USA Today editorial

In an editorial, USA Today asks the same question that's been on many people's minds: "It's 9 a.m. The weather's fine. So why's the runway clogged?"

The FAA has stayed on the sidelines for too long as airlines schedule far too many-rush hour flights. USA Today provides the example of a Wednesday morning in Newark, with 57 flights scheduled to depart in an hour. The problem? The airport's top capacity is 45 flights.

After the unprecedented delays of this summer, it's time for some answers from the commercial airlines.

Click here for the full story.

Check Out This Great USA Today Story

Opposing view: 'A balanced approach'

Our bill protects fliers but doesn’t overregulate the airline industry.

By James Oberstar and Jerry Costello

Members of Congress are frequent fliers and experience the same aggravations as the rest of the flying public. Long lines, long delays, overbooking, crowded cabins, lost luggage. We've also experienced them many times over.

As we crafted the passenger-rights provisions of the new aviation bill moving through Congress, we had to restrain the impulse to take out our own frustrations with the airlines by piling on cumbersome, unworkable mandates. Our bill provides strong measures but stops short of re-regulating the industry. It honors the contract of carriage, the basic legal agreement between airlines and passengers, and places enforcement properly in the hands of the secretary of Transportation.

In drafting our legislation, we determined that one size could not fit all. Air traffic controllers, for example, told us that a firm deadline to force a plane's return to the terminal after a given number of hours could produce chaos on the ground at many airports.

Instead, we require airlines and airports to develop their own emergency plans and submit them to the Department of Transportation (DOT). The secretary would then have the power to accept, reject or require modification. The secretary would also have the power to enforce the plans, and levy fines for non-compliance.

The incidents at Detroit, Austin and New York's Kennedy airport that triggered calls for action were failures of planning as much as they were failures of operation. By requiring the airlines and, importantly, the airports to develop plans for such emergency situations — including a strategy for deplaning stranded passengers — we can avoid the indecision and poor decisions that led to these travel nightmares.

Our bill further requires public disclosure of these plans and a 24-hour complaint hotline. It also sets up a DOT advisory group on aviation consumer issues.

The bill, passed by the House last Thursday, takes a balanced approach. It was created in consultation with passenger-rights advocates, allowing the airlines and airports needed flexibility, holding them responsible for living up to their promises and hitting them with fines if they don't.

Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., chairs the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., chairs the House Subcommittee on Aviation.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/09/opposing-view-5.html

GA Wins in Senate Finance Committee!

Thanks to the hard work of general aviation supporters across the country, the Senate Finance Committee voted on Friday to approve an FAA reauthorization bill that does NOT include any new user fees or taxes on GA. The bill includes an increase in jet fuel tax, similar to the version passed in the House of Representatives last week.

The bill will now be voted on by the full Senate, so we will soon be calling on you again to contact your Senators and express your views. As we saw last week, the GA community can make a difference!

Please call your Senator!

Simply use our toll-free legislative hotline, at 1-866-908-5898, to be automatically connected to your Senator.

Thursday, September 20th at 4:00 p.m., the Senate Finance Committee is voting on its own proposal for FAA reauthorization. IF your Senator is a key member of this committee, please take this opportunity to speak out NOW on behalf of small businesses and towns that rely on general aviation!

The members of the Finance Committee are:

• MAX BAUCUS, MT
• JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, WV
• KENT CONRAD, ND
• JEFF BINGAMAN, NM
• JOHN F. KERRY, MA
• BLANCHE L. LINCOLN,
• ARRON WYDEN, OR
• CHARLES E. SCHUMER, NY
• DEBBIE STABENOW, MI
• MARIA CANTWELL, WA
• KEN SALAZAR, CO
• CHARLES GRASSLEY, IA
• ORRIN G. HATCH, UT
• TRENT LOTT, MS
• OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, ME
• JON KYL, AZ
• GORDON SMITH, OR
• JIM BUNNING, KY
• MIKE CRAPO, ID
• PAT ROBERTS, KS
• JOHN ENSIGN, NV

When you speak with your Senator’s office, you may want to say:

* I support the proposal put forth by Chairman Baucus and Ranking Member Grassley, which equitably funds modernization and protects the small businesses and communities that rely on general aviation by retaining our easy-to-use and efficient fuel tax system.

* Please reject amendments that would award the commercial airlines a huge tax break.

Also, please visit our website and send your Senator a letter by clicking here.

On behalf of the Alliance and the general aviation community, thank you for your help and support!

Alliance Supports House Ways & Means Bill

Today, September 18, the House Committee on Ways and Means passed its own version of FAA reauthorization by voice vote. The Alliance supports this proposal, as it preserves our current fuel tax system and does not impose any new taxes or fees on general aviation aircraft operators and owners. This is further proof that modernization of our air traffic control system can be achieved without a radical and unnecessary overhaul of the FAA's funding system.

Click here to read our press release: link.

We Need Your Help!

As you may know, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee recently introduced a version of the FAA reauthorization proposal which retains the simple and easy-to-use fuel tax system. Tomorrow, September 18th, the House Ways and Means Committee is voting on their own proposal for FAA reauthorization, and your Representative is a key member of this committee. You have a great opportunity to speak out NOW on behalf of small businesses and towns that rely on general aviation!

This is a critical time in our fight, so please take a few minutes to call your Representative now!

When you speak with your Representative’s office, you may want to say:

* As the House Ways and Means Committee works to craft their own proposal for FAA reauthorization, I urge you to follow the common-sense approach of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which protects small businesses and communities that rely on general aviation by retaining our simple, easy-to-use fuel tax system.

* I reject any radical and unnecessary new taxes or fees on general aviation that would harm small businesses and towns, while giving the commercial airlines a huge tax break.

Also, please visit our website and send your Representative a letter by clicking here.

On behalf of the Alliance and the general aviation community, thank you for your help and support!

Utahns speak out in support of general aviation

The Alliance held a conference call with a number of Utahns concerned about the potential impact of the proposed new tax scheme on general aviation. Among those taking part in the call were former Senator Jake Garn, Arthur Douglas, president of the Utah Farmers Union, St. George Mayor Daniel McArthur, Logan City Councilman Stephen Thompson, and Rob Kunz, CEO of KnowledgeBlue.

Sen. Garn said, "This is the only time since I left the Senate that I wished I was still there so I could talk some common sense into my former colleagues."

Click here or here to read more.