After operators alerted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that one of its field offices redefined known icing conditions, headquarters is working on reversing the decision. (RAN, December 11, p.2) The June 2006 letter by FAA Eastern Region Counsel Loretta Alkalay responded to operator requests for a definition into the meteorological phenomenon. Her definition stated that known icing conditions exist when visible moisture or high relative humidity combines with temperatures near or below freezing and added "flying through clouds at an altitude that is near or below freezing would constitute flight into known icing conditions." The Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association, along with other aviation organizations, protested the language, saying it would ground aircraft and impact safety and petitioned the FAA to abandon it. While it is unclear what specific action the FAA will take, operators hope for it to revert back to a definition accepted in 2003 which defines it when conditions in which the formation of ice is observed or detected in flight.

Citing the possibility of an inflight engine shutdown and possible damage to the aircraft, the FAA issued an Airworthiness Directive, calling on General Electric to fix the problem that it has been tracking on 38 aircraft, including the Embraer (ERJ) 190/15, since last year. The manufacturer released an interim fix last September after three shutdowns at JetBlue caused the initial concern. However, none have occurred since then. The AD mandated the manufacturer provide a permanent fix for a faulty part that damages fuel pumps on the Embraer 190 and 195 aircraft. The cost of the fix is estimated by the FAA at $5.9 million.