The Honorable Ray LaHood
Secretary
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave. SE
Washington, DC 20590

Dear Secretary LaHood,

The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) represents the safety, security, and economic  interests of all business travelers. ACTE’s 2,500 members from 82 countries —with a substantial constituency in the United States (drawing heavily from Fortune 500 and Global 1000) — manage an annual aggregate of $350 billion (USD) in business travel expenditures. Business travelers contribute the highest percent of all airline revenue and represent the core customer based of the hospitality industry in every major U.S. city. The recommendations and actions of the Federal Advisory Committee on the Future of Aviation are therefore of great significance to our members, and to the hundreds of thousands of travelers they represent on a daily basis.

The history of aviation and transportation legislation in the United States is an ongoing endeavor that addresses the symptoms of lingering problems, while the major issues carry over from year to year. As a result, only fractional aspects of the overall transportation issue are considered, and many of these are subject to “eleventh hour” action.

ACTE leadership advocates that the first step in your process be to create an ongoing industry-wide dialogue to define and evaluate the depth of the issues at hand. We believe that any discussion of the future of aviation must include a comprehensive policy spanning the accelerated replacement of the air traffic control system, a complete evaluation of security procedures on the part of the Department of Homeland Security, and an enhanced role of the Federal Aviation Administration in maintaining standards.

Each of these issues has a subset of major concerns that should be addressed in one national transportation policy. For example, airways congestion is the number one cause of flight delays and excessive fuel consumption. The acceleration of a program to replace the aging air traffic control system (as spelled out in Next Generation Air Transportation System) will greatly reduce travel efficiencies, while lowering fuel consumptions costs, which could have considerable impact on a nation facing a long and fragile economic recovery.

Security issues and the role of the FAA have been recently sidelined by the economy, yet each of these has a dramatic impact on the safety and integrity of the nation’s airlines. ACTE leadership is in agreement with you and this administration that the time has come to put the future of US aviation in perspective. Hundreds of millions of travelers are relying on you to create an open dialogue in which all segments of the transportation industry can contribute to the creation of a workable, comprehensive aviation policy. The resources of our association are at your disposal.

Sincerely,

Richard Crum
President
Association of Corporate Travel Executives

Susan Gurley
Executive Director
Association of Corporate Travel Executives