By Sholnn Freeman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 6, 2008

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) is urging President-elect Barack Obama to appoint longtime aide Robert T. Herbert to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, people close to the process say.

Herbert appears to be in a heated contest with Duane E. Woerth, a former pilots union president who has the backing of labor groups, including the AFL-CIO. Herbert, an experienced civilian and military pilot, advised Reid on transportation, defense and homeland security issues.

Reid has sent a letter backing Herbert to the Obama transition team, according to the sources, who asked not to be identified because the selection process is ongoing. Herbert has also been seeking meetings with leaders of aviation-related unions in recent days.

Herbert has worked for Reid since 2001. His past roles include director of Reid's southern Nevada office and legislative assistant.

It isn't clear whether Obama's senior transition leaders have fully turned to the question of who should lead the FAA. Others mentioned include Neil Planzer, Boeing's vice president for air traffic management.

Obama has yet to name a secretary of transportation, who will oversee the FAA chief. Obama's transition team officials did not return requests for comment.

In the close-knit Washington aviation community, Woerth's name has generated the most interest. From 1999 to 2007, he was president of the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents most of the nation's commercial airline pilots. He was a high-profile advocate, appearing regularly before congressional committees on a range of aviation issues.

People close to the process on the labor side have said they view Woerth as best able to resolve the series of ongoing contract disputes between the FAA and its unions that have piled up during the Bush administration. The agency's two largest labor unions, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, have battled the FAA over pay and work rules.