FAA gathers ideas, applicants

The Federal Aviation Administration, citing a "considerable" call volume from people with suggestions on how to improve air travel safety following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, has established a special e-mail address and Web submission form to handle suggestions.

The new e-mail address is 9-awa-tellfaa@faa.gov, and the new Web page is located at www.faa.gov/apa/tellfaa/tellfaa.htm. The page, set up Sept. 20, contains a form that enables visitors to submit suggestions and categorize them under safety, airplane security and airport security.

"We were really inundated with calls from the public," said FAA spokesperson Tammy Jones. The agency welcomes citizens' tips, which have included information on patented safety devices, but "we couldn't handle the volume of calls coming in," Jones said.

The FAA also has established a special fax number, (202) 267-5091, and phone number, (866) 289-9673, but the agency is urging the public to use the Internet or fax options if possible.

The agency also has experienced overwhelming interest in its soon-to-be-expanded Federal Air Marshal program. "We're getting a call a second from people interested in that," Jones said.

Because of high volume, the employment page (jobs.faa.gov) now has a separate link for Federal Air Marshal applicants. The FAA posted the job notice Sept. 20.

Since the attacks, the FAA has maintained a stripped-down, text-only home page (www.faa.gov), which it updates daily with new information. For example, this morning it announced that limited general aviation (noncommercial flying) using visual flight rules has been approved.

The home page also links to a special frequently asked questions page and a listing of airports—domestic and international—that have met the FAA's new beefed-up security measures.

"Since the Internet is so widely used now, it's a good tool to get information out there quickly," Jones said.