Kyle Boatright wrote:
"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...
Greg Farris wrote:

I think the US pilots were given a one-way exit visa, and are not
expected to return.

I also thought it funny that they held them this long with no charges and
then charged them and returned their passports. Is this the Brazilian way
to say "we had to charge you, but really don't want to try you so get
outta here?"

Matt

Brazil isn't on my mental list of Banana Republics, but this case smacks of
blaming a couple of gringo's for a problem with Brazillian ATC.

Got the following forwarded in e-mail this morning:

============
Brazil air traffic improves, but crisis lingers
Thu 7 Dec 2006 9:26 AM ET

By Todd Benson

SAO PAULO, Brazil, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Air traffic in Brazil slowly began
to return to normal on Thursday after two days of near chaos at
airports around the country that has prompted calls for the resignation
of government aviation officials.

Dozens of flights were still delayed at several airports, Brazil's
civil aviation agency said. But the situation was a far cry from
Tuesday and Wednesday, when an equipment failure in a control tower
forced authorities to take the unprecedented step of temporarily
shutting down three major airports.

"The situation should be back to normal by the end of the day," a
spokeswoman for the aviation agency said.

At least 1,000 flights were delayed over the two-day span and 322 more
were canceled, triggering protests by outraged travelers and prompting
Brazil's Congress to create two separate committees to investigate the
situation.

The crisis has also led to calls for the resignation of Defense
Minister Waldir Pires and Air Force Commander Luiz Carlos Bueno, whose
handling of the situation has been widely criticized as ineffective.
The military is in charge of civil aviation in Brazil.

On Wednesday, the president of Brazil's lower house of Congress called
on the government to adopt "drastic measures" to address the crisis.
Some lawmakers and aviation experts said it was time for the military
to hand over control of the aviation system to civilian authorities.

Air traffic in Brazil has been badly disrupted since a Boeing 737
operated by Brazilian airline Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes
GOLL4.SA. crashed in the Amazon rain forest on Sept. 29, killing all
154 people aboard.

The inquiry into the accident, which is still inconclusive, exposed
major fault lines in the country's air traffic control system.

In response, air traffic controllers have organized work slowdowns to
protest poor pay and long hours, disrupting air traffic several times
in the last two months.

Authorities are investigating if this week's breakdown was the result
of sabotage by disgruntled controllers, who have complained that they
are being made scapegoats for the September crash.

Some analysts say the crisis could have a ripple effect on the economy
in Brazil, a continent-sized country where flying is often the only
option for business travelers.

Airlines are already feeling the pinch. Shares in Brazil's top two
airlines, TAM Linhas Aereas TAMM4.SA and Gol, have each fallen more
than 15 percent in the last two months.

And on Thursday, Gol slashed its revenue forecast for this year for the
second time in a month, citing a drop in passenger traffic because of
the crisis. TAM declined to comment on a potential drop in revenue.
============