Kay Bailey takes on Edna: two out of three falls

The announcement of Trent Lott's retirement is seen as a blow to the interests of the folks over at American Airlines as well as the other big commerical carriers.

You see, everyone agrees that a more modern air traffic control system is needed. The hangup is how to pay for it. As I understand it, the funds for the modernization will come from a trust fund and the commercial airlines claim that non-commercial and business jets do not pay their fare share into this fund. They want to impose a flat fee on all planes for using airports and Lott has been a major supporter of this plan.

Lott is expected to be replaced as the top Republican on Senate Commerce Committee's aviation subcommittee by Texas' own Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is not a supporter of this change. So the commercials are not only losing an ally, they are gaining a foe.

The private pilots argue that charging the same $25 airport-user fee to a Jumbo Jet and a Piper Cub (do Piper Cubs still exist?) is not fair and they are arguing for the modernization to be funded through increases in fuel taxes.

The Air Transport Association, the lobbying group for the commercial airlines, has launched what it is calling a "Smart Skies" campaign which includes ads in in-flight magazines that feature Edna, a fictional housewife, who's fuming because commercial airlines are subsidizing corporate "bigwigs" in their private jets.

Stay tuned.