In a statement, the FAA maintains that BP employees or contractors are not calling the shots on who gets to fly into the restricted air space, saying those decisions are made by the FAA and Coast Guard. But agency spokespeople acknowledge that media access is limited, saying they are only allowing flights into the restricted area that are directly related to the disaster response.
While news organizations won't be allowed to hire planes or helicopters, the FAA plans to arrange pool flights through the Coast Guard, said Laura Brown, the FAA's deputy assistant administrator for public affairs.
Brown said there are normally 500 to 600 flights of either helicopters or planes in the area. Now, there are 800 to 1,000 flights in the same area, she said.