While I have not received a personal note from anyone regarding Sturgell’s proposed appointment, there’s no question where the air traffic controller’s union sentiments lie on the Sturgell nomination.

In a press release today, the NATCA’s president Patrick Forrey was quoted as saying,

“NATCA opposes the nomination of Bobby Sturgell for administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. We oppose it because America’s aviation system is experiencing record delays and an unprecedented degradation of safety margins, exacerbated by the largest decline in the number of experienced air traffic controllers since 1981. The mislabeled contract that the FAA imposed upon its controller workforce on Sept. 3, 2006 has resulted in more than 1,550 air traffic controllers leaving the FAA due to a poisonous and acrimonious labor situation in which morale has never been lower. Simply put, over the past five years of this administration, we have experienced the demise of the world’s safest and most efficient air traffic system.

The President’s nomination for FAA administrator has been an integral part of this systematic demise of controller staffing and abysmal labor-management relations. Therefore, NATCA will not support a nominee that will continue to exhibit a management philosophy that demoralizes its valuable workforce to the point of leaving.”

Technorati Tags: air traffic controllers, airlines, Robert Sturgell

In case you missed it, the Bush Administration announced its pick to head the Federal Aviation Administration today.

That pick? The agency’s current number two man, Robert Sturgell. Sturgell is a former United Airlines’ pilot and has been serving as acting administrator following Marion Blakey’s departure in September for the much-greener pastures of the lobbying life.

Prior to moving to the FAA in 2003, Sturgell held the position of senior policy advisor at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), where he served as the Chairman’s primary advisor and coordinator on the NTSB’s recommendations, policy programs and other safety initiatives.

Prior to joining the NTSB, Sturgell was a flight operations supervisor and line pilot for United Airlines, flying the B-757 and B-767 in both domestic and international operations. Sturgell is also an attorney and has practiced aviation law at the Washington, D.C. law firm Shaw Pittman.

A former naval aviator, Sturgell was an instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (Topgun) and flew the F-14, F-18, F-16 and A-4 aircraft. Now a Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves (Retired), Sturgell is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the University of Virginia School of Law.

Now that we have the formal details out of the way — has anyone sat across a conference table from Bobby? Is this a good move? Let me hear from you . I have never met Mr. Sturgell, but I have sent out a number of missives to folks I think may have worked with him in the past  in an attempt to get more information on him — particularly his recent FAA tenure.

Technorati Tags: airlines, FAA, Robert Sturgell

Talk about smart marketing.

USA Today reported reports that after fighting for years to replace the three-letter code used to identify Sioux Gateway Airport, city leaders are now making SUX the focal point of a new marketing campaign designed to draw more visitors to their little cornfield of dreams.

Sioux City officials petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration to change the code in 1988 and 2002. At one point, the FAA offered the city five alternatives — GWU, GYO, GYT, SGV and GAY — but airport trustees turned them down.

Kudos to airport board member Dave Bernstein, the man who apparently said, “Enough” and proposed embracing the identifier, instead of trying to run away from it. “I’ve got buddies that I went to college with in different cities that can’t even remember their own birthdays, but they all know the Sioux City designator — SUX,” he told the Associated Press.

Check it out. Buy a T-Shirt while you’re there.

Hey guys. The current issue of PlaneBusiness Banter, all 40 some pages of it, is now posted. Subscribers can access this week’s issue here.

However, my apologies to our subscribers, as we have been trying to send out our subscriber email notifications with no success since about 6 P.M.

The program we use to send our weekly publishing notices does not want to cooperate, for whatever reason. I’m going to give is one more try here — before calling it a night.

Again, my apologies. Hopefully we can get these emails up and out of here as soon as possible.

Just popping in to update subscribers on this week’s issue. Look for it this weekend. No posting tonight. I just finished our four big earnings reviews, and now it’s on to page one to wrap up the week.

I just hope I can sleep without visions of RASM, CASM, and yield dancing in my head.

Behave yourselves tonight.

Talk to you later.

While I advised subscribers last week that I would be posting later than normal because of my travel schedule earlier in the week, just a reminder. We will be posting this week’s issue of PlaneBusiness Banter either later today or this weekend.

Yep.

Obviously, because I have to get mentally prepared for the Tennessee/Alabama game Saturday, my preference is to get this issue out sooner than later.

But having four big airlines’ earnings transcripts and numbers to dissect is not a job that can be rushed.

No, no, no.

Kind of like making fine wine. One has to take one’s time doing the task.

Yep.

Something like that.

(I’m off to get the boots out of the closet. It’s getting a little deep around here.)

In the meantime, enjoy your Friday. We’ll be back later.