In Transition

Of course, some names on the list of Transportation Secretary contenders could wind up at FAA as a consolation prize, including Jane Garvey, who served previously as FAA administrator from 1997 to 2002. Garvey was a member of the board of directors for Bombardier Inc. until Obama tapped her to be part of his transition team.

“Of all the DOT jobs, that’s hardest to fill,” said one aviation lobbyist. “Because you need somebody who has great executive management skills and really knows the aviation system, and preferably I think is somebody who is a user of the aviation system.”

Whoever makes the final cut will face the herculean challenge of modernizing the nation’s antiquated air traffic control system, dealing with worsening congestion and delays and running the day to day operations of a large and far-flung safety workforce.

Beyond that, what an FAA would look like under Obama is murky.

Not much can be gleaned from his background in the Senate, since he didn’t serve on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, leaving industry stakeholders to guess at what specific proposals he might champion.

“Obama doesn’t have much of a record on any of these things, and transportation issues, while we think they’re important, are not really the top tier things that people are worried about,” said one aviation lobbyist.

Obama did side strongly with air traffic controllers in a contract dispute with the FAA. Otherwise, he has spoken only broadly — supporting the FAA’s workforce, strengthening its safety mandate and modernizing the air traffic control system.

“A lot of what we’ve heard are broad concepts,” said a senior Democratic Senate aide. “So honing those down and figuring out where he is, is obviously going to be interesting, and critical.”