If you read the headlines or click on what’s trending these days, it would be easy to believe that there isn’t any glimmer of bipartisan spirit alive in the nation’s capital. But while many cameras were turned off and many reporters were writing on other news stories, Capitol Hill shared in a rare moment of bipartisanship — members of the House and Senate reached across the aisle and passed a five-year authorization measure to fund the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The bill is a win for air travelers; consumers and businesses that rely on shipping cargo; our nation’s airports; as well as the men and women who work in the aviation industry.
To put the significance of this achievement in perspective, the bill marks the first five-year authorization of the FAA since 1982. For the first time in decades, the FAA finally has the ability to execute a long-term vision, providing certainty for the millions of passengers and countless businesses that rely on access to safe, affordable travel and shipping options every day. Additionally, the new law provides certainty that employers, manufacturers, consumers and communities need in order to continue building, investing, hiring, innovating and growing the U.S. aviation industry.
{mosads}The long-term reauthorization will benefit small, medium and large community airports by providing stability for federal programs that fund improvement projects, building on the influx of cash already flowing to airports. Recently, Congress also authorized $3.35 billion in airport improvement grant funding, along with an additional $1 billion in the omnibus spending bill. With $14.2 billion in unrestricted cash reserves, the aviation trust fund has an uncommitted balance of $6 billion for future airport improvement projects.
Travelers already are seeing first-hand the impact of those federal investments as cranes pop up and construction crews arrive for work at airports across the country. In the past month alone, a wide array airports from Maine to Alaska have received hundreds of millions of dollars in supplemental grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation. And Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is currently the largest construction site in the country.
All of this goes to show that good things can happen when Washington works together, engages in constructive debate on substantive policy issues and reaches consensus.
We can learn from history.
It was this month 40 years ago when lawmakers from both parties came together to advance legislation that spurred a new era of possibility and promise for the commercial aviation industry. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 opened the doors to innovation, competition and consumer choice. Today, travelers are benefiting from an unprecedented combination of affordability, accessibility and value, as fares have fallen more than 40 percent in real terms since President Carter signed the act into law. Cargo airlines have changed global commerce, and the once-unthinkable notion of overnight delivery has become commonplace for millions of Americans. Airlines are able to invest heavily in the flying experience and serve customers from the smallest towns to our biggest cities.
As Capitol Hill celebrates a bipartisan achievement of passing the FAA Reauthorization bill this month, it’s only fitting that we also celebrate the 40th anniversary of the bipartisan Airline Deregulation Act. After all, when Congress works together – in a civil, bipartisan manner – it not only gets meaningful policies implemented, but it also makes our country, our economy and our workforce stronger.
Nick Calio is president and CEO of Airlines for America.