Rep. Steve Russell (R-OK), who has a military background, said he maintains serious national security concerns about putting a nongovernmental agency in charge of air traffic control and removing it from congressional oversight. “There are a few things that you would never let go: national...
The case against privatizing the nation’s air traffic control system
Opponents have raised serious concerns about whether privatization would guarantee safety, protect national security, expedite new technology and keep our aviation system solvent. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued several reports that validate these concerns.
In the battle over who controls U.S. airspace, it’s big lobbyists vs. small airports
Big airlines spent more than $16 million to lobby Congress and federal agencies last year. The airlines are eager to change the system because they’ll have more control over the nation’s airspace.
Trump’s corporate infrastructure giveaway begins with air traffic control
If President Trump's air traffic control announcement is any indication of where the rest of his infrastructure plan is headed, it will be a massive giveaway to corporations and a departure from past infrastructure programs.
Flyers Rights Releases Testimony from Passengers Involved in Recent Airline Incidents
Notably absent from the air traffic control privatization discussion are any passenger representatives. These passengers, who would be impacted by the proposed changes and have invested into the existing system through taxes and fees, deserve to have input into these decisions.
Reform the air-traffic-control system, but don’t privatize it
Last year, the GAO found that a privatized air-traffic-control system would be “too big to fail,” meaning taxpayers might have to bail out the corporation if it couldn’t pay the costs to operate a safe system.
On air traffic control, don’t let airlines dupe passengers
Trump's plan to privatize would shift billions in new fees onto passengers
Air traffic control privatization: A risky corporate giveaway that will harm consumers
United Airlines’ deplorable assault on a paying passenger can make us all wonder if passengers have any legal rights at all, and certainly has reminded us all of the need for more congressional oversight of the airlines.
Unfortunately, the big airlines are now pushing a risky air traffic...
Air Traffic Control Is Trump’s Problem in a Nutshell: Privatization Harms the GOP Base
It’s a cliché to observe that the objectives of the Republican Party do not often align with the interests of its constituents—that an unholy alliance of megacapitalists and forgotten men is bound to have its fissures.
House members slam air-traffic control privatization
House lawmakers who decide how much to spend on the Federal Aviation Administration blasted President Trump’s proposal to privatize air-traffic control Thursday, saying that the plan lacks government oversight.