ETHICAL ISSUES IN AVIATION The aviation industry is unique in two major ways: firstly, it has a long history of government involvement dating back to the early days of aviation; and secondly, its primary concern is the safety of its passengers and crew. These features highlight the importance of ethical decision-making at all levels of the industry. However, well-publicized problems such as the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 highlight the need for ethics to take a more prominent role in the field. Ethical Issues in Aviation focuses on both past and current topics in aviation, providing the reader with an overview of the major themes in aviation ethics that cover a broad range of subjects. Contributors include academics who do research in the field as well as professionals who provide first-hand accounts of the ethical situations that arise in the aviation industry. This second edition has been thoroughly revised throughout to bring it up to date, and features several new chapters that cover recent events and topics. This book enhances student learning by providing faculty, students, and those interested in aviation with discussion of the most pressing ethical issues that continue to impact the industry. Elizabeth A. Hoppe is Instructor of Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago. Specializing in applied ethics, she conducts research in aviation and business and is a member of the Association for Professional and Practical Ethics. ETHICAL ISSUES IN AVIATION SECOND EDITION Edited by Elizabeth A. Hoppe Second edition published 2019 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2019 selection and editorial matter, Elizabeth A. Hoppe, individual chapters, the contributors The right of the Elizabeth A. Hoppe to be identified as the author of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. First edition published by Routledge 2011 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Hoppe, Elizabeth (Elizabeth Anne) editor. Title: Ethical issues in aviation / edited by Elizabeth Hoppe. Description: Second Edition. | New York : Routledge, 2019. | Revised edition of Ethical issues in aviation, c2011. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2018025672| ISBN 9781138348080 (hardback) | ISBN 9781472470867 (pbk.) | ISBN 9780429436789 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Aeronautics, Commercial—Moral and ethical aspects. | Aeronautics—Social aspects. Classification: LCC TL553 .E84 2018 | DDC 174/.93877—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018025672 ISBN: 978-1-138-34808-0 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-4724-7086-7 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-429-43678-9 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo and Stone Sans by Florence Production Ltd, Stoodleigh, Devon, UK Dedicated to my mother, M. Teresa Hoppe, and in memory of my father, Harley H. Hoppe CONTENTS List of illustrations xi Notes on contributors xiii Preface xix Acknowledgements xxi List of abbreviations xxiii PART I THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS 1 1 Ethical theories I: dilemmas and decision-making 3 Mark H. Waymack 2 Ethical theories II: rights and character 17 Mark H. Waymack 3 Capitalism and its critics 29 Nathan Ross PART II GENERAL TOPICS IN AVIATION 41 4 Who governs international aviation? 43 Dawna L. Rhoades viii Contents 5 Certain restrictions apply: pricing and marketing issues facing airline managers and consumers 51 Joseph P. Schwieterman 6 Outsourcing maintenance: a union perspective 65 Ted Ludwig 7 Whistleblowing in aviation 71 Bruce Hoover PART III ISSUES IN RESPONSIBILITY 89 8 Ethics and FAA inspectors 93 Gerardo Martinez 9 The FAA and the ethical dimensions of regulatory capture 97 Elizabeth A. Hoppe 10 Ethics in aviation from the perspective of a flight attendant 113 Gail L. Bigelow 11 ValuJet 592 and corporate responsibility 123 Kenny Frank 12 The sociotechnical cockpit: ethical dimensions of piloting, planes, and programming 131 Eric B. Kennedy 13 Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: ethical considerations 149 Richard L. Wilson PART IV DIVERSITY IN AVIATION 165 14 Racial discrimination against pilots: an historical perspective 167 Flint Whitlock 15 Gender and racial barriers in flight training 175 James E. Sulton, III Contents ix 16 Diversity recruiting in aviation maintenance 185 Paul Foster 17 Safety, economic favoritism, or age discrimination? The story behind the FAA’s Age 60 Rule 197 Michael Oksner PART V HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT 211 18 Ethical issues in aviation medicine 213 Warren Jensen 19 Environmental concerns in general aviation: avgas and noise pollution 225 Robert Breidenthal 20 Greenhouse gas emissions, persistent contrails, and commercial aviation 233 Steven A. Kolmes 21 Ground-level pollution, invasive species, and emergent diseases 259 Steven A. Kolmes PART VI OTHER GROUND-LEVEL ISSUES 273 22 There goes the neighborhood: conflicts associated with the location and operation of airports 275 Brian W. Ohm 23 Strings attached? The ethics of air service development incentives 283 Russell W. Mills 24 What can aviation maps teach us about ethics? 299 Peter Nekola 25 Ethical dimensions of the 1981 PATCO strike 309 Michael S. Nolan