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The Federal Aviation Administration has recommended inspections for the airlines that use seats made by the same Texas manufacturer of seats that came loose last month from several American Airline planes. Reports of loose seats on about half a dozen American Airlines flights forced the Fort Worth-based carrier last month to temporarily ground almost 50 Boeing 757 planes to ensure the seats were securely fastened to the cabin floor. Quiz: Test your knowledge of business news After initially blaming the problem on a faulty seat clamp, the airline later said that the buildup of spilled soft drinks, coffee and juice kept locking pins from staying in place and securing the seats.

Large commercial aircraft should have a ground-collision warning system, such as an onboard external-mounted camera, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday. The board recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration require  collision-avoidance equipment, such as cameras, on large airplanes so that pilots can have a clear view of the planes' wingtips. The recommendation comes after three accidents in which large airplanes collided with other aircraft while taxiing.

Alert Alec Baldwin. It may one day be OK to use a personal electronic device when your plane takes off. The Federal Aviation Administration is putting together a group to study mobile electronic device use by passengers. It will be looking at what gadgets passengers can safely use while aboard and when. But cellphone calls will be off the table. The FAA said the group would not be considering "the airborne use of cellphones for voice communications. " It is possible, however, that this could be an early step toward the agency's revising its ban on using laptops, tablet computers, e-readers and smartphones (for Internet uses)

NEW YORK - The Federal Aviation Administration may rethink its puzzling ban on using smartphones, e-readers and computers during takeoff and landing. It's unclear whether the federal agency no longer sees the Kindle or iPad as a risk to modern jetliners as they ascend or descend but not when they reach cruising altitude. In a press release, the agency cited "widespread consumer use of portable electronic devices" as a reason to reexamine its policies. “With so many different types of devices available, we recognize that this is an issue of consumer interest,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

One homeowner complained that helicopters flew so low and so loudly over her neighborhood that she couldn't hear conversations and the vibrations rattled dishes in her china cabinet. Another likened the deafening chopper sounds to a "war zone. " More grumbling from Los Angeles homeowners? Nope. Long Island. Years of complaints about noise from helicopters shuttling well-to-do New Yorkers between the city and the Hamptons have led to new restrictions this month on helicopter traffic over Long Island - possibly offering a political lesson to Los Angeles residents seeking similar relief.

The Federal Aviation Administration is seeking to collect more than $162 million in fines from American Airlines' parent company for alleged safety violations by the airline and affiliated carriers. The FAA filed four claims totaling $162.4 million last month against AMR Corp. and its airlines in the New York court overseeing the bankruptcy of the Fort Worth company, according to published reports. The claims, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, resulted from alleged maintenance problems dating to 2007.

LAS VEGAS - With the prospect of thousands of unmanned aircraft flying around U.S. airspace beginning in 2015, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration pledged that new regulations are in the works to keep skies safe and protect people's privacy. Speaking before hundreds of drone makers, potential buyers and government officials at a drone expo Tuesday, acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said the integration of unmanned aircraft in U.S. skies is a daunting challenge. "There's a lot of work that needs to be done to move [drone]

LAS VEGAS -- In a testament to the rise of the drone industry, the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration addressed the nation's largest robotics conference to discuss the integration of unmanned aircraft in U.S. skies. Michael Huerta addressed an audience of hundreds in the vast ballroom of the Mandalay Bay hotel at the Assn. for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International trade show. It marked the first time an FAA administrator addressed the show in its 39-year history.

Three aircraft near the nation's capital flew closer than allowed to each other because of a miscommunication by air traffic controllers, federal officials said Thursday, but they insisted that the craft were never on a head-to-head course. At a news conference in Washington, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Michael Huerta, administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, told reporters that “there was loss of separation” among three aircraft around Ronald Reagan National Airport on Tuesday, but the officials disputed reports that the craft were on a collision course.

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into how three jets barely avoided a midair collision over Washington's Reagan National Airport earlier this week, the latest high-profile error in a system that has recorded thousands of mistakes by air traffic controllers in recent years. The incident involving three planes, all operated by US Airways, took place Tuesday around 2 p.m. EDT The aircraft were carrying a combined 192 passengers and crew, according to the Washington Post, which first reported the story.