Congress is currently considering the 21st Century AIRR Act, legislation that would finally modernize America’s antiquated air traffic control system. Sign up below to join the fight for reform.
Why We Support Air Traffic Control ReformAmerica invented aviation, but the air traffic control system we rely on today is inefficient. If you fly, you have felt the impact in time wasted and money lost. After three decades of falling behind, it’s time for Congress to act. |
Transferring the air traffic control function to an independent, not-for-profit and self-funding organization provides long-term financial stability that benefits all travelers and shippers. It is the means for continuous air traffic control infrastructure and technology upgrades that benefit passengers, shippers and the environment by reducing delays, saving time and money, and reducing emissions.
Today, air traffic controllers sequence planes for take-off using paper strips and track them in-flight with ground-based radar. This inefficient system requires planes to travel from point to point, often traveling out of their way rather than in a straight, direct route. These outdated technologies result in unnecessarily long flight times and indirect routes, which add time, fuel and ultimately more cost.
Safety is priority number one. The United States has the safest air traffic control system in the world and the implementation of available, state-of-the art technology will enhance safety while improving operational performance. For too long, the governance and infrastructure of the air traffic control system has been allowed to become outdated, hampered by faulty governance and political red tape.
Passengers and taxpayers currently pay about $12 billion annually to the federal government just for air traffic control services. On top of that, passengers pay an additional $3 billion in passenger facility taxes for airports. A critical part of reforming our system includes eliminating the $12 billion in taxes that passengers pay for air traffic control and instead require airlines to pay for their use of the system. That’s how most other developed countries pay for their air traffic control system.
As the nation readies for one of the busiest travel periods of the year, now is the perfect time to ask Congress "Why is the United States the last developed country in the world to finally upgrade from 1950s air traffic control (ATC) technolog...
The aviation industry has always played a major role in California’s economy, which leads the nation in economic output associated with air travel.
Total direct travel spending in California was $126 billion last year alone, a large port...
Bipartisan Group of Garden State Leaders Endorses Air Traffic Control Reforms That Will Benefit All New Jersey Fliers
The House has been working for months behind the scenes on the most significant improvement to commercial air travel in decades:
Over 1,000 elected officials, think tanks, advocacy groups, and labor unions from across the political spectrum support air traffic control reform. Over 123,000 travelers have sent 282,900 messages to Congress in support.