Article:

PubZone1 Files a Motion for Stay in U.S. Appellate Court, Asks Administration for 30-Day Implementation Delay and Seeks Legislation to Prevent 
  
 Air Traffic Controller Furloughs 
  
 WASHINGTON, April 19, 2013 – Airlines for America (A4A) , the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines , today filed legal action to prevent the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from furloughing air traffic controllers and from implementing widespread ground stops that the agency reported would cause delays of up to four hours at major hub airports, impact up to 6,700 flights a day and affect one out of every three passengers. 
  
  
  
 A4A filed its motion in U.S. Appellate Court for the District of Columbia Circuit seeking a stay to halt the FAA’s Capacity Reduction Plan, which is based on false premises and would do substantial harm to the airlines, their employees and their customers. In addition to the legal action, which is being joined by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and the Regional Airline Association (RAA) , A4A continues to seek legislation that would deem air traffic controllers essential and therefore not subject to furlough, as they have historically been treated. A4A has asked and continues to ask the Administration to delay furloughs for 30 days to allow time to address the issue legislatively. The FAA recently delayed its decision to close contract towers by more than two months after being sued by several communities scheduled to have their airport tower closed. It should do no less for the national airspace system. 
  
  
  
 A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio said the association has been asking the FAA for months for specifics about how it plans to implement furloughs of air traffic controllers to meet its required sequestration 10 percent budget reduction. In a meeting with association and airline representatives just this week, the FAA indicated it plans to furlough air traffic controllers at facilities across the board on April 21. It also indicated it will institute automatic ground stops that same day without regard to conditions, which will cause delays systemwide. The FAA provided no specifics to airlines, but did indicate some airports may see a reduction in flight arrivals of 40 percent. 
  
  
  
 “The math simply does not work, and it is irresponsible to suggest that a 10 percent reduction of air traffic control hours should mean 40 percent fewer flights can arrive on time,” Calio said. “It’s unjust, unnecessary and completely irresponsible.” 
  
  
  
 Calio noted that A4A obtained third-party legal opinions that also confirmed that the FAA has greater discretion in how it implements cuts and further noted that when the FAA shut down for two weeks in 2011, it was able to do so without furloughing any air traffic controllers. No flights were canceled or delayed as a result of the FAA shutdown. 
  
  
  
 “Air traffic controllers have never been furloughed, regardless of any budget cuts, and there is a reason for that—they are critical to maintain the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System,” Calio said. “We continue to believe that the FAA has other means to reach a 10 percent budget reduction than to impact the traveling public. When a company needs to make a 10 percent budget reduction, the answer is not to make it is so inefficient that no one wants to do business with it anymore. That’s essentially what the FAA is proposing, and in doing so harming the 2 million passengers and shippers that fund two-thirds of its budget.” 
  
  
  
 Calio noted that other agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration made cuts without furloughing frontline employees. 
  
  
  
 “Air travel is vital to our economy and to jobs, and it is the FAA’s mission to ensure we have the safest most efficient system possible,” Calio said. “This plan flies in the face of that mission, and if the FAA’s projections are accurate, it will needlessly inconvenience passengers and shippers, hurt our economy, jobs and our industry.” 
  
  
  
 Through its “ DontGroundAmerica.com ” campaign A4A is calling on airline customers, employees, families and friends to join the fight and send a letter to President Obama, Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary LaHood, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Huerta, and their members of Congress to tell the Administration to end this now. 
  
  
  
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 PubZone2 ||||| After months of inside-the-Beltway drama, the impact of sequestration cutbacks moved to center stage America on Monday as the aviation system was slowed by the furlough of 1,500 air traffic controllers. 
  
 With about 10 percent of the controllers who direct 23,000 planes a day scheduled to be off daily until October, both industry and government officials forecast that the effect would snowball as the nation enters peak travel season. 
  
 Short on staff and besieged by brisk winds at the three big New York area airports, controllers fell behind by mid-morning Monday and never caught up. The Newark, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports reported delays of one to three hours. 
  
 Most flights from the major Washington area airports ran close to on time, but some headed to New York faced long delays on the ground. 
  
 When New York’s three mega-airports fall behind schedule, that often has a ripple effect as far as the West Coast. By mid-afternoon Monday, flights into the US Airways hub in Charlotte were late in arriving; by evening, airports in Miami and Los Angeles reported lengthy delays because of controller shortages. Meanwhile, an ice storm at Denver’s airport further gummed up the system. 
  
 View Graphic How sequestration will impact federal departments 
  
 As TV crews panned across anxious and angry passengers in New York terminals, the debate revived in Washington over whether the controller furloughs announced last week were necessary or a White House ploy to dramatize the effects of sequestration. 
  
 “Our aviation system should not be used as a pawn in budget debate,” said Lee Moak, president of the Air Line Pilots Association. “The livelihood of our economy is dependent on air commerce, and the financial strength of our airlines and the people they employ are at risk.” 
  
 He predicted that delays would spread in the weeks ahead if the Federal Aviation Administration presses on with a plan to recoup $200 million of the $637 million it must cut to meet sequestration goals this fiscal year. 
  
 After the furlough plan was presented last week, House Republicans insisted that FAA cuts should be made elsewhere and the airlines went to court in an attempt to block them. The Obama administration brushed off suggestions that air travel had become “a political football,” but crowds of delayed passengers undoubtedly made better television than announcements that federal office workers would have to take unpaid days off. 
  
 The FAA has estimated that a third of passengers will face delays during the furloughs, with up to 6,700 flights arriving late at more than a dozen major airports each day. On the worst travel day of 2012, when severe weather crippled the system, about 3,000 flights were delayed. 
  
 Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D.-Nev.) predicted that fliers would face lengthy waits at virtually every airport. 
  
 The longest delays were expected at major hubs, including the three that serve New York, two in Chicago and those in Atlanta; Charlotte; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Los Angeles; Miami; Philadelphia; San Diego and San Francisco. 
  
 “In airports across the country, millions of Americans will get their first taste of the pain of sequestration,” Reid said on the Senate floor. “But many Americans have been feeling that pain for weeks. We cannot and we should not only address the FAA cuts. We cannot ignore the sequester’s overall effect on Americans.” 
  
 Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), ranking member of the House aviation subcommittee, defended the FAA furloughs as necessary but said the issue needs resolution. 
  
 “There’s a lot finger-pointing going on, but the simple truth is that it is Congress’s job to fix this,” Larsen said. “Flight delays are just the latest example of how the sequester is damaging the economy and hurting families across the country.” 
  
 But as the first effects of the controller furloughs began to be seen, some Democrats broke ranks to say that Congress should find money elsewhere to reverse the cuts. 
  
 “Simply put, we cannot allow these furloughs to go through, because if they go through, it will make flying on a normal day seem like you’re flying in blizzard weather,” Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.) said at a Sunday news conference. 
  
 Greg Principato, president of a group that represents U.S. airports, said the cuts would “create a ripple effect throughout our highly interconnected system, affecting travelers at both large and small airports. We believe that these delays will get significantly worse as we move into peak summer travel season.” 
  
 Passengers faced another sequestration frustration as furloughs of Transportation Security Administration workers caused peak-hour backups at security checkpoints, and passengers on international flights arriving at Dulles International Airport faced 30-minute delays clearing short-staffed customs stations. 
  
 “We’re basically telling them to plan on a little bit of extra time to clear security,” said Chris Paolino, spokesman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. “In terms of the FAA [furloughs], it’s almost like a weather situation, where we’re advising people to check with their airlines in case there are delays.” 
  
 At noon Monday, the lines at TSA checkpoints at Reagan National Airport were long, but travelers and officials said that was normal at peak hours. 
  
 For the most part, travelers said they had not experienced big delays. 
  
 Juliana Mejia, who has relatives in the D.C. area, was heading home to Madrid and said she arrived earlier than usual to catch her flight to New York before her connecting flight to Spain. 
  
 “If it indeed turns out as bad as it has been described, I just hope it’s not today,” she said. “I have yet to see the long lines. So far, everything looks pretty smooth.” 
  
 Arriving from Dallas, D.C. resident Orion Vanhart said he almost missed his flight because of delays getting to the gate. He said he noticed longer-than-usual lines at the checkpoints coming in. 
  
 “I am here now so I can’t be mad,” Vanhart said. “I was just a little frustrated back in Dallas.” 
  
 A few flights at National were behind schedule. 
  
 Marcie Hickman, 43, a business traveler who shuttles between offices in North Carolina and Washington, said her flight from Raleigh was delayed for almost an hour Monday morning. 
  
 “To me less than an hour is not a big deal,” she said, hurrying to claim her luggage. “Just a little delay, nothing bad.” 
  
 Betty Kirkland, 54, was headed home to Atlanta on Monday afternoon. Her 1 p.m. flight was delayed by 30 minutes because of announced “air traffic” delays. 
  
 “We knew there was going to be some issues, and we were pretty lucky it was only 30 minutes,” she said. “It wasn’t too bad, can’t complain.” |||||
What is a summary?
– Here we go: Those promised airport delays, the result of furloughs caused by the sequester, have arrived. All three major NYC-area airports saw flights falling behind schedule yesterday and, as the Washington Post puts it, air traffic controllers "never caught up," with delays clocking in at between one and three hours. Backups at those three airports have the unfortunate tendency to reverberate, and delays started hitting Miami, Los Angeles, and Charlotte in the latter part of the day. Why? Air traffic controllers—1,500 of them—went on furlough; TSA and customs furloughs also caused backups at some airports. About 10% of all air traffic controllers will be off each day until October, and the FAA predicts one-third of passengers will experience delays during that time. Here's some really awful context: Airlines for America reports that the FAA estimates delays could hit 6,700 flights a day; last year's worst travel day saw 3,000 flights delayed due to weather.
Artikel: PubZone1 Files a Motion for Stay in U.S. Appellation Court, Asks Administration för 30-dagars genomförande Fördröjning och söker Lagstiftning för att förhindra flygkontrollör Furloughs WASHINGTON, 19 april 2013 – Airlines for America (A4A) , branschorganisationen för de ledande amerikanska flygbolagen , idag inlämnade rättsliga åtgärder för att förhindra Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) från att tillåta flygledare och från att genomföra utbredda markstopp som byrån rapporterade skulle orsaka förseningar på upp till fyra timmar på större nav flygplatser, påverka upp till 6.700 flygningar per dag och påverka en av tre passagerare. A4A lämnade in sin motion i U.S. Appellation Court for the District of Columbia Circuit som söker en vistelse för att stoppa FAA: s kapacitetsminskningsplan, som bygger på falska lokaler och skulle göra stor skada för flygbolagen, deras anställda och deras kunder. Utöver de rättsliga åtgärder som har vidtagits, och som åtföljs av Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) och Regional Airline Association (RAA) , fortsätter A4A att söka lagstiftning som skulle anse flygledare nödvändiga och därför inte omfattas av permission, eftersom de har behandlats historiskt. A4A har bett och fortsätter att be administrationen att skjuta upp permissionerna i 30 dagar för att ge tid att ta itu med frågan på lagstiftningsnivå. FAA fördröjde nyligen sitt beslut att stänga kontraktstorn med mer än två månader efter att ha blivit stämd av flera samhällen planerade att få sitt flygplatstorn stängt. Det bör inte göra mindre för det nationella luftrummet. A4A VD och koncernchef Nicholas E. Calio sade att föreningen har bett FAA i månader för detaljer om hur den planerar att genomföra permissioner av flygledare för att uppfylla dess nödvändiga beslag 10 procent budgetminskning. I ett möte med företrädare för förening och flygbolag bara denna vecka, FAA meddelade att man planerar att tillåta flygledare på anläggningar över hela linjen den 21 april. Den angav också att den kommer att införa automatiska markstopp samma dag utan hänsyn till förhållanden, vilket kommer att orsaka förseningar över hela systemet. FAA gav inga närmare upplysningar till flygbolagen, men angav att vissa flygplatser kan se en minskning av antalet flyginresor med 40 procent. “ matten helt enkelt inte fungerar, och det är oansvarigt att föreslå att en 10-procentig minskning av flygkontrolltimmar bör innebära 40 procent färre flygningar kan komma i tid,” Calio sade. “Det är orättvist, onödigt och helt oansvarigt.” Calio noterade att A4A fick tredje part juridiska åsikter som också bekräftade att FAA har större diskretion i hur det genomför nedskärningar och ytterligare noteras att när FAA stängde i två veckor 2011, kunde det göra det utan att tillåta någon flygledare. Inga flygningar ställdes in eller försenades till följd av FAA-avstängningen. “Luftledare har aldrig varit permission, oavsett några budget nedskärningar, och det finns en anledning till det-de är avgörande för att upprätthålla säkerheten och effektiviteten i det nationella luftrummet System,” Calio sade. “Vi fortsätter att tro att FAA har andra sätt att nå en 10-procentig budgetminskning än att påverka den resande allmänheten. När ett företag behöver göra en 10 procents budgetminskning är svaret inte att göra det så ineffektivt att ingen vill göra affärer med det längre. Det är i huvudsak vad FAA föreslår, och genom att göra detta skada de 2 miljoner passagerare och avsändare som finansierar två tredjedelar av sin budget. "Calio noterade att andra byråer, inklusive Department of Homeland Security och Transportation Security Administration gjorde nedskärningar utan permission frontline anställda. “Luftresor är avgörande för vår ekonomi och för jobb, och det är FAA: s uppdrag att se till att vi har det säkraste mest effektiva systemet möjligt,” Calio sade. “Denna plan flyger i ansiktet på det uppdraget, och om FAA: s prognoser är korrekta, det kommer att onödigt besvär passagerare och speditörer, skada vår ekonomi, jobb och vår industri.” Genom sin “ DontGroundAmerica.com” kampanj A4A uppmanar flygbolag kunder, anställda, familjer och vänner att delta i kampen och skicka ett brev till president Obama, ministeriet för transport (DOT) sekreterare LaHood, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Huerta, och deras medlemmar av kongressen att säga till administrationen att avsluta detta nu. # # # PubZone2 # # Efter månader av inne-the-Beltway drama, effekterna av segregering nedskärningar flyttade till centrum scenen Amerika på måndag som luftfartssystemet bromsades av permission av 1500 flygledare. Med omkring 10 procent av de flygledare som leder 23.000 plan om dagen som planeras vara avstängda dagligen fram till oktober, både industrin och regeringstjänstemän förutspår att effekten skulle snöboll när nationen går in i högsäsong. Kort på personal och belägras av raska vindar på de tre stora New York-området flygplatser, styrekonomer föll efter i mitten av morgonen måndag och aldrig ikapp. Flygplatserna Newark, LaGuardia och John F. Kennedy rapporterade förseningar på en till tre timmar. De flesta flygningarna från de större flygplatserna i Washingtonområdet löpte nära i tid, men en del som begav sig till New York drabbades av stora förseningar på marken. När New Yorks tre megaflygplatser halkar efter i tidsschemat, har det ofta en krusning effekt så långt som till västkusten. I mitten av eftermiddagen måndag, flygningar in US Airways nav i Charlotte var sent på ankomsten; på kvällen, flygplatser i Miami och Los Angeles rapporterade långa förseningar på grund av kontrollbrist. Under tiden var det en isstorm vid Denvers flygplats som ytterligare störde systemet. Visa Grafisk Hur segregering kommer att påverka federala avdelningar När TV-team panorerade över oroliga och arga passagerare i New York terminaler, debatten återupplivades i Washington om controller permissioner meddelade förra veckan var nödvändiga eller ett Vita huset knep för att dramatisera effekterna av segregering. “Vårt luftfartssystem bör inte användas som en bricka i budgetdebatten,” sade Lee Moak, ordförande för Air Line Pilots Association. "Utkomsten av vår ekonomi är beroende av flyghandel, och den finansiella styrkan hos våra flygbolag och de människor som de anställer är i riskzonen." Han förutspådde att förseningar skulle spridas under de kommande veckorna om den federala luftfartsförvaltningen fortsätter med en plan för att samla in $ 200 miljoner av $ 637 miljoner det måste skära för att uppfylla sequeration mål detta budgetår. Efter att permissionsplanen presenterades förra veckan insisterade House Republicans på att FAA skulle skäras ned någon annanstans och flygbolagen gick till domstol i ett försök att blockera dem. Obamas administration avfärdade förslag om att flygresor hade blivit "en politisk fotboll", men folkmassor av försenade passagerare gjorde utan tvekan bättre TV än tillkännagivanden om att federala kontorsarbetare skulle behöva ta obetalda dagar ledigt. FAA har uppskattat att en tredjedel av passagerarna kommer att drabbas av förseningar under permissionerna, med upp till 6 700 flygningar som anländer sent till mer än ett dussin större flygplatser varje dag. På värsta resedagen 2012, då hårt väder lamslog systemet, försenades cirka 3 000 flygningar. Senatsmajoritetsledaren Harry M. Reid (D.-Nev.) förutspådde att flygare skulle ställas inför långa väntanden på i stort sett varje flygplats. De längsta förseningarna förväntades vid större nav, däribland de tre som betjänar New York, två i Chicago och de i Atlanta; Charlotte; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Los Angeles; Miami; Philadelphia; San Diego och San Francisco. “På flygplatser över hela landet, miljontals amerikaner kommer att få sin första smak av smärtan av sequestration,” Reid sade på senaten våningen. – Men många amerikaner har känt den smärtan i veckor. Vi kan inte och bör inte bara ta itu med FAA:s nedskärningar. Vi kan inte ignorera sequester övergripande effekt på amerikaner.” Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), rankad medlem av House flyg underkommittén, försvarade FAA permissioner som nödvändigt men sade frågan behöver lösas. — Det pågår mycket fingerpekande, men den enkla sanningen är att det är kongressens uppgift att fixa detta, sade Larsen. “Flygförseningar är bara det senaste exemplet på hur sequester skadar ekonomin och skadar familjer över hela landet.” Men som de första effekterna av kontroll permissioner började ses, några demokrater bröt leden för att säga att kongressen borde hitta pengar någon annanstans för att vända nedskärningarna. — Enkelt uttryckt, vi kunna inte tillåta dessa permissioner att gå igenom, för om de gå igenom, kommer det att göra att flyga en normal dag verkar som om du flyger i snöstormsväder, sade Sen Charles E. Schumer (Ny) på en söndagsnyhetskonferens. Greg Principato, ordförande för en grupp som representerar amerikanska flygplatser, sade nedskärningarna skulle ” skapa en krusning effekt i hela vårt mycket sammanlänkade system, påverkar resenärer på både stora och små flygplatser. Vi tror att dessa förseningar kommer att bli betydligt värre när vi flyttar in i högsäsong sommarresor.” Passagerare mötte en annan kvarstad frustration eftersom permissioner av Transport Security Administration anställda orsakade topp-timme backuper vid säkerhetskontrollstationer, och passagerare på internationella flygningar som anländer till Dulles internationella flygplats stod inför 30-minuters förseningar rensa korta personaltullstationer. “Vi säger i princip till dem att planera på lite extra tid för att klara säkerheten,” sade Chris Paolino, talesman för Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. “När det gäller FAA [furloughs], är det nästan som en vädersituation, där vi råder människor att kolla med sina flygbolag ifall det finns förseningar.” Vid middagstid måndag, linjerna på TSA kontrollstationer på Reagan National Airport var långa, men resenärer och tjänstemän sade att det var normalt på rusningstid. För det mesta sade resenärerna att de inte hade upplevt stora förseningar. Juliana Mejia, som har släktingar i D.C.-området, var på väg hem till Madrid och sade att hon anlände tidigare än vanligt för att hinna med sitt flyg till New York innan sitt anslutande flyg till Spanien. — Om det verkligen visar sig så illa som det har beskrivits, hoppas jag bara, att det inte är i dag, sade hon. — Jag har ännu inte sett de långa linorna. Hittills ser allt ganska smidigt ut.” Kommer från Dallas, D.C. bosatt Orion Vanhart sade att han nästan missade sitt flyg på grund av förseningar komma till porten. Han sa att han märkte längre linjer än vanligt vid vägspärrarna. — Jag är här nu, så jag kan inte bli galen, sade Vanhart. “Jag var bara lite frustrerad tillbaka i Dallas.” Några flygningar på National var försenade. Marcie Hickman, 43, en affärsresande som åker mellan kontor i North Carolina och Washington, sade att hennes flyg från Raleigh blev försenat i nästan en timme måndag morgon. — För mig är mindre än en timme ingen stor sak, sade hon, i det hon skyndade sig att hämta sitt bagage. — Bara en liten fördröjning, ingenting illa. var Betty Kirkland, 54, på väg hem till Atlanta på måndag eftermiddag. Hennes 1 p.m. flygning försenades med 30 minuter på grund av meddelade "flyget" förseningar. "Vi visste att det skulle bli några frågor, och vi hade ganska tur att det var bara 30 minuter," sade hon. — Det var inte så illa, kan inte klaga. »» Vad är en sammanfattning?
Article: PubZone1 Files a Motion for Stay in U.S. Appeal Court, Asks Administration for 30-day implementation Delay and seek Legislation to prevent air traffic controller Furloughs WASHINGTON, 19 April 2013 – Airlines for America (A4A) , the industry organization of the leading U.S. airlines , today submitted legal measures to prevent the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from allowing air traffic controllers and from conducting widespread ground stops that the agency reported would cause delays of up to four hours at major hub airports, impacting up to 6,700 flights per day and affecting one of three passengers. The A4A filed its motion in the U.S. Appellation Court for the District of Columbia Circuit seeking a stay to stop the FAA's capacity reduction plan, which is based on fake premises and would do great damage to airlines, their employees and their customers. In addition to the legal measures taken, and accompanied by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and the Regional Airline Association (RAA) , the A4A continues to seek legislation that would consider air traffic controllers necessary and therefore not subject to leave, as they have been dealt with historically. The A4A has asked and continues to ask the administration to postpone leave for 30 days to allow time to address the issue at legislative level. The FAA recently delayed its decision to close the contract tower by more than two months after being sued by several communities planned to have their airport tower closed. It should not do less for national airspace. A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio said that the association has asked the FAA for months for details on how it plans to carry out leaves of air traffic controllers to meet its necessary seizure 10 percent budget reduction. In a meeting with representatives of association and airlines only this week, the FAA announced that it plans to allow air traffic controllers on facilities across the line on 21 April. It also indicated that it will introduce automatic ground stops on the same day without regard to conditions, which will cause delays across the system. The FAA did not provide any details to airlines, but indicated that some airports may see a 40% reduction in the number of flights. “the math simply doesn’t work, and it’s irresponsible to suggest that a 10% reduction in air traffic control hours should mean 40% fewer flights can arrive on time,” Calio said. “It’s unfair, unnecessary and completely irresponsible.” Calio noted that the A4A gained third-party legal views that also confirmed that the FAA has greater discretion in how it implements cuts and further noted that when the FAA closed for two weeks in 2011, it could do so without allowing any air traffic controller. No flights were cancelled or delayed as a result of the FAA suspension. “Air leaders have never been on leave, regardless of any budget cuts, and there is a reason for that—they are crucial to maintaining the safety and efficiency of the national airspace system,” Calio said. “We continue to believe that the FAA has other ways of reaching a 10% budget reduction than influencing the travelling public. When a company needs to make a 10% budget reduction, the answer is not to make it so ineffective that no one wants to do business with it anymore. That is essentially what the FAA proposes, and by doing this damage to the 2 million passengers and senders who finance two thirds of their budget. "Calio noted that other agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration made cuts without leave frontline employees. “Air travel is crucial for our economy and for jobs, and it’s FAA’s mission to ensure that we have the safest most efficient system possible,” Calio said. “This plane flies in the face of that mission, and if the FAA’s forecasts are correct, it will unnecessarily bother passengers and freight forwarders, harming our economy, jobs and our industry.” Through its “DontGroundAmerica.com” campaign A4A, airlines urge customers, employees, families and friends to participate in the fight and send a letter to President Obama, Ministry of Transport (DOT) Secretary LaHood, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Huerta, and their members of Congress to tell the administration to end this now. # # PubZone2 # After months of inside-the-Beltway drama, the effects of segregation cuts moved to downtown scene America on Monday as the aviation system was slowed by leave of 1500 air traffic controllers. With about 10 percent of air traffic controllers leading 23,000 planes a day scheduled to be suspended daily until October, both industry and government officials predict the effect would snowball when the nation enters peak season. Briefly on staff and besieged by rapid winds at the three major New York area airports, financial controllers fell behind in mid-morning Monday and never catch up. Airports Newark, LaGuardia, and John F. Kennedy reported delays of one to three hours. Most flights from the major airports in the Washington area ran close in time, but some going to New York City suffered major delays on the ground. When New York’s three megaairports slip behind schedule, it often has a ripple effect as far as the West Coast. By mid-afternoon Monday, flights into US Airways hub in Charlotte were late on arrival; in the evening, airports in Miami and Los Angeles reported long delays due to lack of control. Meanwhile, an ice storm at Denver Airport further disrupted the system. View Graphic How segregation will affect federal departments When television teams panned over troubled and angry passengers in New York terminals, the debate was revived in Washington if controllers leave announced last week was necessary or a White House trick to dramatize the effects of segregation. “Our aviation system should not be used as a badge in the budget debate,” said Lee Moak, president of the Air Line Pilots Association. "The livelihood of our economy is dependent on aviation trading, and the financial strength of our airlines and the people they employ is at risk." He predicted that delays would spread over the coming weeks if the Federal Aviation Administration continues with a plan to raise $200 million of $637 million it has to cut to meet Sequeration goals this financial year. After the leave plan was presented last week, the House Republicans insisted that the FAA be cut down elsewhere and the airlines went to court in an attempt to block them. Obama's administration dismissed proposals that air travel had become "a political football", but crowds of delayed passengers undoubtedly made better television than announcements that federal office workers would have to take unpaid days off. The FAA has estimated that one third of passengers will face delays during leave, with up to 6,700 flights arriving late at more than a dozen major airports each day. On the worst day of travel in 2012, when heavy weather crippled the system, about 3,000 flights were delayed. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D.-Nev.) predicted that airmen would face long waits at virtually every airport. The longest delays were expected at major hubs, including the three serving New York City, two in Chicago and those in Atlanta; Charlotte; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Los Angeles; Miami; Philadelphia; San Diego and San Francisco. “At airports across the country, millions of Americans will get their first taste of the pain of questration,” Reid said on the Senate floor. “But many Americans have felt that pain for weeks. We cannot and should not just deal with the FAA cuts. We cannot ignore the sequester overall effect on Americans.” Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), a ranked member of the House Air Subcommittee, defended FAA leave as necessary but said the issue needs to be resolved. “There is a lot of finger pointing going on, but the simple truth is that it is the task of Congress to fix this,” Larsen said. “Flying delays are just the latest example of how sequester damages the economy and harms families across the country.” However, as the first effects of control leaves began to be seen, some Democrats broke ranks to say that Congress should find money elsewhere to reverse the cuts. “Simply put, we can’t allow these leaves to go through, because if they go through, it will make flying a normal day seem like you’re flying in blizzard weather,” said Sen Charles E. Schumer (New) at a Sunday News Conference. Greg Principato, president of a group representing U.S. airports, said the cuts would “create a ripple effect throughout our very interconnected system, affecting travelers at both large and small airports. We believe that these delays will be significantly worse when we move into peak season summer trips.” Passengers faced another attachment frustration because leave of Transport Security Administration employees caused top-hour backups at security checkpoints, and passengers on international flights arriving at Dulles International Airport faced 30-minute delays clearing short staff toll stations. “We basically tell them to plan on a little extra time to cope with security,” said Chris Paolino, spokesman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. “As for the FAA [furloughs], it’s almost like a weather situation, where we advise people to check with their airlines in case there are delays.” At noon Monday, the lines at TSA control stations at Reagan National Airport were long, but travelers and officials said it was normal at rush hour. For the most part, travelers said that they had not experienced great delays. Juliana Mejia, who has relatives in the D.C. area, was on her way home to Madrid and said she arrived earlier than usual to catch her flight to New York before her connecting flight to Spain. “If it really turns out as bad as it has been described, I just hope it’s not today,” she said. — I have not yet seen the long lines. So far everything looks pretty smooth.” Coming from Dallas, D.C. resident Orion Vanhart said he almost missed his flight due to delays coming to the gate. He said he noticed longer lines than usual at the roadblocks. “I’m here now, so I can’t go crazy,” Vanhart said. “I was just a little frustrated back in Dallas.” Some flights at National were delayed. Marcie Hickman, 43, a business traveler traveling between offices in North Carolina and Washington, said her flight from Raleigh was delayed for nearly an hour Monday morning. “To me less than an hour is not a big deal,” she said, hurriedly picking up her luggage. — Just a little delay, nothing bad. Betty Kirkland, 54, was on her way home to Atlanta on Monday afternoon. Her 1 p.m. flight was delayed by 30 minutes due to announced "flight" delays. "We knew there would be some questions, and we were pretty lucky it was just 30 minutes," she said. — It wasn't so bad, can't complain. <unk> What's a summary?
– Här kör vi: De utlovade förseningarna på flygplatsen, resultatet av permissioner orsakade av sequester, har anlänt. Alla tre stora flygplatser i NYC-området såg flygningar som halkade efter i går och, som Washington Post uttrycker det, flygledarna "aldrig kom ikapp", med förseningar som klockade in på mellan en och tre timmar. Säkerhetskopior på dessa tre flygplatser har en olycklig tendens att genljuda, och förseningar började drabba Miami, Los Angeles och Charlotte under senare delen av dagen. Varför? Flygledare — 1,500 av dem — gick på permission; TSA och tullpermissioner orsakade också backuper på vissa flygplatser. Omkring 10 % av alla flygledare kommer att vara lediga varje dag fram till oktober, och FAA förutspår att en tredjedel av passagerarna kommer att drabbas av förseningar under den tiden. Här är några riktigt hemska sammanhang: Airlines for America rapporterar att FAA uppskattar förseningar kan träffa 6700 flygningar per dag; förra årets värsta resedag såg 3000 flygningar försenade på grund av väder.
– Here we go: The promised delays at the airport, the result of leave caused by sequester, have arrived. All three major airports in the NYC area saw flights falling behind yesterday and, as the Washington Post puts it, air traffic controllers "never caught up", with delays clocking in at between one and three hours. Backups at these three airports have an unfortunate tendency to resonate, and delays began to hit Miami, Los Angeles, and Charlotte in the latter part of the day. Why? Air traffic controllers — 1,500 of them — went on leave; TSA and customs leave also caused backups at some airports. About 10% of all air traffic controllers will be free every day until October, and the FAA predicts that one third of passengers will suffer delays during that time. Here are some really terrible contexts: Airlines for America reports that the FAA estimate delays can hit 6700 flights per day; last year's worst travel day saw 3000 flights delayed due to weather.