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Lawmakers surprised that FAA ends furloughs but still may close towers
TransportThe furor over the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) sequester budget cuts has receded from the fever pitch it reached during flight delays at the end of April, but the agency’s plan will continue to hit bumps as lawmakers turn their attention to air traffic control towers. Forty-one senators have written the FAA to push the [...]
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Bad news about air delays ending: Airports don’t have money for improvement
TransportThe law that ended furloughs of U.S. air-traffic controllers covers most of the cost largely by taking about $250 million from airport construction-project funding this fiscal year, according to trade groups. The cash will come from an account intended to finance work such as safety improvements and pavement repairs, said Todd Hauptli, head of the [...]
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Sequester grounds military jets for dozens of air shows
DestinationsDozens of air shows that draw tens of thousands of people and generate millions of dollars for local economies have been cancelled this year after the military grounded its jet and demonstration teams because of automatic federal budget cuts. For years, the biggest draws at air shows have been the military’s two elite jet teams, [...]
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FAA air traffic furloughs: U.S. travel to be normal by Sunday night
TransportThe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Saturday it had suspended all employee furloughs and that it expects the U.S. air travel system will return to normal operations by Sunday evening Eastern Time. The suspension follows passage on Friday of a bill allowing the agency to shift money within its budget to halt furloughs of [...]
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Sequester flight delays only got solved due to high profile and heavy lobbying
TransportCongress got rid of a headache on Friday when it rescued the flying public from flight delays caused by its budget cutting. But in the view of many lawmakers, the pain is just about to begin. Members of Congress and groups representing people hit by across-the-board budget cuts, ranging from cancer patients to welfare recipients, [...]
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FAA furloughs end after U.S. Congress relaxes the agency’s budget constraints
TransportThe U.S. House passed legislation to end air-traffic controller furloughs, joining the Senate in letting the Federal Aviation Administration work around across- the-board budget cuts to end days of flight delays. The House cleared the measure 361-41 today after the Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan legislation last night just before a week-long congressional recess. The [...]
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Senate approves last-minute bill to end air traffic furloughs
TransportWith flight delays mounting, the Senate approved hurry-up legislation Thursday night to end air traffic controller furloughs blamed for inconveniencing large numbers of travelers. A House vote on the measure was expected as early as Friday, with lawmakers eager to embark on a weeklong vacation. Under the legislation, the Federal Aviation Administration would gain authority [...]
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Updated: Lawmakers scramble on air furloughs, as Senate going on a recess
TransportUpdated: A tentative deal has been reached in Senate, see our new story. The Senate halted efforts to legislate an immediate end to furloughs of air-traffic controllers, as delays blamed on staffing shortages continued at some of the largest U.S. airports. The Senate won’t take up legislation before going on a recess that ends on [...]
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JetBlue CEO says sequestration is “holding traveling public hostage”
TransportJetBlue CEO Dave Barger candidly told participants in this morning’s first-quarter earnings call that “there are so many adjectives I could share” to describe the current delays that are “holding the traveling public hostage” this week. JetBlue has yet to see any impact from the FAA furloughs, although the executives agreed it was too early to [...]
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Fourth day of FAA furloughs create backup at LAX
TransportFlights bound for Los Angeles are delayed again as a shortage of air-traffic controllers stretched into a fourth day because of furloughs under the U.S. government’s automatic budget cuts. Los Angeles International, the third-busiest airport in the U.S., had 45-minute arrival delays as of 8 a.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration’s travel website showed. [...]
