Wait A Minute... GA Advocacy Group AGREES With ATA???

On Monday, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association said the Federal Aviation Administration is jumping too far, too soon with its plan to reduce airline delays with congestion pricing.

"Congestion pricing should be the FAA’s last resort, not its first," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "The agency’s proposal does nothing to improve the national air transportation system and could in fact hurt general aviation’s access to airport."

Somewhat unusually, AOPA's stand on congestion pricing brings the general aviation advocacy group into agreement with the Air Transport Association, trade and lobbying group for the nation's airlines, on an issue involving user fees. While arguing against the idea of congestion pricing, ATA has been a vocal proponent for such fees against pilots of general aviation aircraft... saying smaller planes need to pay their "fair share" for use of the national airspace system.

That mirrors the logic FAA cites in calling for implementation of congestion pricing. As ANN has reported, both DOT and FAA have proposed airlines pay higher fees to land during peak times at the nation's busiest airports, stating such fees would convince carriers to more evenly spread out arrival and departure times throughout the day.

There's little to prevent the government from extending such congestion pricing to non-airline aircraft, however... and AOPA notes a proactive solution on the part of airport users would be the preferred way to go, anyway, as opposed to imposed fees.

In its formal comments and in previous communications with the FAA and the US Department of Transportation, AOPA has offered specific suggestions for ways to reduce delays. Some of those suggestions include:

• Align schedules with capacity benchmarks;
• Implement changes in air traffic control procedures;
• Educate the travelling public;
• Ensure adequate air traffic control staffing;
• Add more runways to existing airports; and
• Mandate key technologies for landing at congested airports.

Although delays ripple through the system, AOPA notes, they are generally caused by problems at specific airports. The MITRE Corporation, which does research and development work for the FAA, determined seven air carrier airports alone are responsible for 72% of delays in the system. General aviation accounts for only 2.1% of the traffic at those seven airports.

An aviation rulemaking committee established by the Department of Transportation to develop ways to reduce congestion in the New York City did not endorse congestion pricing and in fact made clear in its report that the concept was opposed by the majority of the aviation community.

"The possibility that this policy could expand to reliever and other general aviation airports is alarming," said Andy Cebula, AOPA’s executive vice president of government affairs. "Airports that don’t even have airline service may see DOT’s new emphasis on congestion pricing as a green light to to start charging our members more to use their facilities, even though such tactics at those airports would have absolutely no effect on systemwide delays."

Discouraging or limiting general aviation access to airports is an unsatisfactory management strategy. AOPA believe the Department of Transportation should scrap plans for congestion pricing and pursue alternative solutions that have been offered by the aviation rulemaking committee and others in the aviation industry.

FMI: www.aopa.org, www.faa.gov, www.airlines.org