A wish for FAA reauthorization … can it really be this hard? Highways and other industries are likely asking the same question. Rep. John Mica (R-FL), who heads up things transportation in the U.S. House, is trying to make it happen. (He’s the guy who shut down the system, or funding, last summer. The gambit was to demonstrate to the populace a microcosm of the ridiculous things being held up in Washington -- which worked, because all of a sudden the country paid attention to matters aviation and realized that FAA funding isn’t only about safety, it’s also about infrastructure and jobs.)
A wish for a new FAA Administrator … probably won’t happen. Too political. We wanted a definitive term for an Administrator and got it. That means anyone nominated today would run into a new Administration, should there be one. Just more limbo for the FAA. (Insert a Kate Lang sigh here.)
A wish for the President to stop portraying corporate jets as demons … after all, he used them extensively to get elected. Charter operators have the receipts to prove it. And there is Air Force One, the ultimate corporate jet, which flies quite well to New York, Paris, and beyond. I suspect that if President Obama were a successful independent businessman, he would own a corporate jet.
A wish for airports and tenants to move beyond a battle of the bands when it comes to leases … a battle that ensued in 2011 that should never have happened. There’s a better way to approach this topic, but federal legislation isn’t the answer. I suspect that a central issue here is that many leases are coming up for renewal, as in the 1990s when about half of all U.S. airport/tenant leases were coming to term and being renegotiated. I haven’t seen any new survey data, but it appears we are back in that cycle again. One challenge today is that many airport sponsors – cities and counties – are financially stressed, which may play a role in how they approach their relationships with tenants, and may have some considering a move to providing services to get revenue moving through the airport coffers.
A wish for economic vibrancy … alas.
And, as we roll into the 2012 presidential election season, a wish for a campaign that focuses more on solutions and less on character assassination … well, a man can wish.
One thing about the election season: It should generate income for charter operators around the country. Maybe some of the candidates will learn to appreciate the asset that flies through the skies and allows them to campaign in five cities in one day.
Thanks for reading. jfi
