House Transportation Committee Still 'Working With Related Committees'

The bill to reauthorize the FAA which includes a not-universally-popular proposal to privatize the nation's air traffic control system will apparently not make to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration this week as planned.

House Transportation Committee staff leadership told Politico that they are continuing to work "with related committees" on the bill, and even some lobbyists were saying that they were expecting the bill to be taken off the fast track for the time being.

Democrats appear to remain united against the bill, in large part due to the provision that would create a non-profit organization that would take over ATC. Outside forces have also piped up in opposition to the plan. Those include the New York Times Editorial Board, Delta Airlines, and Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who warned that funding via per-flight fees could have a negative impact on safety. He said a per-flight tax would potentially make pilots think twice about using safety services offered by ATC to avoid racking up additional fees.

Sullenberger also said that the AIRR act might push NextGen to implementation more quickly, but it could come at a high cost to users of the system.

Meanwhile, NATCA has come out in favor of the plan despite early and some continuing reservations, according to the report.

(Image from file)

FMI: http://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/airr_act_text.pdf