Setting Agenda For NATA's Year Ahead

The National Air Transportation Association's (NATA) Airline Services Council (ASC) met in Washington, DC, last week, focused on strategic business issues and Airport Operating Area (AOA) safety and security. This gathering of ASC members was of particular importance because participants set the 2005 agenda of key issues and initiatives for the council and supporting NATA staff.

Highlights of the meeting included:

• Discussions with Admiral David M. Stone (Ret.), Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), addressing current and future security initiatives that impact service providers in the AOA
• Presentation and discussion: Airline Bankruptcies: Opportunities, Risks, and Defensive Strategies - Wiley Rein & Fielding LLP, Morten Beyer & Agnew, Morris Anderson & Associates Ltd.
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Alliance Agreement Implementation Plan - US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Director, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, Lee Anne Jillings
• Airport Operating Area Security Summit -- TSA Headquarters policy makers discussed air carrier and cargo security initiatives
• Strategic discussions were held by ASC members and included subject matter experts and government officials to address the question "What does 2005 have in store for the airline services sector of the aviation industry?"

High on the list of priorities identified by the council were the following issues:

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  Safety Management System development and implementation - airline service provider benchmarking of ramp safety
• Airport authorities providing services offered by ASC member companies
• Secondary containment requirements imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency for fueling trucks
• Opt-out program for private screening companies
• Air Cargo Security Notice of Proposed Rule Making and potential for expansion of Secure Identification Area
• Requirements for Airport Employee Screening at checkpoints
• Airport authority imposition of Commercial Driver's License (CDL) requirements for all AOA/ramp operations
• Restrictive, inconsistent, and redundant airport employee badging processes and screening requirements
• Implementation of the Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC)
• Impact of English as a second language on safety and security
• Attracting and retaining qualified airline service employees

"This week's meeting of the ASC with TSA and OSHA officials, as well as the strategic discussions held among industry peers, further demonstrated the value and the on-going need for a venue to share current issues and concerns facing the airline services sector of the industry," said NATA president James K. Coyne (right). "The voice of the airline service providers is definitely heard in Washington via the active participation of the NATA Airline Services Council members."

FMI: mailto:smackiewicz@nata.aero