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Hearing “The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline Industry”
house Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust Subcommittee · Jun 24, 2026 · Transcript · 72 transcript matches
BALINT, BECCA "canceled, and everything from seat selection to carry-ons are now perks that you get to pay for. This is the predictable result of a market that has been allowed to consolidate for over 60 years, and an administration that continues to prioritize the demands of huge corporations at the cost of everyday Americans. Americans were promised that consolidation would produce a more reliable, efficient, and affordable aviation system. It has done the opposite. Flyers face new and rising fees, fewer alternatives, no bargaining power, and increasing barriers to affordable travel. In 1960, before..."
Hearing Hearings to examine how shutdowns threaten air safety, travel, and the economy.
senate Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation · Nov 19, 2025 · Transcript · 7 transcript matches
SPEAKER_09 "which is absolutely required, much larger portions of the American commercial fleet may have to be grounded because logistically it just wouldn't have been possible to keep meeting those cancellation requirements. So what did this cost us? And by us, I don't mean the airlines. I mean, what did this cost America? The airlines themselves are taking a hit of about $50 million a day just in the potential refunds to cancel passengers. But more importantly, the American economy was feeling all of these dominoes fall. And when you add the impact to airlines and hotels and restaurants and rentals,..."
CRS Report
Offshoring of Airline Maintenance: Implications for Domestic Jobs and Aviation Safety
Reports · Dec 21, 2012
Airlines outsource maintenance to countries like China and El Salvador to achieve cost savings from the comparatively lower wages and from lower costs to build and maintain repair facilities. In some...
CRS Report
Terrorist Attacks on Commercial Airlines: Federal Criminal Prohibitions
Reports · Jan 22, 2010
Federal authorities can and have prosecuted terrorist attacks on commercial airlines under a wide variety of federal statutes. Some of those statutes outlaw crimes committed aboard a commercial...
CRS Report
Airline Deregulation Act of 1978: Preemption of State Consumer Protection Laws
Posts · Mar 1, 2023
Recent widespread flight cancellations and delays have raised questions about the respective roles of the states and the federal government in protecting airline consumers. In August 2022, a group of...
CRS Report
Secondary Cockpit Barriers for Airline Aircraft
Resources · Aug 1, 2024
For the past two decades, there has been continuing policy interest in enhancing airline in-flight security with secondary cockpit barriers. A secondary cockpit barrier, also known as an installed...
CRS Report
Addressing Unruly Airline Passengers
Resources · Oct 19, 2021
As airline passengers have returned to flying in increasing numbers following the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related drop in ridership during 2020, the number of reported unruly passenger...
CRS Report
Airline Passenger Rights: The Federal Role in Aviation Consumer Protection
Reports · Aug 17, 2016
The 1978 deregulation of the airline industry in the United States eliminated federal control over many airline business practices, including pricing and domestic route selection. However, the...
Hearing Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 3055, the Transitioning Retiring and New Service Members to Port Ocean Rail and Truck Jobs Act; an...
house Transportation and Infrastructure Committee · Jun 11, 2025 · Request transcript
CRS Report
Risk-Based Approaches to Airline Passenger Screening
Reports · Mar 31, 2014
Until recently, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had applied relatively uniform methods to screen airline passengers, focusing primarily on advances in screening technology to improve...
Testimony BALINT, BECCA
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"canceled, and everything from seat selection to carry-ons are now perks that you get to pay for. This is the predictable result of a market that has been allowed to consolidate for over 60 years, and an administration that continues to prioritize the demands of huge corporations at the cost of everyday Americans. Americans were promised that consolidation would produce a more reliable, efficient, and affordable aviation system. It has done the opposite. Flyers face new and rising fees, fewer..."
CRS Report
Airport Body Scanners: The Role of Advanced Imaging Technology in Airline Passenger Screening
Reports · Sep 20, 2012
Responding to the need to reliably detect explosives, bomb-making components, and other potential security threats concealed by airline passengers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)...
Witness Jody Reven
Southwest Airlines Pilots Association · 1 hearing
Witness Mr. Nicholas Calio
Airlines for America (A4A) · 1 hearing
Witness Mr. Christopher Sununu
Airlines for America · 1 hearing
Witness Ms. Faye Black
Regional Airlines Association (RAA) · 1 hearing
Witness The Honorable Chris Sununu
Airlines for America (A4A) · 1 hearing
Testimony FITZGERALD, SCOTT
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"This deregulation transformed the market into what we see today. Unshackled from government regulation, what we saw over time was intense competitive pressure that pushed prices down and consumer choice up. But that pressure also led to a significant number of mergers, acquisitions, and bankruptcies. Between 1978 and 2005, for example, 162 airlines filed for bankruptcy. Today's airline industry, while certainly more accessible and more competitive, is also more concentrated than ever before...."
Testimony RASKIN, JAMIE
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"is thriving. Consider the S&P 500, a stock market index of 500 publicly traded U.S. companies. Last month, the Financial Times published an analysis showing that just five of those 500 companies, or 1%, accounted for 50% of the growth of the index. In the airline industry, the story of lopsided growth and economic concentration is the same. In 2000, the four largest carriers controlled roughly 60% of domestic traffic. Today, they control about 80%. One merger after another has consolidated the..."
Testimony HARRIS, MARK
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"Governor Sununu, thank you for coming to testify today, and I want to take just a moment to talk about the past interactions Congress has had with the airline industry, and we've already touched on it this morning, that Congress passed the Deregulation Act in 1978, and the goal was free up the airline industry from the burdensome, inefficient government boards that dictated the fares, routes, and new entry to the market. I'd really like to know from your experience, how did the Airline..."
Testimony MR. TIMOTHY RAVICH
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"And they don't agree necessarily. Some of these airlines want the other airline slots, even with, you know, United and American are the big airlines. So I think there is some anti-competitive pressure or tendencies in slots and gates and gates that does need evaluation. And I should refer to, I think, pending legislation, right, in the Senate with the gateway access law, which does have some merit to"
Testimony SPEAKER_10
Business meeting to consider S.1547, to amend title 54, United States ...
senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Jun 17, 2026
"So with us in Guam, this cost of high, it's about $4,000 just to go from Guam to California and back. To Hawaii, it's about $2,000, $3,000. And so if the Cabotage Law was exempted from us, we could use Philippine Airlines, we could use China Airlines, we could use Korean Airlines that can fly to Guam, pick up passengers and go on to the United States. So you ask what Congress can do if you could review this Cabotage Law and just give us an exemption or a waiver to be able to have the..."
Testimony SPEAKER_10
Hearings to examine the state of the U.S. Territories.
senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Jun 17, 2026
"So with us in Guam, this cost of high, it's about $4,000 just to go from Guam to California and back. To Hawaii, it's about $2,000, $3,000. And so if the Cabotage Law was exempted from us, we could use Philippine Airlines, we could use China Airlines, we could use Korean Airlines that can fly to Guam, pick up passengers and go on to the United States. So you ask what Congress can do if you could review this Cabotage Law and just give us an exemption or a waiver to be able to have the..."
Testimony SPEAKER_09
Hearings to examine how shutdowns threaten air safety, travel, and the...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Nov 19, 2025
"which is absolutely required, much larger portions of the American commercial fleet may have to be grounded because logistically it just wouldn't have been possible to keep meeting those cancellation requirements. So what did this cost us? And by us, I don't mean the airlines. I mean, what did this cost America? The airlines themselves are taking a hit of about $50 million a day just in the potential refunds to cancel passengers. But more importantly, the American economy was feeling all of..."
Testimony SPEAKER_09
Hearings to examine how shutdowns threaten air safety, travel, and the...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Nov 19, 2025
"Look, in terms of the health care issue, obviously it's a giant issue, and it doesn't affect the airline industry. It affects 350 million Americans, of course. But I'm here to represent the airlines in making sure that the airlines are safe, they're moving on time, that we don't get caught in the political side of things, and not the airlines, that the American public doesn't get caught on the political side of things. But those discussions have to happen, those solutions have to be brought to..."
Hearing Hearings to examine the nomination of David Cummins, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration.
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Jul 16, 2026 · Transcript · 3 transcript matches
SPEAKER_03 "A few weeks ago, I met a TSA officer or TSO from Dallas-Fort Worth Airport named Lucy. If Lucy were standing here today, she would remind us that 25 years ago, our nation changed forever when hijacked airlines were used as weapons. She would tell you that she still carries that weight every morning as she walks past the Not On Our Watch sign to her post. Lucy told me that during this last government shutdown, she and her fellow officers weren't just struggling for months to pay rent, gas, and child"
Hearing "Connecting Rural America to the National Airspace System"
house Aviation Subcommittee · Jun 4, 2026 · Transcript · 2 transcript matches
LARSEN, RICK "The law also improves the lives of neighboring airport communities by requiring the FAA to develop a plan to transition away from leaded fuel in general aviation by 2030. So whether connected via regional airlines, charter flights, or general aviation, these small and rural hubs serve as alternatives to overburdened metropolitan airports. Unfortunately, regional and value airlines face specific challenges ranging from workforce issues to surging fuel"
Hearing Business meeting to consider S.1547, to amend title 54, United States Code, to reauthorize the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund.
senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Jun 17, 2026 · Transcript · 2 transcript matches
SPEAKER_10 "So with us in Guam, this cost of high, it's about $4,000 just to go from Guam to California and back. To Hawaii, it's about $2,000, $3,000. And so if the Cabotage Law was exempted from us, we could use Philippine Airlines, we could use China Airlines, we could use Korean Airlines that can fly to Guam, pick up passengers and go on to the United States. So you ask what Congress can do if you could review this Cabotage Law and just give us an exemption or a waiver to be able to have the opportunity and the access. I'll tell you, South Pacific islands is the same"
Hearing Hearings to examine the state of the U.S. Territories.
senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Jun 17, 2026 · Transcript · 2 transcript matches
SPEAKER_10 "So with us in Guam, this cost of high, it's about $4,000 just to go from Guam to California and back. To Hawaii, it's about $2,000, $3,000. And so if the Cabotage Law was exempted from us, we could use Philippine Airlines, we could use China Airlines, we could use Korean Airlines that can fly to Guam, pick up passengers and go on to the United States. So you ask what Congress can do if you could review this Cabotage Law and just give us an exemption or a waiver to be able to have the opportunity and the access. I'll tell you, South Pacific islands is the same"
Hearing Hearings to examine the nominations of Thomas B. Chapman, of Maryland, to be a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board, Edward Eppler,...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Jun 24, 2026 · Transcript · 2 transcript matches
CRUZ, TED "Unfortunately, we could not play the audio publicly because of existing laws that prohibit the release of cockpit communications. That being said, I found it one of the most chilling things I've ever seen. In the video, you can clearly see that the American Airlines pilot cannot see the Blackhawk helicopter, and the Blackhawk helicopter cannot see the American Airlines jet. The video demonstrated had ADSBN been installed, the American Airlines pilot would have seen the Blackhawk helicopter roughly a minute before the collision and would very easily have avoided the helicopter in that..."
Hearing Hearings to examine improving safety across the National Airspace System.
senate Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation · Jun 23, 2026 · Transcript · 2 transcript matches
MR. CHRISTOPHER SUNUNU "Chairman Moran, Ranking Member Duckworth, members of the Aviation Subcommittee. My name is Chris Sununu, serving as president and CEO of Airlines for America. So thank you for inviting us. And on behalf of Airlines for America and our members, we appreciate the opportunity to participate in this review of recent near-misses and the work needed to further"
Testimony FITZGERALD, SCOTT
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"Subcommittee will come to order without objection. The chair is authorized to declare recess at any time. We welcome everybody to today's hearing on regulation and competition in the airline industry. Without objection, Mr. Nails of Texas will be permitted to participate in today's hearing for the purpose of questioning the witnesses if a member yields them time for that purpose. I will now recognize myself for an opening statement. Today's hearing will examine competition in the U.S. airline..."
Testimony FITZGERALD, SCOTT
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"This process can easily be weaponized to delay airport construction. Across the country, environmental activists file lawsuits using the National Environmental Policy Act to delay these new projects. These regulations act as a constraint, which in turn limits the airline's ability to expand and compete. Finally, like domestic ocean shipping, the United States reserves domestic air transportation only to its U.S. air carriers. This practice, known as cabotage, creates significant tension between..."
Testimony FITZGERALD, SCOTT
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"overregulation. By blocking the transaction, regulators prevented the market from testing whether a strong competitor could emerge to challenge the industry's largest incumbents. At a minimum, the case demonstrates the importance of ensuring that antitrust enforcement promotes competition rather than merely preserving the status quo. As Congress evaluates the future of the airline industry, we should remain mindful of the lessons of deregulation. Competition, not heavy-handed regulation, has..."
Testimony FITZGERALD, SCOTT
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"The Honorable Chris Sununu. Mr. Sununu is the President and CEO of Airlines for America, a trade association of U.S.-based passenger and cargo airlines. He previously served in the U.S. Air Force. He previously served as the Governor of New Hampshire and as a member of the Executive Council of New Hampshire and worked as an environmental"
Testimony THE HONORABLE CHRIS SUNUNU
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"My name is Chris Sununu. I'm currently the President and CEO of Airlines for America. Thank you for inviting me today to testify on behalf of the airline industry, a sector that does support millions of U.S. jobs and drives 5 percent of our country's GDP. Thank you for inviting me today to testify on behalf of the airline industry, a sector that does support millions of U.S. jobs and drives 5 percent of our country's GDP. So when examining the state of the airline industry, the first thing that..."
Testimony THE HONORABLE CHRIS SUNUNU
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"Today, it's about two in five. In the 80s, it's about one in two. Airlines continue to prove themselves as an affordability success story for the American public. The best part is that, according to the April 2026 ASCI survey, airlines are doing all of this with all-time high in customer satisfaction. In the recent spirit, airlines bankruptcy, as unfortunate as that was, was just the first airline bankruptcy in the past 13 years, indicating stability for both our workforce and networks...."
Testimony MR. TIMOTHY RAVICH
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"Aviation depends on both competition and regulation. The title of today's hearing, the 30,000-foot view, Competition and Regulation, in the U.S. airline industry makes this point, and I think well. Every day, millions of passengers and tons of cargo travel around the United States safely and efficiently. The success is easy to overlook. In the nearly 50 years since enactment of the Airline Deregulation Act, passenger traffic has increased exponentially. During the Senate hearings on airline..."
Testimony MR. KRISTIAN STOUT
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"My central point is this. Many of the most important barriers to airline competition arise from policy choices, not from the airlines themselves. The most pro-competitive thing this Congress can do is to clear policy bottlenecks, not pile on new"
Testimony ISSA, DARRELL
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"we hope to turn around, we have a plan to turn around, somehow was a perfectly good reason to take a money-losing airline and not sell it to an airline that might, in the combination, make"
Testimony MS. NANCY ROSE
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"I think that's exactly what I alluded to in my testimony, that Spirit was really focused in this model of stripping down fares to be the lowest possible. And other airlines, while they're making inroads into that, do not have the same impact. So many passengers who flew on Spirit could not afford the higher fares at other airlines. As a consequence, they're either not flying or not making the trip. I think it's definitely contributing to"
Testimony THE HONORABLE CHRIS SUNUNU
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"So more carriers were competing at a lower cost level. That's all because of the deregulation opportunities that came from the late 70s. Yeah, I think one area where the airlines have taken a clear position, first, the airlines do a lot for their customers, right? They put over a billion dollars of their own money in"
Testimony THE HONORABLE CHRIS SUNUNU
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"No, it's not right. The airlines as a whole, yes, sir. Spirit Airlines was in major financial distress years before the issue in Iran, though. Two months of increased fuel costs did not sink"
Testimony SPEAKER_12
Business meeting to consider S.1547, to amend title 54, United States ...
senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Jun 17, 2026
"is so much to fly from Guam and back, I mean, from Saipan to Guam and back, it's over $600. And there's only one airline that flies between these two islands, United Airlines. It used to be we can pay for a round-trip ticket to Guam, like $200, $300, but now it's that high. And veterans are, you know, they need to relax, enjoy their moments, their remaining time, and they have to go through additional stress to just try and get"
Testimony HENRY HOFSCHNEIDER
Hearings to examine the state of the U.S. Territories.
senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Jun 17, 2026
"is so much to fly from Guam and back, I mean, from Saipan to Guam and back, it's over $600. And there's only one airline that flies between these two islands, United Airlines. It used to be we can pay for a round-trip ticket to Guam, like $200, $300, but now it's that high. And veterans are, you know, they need to relax, enjoy their moments, their remaining time, and they have to go through additional stress to just try and get"
Testimony MORAN, JERRY
Hearings to examine how shutdowns threaten air safety, travel, and the...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Nov 19, 2025
"but there may be lingering impacts on the system because of the shutdown. I look forward to the former governor, Governor Sununu, speaking to us this afternoon, hopefully providing us with a roadmap as to what Americans flying next week will expect from the airlines. Last week, the U.S. Travel Association noted that more than $6 billion were lost in travel spending because of the inability to fly, and we cannot afford them. I'm sure the airlines and others, the people who work in the airports..."
Testimony SPEAKER_09
Hearings to examine how shutdowns threaten air safety, travel, and the...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Nov 19, 2025
"Sorry, no Senator here, but I appreciate it. Well, let me just begin by obviously thanking Chairman Moran and Senator Duckworth for holding the hearing. Coming off the unprecedented six-week shutdown, the airline industry definitely appreciates the promptness that this body showed in having this discussion on how government shutdowns not just affect the airlines, but the American people and the American economy. I also want to recognize and thank the efforts of the TSA employees, the CBP..."
Testimony SHEEHY, TIM
Hearings to examine how shutdowns threaten air safety, travel, and the...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Nov 19, 2025
"Thanks for being here, everyone. You know, we all are focused on the airlines generally, ATC slowdowns and airline delays and how that derives, you know, economically from that. But I think another piece of these, the manning shorts that came from the shutdown but also are impacted writ large is our FAA oversight PMOs, DPEs, folks who work within the FAA structure that allow small operators like 135 operators, 137, 133, the folks who are doing organ transportation, who are doing air ambulance,..."
Testimony CANTWELL, MARIA
Hearings to examine how shutdowns threaten air safety, travel, and the...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Nov 19, 2025
"2020-2033. Do you support and agree that that we must ensure that FAA continues its maximum controller hiring for at least the next 10 consecutive years, and that the FAA is then in a better position to offset retirements? So either Mr. Daniels first and then Mr. Sununu. detrimental for years to come. I have two more questions for you. So one, did you, did the airlines comply with what the secretary requested? Oh yeah, look, the airlines made every good faith You think there's data that shows..."
Testimony SPEAKER_09
Hearings to examine how shutdowns threaten air safety, travel, and the...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Nov 19, 2025
"Making sure we're not creating one size fits all structures based on that one winter storm, which was devastating. As you pointed out, some airlines did it very well, some airlines didn't. There was a lot of complexity in it. We just want to make sure that the rules are there and they fit the need of the moment, and they're not so broad-based that they crush the consumer with higher"
Testimony CRUZ, TED
Hearings to examine the nominations of Thomas B. Chapman, of Maryland,...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"Unfortunately, we could not play the audio publicly because of existing laws that prohibit the release of cockpit communications. That being said, I found it one of the most chilling things I've ever seen. In the video, you can clearly see that the American Airlines pilot cannot see the Blackhawk helicopter, and the Blackhawk helicopter cannot see the American Airlines jet. The video demonstrated had ADSBN been installed, the American Airlines pilot would have seen the Blackhawk helicopter..."
Testimony MR. CHRISTOPHER SUNUNU
Hearings to examine improving safety across the National Airspace Syst...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Jun 23, 2026
"Chairman Moran, Ranking Member Duckworth, members of the Aviation Subcommittee. My name is Chris Sununu, serving as president and CEO of Airlines for America. So thank you for inviting us. And on behalf of Airlines for America and our members, we appreciate the opportunity to participate in this review of recent near-misses and the work needed to further"
Testimony MR. JASON AMBROSI
Hearings to examine improving safety across the National Airspace Syst...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Jun 23, 2026
"Good morning, Chairman Moran, Ranking Member Duckworth, and members of this subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify and present the perspective of the 80,000 commercial airline pilots of the Airline Pilots Association International. My name is Jason Ambrosi, and I am a current and qualified 767 captain at Delta Airlines and president of ALPA since"
Testimony LARSEN, RICK
"Connecting Rural America to the National Airspace System"
house Transportation and Infrastructure Committee · Jun 4, 2026
"The law also improves the lives of neighboring airport communities by requiring the FAA to develop a plan to transition away from leaded fuel in general aviation by 2030. So whether connected via regional airlines, charter flights, or general aviation, these small and rural hubs serve as alternatives to overburdened metropolitan airports. Unfortunately, regional and value airlines face specific challenges ranging from workforce issues to surging fuel"
Testimony MS. FAYE BLACK
"Connecting Rural America to the National Airspace System"
house Transportation and Infrastructure Committee · Jun 4, 2026
"Absolutely. So there are two business models that govern regional airline, the way that we bring passengers to larger airlines and through the system. One is capacity purchase agreement. So, we're not necessarily directly impacted under those business relationships, but the market dynamics"
Testimony MS. ERIKA DOUGLAS
“Pier Pressure: Regulation and Competition in Maritime Shipping”
house Judiciary Committee · Mar 17, 2026
"It's also possible that there could be an exercise of monopsony or buyer power against ports in the United States because these agreements allow these companies to collectively negotiate where previously they would have been individual buyers. And so particularly on the idea of scheduling enabling market allocation, we have a close parallel in the airline industry, right? Another transportation industry where we have seen that a scheduling agreement in U.S. versus American Airlines, which is a..."
Testimony CRUZ, TED
Hearings to examine the nominations of John DeLeeuw, of Texas, Richard...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Nov 6, 2025
"Mr. DeLue is an accomplished safety professional and airline captain who began his aviation career in the Air Force flying C-130 Hercules planes supporting combat missions in Desert Storm. After his military service, Mr. DeLue joined American Airlines as a line captain and first officer in 1991. After 20 plus years of flying for American, he then led the airline's safety initiatives for more than a decade. He also served as chairman of the American Pilots Association's National Safety..."
Testimony GONZALES, TONY
Budget Hearing – Federal Aviation Administration
house Appropriations Committee · Jun 4, 2025
"Del Rio is central to Laughlin Air Force Base, as well as the Del Rio Border Patrol sector. Can you speak to how the department is, and we're currently without an airline, right? That community has no access to an airline. Can you speak to how the department is implementing the Section 570 study and whether Del Rio, given its proximity to international trade, military installations, and key trade corridors will be considered in this"
Hearing “Pier Pressure: Regulation and Competition in Maritime Shipping”
house Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust Subcommittee · Mar 17, 2026 · Transcript
MS. ERIKA DOUGLAS "It's also possible that there could be an exercise of monopsony or buyer power against ports in the United States because these agreements allow these companies to collectively negotiate where previously they would have been individual buyers. And so particularly on the idea of scheduling enabling market allocation, we have a close parallel in the airline industry, right? Another transportation industry where we have seen that a scheduling agreement in U.S. versus American Airlines, which is a 2024 case, a scheduling agreement caused a decrease in capacity. It caused the competitors who made..."
Hearing Hearings to examine the nominations of John DeLeeuw, of Texas, Richard Kloster, of West Virginia, and Michelle A. Schultz, of Pennsylvania, each...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Nov 6, 2025 · Transcript
CRUZ, TED "Mr. DeLue is an accomplished safety professional and airline captain who began his aviation career in the Air Force flying C-130 Hercules planes supporting combat missions in Desert Storm. After his military service, Mr. DeLue joined American Airlines as a line captain and first officer in 1991. After 20 plus years of flying for American, he then led the airline's safety initiatives for more than a decade. He also served as chairman of the American Pilots Association's National Safety Committee, and he teaches aviation safety courses at the University of Southern California. As I have seen..."
Hearing Budget Hearing – Federal Aviation Administration
house Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee · Jun 4, 2025 · Transcript
GONZALES, TONY "Del Rio is central to Laughlin Air Force Base, as well as the Del Rio Border Patrol sector. Can you speak to how the department is, and we're currently without an airline, right? That community has no access to an airline. Can you speak to how the department is implementing the Section 570 study and whether Del Rio, given its proximity to international trade, military installations, and key trade corridors will be considered in this"
Hearing Hearings to examine the President's 2026 trade policy agenda.
senate Finance Committee · Jul 22, 2026 · Transcript
THE HONORABLE JAMIESON GREER "We're hopeful that with the World Cup, we saw an uptick in the past couple of months. We think we've seen a lot of – when I've asked even domestic industry about it, airlines, credit card folks who are doing this, they've seen a lot of internal and"
Hearing Confronting Haiti’s Terrorist Gangs: The Gang Suppression Force and the Path Ahead
house Foreign Affairs Committee · Jul 21, 2026 · Transcript
SMITH, CHRISTOPHER H. "But Haiti has been a special case of trafficking. Years ago, I held a series of hearings with Nancy Brevard and others from the Airline Ambassadors International, and they broke up trafficking rings"
Hearing Hearings to examine the nomination of Todd Blanche, of Florida, to be Attorney General.
senate Judiciary Committee · Jul 15, 2026 · Transcript
DURBIN, RICHARD J. "A federal judge recently singled out your, quote, remarkable statements targeting Kilmar Abrego-Garcia as evidence that his criminal prosecution was, quote, marked by a retaliatory taint for successfully fighting his deportation. And despite my repeated request, you've yet to produce the DOJ memorandum concluding that it was legally permissible for the president of the United States to accept a gift of a luxury airliner from the royal family of Qatar, despite constitutional and statutory foreign gift prohibitions. Earlier this month, that jet was launched as Air Force One, despite credible..."
Hearing “Emerging Fraud Threats and the Evolving Fraud Landscape”
house Government Operations Subcommittee · Jul 15, 2026 · Transcript
MR. JAY STANLEY "and how much those items cost. Correct? Yeah, surveillance pricing, where stores get a bunch of data about their customers, and then they charge you based on what they know about you and how much they think you'll pay and whether you're desperate and so forth. That's become a very controversial issue. And states, as you know, regulation of surveillance pricing has been attracting support in the state legislatures from both left and right. And digital IDs will make that much easier. Because if you know they're going to charge if the store is going to charge you more, like let's say that the..."
Hearing Hearings to examine the nominations of Jules Hurst III, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary (Comptroller), Richard O'Malley, of Wisconsin, to be a...
senate Armed Services Committee · Jul 14, 2026 · Transcript
SLOTKIN, ELISSA "So I did some back-of-the-envelope math just from what's available on the cost of the war. We know that the war has already cost the taxpayers separately, out of their own pockets, $100 million, the cost of gas, fuel prices that have gone up, the cost of airline tickets, delivery service fees. That's $750 out of every American household in the entire country since"
Hearing "FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024: Stakeholder Perspectives on Implementation One Year Later"
house Aviation Subcommittee · Jun 4, 2025 · Request transcript
Witness: Jody Reven, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association
Hearing “TSA Modernization: Industry Perspectives on Key Security and Travel Reforms 25 Years After 9/11”
house Homeland Security Committee · May 20, 2026 · Request transcript
Witness: Mr. Christopher Sununu, Airlines for America
Hearing "America Builds: Air Traffic Control System Infrastructure and Staffing"
house Aviation Subcommittee · Mar 4, 2025 · Request transcript
Witness: Mr. Nicholas Calio, Airlines for America (A4A)
CRS Report
Aviation Security Measures and Domestic Terrorism Threats
Resources · Jan 15, 2021
After the January 6, 2021, security breach of the United States Capitol, some Members of Congress have advocated restricting the air travel of individuals who may seek to incite or carry out further...
CRS Report
The 2024 Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization
Resources · Oct 23, 2024
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2024 (P.L. 118-63) was signed into law on May 16, 2024. The act provides key civil aviation authorizations, including Airport and...
CRS Report
Senate Committee-Passed FAA Bill Revived Debate over Reagan National Airport Slot and Perimeter Rules
Posts · Apr 29, 2024
On February 29, 2024, seven months after the House of Representatives passed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization legislation H.R. 3935, the Senate version of the bill (S. 1939) was...
CRS Report
Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization: Legislative Action in the 118th Congress
Resources · Mar 14, 2024
The most recent multiyear Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-254), was enacted in October 2018. Its key civil aviation...
CRS Report
Addressing COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Civil Aviation Operations
Reports · Aug 17, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a large impact on civil aviation, particularly commercial passenger airline operations. The combination of travel restrictions; state and local mandates to stay at home,...
CRS Report
Impact of Commercial Space Launch Activities on Aviation
Resources · Nov 1, 2019
Introduction Congress has encouraged the growth of commercial space activities by requiring federal agencies to use private launch services and establishing offices to oversee commercial activity. In...
CRS Report
International Air Service Controversies: Frequently Asked Questions
Reports · May 4, 2015
“Open skies” agreements are a form of international civil air service agreement that facilitates international aviation in a deregulated environment. They eliminate government involvement in airline...
Testimony BALINT, BECCA
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"jet fuel costs that are a direct result of President Trump's unconstitutional war with Iran. Even the Spirit CEO said that fuel prices were the biggest factor in closing the airline. President Trump's war of choice has made it all worse. Jet fuel prices have roughly doubled since the beginning of this war. Airlines are passing that burden directly down to passengers through higher fares, more fees, and new fuel surcharges. Americans never agreed to this war, President Trump's war of choice has..."
Testimony BALINT, BECCA
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"reach their customers. It's how a Vermont student gets home from college. And when the cost of flying goes up, it does not just inconvenience people, it cuts them off from what has become a necessity in this country. Instead of addressing this rapidly consolidating industry that is consumers, this administration has spent the last year pandering to the interests of their wealthy friends. The Biden Department of Transportation required airlines to provide cash refunds when customers were owed...."
Testimony RASKIN, JAMIE
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanks to all of our witnesses for joining us today. Spirit Airlines was once the nation's leading ultra-low-cost carrier and one of the strongest forces in the economy holding down ticket prices for consumers. It's now collapsed, and we cannot have a serious conversation about the demise of Spirit without talking about"
Testimony RASKIN, JAMIE
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"cost American consumers more than $60 billion in increased fuel costs alone, which averages to more than $470 per American household. It also caused the cost of jet fuel to double overnight, forcing Spirit to take on an extra $100 million in unexpected costs in just a couple of months. For an ultra-low-cost carrier like Spirit, which operates on thin margins to deliver the best value to customers, that was a corporate death sentence. As Spirit Airlines explained in its legal filings, the..."
Testimony THE HONORABLE CHRIS SUNUNU
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"The list goes on and on in terms of customer experience. And most importantly, airlines have invested in their people, doubling the average wages and benefits since 2025. This is by far outpacing most any other industry in this country. Now, given this robust state of competition, it's clear that the biggest threat to healthy and competitive airline industry, it's our short-staffed and woefully antiquated air traffic control"
Testimony MR. TIMOTHY RAVICH
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"Yet one of the most important deregulatory reforms in American history was championed by Senator Edward Kennedy during the Ford administration and signed into law by President Jimmy Carter. Airline deregulation was a bipartisan effort. That spirit remains relevant"
Testimony MR. TIMOTHY RAVICH
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"Competition also requires capacity. No airline can compete with a flight it cannot schedule. And no new entrant can compete without access to gates, terminals, and airport infrastructure. Airlines can only compete through flights they are able to schedule and operate. Recent litigation involving the proposed acquisition of Spirit Airlines by JetBlue Airways illustrates another challenge. As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Airline Deregulation Act, the central question before this body..."
Testimony MR. KRISTIAN STOUT
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"The government won the case and then it lost the carrier. Spirit went bankrupt twice and shut down this May, a 34-year-old airline gone and with it the Spirit effect, the downward pressure its low fares put on every competitor in the market. I am not here to say the Justice Department killed Spirit by"
Testimony MR. KRISTIAN STOUT
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"They function as property in a sense, bought, sold, and pledged as collateral worth tens of millions of dollars. Yet, a new airline cannot simply decide to add service. And use-it-or-lose-it rules push carriers to fly near empty ghost flights just to keep their"
Testimony MR. KRISTIAN STOUT
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"My third example is the accumulation of consumer protection mandates. Let me be clear first. I am not against protecting consumers, but airlines run on operational flexibility, the freedom to cancel, swap aircraft, rebook passengers when weather and mechanical problems hit. Every mandate that turns a judgment call into a legal obligation converts a manageable risk into a fixed"
Testimony MR. KRISTIAN STOUT
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"regime, free family seating, new fee disclosure requirements, each of these hits hardest at the unbundled ancillary revenue model that lets budget carriers like Spirit operate flexibly. For a legacy airline like United or American, any one of these is a friction. For an ultra-low-cost carrier on razor-thin margins, the pileup of these mandates can become fatal, and the Fifth Circuit has already held that one of these rules likely exceeds the department's legal authority, a question squarely..."
Testimony MS. NANCY ROSE
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"Chairman Rankin, members, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to I've spent 40 years studying competition antitrust and regulation, including in the airline industry, and have served as the deputy assistant attorney general for economic analysis in the antitrust division. I'd like to make three points, drawing from my written testimony today. First, antitrust did not kill Spirit"
Testimony MS. NANCY ROSE
“The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline ...
house Judiciary Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"That mattered not only to Spirit passengers, but to everyone who flies. Spirit, as you've heard, pioneered the ultra-low-cost carrier model in this country, and its presence on a route forced other airlines to lower their fares, often by 10 to 20 percent or more, what's been called the Spirit effect. spirit was not a preference. It was the only air travel they could afford. As one spirit customer recently put it, we don't fly spirit because we're cheap. We fly spirit because we're broke...."
Testimony THOMAS CHAPMAN
Hearings to examine the nominations of Thomas B. Chapman, of Maryland,...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"Immediately prior to joining NTSB, I was privileged to serve for six years on the staff of the Senate Commerce Committee. In 2014, I left the airline industry and joined the aviation subcommittee staff in anticipation of the major legislative effort required to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration. Throughout my years with the committee, I worked collaboratively with the bipartisan Senate team, and our efforts resulted in passage of several significant legislative"
Testimony THE HONORABLE JAMIESON GREER
Hearings to examine the President's 2026 trade policy agenda.
senate Finance Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"We're hopeful that with the World Cup, we saw an uptick in the past couple of months. We think we've seen a lot of – when I've asked even domestic industry about it, airlines, credit card folks who are doing this, they've seen a lot of internal and"
Testimony SMITH, CHRISTOPHER H.
Confronting Haiti’s Terrorist Gangs: The Gang Suppression Force and th...
house Foreign Affairs Committee · Jul 21, 2026
"But Haiti has been a special case of trafficking. Years ago, I held a series of hearings with Nancy Brevard and others from the Airline Ambassadors International, and they broke up trafficking rings"
Testimony SPEAKER_03
Hearings to examine the nomination of David Cummins, of Virginia, to b...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Jul 16, 2026
"A few weeks ago, I met a TSA officer or TSO from Dallas-Fort Worth Airport named Lucy. If Lucy were standing here today, she would remind us that 25 years ago, our nation changed forever when hijacked airlines were used as weapons. She would tell you that she still carries that weight every morning as she walks past the Not On Our Watch sign to her post. Lucy told me that during this last government shutdown, she and her fellow officers weren't just struggling for months to pay rent, gas, and..."
Testimony FETTERMAN, JOHN
Hearings to examine the nomination of David Cummins, of Virginia, to b...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Jul 16, 2026
"And so that would have been three shutdowns and punishing the kinds of people that allow airline travel possible. And now for the party that stands for our working people, now those shutdowns, my"
Testimony SPEAKER_05
Hearings to examine the nomination of David Cummins, of Virginia, to b...
senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Jul 16, 2026
"The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 directed the FAA to establish regulations for drones to operate beyond visual line of sight. The TSA, in its portion of the proposed rule released last year, called for security requirements on drones that industry claims mirror those imposed on cargo airlines. I'm concerned that the TSA's proposed drone framework is at odds with the actual drone operations it would"
Testimony DURBIN, RICHARD J.
Hearings to examine the nomination of Todd Blanche, of Florida, to be ...
senate Judiciary Committee · Jul 15, 2026
"A federal judge recently singled out your, quote, remarkable statements targeting Kilmar Abrego-Garcia as evidence that his criminal prosecution was, quote, marked by a retaliatory taint for successfully fighting his deportation. And despite my repeated request, you've yet to produce the DOJ memorandum concluding that it was legally permissible for the president of the United States to accept a gift of a luxury airliner from the royal family of Qatar, despite constitutional and statutory..."
Testimony MR. JAY STANLEY
“Emerging Fraud Threats and the Evolving Fraud Landscape”
house Oversight and Government Reform Committee · Jul 15, 2026
"and how much those items cost. Correct? Yeah, surveillance pricing, where stores get a bunch of data about their customers, and then they charge you based on what they know about you and how much they think you'll pay and whether you're desperate and so forth. That's become a very controversial issue. And states, as you know, regulation of surveillance pricing has been attracting support in the state legislatures from both left and right. And digital IDs will make that much easier. Because if..."
Testimony SLOTKIN, ELISSA
Hearings to examine the nominations of Jules Hurst III, of Virginia, t...
senate Armed Services Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"So I did some back-of-the-envelope math just from what's available on the cost of the war. We know that the war has already cost the taxpayers separately, out of their own pockets, $100 million, the cost of gas, fuel prices that have gone up, the cost of airline tickets, delivery service fees. That's $750 out of every American household in the entire country since"