We authorized more staff and more money in AIR-21, but it was never appropriated, despite a letter to the Senate Conferees last fall. Mr. Mead's finding will give us new ammunition to seek the money. DOT should establish an Aviation Enforcement Task Force, detailing staff and resources from throughout the Department to enforce its consumer regulations. I recognize that it will be difficult to fund the enforcement office, but more importantly, so do the carriers. We can not establish new rules and guidelines for carriers to follow, if there is no threat of enforcement.
Oversight is critical to keeping the pressure on the carriers to continue to make improvements.
There is more that must be done. Expanding capacity, overscheduling and seeking ways for carriers to reduce flights, when necessary, must be legislative priorities. We all know that we must expand the capacity of our aviation system, adding new runways where possible, and providing new tools to move aircraft more efficiently. This will take time and money. Carrier scheduling, something that Senator Hutchison has mentioned a number of times, is also an area that we must focus on.