More than simply the availability of cheap airplane tickets and discount travel packages is needed to grow passenger air travel. In a move that will help spur this growth, both the Senate and House have approved aviation bills that will modernize the countrys air traffic control system.
The goal is to transition from our current air traffic control system which is based on World War II era radar technology to GPS technology.
Passengers will benefit because the new air traffic system will enable planes to fly more accurate routes between airports, saving time, money, and fuel. Satellite technology updates the location of planes every second vs. radar which takes six to 12 seconds.
The Senates aviation bill is being touted by Democrats as a jobs creation bill. The $8 billion in airport construction funds is estimated to support 90,000 current and/or new jobs and have a positive spinoff impact on the employment of 190,000 workers.
Small airports would no longer enjoy federally subsidized airline service if they are within 90 miles of a larger airport or serve fewer than 10 passengers a day.
The bill would make it a federal law that airlines would not be allowed to keep passengers stranded in planes on airport runways for longer than three hours without giving them the option of leaving. Airlines would be required to distribute water to passengers while sitting in planes.
Although this provision is almost the same as the rules issued by the Transportation Department it is believed that by making passenger protections part of law that it will be more difficult to reverse them in the future.
The aviation bills between the Senate and the House need to be reconciled and sent to the President before they become law.
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