News: The no-crash decade

Monday, July 10, 2023

The no-crash decade

Jul 10, 2023

Presented by Southwest Airlines

Quick fix

— As the U.S. celebrates a decade without fatal domestic plane crashes, aviation safety remains a sticking point in the Senate's FAA markup.

— Airline cancellation rates stabilize following record-breaking summer travel numbers, but storms remain a threat.

— The U.N. hopes to reach net-zero emissions in the global shipping industry by 2050, overhauling a 2018 goal of cutting emissions by 50 percent in the same time frame.

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"Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shootin' stars / I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now."

A message from Southwest Airlines:

Southwest Airlines’ purpose has always been to connect you to what’s important in your life, and we’re ready to welcome you onboard this summer. To help us serve you, Southwest developed an action plan that accelerates operational investments and reliability, enhances cross-Team collaboration, and improves our operations. Learn about how Southwest is preparing for your next trip with our action plan and path forward.

Driving the day

A DECADE WITHOUT FATAL CRASHES: It’s been over a decade since a fatal commercial airline crash on U.S. soil, with last Thursday marking the 10-year anniversary of Asiana Airlines’ Boeing 777 crash in San Francisco. Although there have been some commercial-aviation-related fatalities since then, the crash-free decade stands in stark contrast to the 1970s and 80s, when passenger airliners crashed frequently.

Still, crashes remain a concern for lawmakers, with a provision on pilot training rules keeping the Senate’s FAA reauthorization bill stuck in limbo. After a botched committee markup attempt last month, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), an Army veteran helicopter pilot who chairs the Senate’s Aviation Subcommittee, told her colleagues on the Senate floor that a vote to change flight time requirements for pilot training would cause “an inevitable accident.”

As Congress returns from its July 4 recess this week, it’s still unclear when the Senate expects to mark up the bill, S. 1939 (118). The House, meanwhile, is expected to vote on its version of the bill, H.R. 3935 (118), next week after it moved quickly through committee last month. A fight over pilot training rules and the House bill’s provision that would raise the commercial pilot retirement age from 65 to 67 are among the most contentious issues in this year’s FAA reauthorization.

JOIN 7/11 FOR A TALK ON THE FAA’S FUTURE: Congress is making moves to pass the FAA Reauthorization Act, laying the groundwork for the FAA’s long-term agenda to modernize the aviation sector to meet the challenges of today and innovate for tomorrow. Join POLITICO on July 11 to discuss what will make it into the final reauthorization bill and examine how reauthorization will reshape FAA’s priorities and authorities. REGISTER HERE.

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Aviation

RECORD HOLIDAY: The Fourth of July brought record numbers of passengers to the skies, and airlines generally performed well over the weekend after the week leading into the holiday brought massive headaches —particularly for United Airlines. DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted Friday that “cancellation rates are back to normal and much improved from last year.” So far this year, about 1.5 percent of all flights were canceled through July 6, according to preliminary DOT data, a figure that would be a marked improvement over the 2.6 percent last year and 2 percent in 2019. The figure includes a slight bump in June due to United’s bad week leading into the holiday.

TSA also said Friday that June 30 was the agency’s busiest day ever. Nearly 2.9 million passengers passed through a TSA checkpoint that day, and more than 17.5 million people passed through a TSA checkpoint from June 29 through July 5. A number of airlines also boasted about their July 4 performance considering the crush of travelers, with American Airlines declaring the holiday weekend “spectacular and one we should all be proud of” in a memo to employees.

Summer storms continue to cause headaches, however. LaGuardia, Newark and Philadelphia international airports all canceled more than 10 percent of flights on Sunday, per FlightAware.

TSA GOALS: The TSA on Friday released the third iteration of its “Administrator’s Intent,” a series of execution plans for the agency’s goals through 2025. In the report, TSA Administrator David Pekoske outlined 20 “strategic objectives,” ranging from threat detection to recruitment, and said he will assign a lead executive to each “to provide a measure of transparency and accountability.” For fiscal year 2023, the report prioritizes improving the customer experience, streamlining technical standards and enhancing federal air marshal capabilities.

UPCOMING EVENT: POLITICO’s FAA reauthorization event on Tuesday morning at Union Station will include United CEO Scott Kirby. Panelists and industry leaders will discuss the legislation and the myriad challenges facing the FAA, from drones to air taxis, staffing problems across the industry and government and more. Register here.

A message from Southwest Airlines:

On the Hill

NAPOLITANO RETIRES: T&I member Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) announced on Saturday that she will retire at the end of her current term. The 86-year-old lawmaker, who currently serves as the top Democrat on T&I’s Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee, is the oldest sitting House member. T&I ranking member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) said in a statement that Napolitano “fought to make our waters cleaner and our transportation system greener.”

First in MT: Larsen and Napolitano wrote a letter to the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers asking the two agencies to quantify the effects of the Supreme Court’s decision to shrink federal clean water protections.

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Maritime

SU IN TALKS: Acting Labor Secretary Juile Su spoke with her Canadian counterpart, Seamus O’Regan, regarding the ongoing strike at West Coast Canadian ports that is likely to cause U.S. supply chain headaches the longer it drags on. Some container ships initially scheduled for Vancouver have been rerouted to the Port of Seattle, which could lead to idle ships and congestion at U.S. ports.

— Su on Friday said she remains “hopeful for confirmation” as at least five Democratic senators remain noncommittal about elevating her to the Labor Department’s top job. While Su won praise for helping to avert a West Coast port strike, trucking interests, rideshare companies and Republicans oppose her nomination because of her past support for a California law that requires companies to designate most workers as employees, not independent contractors.

SLOW DOWN? Boaters and environmental groups are at odds over a proposal from NOAA to slow down the maximum speed limit for commercial and recreational boats 35 feet or larger to roughly 11.5 miles per hour in an effort to save North Atlantic right whales, an endangered species that is particularly vulnerable to boat strikes. Rob Hotakainen of E&E News reports that the speed restrictions along the Atlantic Coast would mostly take place outside of the busy summer boating season, but recreational boaters and members of both parties in Congress oppose changing the boat speed limits. NOAA plans to finalize the new rule in December.

U.N. EXPEDITES EMISSIONS GOALS: The U.N. International Maritime Organization on Friday announced a new target to reach net-zero international shipping emissions, which represent about 3 percent of global emissions, by “close to 2050,” Hanne Cokelaere reports. That’s a major change of pace compared with the IMO’s previous target, adopted in 2018, to at least halve emissions by the same deadline.

— There’s evidence of the deep divisions between the IMO’s 175 members — some of which pushed for quick emission reductions while others demanded flexibility — in the strategy’s final text, which says the target should take “into account different national circumstances.” Industry groups billed the updated strategy as “groundbreaking,” while climate campaigners were critical, arguing that the plan is not in line with the Paris Agreement goal.

A message from Southwest Airlines:

Southwest Airlines’ purpose has always been to connect you to what’s important in your life, and we have developed an action plan to ensure we’re ready to serve you. Our plan includes:

· Accelerating operational investments and reliability by investing in technology and tools that will improve our recovery during irregular operations;
· Enhancing cross-Team collaboration by strengthening the way our Teams work and communicate together to streamline decision-making; and
· Improving winter operations by reinforcing airport infrastructure, increasing the availability of winter equipment, and bolstering our overall preparedness for extreme winter conditions.

In addition to our action plan, we’re continuing to invest in your Customer Experience. Some of our new initiatives include increasing self-service options, bag tracking, and implementing more real-time day-of-travel communications. Learn about how Southwest is preparing for your next trip with our action plan and path forward.