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American Airlines and Southwest lobby Congress against rival JSX

American Airlines and Southwest lobby Congress against rival JSX
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American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have sought Congressional support in their efforts to impose stricter security regulations on JSX, a Dallas-based competitor. Congressman Marc Veasey (D-TX) has co-authored a bill aimed at applying the same security rules for public charter flights as those for large commercial airlines. Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-TX) is co-sponsoring the bill, with endorsements from major pilot union President and Sara Nelson.

The former CEOs of American Airlines and Southwest personally lobbied the TSA Administrator to enforce these changes. Despite the TSA's study concluding such measures were unnecessary, lobbying efforts have continued in Congress.

JSX operates with only 30 seats from private terminals, ensuring that every bag is screened, passengers are scanned for weapons, and IDs are checked against government databases. This contrasts with approximately 4.5 million private flights annually that depart without such screenings in the U.S., making JSX less of a target compared to larger carriers.

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Both American and Southwest also offer travel from private terminals but do not adhere to the same stringent standards as JSX. In a leaked closed meeting, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom referred to this issue as a commercial dispute where they seek government intervention to block competition.

“If you don’t have to deal with the same DOT provisions, the same FAA provisions, the same security TSA provisions that’s not fair…. I’m quite certain that the FAA, the DOT, and TSA will take a look at what’s going on and make sure that no one is advantaged,” Isom stated.

The TSA Administrator indicated revisions to Twelve-Five Standard Security Program requirements for public charter flights are underway but will likely align closely with current JSX procedures rather than forcing them into standard TSA checkpoints.

The FAA plans rulemaking in response to lobbying by pilot unions and major airlines. However, new rules may be years away and could potentially allow JSX some operational flexibility while addressing big airline concerns.

If federal agency lobbying fails to hinder JSX's operations, efforts may continue towards making its business model—where passengers can arrive 20 minutes before departure—illegal.

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Organizations Included in this History
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