It's also the case that Alaska doesn't trust the FAA - for good reason. There used to be FAA-linked auditors that reported back to the FAA directly, even thoug

It's also the case that Alaska doesn't trust the FAA - for good reason. There used to be FAA-linked auditors that reported back to the FAA directly, even though they were paid by Boeing (i.e. they could be fired by the FAA, but not by Boeing). This was the case up through 2004: > "This all changed in 2004, when a committee made up largely of industry backers passed a rule establishing the Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) system. The ODA system transformed the way DERs worked. Now called Authorized Representatives (ARs), these employees reported not to the FAA, but to Boeing managers." Regulatory Capture at the FAA, Claremont Journal of Law and Public Policy Leo Kalb Bourke, November 12, 2021 https://www.5clpp.com/?p=4026 https://www.5clpp.com/?p=4026