Media Brief – July 22, 2010

CONTACT:      

Caleb Tiller, +1 703-684-0836 ext. 138, ctiller@nbta.org
Nicole Hayes, +1 703-684-0836 ext. 133, nhayes@nbta.org 

NBTA Expresses Concern Over Passenger Facility Charge Increase in Aviation Bill

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) - the voice of the business travel industry – yesterday submitted a letter to Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller and Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchinson urging exclusion of language in the House version of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009 that would increase Passenger Facility Charges (PFC). While NBTA supports the passage of the bill to ensure the safety and efficiency of the U.S. aviation system, the association is concerned with raising the current $4.50 PFC cap to $7.00.

Michael W. McCormick, NBTA Executive Director & COO, commented, “Passage of the FAA Reauthorization Act is vital to the future of our nation’s aviation system, with the implementation of an updated air traffic control system resting on its fate.  However, at a time when businesses are considering increased investment in travel and added fees are overwhelming passengers, targeting travelers with additional charges will only lead to a decrease in business travel – an industry essential to economic recovery.”

In his letter, McCormick also referenced the $27 billion in financial assets that airports already have to draw on. With the large influx in spending, he said additional charges to air passengers should not be enacted. McCormick expressed NBTA’s support for the Senate’s legislation that does not include the increase in PFCs and hope that the conference report will soon be completed.

View McCormick’s letter.

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and corporate meetings organization. NBTA and its regional affiliates – NBTA Australia / New Zealand, the Brazilian Business Travel Association (ABGEV), NBTA Canada, NBTA Europe, NBTA Mexico, and NBTA USA – serve a network of more than 17,000 business travel professionals around the globe with industry-leading events, networking, education & professional development, research, news & information, and advocacy. NBTA members, numbering more than 5,000 in 30 nations, are corporate and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers. They collectively manage and direct more than US$340 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually on behalf of more than 13 million business travelers within their organizations. For more information, visit www.nbta.org