Airlines for America dealt a blow with Delta’s departure

Airlines for America (A4A) has been dealt its biggest blow in a 75+ year history as one of its biggest airlines and the third-biggest US airline by capacity, Delta, had decided to end its membership of the only trade organization in the US for leading commercial airlines.
In a statement, Delta confirmed that “The USD$5 million that Delta pays in annual dues to A4A can be better used to invest in employees and products to further enhance the Delta experience, and to support what we believe is a more efficient way of communicating in Washington.”
One of the major effects of this split is that it will weaken US airlines’ ability to lobby Washington as a united front. Industry consultant Robert Mann pointed out that disagreements among airlines have seldom seen the outcome being a trade-group split by a player as large as Delta. He also felt that “It means a change in A4A’s budget. They’ll have to do a little more with less.”
A4A was formed in 1936 and was originally known as the Air Transport Association (ATA). The organization has played a key role in all major government decisions regarding the aviation industry, and has also been responsible for the formation of the Civil Aeronautics Board.
According to its website “A4A has supported America’s airlines by promoting the industry as the world’s safest form of transportation, advocating for fair taxation and regulations that encourage global competition and by coordinating industry actions toward environmental responsibility, economic growth and technological advances.”
Other current members include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Atlas Air, FedEx Express, Hawaiian Airlines, jetBlue Airways, Southwest, United and UPS.