Editors Note: NBTA hosted a NetSmart web seminar recently on what the new Obama Administration may mean for the corporate travel community and what actions may be taken on outstanding political issues related to travel and tourism. C. Stewart Verdery, Jr., Partner and Founder of Monument Policy Group, LLC and NBTA Government Relations consultant provided insight into what travel buyers and suppliers should expect under the next U.S. Administration. Below are highlights from the NetSmart session, along with additional input from our political experts.
Air Traffic Control Modernization
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Verdery |
The Next Generation air traffic control system (NextGen) is seen by most aviation stakeholders as essential to increasing aviation capacity to meet current demands and future growth, and to reducing delays. While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has begun deploying elements of NextGen, according to Verdery, “it hardly appears to be a major national priority.” In fact, Congress has not approved a long-term operational budget for FAA, which has been operating on a series of short-term extensions. “The open question is: Will FAA Reauthorization make it back to the table?” he said. “NextGen dovetails nicely with Obama’s campaign emphasis on infrastructure investment, but significant investment is required.”
Rail
Amtrak funding has been debated for more than a decade, but only a status quo resolution has come to pass. While the high-speed Acela is heavily used in the crowded Northeast Corridor, the rest of the country essentially has no intercity rail capability.
President-elect Obama spoke on the campaign trail of investment in high-speed rail, and Vice President-elect Joe Biden is a famous patron of Amtrak. “There no is bigger support of high speed rail than Biden,” said Verdery. “He has advocated for an infrastructure overhaul for many years.”
Verdery continued, “The new Administration will likely try to shift the debate, but it may be challenging to capture mind-share in a year when the highway bill is expected to dominate the transportation agenda and when aviation and airline challenges continue to capture headlines.”
Visa Waiver Program
The current Administration has recently moved to admit seven new countries to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Citizens from 34 nations are now able to travel to the United States for 90 days or less without a visa. As Senator, Obama supported the admission of Poland and other countries in Europe, Asia, and South America into the program.
“Given the new Administration’s focus on international cooperation, we’re certain to see additional countries pressing for VWP status,” said Verdery.
NBTA has been a leading advocate of strengthening the VWP. Last month, NBTA’s efforts were recognized with an invitation to represent the corporate travel industry at a White House Rose Garden event to acknowledge the advancement of VWP.
“The visa-free travel made possible by the VWP enables the free flow of commerce between the United States and its most important business and trade partners around the world,” said NBTA Executive Director Bill Connors.
ESTA
The expansion of the VWP was coupled with a new requirement for VWP travelers to fill out an online Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) form before traveling to the United States. This deadline for those travelers is January 12 -- just before Obama’s inauguration. “The new Administration will likely inherit the challenge of a new program burdened by a communications gap and by no clear system for handling travelers who arrive at the airport without ESTA pre-approval,” said Verdery.
NBTA is currently working closely with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure solutions for last-minute travelers and those who arrive at the airport unaware of the new program are considered.
View Verdery's recent interview with Paul Morris, Department of Homeland Security, on the new ESTA regulations.
US-VISIT Exit
Current DHS leadership has not enacted final regulations to require collection of biometric data from departing foreign visitors, despite the fact it is required by law. DHS is planning several pilots to examine the cost and efficiency of three different collection points -- airline counter, security checkpoint, and gate -- but each would require resources and cooperation from airports and airlines that has not been forthcoming.
The issue is further complicated by the fact that VWP expansion is tied to the exit requirement, and countries that may otherwise qualify may not be considered for VWP. The new Administration might have to decide between funding a government-managed exit program or forcing the private sector to handle the role.
Registered Traveler
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) this year decided not to deploy a Registered Traveler (RT) program under which prescreened air travelers who carry biometric ID cards are handled differently than those who have not undergone background checks. More than 200,000 people are currently signed up for the privately-run RT program that essentially moves paying participants to the front of the security line where they then undergo the same screening, and an increasing number of airports using the program.
“With participant numbers that large and only growing, the risk management opportunities are quite vast,” said Verdery. “We’ll see if TSA under the new Administration will take advantage of those opportunities.”
Terror Watch Lists
TSA recently put forward a detailed schedule for taking over aviation watch list matching from air carriers in 2009, but experts debate whether the Secure Flight program will minimize the false positive hits that inconvenience people with names similar to those on the watch lists.
Current redress programs to assist those unlucky travelers have provided some relief, but many travelers are unsatisfied with the timeliness and effectiveness of the process. The FAST Redress Act was introduced in response to this dissatisfaction. The bill would set up a dedicated Office of Appeals and Redress within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate and streamline the process of appeal for individuals who believe they have been wrongly placed on a government watch list and consequently remanded to secondary screening or denied boarding.
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NBTA TV: Rep. Yvette Clark
comments on the
FAST Redress Act. |
NBTA has advocated for the passage of the FAST Redress Act since its introduction in 2007 and is hopeful that the Obama Administration will back the proposed measure.
“NBTA recognizes that the implementation of an effective redress system for travelers who are unnecessarily flagged for secondary screening is not only crucial for providing fairness and justice to these individuals, but will make travel more convenient, and will increase productivity for business travelers and their companies,” said Connors.
Traveler Taxes
Many cities, counties and states have imposed taxes on travelers to fund local projects such as the establishment of art centers or sporting arenas, or to revamp the community’s highway system. Measures to slow the growth of these discriminatory taxes have gained some traction in the current Congress, however many supporters were not reelected.
”In a slowing economy, cities, counties and states are even more likely to try to make up for budget gaps by taxing travel services,” said Verdery. “NBTA will put in overtime to help new Administration and Congress embrace the measures taken to prevent these disriminatory taxes.”
Return to Connecting News November 2008