The Time and Place

With President Donald Trump officially in power, the new administration is finally getting settled in and new leadership in Congress is taking on its new initiatives.

Before Trump or the new Congress took over, it was already besmirched in partisan fighting and vows of radical change on social and economic issues that will have ramifications across wide swaths of people and regions.

But for those of us in the transportation world, we got lucky. New U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao was met with praise and accolades during her confirmation hearing and neither party vowed to stick claim to a particular issue impacting the nation’s infrastructure.

This doesn’t mean an easy ride in moving America in 2017 — far from it. But it does mean there are some opportunities to tackle some big issues this year and if parties involved can find a way to steer clear of the political mess other industries are about to mire through, we might be able to find some bipartisan solutions that help the aviation sector on some important issues:

• The Trump infrastructure plan
• ATC Privatization
• A PFC increase
• NextGen
• International flight restrictions

We're poised for a lot of change in aviation policy this year, which could transform the transportation industry for a generation.

That being said, you'll notice Airport Business is working to keep up with all these changes. In this issue, you'll see our new feature from Kevin Burke, executive director for Airports Council International-North America give his take on what's happening in Washington, D.C. He will be giving us regular updates throughout the year to keep you informed on what you need to know about the industry from the Capitol. 

Also, Roddy Boggus, from Suffolk Construction and chair of the Airport Consultants Council Board of Directors is kicking off his new regular feature with us, "Totally Boggus." It's all the wit that's fit to print from Roddy as he tackles some of the big picture issues facing the industry. 

And most notably, for the first time in the magazine's existence, Ralph Hood will not be featured in the magazine. But not to fear, I'm not letting Ralph stray too far away. You can still catch his insights on current events in the industry twice each month in our daily newsletters. While it's sad to see Ground Clutter missing from the issue, I'm happy that Ralph is going to keep writing his insight for us on the Web.

From all of us at Airport Business, we thank you for all you do Ralph!