Last week in a joint communique, the chairmen of both the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) updated their members on ongoing efforts to speak with a single message in Washington, D.C. and to seek greater coordination and collaboration between the two associations.
In their memo, Mark Reis, Chairman of the ACI-NA Board of Directors and Mark Brewer, Chairman of the AAAE Board of Directors, said they were pleased to report that significant progress continues to be made at both the member and staff levels.
Last month the associations held a joint Spring Legislative Conference, with more than two hundred members in attendance. Attendees received a single set of shared legislative priorities jointly prepared by the two staffs for members to share with their congressional delegations. Attendees also listened to a lineup of key congressional speakers.
The pair also noted that under the leadership of ACI-NA Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Bonnie Allin and AAAE Airport Legislative Alliance (ALA) Chair Rosie Andolino, a previously unscheduled session to further discuss legislative priorities was held early one morning before the day’s formal program began, and nearly 50 people participated in the discussion. As a direct result, the two staffs are working to create a joint website to serve as a repository for background information, talking points, and other materials on FAA reauthorization and other key issues.
The AAAE and ACI-NA Executive Committees also met during the conference to evaluate the status of ongoing collaboration and coordination efforts. It was reported that considerable discussion took place regarding the successful efforts to speak with a single message in Washington and the need to continue that forward progress as they head into the FAA reauthorization cycle.
Both chairmen said they remain committed to reviewing other areas in which ACI-NA and AAAE may be able to increase their collaboration. The pair said they believe there are opportunities for the establishment of additional joint meetings, and they will evaluate the merit of having some of the member committees with similar responsibilities or focuses work more closely together.
