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Airlines for America (A4A), formerly known as Air Transport Association of America (ATA), is America's oldest and largest airline trade association. A4A member airlines and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. Based in Washington, D.C., the association advocates for the U.S. airline industry. The fundamental purpose of A4A is to foster a business and regulatory environment that ensures "safe and secure air transportation and enables U.S. airlines to flourish, stimulating economic growth locally, nationally and internationally". It is the only trade organization that represents the principal U.S. airlines and is their voice when lobbying Congress.

Profile

Mission

A4A's stated purpose is to "foster a business and regulatory environment that ensures safe and secure air transportation and enables U.S. airlines to flourish, stimulating economic growth locally, nationally and globally". A4A advocates on behalf of participating regularly scheduled airline corporations to the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, the U.S. Department of Transportation, including the Federal Aviation Administration, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Since its founding in 1936, A4A has played a major role in all government decisions concerning aviation, including the creation of the Civil Aeronautics Board, the creation of the air traffic control system and airline deregulation. It also advocates that the American government implement a national airline policy that will enable U.S. airlines to function as effective multinational enterprises. Furthermore, it believes an element of such a policy is the modernization of the U.S. air traffic management system, the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen).

Government Relations

A4A senior staff members have testified before Congress on numerous legislative and regulatory matters. One is that government policy must enable airlines to be job creators by no longer suppressing growth through what they argue is an overly burdensome corporate tax code. The A4A has also lobbied on topics such as enhancing competition in international markets and advocating for a comprehensive review of the FAA's NextGen program costs, benefits, progress and management. A4A works with its members on legal and technical issues affecting the U.S. airline industry.

A4A operates member committees related to fuel; airports; engineering and maintenance; the environment; training; security; facilitation; ground safety; cargo; passenger services; communications; government affairs; and international affairs. A4A advocates common association member positions before state and local governments to assure governmental and public understanding of the A4A's positions on the aspects of commercial airlines.

Legislative and Regulatory Priorities

A4A's priorities include maintaining airline safety; maximizing airline profits; reforming energy-commodity markets; creating an international framework for reducing industry emissions; accelerating modernization of the air traffic control system; and reducing government taxes on airlines. Airlines for America also has been very involved in promoting fuel efficiency and the development of alternative fuels.

National Airline Policy

Airlines for America supports NextGen modernization of the air traffic control system. This system will update the current 1950s radar-based technology with a modern, satellite-based navigation system. Aviation experts predict that a modern air traffic management system will save jet fuel and reduce delays by allowing planes to fly shorter routes and by allowing more aircraft to fly safely at any given time. Modernizing the air traffic control system would also reduce the amount of time that airplanes spend waiting on runways and in holding patterns.

As of August 2012, A4A was strongly pushing for a national airline policy in the United States. During an interview on All Things Considered, Richard Anderson of Delta Airlines said, "We're advocating that the U.S. government ... get serious about adopting a national airline policy."

Officially, the A4A has announced five "core elements" of a national airline policy include reducing the industry's tax burden, reducing the heavy load of regulation, increased access to foreign markets, making the industry more attractive for investors, and improving the air traffic control system. A4A President and CEO, Nicholas E. Calio, said, "Airlines enable their local businesses to export goods, connect their residents to the world for business and leisure travel – and, importantly, create good-paying jobs. We face the very real risk of U.S. airlines increasingly shifting to feeding foreign airlines at our gateways, rather than expanding their flying of lucrative international routes."

According to Calio and A4A, passenger and cargo airlines contribute mightily to the American economy. in 2011, Calio said that the value of American exports shipped by air was 117 times the value of exports transported by sea and that commercial aviation had become an important catalyst for the economy. Calio said that the regulatory and tax environment, in addition to inadequate infrastructure, are making it hard for the US airline industry to compete internationally and still turn a profit.

A4A Economic Report and Industry Handbook

Since 1937 A4A has released an annual economic report on the U.S. airline industry that includes statistics on operational and financial results for passenger and cargo operations. This report includes data on industry revenue, expenses, traffic, fuel use, safety, economic impact and employment. A4A also publishes a handbook on the airline industry that provides background information on airline economics, operations, safety, security and history.

ATA Spec 100: Manufacturers' Technical Data

The then Air Transport Association released the newest version of ATA Spec 100 in 1999. According to the A4A website, this information will not be revised and has been combined with ATA Spec 2100 to produce the ATA iSpec 2200: Information Standards for Aviation Maintenance manual.

This specification defines a widely used numbering scheme for aircraft parts and the appearance of printed aircraft maintenance information. The Federal Aviation Administration's JASC (Joint Aircraft System/Component) code table provides a modified version of ATA Spec 100.

ATA Spec 100 contains format and content guidelines for technical manuals written by aviation manufacturers and suppliers, and is used by airlines and other segments of the industry in the maintenance of their respective products. This document provides the industrywide standard for aircraft systems numbering, often referred to as the ATA system or ATA chapter numbers. The format and content guidelines define the data prepared as conventional printed documentation. In 2000 ATA Spec 100 and ATA Spec 2100 were incorporated into ATA iSpec 2200: Information Standards for Aviation Maintenance. ATA Spec 100 and Spec 2100 will not be updated beyond the 1999 revision level.

ATA Spec 300: Specification for Packaging of Airline Supplies

ATA Spec 300 establishes regulations that ensure effective packaging for supplies and equipment shipped by airlines. It stipulates, for example, that a shipping case be able to withstand a minimum of 100 shipments, have durable recessed handles, be coated with non-corrosive products, and have rounded well constructed edges. There has been an increased use of personal luggage that meets the ATA 300 required standards. The ATA Spec 300 was first published on August 1, 1960.

Criticisms

Position on Airline Pilot Rest Time

In 2010 Airlines for America opposed extending pilot rest periods from 8 hours to a 9 hours. Airlines for America stated that the new regulations would add significant operational and scheduling complexity that would cost the airlines too much. This however is not the first time the A4A has challenged either existing or impending FAA rules regarding pilot rest regulations. In 2001 the Federal Aviation Administration received correspondence from the ATA legal department urging action to view duty time as "scheduled time" not "actual time" on duty. The ATA challenged that an airman's duty time should be extendable beyond the regulatory 16 hours should there be either a weather or mechanical delay. The FAA decided in the favor of airmen and its existing rule that on-duty time will be counted as actual, not scheduled.

Position on Collective Bargaining

In 2010 a federal court upheld new democratic voting procedures for workers in the airline and rail industries who want to form unions. Earlier that year, the National Mediation Board (NMB) issued a new rule that says air and rail union elections must be decided by a majority of votes cast. Previously under the Railway Labor Act, which covers rail and airline workers, every worker who did not cast a vote in a representation election was automatically counted as a “No” vote. The Air Transport Association, a trade union itself organized to increase corporate powers of collective bargaining, and ten of its member airlines, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the NMB ruling. The court upheld the new rule and denied ATA’s (A4A's) request for an injunction.

The A4A has had an historically adversarial relationship with the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) and other airline employee labor groups; tension between airline employees and management grew bitter in the 2000s. In September 2011, 700 pilots (both union and non), marched in their uniforms at the Occupy Wall Street protests. They carried signs that read, "Management is Ruining My Airline".

Position on "Enhancing Airline Passenger Protections"

In 2011 Congress finally responded to repeated calls for the United States government to pass an "Air Passenger Bill of Rights" to provide specific requirements about what must happen to air passengers in certain conditions. The push for the bill stemmed from several high profile passenger strandings over the last several years. On April 25, 2011, the Enhancing Airline Passenger Protections, "76 Federal Regulation 23110" rule was enacted. Amongst other items, the rule includes raising the minimum "denied boarding compensation" to customers with valid tickets yet still not allowed to board the aircraft. The legislation further penalizes airlines up to $27,500 per passenger if left stranded aboard an aircraft, on a tarmac for more than three hours. In 2010 the then Air Transport Association and the Regional Airline Association both opposed this legislation. The ATA stated, "As we have noted before, competition in the marketplace and existing Department regulations supported by fair enforcement are sufficient to ensure airlines continue to deliver good customer service." American Eagle, an RAA airline member, was the first airline to be fined under the new legislation. A total settlement including fines and compensation paid to passengers totaled $800,000 for tarmac delays incurred in Chicago in May 2011.

Membership

ATA Airline Members

1. Alaska Airlines, Inc. (AS)
2. American Airlines, Inc. (AA)
3. Atlas Air, Inc. (5Y)
4. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DL)
5. Federal Express Corporation (FX)
6. Hawaiian Airlines (HA)
7. JetBlue Airways Corp. (B6)
8. Southwest Airlines Co. (WN)
9. United Continental Holdings, Inc. (UA)
10. UPS Airlines (5X)
11. US Airways, Inc. (US)

Associate Airline Members

1. Air Canada (AC)

References

1. ^ "About ATA". Retrieved 2010-09-20. Cite error: The named reference "About ATA" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
2. ^ Kane, Robert (2003). Air Transportation. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. pp. 349–350. ISBN 0-7872-8881-0. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help) Cite error: The named reference "Air Transportation" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
3. Caruso, Lisa. "What Are The Five Most Important Issues Facing The Aviation Industry?". National Journal. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
4. Flint, Perry. "Industry welcomes FAA-USDA biofuels agreement". Air Transport World. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
5. Oldham, Jennifer (2007-06-11). "Proposed GPS-based Overhaul for U.S. air traffic control network?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
6. Zumbrun, Joshua (2008-08-13). "What the Airlines Want From Washington". Forbes. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
7. Mark Memmott (6 June 2012). "Delta CEO Pushes For National Airline Policy That Lets 'Free Market Work'". NPR. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
8. ^ "A4A calls for national airline policy to boost global competitiveness". eTN Global Travel Industry News. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
9. Ranson, Lori. "US runway safety figures respond to treatment". Flight Global. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
10. "Airline Handbook Chapter 1: Brief History of Aviation". Retrieved 2011-01-04.
11. ^ ATA Specfication 300, Specification for Packaging of Airline Supplies
12. Unger, Carl (2010 Nov, 16). "ATA/A4A Opposes Increasing Pilot Rest Time". Smart Travel. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
13. "ATA Challenges FAA Definition of On-Duty Time". 2001.
14. "ATA/A4A Opposes Pilot Unions". Collective Bargaining Facts. 2010 June, 28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
15. "Airline Pilots Protest Management". Forbes. Sept. 29th, 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
16. Martin, Hugo, Support is growing for a fliers' bill of rights, Sep 12, 2009,
17. "Sweeping Customer Protection Regulations". Jones Day Publications. May 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
18. ^ Cameron, Doug (Nov, 15th 2011). "American Eagle Incurs First Fine". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 22 May 2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
19. Berg, David A. "A4A Fights New Passenger Protection Rules" (PDF). Airlines for America. Retrieved 23 May 2012.

External links

• A4A official website
• JASC Code

• Airline trade associations
• Open Travel Alliance
• Organizations based in Washington, D.C.