FAA Takes Olive Branch to Chavez

A team of Federal Aviation Administration officials is on its way to Venezuela for a visit that apparently will resolve a crisis that had Venezuelan authorities threatening to sharply curtail air service between there and the U.S. starting next week.

The officials are expected to begin an assessment Monday of Venezuela's airline-safety monitoring standards, said a U.S. government official who asked not to be named. They would then make recommendations intended to enable the country to meet international standards.

In return, Venezuelan authorities are prepared to lift the threat, although they haven't formally done so, Nelson Ramiz, the CEO of Aeropostal, said Friday. Aeropostal is Venezuela's largest airline. ...