Given all the scrutiny the regional airline industry has absorbed over the past year, one might forgive RAA president Roger Cohen for succumbing to some cynicism. But through the countless hours he has spent giving Congressional testimony, making television appearances, submitting to press interviews and answering to his association’s board of directors, Cohen never veered “off message.” In fact, he exudes perhaps more optimism now than at any other time during his near three-and-a-half-year tenure as head of the RAA.
“I’m encouraged by a couple of things,” said Cohen. “These challenges over the last year–primarily on the safety and public policy front and even the economic challenges–I think have reaffirmed everybody’s commitment to the airlines, to operating safely, and to doing it even better. I think everybody’s encouraged that we’ve come through this challenging period bigger and stronger than really ever before.”
