FAA reauthorization

Day 2: House FAA reauthorization hearings — Can we cut the FAA budget?

by Charlie Leocha on February 10, 2011

After 17 attempts at passing this FAA bill, the committees in the Senate and the House seem to have a sense of urgency. Political diddling has run its course. The air traffic system is now facing a crisis and the U.S. is slipping behind in the aviation field where it always dominated for decades.

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The sad state of the FAA reauthorization bill

by Charlie Leocha on February 2, 2011

Here’s an assessment of where this FAA bill stands as of the end of a hastily announced press conference yesterday. Eventually, the Senate version will have to be modified and reconsidered without the hoopla of jobs and the distractions of health care.

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Airlines find $2.50 airport fee increase anti-consumer, $25 baggage fee OK

by Charlie Leocha on May 17, 2010

To hear the argument from the airlines’ point of view, raising the passenger facility tax from $4.50 to $7 “would raise travel costs, thereby harming both consumers and the travel/tourism industry,” according to a letter sent by airline executives to the Democratic chairmen and ranking Republicans on the House and Senate transportation committees.

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Too funny! Airline association claims passengers are not ATMs

by Charlie Leocha on May 22, 2009

I almost was escorted out of the House aviation subcommittee for laughing when John Meenan, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Air Transport Association, went off the prepared statement and said, “Airports must resist treating air travelers as the equivalent of an ATM.”

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FAA bill doesn’t hold airlines’ feet to the fire

by Charlie Leocha on May 21, 2009

The FAA reauthorization bill is inching its way to completion of sorts in the House of Representatives on its way over to the Senate. It is full of good news for airline passengers but sets no standards for tarmac delays, leaving that decision to the airlines.

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Do-nothing Congress votes to do nothing about the FAA

by Charlie Leocha on September 26, 2008

The airline industry has been pleading with the House of Representatives and the Senate to please do their job and provide guidelines and funding for an improvement of the air traffic control system (ATC). Unfortunately, they are just too busy to do their jobs and voted to do nothing with the FAA and the ATC problems.

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A bad case of the FAA reauthorization legislation blues

by Chris Jernigan on May 7, 2008

There is now little chance that the agency will receive much needed funding for modernization before late 2009.

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Finally, Senate schedules air traffic legislation

by Charlie Leocha on April 25, 2008

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that he plans to bring the FAA reauthorization bill that has been stalled in committee up for a vote next week.

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