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A recent announcement by the Trump administration may prove to be a win-win for both airlines and passengers alike. As part of a larger event dubbed "infrastructure week", the President, along with Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao and several airline executives, discussed having the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) step back from its role and transition power to a non-governmental, nonprofit co-op.
The plan would involve no federal funding; rather, the new governing entity would be funded by user fees. Key industry figures, supported by some government officials, argue that privatization would allow U.S. carriers to catch up with their global counterparts. Over 60 countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom, transitioned aviation control to the private sector, and the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization continues to promote all members to do the same.
The change would allow America to upgrade land-based radar to a superior GPS tracking system. This aspect of the project would be a win for travelers. GPS flight tracking is safer, results in fewer delays and reduces fuel costs. Furthermore, the efficiency and reliability of GPS systems would allow carriers to depart more frequently, thereby increasing overall capacity of service.
While both airline companies and the FAA agree that modernization is necessary, there is disagreement on whether privatization is the best path. The FAA is championing its own 'NextGen' plan, but has not received funding for the overhaul. In addition, some within the airline industry argue that privatization would lead to fee hikes for passengers and limited access for private aircraft.
Even though privatization has a proven track record, the FAA already has the necessary organizational infrastructure to initiate their plan, albeit on a longer timeline. Either way, it's good that a dialogue is taking place, and modernization via either plan will be beneficial for passengers.
The situation does not bode well for Qatar Airways' planned service between Doha and Las Vegas. Originally announced in June 2016, the carrier's new route was set to premier in January 2017. January came and went with no service added; instead, Qatar released a statement notifying the press that the project would not be ready until January 2018 .
However, Qatar just recently announced that they will not begin flights between Doha and Las Vegas until June 2018, further damaging its credibility and raising serious questions about whether the new service will ever be implemented.
Initially, Qatar Airways CEO, Akbar Al Baker, stated that the carrier would offer daily service between the two destinations. However, with the first delay of the project also came news that daily operation would instead be reduced to only four flights per week.
The changes didn't stop there. The journey was initially set to operate with a Boeing 777-300ER; however, this was later changed to the 777-200LR. Given that Qatar Airways' fleet has only nine of the 777-200's in service, it is possible the reduced number of planned flights is related. More importantly, the abrupt change is indicative of the carrier's indecisiveness and has led to speculation that the carrier may cancel the planned service entirely.
It is unclear what other aspects of the planned route will be impacted by this most recent delay. Given Qatar's track record and overall ambiguity with regards to this specific project, passengers are unlikely to find out any time soon, assuming the service isn't scrapped completely.
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