US Airways has announced that Thomas B. Chapman will join the airline as vice president, congressional and federal affairs.Chapman, 51, is a Washington, D.C. attorney with 25 years of wide-ranging experience in aviation government affairs. At US Airways, Chapman will be responsible for the airline’s federal lobbying efforts, regulatory issues and federal policy initiatives. He succeeds Rosemary G. Murray, who is retiring after 37 years in the airline industry, the last 17 with US Airways. Chapman’s appointment is subject to approval by the airline’s board of directors.

“Tom is highly regarded in Washington for his knowledge about—and passion for—the airline industry, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the US Airways team,” said C.A. Howlett, senior vice president, public affairs. “Tom has an in-depth understanding of the issues facing our industry and business, and he has a long history of effectively representing the industry on the national, state and local levels.”

Chapman is currently legislative counsel for Southwest Airlines, and established Southwest’s Washington office in 1998 to represent the company on legislative and regulatory affairs. Most recently, he was instrumental in a complex legislative effort to repeal the Wright Amendment; a measure passed in 1979 and originally intended to protect the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport from undue competition at nearby Love Field. He also led the airline industry’s legislative effort to secure War Risk Insurance for airlines after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and in 1999, helped negotiate a voluntary industry program to better address airline customer service issues.

Prior to Southwest, Chapman was senior vice president for government and technical affairs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) in Washington DC, representing the interests of more than 340,000 aircraft owners and pilots on the national, state and local levels. During his 17-year tenure at AOPA, he developed and managed a variety of federal, state and local legislative programs.

Chapman is a 1982 graduate of the American University School of Law in Washington, and a 1978 graduate of C.W. Post College in Greenvale, N.Y. He and wife Mary Scott O’Connell are the proud parents of four-year-old Patrick Thomas O’Connell Chapman. They reside in Bethesda, Md.

“US Airways is breaking new ground in an industry that has changed substantially over the past 20 years,” Chapman said. “I’m excited to be a part of the new US Airways team.”
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