With help from Alex Guillén
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— The latest U.S.-China flare-up comes as DOT alleged that Chinese authorities are ignoring requests from U.S. airlines to restart commercial service there.
— DOT rolled out a large set of new destinations where airlines can suspend flights due to the coronavirus.
— A divided auto industry is taking on the first lawsuit against the Trump administration’s auto emissions rollback.
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DOT TAKES ON CHINA: The Transportation Department is at the center of the latest conflict between the U.S. and China, with the tension revolving around airline rights. As first reported by Reuters late Friday, the U.S. government alleged that the Chinese government is making it impossible for U.S. airlines to resume flights to China and it has delayed multiple Chinese charter flights.
The nuts and bolts: Delta Air Lines and United Airlines want to restart flights to China in June, a DOT order issued on Friday says, but Chinese authorities have not been responsive to their request. As a result, DOT is requiring Air China, China Eastern Airlines Corp, China Southern Airlines Co., Hainan Airlines Holding Co. and their subsidiaries to file flight schedules and other details by Wednesday. Those flights may be found “contrary to applicable law or adversely affect the public interest,” DOT warned in the order.
DOT says: “The Department is taking this step because Chinese aviation authorities have imposed restrictions on U.S. carriers that are making it impossible for them to resume passenger services between the US and China and operate those services at levels that they have a right to operate under the US – China air transport agreement,” an agency spokesperson said in a statement. “Meanwhile, Chinese carriers have been able to continue operating passenger services to the US.”
IN OTHER INTERNATIONAL NEWS: The Trump administration announced on Sunday that it’s restricting entry for travelers from Brazil. The details from POLITICO’s Rishika Dugyala: “President Donald Trump said he was restricting nearly all non-U.S. citizens from coming to the U.S. if they were physically present in Brazil during the 14-day period prior to travel. Green card holders, close relatives of U.S. citizens and flight crew members are exempt.”
THE OTHER FRIDAY NEWS DUMP: DOT also late on Friday issued a set of new exemptions allowing airlines to suspend service to certain points. In all, 15 airlines were given permission to stop flying to 75 airports during the pandemic. Reuters has the full list, which includes 11 exemptions each for United and Delta, and five each for JetBlue, Alaska and Frontier.
A SLIGHT HOLIDAY TRAVEL BUMP: As expected, the number of travelers passing through TSA checkpoints over the holiday weekend slightly increased, but it remained starkly lower than in 2019. On Friday, 348,673 people took to the skies, the most in two months but a major difference from the nearly 2.8 million who did so on the same weekday last year.
Those numbers are in line with what at least one major airline, American, experienced over the weekend, according to spokesperson Ross Feinstein. Year over year on the Friday before Memorial Day, American saw an 82 percent decline in passengers in 2020, Feinstein wrote on Twitter.
FAA CHANGES NOT ENOUGH, EDITORIAL ARGUES: Regulators at the FAA are “still attempting to defend the indefensible” when it comes to their work on the Boeing 737 MAX, the Seattle Times editorial board wrote in a scathing piece over the weekend, which took aim at the agency’s latest report on changes it’s planning to make following the deaths of hundreds in two MAX crashes. “The business and regulatory failures that led to the deaths of 346 people in two crashes continue to be papered over,” wrote the editorial board. The board’s biggest frustration with the FAA’s latest decision: that regulators will continue to delegate detailed safety evaluations of new planes and features to Boeing.
LIGADO GETS EVEN MESSIER: The Trump administration officially petitioned the FCC on Friday to reconsider its approval of Ligado Networks’ 5G plan because of worries that it could scramble GPS signals, Pro’s Leah Nylen reports. The FCC-approved plan has already pitted agencies against each other, with Justice and State in favor, while the Pentagon and DOT have stepped in to challenge it. As Leah writes, the FCC is an independent agency that often collaborates with the executive branch but makes its own decisions.
INDUSTRY FIGHTS BACK: The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the recently merged auto industry trade group, on Friday moved to defend the EPA’s auto emissions rollback — from a libertarian think tank that argues the rule is too stringent. Increasing the standards’ stringency gives “the industry a return on its investment in advanced emissions-reduction and fuel economy technologies,” as well as public health and environmental benefits, the Alliance argued as it moved to intervene in the only lawsuit brought against the rule so far, by the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
But the trade group also defended the rule from expected attacks from blue states and environmentalists that it’s too lax. The EPA and NHTSA “lawfully exercised their discretion in setting their standards in accordance with the applicable statutory requirements,” the Alliance wrote. Notably, five companies did not join the Alliance’s action: Ford, Honda, BMW and Volkswagen (the four companies that struck a voluntary, more stringent emissions deal with California last year), plus Mercedes-Benz, which has been rumored to be in talks to join the deal.
U.S. TRAVEL FEELS INDUSTRY PAIN: As the economic pain sweeping the country hits K Street, the U.S. Travel Association has been among the lobbying groups to make cuts, according to POLITICO’s Theodoric Meyer and Daniel Lippman. U.S. Travel, which has been lobbying aggressively for federal aid for the travel industry, has been forced to lay off some staff and cut pay across the board, the group’s top lobbyist Tori Barnes told POLITICO. U.S. Travel was also one of the leading forces behind a provision in a House-passed bill, H.R. 6800 (116), that would allow trade groups to apply for small business loans, arguing that the change would allow destination marketing groups to get aid.
Art Mead of Crowley Maritime Corporation was elected chairman of American Waterways Operators, the organization announced last week.
— “One final viral infusion: Trump’s move to block travel from Europe triggered chaos and a surge of passengers from the outbreak’s center.” Washington Post.
— “EU opens in-depth probe into Canadian airline merger.” POLITICO Pro.
— “Germany approves 9 billion euro aid package for Lufthansa.” Associated Press.
— “As passengers disappeared, airlines filled planes with cargo.” New York Times.
— “Hertz files for bankruptcy.” CNN.
— “Richard Branson’s small-satellite launch venture fails first test.” The Wall Street Journal.
DOT appropriations run out in 127 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 1,223 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 127 days.
