<B> Washington Wire</B>
By Barbara Cook, Washington Correspondent
<B>DOT Proposes PFC Hike</B>
Domestic airline passengers would pay a $4 per flight segment passenger facility charge, up from the current $3, under legislation recently proposed by Transpor-tation Secretary Rodney Slater. The bill also would reorganize the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic control operation and institute user fees to run its services.
The changes, which Slater unveiled last week in a joint media briefing with FAA administrator Jane Garvey, largely mirror recommendations issued last year by the National Civil Aviation Review Commission.
A second piece of Slater's legislative initiative would designate $1.7 billion for FAA's Airport Improvement Program for airport grants and programs in fiscal year 1999. That piece of legislation also would bump up the PFC level to $4 in recognition that AIP grants have fallen short of authorized levels for several years.
Congress is expected to begin working on the legislation in May. The airlines already have vowed to fight the increase in PFCs and have expressed reservations about FAA's ability to assess user fees for its air traffic control functions, contending the agency has never undertaken a review of the actual costs of these services. Without such a review first, the Air Transport Association said, FAA is putting "the cart before the horse."
<a name="story2"><B>DOT Awards More Slots In N.Y., Chicago</B>
Smaller carriers eager to launch new service in competitive markets won some relief now that the Department of Transportation has granted 62 exemptions for takeoffs and landings at Chicago O'Hare and New York LaGuardia airports, both slot-controlled airports. DOT has given rights to America West, Atlantic Coast Airlines, Simmons Airlines and Trans States Airlines for flights at O'Hare while American Trans Air and Spirit Airlines won slots at LaGuardia.
<a name="story3"><B>Small Communities Still Pay More</B>
Transportation Dept. officials recently submitted a report to Congress concluding that airline passengers from small communities pay a premium on fares compared with travelers between major hubs.
The report reviewed fare data submitted by the airlines for the 12-month period ending June 30, 1996. While the study overall found that travelers pay higher fares when flying from small cities, it also concluded that those fares are comparable to ticket prices between large hubs that don't offer low-fare service.
<a name="story4"><B>FAA Approves New Airport Scanners</B>
The Federal Aviation Administration has certified the latest generation explosives detection system manufactured by Invision Technologies, which already has rolled out the CTX 5000 to the agency. Certification by the FAA means that the equipment can successfully detect determined classes and quantities of explosives.
The new system, the CTX 5500 DS, is the first "intelligent" system, according to Invision. The equipment continuously monitors bag flow through an airport's conveyor system and the security status of each piece of luggage. With these enhancements, the CTX 5500 DS can process luggage 30 percent faster than the CTX 5000.
So far, Invision has received an order from U.K. airport operator BAA plc for three of the new units plus one for four from the Israeli government. FAA is expected to place an order as well now that the certification process is complete.