Government Relations
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Kelly Ferrigno
President
Allison Sayer
Government Relations Chair
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Monthly Updates
Hello fellow GBTA NYC members,
October 2024
➤ Aviation / Travel Update
Recent Congressional Actions: The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation recently convened a hearing on threats to commercial aviation navigation posed by the increase in GPS spoofing incidents. In rail news, the Department of Justice is suing freight railroads to bolster Amtrak’s right of way access. The Senate Sustainable Aviation Caucus was established by Senator Moran. The Caucus efforts intend to increase airline fuel supply with cleaner fuel, diversify the fuel supply, and provide an additional market for U.S. farmers to sell their crops.
Aviation Cybersecurity Threats: Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) spoofing, done through electronic warfare devices deployed around the globe, are interfering with commercial flights. Recently, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing on aviation cybersecurity threats, including those posed by spoofing, in order to develop a greater understanding of the challenges posed. These safety and navigation challenges may cause serious operational problems, preventing airlines from using optimal flight routes, grounding of commercial and cargo aircraft, or endangering commercial aircraft safety. New equipment standards to enhance spoofing resilience are not expected to be finalized until 2025.
GBTA Action: Business travelers should be aware of this aircraft safety issue as aviation remains the main form of international business travel. GBTA advocates for safer and efficient air routes and has made efforts to provide its perspective on the issue of flight interference.
➤ Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Caucus Update
SAF Coalition: Updates: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded $291 million in grants from the Inflation Reduction Act’s Fueling Aviation’ Sustainable Transition (FAST) program - TravelPulse
- $244.5 million was designated for 22 Sustainable Aviation Fuel projects, including SAF production, transportation, blending, and storage.
- $46.5 million was designated for 14 projects that “develop, demonstrate, and apply low-emission aviation technologies.”
- Notable recipients include Gevo Inc., which was allocated $16.8 million for a traditional to SAF facility conversion, and the City of Atlanta, which was allocated $240,000 to study “supply chain, infrastructure, and distribution” for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), John Boozman (R-AR), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) launched the Senate Sustainable Aviation Caucus. Sen. Moran touted a “three-fold benefit” to the caucus’s creation, including a clean energy supply for the aviation industry, a source of diversification for the energy industry, and new markets for farmers to sell crops and their byproducts. Moreover, SAF advances biofuel development, increases domestic competitiveness, and promotes national security and passenger safety – Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Why It Matters: The development of sustainable aviation fuel production, transportation, blending, and storage sites provides an opportunity to begin integrating this alternative fuel source throughout the airline industry without regional restrictions.
GBTA Action: Support the Farm to Fly Act.
➤ Air Travel Consumer Report: July 2024 Numbers
DOT recently released travel numbers for July in the Air Travel Consumer Report. 2.9% of flights were canceled, which exceeds the current 2024 pace of 1.7%. Due to a DOT mandate, the ten largest U.S. airlines now guarantee meals and free rebooking with their respective airlines, nine of which also guarantee hotel accommodations. Carriers had a 68.4% on-time arrival rate for the month, below the current 2024 rate of 75.6%. Hawaiian, Alaska, and Southwest had the lowest cancellation rates, at less than 1%; Delta, Spirit, and Frontier had cancellation rates of 4% or higher. In July, there were 72 reports of tarmac delays lasting longer than three hours across all carriers. Of the 45.6 million luggage bags processed, approximately 0.75% were reported as being mishandled.
DOT said it is working to expand passenger rights, through DOT final rulings on automatic cash refunds to passengers when owed and establishing protections against unexpected airline fees. Several airlines have contested the latter rule in court, which has resulted in delays in the rule’s enforcement and implementation. DOT has also proposed banning family seating fees and guaranteeing that parents can sit with their children during flights.
➤ U.S. Passenger Rail
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing freight rail companies on behalf of Amtrak for passenger right-of-way preference. This development comes on the heels of Amtrak’s decades long struggle to remain relevant in the travel industry, exacerbated by freight rail interference, lack of funding, along with other issues. If the lawsuit is successful, Amtrak could be well positioned to compete with private rail ventures like Florida’s Brightline. Still, many of the systemic problems that have plagued Amtrak in the past will need to be addressed for intercity passenger rail to become the foremost choice of travel for passengers.
