Whispers of middle-ground decision on Open Skies

By Jennifer Scholtes and Martine Powers

06/27/16 10:00 AM EDT

With help from Kathryn A. Wolfe

WHISPERS OF MIDDLE-GROUND DECISION ON OPEN SKIES: As we first flagged for Pros on Friday, major players in the aviation industry say the State Department has secretly decided its path forward in the showdown between the “big three” and the Middle Eastern carriers they’re accusing of anti-competitive practices. And the State Department has confirmed for us that Catherine Novelli, undersecretary for economic growth, met Friday with “a number of U.S. carriers and labor representatives to discuss Middle East aviation issues.”

In-betweener: Sources tell our Kathryn A. Wolfe that the Obama administration will not formally open consultations on Open Skies agreements with Qatar and the UAE or freeze flights — the two big wish-list items for the accusing airlines: Delta, American and United. Instead, State Department officials have picked a much more mellow approach, deciding to talk through the issues with the two countries this summer (rumor has it that a spate of diplomatic meetings is slated for July).

Winners all around? While none of the stakeholders are speaking publicly about the decision right now, both sides seem to be declaring victory on the down-low. Folks who say the Middle Eastern airlines are unfairly undercutting their U.S. competitors are cheering the decision to move forward with informal negotiations. At the same time, those defending the foreign carriers say the State Department’s stance shows they’ve been right all along.

IT’S MONDAY: Good morning and thanks for tuning into POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on all things trains, planes, automobiles and ports.

Jen and Lauren will be your MT cohosts this week, so send us your tips and transpo talking points: @jascholtes or jscholtes@politico.com and @gardner_LM or lgardner@politico.com

“If I ever get lucky mama, win my train fare home … I'm goin' back to the border, where I'm better known.”

PLEASE HAVE YOUR PASSPORT AND TWITTER HANDLE READY: The Obama administration is now looking for feedback on the plan it announced last week to start asking foreign travelers to fork over information about their social media accounts as they enter and exit the United States. Pro Technology’s Tony Romm reports that the DHS proposal, which was published in the Federal Register on Thursday, would ask for voluntary disclosure from foreign travelers — including those arriving through the Visa Waiver program — and “follows months of calls on Capitol Hill for greater scrutiny of foreign visitors' social media accounts.”

POLITICAL FLIGHT RISK: House Homeland Security Committee leaders were supposed to be in Cuba right now on a trip to check out the country's aviation security protocols, but the island nation didn't approve their visas in time. That delay isn't the product of regular old bureaucratic hurdles, the lawmakers argue — instead they’re accusing the Cuban government of keeping them out because of their criticism of the country's airport screening equipment and vetting practices for aviation workers.

The specifics: Besides what Chairman Mike McCaul put out in his scathing statement on Friday, the panel told us that committee leaders requested the use of government aircraft more than three weeks ago, on May 31. They submitted their passport and visa information to the appropriate congressional liaison more than a week ago, on June 16. The lawmakers who were hoping to tag along with the chairman: Reps. John Katko, Henry Cuellar, Martha McSally and Richard Hudson.

THIS WEEK: House lawmakers are long gone — until July 5 — but folks in the upper chamber are working away this week and next. Events this week:

Today — Association of Flight Attendants-CWA leaders meet with United Airlines representatives today and Tuesday to agree on the final language of the deal they struck Friday on collective bargaining for 25,000 flight attendants. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx speaks at a live-streamed event at Volpe’s Cambridge campus. The Consumer Federation of America holds a conference call to release new research on the impact of drivers' economic status on the price they pay for auto insurance.

Tuesday — The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies holds a seminar on aviation security, with the Air Line Pilots Association’s aviation security chairman and a former official with the FAA and TSA. The Air and Space Museum hosts a press conference to mark the re-opening of the "Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall."

Wednesday — @NHTSAgov a Twitter chat on #BuzzedDriving, with experts available to provide stats and tips to encourage people to plan ahead for a sober ride home after July Fourth partying. And the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, along with the American Trucking Associations, hosts an event with a speech by Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Jim Inhofe to mark the 60th anniversary of the law that initiated construction of the interstate system.

Thursday — NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart at the National Press Club about using automation to prevent transportation accidents, focusing on self-driving cars and lessons the board has learned over the years from accident investigations. On the Hill, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson testifies at an oversight hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Commerce Department calls for an update from the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. Bloomberg Government joins with the Aluminum Association to host an invitation-only breakfast on fuel economy. And Charles Uthus, vice president of international policy at the American Automotive Policy Council, speaks at a Young Professionals in Foreign Policy event.

‘ALL ABOARD AMERICA’: You might remember that Amtrak commercial from the 1980s with singer Richie Havens singing the tagline, “All Aboard America, All Aboard Amtrak.” That slogan was the work of Robert Cox, a New York ad exec who died earlier this month at the age of 78. Cox was probably best known for coming up with the phrase, “Just Say No,” the hallmark of Nancy Reagan’s war on drugs, but he was also a major player in automotive advertising: He penned Honda’s “We Make It Simple,” and Ford’s “Quality is Job 1.”

Side view: But his biggest contribution may have been in design, The New York Times writes: “John Ferrell, the chief creative officer of Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos/New York, credited Mr. Cox’s art direction with transforming automobile advertising by showing a car in profile. ‘Before, it had always been a front three-quarters view, or a back seven-eighths,’ he told The New York Times in 1989. ‘That work showed a fine sense of design and a real reduction of elements to their ultimate simplicity.’”

UP, UP AND AWAY: Charlotte Douglas International Airport has officially opened its new test lab for NextGen innovation. The five-year pilot project — called the Airspace Technology Demonstration-2 (ATD-2) research laboratory — will allow researchers to experiment with new methods of reducing fuel use and improving the safety of surface operations, and will provide air traffic managers with the ability to coordinate flight schedules to manage aviation congestion and allow passengers to spend less time taxiing on the runway. No surprise that Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx was there, since he’s a Charlotte native. The program, he said, “will have a transformative and lasting impact on aviation.”

FIRED UP OVER UBER: A Koch Brothers superPAC is using ride-hailing policy to take aim at Catherine Cortez Masto, the Nevada Democrat running for Minority Leader Harry Reid’s Senate seat. In a new ad, the Freedom Partners Action Fund lambastesMasto’s efforts to ban Uber from Las Vegas because they don’t adhere to the regulations placed on taxis. “Many Nevadans relied on Uber for work,” the ad says. "But after accepting $70,000 from taxi companies, Catherine Cortez Masto went after Uber … until she drove them out of town, along with all their jobs.”

SLICE OF PI: Our friends at POLITICO Influence report that Nathan D. Pick, director of advocacy and government affairs at Airports Council International North America, is leaving to become director of advocacy and political affairs at the National Roofing Contractors Association.

Mike Tadeo, an aide to Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), is becoming a media relations associate at the American Petroleum Institute. He previously worked in communications for Rep. John Fleming of Louisiana, Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio and the House Natural Resources Committee under Chairman Doc Hastings.

And K&L Gates has started lobbying for the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers on partnership audit rules; City of Murfreesboro Water & Sewer Department on water supply; and Sperry Rail on rail safety.

THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ):

— The quietly loyal group of Metro commuters who will ride come fire, crowd or, yes, flood. The Washington Post.

— American drivers regain appetite for gas guzzlers. The New York Times.

— The Big Hack: The day cars drove themselves into walls and the hospitals froze. New York Magazine.

— Philadelphia bus driver chases after, catches purse snatcher. The Associated Press.

— Elon Musk is squaring off against China for the future of Tesla. Bloomberg.

— While Amazon waits, drones fly. The Wall Street Journal.

— Five killed after Amtrak train collides with vehicle. 9 News.

THE COUNTDOWN: DOT appropriations run out in 97 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 19 days. The 2016 presidential election is in 134 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 1,559 days.

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