The U.S. Senate last night confirmed former U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) to serve as U.S. Transportation Secretary, prompting some aviation-industry praise of LaHood's stated opposition to airport slot auctions.
Continental Airlines in a statement released last night chastised the plans of previous Transportation Secretary Mary Peters to auction slots at the three major New York-area airports. The plan to auction slots initially was to go into effect this month, but an appeals court in Washington, D.C., in December ordered the U.S. Department of Transportation to halt auction amid legal review
(BTNonline, Dec. 9, 2008).
Continental cited an exchange at the new secretary's confirmation hearing earlier this week between LaHood and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Continental said LaHood "acknowledged that the prior administration's misguided proposal for auctions in the New York/New Jersey airports would not reduce congestion, a viewpoint shared by Sen. Hutchison and many in the Congress and in the aviation community."
ATA president and CEO James May in a statement said, "ATA and its member airlines extend our congratulations to Ray LaHood on his confirmation as DOT secretary. We look forward to working with the secretary to continue to advance our core shared safety agenda while also working to reduce delays, consume fuel as efficiently as possible and make the best possible investments to meet the future needs of a growing, transportation-dependent economy."
LaHood represented Illinois's 18th district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1995. He did not seek re-election in 2008.