Amtrak, the United States' passenger railroad that provides a critical link for business travelers between Washington, D.C., and Boston and elsewhere in the country, needs twice the amount of funding than has been requested by the Bush administration in order to operate properly, said chief executive Alexander Kummant. Kummant on Feb. 28 told a Senate panel that the railroad needs $1.53 billion in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 if it wants to avoid having to "drastically reduce service." The Bush administration proposed a subsidy of $800 million. The railroad is receiving $1.3 billion in the current fiscal year, more than $400 million more than Bush proposed last year. The fight over Amtrak funding has become a perennial battle during the Bush administration, with Congress routinely authorizing more money than has been requested by the White House, which wants to see the railroad become more self-sufficient. David Tornquist, a Department of Transportation assistant inspector general, said Amtrak could operate with less than Kummant proposed. However, he said Bush's recommendation is unrealistic. "We don't believe Amtrak would remain viable at the president's request," he told the panel. Amtrak carried 24.3 million passengers last year.
DOT's Peters Wants Stranded-Passenger InvestigationDepartment of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters asked the department's inspector general to investigate why passengers on American Airlines and JetBlue Airways recently spent hours on the tarmac during bad weather without adequate food, restrooms or notification. "I have serious concerns about airlines' contingency planning that allows passengers to sit on the tarmac for hours on end," Peters said. "It is imperative that airlines do everything possible to ensure that situations like these do not occur again." U.S. airlines have scrambled to stave off additional passenger rights legislation or regulation since JetBlue's Valentine's Day incident
(BTN, March 5) and have asked for more leeway from the Federal Aviation Administration to return to departure gates without losing their order in the takeoff queue. Peters asked Department of Transportation inspector general Calvin Scovel to examine the airlines' customer service commitments, contracts of carriage and policies dealing with extended ground delays aboard aircraft and to provide his assessment on why the American and JetBlue situations occurred. She also asked for specific recommendations from the inspector general for what airlines, airports and the government, including the Department of Transportation, can do to prevent future similar events. Additionally, she asked Scovel to identify and share existing successful commercial aviation practices throughout the system to improve customer service in such situations.
Senate Passes 9/11 Bill, Expanding Visa Waiver ProgramThe U.S. Senate last week voted 60-38 to pass a homeland security bill that, among many provisions, expands federal Visa Waiver Program eligibility to more countries, expands the Model Point of Entry program—which allows travelers between the United States and Canada or Mexico to carry a new identification card instead of a passport—to 20 airports from its current two and allows federal airport screeners to collectively bargain contracts. The Bush administration has expressed opposition to that last point, and the U.S. House version of the bill includes significant differences with its Senate counterpart. The Senate bill allows the federal government to increase the number of countries from which travelers may come to the Unites States for no more than 90 days without a formal visa, depending in part on the country's cooperation with the U.S. in antiterror initiatives. That provision drew praise. "The National Business Travel Association frequently hears from companies and partner organizations around the world that the visa application process creates unnecessary barriers for travelers to the United States that have driven business to other parts of the world," said NBTA executive director and COO Bill Connors. "Moreover, the experience many international travelers have when entering and exiting the United States often leads to a less positive perception of the country, which can also drive business elsewhere." Stevan Porter, president of the Americas of InterContinental Hotels Group and chairman of the Discover America Partnership travel industry lobby group, said, "We applaud the U.S. Senate for striving to fix a flawed travel system. Striking the right balance between security and travel facilitation is critical as international travelers are at the heart of America's economic security and public diplomacy efforts." Meanwhile, the Office of Management and Budget said allowing federal airport screeners to enter into collective bargaining agreements, as can other U.S. Department of Homeland Security personnel, would "significantly diminish the Department's ability to respond quickly to security threats." The American Federation of Government Employees argued that bargaining rights and whistleblower protections would help improve homeland security.