Headlines scream about airport problems, flight cancellations, air traffic jams, aircraft maintenance glitches, lost luggage, a passengers’ bill of rights, pilot shortages, cramped seating – the list goes on and on. We all know the problems. But where is the leadership in the travel industry or in the government offering solutions?
The last time anyone did anything positive in terms of travel seems to have been when President Bush told his Department of Transportation (DOT) director to fix the endless delays in the New York airspace. A new system is coming into place that might help. Caps have been imposed on flights in and out of JFK and Newark, and some airspace management solutions are being implemented such as increased use of military and Canadian airspace.
Progress, yes. But it took a presidential directive, and the howls of protest from the airlines have been deafening. Rather than finding a way to work together to solve our air travel problems, every party involved seems determined to get its own way, and every action by the DOT is depicted as harming someone or some interest group.
“Can do” leadership is dead. The United States has developed a “We can’t” culture.
- • We can’t build new runways.
• We can’t modernize our air traffic control system.
• We can’t schedule flights within our airport capacity levels.
• We can’t be responsible for passenger service.
• We can’t follow Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) maintenance directives in a timely manner.
• We can’t build rapid transit systems between airports.
• We can’t keep our flights on schedule.
• We can’t tell passengers why flights are delayed.
• We can’t charge airlines fees based on congestion.
• We can’t charge corporate jets $25 fees for use of the air traffic system.
• We can’t let airlines have 10 days to make repairs (in the recent case of AA and their MD-80s that resulted in thousands of cancellations).
Throughout government and industry, scores of committees are meeting to establish more study groups, more committees, more task forces and more subcommittees to deliberate about our air traffic and airline service problems. This is a case of death by committee.
Just for starters, here is a list of more than a dozen committees and associations that are discussing making our air travel better. This is only the leadoff group in a long, noisy and aimless parade. All of these have a say (or want to have a say) in final solutions. No wonder nothing is happening. It is worse than herding cats.
- • DOT’s New York Air Congestion Working Group
• A Tarmac Delay Task Force
• New York Aviation Rulemaking Committee
• House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
• Senate Commerce Committee
• The Aviation subcommittee
• Senate Finance Committee
• House Ways and Means Committee
• Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development
• FAA Operational Support Service
• Air Transport Association
• Aerospace Technology Advisory Committee
• Civil aviation authorities
• Office of Management and Budget
Between the culture of “can’t do” and this governance by committee, the U.S. transportation system has descended into almost third-world conditions when it comes to on-time performance and customer service. It reminds me train travel in Italy back in the 1960s, when train schedules were a joke and everyone just planned to squeeze on to the next train that came by. Unfortunately, with airplanes and passenger controls, it is impossible for passengers to “just squeeze on.”
Where are our leaders? We need to cut through the bureaucracy and move forward on getting our air transportation infrastructure working for the American people.
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Right on! Our Congresspeople should be ashamed of not doing their job; I will definitely remember all of my troubles with airlines when I vote.