Airlines will learn from Germanwings crash, IATA CEO says

Bart Jansen | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON -- Enhancing psychological testing for airline pilots will be considered after the apparently intentional crash of Germanwings Flight 9525, the head of an international trade group said Wednesday.

But Tony Tyler, CEO of the International Air Transport Association that represents 250 airlines worldwide, said a thorough investigation must be completed in order to draw lessons from the incident.

Regulators have done a lot of work to ensure pilots are healthy, but after the Germanwings crash "people will be looking at these issues with fresh eyes," said Tyler, who met with a handful of reporters on his way to an operations conference in Los Angeles.

"The issue of psychological screening, psychological testing, the evaluation of the mental state of not only perhaps pilots, but others in the safety value chain, will no doubt be something that has to be considered and we'll have to think about ways of seeking to avoid a recurrence of that terrible accident," Tyler said.

Prosecutors have said the Germanwings co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, locked the pilot out of the cockpit during a flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf before crashing the plane into the French alps on March 24. Lubitz had been treated for depression, prosecutors said.

Airlines such as Lufthansa, the Germanwings parent, adopted the U.S. policy to keep two crew members in the cockpit at all times. But the French investigation into all aspects of the crash could take a year.

"It will prove in due course to have been another example of how the industry learns from these tragedies and applies the lessons of these tragedies to diminish the likelihood of their recurrence," Tyler said. "I'm sure the right lessons will be learned and applied."

Among other industry issues, Tyler discussed:

-- North American airlines are profitable, with a 2015 forecast of $13.2 billion for a 6% profit margin representing more than half of worldwide airline profits. The profits stem from consolidation, lower fuel prices and ancillary fees for services such as baggage and seat assignments.

But asked about sharing those benefits by lowering fares for travelers, Tyler said the airline profit margin still trails companies like Apple, which has a 24% return on investment.

Travelers are seeing the benefits from airline profits in $1 billion per month investment in new equipment and more flights, he said.

"Sadly, airlines are not hugely profitable," Tyler said. "Customers are now seeing some positive results of airline investment in passenger experience."

-- The U.S. Transportation Department should abandon a proposal to force airlines to include fees for luggage and seat assignments in their fares in systems used by travel agents, Tyler argued.

Airlines already reach deals with travel agents to sell tickets, but the industry should be allowed to develop a way for travelers to compare the variety of options now available, he said.

"What other industry is forced to market its product through channels it hasn't chosen to use for those products?" Tyler asked. "The proposed rule is at best is yesterday's solution to an issue that the industry is well on its way to solving."

-- More than a dozen airlines are experimenting with a new computer language for reservations, to allow a side-by-side comparison of airline fees on a travel agent's website like Orbitz. The computer language now used at comparison sites dates to the 1960s and can't handle the options available today.

IATA is offering funding to spur third-party groups to set up comparison websites with more options. Under a five-year plan, the group expects travelers to be able to comparison shop with the new language in 2017.

-- As Congress debates Federal Aviation Administration legislation, lawmakers are studying whether to remove air-traffic control from the government as a stand-alone entity funded by the industry.

The goal would be to avoid unpredictable congressional funding. But controllers and others have raised safety concerns about privatizing a government function, so the debate will be contentious.

Tyler said Canada, which has a fraction of the aviation traffic, offers a good model that the United States should consider seriously.

"I believe that separating the air-traffic management functions from the FAA into a separate organization that should be run on a not-for-profit basis paid for by the industry would be a very positive way forward," Tyler said.

-- Venezuela still holds $3.7 billion from 24 airlines, down from $4.1 billion last July, Tyler said. Only one carrier, Air Canada, has stopped flying to the South American country, but Tyler said the rest are eager to get their revenues.

"The situation in the country is continuing to deteriorate," Tyler said. "The airlines simply want to be able to take their money."