1/26/04
Dina Kanellos, 334/844-2203
AUBURN COLLEGE OF BUSINESS TO HOST FORUM ON AVIATION'S FUTURE
Lowder Business BuildingAUBURN -- An executive from the successful low-cost carrier jetBlue Airways and officials from the Federal Aviation Administration will speak Feb. 5 at a forum sponsored by the Auburn University Department of Aviation Management & Logistics.
The student forum on aviation will begin at 7 p.m., CST, at the Lowder Business Building, Room 125.
The panelists will include Al Spain, senior vice president of operations of New York-based jetBlue Airways; Nick Sabatini, the FAA's associate administrator for regulation and certification; and Quentin Smith, the FAA's senior technical advisor to Sabatini.
The speakers, considered visionaries in their field, will address the current and future status of the aviation industry.
The forum is being co-sponsored by the Aviation Management Advisory Board and aviation and logistics student organizations at AU. The Aviation Management and Logistics Department is part of AU's nationally-ranked College of Business.
"This is a very distinguished and knowledgeable panel and their visit to Auburn is a tribute to the outstanding reputation of our university and the aviation program," said Ted Mallory, Aviation Management Advisory Board representative and forum coordinator.
In his job, Spain is responsible for jetBlue's flight operations, flight dispatch, in-flight services and corporate training through the newly-developed jetBlue University organization. In addition to his administrative duties, Spain stays current as an Airbus A-320 captain and check airman.
Critics scoffed at jetBlue's idea of creating a successful low-fare airline based in New York City. They said the airlines would never find quality employees, that no one would want to fly domestically from John K. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and that the airlines would never be able to offer both low fares and a product that included new planes, leather seats and live satellite TV with DIRECTV® programming. Eighteen million customers later, the company proved its critics wrong.
As associate administrator for regulation and certification, Sabatini is responsible for the certification, production approval and continued airworthiness of aircraft; certification of pilots, mechanics, and others in safety-related positions. He is also responsible for certification of all operational and maintenance enterprises in domestic civil aviation, development of regulations, civil flight operations and the certification and safety oversight of some 7,300 U.S. commercial airlines and air operators.
As senior technical advisor to Sabatini, Smith implements, establishes and enforces regulations on aviation. He works on issues in certificate management, congressional inquiries and other complex safety issues.
The Aviation Management and Logistics Department Student Forum provides a medium through which students have an opportunity to interact first hand with leaders of the aviation and logistics industry.
The forums -- free and open to the public -- are scheduled in the fall and spring semesters, and in the summer semester when appropriate.
jan04:AU-aviation
CONTACT: AU Department of Aviation Management & Logistics, 334/844-4908.