Portman said “the sequester is the wrong way to address
our out-of-control deficits, and I remain disappointed
that legislation I supported to give the Administration
the flexibility to target spending reductions and make
cuts with a scalpel rather than a meat cleaver didn’t
pass the Senate. It is unfortunate that the
FAA has refused to use existing flexibility in its
operational budget. It is even more disappointing that
they have refused to ask Congress for additional
flexibility, despite clear bipartisan support for a more
nuanced approach to these cuts that doesn’t leave
passengers and pilots stranded. By giving DOT transfer
authority to shift funds from the general DOT budget
over to the FAA, this commonsense, bipartisan measure
will ease the burden on those traveling and ensure that
our pilots and passengers do not bear the brunt of the
cuts.”
“In our vast state, Alaskans rely on air travel to get
around more than anywhere else, underscoring the need
for more flexibility in the FAA’s budget. This bill
provides a critical fix that will allow air traffic
controllers to get back to their posts,” said Begich.
“While we need a balanced approach to our budget and
must enforce spending cuts, we must also be responsible
in how we administer them so that we are taking care of
traveling families in Alaska and across the country.”
Senator Ayotte said “it’s wrong for the traveling public
to suffer because of political gamesmanship in
Washington. While the FAA already has the authority to
avoid these furloughs through alternative savings, this
bipartisan legislation provides extra assurance against
excessive delays and flight disruptions.”
“This legislation will ensure that the FAA will be able
to keep vital air traffic controllers in their seats
despite recent mandatory reductions to the DOT budget,”
Risch said. “Giving Secretary LaHood the flexibility
that he needs to keep air traffic controllers on the job
is the right thing to do and I am hopeful that this
legislation will result in immediate results.”
“American travelers and businesses shouldn’t have to
take the hit for the incompetence and shocking lack of
management at the FAA and the DOT,” said Coats. “It is
inexcusable that the FAA and the DOT failed to plan
accordingly and refused to use existing flexibility to
minimize the impact on travelers. This legislation will
help protect the traveling public by providing the DOT
with even more flexibility to prioritize its budget
something it should have been doing all along.”
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association
applauds the bipartisan efforts of Senators John Hoeven
(R-ND), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and others who have
introduced the Dependable Air Service Act. “Three days
of furloughs for the nation’s air traffic controllers
have proven to be just as disruptive as anticipated.
Even with relatively clear weather, there have been more
than 5,000 flight delays over the past three days
(according to FAA data), double the amount for the same
time frame one year ago. It’s now clear that these
furloughs are needlessly disrupting air travel and
should be rolled back at once.
“This legislation will give the FAA the transfer
authority they need to halt the furloughs of air
traffic controllers and allow the world’s safest,
most efficient airspace system to once again operate
at full capacity. We urge swift approval of this
measure so that controllers can return to work full
time and passengers and carriers can operate without
the threat of unnecessary delays”.
The U.S. Travel Association released a new analysis of the
cost of flight delays resulting from announced
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) furloughs of
air traffic control personnel in response to budget
sequestration.
Based on FAA’s assessment that 6,700 flights per day across
the United States could be delayed as a result of
personnel furloughs, U.S. Travel applied its
well-developed economic model to estimate that this
level of ongoing flight delays could cost the U.S.
$9.3 billion in lost economic output directly
associated with travelers’ spending between April
and October 1, when the new fiscal year begins.
Total tax revenue losses would amount to $1.4
billion ($775 million to the federal government and
$644 million to state and local governments). Worse,
sequestration-related delays could jeopardize an
estimated 83,400 American jobs. These estimates do
not include the operational costs borne by airlines.
“Travel has led U.S. economic recovery and supports one out
of eight American jobs. Throttling this engine of
growth by disrupting air travel makes no sense,”
said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel
Association. “We remain deeply concerned about
predicted air travel delays, and we urge the FAA to
insulate critical air traffic control personnel from
sequestration-driven furloughs.
“We also urge Congress to enact a longer-term solution by
swiftly passing legislation that ensures the smooth
functioning of America’s vital air travel system.
U.S. Travel supports the recently introduced
bipartisan ‘Dependable Air Service Act of 2013’, led
by Senators John Hoeven (R-ND) and Amy Klobuchar
(D-MN), and the ‘Essential Services Act of 2013’
introduced by Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO).”
The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), the largest
airline pilot union in the world, is advocating the
passage of the Dependable Air Service Act. “The Air
Line Pilots Association, Int’l strongly supports the
Dependable Air Service Act, introduced today by
Senators Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Hoeven (R-N.D.) as
part of a bipartisan group. This piece of
legislation will allow the FAA to transfer funds
between areas in the Department of Transportation
budget.
“It will also help mitigate the delays that passengers have
been experiencing in the last few days. These delays
and the subsequent passenger discontent could have
deep and long-term effects on the aviation industry
and the economy as a whole. We urge the
speedy passage and implementation of this bill, so
that our partners in aviation safety and security,
the furloughed air traffic controllers, can be
brought back to the control towers as quickly as
possible.”
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