Public Pressure

It’s amazing what a little public pressure can do.

From Aviation Week:

FAA Bill Could See Senate Vote Soon

”The intense public scrutiny FAA is receiving over the aircraft inspection issue has convinced senior Democrats they can’t leave the FAA bill sitting on the backburner.“

The reporter is about as right as he can get in such a short story.

”The key obstacle preventing the FAA bill reaching the Senate floor for a vote is a clause requiring a $25 user fee for airspace users to fund ATC modernization.“

The bigger issue for controllers in the language in the House version of the bill that should get them back to the bargaining table. President Bush (of course) has threatened to veto the bill. Pretty interesting in that it hasn’t even made it out of the Senate aviation subcommittee.

It will be interesting to watch the three Presidential candidates -- all three are Senators -- on this one.

Don Brown
April 22, 2008