Air Transport Association Opposes Amendment to Eliminate Modernization Fee

WASHINGTON, May 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Air Transport Association (ATA), the trade association for the leading U.S. airlines, today issued the following statement in response to the proposal by Sens. Bill Nelson and John Sununu to eliminate the $25 modernization fee from the Rockefeller-Lott FAA reauthorization bill:

"We strongly oppose the Nelson-Sununu amendment to eliminate the $25 modernization fee," said ATA President and CEO James C. May. "If Congress is going to fairly fund the transformation to a next-generation air traffic control system, this is the perfect time to start the process. The proposed elimination of the $25 fee undermines the critical importance of transitioning to a funding mechanism that fairly charges all system users for the ATC services they consume."

ATA airline members transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. To join the Smart Skies campaign, visit http://www.smartskies.org.