At the NATA Committee Meetings ...

... held this week in Alexandria, VA, a side discussion at a dinner reception turned to ATC modernization. One of the members said to me, “If I knew that by paying these new user fees I’d be getting air traffic modernization in the process, I’d be happy to pay them.†Of course, not all NATA members or general aviation enthusiasts echo the sentiment, but the point is his focus on upgrading ATC.  The previous day I had been in the offices of the Air Transport Association for an interview with John Meenan, executive VP and COO. Meenan reiterated that the airlines, who along with FAA are the drivers in the user fee discussion, still have ATC modernization at the top of their funding wish list. And, he says that he remains confident that it’s still a centerpiece in the discussion currently taking place in Congress. (He’s also optimistic that Congress will get a funding authorization legislation passed by September 30, in time for the start of the new fiscal year October 1. Others are not as optimistic.)  A year ago when the current funding discussion began heating up, it appeared a slam dunk that modernizing ATC would be front and center. Yet, in recent months, GA groups have become so focused on user fees that one gets the impression ATC is on the back burner. The reauthorization process offers the potential for a long-term solution to how we fund the system and modernize it, particularly with an eye on increasing capacity.  Another hot issue is an increase in the passenger facility charge (PFC) cap. It is the funding hot button for airport groups – at a bare minimum they would like PFCs indexed to inflation. The Senate bill introduced last week fails to agree, though it does propose a pilot program to allow a few airports to test local market forces. Stay tuned.  Thanks for reading. jfi