@irports update -- Oct. 21, 2009

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	Oct. 21, 2009



			This Week In Summary Congress and the 64 Days Until Christmas» Centerlines on the Scene» ACI-NA Opposes Immediate Hike of Agriculture Inspection Fees» Feedback Sought on New Compliance Manual» ACI-NA Attends JPDO All Hands Meeting» DHS Issues Waiver for Electronic Baggage Screening Equipment» New Aviation Group Forming» ACI Training Opportunities:» In The News FAA Sets New Standards For Airport Pavements» Despite Downturn in Traffic, Los Angeles Plans $1.3B Airport Overhaul» Airports Should Be Public Faces of Industry in Communities, Official Says» Al Qaeda Still Targeting Aviation, CNN Analyst Warns» Imams Settle Lawsuit Over Removal from 2006 Flight»


			Hot Topics
			Congress and the 64 Days Until Christmas Congress faces an uphill slog to complete the work before them between now and Christmas. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced last week he hoped to have the House recess by mid-December, but Christmas is becoming the most likely stopping point. To date three of the 12 appropriations bills have been completed. The Senate still has to pass five of the bills, and has been working to move the Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill for three weeks. Talk is growing that they will bundle the remaining appropriations bills into an omnibus package to get them done. Congress will have to pass another continuing resolution soon as the current one expires on Oct. 31. The Senate Commerce Committee is still working to get the Finance Committee to complete work on the revenue provisions of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill so they can bring S. 1451 to the floor. ACI-NA continues to work with both committees and the Majority Leader’s office to get this bill completed this year. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold hearings on their climate change bill next week. Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has suggested that she will hold off marking up the bill until early November. The House already passed their climate change bill. It is unclear whether a climate change bill will be brought to the Senate floor this year, as many believe that regulatory reform of the banking and financial industries will be addressed after health care. The Senate Finance Committee completed its work on a health care reform package last Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), a member of the Health, Labor Education and Pensions Committee, began meeting on Monday to merge the two committee’s bills. The House has yet to take up their health care reform bill. Contact ACI-NA’s Jane Calderwood for more information» Centerlines on the Scene The final edition of Centerlines on the Scene will be distributed on Friday. This edition wraps up the coverage of the 18th Annual Conference & Exhibition that took place last week in Austin. It will contain links to all the presentations made during the seminars, general sessions and concurrents. ACI-NA Opposes Immediate Hike of Agriculture Inspection Fees Effective Nov. 1, the Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection user fees for international airline passenger will be increased by 50 cents to $5.50. The Department of Agriculture is also raising the per plane fee by 10 percent to $78 for commercial aircraft. The airlines are objecting to the fee increase and have threatened to sue the government to stop the fee hike. Both ACI-NA and the Air Transport Association (ATA) at an Oct. 15 public hearing objected to the department’s decision to hike the fees using an interim final rule rather than the traditional rulemaking procedures. ACI-NA said the department should be consulting with stakeholders through the normal rule making process as well as on a more informal, consistent basis. ACI-NA stressed that it is impossible to evaluate whether the user fee is justified because useful information on the direct and indirect costs for the inspections has not been provided. ACI-NA also will provide written comments, which are due Nov. 27. The airlines claim the fees charged to the airlines and its passengers are not “commensurate” with the cost of providing the service as required by law and that aviation is bearing more than its fair share of the costs of agricultural inspections. *View Federal Register* notice – interim rule» View Federal Register notice – implementation extension»** Contact ACI-NA’s Diane Peterson for more information» Feedback Sought on New Compliance Manual The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a revised version of Order 5190.6B, Airport Compliance Manual on Sept. 30. This order sets forth policies and procedures for the FAA Airport Compliance Program. It provides basic guidance for FAA personnel in interpreting and administering the various continuing commitments airport owners make to the United States as a condition for the grant of federal funds or the conveyance of federal property for airport purposes. The revised order has been effective since Sept. 30. On Oct. 13, the FAA published a notice in the Federal Register stating its intent to periodically review the order. The first review will be September 2010. To facilitate the review, the agency wants all comments on the order filed by March 31. ACI-NA legal and technical affairs staff will be reviewing the revised Compliance Manual and plan to submit comments to the FAA in advance of the March 31 deadline. Review the Oct. 13 notice» Contact ACI-NA’s Chris Oswald for more information» ACI-NA Attends JPDO All Hands Meeting The Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) held another in a series of periodic meetings on Oct. 16 to share NextGen long-term plans with the aviation industry. A revised NextGen Integrated Work Plan and Enterprise Architecture, along with significant enhancements to the Joint Planning Environment were recently released. The work plan, which has more than 750 discrete elements, was reorganized around capabilities, rather than functional areas. This should make it easier to track progress on specific improvements that are important to airports. Progress on the various JPDO projects can be viewed using the web based Joint Planning Environment, which provides an interactive roadmap to the JPDO products. The meeting also featured a briefing on the RTCA Task Force 5 report, in which ACI-NA participated extensively. The task force recommendations emphasize improvements that can be made in the near term using capabilities that already exist, or will exist in the near future. The recommended capabilities of interest to airports are focused on: expanded surface surveillance and procedures, further improvements in reducing wake vortex separations, increased attention to operations on closely spaced parallel runways and increased efforts to de-conflict multiple airports in metroplexes like New York City, the San Francisco bay area, the Los Angeles basin and elsewhere. ACI-NA staff will continue to be active in JPDO and NextGen activities on your behalf. Contact ACI-NA’s Chris Oswald or Dick Marchi for more information» DHS Issues Waiver for Electronic Baggage Screening Equipment Effective Oct. 13, the Department of Homeland Security has granted a limited nationwide waiver to those airports constructing Electronic Bagging Screening systems funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The waiver will exempt participating airports from meeting the 100 percent Buy American requirements within the law provided that 95 percent of the project meets these requirements. In a Federal Register notice, the department explained that it is difficult to ascertain the country of origin for multitude of parts involved in the explosives detection systems. The notice explains in detail the process for airports to obtain the waiver. Read the Federal Register notice» Contact ACI-NA’s Lydia Kellogg for more information» New Aviation Group Forming A new group has formed to support gays and lesbians in the airport industry, Gays and Lesbians in Aviation (GALA). GALA aims to serve as a networking group for gay and lesbian aviation professionals from airports, consultants, airlines, other businesses and organizations in airport development. Prominent leaders including Elaine Roberts (Columbus), John Martin (San Francisco) and Evan Futterman (Futterman Consulting) are founding members of the organization. If you are interested in participating or learning more, please e-mail the group at GALAaviation@gmail.com. ACI Training Opportunities: Concession Course Now Available Online The Online Learning Centre of ACI's Global Training Hub is now offering a Certificate in Concession Management course designed for staff engaged in managing concessions such as retail, food/beverage, duty free, services, parking and ground transportation and rental cars. Several ACI-NA members, including Atlanta and San Diego, have already used the course. Enrol online� Contact the OLC Manager Eddie Ragauskas for more information� Training Website Re-launched ACI has re-launched its training and staff development website. The Global Training Hub website has been re-written and streamlined for easier navigation. The new link: www.aci.aero/training The Global Training Hub remains a direct link from the ACI-NA home page. View the course catalog for all ACI classes� Next AMPAP's Management Training to be in Houston The next Air Transport System course -- the mandatory first-step in the ACI/ICAO Airport Management Professional Accreditation Program (AMPAP -- will be offered in Houston the week of Dec. 7-11. This class must be completed before students can progress to the rest of the six-course curriculum. Visit the AMPAP website to register on-line� Contact ACI's Paul Behnke for registration or more information� ^ Back to top



			Industry News Briefs
			FAA Sets New Standards For Airport Pavements Airports, Oct. 20, By James Ott The agency has issued a 124-page advisory circular offering guidance to accommodate current and future landing gear configurations. At the same time, it has revised methods for designing pavements "to reflect more accurately what these loads do," said ACI-NA’s Richard Marchi. (Paid subscription required.) View the complete article» Despite Downturn in Traffic, Los Angeles Plans $1.3B Airport Overhaul The New York Times, Oct. 20, By Rebecca Cathcart Airport traffic is down, airlines are consolidating routes and Southern California's business and tourism economy is reeling from the recession. But city officials cast a vote of confidence on Monday in the future of Los Angeles International Airport, awarding contracts for a major overhaul of the airport's international travel facilities, including adding more than one million square feet of terminal space. The decision to upgrade follows similar decisions at other airports, said ACI-NA’s Debby McElroy. View the complete article» More from the Centerlines Blog» Airports Should Be Public Faces of Industry in Communities, Official Says Airports, Oct. 20, By James Ott Aviation has been hit hard by the economy, but airports still need to operate as the public faces of the industry in their communities, said ACI-NA President Greg Principato. "We can't fly our assets away because we are part of the fabric in the lives of our communities," Principato said last week at ACI-NA's annual conference in Austin, Texas. (Paid subscription required.) View the complete article» Al Qaeda Still Targeting Aviation, CNN Analyst Warns Airports, Oct. 20, By Benet Wilson The good news for the United States is that the odds of more attacks like those on 9/11 are nearly zero, says Peter Bergen, CNN's national security analyst. But the bad news is that homegrown terrorism is becoming more of a probability, with aviation as a critical target, Bergen said. "Commercial aviation is an obsession for Al Qaeda, even though it's the hardest to get to." Bergen was the keynote speaker last week at the annual Airports Council International-North America conference in Austin. (Paid subscription required.) View the complete article» Imams Settle Lawsuit Over Removal from 2006 Flight Associated Press, Oct. 20, By Steve Karnowski Six imams taken off from a 2006 US Airways flight in Minneapolis after passengers reported what they considered suspicious behavior have settled their discrimination lawsuit, saying they considered it acknowledgment that their removal was a mistake. View the complete article» ^ Back to top



			Events On Approach
			Airport Concessions Conference Join ACI-NA’s Commercial Management Committee at the annual Airport Concessions Conference Nov. 9-12 at the Westin in Indianapolis. The conference features educational sessions on the latest trends and updates in the industry, roundtable discussions, speed dating, networking sessions, and the Richard A. Griesbach Excellence in Airport Concessions Awards luncheon. View the most up to date agenda Register online for the conference and save $35 More details: Housing, agenda, sponsorships, and more» International Aviation Issues Seminar: Agenda Now Available Join ACI-NA at the annual International Aviation Issues Seminar Dec. 3-4 at The Fairfax Embassy Row in Washington, DC. This annual seminar brings together top airport and airline management, government officials and consultants, to explore the latest developments in international air travel and trade, government air transport policies and negotiations and facilitation policies/procedures which impact airports' ability to retain and secure new international air service The ACI-NA Holiday Reception will be Dec. 3 at the Fairfax. All of the seminar sessions will be held at The Fairfax at Embassy Row. The cut-off date to receive the special group rate of $234 is Nov. 13. In order to make your room reservation, please call the hotel directly at (202) 293-2100. View the most up to date agenda Register online and save $35 More details: Housing, sponsorships, and more» ACI-NA/ACC/FAA Airport Planning Redefined Course Join ACI-NA, ACC, and the FAA for the first Airport Planning Redefined Course on Dec. 7-9 at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo. The course will go beyond the Master Plan advisory circular to provide insights that will enable professionals involved in planning airport improvements to be more effective and better prepared in today’s environment. Course sessions will provide aviation professionals with information regarding best practices, processes, and guidance regarding airport planning that can be used to make planning efforts more successful. It will also provide insight into near and long-term trends that are changing the way in which airport planning will be done in the future. The workshop will end in a joint session with NEPA professionals on the morning of Dec. 9. The joint session will focus on strategies to better integrate the planning/project definition and NEPA process to ensure success. If you are interested in attending both events, a discounted registration rate is available. View the information brochure for this seminar Register for the Airport Planning Redefined More details: Housing, agenda, sponsorships, and more» ACI-NA/ACC/FAA NEPA Practitioners Workshop Join ACI-NA, ACC, and the FAA for the annual NEPA Practitioners Workshop scheduled for Dec. 9-10 at The Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo. This workshop will use detailed presentations along with interactive and collegial activities to educate you on key tenants of the NEPA process. Expect interactive discussion and workshop projects. Moderators and printed materials will provide detailed information as a foundation for discussion. The workshop will begin with a joint session with airport planning professionals on the morning of Dec. 9. The joint session will focus on strategies to better integrate the planning/project definition and NEPA process to ensure success. If you are interested in attending both events, a discounted registration rate is available. View the informational brochure for this workshop Register for the NEPA Workshop More details: Housing, agenda, sponsorships, and more» See upcoming ACI-NA Events» ^ Back to top



			Committee Update
			Business Diversity Committee ACI-NA’s Business Diversity Committee met at the 18th ACI-NA Annual Conference & Exhibition, in Austin on Oct. 11. There were various discussions on the administering of economic stimulus funds, changes in legislation, regulatory requirements, and best business practices affecting Airport Concessions Disadvantage Business Enterprises programs at airports. The committee will also host a roundtable discussion, Challenges and Obstacles for the Emerging/New DBE - Navigating Increasing Hindrances to Participation, in conjunction with the 2009 ACI-NA Concessions Conference in Indianapolis on Nov. 11. This workshop is designed to show what applicants and certifying officials can do to avoid common pitfalls. In addition, find out what is being done on Capitol Hill to improve this process for everyone. Contact ACI-NA’s Michelle Leslie or Monica Hargrove Kemp for more information» Learn more about ACI-NA Committees and Programs» ^ Back to top



			aci-na.org
			Blog: Airlines Trying Out New Line in Fight Against PFCs We heard it in Austin from Continental CEO Larry Kellner – airlines can’t afford to hike ticket prices to incorporate a higher PFC because of sticker shock to passengers. ACI-NA President Greg Principato notes in his blog that the airlines have no problem in charging for luggage and other items. Digital Centerlines The digital version of the October edition of Centerlines has now been posted to the website. In the story on ACI’s Online Learning Centre there is an easy link to follow to try out a sample of an online course. No Silver Bullet Featured both in October Centerlines and as a presentation at the Marketing and Communications Conference in Montreal, the Airport Cooperative Research Program’s Passenger Air Service Development Techniques is now available on our website. This guidebook explores the underlying competitive challenges that small communities face in retaining or enhancing their commercial air service, examines how communities can address those challenges, and describes the basic components and tools of an air service development program. ^ Back to top



			Info Desk
			August 2009 Passenger Airline Employment Down 5.5% from August 2008 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 5.5 percent fewer workers in August 2009 than in August 2008, the 14th consecutive decrease in full-time equivalent employee levels for the scheduled passenger carriers from the same month of the previous year, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported on Tuesday. BTS reported that the August total of 384,396 for the scheduled passenger carriers was 22,429 below August 2008 and the lowest total for any month since 1993. See complete release and data tables» ^ Back to top



	In This Issue • Hot Topics» • Industry News Briefs» • Events On Approach» • Committee Update» • aci-na.org» • Info Desk»


	ACI-NA Concessions Conference Nov. 9-12 Indianapolis Airport Planning Redefined Dec. 7-9 Kansas City NEPA Practioniers Workshop Dec. 9-11 Kansas City ACI-NA International Aviation Issues Dec. 3-4 Washington



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	About ACI-NA Airports Council International-North America is the "Voice of Airports" representing local, regional and state governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports in the United States and Canada. ACI-NA member airports enplane more than 95 percent of the domestic and virtually all the international airline passenger and cargo traffic in North America. ACI-NA Associate members represent a wide variety of businesses that provide products and services to the aviation and airport industry.



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	ACI-NA 2009-10 Board of Directors Executive Committee G. Hardy Acree Chairman Director of Airports Sacramento County Airport System Sacramento, Calif. Frank R. Miller First Vice Chair Aviation Director San Antonio Aviation Department San Antonio, Texas Thella Bowens Second Vice Chair President/CEO San Diego County Regional Airport Authority San Diego, Calif. Thomas J. Kinton, Jr. Secretary-Treasurer CEO & Executive Director Massachusetts Port Authority Boston, Mass. John D. Clark, III Immediate Past Chairman CEO Indianapolis Airport Authority Indianapolis, Ind. Barry Rempel Ex-Officio President & CEO Winnipeg Airports Authority Winnipeg, Manitoba Directors Iftikar Ahmad Director of Aviation Dayton Department of Aviation Dayton, Ohio David. N. Edwards, Jr. Executive Director Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport Greer, S.C. Robert A. Hazel Partner Oliver Wyman Reston, Va. David Jennings Commissioner Charleston County Aviation Authority Charleston, S.C. Bradley S. Livingston Airport Director Dane County Regional Airport Madison, Wis. Richard McConnell Airport Director Boise Airport Boise, Idaho Reginald K. Milley President and CEO Edmonton Regional Airports Authority Edmonton, Alberta Brad Penrod Executive Director/CEO Allegheny County Airport Authority Pittsburgh, Pa.. Raul Regalado President & CEO Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority Nashville, Tenn. Mark Reis Managing Director Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Seattle, Wash. William Restall President & CEO Saskatoon Airport Authority Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Maureen Riley Executive Director Salt Lake City Department of Airports Salt Lake City, Utah Brian Searles Director of Aviation Burlington International Airport Burlington, Vt. Elsie Rast-Stuart Commissioner Columbia Metropolitan Airport Columbia, S.C.. William Vanecek Director of Aviation Buffalo Niagara International Airport Buffalo, N.Y. Mark VanLoh Director of Aviation Kansas City Aviation Department Kansas City, Mo. ACI-NA President Greg Principato 2009 World Business Partners/ Associates Board of Directors Executive Committee Robert A. Hazel Chair Partner Oliver Wyman Reston, Va. Laddie E. Irion Vice Chair Vice President/Director, Air Transportation URS Tampa, Fla. Immediate Past Chair Vacant Randall H. Walker ACI-NA Board Liaison Director of Aviation Clark County Department of Aviation Las Vegas, Nev. Directors Donald G. Andrews Vice President – Aviation Reynolds, Smith and Hills Houston, Texas Steven T. Baldwin Senior Vice President The Louis Berger Group Albany, N.Y. Leslie K. Cappetta President and CEO SSP America Lansdowne, Va. Armen DerHohannesian General Manager Armen DerHohannesian & Associates Hampton, N.H. Bruce Feuer Vice President, Business Development The Paradies Shops Atlanta, Ga. Kurt Krummenacker Assistant Vice President/Analyst Moody's Investors Service New York, N.Y. Deborah T. Meehan Chief Operating Officer SH&E Cambridge, Mass. David Naleway National Sales Manager, Aviation Jacobs Cypress, Calif. Mark A. Perryman President Landrum & Brown, Inc. Cincinnati, Ohio Randy D. Pope Associate Vice President, Aviation & Facilities Group Burns & McDonnell Kansas City, Mo.



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