87.2% over the past year. Continental reported record load factors.