US Airways To Congress: Where's the Love? By Keith L. Alexander If US Airways gets its way at Washington's Reagan National Airport: =95 Travelers will get at least two new nonstop flights to San Francisco and= =20 Los Angeles. =95 The often-criticized turboprop planes used on regional flights will be= =20 replaced by larger jets. =95 Travelers will no longer have to venture onto the tarmac to board the=20 regional jets and would instead be able to use terminal gates as they do=20 for full-size aircraft. But it's a big if -- in fact, the first two proposals will require acts of= =20 Congress. Since National is a federally controlled airport, Congress has=20 to grant permission for US Airways to increase the number of its nonstop=20 flights to the West Coast. Lawmakers would also have to approve US=20 Airways' use of 76-seat regional jets, which the carrier recently ordered=20 and which have raised some concerns about noise and pollution. US Airways'= =20 turboprops also have 76 seats but are smaller than the jets. Current=20 regulations permit the airline to fly regional jets with no more than 56=20 seats. Lawmakers are expected to rule on the proposals in coming=20 weeks. As for the third item, the carrier is working with airport=20 officials on winning approval to build a new terminal for its regional=20 operations. It hopes to begin construction later this year. The terminal=20 would end the need for passengers to battle the elements on the tarmac or=20 climb aboard shuttle buses to reach their flight. In the past week, David N. Siegel, US Airways president and chief=20 executive, has gone public with the airline's lobbying efforts. At a forum= =20 in Washington on Saturday, Siegel struck a Rodney Dangerfield pose,=20 insisting that Congress and local Washington officials gave him no=20 respect. "We're not getting treated fairly at Reagan National," Siegel=20 said. "We have not had the ability to fairly compete." In its effort to=20 keep National competitive, some lawmakers have preferred to award flying=20 rights to newer airlines over those that already have a long history of=20 operation at National. US Airways operates the most flights at=20 National. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), who has long supported US=20 Airways, said she believed the carrier would be able to widen its regional= =20 jet operations at National but that increasing the number of nonstop=20 flights to the West Coast could prove more challenging. Norton, who is a=20 member of the House Transportation subcommittee on aviation, opposes more=20 flights by any airline out of National. Siegel complained in a speech to=20 Washington business leaders last week that local officials still did not=20 support the airline, even after it emerged stronger from bankruptcy. "We=20 got the braces off our teeth and the acne has cleared up. We've got a new=20 hairstyle and wardrobe. We're starting to look good to people," he said,=20 referring to the airline's exit from bankruptcy in March. But, he added, "if we had died, rather than successfully restructured,=20 would the community have come to the funeral?" Siegel again suggested that= =20 other areas, such as Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Charlotte, where US=20 Airways operates a larger number of flights, have encouraged the=20 Arlington-based airline to relocate there. He said that officials in=20 Alabama, home of the airline's largest investor, Retirement Systems of=20 Alabama, also have shown interest. Siegel said the airline has no plans to= =20 move its headquarters to any of those locations, but he noted that the=20 political environment was different elsewhere. "I admit that I like the=20 fact that people are actually vying for our attention," he said. "So far, I= =20 really don't get that feeling from the Washington community,=20 however." Some lawmakers privately noted that the airline did secure $900= =20 million in federally backed loan guarantees and last month received $216=20 million from Congress as part of an overall $2.9 billion economic package.= =20 Both financial measures were enacted by Congress to help the airlines after= =20 the September 2001 terrorist attacks. Ticket Office Fees: US Airways=20 yesterday began charging travelers a $10 fee if they purchase a ticket or=20 change their itinerary at one of its 13 offices across the country,=20 including the one at 17th and K streets NW. Most major carriers, including= =20 US Airways, have closed many of their city ticket offices in an effort to=20 reduce costs and encourage travelers to purchase tickets on the Internet.=20 Travel advocate Terry Trippler of CheapSeats.com said it was "inexcusable"= =20 to charge passengers to make changes at ticket offices. "They've gone over= =20 the top on this one," he said. Antitrust Case: The Supreme Court yesterday said lawyers could pursue a=20 class-action lawsuit against Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines and US=20 Airways filed by a group of travelers who said the airlines violated=20 antitrust laws by refusing to allow passengers to adopt a cost-saving=20 booking strategy. The airlines prohibit passengers from booking a flight=20 between two cities with the intention of getting off the flight when it=20 stops for a layover rather than carrying on to the final destination.=20 Cheaper fares can often be found by using this strategy. The practice,=20 known as hidden-city booking, is popular among business travelers who=20 purchase tickets at the last minute and want to avoid a Saturday-night stay= =20 that would lower the ticket price, said Tom Parsons, chief executive of=20 Bestfares.com. For example, a one-way, walk-up fare on Delta out of Reagan= =20 National to Salt Lake City yesterday was $1,164. But a Delta fare from=20 National to Oakland, Calif., with a stop in Salt Lake was $309. Airlines=20 have penalized travelers by canceling their return tickets or revoking=20 their frequent-flier miles when they discover the use of the strategy. They= =20 also have banned travel agents who booked the flights from future bookings= =20 and sought back payment from the agents. The lawsuit, which seeks as much= =20 as $4 billion from the airlines, was filed in a U.S. District Court in=20 Michigan. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.natalielaughlin.com/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************