Edith Lauterbach, the last founding member of the first union for flight attendants, died earlier this week in San Francisco. She was 91. In a statement, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA ) said:

The flight attendant community lost our hero, our guiding light….As our heavy hearts remember our friend and trailblazing founder, we reflect on Edith’s contributions to our profession and our union each and every day.

If you’re getting ready to board a plane home after Thanksgiving or still fretting about safety in the crowded holiday skies for the upcoming holidays, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA)—the people who guide you home—offer five reasons to feel better about air travel.

You’ve made it through the parking lot, baggage check, security and are finally ready—somewhat frazzled but ready—to board your plane for your long-awaited holiday trip. The Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) have some tips for you that will help ensure you and your family travel safely and securely and ease the strain on passengers, children and fellow travelers.

National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Paul Rinaldi says “the most important piece” of a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) study on aviation safety is this: “The [Federal Aviation Administration] FAA has taken several steps to further improve safety at and around airports.”

The Republican shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has thrown 4,000 FAA employees out of work, and some 70,000 construction workers employed on airport improvement projects can’t go to work because Republicans have blocked funding for the agency and the projects.

UPDATE: Both the House and Senate adjourned this afternoon without taking action on the FAA bill, ensuring a midnight shutdown. Senate Republicans blocked a move for a temporary extension of the agency’s funding.

At midnight tonight, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is slated to run out of money and be forced to suspend vital operations because House Republicans want to deny aviation and rail workers a simple majority vote—the same process that applies to electing lawmakers—on whether to join a union.