To the Point
America's Airlines: Stuck in Traffic
Existing technology could make air travel faster, more fuel efficient and cheaper, but the control system won't be updated until 2025. We hear why and what passengers can expect in the meantime. Also, getting healthcare reform through the Senate, and US bases and escalating tensions between Colombia and Venezuela.
By Warren Olney • • 50m ListenExisting technology could make air travel faster, more fuel efficient and cheaper, but the control system won't be updated until 2025. We hear why and what passengers can expect in the meantime. Also, getting healthcare reform through the Senate, and tensions between Venezuela and Colombia are being fueled by the drug trade, human rights, oil, presidential egos--and US military bases.
Banner image: : A television monitor shows inbound flights at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport August 26, 2008 in Linthicum, Maryland. A computer malfunction at a Federal Aviation Administration facility in Georgia was to blame for the massive flight delays around the country. Photo: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images
In this episode
3 storiesWhat Magic Will Get Healthcare Reform through the Senate?
On Saturday, Democrats scraped up the bare 60 votes needed to get healthcare reform on to the Senate floor. But those supporters of allowing debate are already divided over the bill itself. Jeffrey Young reports on healthcare for The Hill , a paper that covers the Senate and Congress.
Read the story8 minPlotting a Flight Plan for the 21st Century
Last week a computer glitch required air traffic controllers to get flight plans by fax and type them into computers by hand.
Read the story36 minUS Military Bases in Colombia Fuel Regional Tensions
Venezuela last week blew up two foot-bridges that crossed a river into Colombia, an act Colombia calls an "act of calculated hostility." It's the latest in a series of incidents that have South America worried about the prospect of armed conflict. What do US bases in Colombia have to do with it?
Read the story7 min
