Archive for category: Featured Posts

In response to the March 15 announcement that FA Administrator Steve Dickson was ordering the extension of the FAA’s Special Enforcement Emphasis Program indefinitely, NACA President and CEO George Novak issued the following statement:

The National Air Carrier Association applauds the decision by FAA Administrator Steve Dickson to extend the FAA’s Special Emphasis Enforcement Program against unruly passengers indefinitely. Unruly passenger incidents — which remain at an alarmingly high level — truly put public health and the safety of our aircrews at risk. Zero tolerance enforcement is a necessary step to deter these incidents and we support the decision to keep the program in place at least as long as the implementing TSA Security Directive is in place.

On January 28, 2021, in response to media reports indicating the Biden Administration is considering imposing a COVID-19 testing requirement for domestic air passengers, NACA President and CEO George Novak issued the following statement:

NACA strongly supports CDC’s most recent efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in all transportation modes, including aviation, by mandating that passengers and workers wear face coverings. However, we are concerned by recent reports that the CDC is actively considering a requirement for pre-flight COVID testing on domestic flights. Scientific evidence, demonstrated in the November study conducted by the Harvard Aviation Public Health Initiative, suggests that air travel is as safe as — or substantially safer than — the routine activities people undertake during these times, including commuting, eating out and grocery shopping.

We believe implementation of such a requirement would be extremely difficult given the high cost and continuing low availability of COVID-19 testing in the United States. Furthermore, such a proposal would disproportionately impact aviation vis-à-vis rail, bus and public transit, all of which have similar passenger seating environments, because travelers may be unwilling or unable to get testing before flying. In addition, a domestic testing requirement for air travel will inevitably result in potential air travelers electing to drive to their destinations, which is statistically more dangerous than flying and could lead to higher rates of COVID-19 transmission, as road trips typically include indoor food and rest stops.

Finally, imposing such a testing requirement domestically would be devastating to the U.S. airline industry and airline workers by further depressing U.S. air passenger volumes, which reached a six-month low yesterday in terms of TSA traveler screenings. The adverse economic impacts would necessitate financial assistance from the Federal Government well above and beyond the Department of Treasury’s Airline Payroll Support Program, since labor costs are approximately 25% of airline operating costs.

We look forward to continue working collaboratively with CDC, DHS, the FAA, airline unions, and other aviation stakeholders to implement science-based initiatives to further enhance the safety of our passengers and crew.

We are disappointed that DOT squandered an opportunity to enhance competition at slot-constrained airports JFK and DCA, by including highly inadequate divestiture requirements as a condition of the Department’s approval of their anti-competitive alliance. However, we look forward to working with Transportation Secretary nominee Pete Buttigieg — who indicated at his nomination hearing yesterday that he recognizes the benefits to the traveling public of enhancing competition at small and large airports — to improve market access for ULCCs at these and other concentrated markets, lowering fares for travelers.

On December 21, NACA President and CEO George Novak issued the following statement on passage of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act:

NACA commends Congress for passing the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act with broad bipartisan support, including an extension of the CARES Act Airline Payroll Support Program (PSP). We particularly thank congressional transportation leaders, including Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Representatives Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Sam Graves (R-Mo.), and their staffs for supporting PSP extension, which protects and helps restore thousands of U.S. airline jobs at a critical time when industry’s employment is at its lowest level in several decades.