William J. McGee

William J. McGee is a Senior Fellow for Aviation and Travel at the American Economic Liberties Project.

McGee spent 22 years at Consumer Reports, first as the Editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter and since 2009 as the Aviation Adviser for Advocacy, testifying before Congress numerous times on airline mergers, competition, safety, and passenger rights, as well as serving as the lone consumer advocate on Transportation Secretary Raymond LaHood’s Future of Aviation Advisory Committee. In addition to a monthly travel column in USA Today that addressed a broader set of issues in the travel industry, McGee has contributed to Condé Nast Traveler, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Money, New York, Parents, Good Housekeeping, and many other magazines, newspapers, websites, and blogs. He is an FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher who spent seven years in airline flight operations management and was a Flight Release Officer in the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary. While McGee’s recent focus has been on the airline industry, he is also well versed in other issues in the travel ecosystem, including hotels/resorts, cruise lines, car rentals, travel agencies, theme parks, travel insurance, and travel scams. He holds an MFA from Columbia University and is the author of two books, the airline industry exposé Attention All Passengers and Half the Child.