ABA Forum on Air and Space Law to host annual meeting in Atlanta

The American Bar Association Forum on Air and Space Law will host its 2016 Annual Meeting on Sept. 15-16 at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead Hotel in Atlanta. Leading air and space officials, including aviation and aerospace lawyers, senior airline executives and government officials from around the world, will meet to discuss key issues that affect the aviation and aerospace industries.

Brendan Canavan, president of UPS Airlines in Louisville, Ky., will be the keynote speaker. Franklin Rucker, assistant general manager of planning and development at the City of Atlanta Department of Aviation, will be the luncheon speaker.

Program highlights include:

Thursday, Sept. 15

- "Prepare for Take-off: Competition and Consolidation" - Panelists will probe the question, "Has the United States aviation market reached maturity, or are further shifts ahead?" Consolidation, the increase of international alliances, challenges concerning gate/slot access and ticket distribution has all contributed to the conversation on the state of competition and where it is headed. Speakers are William Stallings, partner, Mayer Brown LLP, Washington, D.C.; Kevin Mitchell, chairman, Business Travel Coalition, Radnor, Pa., Howard Kass, vice president, Regulatory Affairs, American Airlines, Was­hing­ton, D.C.; and Diana Moss, president, American Antitrust Institute, Washington, D.C.

- "Secure Flight: Assessing and Assuring Aviation and Airport Security" -"How does the world's most traveled airport prepare for and manage aviation security issues?" Panelists will discuss this and other questions concerning cybersecurity, firearms, human trafficking and terrorism in the aviation industry. Speakers are: Cheryl Treadwell, assistant city attorney, Aviation Division, City of Atlanta Department of Law; Mary Ellen Callahan, partner, Jenner & Block, Washington D.C.; Jerome Woodard, security manager compliance and enforcement, City of Atlanta Department of Aviation, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; Roy Hadley, partner, Thompson Hine, Atlanta.

- "Innovation at Altitude: Legal Implications of New Technologies and Business Models" - Inspired by companies like Uber, Lyft and Airbnb, panelists for this program will discuss innovation in the aviation travel and tourism industries. New aviation technologies will change travel research, ticket purchasing, the on-ground and on-board experience and general user travel experience. Speakers are: Ann Liebschutz, executive director for the United States Israel Science & Technology Foundation, Washington, D.C.; Omer Shalev, general counsel and secretary, El Al Airlines, Tel Aviv, Israel; Henry Weinstein, chief executive officer, cockpit, Tel Aviv, Israel; Bonny Simi, president, JetBlue Technology Ventures, Long Island City, New York; Brandon Nelson, associate general counsel, JetBlue Airways, Long Island City, New York.

Friday, Sept. 16

- "From Here to Ubiquity: the American Space Renaissance Act and Its Impact on the Future of Space" - Panelists will discuss the changes to the American Space Renaissance Act, which would change significant portions of the United States commercial space policy and influence the roles that the Department of Transportation and the Commerce Department currently play. Speakers are: Karen D. Dacres, general counsel, PlanetiQ, Washington, D.C.; Sagi Kfir, general counsel, Deep Space Industries, Moffett Field, Calif.; Shana Dale, deputy associate administrator for Commercial Space Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration; Mike Gold, vice president for DC Operations, Space Systems Loral, Washington, D.C.

Published: Thu, Sep 08, 2016