Kenneth P. Quinn

Full Profile

Kenneth (Ken) Quinn acts as litigation, regulatory, enforcement, antitrust, and commercial counsel to several domestic and international airlines, aerospace companies, lenders/lessors, private equity/hedge funds, online travel and social media companies, airport developers, and other aviation companies.  He has represented many companies over the years on a wide variety of drone and high technology ventures. Ken has represented aircraft lenders and lessors and aircraft and engine manufacturers on regulatory, accident investigation, certification, litigation, and regulatory matters. He has represented several real estate developers in FAA airspace hazard determinations.

Some of his high-profile engagements have been representing the Japanese battery manufacturer in the grounding of B787, a British company in the acquisition and antitrust immunity request for an Irish airline, a Japanese airline in a $7.0B airport development project, an infrastructure fund in the first use of FAA’s private partnership program of LMM in San Juan, PR, a social media company in a high-altitude drone project, a Silicon Valley all-electric VTOL certification, an inspection company in the first nighttime drone exemption, a major airline in litigation over gate access at Love Field, the airport security screening companies after 9/11, the OEM in the crash of AA587, the maintenance company in the ValuJet 592 crash, Virgin America in its certification and litigation, two of the largest US cities on international air service, slots, and competition, and the US Department of Transportation in the bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland and the creation of PFCs.

Ken’s experience also includes his positions as General Counsel & Secretary of the Flight Safety Foundation (1993 – present), Chief Counsel of the US Federal Aviation Administration (1991-1993), counselor to the US Secretary of Transportation (1989-1991), and senior advisor to the US Office of the President-Elect (1988). He was named a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1997, serves on the Board and as counsel to its DC Branch, and has served on the RAeS Membership Services Board in London, England, since 2012. Ken has served on the Board (2012-2016) and as President of the International Aviation Club (2015-2016). He was Chair of the American Bar Association Forum on Air & Space Law (1994-1996), serves on its Executive Committee (1994-present), and was Editor-in-Chief of the ABA’s The Air & Space Lawyer publication for 13 years.

Admissions

• District of Columbia
• US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
• US Courts of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
• US District Court, Northern District of Illinois

Education

• J.D., with honors, DePaul University College of Law, 1985. Notes Editor, DePaul Law Review; Editor, A.S.I.L.S. International Law Journal.
• B.A., Northern Illinois University, 1982

Memberships

• ABA
  • Section of Antitrust Law
  • Torts Trial and Insurance Practice Section
  • Forum on Air & Space Law
  • Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Experience

Experience

• Delta in a wide variety of matters, including airport and environmental litigation matters in the District of Columbia Circuit, the US Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit, and the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
• AIA on an all-cargo, perishable goods airport in Hendry County, Florida, under the FAA’s Airport Investment Partnership Program.
• Oaktree Capital in certain contract and public-private partnership matters.
• Japan Air Lines in a USD 7 billion terminal redevelopment at JFK airport.
• IAG, British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus in acquisition, alliance, and antitrust immunity matters.
• GS Yuasa, a Kyoto, Japan battery manufacturer relating to FAA, NTSB, and JTSB investigations, claims, the Paris ICDR arbitration, and other matters arising out of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner battery incidents and grounding.
• Pittsburgh International Airport in incident response and compliance matters.
• Avports in certain airport development matters.

Presentations

• Moderator, "It Ain’t Easy Being Green: The Perils of Advertising Environmental Initiatives". TIPS Aviation and Aerospace Law Conference: Reaching New Heights – 19 September 2024
• Panelist, Global Regulatory Update. McGill Aviation Liability, Insurance and Finance Conference – 14 September 2024
• Moderator, "Flying Through Turbulence: The Facts and Myths of Aviation Safety". Royal Aeronautical Society Roundtable Discussion – 28 August 2024
• Moderator, “Airline Competition and Consumer Protection”, Clyde & Co International Aviation & Aerospace Conference Series – London, May 2024
• Panelist, “Regulatory and Policy Insight”, Symposium on air Accessibility and the Law, April 2024
• Moderator, “Legislative Updates and Outlook for 2024”, American Bar Association: Forum on Air Space Law, March 2024
• Moderator, “The Looming Pilot Shortage: Myth, Reality and Colgan Flight 3407,” American Bar Association Aviation Litigation Institute, June 2022
• Moderator, CAPA Live, “North American Developments,” December 2021
• Moderator, CAPA Live, “Critical Thinkers – Leading an airline in 2021,” March 2021
• Moderator, “Crisis Management and Ethics,” BELIEF Week 2021, NIU, March 2021
• Moderator, CAPA Live, “International Operations in the Wake of COVID-19,” January 2021
• Moderator, “Crisis Management,” Flight Safety Foundation, International Aviation Safety Summit, Taipei, Taiwan, November 2019
• Moderator, “Update on Products Liability Cases and a Case Study on Major Accident Litigation: Plaintiff and Defendant Strategies,” 12th Annual McGill Conference on Aviation Liability, Litigation & Finance, Montreal, Canada, October 2019
• Moderator, “Recent Developments in International Trade Affecting Aviation,” Aviation Working Group, New York, New York, October 2019
• Moderator, "Airline partnerships, alliances, competition law and sustainability," CAPA Airline Leader's Summit, Dublin, Ireland, May 2019
• Moderator, "Where To: North America's Approach to Open Skies," CAPA 2019 Americas Aviation Summit, Denver, Colorado, March 2019
• Co-Panelist, "Governance and Management: Hot air, cold feet and high stakes - Mock Airline Executive Crisis Meeting," Legal Symposium, International Air Transport Association ("IATA"), Rome, Italy, March 2019
• Moderator, "The Future of Airline Competition, Mergers, Alliances, Antitrust Immunity, and Entry," Legal Symposium, International Air Transport Association ("IATA"), Rome, Italy, March 2019
• Moderator, "Information Protection - Litigation Perspective," Flight Safety Foundation ('FSF") International Aviation Safety Summit, Seattle, Washington, November 2018
• Moderator, "The protection of safety data, safety information and related sources," ICAO Regional Safety Management Symposium, Lima, Peru, April 2018
• Moderator, "The Great Debate: Is there a future for Open Skies Agreements?" CAPA Americas Aviation Summit, Houston, Texas, April 2018
• Co-Panelist, "The protection of safety data, safety information and related sources," ICAO Regional Safety Management Symposium, Lima, Peru, March 2018
• Co Panelist PEOPIL/McGill-Paris, France - Liability of Governments for Aviation Accidents and Acts of Terrorism - April 2023
• Co-Panelist ALAANZ-Sydney, Australia - Products Liability: Aviation Accident Investigation and Litigation - May 2023
• New York City Bar Talk Speaker - Sustainability - November 13, 2023