Were air traffic controllers behaving irresponsibly when they invited a child to give directions to pilots preparing for departure at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport?

The FAA, which is responsible for air traffic control and has opened an investigation into the matter, seems to think so.

Wach Peter’s take on the situation in a CBS News report.

What a week for news in travel. People are getting thrown off the plane for just about anything. Just ask Kevin Smith.

Have you sat in a Southwest seat lately? We’re all too fat to fit.

But he got thrown off and now it’s going to be an interesting challenge to see what the definition of “fat” is, because the FAA doesn’t have one.

If you saw the CBS Evening News last week, you saw my segment on the state of air safety in America. It aired on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the crash of Continental Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York.

In the process of covering that story, I met a remarkable man. Scott Maurer lost his daughter, Lorin, in that crash, and he’s now spearheading a very powerful advocate group of families who also lost someone in that crash.

They’re trying to get some movement on some much-needed air safety improvements in America.

When was the last time you thought about how much sleep your pilot had? Or how much training the air traffic controller had? Or where the airplane got its last tune-up?

Statistically, the United States is enjoying the safest skies in aviation history.

But how safe is air travel in a struggling economy?

How safe are America’s skies? Thursday night, February 11, on the CBS Evening News With Katie Couric, catch an investigative look at the current state of aviation safety in America.

CBS Travel Editor Peter Greenberg presents an inside and sobering look at aviation safety and what’s not being done.

Tune in or set your DVRs for 6:30 p.m. Eastern & Pacific, on CBS.

A small plane carrying a pilot and a traffic reporter made an emergency landing on the New Jersey Turnpike this morning right before the start of rush hour.

The pilot landed the plane safely and pulled over to the shoulder.

Nobody was injured in the incident, but rubberneckers clogged traffic for a mile and a half in each direction. Keep reading for more details.

Search and rescue teams are still scouring the shores of the Mediterranean in hopes of finding survivors of a jet that crashed shortly after taking off from Beirut.

The Ethiopian Airlines plane was carrying 90 people when it caught fire and plummeted into the sea.

Keep reading for more details, including some factors that may have led to the crash.

Dozens of passengers were injured when American Airlines Flight 331 skidded off the runway while attempting to land in Jamaica late Tuesday night.

The plane overshot the runway while attempting to land in the heavy rain, plowing through a fence and crashing into a sandy embankment before settling less than 10 feet from the Caribbean Sea.

Keep reading to find out more details, including what factors may have led to the crash.