[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 22, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S8777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   DENVER-LONDON DIRECT FLIGHT HOLDUP

  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I am here today to tell my colleagues 
about an issue of great importance to the people of my state of 
Colorado. This summer, the state of Colorado has lost an estimated $23 
million, at least, due to the problem I am here to address. We have 
been assured again and again by the Administration that the situation 
would soon be resolved. I no longer have faith in that assurance, and I 
believe that I am going to have to make my point stronger and louder in 
order to secure fair treatment for the State of Colorado. I am 
disappointed that the problem has lingered for this long, and that my 
attempts to cooperate with the Department of Transportation have been 
met with apathy and diluted efforts.
  This is a problem that I have been working on for months, and I am 
continually and increasingly frustrated by the lack of concern shown by 
the Administration. I was first made aware in April of this year that 
an application for international service into Denver International 
Airport was near approval. A foreign airline filed an application with 
the Department of Transportation to provide direct service between 
Denver and London. This flight was to be the first overseas flight at 
Denver's young international airport. British Airways wants to provide 
this service, and to date is the only airline that has applied to do 
so. Of course the prospect of a direct flight to Europe is exciting for 
the people of Colorado; our booming economy, growing business sector, 
and tourism industry are primed for this direct international service.
  The application process under the bilateral Air Transport Services 
agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom is designed 
to be a routine step. By law, final review by the United States of the 
British Airways flight is intended only to assure compliance with 
technical requirements for air safety and ownership.
  At some point in the review process, the Department decided to hold 
the British Airways flight hostage to influence an unrelated situation. 
An American airline had approval to provide service between Charlotte, 
North Carolina and London, but being a new entrant into the market, 
choice slots were not available for their service. That airline, US 
Airways, and the Department of Transportation demanded that British 
Airways relinquish its established slots into London's Gatwick Airport 
before the Denver-London service would be approved.
  The Senior Senator from Colorado, Senator Campbell, and I met with 
Secretary Slater. We offered our assistance and shared our concerns, 
and the Secretary assured us that the situation would be resolved soon. 
Subsequently, US Airways participated in an international slot 
conference, and legitimately negotiated more desirable slots at 
Gatwick. The original conditions for approval of Denver-London service 
were met. Still, the Department refused to approve the British Airways 
application.
  My patience in this matter has not been respected. Frankly, the 
expanding complaints of US Airways have absolutely no connection to the 
pending Denver-London service, and Department is inappropriately using 
the people of Colorado. I do not approve of the Department leveraging 
the concerns of one state against another, or using our international 
flights as a bargaining chip in an unrelated matter.
  This is the first time the Department has withheld final approval on 
a US/UK flight to influence the status of another flight. The precedent 
being set indicates bureaucratic abuse and blatant disregard for a fair 
resolution of Colorado's problem. The Department should focus on the 
international flights between London and Charlotte; there is no need to 
push Coloradans around while the Administration and US Airways are 
engaged in an unrelated fight.
  It is reasonable to think that this service would easily win support 
from the Transportation Secretary. British Airways has a clear right to 
operate this service under the term of the UK/US Air Services 
Agreement. In addition, Secretary Slater is attempting to negotiate an 
open skies aviation agreement with Britain. In light of this fact 
alone, failure to approve the Denver-London route is ridiculous. After 
this episode with the Denver flight, does the Administration really 
believe that the British authorities will have faith in the ability of 
the United States to be forthright in international flight 
negotiations?
  The issue of approving Denver-London service was postponed recently 
when the Secretary and several of his top staffers traveled to Africa. 
Patiently awaiting his return, I came across a story on the AP wire 
about the Secretary's activities in Africa. I was stunned to see the 
story that began, and I quote, ``Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater 
Friday called on European authorities to respect aviation agreements 
negotiated by the United States with individual countries.'' It is 
ironic that the Secretary lectured Europe on fulfilling its obligations 
under air service pacts when he will not honor the current US/UK pact 
and approve Denver-London service. How the Secretary could make these 
comments while keeping a straight face is beyond me.
  Speaking of that trip, I would like to know why the Secretary has 
been able to find so little time to deal with this pressing issue. When 
I last spoke to Mr. Slater on the phone, he told me that he was working 
to resolve the issue in the next few days. I expected his call at the 
end of that week and hoped to learn that they had approved service. It 
was the week before our July recess, and the call never came. After 
waiting for another week and investigating the delay, I learned that 
the Secretary was traveling to Africa for the second time this year, 
and that Colorado's problems would have to wait until July 15. While he 
simply set the issue aside, I could not. Unfortunately, neither myself 
nor my staff could reach the Secretary or his top aides on this issue 
because they were all traveling and unavailable. I am concerned that 
the Secretary and Assistant Secretaries have so much time for traveling 
and so little time for important issues here at home. I am outraged to 
know that my constituents' tax dollars, and mine as well, are buying 
flights to Africa while the state is losing money because of the 
Department's inaction. There is absolutely no reason that the Secretary 
could not have approved Denver-London service before he and his staff 
left for Africa. Now, after being assured that this would be his top 
priority upon returning from his trip, I am astounded that Mr. Slater 
is not prepared to be straightforward and make this decision.
  Several Colorado officials have told Secretary Slater, in no 
uncertain terms, that this is an important issue to Colorado. I watched 
the original start date for British Airways service move from June 
First to August First, and saw it again postponed to September First. 
The Secretary knew very well that the service had to be approved by the 
end of last week for the airline to be prepared to begin on that date. 
Failure to approve the flight has resulted in moving the start date to 
October first. Colorado has already lost four months of direct Denver-
London service, and the reasons that the Department has provided for 
this delay are inadequate. I am through standing by while the 
Department is delinquent on its approval of Denver-London direct air 
service. I am prepared to consider using any means available to me to 
hasten a decision by the Department.

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