Shutdown of FAA possible in House, Senate clash

[tangent4ronpaul]

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/07/19/general-us-aviation-shutdown_8573838.html

A quarrel between the House and Senate over union organizing is threatening to prevent congressional action necessary to keep the Federal Aviation Administration operating, raising the possibility of a shutdown of the agency later this week.

The FAA's operating authority expires on Friday. The agency has operated under a series of 20 short-term extensions since Sept. 30, 2007 because lawmakers have been unable to agree on a long-term funding bill.

The FAA's 15,500 air traffic controllers are essential employees and would continue to work even if the agency's operating authority were to expire,

...

Also, airlines would no longer have to collect ticket taxes, which average about $60 per round-trip ticket, aviation industry officials said.

[roho76]

Sounds like a good place to start chopping.

[steph3n]

Perfect, we don't need them for the most part, they are just a joke if talking about safety. the FAA overall should be very tiny if at all, and the ATC should be private.

[fisharmor]

The FAA's 15,500 air traffic controllers are essential employeesEveryone knows that without BB watching out for us, those evil airline owners wouldn't be able to figure out what to do. In fact, they'd probably start intentionally ramming $250,000,000 airplanes into the ground and killing all of the people who pay their bills.

:rolleyes:

[tangent4ronpaul]

as an aside, you get taxed to fly. That $60 ticket tax mentioned in the OP, and then you pay about $10 to be groped. Bit it's worse than that - anything in the air gets taxed by ATC too...

http://www.globalplanesearch.com/view/aircraft/aircraft-leasing-def.htm

Furthermore the LESSEE has to pay the over flight/navigation charges. This point is a bit complicated. When flights are operating they use a flight number, which is issued to airlines by the ICAO. In order to cover the costs of air traffic control services, states over flown will send a bill to the owner of the flight number, which can be readily identified by its code. The aircraft owner will probably have a code, but will not want to use it because he will end up paying the bills. Therefore, an ACMI lease requires that the LESSEE provide his own flight number, so that the bills can be directed to him.

[Tinnuhana]

Great. Our radio reception will be much better here in south Nashua if they shut down.