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 advantage international 

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

long-term global competitiveness 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 Systems 

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 funding 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 

security 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 traffic control 

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 aviation 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 patchwork 
of overlapping and duplicative regulations at the international, national and state 

levels? 

2. Investment in Technology and Alternative Fuels: How can we accelerate the 

development of new emission reduction technologies and the development of costcompetitive alternative fuels 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 mainline 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 impacting 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 continue to share best practices and information and effect 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 security 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 aviation 

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 global 

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 globally? 
(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 the 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 our aviation workforce is best prepared and trained 

to compete against other global airlines in the next decade and beyond?