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This story is part of a two-part series in which The Air Current explores some of the policy implications for aviation and aerospace of each possible outcome in this year’s U.S. Presidential election, focusing on areas where the candidates have signaled meaningful positions on relevant topics. Read the piece on former President Donald Trump here.
The 2024 election is unconventional in so many ways, but especially so for Vice President Kamala Harris, who entered the race at the top of the ticket just 107 days before final ballots will be cast on Nov. 5. In that time, she has been able to form a coalition within the Democratic party and build a sizable war chest of campaign cash, but her team has been slow to formulate and deploy some policy positions in a timely fashion. Her official policy platform was published on Sept. 8, only 58 days before the election.
This fact is vital to keep in mind in looking to understand what a Harris victory may mean for the aviation industry. Also notable is the fact that if Harris is sent back to the White House as President, she will enjoy a same-party change of power, something not seen since George H.W. Bush took office in 1989 after serving for eight years as Ronald Reagan’s vice president.
While in office, President Joe Biden has had a keen focus on aviation, as well as infrastructure projects across all modes of transportation. In 2014 he famously compared LaGuardia Airport to what one might find in a “third world country,” though today the airport gleams thanks to a pre-Biden upgrade. Under his tenure, sizable investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) also funneled money to the nation’s airports and expanded efforts for investment into sustainable aviation technologies.
Beyond that, the administration has continued its scrutiny of airline fees and bolstered consumer protections through antitrust actions including blocking a proposed merger between JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines, and an alliance between American Airlines and JetBlue (A policy approach that could contrast with a potential second Trump term). It also imposed strict conditions on the now complete Alaska-Hawaiian merger, and as of Oct. 23, penalized American Airlines over its treatment of passengers with disabilities.
All of this initiates the complicated process of trying to understand where Harris could differ from or remain attached to Biden’s platform of the last three and a half years, knowing her policies have also shifted since her own bid for President in 2019. While Harris has not signaled a specific policy focus with regards to the aviation industry, her past actions as Vice President and vocal support of Biden’s agenda provide clues as to how she may approach continued investment in infrastructure, tax policy and tariffs as well as potential shakeups at the Federal Aviation Administration.
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