Oriana Pawlyk
@oriana0214.bsky.social
@politico aviation reporter. Ex-@Militarydotcom,@AirForceTimes. @MiamiUniversity alum. The B-1 ≠ nukes. 🇺🇸🇺🇦, Chicagoan, #avgeek. Opinions mine. RP, ♥️≠E
‘The alarm bells are going off’: Air travel hits new lows
‘The alarm bells are going off’: Air travel hits new lows
Trump promised a “golden age” of travel, but as one industry official put it: “If you’re in Houston, and you’re standing in a four-hour line, it doesn’t really feel ‘golden’ at the moment.”
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‘The alarm bells are going off’: Air travel hits new lows subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...
POLITICO Pro: ‘The alarm bells are going off’: Air travel hits new lows
Trump promised a “golden age” of travel, but as one industry official put it: “If you’re in Houston, and you’re standing in a four-hour line, it doesn’t really feel ‘golden’ at the moment.”
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The FAA takes some weeks to investigate near collisions on airport runways and about three weeks to reflect that latest data in the RWS-ASIAS system. Here’s POLITICO’s assessment of that data from 2016 onward (running up to Aug 2025):
Oriana Pawlyk@oriana0214.bsky.social · 4mo agoAs we talk about the crash at LaGuardia, wanted to re-up this piece from last year that looks at certain risks within the air travel system, with multiple underlying problems that have been building for years: www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
Separately, the Federal Aviation Administration’s second in command told POLITICO on Tuesday that the agency is exploring holding another safety summit with aviation-related groups in an attempt to curtail runway incidents.
Oriana Pawlyk@oriana0214.bsky.social · 4mo agoNTSB chair says truck that crashed into plane at LaGuardia didn’t have key surveillance tech subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...
NTSB chair says truck that crashed into plane at LaGuardia didn’t have key surveillance tech subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...
POLITICO Pro: NTSB chair says truck that crashed into plane didn’t have key surveillance tech
Separately, a top FAA official said the agency is considering hosting a new air safety summit.
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As we talk about the crash at LaGuardia, wanted to re-up this piece from last year that looks at certain risks within the air travel system, with multiple underlying problems that have been building for years: www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
The top dangers facing Americans traveling by air aren’t obvious
January's fatal crash in D.C. makes 2025 the deadliest year for airlines in the U.S. in more than two decades. And it has travelers asking a question they once could take for granted.
politico.com
Hello everyone! After six months of maternity leave, I’m back starting today. The aviation beat was super chill in my absence? Jkjk. Feel free to drop me a line, as I’m eager to hear from you ✈️
1/ One of my final stories before I take leave — a deep dive into the state of air travel safety today. Flying remains overwhelmingly safe, but as the @politico team found, there are symptoms of strain across the system that deserve attention.
Trump's FAA pick acknowledges he doesn't have a 'commercial' pilot's license subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...
POLITICO Pro: Trump's FAA pick acknowledges he doesn't have a 'commercial' pilot's license
Bryan Bedford, the current CEO of Republic Airways, told senators as part of questions submitted for the record that he is not certified to fly commercially.
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Trump’s FAA nominee, Bryan Bedford, has long claimed to have a commercial pilot’s license. He does not. That, however, does not appear to threaten his confirmation, @oriana0214.bsky.social reports.
Trump’s FAA pick has claimed ‘commercial’ pilot license he doesn’t have
Bryan Bedford, the nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration, for years erroneously stated in his Republic Airways bio that he is a pilot with a “commercial” rating.
politico.com
The aerospace sector has been lobbying the Trump administration not to allow a 10 percent tariff on goods be imposed this weekend as expected, arguing that the terms of a 1979 agreement should be honored instead. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...
POLITICO Pro: Aerospace sector bracing for tariffs
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Nice score. Absolutely jibes with how Rocheleau has kept a lower profile. From when some of us first heard Bedford’s name pop last week: subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...
Will Guisbond@willguisbond.com · last yr.EXCLUSIVE: I had an opportunity to sit down with acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau for his first interview since taking office in January. We covered a lot. Read more here on @theaircurrent.com: theaircurrent.com/regulation/r...
As I mention here, air travel is still the safest mode of transportation. That doesn’t mean there aren’t fissures in the system that need addressing. A system that doesn’t need to be kneecapped with additional cuts to the jobs that are part of the system’s backbone.
Oriana Pawlyk@oriana0214.bsky.social · last yr.In today’s Politico Playbook: A series of new employee cuts at the FAA is making an already anxious population even more concerned about air travel. Aviation reporter Oriana Pawlyk joins Playbook's Zack Stanton to discuss the implications. The latest in today's Daily Briefing: t.co/DDMMgE2ciD
In today’s Politico Playbook: A series of new employee cuts at the FAA is making an already anxious population even more concerned about air travel. Aviation reporter Oriana Pawlyk joins Playbook's Zack Stanton to discuss the implications. The latest in today's Daily Briefing: t.co/DDMMgE2ciD
https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL5369808204.mp3?updated=1740109098
t.co
‘Air traffic controllers cannot do their work without us’ www.politico.com/news/2025/02...
‘Air traffic controllers cannot do their work without us’
The Trump administration has defended its cuts at the Federal Aviation Administration by saying safety-critical employees weren't affected. Experts disagree.
politico.com
Are you an employee at the FAA / support FAA roles who was recently laid off or told to retire? Signal open at the QR link below:
I covered military aviation for 9 years, and now the intersection of regulation and commercial for four. Aviation is just the thing I do. Flying's gotten safer — and less reported on. Washington crash shows how the aviation beat is fading apnews.com/article/avia...
Flying's gotten safer — and less reported on. Washington crash shows how the aviation beat is fading
In the days after last week's plane collision in Washington, Pete Muntean was a fixture on the air at CNN. Pete who? Viewers may be forgiven for not knowing.
apnews.com
Musk’s cost-cutters target U.S. aviation system www.politico.com/news/2025/02...
Musk’s cost-cutters to ‘plug in’ to air traffic control system, Trump’s transportation chief says
Sean Duffy said that he’d spoken with Musk, calling him a “pretty remarkable guy” who has “access to the best technological people, the best engineers in the world.”
politico.com
Update: FAA reverses course on meeting prohibition, blaming rogue employee www.politico.com/news/2025/02...
FAA reverses course on meeting prohibition, blaming rogue employee
The advisory panels tackle ways to reduce risk across the aviation system, taking guidance from airlines, union groups and even companies that make parts for aircraft.
politico.com
The Federal Aviation Administration has barred its employees from participating in a host of advisory committees intended to help come up with solutions to issues facing the aviation industry.
Oriana Pawlyk@oriana0214.bsky.social · last yr.
ICYMI, @oriana0214.bsky.social & @jeffwise.bsky.social on safety issues around aviation in the wake of recent fatal crashes: www.wnyc.org/story/how-pr...
How Preventable was the DC Air Crash? | The Brian Lehrer Show | WNYC
A look at last week's collision between a passenger jet and Army Blackhawk Helicopter which marks in the worst aviation tragedy in the United States in decades.
wnyc.org
I've been way too busy to post a whole lot here lately, but I can't say enough about how proud I am of the @politico.com transportation team (esp @oriana0214.bsky.social, Sam Ogozalek and Chris Marquette) and how they rallied in this moment of national tragedy: www.politico.com/news/2025/01...
'Nothing short of a nightmare': Jet, military helicopter collide near Reagan National
"May God bless their souls," President Donald Trump said after a passenger plane carrying 64 people collided with an Army helicopter on a training mission.
politico.com
Today: - @usatoday.com's Francesca Chambers with Monday Morning Politics, - Elizabeth Glazer on surprising crime trends in NYC, - @oriana0214.bsky.social & @jeffwise.bsky.social on recent aviation accidents - @keepitonthehdl.bsky.social on the winter blues Live at 10 on 93.9 FM, AM820 or @wnyc.org
My latest: How years of safety warnings ended in a fiery crash above the Potomac politi.co/40BXch2 via @politico.com
How years of safety warnings ended in a fiery crash above the Potomac
Air traffic controller shortages, soaring travel demand, a surge of airport near-collisions and complaints of congressional dysfunction escalated before the U.S. saw its first fatal domestic airline c...
politi.co
ICYMI: www.politico.com/news/2024/12...
Trump suggests shooting down aircraft above New Jersey as concerns continue
President-elect Donald Trump posted to social media Friday saying the craft seen hovering around parts of New Jersey should be shot down, as lawmakers continue to demand answers.
politico.com
‘Typical Trumpian thing’: Aviation shrugs at Trump's DEI and ‘golden age of travel’ comments subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2024...
POLITICO Pro: ‘Typical Trumpian thing’: Aviation shrugs at Trump's DEI and ‘golden age of travel’ comments
As for Trump’s call to return the country to a “golden age of travel,” one travel industry executive said she saw that statement as Trump “leaning in” on what the travel experience needs to be.
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Sectors of the aviation & travel industry seem eager for continuity, too, according to several people POLITICO interviewed who attended the U.S. Travel Association’s conference Wednesday. TSA administrator says he hopes to stay on during Trump’s term subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2024...
POLITICO Pro: TSA administrator says he hopes to stay on during Trump’s term
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