Throughout 2008 NBTA worked to influence government activity on numerous issues relating to domestic and international travel, evaluating progress made on policies and legislative proposals that affect the corporate travel community. After final analyses at the end of the year, NBTA issued its 2008 Business Travel Government Affairs Report Card and 2009 Recommendations, giving Congress and the Bush Administration a C for overall action.

“Clearly action was taken this year to further policies that would positively affect the corporate travel community,” said Shane Downey, NBTA Government Affairs Manager. “However, so much more could have been done, and we hope to see more progress made in 2009 under a new Administration.”

FAA Funding earned the lowest grade in the report card – a D-. NBTA had recommended that Congress act to hasten improvement of the air traffic control system by jumpstarting implementation of the NextGen system. In June, however, the Senate failed to pass an FAA reauthorization bill, which did not allow reform of current funding mechanisms.

Hoping to address this issue early in the year, NBTA is currently urging Congress to include new money to upgrade the nation’s aviation infrastructure in an economic stimulus package, which is expected to be passed and signed by the President in the coming weeks. See letter to Congress.

Traveler Taxes also earned a D. While NBTA has fought for passage of The End Discriminatory State Taxes for Automobile Renters Act of 2007 for more than a year, the bill failed to grain traction in Congress last year, and states continued to propose car rental taxes.

”We need Congress to pass legislation to prevent governments from unfairly targeting rental car customers to fund their local pet projects,” said Downey.

A hot topic last year because of increased delays and cancellations, Airline Performance and Aviation Congestion, earned a C. NBTA praised the Administration’s focus on reducing air space congestion and ground delays, but expressed concern with some proposed solutions such as congestion pricing and reduced landing slots.

In addition to reiterating that FAA should focus on NextGen deployment, NBTA also suggests that Congress and the FAA consider providing compensation for flights delayed by weather or mechanical problems to compliment existing criteria.

NBTA has been a long-time supporter of the international registered traveler program Global Entry, which was officially launched last year, earning it an A-. The program was launched in three U.S. international airports and later in the year expanded to four additional airports, and NBTA is hopeful Customs and Border Protection will continue expansion and increase enrollment in 2009.

NBTA added two issues to watch for this year: Energy and Climate Change and Transportation Infrastructure. The association is recommending that Congress enact balanced legislation to increase energy supplies, conservation and tax incentives, while limiting speculation. NBTA is also urging Congress to provide increased funding for AMTRAK and other high-speed rail networks to take the pressure off crowded aviation routes.

Return to Connecting News January 2009