Echoing Terry Maxon and Cranky, let me just say that the attempt by members of Congress to limit carry-on bag sizes by statute is a classic example of congressional kibitzing in the private business affairs of private-sector businesses. This is also, however, a bill that will go nowhere. Like many other minor pieces of legislation, [...]
Posts Tagged ‘congress’
Nothing to see here
Posted in Evan's News and Quick Takes, tagged congress, travel on June 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Let your left hand not know what your right hand is doing….
Posted in Evan's Fiskings, tagged congress, dhs, tourism, travel on June 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The Senate is set to vote on a bill that would “establish a nonprofit corporation to run a nationally coordinated travel promotion program.”
[Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid said the corporation “would market the U.S. around the globe as a tourist destination.” Reid told reporters earlier in the week that the bill could create 40,000 new [...]
International airline alliances in the spotlight
Posted in Daily Departures, tagged competition, congress, network airlines, regulation, world on April 13, 2009 | 1 Comment »
I’ve done several off-blog items on the subject of international airline alliances lately. Here they are:
The Airplane Geeks podcast with Max and Court
A guest post on the Cranky Flier
An IAG podcast with Addison Schonland
US Airways on perimeter restrictions at DCA, LGA
Posted in Evan's Commentary, tagged airports, congress, delays, us airways on March 25, 2009 | 2 Comments »
TEMPE — On most policy issues at the national level, airlines work through their trade association, ATA. Yesterday, I asked C. A. Howlett, US Airways senior VP for public affairs, about what issues he works on that the ATA does not get very involved in. “The biggest issue that is US Airways-specific is the Reagan [...]
“There’s no part of our operation that government can’t find a way to improve.”
Posted in Evan's Commentary, tagged air traffic control, competition, congress, consumer advocacy, environment, faa, labor, politics, regulation, us airways on March 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
TEMPE — Echoing Doug Parker’s plea for the government to “do no harm” to the airline industry, C. A. Howlett, US Airways’ top government affairs officer, outlined the challenges the industry — and US Airways in particular — face in the policy environment. His primary focus was the pending FAA reauthorization bill. Put off since [...]
Getting our “infrastructure” priorities straight
Posted in Evan's Commentary, tagged airports, congress, dot, politics on December 11, 2008 | 1 Comment »
It’s pretty common knowledge that the United States has for years underinvested in “infrastructure” — from the power grid to physical plants to transportation — and thus one of the first priorities of the next administration should be to devote massive resources to repairing infrastructure. And I’m sure the commuter inching forward on a Dallas [...]
ATA conference call on airlines’ environmental performance
Posted in Evan's Commentary, tagged ata, congress, energy, environment, network airlines, regulation on November 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Since fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions correlate nearly exactly, U.S. airlines have a financial incentive to improve their environmental performance. According to officials at the Air Transport Association, the national trade group for commercial airlines, environmental performance continues to improve and other initiatives are on deck.
Speaking in a conference call with several aviation bloggers, [...]
A pilot’s take on Duane Woerth rumors
Posted in Evan's Commentary, tagged congress, faa, general aviation, labor, politics on November 21, 2008 | 5 Comments »
There’s a lot of virtual ink being spilled in the blogosphere about Obama’s shortlist for FAA administrator. Some of those rumored to be under consideration include Representative Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), the chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee; Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.); Clinton-era FAA chief Jane Garvey; Robert Herbert, an aide to Senator Harry Reid [...]
Obama, McCain advisers on transportation issues
Posted in Evan's Commentary, tagged air traffic control, Aviation08, congress, delays, dot, environment, faa, politics on October 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Top policy advisers to Barack Obama and John McCain differed on key transportation issues at a forum in Washington this morning, but they agreed, in the words of McCain adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin, when it comes to transportation, “the ratio of importance to discussion on the campaign trail is high.”
Mortimer Downey, Obama’s senior transportation adviser and [...]
Liveblogging Randy Babbitt’s confirmation hearing
Posted in Evan's Commentary, tagged air traffic control, antitrust, congress, dot, faa, general aviation, labor, safety on May 19, 2009 | 6 Comments »
The Senate Commerce Committee is holding a hearing today to review several nominations in its purview, including FAA administrator-designate J. Randolph Babbitt and DOT deputy secretary-designate John Porcari. Opening statements are going on now. Babbitt is, as you know, the former president of the Air Line Pilots Association and a pilot at Eastern. According to [...]
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