AvTalk Episode 359: Reading them the ROTOR Act

AvTalk Episode 359: Reading them the ROTOR Act

From AvTalk - Aviation Podcast by Flightradar24

February 27, 2026 · 43 min · Episode 359

About this episode

This episode discusses the US House's rejection of the ROTOR Act and the implications for aviation safety.

On this week’s episode of AvTalk, after passing unanimously in the Senate, the US House of Representatives votes down the aviation safety-focused ROTOR Act, which was championed by the NTSB, pilots’ unions, and families of the victims of last year’s mid-air collision in Washington DC. The House will now turn to an alternate bill, the ALERT Act. We break down the differences between the bills and reaction to Tuesday’s vote. Elsewhere, Spirit Airlines says it has a plan to emerge from bankruptcy, cartel violence paralyzes a pair of Mexican airports early in the week, a big news from Really Cool Airlines (yes, that is their actual name). Helpful links for this week’s episode * Flights return to New York and Boston after the snow * NTSB fact sheet on differences between the ROTOR Act and the ALERT Act * Spirit’s plan to exit bankruptcy * Lufthansa’s 100th anniversary livery A380 * Aireon data now available on Flightradar24 Thank you for listening! Whether this is your first episode of AvTalk or you’ve listened to every single episode, we appreciate you spending your time with us. If you’d like to help other people find AvTalk, please consider leaving a rating and review on the the…

Topics covered

  • aviation safety
  • legislation
  • bankruptcy
  • airline news
  • mid-air collision
  • aviation industry

Keywords

  • ROTOR Act
  • ALERT Act
  • aviation safety
  • Spirit Airlines
  • bankruptcy
  • mid-air collision
  • NTSB
  • airline news

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NTSB, Spirit Airlines, Really Cool Airlines, Lufthansa

Places: Washington DC, New York, Boston, Mexico

More episodes of AvTalk - Aviation Podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the AvTalk - Aviation Podcast podcast page.