July 25, 2006

Doing The Wright Thing

TravelWeekly.com has an update on the proposal to gradually repeal the Wright Amendment, which will lead to lower fares between Nashville and Dallas. The story requires a free registration, so here's the gist of it: The mayors of Dallas and Fort Worth, and executives of rivals Southwest and American airlines, are lobbying Congress to approve the deal without tinkering with it.

All my previous posts regarding the Wright Amendment are here, including this one featuring a letter from U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn regarding the Wright Amendment. A separate email from a Blackburn staffer indicates that, while she is supportive of the compromise, Blackburn believes the eight-year phase-out of the Wright Amendment is too long, and she is continuing to push to have Tennessee exempted from the strictures of Wright. Eight years is too long, and if Congress tinkers with the legislation is should reduce that to about 8 months - or, better yet, just scrap the Wright Amendment entirely. It's anti-competitive, anti-consumer, and costs the flying public some $4 billion annually in higher airfares.

Blackburn's right on the isssue. It's just one more reason to vote for Blackburn in the upcoming election.