Would Allow Services Essential To Air Travel To Be Maintained During Sequestration

Airlines for America (A4A) has expressed strong support for an amendment offered by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) (pictured) to provide federal agencies the flexibility to determine which employees are essential personnel, and minimize the impact to services essential to air travel as they implement budget cuts required from sequestration.

Blunt’s amendment would apply the same standards used during occurrences of inclement weather or other government shutdowns to the sequestration cuts to each agency. The provision is co-sponsored by Republican U.S. Senators Mike Enzi (WY), Deb Fischer (NE), John Hoeven (ND), Mike Johanns (NE), Jim Risch (ID), and Roger Wicker (MS).

“The amendment will ensure essential service will continue under sequester to minimize impacts on the public,” said Hoeven. “For example, this will ensure employees like ... air traffic controllers will remain on the job.”

The departments of Transportation and Homeland Security have projected that cuts and expected furloughs at Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TSA and the FAA would negatively impact air travel. "A4A expects and urges federal agencies, including CBP, TSA and the FAA to minimize sequestration's impact on airlines and our customers, and we strongly support Sen. Blunt's amendment, which provides additional flexibility for federal officials to effectively manage and maintain essential public services, while meeting the requirements of the sequester," said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. "We thank Sen. Blunt for his leadership, and encourage his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this amendment, which will help ensure that the 2 million customers and 50,000 tons of cargo that fly every day are not negatively impacted."

Calio noted the FAA employed a similar model of identifying essential personnel during a two-week shutdown in 2011, following a funding impasse. During that time, no flights were delayed or canceled due to the FAA shutdown.

FMI: www.airlines.org