July 30, 2009

"I think it's important to emphasize the context in which this legislation is being brought forward by the Committee to the Congress. We've had six accidents from regional airlines the last few years. The airline industry has been under increasing economic pressure as an industry, losing money some years.

Meanwhile, we have had, really, the best safety record in aviation in the world's history and in our country's history in the last few years. We want to maintain that and put additional safeguards, where appropriate, in place to make sure that because of economic pressure, tremendous pressure on wages for pilots and stewardesses in regional airlines that has occurred because of market conditions and all the rest, that corners aren't cut that jeopardize the traveling public.

This legislation is our effort to work on a bipartisan basis with experts in the administration and the industry, consulting with labor and other stakeholders, to make sure that we do everything that we possibly can to adjust the rules and update them to make sure that corners aren't cut and that the traveling public is protected under these changed economic conditions, as it has been in the past."