FW: The Rockwood Report, Feb. 2008

OK, time for me to get back on my “the airlines don’t get it” high horse and promote an opportunity for those of us in the private sector to open corporate charter activity to selling seats on empty charter legs. Whew! The length of that sentence tired me out.

 

Not long ago a group made application to the Department of Transportation to, effectively, sell seats on planes already booked for a charter trip. The Air Transport Association filed a response that said, in essence, if the DOT were to allow this it would so unbalance the world that the earth would spin off its access (they used different phraseology, but the meaning was there).

 

The group, choosing not to fight an 800 pound gorilla with a BB gun, withdrew its application.

 

So today, we still have a bunch of corporate aircraft flying re-positioning legs that are empty, and shouldn’t be. Here is how we get the FAA, DOT, PTA, ASPCA, SCCA and any other of the alphabetically challenged organizations to see the light. We “Go Green”.

 

Even at significant premiums, more people are reaching out to corporate air travel. Short of regulatory edict, this can’t be stopped as it allows travel without the burden of going through airline terminals.

 

Current regulations inhibit the truly efficient use of aircraft in charter by fostering empty flights, and in so doing, increases the pollution contributed by these aircraft. This can only get worse given a growing market.

 

In the next attempt to obtain authorization to sell seats on charter flights, someone needs to not only point this out but use it as a key argument for change.

 

Raise you hands if your with me.

 

Bob Rockwood

202-682-4000 (Main phone number)

540-554-8113 (Direct phone number)

racersblue@earthlink.net (Direct email)

www.bristolassociates.com (Web address)

 

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