Washington Wire: DOT Proposes Altering Airline Landing Fee Logic

The U.S. Department of Transportation this month issued a proposal that would allow airports to charge landing fees based on time of day and traffic volume, as opposed to the current policy that bases fees on aircraft weight. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said the proposed rule would use a "market-based" approach to cut air delays, and for the first time would let airports include in landing fees the cost of expansion projects and improvements before the work is finished. Fees wouldn't explicitly be tied to congestion, the department said. James May, president and CEO of the Air Transport Association, which represents most passenger carriers, called the proposal "nothing more than congestion pricing disguised as an airport fee" and said it would increase consumer costs. DOT said the proposed change is open to public comment for 45 days before regulators finalize the rule.

TIA Pushes Candidates To Address Travel Issues
The Travel Industry Association is trying to inject the concerns of business travelers into the U.S. presidential campaign. The association, which represents all components of the travel industry, launched a campaign in South Carolina and Florida to persuade candidates to confront shortcomings in the travel system. "Outdated tracking systems, delays and congestion combined with a 17 percent decline in overseas visitation to the United States since 9/11 have taken their toll on the American traveler, the economy and the U.S. image abroad," said TIA president and CEO Roger Dow. The campaign has included billboards in Myrtle Beach and Columbia, S.C. TIA plans to work with more than 400 convention and visitors bureaus to keep pressure on candidates.

Air Traffic Controllers Warn of Staffing Emergency
The nation's air traffic controllers, trying to pressure the Federal Aviation Administration to negotiate a new labor contract, warned that airports in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York are unsafe because of staffing shortages. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said 10 percent of its workforce retired in the past year, more than projected by FAA, leaving overworked and fatigued controllers at the helm during peak times at major airports. "An already dangerous situation is about to get worse," said NATCA president Patrick Forrey, calling the situation a "staffing emergency." FAA has sought to tamp down the dire warnings, saying that FAA overtime nationwide is less than 5 percent of total hours worked. The agency has been scrambling to fill vacancies. The attrition is due to the large number of controllers reaching retirement age who were hired after President Ronald Reagan fired 10,438 controllers in 1981. FAA in 2006 imposed new rules including a 30 percent cut in starting pay. NATCA said that contract has harmed recruiting and is pressing for a new deal.