Articles tagged “sequester”

Travel could very likely become the face of the sequestration opposition movement with FAA and TSA job cuts and depressed hotel sales becoming the poster children for fatter federal budgets.

Losing a tower doesn’t guarantee airport closure, but it’s the equivalent of putting a prison ball on operations. These five Oregon airports are hoping their military operations keep them off the axe list.

The amount seems large, but $40 million translates into only 5% of Smithsonian's annual budget, so it will likely find ways to operate normally, at least for now.

The congressional response to Hurricane Sandy demonstrated that congress couldn't give a rip about New York City, so to gain support proponents of compromise will need to focus on the hundreds of small cuts to airports around the country.

You will be reading stories like this across the U.S. this week as the pending budget cuts will only make operations backed by the federal government more difficult, whether that be airports or natural habitats.

It's not just the threat of airport delays that will harm the travel industry, but the promise of cuts that will keep people at home or out of the country all together that will have a domino effect -- even if the problem is solved quickly.

It's going to be a crazy week ahead as both sides posture about sequestration, and the shape of the aviation system over the next year hangs in the balance.

The newspaper reports and ensuing passenger worries will likely move most U.S. voters towards the center and towards the president in the current budget debate.

Not that we would complain with less TSA, but it would only end up delaying more of our travel plans and airport wait times, which will cause real pain. And then the more serious matter of less security.