At the ACI-NA Convention in Reno ...

… the mood is upbeat. Airport officials are meeting here for the annual convention of the Airports Council International – North America. This is a meeting with some history – this group was meeting in Montreal in 2001 when the 9/11 attacks occurred. FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey, opening the conference, reiterated her calls for new funding mechanisms to support the agency and infrastructure improvements. Yet, she seems to be backtracking on just what new formula of taxes the Administration will propose as the industry engages in a reauthorization showdown that one official here terms "the funding battle of a generation." Top on ACI-NA's list in the funding discussion is the unleashing of passenger facility charges. ACI-NA wants the $4.50 cap either raised or eliminated, along with less restrictions on airports on how that money is spent. Significantly, in a pre-conference press briefing, ACI-NA president Greg Principato announced that ACI-NA and the American Association of Airport Executives are once again becoming completely separate organizations. In recent years the two groups had combined their legislative affairs departments in an effort to present a more unified voice for airports in Washington. Just two years ago, the groups were discussing a full merger. Back to Blakey, she spent a good part of her speech talking about the need for a clear delineation of responsibility when an airfield is undergoing construction. Airfield safety and communications are everyone's responsibility, she says. In light of the recent crash at Lexington, it's a message that indeed needs to be reinforced. More to come … thanks for reading. jfi