US airlines and A4A face a battle to replace airline "milk cow" thinking by a valid national policy

US trade group Airlines For America (A4A) enters 2014 in essentially the exact same position it has been stuck in for over a year - feverishly attempting to convince the US government and legislators that a national airline policy is paramount for the industry to remain competitive on a global scale, especially among carriers in emerging markets whose governments, argues A4A, put less restraints on their airlines.

The campaign so far has been slow to gain traction, evidenced by the recent bipartisan budget deal reached among US legislators that raises security fees collected by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from USD2.50 to USD5.60 one-way and a total of USD11.20 for a round trip flight.

Overall, it seems the association faces an uphill climb in engineering a mindset change of the US government's parochial view of commercial aviation. The lobbying group warns the stakes are high if commercial aviation continues to bear the current regulatory and tax burdens that are widening the competitive gap between US carriers and their global airline competitors. Unfortunately, the group's message seems to be falling on deaf ears and good old fashioned "use airlines as a milk cow" attitudes continue to prevail. This primitive approach entirely ignores the immense flow on value of aviation to the economy - not to mention its social benefits.