Chamber Plans National Air Transportation Summit

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Chamber of Commerce announced today that it would bring together administration officials, congressional leaders, airline industry executives and technology companies to address the critical infrastructure problems in air transportation during a National Summit, December 5 – 6, 2000.

"It's time to stop finger-pointing and start problem-solving to make the air traffic system safe and dependable for passengers and goods," said Greg Lebedev, Chamber chief operating officer and Managing Director of the National Chamber Foundation. The NCF is the public policy arm of the United States Chamber of Commerce.

A record number of airline flights are delayed or cancelled, stranding thousands of passengers and interrupting the shipment of millions of packages, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

"The new just-in-time economy relies on dependable air transportation," said Lebedev. "Without a concerted effort to resolve the problems of the airline system, further gridlock is inevitable and the safety net for airline travel will be stretched."

The U.S. Chamber and the NCF will host a 2-day Air Transportation Summit in Washington, D.C., December 5 – 6, where regulators, industry and customers can debate solutions to issues including: demand, infrastructure and safety.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

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