EXCLUSIVE: The CEOs of four major airlines in the United States are vocalizing support for a key provision in the reconciliation bill in a new video.
The Department of Transportation is heavily advocating for $12.5 billion in funding included in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” in order to overhaul the decades-old air traffic control technology, which was announced in May.
“Everyone agrees — we can’t wait any longer to begin building a brand new air traffic control system. President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill provides a critical down payment on our promise to make our skies safer and to make travel more efficient for American families. Congress needs to pass this landmark legislation without delay,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated.
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Many airline CEOs spoke at the May announcement in Washington D.C., but are now directly pushing for the legislation to make it across the finish line. The bill, which covers a broad range of policies from the border to taxes, is expected to go up for votes in the Senate on Friday.
“President Trump and Secretary Duffy’s plan to modernize air traffic control is something that is going to benefit the U.S. now and long into the future,” Robert Isom, CEO of American Airlines, said.
“An investment is long overdue. And it’s not just for commercial aviation. It’s also for anyone that wants to use airspace. That’s drones and eVTOLs. It’s key for infrastructure and essential for the U.S. to remain at the top of our game,” he continued, adding it’s critical for both safety and efficiency.
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Robert E. Jordan, CEO of Southwest Airlines, noted the additional staffing challenges, as air traffic control deals with shortages across the board. DOT has been pushing recruitment efforts, as well as a 20% bonus for qualifying current controllers to limit retirements.
“I had a chance to meet with Secretary Duffy on a number of occasions. I am really pleased with his resolve. I’m pleased with his engagement in the problem, his level of knowledge of the detail, and he and the administration deserve a lot of credit. Replacing these systems means that we’re going to have better on-time performance. We’re going to have lower cost profiles in terms of dealing with the ATC. So this is absolutely good for the American public,” Jordan added.
Joanna Geraghty, CEO of JetBlue, compared the current air traffic control technology to a “rotary phone” and said it’s “the first time we’ve had the entire industry and a Secretary who is energized to actually fix the problem and not just talk about it without actual fixes.”
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In a video, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that passengers on commercial air travel will “be the biggest beneficiaries” of the proposed changes.
“It actually takes longer on most routes that we fly today to fly the route than it did 40 or 50 years ago, even though the planes fly twice as fast. That’s because of all the inefficiencies in the air traffic controls system,” Kirby said.
Concerns about staffing and modernization mounted not only after numerous domestic airline incidents, but also issues at airports like Newark, which dealt with brief outages in April and May. Duffy hopes the transformation of air traffic control towers throughout the country can be completed within three years. As for the legsialtion, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday she still antipates the bill will be ready for the president by Independence Day.
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