Airlines look for government to ease burden in the event of war NEW YORK (AP) =97 Airline executives worried about the financial fallout of= =20 military action in Iraq want the government to consider easing the burden=20 several ways, including tax relief and a temporary relaxation of antitrust= =20 laws. "We need a national transportation plan if we go to war," Continental= =20 Airlines' chairman and chief executive, Gordon Bethune, said Thursday at a= =20 gathering of tourism and transportation leaders in New York. "The=20 government can't wait until we're all dead and then revive us," said=20 Bethune, who has personally pitched these ideas to members of Congress and= =20 officials at the Transportation Department. In the event of war, major carriers want the right to discuss flight=20 schedules with each other =97 something prohibited by antitrust law. By=20 coordinating routes and flight frequencies, carriers can reduce service=20 where demand is low without giving up market share. Executives say it also= =20 would ensure that adequate service is maintained in smaller markets, where= =20 capacity is most likely be cut first. Other proposals on the struggling=20 industry's wish list include a temporary suspension of the $2.50 security=20 tax levied per passenger on each flight, some relief on fuel taxes and the= =20 release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in order to keep fuel=20 prices down. A Transportation Department spokesman said Thursday that the agency has not= =20 taken a position on any of the requests, which have been made by several=20 executives. Earlier in the month, a Bush administration official signaled=20 that lifting the passenger security fee was not likely to happen. U.S.=20 airlines lost billions of dollars in the past two years, despite massive=20 layoffs and reductions in service, and most are not expected to turn a=20 profit in 2003. Executives blame the industry's woes on higher security=20 costs since the Sept. 11 attacks, a significant loss of revenue from=20 business travelers and higher fuel prices. Two of the largest airlines, United and US Airways, are restructuring in=20 bankruptcy court and analysts lately have raised the possibility that=20 American Airlines =97 which lost a record $3.5 billion in 2002 =97 could be= =20 next. The industry's lobbying campaign for temporary relief in the event of= =20 war is an extension of its broader attempt to get financial assistance from= =20 the government since Sept. 11. Immediately after the attacks, Congress=20 approved $5 billion in emergency funds for the industry and established a=20 $10 billion loan guarantee program, which has since ended. In November=20 2002, Congress enacted a law to extend government-issued war-risk insurance= =20 and limit liability against companies for the terrorist attacks. The=20 airlines have been crusading for months for an end to the passenger=20 security fees, arguing that the money has actually come out of the=20 industry's pocket since raising ticket prices is out of the question when=20 business is already slow. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: www.pichemas.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************