Frank Lautenberg: “I think the Senator from North Dakota makes a very good case. Despite the fact that I come from one of the most active…”

“I think the Senator from North Dakota makes a very good case. Despite the fact that I come from one of the most active transportation centers of the country, New Jersey, and we are the most densely populated State, we need access to aviation and so forth. I agree that the problems that have developed since deregulation have not always been things that we anticipated. I talked with the Secretary of Transportation, and I made the point that the distinguished Senator from North Dakota made so eloquently just now on the floor. He tells me--and I am sure this is nothing new to the Senator from North Dakota--about the fact that United Airlines has agreed with the cooperative baggage arrangements and cooperative ticketing, though code sharing has not yet become part of the picture. Unfortunately, in the deregulated mode, the contracts are between airlines. But I am assured that the Secretary will be looking at the anticompetitive situation of small rural airports around the country, whether jet service is available and why it is discontinued. I have that commitment to him. I pass that on to the Senator from North Dakota, so he has a basis for review as time goes by. We continue to subsidize essential air service in the hope that we will be of some help. Meanwhile, I think the Senator has a good point. We accept his amendment from this side. I assume that the other side also is agreeable.”