| | | | |  | | By Alex Daugherty | With help from Tanya Snyder and Oriana Pawlyk
| | | — Republicans are keeping up their pressure campaign to end the federal mask mandate for transit, but rising case counts and high-profile Covid positives could create complications. — The FAA is throwing the book at unruly airline passengers. — A proposed restoration of New York's Penn Station from NYC's largest commercial landlord would come with a major catch. IT'S MONDAY: You're reading Morning Transportation, your Washington policy guide to everything that moves. Send tips, pitches, feedback and song lyrics to us at adaugherty@politico.com, tsnyder@politico.com and opawlyk@politico.com. You can also find us on Twitter:@alextdaugherty, @TSnyderDC and @Oriana0214. "Magic, magic, magic/I got the magic in me"
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| | | DEADLINE APPROACHING: There's a week until the federal transportation mask mandate on planes and other forms of public transportation is set to expire, and Republicans are again urging the Biden administration to end all mask-related mandates. Last week saw new legislation introduced to that end, and the latest pressure is a letter from the top congressional Republicans with oversight over airlines. Expect the letter-writing, bill-filing and speechifying to continue until the administration relents. "We believe the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA's) extension of the transportation mask mandate last month ran counter to your public health agency's announcement that most Americans could forego wearing a mask indoors," wrote House Transportation and Infrastructure ranking member Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Senate Commerce ranking member Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), House T&I Aviation Subcommittee ranking member Garret Graves (R-La.) and Senate Commerce Aviation Subcommittee ranking member Ted Cruz (R-Texas). "It is our belief that these inconsistent decisions further erode public trust in the Federal government, especially when transportation operators have taken significant steps to keep passengers safe." CASES RISING: Washington (and not just Gridiron Dinner attendees ) is seeing an uptick in Covid cases, though local officials have said they do not plan to reimpose mask mandates. The administration hasn't said if it will still end transportation mask mandates next week. There's been an increasing split among Democrats, with some voting against the continued mask mandates in recent weeks — while others, notably Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), have called on the administration to keep the mandates in place beyond April 18. PAY UP: The FAA has proposed nearly $160,000 in fines against two people who last year assaulted airline crew members — the largest single fines to date that the agency has levied against passengers for allegedly unruly behavior, Oriana reports. HIGHER PENALTIES: The FAA often proposes civil penalties of up to $37,000 per violation, but in recent months some fines have begun to exceed those totals. In the two cases announced Friday, one incident on a flight in July 2021 involved a passenger that "threatened to hurt the flight attendant" and spit, headbutted, bit and tried to kick crew members. They now face a fine of $81,950. In the second instance that same month, a passenger attempted to hug and kiss other passengers, and at one point bit a passenger "multiple times." That passenger faces a $77,272 fine. Beyond civil penalties, passengers who assault, threaten, intimidate or interfere with airline crew members can also be referred for criminal prosecution. The latest numbers: As of April 4, there have been 1,081 reported incidents involving unruly passengers, of which 707 involved mask compliance. The FAA has initiated 309 investigations and taken action in 159 cases, according to the latest statistics . Separately, as of Feb. 16 — the most recent data the FAA could provide — the agency has relayed 80 cases that it says meet the standard for potential prosecution to the FBI for criminal review. SPIRIT PICKET: Spirit Airlines flight attendants, who are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, are launching a series of pickets around Spirit's "operational meltdowns." The first picket is set for later today at Orlando International Airport, after the flight attendants said a fourth "operational meltdown" since August last week led to 30 percent of flights getting canceled and forced flight attendants to handle angry passengers while getting stuck in airports overnight. There will also be a picket at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Thursday followed by subsequent pickets in Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, and Detroit in the coming weeks.
| | | PETE: 'NO MAGIC FIX' ON GAS PRICES: DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg told the hosts of "The View" Friday that "there's no quick or magic fix" to bringing gas prices down. "If any president directly controlled gas prices, they would be low all the time," he said. He referenced the administration's efforts — including releasing petroleum reserves and "asking Congress to hold [oil] companies accountable if they're ... not producing while pocketing all of these profits" — and also mentioned DOT's efforts to increase fuel efficiency. His message on unruly passengers was simple: "Don't be a jerk." He didn't say much about the no-fly list idea floated by some in Congress, except to say, "there's a lot of complexity to it, but anything that could make it easier for flight crews and for passengers, we've got to look at." He didn't have news to announce on the mask mandate, but said, "We all want to get to where there are fewer restrictions. We have to get to a point where it's safe to do that." COMING HOME: DOT announced Saturday that Buttigieg will travel to Indiana on April 13, his first official visit since joining President Joe Biden's Cabinet. Buttigieg will travel to Tell City, about as far away from South Bend as you can get without leaving the state, to tout the infrastructure law.
| | | | INTRODUCING DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | TRAIN STATION FOR SKYSCRAPERS? Danielle Muoio Dunn reports on Vornado , the largest commercial landlord in New York City, which has offered an opportunity to transform the 60-year-old Penn Station from a maligned rail hub to the pristine station it once was. In exchange, Vornado would forgo millions in city property taxes. HANDOUT OR PUBLIC INVESTMENT? Depending on who you ask, it's either the biggest windfall to a politically-connected private developer in recent history or the best shot at fixing North America's busiest train station. The proposal would erect up to nine new skyscrapers, mostly filled with bespoke office space. It would primarily benefit Vornado, the majority owner of more than half the sites covered under the plan.
| | | Lirio Liu will become the new executive director of the FAA's Aircraft Certification Service, the agency said Friday. She will replace Earl Lawrence, who is moving to a new role as deputy assistant administrator for the FAA's NextGen Office. Both start their new roles on May 8. Former DOT Secretary Ray LaHood will join the board of directors of the infrastructure consulting firm TYLin. Before leading DOT in the early Obama years, LaHood represented Illinois' 18th district.
| | | — "United pushes back the return of dozens of Boeing 777 jets until at least May 13." CNBC. — "Conservatives file lawsuit to invalidate Colorado's new transportation fees. Here's what it claims." Colorado Sun. — "K Street makeover will bring dedicated bus lanes, remove service lanes." Washington Post. — "Travel chaos from pilot shortage just part of Alaska Airlines' headaches." Seattle Times. — "After a turbulent week for JetBlue, the long-loved airline is at a crossroads." Boston Globe. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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