After recess it will be jockeying for floor time against spending bills, the GOP tax bill and other leadership priorities.īut in the Senate, action skidded off the runway during a June 15 markup over an amendment from Sens. The House Transportation Committee approved its five-year, $103 billion FAA bill, after narrowly adopting an amendment that would raise the commercial pilot retirement age from 65 to 67. 30, but there are major disagreements that could derail action before the August recess. Stuck on the tarmac: Federal aviation program authorizations are set to expire Sept. This week’s mess follows a Transportation Department’s inspector general report last week that found that the FAA had taken only limited steps to address shortages and repeated warnings by the air traffic controllers’ union that too few employees were available. The Senate bill calls for the establishment of a second air traffic controller academy, while the House bill would direct the FAA to train as many new controllers as possible. On the runway: Lawmakers are seeking to solve some of these problems (not the weather, but staffing and training) in bills to reauthorize the FAA for the next five years, with both House and Senate proposals adding air traffic controllers. “Staffing at FAA’s air traffic facilities in NY is at 54 percent,” Cruz tweeted. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said this week that he’ll use his seat on the Commerce Committee to push for more air traffic controllers to be working. The air traffic control union is blaming airlines, specifically United, whose flights accounted for about 84 percent of those canceled across the country this week. They’re also heaping blame on the Federal Aviation Administration. travelers were stuck or stranded this week.īlame game: Airlines blamed the weather and the critical shortage of air traffic controllers. Summer air travel is shaping up to be a nightmare heading into the July 4 weekend and the frequent fliers on Capitol Hill are taking notice, even if they landed safely at their destination weeks ago.
AIR TRAVEL AGONY - If you’ve been sitting on the floor of an airport for 18 hours, Congress isn’t coming to save you.
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