From 2000 to 2002, Steinberg was executive vice president of administration, general counsel and corporate secretary for Travelocity.com, Inc., the online travel site, following its acquisition of Preview Travel, Inc.[6]
From 1996 to 2000, he was senior vice president and then executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of Sabre, Inc., a leading provider of computerized reservation systems and information technology to the travel industry.[2]
From 1990 to 1996, he held a number of senior positions within the legal department of American Airlines, Inc., serving as associate general counsel in charge of the airline's employment and environmental legal practice, and senior attorney responsible for antitrust matters.[2]
Immediately prior to joining the Department of Transportation, Steinberg was vice president, general counsel and secretary of Church & Dwight Co., Inc., a diversified consumer packaged goods and industrial products company with $1.5 billion in sales.[3]
Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs
As Assistant Secretary, Steinberg handled several heavily contested and controversial matters. He granted economic authority to Virgin America to begin flights in the U.S., over the heavy opposition of U.S. airlines and labor unions, finding that the airline was not under the control of Virgin Group’s Richard Branson.[7] He tried unsuccessfully to end federally subsidized flights to 65 smaller communities, saying the Essential Air Service program did not work and needed reform.[8] About a possible merger in 2007, between US Airways and Delta Air Lines, Steinberg said in congressional testimony that while any merger immediately reduces the number of competitors, ultimately market forces would play out to benefit consumers.[9]
On the international front, under Secretary Mary Peters, he led DOT’s efforts in 2007, to secure an “Open Skies” agreement with the European Union.[10] Steinberg helped negotiate an agreement with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) that doubled air routes to the U.S.,[11][12] and then signed an order giving United Airlines and Delta Air Lines access to coveted new routes to China (from San Francisco to Guangzhou and from Atlanta to Shanghai respectively).[13] He opposed the inclusion of aviation in Europe's Emissions Trading Scheme, claiming it "would violate international law and undercut international efforts to better manage the impact of aviation emissions," a position disputed by EU authorities.[14] He also promoted the use of satellite-based air traffic systems as part of efforts to modernize legacy air traffic control systems in the U.S. and elsewhere.[15][16]
FAA Chief Counsel
At the FAA, Steinberg oversaw a staff of 290 individuals, including approximately 200 aviation lawyers, located in Washington and in the agency's 11 regional offices and technical centers.[3] In 2006, he issued a cease and desist order against a jet management company that the FAA claimed was involved in illegal operations as an air carrier and was linked to a crash at Teterboro Airport.[17][18] He also defended the agency's decision, after an impasse with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, to impose a new contract on NATCA.[19][20]
^Text of National Air Traffic Controllers Association V. Federal Service Impasses Panel. Docket No. 05-5076. 437 F.3d 1256 (D.C. Cir. 2006) is available from: OpenJuristuscourts.gov