Questions for the Future of Aviation Advisory Committee

Balancing The Industry’s Competitiveness And Viability

1. Global Competitiveness: What regulatory and structural barriers prevent U.S. airlines from operating like other global businesses and advantag e international

carriers over U.S. carriers ? Which of these barriers should be addressed to ensure the long

- term global competitiven e ss of the U.S. airline industry?

2. Equitable and Fair Taxation: Are U.S. government aviation taxation policies equitable , fair and competitive with other industries and other countries? What taxation policy changes are necessary to enable the industry to be globally competitive and return to sustained economic vitality?

3. Excessive Volatility in Oil Markets: What policy or industry actions should be taken to reduce and/or mitigate the impact of fuel price volatility, ensure adequate supply, increase transparancy in this vital market, and curb harmful speculation?

Securing Stable And Sufficient Funding For Our Aviation Sys tems

1. Needs of the National Airspace System: Is there a comprehensive long

- term plan, including air traffic and airport infrastructure, to identify and address the needs of the National Airspace System over the next 10

- 20 years? What are the true fundi ng needs of our National Airspace System over the next 10

- 20 years? What is the long

- term level of funding from general tax revenues that is needed to address U.S. global competitiveness and aviation’s contribution to the economic vitality and national

se curity needs of the nation?

2. NextGen: How can we accelerate funding for air traffic control modernization without imposing an additional financial burden on the industry? How can we

accelerate the cost

- beneficial elements of the proposed NextGen air tra ffic c ontrol system, including necessary aircraft equipage requirements so that the safety, reliability, environmental and efficiency benefits can be realized as quickly as possible?

3. Funding Reform: Is the way the U.S. currently funds the national avia tion system globally competitive? Should it be reformed to ensure better control and efficiency

and make it less complex and more equitable across all stakeholders that benefit from

air travel?

Addressing Environmental Challenges and Finding Solutions

1. Global Approach: How can we implement a fair and consistent regulatory framework for aviation emissions that reflects the global connectivity of the industry , preserves competitiveness and economic vitality, and avoids a patchworkof overlapping and d uplicative regulations at the international, national and state

level s ?

2. Investment in Technology and Alternative Fuels: How can we accelerate the development of new emission reduction technologies and the development of cost

competitive alternative f uels as part of the overall environmental strategy for

airlines?

3. Environmental Responsibility : What more can be done to promote and reward aviation's record as an environmentally efficient economic engine, and what additional steps can government and industry take to make further

environmental improvements? What are other countries doing in this area and is the U.S. competitive?

Ensuring Safety in Aviation

1. Continuous Improvement: How do safety regulators and all industry stakeholders, including mai nline and regional airlines, continue to build on gains made in aviation safety so that the next decade of aviation is even safer than the last? How can we improve the current system of safety regulation to maintain the highest level of safety without imp acting economic vitality?

2. Global Leadership : What can the U.S. government and aviation stakeholders do to raise the bar on aviation safety and security in other countries around the world?

How do we conti nue to share best practices and information and e ffect real improvement in international aviation safety and security while maintaining global competitiveness?

3. National Security: To what extent does the current funding system for aviation security need to be changed to recognize that most aviation secu rity functions are protecting the safety and security of the nation as a whole rather than just airlines and passengers? How can all aviation security stakeholders, including all government agencies and the private sector, cooperate better to improve avia tion security and economic performance?

Ensuring a World

- Class Workforce Necessary for a Robust Aviation Industry

1. Long

- Term Stability and Sustainability: Aviation employees have been negatively impacted by the “boom and bust” economic cycles of the last decade. What improvements need to be made to provide a more sustainable, stable, and rewarding platform for employees in the aviation industry? How do workforce issues in the U.S. industry enhance or impede U.S. carriers’ ability to compete with other g lobal

airlines?

2. Labor

- Management Relations: Would changes to the policies, rules or practices governing collecting bargaining in the aviation industry provide more stability and opportunity for employees and improve the industry’ s ability to compete glo bally?(For example, in rail, management and labor tend to limit the number of issues to be addressed in section 6 negotiations, which tends to reduce the amount of time necessary to reach agreements .) How can we best pursue an adequate balance

between th e need operate as efficiently as possible to preserve the economic vitality

of U.S. industry while also providing opportunities for employees ?

3. Training and Education : Are improvements to our educational and training systems necessary to ensure that o ur aviation workforce is best prepared and trained to compete against other global airlines in the next decade and beyond?