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NATA Airline Services Council
NATA formed the Airline Services Council (NATA ASC) to further the interests of companies that provide services to scheduled air carriers as their primary business. The primary goal of the NATA ASC is to provide a voice within the public policy arena, especially in terms of issues that impact their viability and profitability.. |
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Professional Line Service Training |
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PLST Online provides the most up-to-date training available for line service specialists – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Line service supervisors can conduct the new PLST Online training anytime and from anywhere there is access to the Web. continued |
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| Chairman’s Message |
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| If there was a way to make things better for your company at very little cost, would you take advantage of it? Of course you would without thinking twice about it.
We know that it’s tough being an aviation services company. It seems that we are in the middle of a lot of things and very little of it is good. Our expenses go up, but just try raising your prices to cover your costs. We know how quickly that would trigger an RFP. We have contracts that are valid for 2 to 3 years, but just try to get one without a 60-day out clause. Some carriers will nail you with penalties in their service level agreements, but just try to work in a bonus clause and see how quickly you’re laughed out of the negotiation.
The fact is that we’re continually squeezed on all sides and there generally isn’t a lot we can do to fight back. I’ve heard aviation service leaders lament the fact that carriers will demand ever higher levels of service but will change providers of that service for the difference of a dime.
Now we get to legislation and the federal government. In the U.S., all adult citizens have a vote and it’s our duty to vote in elections. But if you, for example, happen to be a Republican in a blue state such as California, it’s probably hard to believe your vote counts for anything. That is until people ban together and voice their objections as one voice. Whether you agree with the folks labeled as “Tea Partiers” or not, the impact they’ve had on the discussion of health care and deficit reduction in this country is hard to ignore.
So the question is, What can we as “abused” aviation service companies do to help our situation? The answer is, involve ourselves in the efforts of NATA and the Airline Services Council. We need to know what’s going on in Washington and the impact that legislation and the federal agencies have on our companies. We need more of our fellow companies to ban together with us to really have an impact.
We represent many thousands of employees and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. That is a significant piece of the aviation industry. What we don’t have is a lot of lobbyists to aid our cause. By banning together and working with the NATA Airline Services Council, we can make a difference in the things that impact our businesses.
But how many of your employees actually know that your company is a member of the Airline Services Council? And more importantly, how many of your employees know that they can help us all out by writing to their legislators? Please make sure you stay in tune with what NATA is trying to do and get your employees involved to help us all. It doesn’t cost anything to know what’s going on, but that massive one voice can have a major impact on each and every one of our businesses.
Jack Evans, Chairman
NATA Airline Services Council | |
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| Legislation To Reduce Unfair Government Competition Introduced |
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| U.S. Representative John Duncan (R-TN) and U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD) recently introduced legislation, the Freedom from Government Competition Act (and H.R. 1474 and S. 785, respectively) to reduce unfair government competition with the private sector, including small business.
The legislation seeks to end government monopolies and benefit the taxpayer by subjecting commercial activities being performed by federal employees within government agencies to market competition. Not only do federal agencies duplicate services performed by private business, but many also engage in unfair government competition with the private sector. Many aviation businesses have been affected by unfair government competition.
NATA members are being asked to contact their Members of Congress to request they co-sponsor this legislation. The more co-sponsors the bill has, the more likely it will be taken up by Congress. H.R. 1474 and S. 785 have been referred to their respective committees of jurisdiction for further review. | |
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| Inside Washington Blog |
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| NATA Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs Eric R. Byer’s latest blogs discuss the importance of new legislation addressing government completion against private business.
To read Byer’s blogs, please click here. | |
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| U.S. Senate Appoints Conferees For FAA Reauthorization Legislation |
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The U.S. Senate appointed conferees to the committee that will resolve the differences between the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate versions of long-term FAA reauthorization legislation. U.S. Senate members who will serve on the conference committee include:
- Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation
- Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Member, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
- Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), Member, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
- Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security
- Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance
- Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
- Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), Ranking Member, Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security
- Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Finance
The House has yet to appoint their conferees. | |
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| Congress Approves FY 2011 Funding Bill |
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| Congress concluded negotiations on a final Fiscal Year 2011 (FY11) Continuing Resolution to fund the government until September 30, 2011. The omnibus spending bill includes $1.049 trillion in funding for the federal government, a reduction of nearly $40 billion from FY10’s level.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was provided $41.8 billion in discretionary funding, reduced by $784 million or 2% below FY10. All critical operations for the DHS, including Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Coast Guard and Secret Service, are funded to meet mission requirements and to sustain staffing levels. However, the bill caps the amount of TSA screener personnel at 46,000. For aviation programs, the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program received level funding of $3.5 billion.
While this is a historic reduction in funding for the federal government, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of the spending bill will only reduce federal outlays by $352 million below 2010 spending rates. The nonpartisan budget agency also projects that total outlays are actually some $3.3 billion more than in 2010, if emergency spending is included in the total. The astonishing result, according to the CBO, is the result of several factors: increases in spending included in the deal, especially at the Department of Defense; decisions to draw over half of the savings from rescissions, cuts to reserve funds, and mandatory-spending programs; and writing off cuts from funding that might never have been spent. | |
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| Congress Repeals Onerous 1099 Reporting Mandate |
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| On April 5, 2011, the U.S. Senate approved H.R. 4, a bill that repeals the expanded 1099 reporting mandate that was included in President Obama’s Healthcare Overhaul legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The repeal of this reporting mandate is a victory, especially for small businesses. Specifically, the provision in PPACA mandated that small business owners file a 1099-MISC form to the Internal Revenue Service for all payments made to vendors totaling $600 or more in a tax year. The business community expressed outrage regarding these onerous paperwork requirements that will add significant costs to their operations.
The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives on March 3, 2011, with bi-partisan support. H.R. 4 is expected to be signed into law by the President. | |
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| Sign-Up To Receive NATA’s Weekly Political Update |
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| NATA offers its members a political update on specific items that the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and the White House are working on each week. This weekly update provides detailed information on hearings, legislation that was introduced or debated in committee, and any issue that NATA is following within Congress or the White House. The update’s purpose is to provide members a more comprehensive view of the legislative matters on which the association is working. The Weekly Political Update is sent out via email only to NATA members who request to receive it. To view past weekly updates, please click here. If you wish to receive these updates, please click here. | |
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| Fact Of The Week – Environmental News |
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| According to the Courthouse News Service, a federal judge issued a ruling last week that prevented several aviation industry groups from intervening in a suit that “could force the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from "non-road vehicles," including aircraft.”
The judge’s rational for preventing the aviation groups from intervening in the suit, brought against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by several environmental groups, was that any harm to the aviation industry due to eventual regulation of greenhouse gas emission, as a result of this suit, was too far removed to provide legal standing. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy Jr. stated that “[The environmental groups initiating this suit] argue ... that the implementation and enforcement of new emissions standards - and thus, the economic consequences thereof - are too hypothetical and too far removed from a judgment of this Court to constitute a 'certainly impending,' causally connected injury for standing purposes. [They] are correct.”
Click here to read the full Courthouse News Service article. | |
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| 2011 NATA Airline Services Council Brochure Now Available For Member Use |
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| NATA recently updated and published its NATA Airline Services Council brochure. This brochure provides information on the latest activities that the council is undertaking, including issues, meeting schedule and member listing.
Members interested in receiving professionally printed hard copies of this brochure may contact Eric Byer on the NATA staff. | |
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| New NATA ASC Logo Available For Member Use |
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| NATA has created a new NATA Airline Services Council logo that members can use on company stationery, publications and their Web site. The association recently provided members with two types of logos that members can use as appropriate. Members wishing to secure the new logo may do so by contacting Eric Byer. | |
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| Don’t Miss The Only OSHA 10-Hour Seminar In 2011 |
| Held Back-To-Back with Popular LSST Seminar in Windsor Locks |
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Safety & Health Training For Ground Operations Seminar – Only One In 2011
NATA’s Safety & Health Training for Ground Operations (OSHA 10-Hour Course) will be offered once this year on May 26-27 immediately following NATA’s popular LSST Seminar in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. NATA’s OSHA 10-Hour Course has been specifically designed for all employees with safety and health responsibilities. Attendees will be introduced to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and general industry policies, procedures and standards, as well as gain a working knowledge of OSHA regulations. Our instructor will provide real-world OSHA guidance and aviation case studies. Attendees will be provided audit and checklist templates as well as the knowledge to implement and improve their facility compliance programs. Participants will receive a course completion certificate from NATA as well as a course completion card from OSHA.
Seminar Topics:
- Gain in-depth knowledge of safety and health concepts
- Obtain a working knowledge of OSHA regulations as well as general industry policies
- Increase your awareness of the link that exists between risk and safety
- Review and take back a practical checklist that will increase your ability to perform your day-to-day duties safely
- Learn correct safety procedures and standards
Click here for more details and a link to register for NATA’s OSHA 10-Hour Course.
Line Service Supervisor Training Seminar – Only LSST In Northeast In 2011
NATA’s Line Service Supervisor Training Seminar will once again take place at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, on May 24-25. This seminar, specifically designed for Line Service Supervisors, provides the training you need to become more proficient in strategic planning, supervising staff, motivating others, communicating and coaching a team. This high-impact, high-energy seminar includes guided group debates, role playing, interactive games and various case studies designed to take you to a new level of leadership. You will also take part in self-assessments to explore your strengths and weaknesses and their effect on your management style.
Don’t miss the chance to attend the LSST in Windsor Locks. Click here for more details and a link to register.
Visit www.nata.aero/event.aspx for information on future NATA events. | |
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