ACI-NA Kicks Off the Passenger First Commitment (PFC) Campaign ...

... in its effort to convince Congress to lift the $4.50 cap on passenger facility charges (PFCs). In an online media event this week, the association that represents commercial airports and authorities reiterated its position that maintaining the $4.50 cap on PFCs is limiting the purchasing power of airports, due to inflation and the dramatic jumps in construction costs in recent years. FAA seeks a cap of $6, while airport groups are asking for a cap of $7.50, indexed to inflation. Last week, the U.S. Senate indicated it doesn’t support an increase, though it is proposing a pilot program under which a limited amount of airports could raise the caps, depending on market forces. Ultimately, ACI-NA would like to see the cap and the FAA approval process eliminated and let local markets determine what the cap, and their infrastructure needs, should be.  Two things stand out from this media briefing. One, the way it was executed. ACI-NA used its airport membership as the distribution channel, calling on them to alert local interested parties and media of the event. It was an effective way to get local media outlets involved, and a way to connect the dots for them regarding local and national issues.  Second is, the theme of focusing on the passenger. ACI-NA president Greg Principato says the initiative seeks to focus the current funding discussion on where it really belongs – on the passenger. He says that the capacity crunch of 2000 has returned and is expected to get worse. More money will help alleviate the “choke points†and keep passengers moving through the air transportation system.  Ultimately, it’s the passengers who pay the fees that build the infrastructure (despite how airlines position the argument). Focusing the discussion on them not only has merit, but it also may be the way to get them to pay attention to the funding dialog.  Thanks for reading. jfi