<B> Washington Wire</B>
By Barbara Cook, Washington Correspondent
<B>Congress Faces Aviation</B>
House and Senate committees already have begun work on major aviation legislation that could result in higher passenger facility charges for travelers and reshape the operations of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Legislation was introduced last week to reauthorize FAA's operations for another two years, and several provisions were attached to the bill to create slots for 12 new roundtrip flights at Washington's Reagan National Airport, six of which could operate beyond the 1,250-mile perimeter limit that restricts flights at the facility.
Further, the bill would add 30 slots at Chicago O'Hare, with 18 slots tagged for service to under-served communities; provide for slot exemptions for nonstop regional jet service from under-served communities to O'Hare and New York's LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports; and establish the Small Community Aviation Development Program, a four-year pilot project within the U.S. Department of Transportation that would work to promote quality, affordable air service in small communities.
On the House side of Congress, The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has reported out a bill to provide a short-term extension to the Airport Improvement Program, which provides grants to airports for capacity and safety programs, and which will otherwise expire at the end of March. In addition, legislation was sponsored to ensure that taxes paid into three transportation trust funds--the aviation trust fund, the Inland Waterways Trust Fund and the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund--would be used only for transportation improvements and not to offset other federal spending. FAA has indicated that its proposed fiscal year 2000 budget, which will be sent to the Hill in mid-February, will include a $2 increase in the PFC ceiling, bringing it to $5 per trip segment, up to a maximum of $20 per trip.
<a name="2"><B>Lawmakers Seek To Curb Y2K Litigation</B>
Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) said they plan to sponsor legislation to curb "unnecessary" litigation resulting from Y2K disruptions. The two lawmakers said it is critical that businesses focus on correcting their Y2K problems, not defending themselves against a flood of "opportunistic litigation" that could occur.
<a name="3"><B>Board Recommends Boeing Inspections</B>
The National Transportation Safety Board is recommending that the Federal Aviation Administration require operators of Boeing 727 series aircraft to conduct periodic ultrasonic inspections of the main landing gear support fittings for corrosion and cracks. The safety board was responding to an Aug. 31, 1998, accident in which the right main landing gear of a DHL cargo aircraft collapsed after an unrelated emergency landing at New York's JFK airport. Post-accident examination of the aircraft revealed that a support fitting in the landing gear was corroded and also exhibited fatigue cracking.