OPINION:
Imagine a pleasant way to fly to a destination, free from the usual airport hassles. A handful of inventive companies known as public charters realized they could deliver this dream — a taste of what it’s like to fly on a private jet — to the cost-conscious masses. It’s a good thing, but it may not last.
The spoilsports at the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday announced their intention to crack down on charter companies in the name of “safety.” It’s really about satisfying the demands of labor unions.
The most prominent public charter is Dallas-based JSX, which operates primarily out of smaller airports in Western and Southern states often ignored by the major carriers. Executives have been in talks with local officials about bringing service to the National Capital Region from the airport in Manassas, Virginia.
Instead of arriving at a chaotic terminal overflowing with harried travelers, charter customers roll up to a quiet terminal and can find themselves in the air in 20 minutes or less. The entire operation is designed to make passengers feel like VIPs aboard a 30-seat airliner that, while roomy, is nowhere near as posh as the luxurious jets used by climate change activists like actor Leonardo DiCaprio and climate czar John Kerry.
Charter travelers needn’t subject themselves to the manhandling of blue-gloved agents with the Transportation Security Administration before boarding. They also won’t line up like cattle to be directed onto the plane by unionized flight attendants paid based on tenure rather than the quality of service provided. All this comes at a cost not much more than that of a premium-fare ticket on a major airline.
It’s not clear how far the FAA intends to go in its regulatory push. If the agency imposes the full suite of major airline rules on public charters, JSX would be able to meet many of the stringent requirements. The company’s first officers, for example, already have an average of about 3,300 hours of flight time, which is double the minimum for major airlines.
But the FAA could force charter passengers to undergo TSA screening, even though the pointless pat-downs have yet to catch a terrorist in 22 years of trying. This would cut off service to regional airports that aren’t big enough to field platoons of TSA agents.
In its statement, the FAA says the regulatory drive is motivated solely by safety, but that’s a lie. Rep. Troy Nehls, Texas Republican, asked the FAA’s Michael Whitaker in February if he could cite any safety problem with charter operations. The administrator said he had not looked at the data.
“I’ll help you,” Mr. Nehls said. “There is no problem there.”
The National Transportation Safety Board database shows a lone incident involving JSX. Last month, the landing gear collapsed on one of the company’s planes at Houston’s Hobby Airport. The plane suffered a few scrapes, but nobody onboard was hurt. Considering Boeing’s big-jet woes and the growing number of near-misses involving major carriers, that’s no excuse to throw the regulatory rule book at the little guy.
The administration wants to prove it is delivering value in return for the generous campaign contributions of its labor bosses, but this virtue signaling shouldn’t come at the cost of undermining competition this industry desperately needs.
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