Longtime congressman Jim Oberstar, a champion of transportation safety and an expert in aviation, died on May 3. He was 79.
Oberstar, a Minnesota Democrat, served 18 terms in the House of Representatives from 1975 through 2010.
During his time as chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee from 2006 to 2010, Oberstar was known for his staunch opposition to immunized airline alliances and airline mergers.
He was against the Delta-Northwest, United-Continental and Southwest-AirTran mergers, voicing concern that a loss in competition would mean higher fares for consumers.
From 1989 through 1995, Oberstar chaired the House Subcommittee on Aviation.
In 1991, he sponsored the Aging Aircraft Safety Act, a law that required older planes to undergo more stringent reviews of maintenance.
Airlines for America, the U.S. airlines’ trade organization, said in a statement, “As a longtime chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Jim Oberstar understood well the value of air travel to jobs, the economy and connecting people and goods across the country and the world. He worked tirelessly on behalf of establishing and improving safety standards, and was a strong advocate for employees in all transportation sectors.”