[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 116 (Tuesday, July 18, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S10182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        AIRLINE SAFETY STANDARDS

  Mr. PRESSLER. Mr. President, yesterday morning at 6 a.m. I had the 
pleasure of riding on the first flight between Rapid City and Sioux 
Falls that provides new air service in our State.
  As a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, I 
have long been a champion of air service in our smaller cities, the 
safety of smaller aircraft, and the provision of air services to 
citizens living in non-hub airport areas.
  I have also been very concerned about air fares for travel to and 
from our Nation's smaller cities. For example, can someone living in 
Humboldt, SD, get a supersaver ticket if they have to fly first into a 
hub airport? So often the best deal, so to speak, on airline tickets, 
go to those people who live in bigger cities with hub airports such as 
New York, Minneapolis, Denver, Los Angeles, et cetera. Frequently, we 
find that flying into that hub airport from the smaller city is the 
expensive part of the trip. Citizens living in nonhub cities should not 
be overlooked.
  Mr. President, our air transportation system is based on the hub and 
spoke system. Even in New York, a State with substantial air service, 
citizens living in upstate New York must fly on a small carrier into a 
hub to be connected to their next destination. The same is true in 
Fresno, CA, where my sister lives. This also is the case in my home 
State of South Dakota.
  The question is, Do the smaller planes ensure the same level of 
travel safety? On the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, 
I have been a champion of small aircraft safety. We will continue 
working to promote safe air travel on all sizes of aircraft.
  I certainly do not advocate Government regulation, but I am 
constantly jawboning the big airlines where there is a coded 
relationship with the smaller airline to treat the smaller airlines 
fairly. After all, the smaller carriers are the lifeline of many 
smaller communities and provide the larger carriers with many of their 
passengers.
  Yesterday, as I mentioned, I took part in the inaugural flight 
providing air service between South Dakota's two larger cities, Rapid 
City and Sioux Falls. I am glad to say that Great Lakes Aviation, which 
code-shares with United Airlines, initiated that service. It will help 
our State a great deal.
  I shall continue to be a champion of airlines in smaller cities, 
working to ensure we have good air service into the hubs so that 
citizens living in smaller communities remain linked to the Nation's 
air transportation system. From air safety to reasonable air fares to 
air service availability, our nonhub cities deserve equal attention 
from the airline industry.
  Mr. President, I would also like to briefly discuss the important 
issue of international aviation. I, along with a number of my 
colleagues, am working on a resolution intended to aid our air carriers 
serving Japan.
  Currently, Japan is violating the United States-Japan bilateral 
aviation agreement by denying our passenger and cargo carriers the 
right to serve cities throughout the Pacific rim from Japan. Cargo and 
passenger traffic beyond Japan into Malaysia and China and so forth is 
very lucrative. The Japanese are attempting to prevent our carriers 
from serving this traffic since they want to protect these markets for 
their own carriers which are very inefficient.
  Federal Express has a new Pacific rim cargo hub they are ready to 
open at Subic Bay in the Philippines. They cannot open it. The Japanese 
will not permit Federal Express to serve routes from Japan which are 
necessary to make this hub operational. The Japanese are violating the 
bilateral aviation treaty and this is costing the shareholders of 
Federal Express tens of millions of dollar. Each day that passes causes 
these substantial damages to increase.
  We must not tolerate this flagrant violation of an international 
agreement. The world is watching and we should not set a dangerous 
precedent for international aviation relations.
  Our air carriers also have a problem obtaining sufficient access to 
both Heathrow and Gatwick airports in the United Kingdom. Access to 
Heathrow is of particular concern since Heathrow is the most important 
international gateway airport serving points throughout the world. We 
must continue to work to open these markets for our carriers.
  The only reason that the Japanese or the British have more traffic on 
particular routes where they ``compete'' with United States carriers is 
due to restrictions which distort the market and protect foreign 
carriers from true head-to-head competition with our more efficient 
carriers. For example, they use restrictive bilateral agreements, 
impose so-called ``doing business'' problems on our carriers such as 
putting them in terminals that are intolerable to passengers, and, in 
the case of the Japanese, they outright refuse to respect the clear 
terms of our aviation agreement.
  I have been working on international aviation issues because 
international opportunities are critical to the long-term profitability 
of our carriers. Also, consumers benefit greatly by increased 
competition in international markets.
  There is an important relationship between the issues of service to 
small communities and international aviation policy. I tie the two 
issues together because increased international opportunities will 
strengthen the economic health of our airline industry. In turn, this 
financial strength should translate into better service to all domestic 
markets, particularly smaller nonhub markets.
  By working to strengthen our carriers abroad, it is my hope I am 
improving service for consumers in underserved markets. Therefore, I am 
urging our major airlines to give fair treatment here at home to people 
who live in smaller cities and rural areas. The administration, the 
Congress, and the airline industry should all work together to 
accomplish these domestic and international aviation goals.
  For example, I just came from the Senate Finance Committee, on which 
I serve, where we were considering fuel taxes on various modes of 
transportation. One issue that was discussed which is of particular 
concern to me is the aviation fuel tax that is scheduled to go into 
effect later this year.
  I am concerned the jet fuel tax will make the problem of air service 
in small communities much worse. I am also concerned this tax will 
adversely affect the competitiveness of our carriers in international 
markets.
  Mr. President, we must never lose sight of the many difficult 
challenges facing our air carriers. Importantly, we must never forget 
that it is consumers and communities who have the largest stake of all.

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