We’ve all heard this phrase before. But what we’ve seen in the first few months of the second Trump administration underscores how true it really is…and disruptive to boot.

Paul Bowers, Publisher

Historically, our aviation world has been built on predictability. Safety, growth, construction, hiring and the funding that fuels our airport system have worked due to predictability. Being able to rely on established systems and predictable funding has allowed the industry to successfully build to meet the future travel demands that are placed upon us. This is true not only for airports, but also the consultants and suppliers that partner with you on all levels.

Trump 2.0 has upended the norms and placed strain on the people, programs and services that we’ve relied on to prepare for tomorrow’s travelers. It has taken decades to enact programs regarding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in our industry. Safe to say, it has become mainstream in most things that we do. Contracts with hiring and ownership goals have become the norm. This was a result of legislation requiring it to be so. But this “norm” is changing on a dime. Under President Trump, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has taken action to rescind “woke” DEI policies, and the results have been predictably significant.

Many airports have eliminated, or are considering eliminating, social equity policy out of concern that the Trump administration could remove a sizable chunk of their funding. What can you do? It feels like there are two choices: Go with the flow or risk your funding. Some choice, right? How do you explain to your staff, local community and passengers that crucial safety and capacity programs have been delayed or cancelled if you chose to support DEI, and as a result, lose funding for critical building projects? This appears to be a no-win situation.

It’s hard enough to run an airport or business under normal circumstances. But running one while the rules of critical programs change radically puts undue burden and stress on all of us.

Here’s to better days ahead—and more predictability.

Cheers!